{"id":28164,"date":"2020-03-09T00:24:53","date_gmt":"2020-03-09T04:24:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=28164"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:39:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:39:18","slug":"difficult-roads-mcfair_58","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=28164","title":{"rendered":"Difficult Roads (by McFair_58)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 Ben Cartwright’s young sons are under threat.\u00a0 Could a secret long buried be the reason?\u00a0 And if so, just whose<\/em> secret is it?<\/p>\n

Word Count: 66,559<\/p>\n

Rated PG-13 for racial slurs and western style brutality and violence<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Difficult Roads<\/strong><\/p>\n

ONE<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Adam! \u00a0Slow down!\u201d<\/p>\n

The call caused him to rein in his mount, but not his anger.\u00a0 Twenty-two-year-old Adam Cartwright waited \u2013 back straight, legs straining in his stirrups, jaw clenched and eyes narrowed \u2013 for his younger brother to catch up.<\/p>\n

\u201cOld Sport\u2019s gonna trade you in for a new rider if you keep that pace up, older brother,\u201d Hoss said, huffing a little as he drew Chubb to a halt alongside his stable mate.\u00a0 The sixteen-year-old met his fierce gaze and swallowed.\u00a0 \u201cI got me a feelin\u2019 you\u2019re a mite upset with little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam moved his eyes, but nothing else.\u00a0 \u201cA mite.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Adam, Little Joe\u2019s just \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIrresponsible?\u00a0 Reckless?\u00a0 Aggravating?\u201d\u00a0 He drew in a breath and let it out slowly, seeking to master his irritation. \u00a0\u201cImmature?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a boy, Adam,\u201d Hoss protested.<\/p>\n

This time he pivoted in the saddle to look at the teenager.\u00a0 \u201cSo was I at ten, but you didn\u2019t see me acting this way!\u00a0 When I was Joe\u2019s age I\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026moved mountains single-handedly with your own bare hands, put up buildings with spit and nails, minded a thousand head of cattle while knittin\u2019 the heels for your socks, and cooked and cleaned whilst you done the laundry!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss tossed him a look.\u00a0 \u201cAnyone ever tell you that you got big head, big brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s lips twisted as he considered his brother\u2019s words, for he did<\/em> respect Hoss\u2019 opinion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do sound a bit\u2026egotistical at that,\u201d he admitted.\u00a0 \u201cBut that doesn\u2019t let Little Joe off the hook.\u00a0 No matter how young he is, there\u2019s simply no <\/em>excuse for taking off in the middle of a work day \u2013\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe didn\u2019t just \u2018take off, Adam,\u201d Hoss said softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, come on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean it, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u201d \u00a0The black-haired man loosed his mount\u2019s reins so he could cross his arms over his chest.\u00a0 \u201cI sent Little Joe to the back pasture to fix the fence and when I went by to check on his progress an hour later he was gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sent Little Joe out to fix the fence right next to that pair of yahoos Pa hired a couple of weeks back.\u00a0 They ain\u2019t done nothin\u2019 but give little brother grief since they set foot in the yard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d he asked, genuinely confused.<\/p>\n

\u201cSears and Shade.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was autumn and the yearly cattle drive was quickly approaching. \u00a0They were known for paying above standard wages, so a lot of men came to them for jobs. \u00a0Pa hired men on early so he could assess each individual and decide whether or not they were trustworthy.\u00a0 Bush Sears and Pratt Shade were two of the most recent.\u00a0 Sears was a long, tall drink of brackish water that left a slightly sour taste in your mouth.\u00a0 He was dark haired, dark-eyed, and tended to wear dark clothes and had, well, a dark look about him.\u00a0 Pratt Shade, ironically, fit his name.\u00a0 He was pale as morning mist with blond hair that tended toward gray and light blue eyes which did the same.\u00a0 He appeared to be little more than Sears\u2019 shadow.\u00a0 From what he\u2019d observed of the two men \u2013 who were just about his age \u2013 they were hard workers and seemed to get along with the other men.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did Little Joe do to irritate them?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cDang it, Adam!\u00a0 There you go again, picturin\u2019 Joe as the one doin\u2019 wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he usually is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s eyes shifted to his brother\u2019s hands where they rested on the saddle horn.\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 knuckles were white.<\/p>\n

Apparently he wasn\u2019t the only<\/em> Cartwright with a temper.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe\u2019s just about the hardest worker you\u2019ll find, older brother, if <\/em>you give him somethin\u2019 to do that don\u2019t make him think you<\/em> think of him as a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMending fences isn\u2019t a kid\u2019s job.\u00a0 We\u2019re all required to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI can sure enough see why little brother wants to pop you on the nose most of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor making him mend fences, which is a man\u2019s job?\u201d\u00a0 He was quite confused.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor not listenin\u2019 to him!\u201d the teenager barked.\u00a0 \u201cYou just don\u2019t get it, older brother.\u00a0 One plus two don\u2019t always equal three.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey do in this universe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cYou take one boy \u2013 and the boss\u2019 boy at that \u2013 and you put him with two cowpokes who just plain don\u2019t like kids and you ain\u2019t got three, you got trouble!\u201d<\/p>\n

It was Adam\u2019s turn to frown.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know Little Joe, he ain\u2019t the best at keepin\u2019 his mouth shut when he thinks somerhin\u2019 ain\u2019t right or fair.\u00a0 He was workin\u2019 on whitewashin\u2019 that shed we got in the back when he heard those two talkin\u2019 mean about Dan Tollivar, callin\u2019 Dan an old man what didn\u2019t know nothin\u2019 and such.\u00a0 Little Joe, well, he rounded that shack like a house on fire and told them to mind their manners.\u00a0 When they asked him who he was, he told them he was Ben Cartwright\u2019s son and they\u2019d better listen to him or his pa\u2019d knock them on their backside and show them the gate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, dear\u2026.\u201d \u00a0Adam ran a hand over his face.\u00a0 \u201cDid they hurt him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but they dang near scared the bejeezus out of him.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss scowled.\u00a0 \u201cI told Joe he ought not to of done what he done, but should of come to one of us.\u00a0 That made him right mad.\u00a0 I told him it weren\u2019t \u2018cause he was little, but \u2018cause he needed a witness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you tell Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe begged me not too.\u00a0 He told me Pa\u2019d lock him in his room and throw away the key if he thought someone had it in for him.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss paused.\u00a0 \u201cI pert near did it myself.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s such a little feller.\u00a0 He\u2019s a scrapper and he can take care of himself with older boys, but those two\u2026.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know, Adam.\u00a0 They make me feel kind of\u2026uneasy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Oh, the games we play<\/em>,\u2019 Adam thought to himself.\u00a0 If Joe had told Pa, or Hoss had told him,<\/em> then most likely Little Joe wouldn\u2019t be missing.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what happened today?\u00a0 Do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, it weren\u2019t an hour <\/em>afore you went lookin\u2019 for Joe, it was more like two.\u00a0 I checked in with him before that and he was workin\u2019 away, but with one eye on Sears and Shade.\u00a0 I offered to help him finish, but you know Little Joe, he weren\u2019t havin\u2019 none of that.\u201d \u00a0Hoss shifted uneasily in his saddle.\u00a0 \u201cI kind of gave them two the evil eye, if you know what I mean, and went back to my business\u2026\u2019til I heard you yellin\u2019 like the end had come about Little Joe not bein\u2019 where he was supposed to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam chewed his lip for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cWhy didn\u2019t Little Joe come to me?\u201d\u00a0 He knew the answer, but for some sick sadistic reason he needed to hear it.\u00a0 \u201cDoesn\u2019t he trust me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe trusts you, Adam, and he loves you, but\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWell, right now\u2026he don\u2019t like you much.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was hard.\u00a0 Joe was ten and he was twenty-two.\u00a0 They were more than a decade and worlds apart.\u00a0 His sojourn to college had not helped and, in many ways, they were still rediscovering and redefining their relationship.\u00a0 The little boy who had idol-worshipped him and tailed him like a puppy everywhere he went, who had awakened him in the middle of the night for comfort after one of his frequent night terrors, was no more.\u00a0 In his place was a stubborn and at times sullen pre-teen who thought he knew everything and considered it his God-given duty to challenge everything he<\/em> said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe don\u2019t mean it, Adam. \u00a0He just\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

He held up a hand.\u00a0 \u201cYes, he does, and in some ways, I supposed I deserve it.\u00a0 Joe and I have always been on the opposite ends of the pole.\u00a0 Pa says it\u2019s because we have so much of our mothers in us.\u00a0 My mother was a quiet, serene, New England beauty, while Marie\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were silent a moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure do miss her, Adam,\u201d Hoss said with a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cMama, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did as well, though he didn\u2019t know if he missed Marie\u2019s moments of pique, her temper tantrums, or her wild, spontaneous nature \u2013 all of which her son had inherited.<\/p>\n

Adam drew in a breath and let it out slowly.\u00a0 \u201cSometimes I wonder if Little Joe and I will ever \u2018click\u2019.\u00a0 He needed me as a child \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe needs you now, Adam.\u00a0 More than you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

The black-haired man looked at his brother.\u00a0 His lips quirked.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t let Joe hear you say that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe, Adam, he\u2019s\u2026well\u2026he ain\u2019t whole, if you understand what I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. \u00a0What do <\/em>you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2019s got all these things churnin\u2019 inside of him.\u00a0 He\u2019s the baby, so that\u2019s hard enough, but he\u2019s also like Mama.\u00a0 And he ain\u2019t no bigger than a minute.\u00a0 That ain\u2019t easy on a feller.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Neither is being big as a mountain\u2019<\/em>, Adam thought, but he kept the thought to himself.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cYou ain\u2019t been here.\u00a0 You ain\u2019t seen what I seen.\u00a0 You know, after you left, Little Joe had to run to me for everythin\u2019 includin\u2019 them nightmares of his.\u201d \u00a0The big teen shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cRight after you left they got real bad.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019d start tossin\u2019 and turnin\u2019, and then he\u2019d start screamin\u2019 and, well, sometimes I couldn\u2019t wake him up.\u00a0 He\u2019d yell and yell \u2018til\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss dropped his head. \u00a0\u201cI had to slap him a time or two.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d done that once.\u00a0 It was one of the most horrible moments in his life \u2013 slapping a four year old.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe couldn\u2019t <\/em>wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc Martin called them \u2018night terrors\u2019.\u00a0 Adam, they was awful<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid Joe tell you what they were about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDyin\u2019.\u00a0 Mama dyin\u2019, Pa dyin\u2019 \u2013 you and me dyin\u2019.\u00a0 And every time Little Joe was the one to blame.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201dWas it ever Joe himself dying?\u201d he asked, remembering his own experience.<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThat too, though not so much as the other.\u00a0 Mostly Pa.\u00a0 Adam, Joe\u2019s got it in his head Pa\u2019s gonna die and it\u2019s gonna be his fault.\u00a0 And he can\u2019t do nothin\u2019 about it, so that makes him mad.\u201d\u00a0 The big teen hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cI got curious, so I got me a book.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brows peaked.\u00a0 Hoss was not much of a reader. \u00a0\u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc Martin gave it to Pa and Pa gave it to me.\u00a0 I cain\u2019t understand much of it, but there\u2019s a part that talks about dreams.\u00a0 The man what wrote it says what we\u2019re feelin\u2019 and cain\u2019t or won\u2019t talk about comes out in them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHas Joe talked to Pa about his fear?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss let out a whistle.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe admittn\u2019 he\u2019s afraid of somethin\u2019?\u00a0 You talkin\u2019 about the same little brother I got?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPoint taken.\u201d Adam chuckled, but sobered quickly.\u00a0 He\u2019d never known his mother, but he\u2019d been formed by her loss never-the-less.\u00a0 His way of coping had been to become very quiet and to think things through to their nth degree; that way he could always be in control.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s loss of Marie, at such a young age, had taken his brother in a completely opposite direction. \u00a0It was as if the little boy cursed the fates and was determined he would right the wrong they had done him \u2013 no matter what the cost.\u00a0 Of the three of them, Hoss had survived the best, though his mother\u2019s loss had touched him with a gentle sadness.\u00a0 Still, it was God\u2019s grace that the giant teen was there to act as a buffer between him and his baby brother.<\/p>\n

Adam looked ahead.\u00a0 \u201cSo where do you think he\u2019s gone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI imagine Little Joe\u2019s at the lake or by Mama\u2019s grave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both lay in the direction they were heading.\u00a0 \u201cOkay.\u00a0 We may as well be on our way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019re you gonna do when we find him?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

What was<\/em> he going to do?\u00a0 Chastise Joe?\u00a0 Yell at him?\u00a0 Grab the kid and hug him tight and never let him go?<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s up to Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The relief Adam felt when he spied the little scamp sitting on the muddy ground by Marie\u2019s tombstone \u2013 his knees pulled to his chest and his curly head tucked into his arms \u2013 was palpable.\u00a0 In some ways, having a baby brother \u2013 and at age twenty-two, ten seemed <\/em>like a baby \u2013 had pushed him in the direction of never getting married or having children.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know how Pa did it, worrying each and every time they walked out of the door.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that they were incapable of looking out for themselves.\u00a0 Even Joe, young as he was, had been trained in the harsh realities of the West.\u00a0 The problem was the West itself.\u00a0 It \u00a0could turn a placid day into a tempest in a heartbeat and take a mountain and roll it into mud and send it crashing down without warning.\u00a0 Brigands and villains and other evil men who had made a name for themselves in the East came out West in order to leave that name behind \u2013 and make a new, more vile one for themselves.\u00a0 There was no such thing as a pleasant walk in the sun.\u00a0 There were chuck holes and cliff edges that crumbled without warning.\u00a0 The land was populated by danger; venomous snakes, wolves, cougars and grizzlies were everywhere.\u00a0 What would have been a stroll in the park in Boston here, in the Nevada territory, was a deadly gauntlet.<\/p>\n

Between the Ponderosa and this serene and sacred spot, death dogged every man \u2013 or boy\u2019s \u2013 steps.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can save it.\u00a0 I know I\u2019m in trouble,\u201d came the small, somewhat petulant voice.<\/p>\n

Hoss tossed him a look.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t speak, but the teenager\u2019s eyes said it all.\u00a0 \u2018Go easy on him.\u00a0 He\u2019s hurtin\u2019.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Adam nodded and then dismounted.\u00a0 He walked with slow, deliberate steps to his little brother\u2019s side and crouched on the rain-soaked ground.\u00a0 The black-haired man counted to ten \u2013 partly to stem his rising temper, but mostly to calm his rapidly beating heart.\u00a0 He wanted to reach out and touch the boy the way he would have just a few years back.\u00a0 If this had happened then, he would have gathered Joe in his arms.\u00a0 His brother would have sniffed and snorted and made excuses and then admitted he was wrong and snuggled in.<\/p>\n

Not anymore.<\/p>\n

Now, Joe was coiled tight as a spring.\u00a0 A single touch would set him off.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe,\u201d he said and waited.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWell, now, I don\u2019t think Hoss and I came all the way out here just to go away.\u00a0 Do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

That brought the curly head up.\u00a0 Joe glanced at Hoss and then back at him.\u00a0 He ran his sleeve under his nose and sniffed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019re you gonna do?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, not tell Pa that you just used the sleeve of your shirt to wipe your nose,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

That brought a little smile.<\/p>\n

Very <\/em>little.<\/p>\n

Adam could see the wheels turning behind those large green eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t mad?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n

He thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cI won\u2019t be, if you answer one question honestly for me.\u00a0 Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little brother looked wary.\u00a0 \u201cWhat question?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe.\u00a0 Why<\/em> did you run?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a subtle shift in tension.\u00a0 It progressed through Joe\u2019s body to his jaw, thrust his lower lip out, and caused his nostrils to flare.<\/p>\n

\u201cI figured you\u2019d think I got tired of doin\u2019 my work and just left.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not an answer.\u00a0 That\u2019s a supposition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s eyes flicked to Hoss where he stood now, some six or so feet away.\u00a0 Something passed between them that he wasn\u2019t privy too.\u00a0 It was that way with his younger brothers.\u00a0 They were like two halves of one soul.<\/p>\n

\u201cI s\u2019pose old blabber-mouth over there told you,\u201d Joe groused.<\/p>\n

Hoss just smiled.<\/p>\n

Adam pushed his hat back an inch or so.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you<\/em> tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe let out a sigh; a long, loud sigh that spoke of so many things \u2013 his desire to be like the two of them, his hope that one day he would outgrow being the baby; his wish to be his own man.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe, there ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 wrong with tellin\u2019 Adam the truth.\u00a0 It don\u2019t mean you\u2019re any less of a man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s lips were clamped tightly together.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, you can tell me or you can tell Pa,<\/em>\u201d Adam said, placing emphasis on the final word.<\/p>\n

His brother let out another sigh.\u00a0 \u201cThem two \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose <\/em>two.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked at Hoss again, who said, \u201cYou listen to older brother, he\u2019s got a better way with words than me.\u00a0 You\u2019re gonna need them one day when it comes to spoonin\u2019 girls.\u201d<\/p>\n

The disgusted look on their little brother\u2019s face made them both laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose <\/em>two,\u201d Joe began again.\u00a0 \u201cSears and Shade.\u00a0 I guess I made them mad\u2026or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shifted so he was sitting on the ground beside his brother.\u00a0 One thing he had learned from taking a turn at dramatics in college, was that the one in the highest position had the advantage \u2013 and was perceived to hold the most power.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to intimidate the kid by his pose.\u00a0 Apparently he did it enough just by existing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow<\/em> did you make them mad?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know!\u201d Joe blurted out.\u00a0 Little brother ran a hand through his curls, shoving them back from his forehead.\u00a0 \u201cI was mending the fence just like you said.\u00a0 One of them, Shade, I think, made a crack about me being\u2026little.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you say something back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Joe bit off, \u201cI didn\u2019t.\u00a0 At least, not that time.\u201d<\/p>\n

So he had<\/em> mouthed-off.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI just started working harder.\u00a0 They kept ribbing me and I guess I started getting mad.\u00a0 I threw the hammer down and turned\u2026to\u2026.leave\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you hit one of them with it?\u201d Hoss asked.\u00a0 Obviously this was news to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u00a0 It didn\u2019t come anywhere near him, but he\u2026he\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Joe shivered.\u00a0 Those wide, expressive eyes fixed on him.\u00a0 \u201cAdam he scared me.\u00a0 So I ran.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see,\u201d he said as he rose. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019ll just have a little talk with the two of them and \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shot to his feet beside him.\u00a0 \u201cAdam!\u00a0 No!\u00a0 Just leave it alone.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t do anything\u2026not really.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was those last two words that bothered him.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe,\u201d he said as he reached out a hand to steady his kid brother.\u00a0 \u201cIf one of those men threatened Hoss \u2013 or any of our workers \u2013 I would have to do something about it.\u00a0 This has nothing to do with your age or size, and all to do with respect for our father.\u00a0 You\u2019ve seen hands fired before for less.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not gonna fire them, are you?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat will depend on how they answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s eyes were wide.\u00a0 There was a lot going on in their emerald depths.\u00a0 There was fear, which troubled him, but also a kind of pride \u2013 the pride that he was Ben Cartwright\u2019s son and no one had the right to treat him that way.<\/p>\n

Adam watched his brother a moment before asking, \u201cDo you want to be there when I question them?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe blanched.\u00a0 He swallowed hard.\u00a0 \u201cDo I have to?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but it\u2019s always best for a man to be confronted by his accuser.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that what I am?\u00a0 An\u2026accuser?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a way.\u00a0 Joe, if you aren\u2019t<\/em> there, then Sears and Shade can tell me anything they want and there will be no one to refute it.\u00a0 Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded slowly.\u00a0 \u201cOkay.\u00a0 I guess I better be there then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam didn\u2019t really understand why, but touch was not a natural part of him.\u00a0 Little Joe needed it as surely as air.\u00a0 Reaching out, he placed a hand on his little brother\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, you\u2019ve just taken one more step toward becoming a man.\u00a0 I\u2019m proud of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a second, but then the kid stood straight as a cock surveying his brood.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t let you down, Adam.\u00a0 I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you won\u2019t.\u00a0 Now, you go get Cadfan from wherever you\u2019ve hidden him, and let\u2019s get home. You\u2019re soaked through and I don\u2019t want you getting sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Joe scrambled into the trees, Hoss came to his side.\u00a0 \u201cYou did real good, older brother,\u201d he said. \u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re gonna make a good pa one day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s gaze went to his younger brother as Joe reappeared leading his mount.<\/p>\n

Or maybe not.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe thought confronting Sears and Shade would be just about the hardest thing he\u2019d ever had to do.\u00a0 So it surprised him when they were pretty nice about everything.\u00a0 He and Adam went into the barn early that morning to talk to them while the pair were about their chores.\u00a0 The two men had a lot of experience with horses and Pa had set them to care for and break the half-dozen or so now in the corral.\u00a0 Sears had the most experienced at breaking, but Shade had done it before.\u00a0 The blond man said he didn\u2019t really like it much \u2018cause of how it made the horses feel.<\/p>\n

That made Joe like him even more.<\/p>\n

It made him real nervous when Adam started talking about what happened.\u00a0 Before older brother could finish, Sears held up a hand to stop him.\u00a0 He quickly apologized for \u2018losing his head\u2019, as he put it, and admitted the two of them had been giving him a lot of grief.\u00a0 He said they both had younger brothers at home and were used to giving them a hard time and such.\u00a0 When Joe got to thinking about it, what the pair did really wasn\u2019t all<\/em> that different from how Hoss and Adam treated him when they were feeling ornery.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, kid,\u201d Sears said with an easy smile.\u00a0 \u201cGuess I forgot you don\u2019t know us all that well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u00a0 Sorry I got riled.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s one last thing I\u2019d like explained,\u201d Adam said, his hand planted firmly on his shoulder so he couldn\u2019t bolt and run.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is this about a hammer?\u201d<\/p>\n

Shade winced.\u00a0 \u201cThat was me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you think Joe was trying to hit you?\u201d<\/p>\n

The blond was incredulous.\u00a0 \u201cHeck, no.\u00a0 I was worried about him<\/em>.\u00a0 You could tell he\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 He hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, kid, I don\u2019t mean to talk about you like you aren\u2019t here.\u00a0 I could see you were buildin\u2019 up a good head of steam.\u00a0 I was afraid you were gonna hurt yourself.\u201d\u00a0 Shade turned to him.\u00a0 \u201cIt about stopped my heart when the kid swing-mounted onto that horse and took off like a house on fire!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was looking at him now.\u00a0 \u201cIs that how it happened, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe chewed his lip.\u00a0 It was\u2026and it wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 Shade was mad, but he was pretty sure it wasn\u2019t about him getting hurt.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t really know what<\/em> it was that had set the man off, but he didn\u2019t really see any reason to prolong the agony this interview was bringing him.<\/p>\n

Joe shrugged his shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cI guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou \u2018guess\u2019 or it is?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s gaze moved from Shade to Sears and back again.\u00a0 There was something.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know what it was, but they were grown-ups and he was a kid and, in the end, what they said would be what everyone believed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stared at him a moment longer before nodding his head.\u00a0 \u201cOkay.\u00a0 We\u2019ll leave it at that\u2026for now.\u201d\u00a0 His gaze moved to the two men standing before them.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s shake on it like men and get back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shade moved toward him, his hand outstretched.\u00a0 \u201cSorry again, kid,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sears did the same.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, sorry,\u201d the dark man agreed and then added, \u201cI promise we\u2019ll play nice the next time we see you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe felt a chill run down his spine.\u00a0 Adam moved him away and handed him a pitchfork before he had time to decide whether it was because he felt insulted.<\/p>\n

Or because he was afraid.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam stood on the porch looking out toward the Virginia City road.\u00a0 He had a cup of coffee in his hand \u2013 and nearly spilled it when giant-sized hand slapped him on the back.<\/p>\n

\u201cWaitin\u2019 for Pa?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

It had been another usual evening for the three Cartwright brothers.\u00a0 Their father was in the settlement.\u00a0 Pa had several business meetings to attend and deals to cinch and expected he would be a few days.\u00a0 That left him in charge for the duration, which was fine when it came to the ranch.<\/p>\n

Dealing with his little brother was another matter.<\/p>\n

As expected, Joe had been in a mood when they came in for supper.\u00a0 The kid was so transparent, it almost made him laugh.\u00a0 Almost.\u00a0 Laughing tonight would definitely<\/em> have been a poor choice where Joe was concerned.\u00a0 Little brother sighed \u2013 more than once \u2013 and kept looking off in the direction of the barn.\u00a0 He drummed the fingers of his right hand on the table while he pushed his uneaten food around on his plate with his left.\u00a0 His lithe frame was taut as an arrow ready to be shot from the bow.<\/p>\n

And they both knew why.<\/p>\n

Hoss was just finishing a mouth of mashed potatoes.\u00a0 He glanced at Joe, who wasn\u2019t paying attention, and then winked at him before speaking. \u201cYou know, \u2018fore he left, I heard Pa tell Bush that those new horses would be just right for the army contract he\u2019s negotiatin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little brother\u2019s fork skidded to a halt on his plate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019d just about finish out the number we need,\u201d he agreed as he put his napkin down.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s some good stock there,\u201d Hoss went on, looking sideways at Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cLike that piebald pinto.\u00a0 She\u2019s sharp as a whip.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019d do some soldier proud, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Adam continued on as Hop Sing appeared to refill his coffee cup.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man nodded, a smile on his face \u2013 until he saw Little Joe\u2019s plate. \u00a0\u201cSkinny boy need to eat!\u00a0 Number three son want to be big and strong as brothers, he need eat!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam hid his smile behind his cup.\u00a0 \u201cI think little brother has other things on his mind, Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing not care.\u00a0 Boy need to empty mind and fill belly!\u201d<\/p>\n

With that pronouncement, their cook turned and disappeared into the kitchen wing leaving a long line of Cantonese coloring the air behind him.<\/p>\n

Seizing the opportunity, Joe asked, \u201cCan I go?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam eyed his brother\u2019s plate.\u00a0 It was\u2026maybe<\/em>\u2026half-finished.\u00a0 \u201cHow about you fork down the rest of your potatoes first?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to\u2026.\u00a0 I really<\/em> need to go out to the barn, Adam.\u00a0 I got chores to do before bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss reached over and scooped half of Joe\u2019s potatoes from his plate.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re gonna need muscle for them chores, little brother.\u00a0 You eat what\u2019s left.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shoved the white pile around again.\u00a0 \u201cDo I have to?\u201d he asked, looking up through a fringe of curls.<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes, you have to.\u00a0 Pa\u2019d skin me as it is if he knew how much food I\u2019ve let you throw away while he\u2019s been gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing gives it to the pigs,\u201d Joe insisted.<\/p>\n

\u201cOink!\u00a0 Oink!\u201d Hoss declared.<\/p>\n

There were six bites left on Little Joe\u2019s plate.\u00a0 \u201cFour,\u201d he ordered, pointing toward the mound.<\/p>\n

Joe rolled his eyes, scooped up all four at once, and shoved them in his mouth.\u00a0 He looked like a ground squirrel preparing for winter.<\/p>\n

\u201cNw cn I gah?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Adam wanted to roll his eyes too, but resisted.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, you can go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe was out the door before he had time to finish the sentence.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s that pinto, you know?\u00a0 I think Joe\u2019s in love,\u201d Hoss said as he washed the last of the potatoes down with a glass of milk.<\/p>\n

He knew.\u00a0 Ever since the black and white piebald mare had been brought in, they always knew where to find their little brother.\u00a0 In fact, that was why he had set him to repairing the corral fence, so he could <\/em>watch her.\u00a0 \u2018Poor Cadfan\u2019<\/em>, he thought.\u00a0 Little brother was fickle in his affections.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s noticed too,\u201d the big teen added.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve talked about it.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s birthday is coming up in a few weeks.\u00a0 I thought she\u2019d make a good present.\u201d\u00a0 Adam let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cThe pinto is a little big for Joe, but he\u2019d grow into her pretty fast.\u00a0 You know Pa, he\u2019s worried about it.\u00a0 He can\u2019t help but think of Marie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat boy\u2019s got an awful lot heaped on them skinny shoulders of his,\u201d Hoss replied.<\/p>\n

He loved his father deeply, but if Ben Cartwright had a blind spot, it was Joseph Francis Cartwright.\u00a0 His<\/em> mother, Elizabeth, was the first woman Pa had loved and would always hold a special place in the older man\u2019s heart.\u00a0 Inger, in some ways, had been<\/em> Pa\u2019s heart, bringing him back to the man he had been before his mother\u2019s death.\u00a0 Marie?\u00a0 Ah, Marie\u2026.\u00a0 The New Orleans beauty had been used and abused by the world and, as such, needed protecting.\u00a0 Pa had done his best to keep her safe, but he\u2019d failed, plain and simple. \u00a0While Marie had many things to recommend her, Pa\u2019s last wife had been a willful child in many ways and no more so than when she insisted on riding a horse too large and too temperamental for her.\u00a0 Since Pa had failed to protect Marie, he was bound and determined to protect her son.\u00a0 At ten, Joe chomped at the bit and tested his muscle now and then.<\/p>\n

Heaven help them when he turned eighteen!<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve watched the mare with Joe.\u00a0 They seem to have an affinity for one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA what?\u201d Hoss asked as he reached for the remainder of the biscuits.<\/p>\n

\u201cA spontaneous or natural liking,\u201d he said and meant it.\u00a0 \u201cI think we both need to\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Adam trailed off as he noticed Hop Sing scurrying in from the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, Hop Sing?\u201d Hoss asked as he rose from his chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cNoise, outside.\u00a0 Much noise!\u00a0 Something upset horses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam exchanged a look with his brother as he headed for the door.\u00a0 He was sure<\/em> Little Joe was with the horses and with the pinto in particular.\u00a0 Joe loved horses.\u00a0 He knew what to do around them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you suppose is goin\u2019 on?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, but we\u2019ll find out as soon as \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had opened the door.\u00a0 He could hear the horses, squealing and shrieking with fear.\u00a0 There was another sound as well.\u00a0 One that gripped his entrails in a fist.<\/p>\n

Little Joe was shrieking too.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TWO<\/p>\n

A few minutes before Hop Sing came running into the dining room shouting, Little Joe had been in high hog heaven.\u00a0 He loved Cadfan, but his Welsh Cob had been chosen for him when he was younger.\u00a0 He was sure he was ready for a man-sized horse.\u00a0 When he\u2019d pressed the issue with Pa a few days back, his father had told him he was only <\/em>ten and, at thirteen hands, a fourteen hand horse was big enough.\u00a0 Cob\u2019s were sensible, strong, and sturdy, Pa said, but most of all, they weren\u2019t risk takers.<\/p>\n

Why Pa worried about that was still a puzzle.<\/p>\n

Anyhow, he\u2019d come out to the barn and taken care of Cadfan, feeding and watering him and bringing him a handful of oats before brushing him down and placing a blanket on his back to ward off the growing chill.\u00a0 It was only September, but he\u2019d lived enough years to know that the weather in Nevada could be as fickle as a woman.<\/p>\n

Joe laughed.\u00a0 He\u2019d learned that one from Hoss.<\/p>\n

When he got done with Cadfan, he\u2019d gone to the corral to watch the half dozen or so horses they had there and listen to their evening talk.\u00a0 Horses were just like people.\u00a0 They talked to one another, even ordered one another around if they felt like it.\u00a0 It was kind of funny to listen to.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s horse was King of the Ponderosa, just like Pa.\u00a0 The others had to go when Buck said \u2018go\u2019 and stop when he ordered them to stop.\u00a0 When Buck was gone, like now, the other horses acted like a herd of young stags testing each other, tryin\u2019 to prove who was next best.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t mean nothin\u2019 by it.\u00a0 Hoss said it was the same with men and, one day, he\u2019d understand what he meant.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been coming out every night now to take care of Cadfan and finish up his chores before slipping into the corral to talk to the horses.\u00a0 They liked him, he knew it.\u00a0 Nobody had a way with horses like he did, unless it was the Indians.\u00a0 Most of the hands treated them like dumb animals, but he knew they were smart.\u00a0 If you talked to a horse, they\u2019d listen.<\/p>\n

Especially the horse with the piebald coat.<\/p>\n

She was a beauty.\u00a0 Her coat was like silk; white as snow with spots black as a storm cloud.\u00a0 Pa said she wasn\u2019t just a pinto, but was a paint, which meant her sire was a quarter horse or thoroughbred. She held herself like a queen.\u00a0 It was silly, but in some ways she reminded him of his mama.\u00a0 Pa said Mama could get that \u2018look\u2019 in her eyes. You didn\u2019t know if the next minute she\u2019d tear into you or give you a great big hug and kiss.\u00a0 Adam said Mama was a tease.\u00a0 That made him mad at first, but then he\u2019d realized Adam wasn\u2019t being mean.\u00a0 He was just telling it like it was.<\/p>\n

He could be a tease too.<\/p>\n

Joe looked to the left and right and then behind to see if Hoss or Adam had come out of the house.\u00a0 When he didn\u2019t see them, he climbed up onto the top railing and sat there, watching the horses mill around.\u00a0 He knew Pa didn\u2019t like him climbing into the corral when there was no one else with him, but that\u2019s when he liked it best.\u00a0 Late at night, like this, it was just him and the horses.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t afraid of them.\u00a0 The ones in the corral were green broke already so they\u2019d had a man on their backs, and while some of them still might not be too happy about it, they were used to people.\u00a0 As he began to shift off the rail, Joe was startled as a gruff voice called out.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, kid!\u00a0 What do you think you\u2019re doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe inched back up and turned around.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know where Pratt Shade had come from, but he was standing there bigger than life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just watchin\u2019 the horses,\u201d he said, telling most of the truth.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour brothers know you\u2019re out here?\u201d<\/p>\n

He fought back his temper.\u00a0 \u201cYes, they know and they don\u2019t care,\u201d he replied, ending with a lie.<\/p>\n

The blond man came and leaned on the fence beside him.\u00a0 \u201cI heard you had a way with horses, kid.\u00a0 Which one\u2019s your favorite?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was confused by the sudden change in the conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026I like the paint,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a beauty, but is a bit high-handed.\u201d\u00a0 Pratt paused.\u00a0 \u201cShe thinks a lot of herself, that one.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was offended by the man\u2019s off-hand remarks about his <\/em>horse.<\/p>\n

\u201cShows what you know!\u201d Joe snapped.\u00a0 Then he thought better of what he\u2019d been about to say.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to reveal how often he\u2019d been in the corral alone.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve watched Adam and Hoss with her.\u00a0 She\u2019s got fire, but a good temper.\u201d<\/p>\n

The blond man snorted as he straightened up.\u00a0 \u201cSounds like you\u2019ll be running the ranch by the time you\u2019re thirteen,\u201d he chuckled.\u00a0 Then he ruffled his hair.\u00a0 \u201cBe seeing you around, kid.\u00a0 You be careful with those horses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe watched Pratt Shade until he rounded the shed.\u00a0 He must be heading for the bunkhouse.\u00a0 Then he looked around to make sure Bush Sears wasn\u2019t coming next.\u00a0 The pair of them were just about like twins.\u00a0 You hardly ever saw one without the other.\u00a0 Adam said they acted like brothers, but they had different names, so Joe thought that wasn\u2019t likely.\u00a0 Then again if it had been different and he and Hoss and Adam had had the same mama but a different pa, they would have all had different names too.<\/p>\n

Slipping off the railing and onto the rain-soaked ground, Joe entered the corral.\u00a0 He walked a few feet and then stopped and called out the names he had given the horses.\u00a0 You couldn\u2019t know someone if they didn\u2019t have a name.\u00a0 The big black was Coal.\u00a0 It was kind of a stupid name, but it fit \u2018cause he loved to roll around in the dust.\u00a0 The bay was \u2018Berry\u2019 because Hoss liked to say he was brown as one.\u00a0 There were a pair of palominos.\u00a0 He called them \u2018Sunrise\u2019 and \u2018Sunset\u2019 since one of them was lighter than the other.\u00a0 And then, there was the paint.\u00a0 He\u2019d thought a long time about a name for her.\u00a0 He wanted an Indian name, since the horse was a paint, but none of them seemed to fit.\u00a0 He knew his pa would have a fit of apoplexy if he called her what he wanted to.\u00a0 It made him sad, what had happened to the Indians.\u00a0 The land he called \u2018home\u2019 had once been their <\/em>home.\u00a0 And while his pa had come by all his land fair and honest, there were others who had cheated and lied to get what they had.\u00a0 The chief of the Chiricahua had fought \u2013 and was still fighting \u2013 trying to take back what had been his.\u00a0 He\u2026kind of admired him for it.\u00a0 Not for the killing or hurting people, but for his determination to see justice done.<\/p>\n

Justice meant a lot to Joe Cartwright.<\/p>\n

He tried the name again.\u00a0 \u2018Cochise.\u2019\u00a0 Joe mouthed the word without sound, as if feeling it on his lips somehow would make up his mind.\u00a0 The paint was a lady after all and he\u2019d get no end of ribbing for giving his girl horse a boy\u2019s name.<\/p>\n

And she was his <\/em>horse.\u00a0 Pa just didn\u2019t know it yet.\u00a0 He\u2019d work and take care of her and ride Cadfan until Pa thought he was big enough, but then, he needed her to be his.<\/p>\n

As Joe stood there, thinking, several of the horses came up to him.\u00a0 They knew he always carried treats in his pocket, so he doled them out to the half-dozen circling him.\u00a0 With a smile he petted and patted and spoke soft words as he slowly made his way to the place where the corral met the barn.\u00a0 Above the paint\u2019s head the big wooden doors were open.\u00a0 Adam was gonna have someone\u2019s hide for that!\u00a0 Maybe his, Joe thought with a wry twist of his lips.\u00a0 He\u2019d have to remember to go up and close the doors when he finished with the horses.<\/p>\n

The paint was playing hard to get.\u00a0 She was standing next to the barn with her head down, munching on something.\u00a0 It looked like a couple of apples.\u00a0 No wonder she hadn\u2019t come his way!\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t compete with a sweet treat like apples.\u00a0 Sticking the one he\u2019d saved for her back in his pocket, Joe headed over to the mare.\u00a0 She lifted her head and eyed him, and then went back to her munching.\u00a0 The other horses had followed him and they weren\u2019t real happy about her getting a better treat than them, so they started crowding in.\u00a0 One even tried to steal one of the apples.\u00a0 Cochise was having none of that.\u00a0 She lifted her head and snorted, driving the other horse back.<\/p>\n

Joe was beginning to think he\u2019d better get out of the corral.<\/p>\n

And then it happened.<\/p>\n

Something fell straight from the open window of the barn to the mud and trampled grass below.\u00a0 It was dark, so it was hard to see what it was.\u00a0 It lay still for a moment and then began to wriggle.\u00a0 Suddenly, the back end of it coiled up and it reared its head, ready to strike.<\/p>\n

Snake!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By the time he and Hoss reached the corral attached to the barn it was pandemonium.\u00a0 Several of the horses were straining to break through the rails at the back, while the others circled the fenced-in area, running fast as if they were contestants in a race.\u00a0 The night was pitch-black.\u00a0 The moon was playing hide and seek.\u00a0 It was behind a low bank of clouds now, which made it almost impossible to see. \u00a0Hoss ducked into the barn and was back in a minute, shaking his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo sign of Little Joe,\u201d he said, his tone as wary as the eye he cast on the corral.<\/p>\n

Adam strained to see past the milling horses.\u00a0 Close to the barn there was a splash of white.\u00a0 It had to be the paint.\u00a0 She was standing still, just under the upper door.\u00a0 The black-haired man frowned as he noted it was open.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I seen it too.\u00a0 You think Joe was up in the hay mow and maybe he dropped somethin\u2019 and ran?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know why he would have been.\u201d\u00a0 He was watching the animals, whose panic showed no sign of abating.\u00a0 \u201cFirst thing, we have to get the horses calmed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go open the gate,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u201d\u00a0 Opening the gate would, in theory, give the horses what they wanted \u2013 a way out of the corral and away from whatever had frightened them.\u00a0 As he watched his brother lift the latch, the black-haired man wondered what had spooked them.\u00a0 There had been no strike of lightning or other natural phenomenon, and they were usually pretty content in the corral where they knew they were safe from predators.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoin\u2019 it now!\u201d Hoss yelled as he flung the gate wide and stepped back.\u00a0 It took the horses no more than thirty seconds to realize their path to freedom was at hand.\u00a0 First the pair of palominos and then the bay and black headed out.<\/p>\n

Leaving the black and white paint standing where she had been.<\/p>\n

Hoss waited until the horses had cleared the fence before stepping into the corral.\u00a0 He scanned the muddy area with his eyes narrowed, searching; looking no doubt for whatever had terrified the animals.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until he heard a sharp intact of breath that he realized Hoss had been hunting for something else as well.<\/p>\n

The big teen ran across the open area and was on his knees in the mud before the words escaped his lips.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, get in here!\u00a0 It\u2019s Little Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was over the fence \u00a0and on the move before his brother could draw another breath.\u00a0 By the time he reached the pair, Hoss had gathered Little Joe into his arms and was cradling his small form against his chest.<\/p>\n

As he dropped to his knees, the big teen looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cHe was under the paint, Adam,\u201d he whispered, his voice robbed of strength by awe.\u00a0 \u201cShe was watchin\u2019 over him.\u201d<\/p>\n

A quick glance showed him where the pinto\u2019s hooves had dug into the ground.\u00a0 They were evenly spaced and just far enough apart that Joe could have lain untouched between them.\u00a0 Even so their brother had not escaped unscathed.\u00a0 Amidst the mud, straw, urine and feces covering him, there was blood.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you tell how badly he\u2019s hurt?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of them got him on the side of the head,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cLooks like a hoof caught him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He could see that.\u00a0 The wound looked shallow, but was bleeding profusely.\u00a0 It was cause for alarm, but not panic.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything else?\u201d the black-haired man asked as he began to run his hands down his brother\u2019s limbs, checking to see if any of them were broken.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot so\u2019s I can tell.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss hugged Joe a little tighter.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t escape Adam\u2019s notice that little brother didn\u2019t respond.\u00a0 \u201cWhat was he doin\u2019 in the corral anyhow?\u00a0 You think Joe spooked the horses by bein\u2019 in there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe won\u2019t know until he wakes up and can tell us.\u201d\u00a0 He shot a look at the pinto who was standing by, watching them as if concerned.\u00a0 \u201cWe need to get him in the house and send one of the hands for Paul Martin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even as the words left his lips, Adam heard a buzz of noise like a hive of bees rapidly moving their way.\u00a0 Several of the men, including Bush Sears and Pratt Shade, appeared.<\/p>\n

One look at the scene told it all.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll ride into settlement for the Doc,\u201d Pratt said and was gone before he could give him a nod.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need any help?\u201d Bush asked.<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head.\u00a0 He was leery to move his brother any more, but he couldn\u2019t leave Joe laying in the muck either.\u00a0 There was such risk of infection.\u00a0 \u201cHoss and I can get Joe to the house.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cWe had to let the horses go.\u00a0 Take someone with you and see if you can round them up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bush remained where he was, unmoving.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cPratt said he saw the kid earlier, sitting on the rail here and watching the horses.\u00a0 He told him it wasn\u2019t the smartest thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what did Joe say?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you\u2019d expect from a kid.\u00a0 He knew what he was doin\u2019 and you didn\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss had risen to his feet.\u00a0 The big teen held Joe\u2019s slender four-feet-six, seventy-five pound body close to his chest.\u00a0 Joe was growing.\u00a0 His legs and arms seemed to be doing it faster than everything else.\u00a0 They dangled down at odd angles, lending him the appearance of a marionette with its strings cut.<\/p>\n

Joe might have known what he was doing, but he<\/em> didn\u2019t know what he was going to do\u2026.<\/p>\n

When he had to face Pa.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright shoved the plate of food away from him and leaned back in his chair.\u00a0 He\u2019s lost his appetite after the conversation he\u2019d had with one of his chief competitors for the army contract.\u00a0 He\u2019d won the contract and the other man had accused him of collusion with the seller, saying they were of old acquaintance and the Ponderosa had an unfair advantage.\u00a0 While he and Jim Shaw did <\/em>know each other, Jim was a shrewd businessman and he would have accepted Sebastian Stephens\u2019 bid in a heartbeat if it had been better than his.\u00a0 Stephens was an out-of-towner.\u00a0 He\u2019d started life in the East, but had come to Gold Hill not all that long ago from the bay area and was trying to outdo and outbid everyone in an attempt to get in on the ground floor of what he expected to be a booming metropolis in a few years.<\/p>\n

He hoped Stephens was right on that account.<\/p>\n

The man had followed him to the restaurant and arrived just about the time his steak had.\u00a0 It sat, chilling, while he talked and then railed.\u00a0 Out of respect to the establishment Ben had kept his temper \u2013 until Stephens threatened to make him pay.\u00a0 At that point he\u2019d risen, taken the man by the collar and the back of his expensive finely-tooled leather belt, and thrown him out the door and into the dust.\u00a0 After that he apologized to the patrons and the owner and then went back to his seat and started in on his cold steak.\u00a0 The owner offered him a fresh one, but by that time he\u2019d lost his appetite and knew it would only be a waste of good food.\u00a0 The rancher leaned his elbow on the table and his hand on his chin and fell to staring out the window.\u00a0 It was late.\u00a0 He\u2019d come for supper, so by now the sun had set and it was past time for bed.\u00a0 The restaurant would be closing soon and he\u2019d be forced to go back to his hotel room.\u00a0 It was a lovely room, with all the finest appointments, but it was empty.\u00a0 He missed his son\u2019s raucous laughter, their byplay, and even their bickering.\u00a0 He\u2019d been away two days and it would probably be two more before he finished with everything.<\/p>\n

Home called like a siren\u2019s song.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you like your check, Mister Cartwright?\u201d a slightly weary voice asked.\u00a0 He looked up to find his waitress, a lovely young woman named Rosanna, smiling down at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime to go home?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

She nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI get to go right away tonight.\u00a0 Lillie has to help clean up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s that little one of yours doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosanna, like so many of the women who dared to live in the West, had run from something in the East \u2013 something that most likely involved a man.\u00a0 She had a five-year-old son and wore a ring on her finger, but it was pretty well understood by everyone that she had never married.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrant?\u00a0 He\u2019s fine.\u00a0 Thank you for asking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are you doing?\u00a0 Are you able to get by?\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d had this talk before.\u00a0 People sometimes accused him of trying to be a father to the entire settlement.\u00a0 He\u2019d been rebuffed before, but most young women like Rosanna \u2013 once they understood that his motives were pure \u2013 were comfortable with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re okay.\u00a0 I have a little put back for the winter when the custom falls off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou let me know if you need help,\u201d Ben said as he reached into his wallet and pulled out the amount of the bill \u2013 plus a generous tip.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a lot of money for a steak you didn\u2019t eat,\u201d Rosanna remarked as she accepted it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s worth the price of avoiding indigestion,\u201d he said as he rose.<\/p>\n

The young woman shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t like that man.\u00a0 He thinks he owns everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sensed something in her voice.\u00a0 \u201cHas he bothered you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo more so than others,\u201d she admitted with a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Stephens, he\u2019s just\u2026well\u2026he makes me feel uncomfortable when he looks at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he moved away from the table, the rancher said, \u201cIf he gives you any trouble, you let me know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosanna laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYou going to throw him out of my apartment on his tale?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just might,\u201d he replied, laughing as well.\u00a0 \u201cYou have a good night and give that boy of yours a hug for me.\u00a0 I\u2019d do it myself if I could.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMissing your boys?\u201d she asked as she picked up his plate.<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAlways.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a good night, Mister Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou too, Rosanna.\u00a0 See you at breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled and headed for the kitchen even as he headed for the door.\u00a0 Outside the restaurant, the streets were quiet.\u00a0 It was a Monday.\u00a0 After spending a riotous weekend in town, most of the ranch hands had headed back the night before to the various spreads they worked.\u00a0 It was part and parcel of the West and was why \u2013 so far \u2013 he\u2019d never let Hoss and his little brother come into the settlement without him or Adam on a Friday night or Saturday.\u00a0 There was simply too much mischief to get into.\u00a0 The ranch was twenty miles away and it afforded him some peace, knowing that his boys were growing up with his hand at the rudder and no one else\u2019s.\u00a0 Adam, of course, was old enough to take care of himself.\u00a0 Ben puffed out a little sigh.\u00a0 It was unfair how much he counted on the boy.\u00a0 At twenty-two, Adam should be in the settlement letting loose some steam along with those ranch hands instead of staying home to take care of his two younger brothers.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d make it up to him the next weekend.\u00a0 Let him come into the settlement to have some fun.<\/p>\n

Ben left the restaurant and headed across the street.\u00a0 The hotel was diagonal from it.\u00a0 Buck was stabled in the livery nearby.\u00a0 He considered for a moment making a detour to check on his old friend before he bedded down, but as he stood there in the middle of the street \u2013 vacillating \u2013 a wave of weariness washed over him and he decided there was nothing for it but to go to bed.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow would be a better \u2013 and hopefully brighter day.<\/p>\n

When he arrived at the hotel, Ben realized just <\/em>how tired he was. \u00a0Sitting on the edge of the bed, he removed his boots and coat and fell backwards fully clothed.<\/p>\n

He was asleep in minutes.<\/p>\n

Somewhere around two a.m. he was awakened by an insistent pounding. \u00a0Startled awake, it took Ben a moment to remember where he was and realize that the sound was someone banging heavily on the door to his hotel room.<\/p>\n

If it was Sebastian Stephens he was going to kill him.<\/p>\n

Tired, disgruntled and out-of-sorts, the rancher dragged his weary body to the door and opened it.\u00a0 At first, he didn\u2019t recognize the man in the hall.\u00a0 Then, through the fog of exhaustion, a name came to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cShade?\u00a0 What are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pratt Shade was ringing his fingers on the brim of his faded hat.<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Cartwright, you need to come.\u00a0 There\u2019s been an accident.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The night was cold and hollow and it took hold of his soul as Ben Cartwright rode his faithful mount hard through the dark, desperate to reach his home.\u00a0 He\u2019d left messages at the hotel to be sent in the morning to the men he was scheduled to meet with, explaining but not apologizing for his absence.\u00a0 The Ponderosa needed those contracts to make it through the winter, but that need paled next to the one to be with his youngest son.\u00a0 Pratt hadn\u2019t been able to tell him much.\u00a0 All he knew was that the horses had spooked and Joseph had been in the corral when they did.\u00a0 He\u2019d volunteered to ride for the doctor and taken off immediately.<\/p>\n

His old friend Paul Martin, doctor to the boys though he wasn\u2019t yet the settlement\u2019s official physician, was about an hour behind them.\u00a0 Paul wasn\u2019t much of a horseman and it was dark.\u00a0 That meant even the best <\/em>of riders could easily fall prey to the road\u2019s dangers.\u00a0 Because of that \u2013 and the fact that Paul needed to bring his medical supplies with him \u2013 his old friend was coming by carriage.<\/p>\n

As they pulled into the yard a couple of hands shouted out a greeting.\u00a0 Bush Sears headed their way and met up with Pratt as he dismounted.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam will be right happy to see you, Mister Cartwright,\u201d Bush said.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s taking it hard, what happened to the young\u2019un.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you tell me anything?\u201d Ben asked as he quickly removed his saddlebags and tossed them over one arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the horses caught Little Joe\u2019s forehead with its hoof.\u00a0 That\u2019s about all I know.\u201d\u00a0 Bush looked at the house.\u00a0 \u201cHoss scooped the boy up and took him in fast as the first rattle out of the box.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid either of you see what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sir,\u201d they both replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw the young\u2019un earlier, sitting on that fence,\u201d Pratt admitted.\u00a0 \u201cI warned him he shouldn\u2019t go near the horses, but you know boys.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, he knew boys.\u00a0 He\u2019d reared three of them and had the gray hair to prove it!<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you both.\u00a0 I appreciate all you\u2019ve done.\u00a0 Now, I need to get inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

The house was fairly dark.\u00a0 From the meager light that spilled through the office window, he could tell the fire had been banked.\u00a0 Ben looked up and saw a light blazing in Joseph\u2019s window.\u00a0 A silhouetted figure passed back and forth behind it, pacing like a mountain cat on the prowl.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo need to thank us,\u201d Pratt said.\u00a0 \u201cWe both have little brothers.\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t come as any surprise yours gets into trouble.\u00a0 Hopefully, Joe will be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben watched the pair depart before entering.\u00a0 He\u2019d guessed right.\u00a0 The lower level was fairly dark.\u00a0 As he paused, getting his bearings, there was movement to his left and Hop Sing emerged from the kitchen.\u00a0 The Asian man was carrying a load of linens and a bucket of water.<\/p>\n

He almost dropped the bucket when he saw him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Cartwright! \u00a0Thank goodness you home!\u00a0 Number three son need father.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is Joseph?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoy not wake up yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

A fist of fear closed around his heart as he counted off the hours.\u00a0 It would have taken Pratt Shade at least three to make it to\u00a0 the settlement even at a clip.\u00a0 The two of them were at least a half-hour in the settlement getting ready, and another three coming back.<\/p>\n

Joseph had been unconscious for at least six hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoy murmur now and then.\u00a0 Call for father, but not wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, is that you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben turned toward the stair, recognizing the giant figure poised on a step about halfway down.\u00a0 \u201cHoss,\u201d he said, heading for him.\u00a0 \u201cHow is your brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big teen hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t rightly know, Pa.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t want to move Joe much in case somethin\u2019 was broke\u2026maybe inside.\u00a0 You better come up and take a look for yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing, I have a few things in my saddlebags that need looked after.\u00a0 Contracts and such.\u00a0 I would appreciate if you would do that.\u00a0 Here.\u201d\u00a0 Ben held out his hands.\u00a0 \u201cGive me the linens and the water and I will take them up.\u00a0 Then you get some sleep, old friend.\u00a0 You look exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing not sleep until he know number three son going to be oh-kay,\u201d he said softly.\u00a0 \u201cDoctor Paul on his way?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe should be here within the hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI go ask ancestors to watch over small boy and Baptist God to make him well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben pressed the other man\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he and Hoss made their way up the stair and moved along the hall, a quiet sound drifted toward them.\u00a0 When they reached Joseph\u2019s door, he realized what it was.\u00a0 Adam was singing.\u00a0 Tears filled the rancher\u2019s eyes as he paused before entering.\u00a0 The tune was one Marie often sang to their young son.<\/p>\n

Fr\u00e8re Jacques<\/em><\/p>\n

Fr\u00e8re Jacques<\/em><\/p>\n

Dormez-vous?<\/em><\/p>\n

Dormez-vous?<\/em><\/p>\n

Sonnez les matines<\/em><\/p>\n

Sonnez les matines<\/em><\/p>\n

Ding, ding, dong<\/em><\/p>\n

Ding, ding, dong<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>\u201cHey, Joe,\u201d Ben heard Adam say as he opened the door.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s morning.\u00a0 The bells are ringing.\u00a0 You need to wake up.\u201d\u00a0 His son\u2019s voice choked with emotion.\u00a0 \u201cYou gotta wake up, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stepped inside.\u00a0 \u201cSon?\u201d<\/p>\n

The face Adam turned toward him was pale as wordless grief.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa. \u00a0Thank God!\u201d the boy breathed. He raised up and looked behind him.\u00a0 \u201cPaul\u2019s not with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s on his way,\u201d the rancher said as he carefully moved into the room.\u00a0 There was the light on the dresser he had seen through the window and another one turned low on the bedside table.\u00a0 The room was fairly dark.\u00a0 He had yet to see his son clearly.<\/p>\n

Adam noticed his frown.\u00a0 \u201cI kept the light low.\u00a0 I know\u2026a blow to head\u2026.\u00a0 Well, I was afraid if\u2026when Joe woke up it would hurt his eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

If \u00a0<\/em>he woke up.<\/p>\n

His son slipped out of the bedside chair to make room for him.\u00a0 A little moan escaped Ben\u2019s lips as he sat down and reached for his youngest son.\u00a0 A makeshift bandage was wound around Joseph\u2019s head.\u00a0 It was partially soaked through.\u00a0 On the floor there was a bucket with other discarded bloody rags.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t get the wound to stop bleeding, Pa.\u00a0 It stops for a while and then starts right back in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was unwrapping the bandage.\u00a0 Joseph\u2019s forehead looked like a field of wildflowers on a dusky day, it was dotted with so many colors.\u00a0 A large semi-circular cut marred the boy\u2019s tender flesh on the right hand side.\u00a0 He thanked God it wasn\u2019t too deep.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there anything else\u2026wrong?\u201d Ben asked as he swallowed over his fear.<\/p>\n

Adam ran a hand through the shock of unruly black hair on his head.\u00a0 \u201cI honestly don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Nothing else is bleeding\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 He winced.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026at least, on the outside.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t want to move Little Joe any more than I had to until Paul got here.\u00a0 Hoss and I brought him in from the corral.\u00a0 We got Joe out of his clothes and cleaned him up.\u00a0 There was\u2026dirt in the wound.\u201d<\/p>\n

And worse, he was sure.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve done all you could, son,\u201d Ben said as he reached for one of the fresh linen strips Hop Sing had supplied.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll just have to wait for Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat <\/em>have I done other than almost get Joe killed?\u201d his eldest snapped.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s vehemence shocked him.\u00a0 \u201cSon, this isn\u2019t your fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen whose is it?\u00a0 You left me<\/em> in charge.\u201d\u00a0 He shook with a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI was supposed to keep Little Joe safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben lifted his son up so he could wind the bandage around the back of his head.\u00a0 Joe was so light in his arms, like a sparrow that had fallen.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Little Joe was supposed to do as you told him and not go near the horses unless someone was with him.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to look at his oldest boy.\u00a0 \u201cAm I right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cJoe\u2019s a kid!\u00a0 I should have known he wouldn\u2019t listen.\u00a0 When he went outside after supper to do his chores, I should have followed him.\u00a0 I shouldn\u2019t have\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike I shouldn\u2019t have allowed your mother to get pregnant, or Inger to come out West? \u00a0As I shouldn\u2019t have allowed Marie to have that horse when I knew it wasn\u2019t wise?\u201d\u00a0 Ben leaned back as he finished tying off the bandage and stared at his youngest son\u2019s pallid face.\u00a0 \u201cJust like I shouldn\u2019t have allowed any of you to grow up, because I can\u2019t always be with you.\u00a0 I can\u2019t\u2026protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do your best, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked right at his eldest.\u00a0 \u201cSo did you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam ducked his head and ran a hand along the back of his neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I come in?\u201d a shy voice asked.<\/p>\n

Ben turned toward the door. \u201cHoss.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry I forgot about you.\u00a0 Of course you can come in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Pa.\u00a0 I was helpin\u2019 Hop Sing with some of his mornin\u2019 preparations.\u00a0 I just wanted to let you know that Paul Martin just pulled in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank God!\u201d Ben breathed.\u00a0 \u201cGo and meet him, son.\u00a0 Bring him right up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s gaze returned to Little Joe.\u00a0 \u201cTo tell the truth, I could use a little air.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the black-haired man passed his teenage brother, Hoss placed a hand on his shoulder. \u00a0Adam briefly returned the gesture and then left the room.\u00a0 After he\u2019d gone, Hoss sat on the side of Joseph\u2019s bed and reached out to stroke a tangle of curls off of the boy\u2019s battered forehead.<\/p>\n

It warmed his heart to know that his boys were so close.\u00a0 Though they had their differences, they were always there for one another and would always<\/em> be in spirit, if not in body.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what has the young scamp got himself into now?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben turned to find Paul Martin standing just inside the room.\u00a0 He rose to his feet and went to greet him.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI told him to take a walk,\u201d Paul said as he came to the bed.\u00a0 \u201cHow long has Joe been unconscious?\u201d the physician asked as he sat on Joseph\u2019s other side.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s kind of tried to surface a few times, Doc,\u201d his son replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long since the last time?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cA hour or so.\u00a0 We was awful busy.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t lookin\u2019 at the clock, if you know what I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the fact that Joe is trying to reach us is encouraging.\u201d\u00a0 Paul made a \u2018tsking\u2019 nose as he removed the bandage.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s quite a blow he took.\u201d\u00a0 Next he moved his hands along Joseph\u2019s arms and legs, checking for breaks.\u00a0 \u201cEverything seems intact,\u201d Paul muttered as he lifted the boy and began to feel along his spine.\u00a0 He stopped when Joseph cried out.<\/p>\n

Paul gently turned Joseph over and lifted his night shirt.\u00a0 His old friend frowned as he looked up at him. \u201cBen, did anyone mention this bruising on his lower back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe was afraid to move him, Doc, for fear we\u2019d hurt him more,\u201d Hoss admitted.<\/p>\n

Paul nodded as he began once again to move his fingers along Joe\u2019s spine. \u00a0\u201cWise, very wise,\u201d he said somewhat distracted.<\/p>\n

Joseph whimpered as the physician continued to probe.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul. What is it?\u00a0 What are you thinking?\u201d the rancher asked as he returned to his son\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

His friend pursed his lips as he straightened up.\u00a0 Before speaking, Paul reached out and affectionately brushed a hank of curls back from Joseph\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve really done it to yourself this time, haven\u2019t you, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s heart began to race.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat <\/em>has he done?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t be sure, Ben.\u00a0 I won\u2019t know until Little Joe wakes up and, even then, it will take time and observation to tell what damage has been done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc?\u201d Hoss asked, his knuckles going white on the bed knob.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019re you talkin\u2019 about?\u201d<\/p>\n

The physician pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no way to say this but to say it.\u00a0 It seems one of the horses kicked your brother low on his back.\u00a0 There\u2019s quite a lot of swelling, Ben.\u00a0 The blow could have fractured one of Joseph\u2019s vertebrae.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFractured\u2026his spine?\u00a0 What does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul rose to his feet and looked directly at him.\u00a0 \u201cIt means Joseph may never walk again.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THREE<\/p>\n

Hoss stirred and looked up as his older brother came down the stairs.\u00a0 The big teen was sitting by the fire with an open book in his lap.\u00a0 He\u2019d tried reading, but had given up a few minutes before.<\/p>\n

Keepin\u2019 your mind on words was hard when your heart was one flight up with your baby brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, where do you think you\u2019re goin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam halted abruptly and turned back to look at him. \u00a0He\u2019d made it to the door and was reaching for his coat.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going into the settlement,\u201d he said as he pulled it on.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can you do that when you don\u2019t know how it\u2019s gonna come out with Little Joe?\u201d he demanded as he crossed to his brother\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, look.\u00a0 You know I\u2019m as concerned about Joe as you are, but my sitting here worrying isn\u2019t going to change the outcome.\u00a0 His life\u2019s not in danger and there are things that have to be attended to. \u00a0The ranch won\u2019t run itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

It seemed kind of uncarin\u2019 to him, thinkin\u2019 about business at such a time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI<\/em> couldn\u2019t walk away,\u201d he responded.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, and neither can Pa. \u00a0I<\/em> can, but that doesn\u2019t mean I want to.\u201d\u00a0 Adam laid a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cThink about it Hoss.\u00a0 Pa was in the settlement, attending to some very important business \u2013 business meant to get us through the winter. \u00a0He had to stop and come home, leaving all of that undone.\u00a0 There are still contracts to be signed, bids to be made, and so on.\u00a0 You and I both know that if the Ponderosa isn\u2019t represented, Sebastian\u00a0 Stephens is going to have a monopoly on everything and that isn\u2019t good for us or<\/em> the settlement\u2019s residents.\u201d\u00a0 He lifted his hand.\u00a0 \u201cI have<\/em> to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss dropped his head.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Adam.\u00a0 And here I was thinkin\u2019 \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat I was a cold-hearted bastard?\u201d older brother finished with a smile.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s gaze went to the stair.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want to leave but, if I go now, I\u2019ll have at least five business hours before the day ends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou gonna stay over?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 I\u2019ll come home.\u00a0 They\u2019ll be plenty to do overnight.\u00a0 I can always ride in again tomorrow morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

As his brother finished buttoning his coat and reached for his hat, Hoss cleared his throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI been sittin\u2019 here thinkin\u2019. \u00a0I mean, there ain\u2019t much else<\/em> to do \u2018til the Doc and Pa come down.\u201d\u00a0 He paused, unsure of how to put his thoughts into words.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t think that Stephens feller could have had anythin\u2019 to do with Little Joe\u2019s accident\u2026.do you?\u00a0 After all, it got Pa out of the settlement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve considered it,\u201d his brother admitted.\u00a0 \u201cStill, there\u2019s no evidence that it was anything but<\/em> an accident.\u00a0 Little Joe went where he shouldn\u2019t have been, something startled the horses, and he was hurt.\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cStill, the timing seems, well, frankly a bit too coincidental.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s sure stuck here now,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cHe ain\u2019t gonna leave Joe \u2018til he\u2019s well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 For weeks\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Again, Adam\u2019s eyes went to the stair.\u00a0 \u201cOr maybe longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

The reason Pa might be forced to remain near the house for \u2018longer\u2019 hung between them unspoken.\u00a0 Into that silence came images of his little brother runnin\u2019, leapin\u2019, ridin\u2019 and laughin\u2019.\u00a0 Little Joe was like a grasshopper.\u00a0 You\u2019d reach for him and he\u2019d already be gone.\u00a0 The boy was never still.\u00a0 He was on the move from the moment those big green eyes of his opened in the mornin\u2019 until they closed in sleep at night.<\/p>\n

A tear trailed down Hoss\u2019 cheek.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s hand gripped his arm.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t lose hope.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s young.\u00a0 He\u2019ll recover quicker than any of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the Doc said\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul is a learned man and he\u2019ll be the first to admit he doesn\u2019t know everything.\u00a0 Sometimes the spirit can overcome a physical difficulty when no one thinks it possible, and if little brother has anything, it\u2019s spirit!\u201d\u00a0 Adam released him and turned to open the door.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, Joe\u2019s going to need you to be strong for him, but even more than that, Pa\u2019s going to need your strength.\u00a0 You know how he is about Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think he\u2019s takin\u2019 it extra hard \u2018cause Mama, you know, was killed by a horse?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI imagine it\u2019s on his mind.\u201d\u00a0 His brother stepped onto the porch.\u00a0 \u201cTell Pa I\u2019ll be back around eight.\u00a0 If something\u2026changes\u2026send one of the hands in for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n

After he closed the door behind Adam, Hoss turned and braced his back against it.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know about Pa, but Little Joe\u2019s accident sure had put him<\/em> in mind of Mama\u2019s.\u00a0 The whole dang thing had left him kind of weak in the knees.\u00a0 If it hadn\u2019t been for that paint horse, Joe probably would have been killed.\u00a0 She\u2019d kept him from bein\u2019 trampled after he was down.<\/p>\n

That little filly was sure gonna get an extra cup of oats tonight!<\/p>\n

Hoss ran a hand over his face as he pushed off the door and headed back into the great room. As he did, Doc Martin made an appearance.\u00a0 The doctor descended the steps slowly, like he was tired.\u00a0 When he thought about, Pa\u2019s friend would have been roused from his bed about two in the morning.\u00a0 The older man was probably exhausted.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want some coffee, Doctor Martin?\u201d Hoss asked.\u00a0 \u201cI can feed you too.\u00a0 Hop Sing cooked pancakes and ham for breakfast, but ain\u2019t none of us had a stomach for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cSon, you need to keep your strength up.\u00a0 Both your father and Joe are going to need you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what Adam said.\u201d<\/p>\n

The doctor looked around.\u00a0 \u201cWhere is Adam?\u00a0 I\u2019d like to speak to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa was doing some important business in the settlement.\u00a0 He had to leave it behind.\u00a0 He had meetin\u2019s scheduled for today and tomorrow. \u00a0Adam went to stand in his place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd to keep Sebastian Stephens from becoming king of the territory?\u201d the Doc asked wryly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s about it, sir.\u00a0 It\u2019s important to Pa, and with Little Joe\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul briefly touched his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI completely understand.\u00a0 Life must go on no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s Little Joe?\u00a0 Did he wake up yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

The doctor shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNot yet, though there are signs he\u2019s swimming to the surface.\u201d\u00a0 Paul eyed him.\u00a0 \u201cWhen was the last time you ate something, son?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big teen frowned.\u00a0 \u201cI guess supper last night. \u00a0After that\u2019s when we found Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about you and I share some of those cold pancakes and ham?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss swallowed as his stomach flipped.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think I can.\u00a0 Not after\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe is alive, Hoss.\u00a0 That\u2019s a blessing in itself. \u00a0Your brother could easily have been killed with so many horses running wildly about the corral.\u00a0 And I could be wrong.\u00a0 Joe might wake up and move his legs.\u00a0 He\u2019s still got a long, hard road ahead of him even if he does, but the threat of paralysis might be just that \u2013 a threat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paralysis.\u00a0 That was a hard<\/em> word.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand that, sir,\u201d Hoss replied, his eyes tearing.\u00a0 \u201cBut you didn\u2019t see the little feller shoved face down into the mud, covered in muck and blood.\u00a0 I thought\u2026\u00a0 I\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou thought he was dead, just like your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss drew in a gulp of air before going down like a drownin\u2019 man.\u00a0 \u201cYes, sir,\u201d he answered as tears trailed down his cheeks.<\/p>\n

A movement to the side caught their attention.\u00a0 He and the doctor turned toward the dining room just in time to see their cook and housekeeper emerge from the shadows and head for the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing hear Doctor and Mistah Hoss talk.\u00a0 Both sit down now and eat or Hop Sing feed pancakes to the goat!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood as your pancakes are, Hop Sing, my stomach just ain\u2019t wantin\u2019 food,\u201d he sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNumber two son stomach always<\/em> want food,\u201d the Asian man said as he placed two plates on the table.\u00a0 \u201cIt his head say he not hungry!\u00a0 What good it do little brother or father if big brother\u2019s eyes flutter and he faint like girl?!\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul cupped his hand over his lips.\u00a0 His eyes danced as he stifled a chuckle.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing finished putting the glasses next to the plates and then came right up to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Hoss not listen to Hop Sing.\u00a0 How often he tell number two son that the birds of worry and care fly over your head, this you cannot change, but that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss reached up and ran a hand through the sandy fuzz on his head.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t got all that much hair for them dang birds to nest in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoy have enough!\u00a0 You sit at table.\u00a0 Hop Sing bring food and drink, then take tray up to your father.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul caught hold of the Asian man\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Hop Sing.\u00a0 I appreciate the offer.\u00a0 As to Ben, let\u2019s give him a few more minutes before you go up.\u00a0 He\u2019s quite\u2026upset.\u00a0 I doubt he will eat until Little Joe wakes up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their cook shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI wait, then take up coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sounds about right.\u201d\u00a0 Paul indicated the table and the empty chairs with his hand. \u201cAfter you, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSon, can you hear me?\u00a0 Little Joe, it\u2019s Pa.\u00a0 Please son, please\u2026wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben both wanted his son to wake up and feared it.\u00a0 He feared Joseph seeing the tears that were streaming down his cheeks.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to frighten the boy, but he couldn\u2019t seem to stop them.\u00a0 He was overwhelmed with anticipated grief and with shame.\u00a0 Those contracts \u2013 the bidding and the competitive atmosphere that went with them \u2013 had seemed so important just a few hours before. \u00a0If he told the truth, winning out over Sebastian Stephens had given him great pleasure.\u00a0 He disliked the man intensely and despised the way he went about conducting business.\u00a0 He had seen it as his mission to stop him.\u00a0 Yesterday it had been the army contract, today it was about timber, and tomorrow, about mining.\u00a0 He needed to diversify his interests.\u00a0 Protect his investments.\u00a0 Make sure he came out on top. \u00a0Ben reached out to brush a matted chestnut curl from his son\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n

What did any of it matter now?<\/p>\n

The boy had developed a fever.\u00a0 It was low and Paul said it was to be expected.\u00a0 His friend had spent nearly half an hour carefully cleaning out the wound on Joseph\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 It sickened him to see the imprint of the horse\u2019s shoe in his son\u2019s tender flesh.\u00a0 Paul had gently reminded him that not only dirt, but most likely discharge from the horses themselves had entered it while Joe lay face down in the mud.\u00a0 Thank God, the horse had only struck him a glancing blow!<\/p>\n

At least, in the front.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d sucked in air as Paul turned his boy over to reveal the bruising low on Joseph\u2019s back.\u00a0 It was just above the tail bone and the skin was swollen badly.\u00a0 The physician had run his fingers over it, causing a low moan to escape the boy\u2019s lips.\u00a0 Then, he\u2019d instructed him to do the same.<\/p>\n

The damage was evident.<\/p>\n

Ben cupped his son\u2019s face in his hand and planted a kiss on his head before rising and walking to the window.\u00a0 The new day was afoot.\u00a0 He could hear the men moving about in the yard.\u00a0 For a moment he wondered who was instructing them, but then realized it had been some time since he\u2019d seen Adam.\u00a0 Knowing his oldest boy, he\u2019d assumed responsibility for keeping the ranch afloat while his father sat in a darkened room, tending his youngest brother and despairing.<\/p>\n

And yes, he was <\/em>despairing.\u00a0 The words with which Adam had described both Joseph\u2019s accident and how and where he and Hoss had found the boy had struck a desolate chord deep within his soul.\u00a0 Marie\u2019s boy had inherited her love of horses.\u00a0 From the time he could sit one, it had been all he could do to keep Little Joe\u2019s boots on the ground.\u00a0 He often found the ten-year-old watching the horses, reveling in their power and, if the truth be known, in their wild and carefree nature.\u00a0 Sadly, that love had proved as the moth to the flame.\u00a0 Joseph had been drawn in and he\u2019d been scorched.\u00a0 Ben turned to look at the silent form on the bed.<\/p>\n

Would his boy ever be the same?<\/p>\n

As he stood there, musing, Ben heard his son speak.\u00a0 Joseph had moaned now and then, and even said a few unintelligible words.\u00a0 This time, whatever he\u2019d said had been spoken with clarity.\u00a0 Crossing to the boy\u2019s bed, Ben sat on the side and touched his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, son,\u201d he tried again.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s Pa.\u00a0 It\u2019s time to wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy moaned again and shifted, and again, he spoke the same word.\u00a0 Ben wasn\u2019t sure that he\u2019d heard what he thought he heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was that, boy?\u201d he asked as he leaned in.<\/p>\n

\u201cCochise\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was<\/em> what he had heard.\u00a0 \u201cCochise?\u00a0 Joe?\u00a0 What do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy\u2019s eyelids fluttered, his thick black lashes dancing against the field of white that was his face.\u00a0 A second later he frowned.\u00a0 Then his fingers clutched the covers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it, son,\u201d he said as he took the boy\u2019s hand.\u00a0 \u201cFight!\u00a0 Come back to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

One green eye opened.\u00a0 The other followed \u2013 slowly.\u00a0 Little Joe looked around the room, passing him by as if he didn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n

\u201cCochise?\u201d he asked again.<\/p>\n

Ben was beginning to worry.\u00a0 Was the boy out of his head?\u00a0 His fever wasn\u2019t all that high.\u00a0 Perhaps Little Joe was recalling one of the stories he\u2019d told of his and Adam\u2019s passage west.<\/p>\n

But had he mentioned the chief of the Chiricahua?<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d<\/p>\n

At his voice, the boy stiffened.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s eyes closed and opened again, and he looked in his direction.\u00a0 For a moment, the boy frowned and then, God was gracious.<\/p>\n

His son smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Pa\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben gripped the boy\u2019s hand tighter.\u00a0 \u201cYou know who I am?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure do\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Joe stopped.\u00a0 His face took on a puzzled look and then he cried out.\u00a0 \u201cPa, it hurts!\u00a0 Make it stop hurting!\u201d<\/p>\n

The tears returned.\u00a0 \u201cI know it does, son.\u00a0 I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d\u00a0 Rising from the bed, Ben went to the door and yelled downstairs.\u00a0 \u201cHoss!\u00a0 Is Paul still here?\u201d<\/p>\n

A second later Paul Martin answered.\u00a0 \u201cIs Joe awake?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, and he\u2019s in pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pivoting on his heel, Ben returned to the bed and his place at his son\u2019s side.\u00a0 Reaching out, he caressed the boy\u2019s hair.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve been hurt, Joseph.\u00a0 Paul will be here any minute.\u00a0 He\u2019ll give you something for the pain.\u201d\u00a0 When he got no response, he shook his son gently.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026let me sleep\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, son, we can\u2019t let you do that,\u201d Paul said as he entered the room.\u00a0 \u201cIs he coherent?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe knew me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a good sign.\u201d\u00a0 The doctor moved to the other side of the bed and sat down.\u00a0 He reached out and took Joseph\u2019s jaw between his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe, look at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

His son sighed.\u00a0 \u201cLeave me\u2026alone.\u00a0 It\u2026hurts.\u00a0 Let me\u2026sleep\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI will in a few minutes.\u00a0 But I need you to look at me now.\u201d\u00a0 As Joe complied Paul said, more to himself than anyone else, \u201cOne pupil is enlarged.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got a good concussion going there.\u00a0 Little Joe, how many fingers am I holding up?\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul was worried about Joe\u2019s sight as well, the blow from the horse\u2019s hoof coming so close to his eye.<\/p>\n

Joe swallowed.\u00a0 \u201cTen,\u201d he said after a moment.<\/p>\n

Ben exchanged a look with the doctor. \u00a0Paul was holding up one finger.<\/p>\n

\u201cTen?\u201d the physician asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the way you\u2019re\u2026waggin\u2019 it. \u00a0It\u2026looks like ten.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul grinned.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s that Cartwright spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before he could finish speaking, Joe sucked in air and cried out again.\u00a0 \u201cPa!\u00a0 It\u2026hurts.\u00a0 Make it\u2026stop hurting!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to hurt for some time, son.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got a bad knock on the head and you\u2019ve injured your back.\u00a0 The horse struck you the hardest there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe swallowed again.\u00a0 A sure sign that nausea was soon to follow.\u00a0 \u201cCochise?\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul looked at him.\u00a0 Ben shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, who\u2019s Cochise?\u201d the doctor asked.<\/p>\n

In spite of the pain he was in, a slight smile lifted the corner of the boy\u2019s lips.\u00a0 \u201cMy\u2026horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was as puzzled as Paul.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2026wouldn\u2019t hurt me.\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s green eyes pleaded with him as he struggled to lift his upper torso.\u00a0 \u201cTell me\u2026she\u2026didn\u2019t hurt me, Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul pressed his hands on Joseph\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cYou need to stay calm.\u00a0 Little Joe!\u00a0 Listen to me!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u00a0 Don\u2019t\u2026put her down!\u00a0 She didn\u2019t\u2026mean it!\u201d\u00a0 Tears were streaming down his son\u2019s ashen cheeks.\u00a0 \u201cPlease, Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n

Then it came to him.<\/p>\n

The paint. \u00a0Joe had talked about nothing else since they brought the last half-dozen horses in to break them, the black and white pinto among them.\u00a0 That\u2019s<\/em> why he had defied his command to stay out of the corral.<\/p>\n

The horse that had saved Joseph\u2019s life was also the reason he had gotten hurt in the first place.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u00a0 Look at me!\u201d he ordered as he sat on bed opposite Paul.\u00a0 \u201cAre you talking about the paint horse in the corral?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was looking decidedly green.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019m\u2026sorry\u2026I disobeyed.\u00a0 But\u2026please don\u2019t hurt\u2026her.\u00a0 She\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe saved your life, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmnesia,\u201d Paul said, his tone distracted.\u00a0 \u201cNot unexpected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben touched his son\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cShe stood over you, Joe.\u00a0 She kept you from getting trampled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s smiled returned. Then, without warning, a sheen of sweat swept over him and he shivered.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I\u2019m gonna be sick\u2026.\u00a0 I gotta go to\u2026the outhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before he could stop him, his son had tossed the covers back and raised his body up in an attempt to swing his legs over the side of the bed.<\/p>\n

Only, he couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One of the men came knockin\u2019 just as he and the Doc were finishin\u2019 breakfast.\u00a0 Hoss had to admit that, while it had been hard to get started, he did feel better now that he had some vittles in his belly.\u00a0 Pratt Shade was standing over by the corral where Joe had been injured, waitin\u2019 on him.\u00a0 The blond man was holdin\u2019 something in his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d you find?\u201d Hoss asked as he arrived.<\/p>\n

Pratt held out the mangled orange and black corpse.<\/p>\n

\u201cA ground snake?\u201d\u00a0 The big teen was surprised.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s one of them doin\u2019 here?\u201d<\/p>\n

The ranch hand shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI was cleaning up where the boy\u2026where Little Joe had his accident.\u00a0 Found it buried in the mud.\u201d<\/p>\n

The snake had obviously been killed by the strike of a horse\u2019s hoof.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m thinking this is what spooked the horses,\u201d he went on.<\/p>\n

Hoss took the dead thing and looked at it.\u00a0 While ground snakes weren\u2019t terribly dangerous, a bite from one could have made someone as scrawny as his kid brother sick.\u00a0 \u2018Course it probably didn\u2019t have time to bite before the horse caved its head in.<\/p>\n

He was pretty sure he knew which horse that had been.<\/p>\n

The paint was lookin\u2019 at him now, makin\u2019 eye contact like she was askin\u2019 about little brother.\u00a0 He made a kissin\u2019 sound that brought the mare to his side.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry I don\u2019t have a treat for you, girl.\u00a0 I promise I\u2019ll bring you one later,\u201d he promised as he caressed her muzzle.\u00a0 \u201cLittle brother is awful sick and I didn\u2019t remember to put any in my pocket this mornin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is Little Joe?\u201d Pratt asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe woke up finally,\u201d Hoss said with relief.\u00a0 \u201cPa and the Doc\u2019s with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard tell Mister Cartwright was supposed to be in the settlement today and tomorrow.\u00a0 I guess, that\u2019s why Adam headed into town?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. \u00a0Pa won\u2019t be leavin\u2019 the ranch for a while.\u00a0 Doctor Martin says it\u2019s gonna take little brother some time afore he\u2019s on his \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

The piercing scream that cut through the crisp morning air had the power to make his heart stop.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gotta go!\u201d the big teen declared and was on his way before Pratt Shade had time to answer.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing opened the door as his feet hit the porch.\u00a0 \u201cFather need number two son! \u00a0Number three son need brother!\u00a0 Mistah Hoss go upstairs.\u00a0 Hop Sing go to kitchen.\u00a0 Keep house from burning down!\u201d<\/p>\n

He thought he\u2019d smelled smoke.<\/p>\n

The big teen nodded.\u00a0 He took the steps two at a time and raced down the hallway toward his brother\u2019s room.\u00a0 There were no further startling cries, but he could hear his little brother sobbing.<\/p>\n

The sound near tore his heart in two.<\/p>\n

Little Joe turned his face toward him as he entered.\u00a0 It was streaked with tears and pert near as white as the sheets the boy was lyin\u2019 on. \u00a0Joe was clingin\u2019 onto Pa like he hadn\u2019t seen him do since Pa\u2019d brought him down from that cliff at Eagle\u2019s Nest.\u00a0 The boy\u2019s knuckles were white where they twisted the blue fabric of their father\u2019s shirt.\u00a0 Little Joe was shakin\u2019 from head to toe.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d Pa said in that stern voice of his.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, you need to calm down!\u201d<\/p>\n

Doc Martin was shakin\u2019 his head.\u00a0 He was also fillin\u2019 a needle with medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d the big teen asked, at a loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss,\u201d baby brother sobbed.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, I\u2026I\u2026can\u2019t\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss crossed over to the bed.\u00a0 He looked at his father for permission before touching his brother\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cYou cain\u2019t what<\/em>, punkin?\u201d<\/p>\n

Those enormous eyes of his brother\u2019s met his gaze and held it for a moment, and then disappeared as Little Joe buried his face in Pa\u2019s shirt.<\/p>\n

The look his father gave him was as sad as Joe\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re brother can\u2019t feel his legs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A second later Paul Martin plunged the needle into Little Joe\u2019s thigh.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright sat at a table in the restaurant his father frequented, sipping a cup of coffee and ignoring the steak and eggs on his plate.\u00a0 He\u2019d finished one meeting and was waiting for the second one to begin.\u00a0 It had been hard to concentrate when his mind was twenty miles away with his family.<\/p>\n

Still, it had to be done and he was the only one to do it.<\/p>\n

The sea of faces that greeted him that morning had been slightly confused and mildly amused.\u00a0 He was, after all, only twenty-two and the son of a rancher, while they were self-made men of substance and wealth in their forties and fifties. They\u2019d inquired politely about Joe and he\u2019d told them what he knew, and then gone on to explain that his father would be unavoidably detained and he would be taking his place for the foreseeable future.\u00a0 Most all of the businessmen graciously acquiesced to the need for him to step into his father\u2019s shoes.<\/p>\n

Most <\/em>of them.<\/p>\n

He was beginning to understand why his father had no time for Sebastian Stephens.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d never met the man before, though he had heard plenty about him. Stephens showed up in his black double-breasted full front coat and out of date top hat and proceeded to make an ass of himself by out-shouting and over-riding everyone else in the meeting. \u00a0He\u2019d <\/em>stayed out of it for the most part, allowing the older men to spar and jockey for position.\u00a0 After all, he didn\u2019t need<\/em> to talk.\u00a0 The proposal he carried, which Hop Sing had fished out of his father\u2019s saddlebags and sent with him, said everything he needed to say.\u00a0 It was close.\u00a0 Stephens pulled a few sleight of hand tricks, but in the end theirs was the most reasonable bid and they won the logging contract.\u00a0 Of course, the man who needed the timber knew his pa and knew he could be trusted to deliver.\u00a0 No one really knew Sebastian Stephens, although everyone knew he was a man who wanted his own way and had the money to throw his weight around if he didn\u2019t get it.<\/p>\n

There were rumors.\u00a0 Shortly after Stephens arrived in the settlement he had put in a bid to supply the timber for several buildings that were going up.\u00a0 No one knew him and he lost out.\u00a0 The buildings went up and then came down \u2013 in a fire.\u00a0 There was no way to link the Easterner to the fire, but it was certainly suspicious. \u00a0Several other businessmen, a friend of his father\u2019s among them, had suddenly withdrawn their bids on other contracts.\u00a0 Two of them had left town.<\/p>\n

It seemed Simon Legree had come to the Nevada territory.<\/p>\n

\u201cWarm up your coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked up to find Rosanna Brant standing by the table, pot in hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

She poured the hot liquid and then placed a hand on her hip and shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cI sure can tell you\u2019re Ben Cartwright\u2019s son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour pa doesn\u2019t like steak either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cWhen did Pa not eat his steak?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last time he was in here.\u00a0 After he finished his meeting.\u201d\u00a0 She sighed.\u00a0 \u201cThe cook\u2019s gonna start thinking you Cartwrights don\u2019t like his cooking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, we like the cooking well enough.\u00a0 It\u2019s just that the company we\u2019ve been forced to keep lately kind of sours the stomach.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSebastian Stephens?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

The look on her face was worth a thousand words.\u00a0 \u201cHe give you trouble too?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not a man to take \u2018no\u2019 for an answer and I\u2019ve told him \u2018no\u2019 more than once.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam frowned.\u00a0 \u201cIsn\u2019t he married?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rosanna rolled her eyes and then moved on to the next table as someone called her name.<\/p>\n

So, Stephens was a philanderer as well.\u00a0 Was there anything <\/em>to recommend the man?<\/p>\n

\u201cCartwright, I want to talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam closed his eyes and winced.\u00a0 There went a relaxing lunch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m eating, Mister Stephens.\u00a0 I never mix work with pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man rounded the table and came to a stop before him.\u00a0 \u201cWell, then, we\u2019ll have no trouble talking.\u201d\u00a0 He pulled the chair out and sat down.\u00a0 \u201cThis is not<\/em> going to be pleasant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sebastian Stephens was one of those men who \u2013 at first site \u2013 appeared to be handsome.\u00a0 He was in his late fifties or early sixties, tall and well-built, with a head of thick salt and pepper hair that his hat barely contained.\u00a0 It was only when you began to examine him \u2013 when you noted the narrow cast to his eyes, the cold hard look out of them, and the perpetual sneer that lifted his upper lip \u2013 that you began to take the measure of the man.<\/p>\n

To say that he was arrogant was to undervalue the word.<\/p>\n

Stephens removed his gloves and tossed them on the table as if he were calling him out to a duel \u2013 and maybe he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou and your father have an unfair advantage,\u201d he began.<\/p>\n

\u201cI call it a home<\/em> advantage,\u201d Adam countered.\u00a0 \u201cMy father has made his home here for over fifteen years.\u00a0 He\u2019s well-known and liked.\u00a0 And, I might add, trusted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I am not?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s just saw that newcomers in these parts are often looked upon with suspicion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t the West all about a new start?\u00a0 About a man making something of himself?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it is,\u201d Adam said, sitting up.\u00a0 \u201cBut then, some men may make something of themselves that no one else wants to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephens leaned back in his chair.\u00a0 \u201cFlattery will get you nowhere,\u201d he drawled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do my best.\u201d\u00a0 Adam turned and reached for his jacket where lay on the chair beside him.\u00a0 \u201cMister Stephens,\u201d he said as he rose, \u201cas pleasant as this interview has been, I have an hour before I have to be at the next meeting and business is the last thing I want to discuss or think about right now.\u00a0 If you will excuse me\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard there was an accident.\u00a0 Your little brother was hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stopped.\u00a0 He sat back down.\u00a0 There was something about the way the man said it that sent chills up his spine.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat <\/em>did you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly what the men in the meeting knew, that something happened and your youngest brother was injured and your father had to excuse himself.\u00a0 Was the tyke hurt badly?\u201d<\/p>\n

Answering that brought a bad taste to his mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe will be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u201d\u00a0 Stephens picked up his gloves and began to draw them on.\u00a0 \u201cI assumed from your father\u2019s continued absence\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father and my little brother are very close.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a pause.\u00a0 Stephens looked right at him.\u00a0 \u201cSo I have heard. \u00a0Anyhow, when you see your father again be sure to express my sympathies.\u00a0 One of the most tragic things in the world is for a father to have to bury a son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was on his feet. \u201cIs that a threat?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

Stephens answered him with an infuriating smile.<\/p>\n

Then the bully tipped his hat and walked away.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FOUR<\/p>\n

It was after nine before Adam made it back to the house.\u00a0 The final meeting of the day ran late \u2013 thanks to Sebastian Stephens and his blustering.\u00a0 This time the Eastern businessman won, but that was all right.\u00a0 They already had one timber contract secured and, though their father had been known to juggle two at once, with what had happened to Joe, Pa\u2019s attention was already divided.<\/p>\n

It was strange how things turned.<\/p>\n

Their pa had been absent more days than present recently.\u00a0 It was just the way things were.\u00a0 The year was winding down and soon the snow would fly.\u00a0 Everything had to be made ready and secured before that happened \u2013 including business deals.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s absences had been wearing on Little Joe.\u00a0 He was sure that was part of the reason they\u2019d been at odds.\u00a0 Little Joe wasn\u2019t his child but he treated him like he was, and that was due to the fact that he was often the only \u2018parent\u2019 around.\u00a0 Hop Sing did his part but, much as they all loved and respected the Asian man, he wasn\u2019t kin. \u00a0He<\/em> was Joe\u2019s blood relative as well as the oldest, and so it fell to him to hand down discipline.<\/p>\n

There were times when he would have given just about anything to be nothing more than the kid\u2019s big brother.<\/p>\n

Adam dismounted and tethered his horse at the rail.\u00a0 He patted Sport\u2019s nose before heading for the house and let his trusted friend know he\u2019d come back later and do what needed to be done.\u00a0 Right now he was tired and hungry and, if he cared to admit it, slightly off-balance.\u00a0 Stephen\u2019s words in the restaurant had unnerved him.\u00a0 When he reached the door, the black-haired man paused.\u00a0 He turned around to look at the barn; his eyes quickly moving past the building to the corral and the site of Little Joe\u2019s accident.\u00a0 Had<\/em> it been planned?\u00a0 And if so, could it have been at the Easterner\u2019s behest?\u00a0 Since it hadn\u2019t succeeded \u2013 if\u2026murder had been the purpose \u2013 would there be other attempts?<\/p>\n

A chill ran along his spine as he considered it.<\/p>\n

With a sigh, Adam opened the door and went inside.\u00a0 As he closed it behind him, a tired voice called out, \u201cHey, big brother. We thought some sidewinder up and \u2018et you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam chuckled as he hung his hat on the rack.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Just a long day.\u201d\u00a0 He turned and glanced around.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been dreading this moment.\u00a0 \u201cHow is Joe doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

A single tear ran down the big teen\u2019s cheek.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss?\u00a0 Dear Lord!\u00a0 What\u2026.?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe cain\u2019t…\u201d \u00a0His brother sucked in air like someone too long deprived.\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2026Little Joe cain\u2019t walk.\u00a0 He cain\u2019t feel his legs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did Paul say?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWhat he always says.\u00a0 That we gotta wait and see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam considered launching into an explanation of how swelling affected a person\u2019s recovery and how, until it went down, it was often hard to tell the full extent of a person\u2019s injuries.\u00a0 He was a scholar.\u00a0 He\u2019d read medical journals and he loved words.\u00a0 Hoss was not and did not.\u00a0 Hoss was a boy worried that his beloved baby brother would never again be able to do the things he loved.<\/p>\n

In truth, so was he.<\/p>\n

Adam crossed over to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI know it\u2019s hard, Hoss, but it\u2019s true.\u00a0 It will probably be days \u2013 maybe even weeks \u2013 before Joe heals enough to know if the paralysis is temporary or\u2026permanent.\u201d<\/p>\n

His voice quaked on that last one.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u00a0 Mistah Adam home.\u00a0 He come eat now before he go to bed and sleep.\u00a0 Need keep up strength,\u201d a soft voice chided.<\/p>\n

Adam turned to find Hop Sing in his customary spot, beside the dining room table.\u00a0 He was in his evening clothes \u2013 soft silk pants and a long tastefully embroidered dark blue shirt trimmed with gold. The matching trim on his slippers sparked in the lamp light as he moved forward, leaving trails of fire.\u00a0 These was the times when he wondered about the Asian man and who and what <\/em>he had been before he came to them.\u00a0 Hop Sing was pretty close about his past, even with Pa.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t know all that much about him other than the fact that he had family in the settlement, including his father, Hop Ling.\u00a0 He was in his late forties, old enough to have \u2013 or have had \u2013 his own family.\u00a0 The way he took care of them \u2013 the skills he had \u2013 suggested he\u2019d had some training in the medical as well as culinary arts.\u00a0 He was ever efficient, always kind, and brutally practically.\u00a0 Adam grinned.\u00a0 The Asian man reminded him of a mother hen under whose silky feathers beat the heart of a dragon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had something in the settlement before I left, Hop Sing.\u00a0 Thank you, but I\u2019d just like to go up and see how Joe is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoctor with Little Joe.\u00a0 You sit down. \u00a0Eat.\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s gaze moved to Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cBrother eat with you.\u00a0 He not have anything since breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing!\u201d Hoss snapped. \u201cI done told you I ain\u2019t\u2026\u201d\u00a0 The big teen stopped, aghast.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, I didn\u2019t mean to yell at you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Doc\u2019s still here?\u201d Adam asked.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t see his buggy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBuggy in barn.\u00a0 Doctor stay\u2026for now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam suddenly felt weak in the knees.<\/p>\n

A hand caught his elbow and steadied him.\u00a0 \u201cBoy go to table.\u00a0 Eat.\u00a0 No good to father if he fall down.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThanks. \u00a0I think I will.\u201d\u00a0 Then he looked at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Hoss.\u00a0 We can nag each other into eating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss ran a hand through his sandy hair.\u00a0 \u201cOkay.\u00a0 I guess not eatin\u2019 ain\u2019t helpin\u2019 Little Joe none.\u00a0 It just feels\u2026well\u2026wrong when I know he\u2019s layin\u2019 up there feelin\u2019 so sad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the two of them sat down, Hop Sing brought in a plate of bread and butter, some slices of ham, and two slices of apple pie.\u00a0 He left and returned quickly with a pitcher of milk and two glasses.<\/p>\n

Adam smiled as the Asian man put the pitcher down.\u00a0 \u201cDo you ever sleep?\u201d he asked with a wry smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing sleep.\u00a0 Have ears like bat.\u00a0 That way he know when needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was tired.\u00a0 His usual barriers were down.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you\u2019re very much needed here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Their cook\u2019s eyes narrowed.\u00a0 He nodded, and then disappeared.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you embarrassed him,\u201d Hoss said as he reached for the milk.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 I think there\u2019s more to it than that, though I\u2019m not sure what.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was right, you know?\u201d Hoss asked as he took a bite of bread.\u00a0 \u201cI do feel better eatin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

The usual banter came to mind, but it seemed out of place.\u00a0 Instead, Adam nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing is always right.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Doctor Paul Martin turned away from the small boy on the bed to look at his father.\u00a0 Ben sat in the chair by the window watching the sun set.\u00a0 It had been five years, but it felt no more than a day since he\u2019d been in this house, in another room, doing the same thing; preparing himself to tell a grieving husband that his beloved wife had breathed her last.\u00a0 Time was a curious thing.\u00a0 It seemed he\u2019d known the sleeping boy forever, but felt like it had been less than a heartbeat since the last time Marie had flung the door to the ranch house open and greeted him with one of her effervescent smiles.<\/p>\n

He was getting old.<\/p>\n

As he knew it would, the slight shift he made on the bed was a signal to the boy\u2019s father.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul?\u201d<\/p>\n

The physician closed his eyes for a moment, then inclined his head toward the door.\u00a0 \u2018Let\u2019s talk outside,\u2019 he mouthed.<\/p>\n

Ben rose slowly.\u00a0 He crossed over to the bed first, where he brushed back a few curls to plant a kiss on his young son\u2019s forehead, and then followed him out of the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there something you wanted to say that you didn\u2019t want Joseph to hear?\u201d Ben asked, his tone wary.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 I just didn\u2019t want to disturb him.\u00a0 As you know, he fought taking the medication that last time.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cBen, I\u2019m going to be honest with you.\u00a0 Little Joe is in a great deal of pain.\u00a0 He won\u2019t admit it, but then again, that boy never does.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPain is a strange creature.\u00a0 It\u2019s a thing of the body, mind, and<\/em> soul.\u00a0 A human trinity, if you will.\u00a0 If it\u2019s not controlled, pain can wear a man \u2013 or a boy down.\u00a0 It becomes its own kind of injury.\u00a0 Joe needs rest.\u00a0 Lots<\/em> of rest to recover.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there anything else you can do for him?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNot now.\u00a0 Maybe, once the swelling has gone down.\u00a0 For now it\u2019s a waiting game, and waiting is simply not in the vocabulary of Little Joe Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben ran a hand over his stubbled chin and sighed.\u00a0 \u201cNo, it\u2019s not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to head into the settlement to check my office and on my other patients.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be back tomorrow afternoon at the latest.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher swung toward him,\u00a0 \u201cOh?\u00a0 Oh, all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s my prescription for the entire family.\u00a0 First of all, keep that pain medication in Joseph.\u00a0 His concussion is moderate and he\u2019s been awake enough that I think that worry is past.\u00a0 He\u2019ll have headaches, maybe experience blurred vision for a time\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Paul smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYou know the drill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben laughed. There had been far too many concussion in this household full of men.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph needs to sleep \u2013 you all <\/em>need to sleep and eat and take care of yourselves.\u00a0 The days ahead are going to be trying.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t think Joseph will regain the use of his legs, do you?\u201d Ben asked, a shadow of despair in his tone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think no such thing.\u00a0 I am not thinking <\/em>beyond today and that\u2019s what you must learn to do to.\u201d\u00a0 The physician indicated the door.\u00a0 \u201cAnd teach that young scamp in there to do as well.\u00a0 See this as an opportunity, Ben, not a set-back.\u00a0 Use it to make Joseph a better man \u2013 no matter the outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

His friend stared at him a moment and then nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n

He placed a hand on the other man\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cEasy for me to say.\u00a0 I\u2019m not his father.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sound of someone clearing their throat made them both turn toward the end of the hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Adam,\u201d Paul said.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s look was almost shy as he greeted them.\u00a0 \u201cDoc.\u00a0 \u2026Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d forgotten.<\/em>\u00a0 Adam had just<\/em> returned. The boy was probably wondering if his father was angry with him for leaving.<\/p>\n

Gracious as ever, Ben asked, \u201cHow did things go in the settlement, son?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStephens got the high country timber contract.\u00a0 Everything else went our way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re growing into quite the entrepreneur yourself, Adam,\u201d the doctor remarked.<\/p>\n

The boy nodded at the compliment.\u00a0 A heartbeat later, he asked, \u201cHow\u2019s Little Joe doing?\u00a0 Can I see him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul exchanged a look with Ben, who gave a barely noticeable nod.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can sit with him,\u201d he said in his best \u2018doctor\u2019 voice.\u00a0 \u201cJust don\u2019t wake him\u00a0 And Ben \u2013 you get some sleep!\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher shot him a dark look and then straightened up and saluted.\u00a0 \u201cAy, Aye, Captain!\u201d he said with mock formality.<\/p>\n

Paul began the familiar trek down the hall shaking his head.<\/p>\n

If he was a ship\u2018s captain, he knew he\u2019d have to keel-haul his old friend later.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam eyed his father a moment before saying in a gentle tone, \u201cPa, Paul\u2019s right,\u00a0 You look exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man ran a hand along the back of his neck.\u00a0 \u201cI am<\/em> exhausted, but I can\u2019t sleep.\u201d\u00a0 His weary gaze went to Joe\u2019s bedroom door.\u00a0 \u201cNot yet, anyhow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss told me about Joe\u2019s legs.\u00a0 That he can\u2019t feel them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr move them.\u00a0 Your brother was in a panic.\u00a0 Paul had to sedate him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He knew how hard that had to have been on his father.\u00a0 \u201cHas he been awake since then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe tried to come up out of it, but Paul put him under again.\u00a0 He regretted it, but said Joe\u2019s violent movements and attempts to get up could cause greater injury to his spine.\u00a0 He\u2019s not sure, but he thinks one of the vertebrae has a hairline fracture.\u201d\u00a0 Pa made a face.\u00a0 \u201cIf it breaks\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGod, Pa.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s only ten.\u00a0 He can\u2019t understand.\u00a0 He\u2019s going<\/em> to panic the minute he\u2019s awake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomehow\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Pa drew in a great breath of air and sighed it out.\u00a0 \u201cSomehow we have to get through to him.\u00a0 You know, son, God allows these things for a reason.\u00a0 This is a testing point in your brother\u2019s mettle.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father knew his views on God were slightly less\u2026altruistic\u2026.when it came to this kind of thing, and it was out before he could stop it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if Joe never walks again?\u201d<\/p>\n

The pain his question caused his father brought him instant shame.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019m tired.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s all right.\u00a0 In the end, that may be exactly where we are.\u201d\u00a0 The older man thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cOur criterion \u2013 the standards by which we measure a man are flawed.\u00a0 We put more value on a pair of working legs than on the mind or heart of the individual.\u00a0 God sees things differently.\u00a0 Sometimes God gives us a thorn \u2013 something we dearly wish to pluck from our flesh \u2013 because it is His tool to form a man into someone who can live a life to His glory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam thought about his father, a man who had lost three wives, who had seen hardship and experienced near starvation; who at one time had nothing and now had been given so much.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour brother Joseph, as dearly as I love the little scamp, has many lessons to learn; patience and prudence among them.\u00a0 He lives each day at a breakneck pace.\u00a0 This may be God\u2019s way of teaching him that cannot continue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam mulled that over for a moment.\u00a0 If what he suspected was true \u2013 if Joe\u2019s \u2018accident\u2019 had been no accident \u2013 would Pa still<\/em> feel the same way?\u00a0\u00a0 Was this one of those instances of the Almighty using a man\u2019s evil for the good of those who loved Him?<\/p>\n

After a moment, his father said, \u201cYou look tired, son.\u00a0 Once you check in on Joseph, you should get some rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore I turn in, I\u2019d like to go over the day\u2019s events with you \u2013 if you aren\u2019t too worn out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m wide awake.\u00a0 I think I\u2019ll make a toddy and have a smoke.\u00a0 Would you like one?\u201d<\/p>\n

Thinking of his saddle-sore rear end and the numbing effect of his father\u2019s brandy, he nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father lifted his hand, briefly touched his cheek, and was gone.<\/p>\n

Adam turned to look at his baby brother\u2019s door.\u00a0 He steeled himself by taking several breaths before opening it and stepping in.<\/p>\n

The room was dark with the exception of a lamp turned low on the table next to Little Joe\u2019s bed. \u00a0Joe was on his back, which was an unusual thing to see.\u00a0 He was usually twisted up in his covers like one of Mrs. Hoffmeister\u2019s German pretzels.\u00a0 There was no pillow under the little boy\u2019s head and the sheets beneath him were undisturbed.<\/p>\n

Adam wished he could have said the same thing for himself.<\/p>\n

Little Joe was one of those \u2018bonny\u2019 kids as a Scottish neighbor of theirs liked to say.\u00a0 His skin was naturally golden with fairly high color in the cheeks and lips.\u00a0 He had wide expressive eyes that looked at the world with wonder and<\/em> were wonderfully well-equipped at getting him out of trouble.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s hair was golden-brown now, though the odds were it would grow darker as he aged.\u00a0 His hair was a riotous, reckless, glistening tumble of spiraling curls as out of control as its owner.<\/p>\n

Right now the owner of those curls lay still.\u00a0 The sound of Little Joe\u2019s unnaturally slow breathing filled the room.\u00a0 His brother\u2019s skin was the color of a morning without sun; those glistening curls dull as unpolished metal.<\/p>\n

Adam drew a breath as he sat down in the chair next to his brother\u2019s bed.\u00a0 For a moment, he simply stared at him.\u00a0 Then he reached out and took hold of one of Joe\u2019s pallid hands. \u00a0They lay perfectly crossed on his brother\u2019s chest giving the kid the appearance of a corpse.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t take it.<\/p>\n

Careful to keep his touch light, Adam brushed a few curls from his brother\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 A tear slid down his cheek as he did.\u00a0 The words he spoke were soul-sore.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Joe.\u00a0 This should never have happened.\u00a0 I should have stopped it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t expect a response, but he got one.\u00a0 Baby brother\u2019s sooty eyelashes fluttered against his parchment-white skin.\u00a0 Joe licked his lips.<\/p>\n

\u201cThirsty,\u201d he said in the voice that belonged to someone other than his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll get you some water, buddy,\u201d Adam replied as he reached for the pitcher on the bedside table.\u00a0 Lifting Joe\u2019s head, he helped him to drink.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026thanks\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was Joe all over.\u00a0 He\u2019d probably thank a bank robber for holding the door open while he ushered him out as a hostage.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay, buddy?\u00a0 You need anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

He waited.\u00a0 Just about the time he decided Joe was out for good, his brother spoke again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s…Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be back any time.\u00a0 Pa went to get a drink.\u00a0 He was thirsty too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s nod was nearly imperceptible.\u00a0 He remained silent for a few heartbeats and then said, \u201cSorry. I shouldn\u2019t have\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 The kid winced as if the pain he felt was beginning to penetrate the drugged stupor he was in.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026stupid\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam glanced at a second cup beside the bed.\u00a0 It had the remnants of a muddied white liquid in it.\u00a0 Beside it lay several folded papers with a substance inside.\u00a0 No doubt they were pain medication.\u00a0 He frowned, unsure as to whether or not he should give his brother another dose.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, little buddy.\u00a0 Are you in pain?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s lips curled up at the ends.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026gave me\u2026a\u2026kiss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d he asked, expecting the answer to be \u2018Mama\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cCochise.\u201d<\/p>\n

That <\/em>was a new one.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s Cochise?\u201d<\/p>\n

The smile broadened.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026my\u2026hero\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, before he could ask another question, Little Joe lost the fight to stay awake.<\/p>\n

Adam remained where he was, holding his baby brother\u2019s hand.\u00a0 People thought he didn\u2019t like physical contact.\u00a0 They were wrong.\u00a0 He respected it.\u00a0 People touched too easily.\u00a0 It meant too\u2026little.\u00a0 This moment, sitting here, connected <\/em>to his ailing brother, was powerful.<\/p>\n

Several minutes later Adam broke away and left the room.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben heard his eldest son coming down the steps before he saw him.\u00a0 Adam had to be as exhausted as he was.\u00a0 His oldest boy was a thinking man of action, weaned on hard times and bred of a deep self-imposed sense of responsibility and duty.\u00a0 It would have been hard for him to make the choice between remaining behind to protect his little brother and going to the settlement to see to the needs of the ranch in order to secure their future. The down-payments from the contracts Adam negotiated would get them through the winter by providing for necessities<\/p>\n

Like a walking chair for his baby boy.<\/p>\n

Ben shuddered.\u00a0 His words to his eldest son had been sagacious and serene.<\/p>\n

He was anything but <\/em>inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour toddy\u2019s on the stove in the office,\u201d he said as Adam headed for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 The boy went to get it and then returned to take his accustomed seat in the blue chair on the far side of the hearth.\u00a0 He took a sip and savored it, then took another and leaned back to let it slide down.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s good.\u201d\u00a0 A second later his son shot him a look.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t make it, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben laughed.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Hop Sing did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mean any disrespect, Pa, but your toddies, well, they taste like they were meant to keep a sailor from getting scurvy.\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughed.\u00a0 \u201cAs they were!\u201d<\/p>\n

They sat in companionable silence for a while after that, each lost in their thoughts, until the rancher decided he\u2019d best get the day\u2019s business over with.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we\u2019ve secured the larger of the timber contracts and the one with the army.\u00a0 Other than Sebastian, did everyone else seem content with the process?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded as he took another sip.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 There was the usual grousing and good-natured banter.\u00a0 No one seemed upset.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sensed something. \u201cOther <\/em>than Sebastian.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam put his glass on the table.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you know about him, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot much. \u00a0He keeps his past pretty close.\u00a0 He was born in the East, Boston, I think, and came out West with the rush to California.\u00a0 He was one of the lucky ones who found gold and managed to keep it, though now that I know him, I wonder what his methods of \u2018retention\u2019 were.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes he have a family?\u00a0 Is he married?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben finished his glass off and put it on his chair-side table.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s never said. \u00a0He mentioned a daughter once.\u00a0 Deceased, I think.\u00a0 Why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust trying to figure him out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben snorted. \u201cGood luck with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been in the area about a year, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout.\u00a0 Maybe a little less.\u00a0 Sebastian showed up on the stage one day.\u00a0 He took a room at the hotel and began to buy up as much property as he could.\u00a0 Then he moved on to mines and timber.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got horses too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, and men who know what to do with them.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen him ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess that\u2019s what money gets you.\u00a0 Everything you desire.\u201d \u00a0Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cBut, in the end, maybe nothing you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, where is this going?\u201d<\/p>\n

His son rose to his feet and walked over to the fire.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s hand found a purchase on the stones as he gazed into it.\u00a0 For a long time he was silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I\u2026think Sebastian Stephens may have been behind Little Joe\u2019s \u2018accident\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Adam had told him that a two-ton pink grizzly had just waltzed into the great room wearing a tutu, he could not have been more surprised.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked at him under his arm.\u00a0 \u201cHe threatened me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u00a0 Sebastian?\u00a0 At the meeting?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 Afterwards.\u00a0 I was eating lunch at the place where Rosanna works.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben drew a steadying breath.\u00a0 \u201cI see.\u00a0 Did he tell<\/em> you he had something to do with what happened to your brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam moved to the table before the fire and took a seat directly opposite him.\u00a0 \u201cNot in so many words.\u00a0 He asked about Little Joe and said to give you his sympathies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll admit that\u2019s surprising, but it\u2019s not a threat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s lips twitched\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s not.\u00a0 That\u2019s what came next.<\/em>\u00a0 He said, \u2018One of the most tragic things in the world is for a father to have to bury a son\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

A chill ran through him from stem to stern.<\/p>\n

Ben swallowed hard over his rising anger.\u00a0 \u201cHe said <\/em>that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I think Adam may be right,\u201d a new voice remarked, startling them both.\u00a0 Ben turned to find Hoss exiting the kitchen.\u00a0 His middle son had his coat on and looked to be heading outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wondered where you were, son,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh heck, I was helping Hop Sing in the kitchen since, well, you know, Little Joe cain\u2019t do his usual chores.\u00a0 Bringin\u2019 in wood and such.\u00a0 I gotta go out and get me some more wood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean, you think I may be right?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

Hoss joined them.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t had time to tell neither of you yet.\u00a0 Pratt Shade found a dead snake in the corral.\u00a0 Figured that was what caused the horses to spook.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA snake is unusual in the yard, but not unheard of,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, Pa.\u00a0 It was just that it was a ground snake.\u00a0 You know? \u00a0The kind you find in a meadow or lazing by the side of a lake.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss smiled.\u00a0 \u201cCochise sure did him in good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCochise?\u201d Adam asked.\u00a0 \u201cJoe mentioned a \u2018Cochise\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWas your brother awake?\u201d\u00a0 Ben started to rise.\u00a0 \u201cWe have to keep him still \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Pa.\u00a0 I stayed until I was sure he was under again.\u00a0 He was thirsty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sat back down.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo who is Cochise?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss smiled.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s the name little brother done gave that paint horse, the one what saved him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked puzzled.\u00a0 \u201cBut it\u2019s a mare.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Little Joe\u2019s ten,\u201d the big teen replied. \u201cyou go ask him<\/em> what he\u2019s thinkin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

That made them all laugh, though they sobered quickly enough at the thought that Little Joe might never get to ride that horse \u2013 or any other.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s brow furrowed.\u00a0 \u201cSo, what we have is a suspicious accident, and a veiled threat that it might not have been<\/em> an accident.\u00a0 That\u2019s not much to go to Sheriff Olin on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll talk to him when I go into the settlement tomorrow,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cJust to make Robert aware of our suspicions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the meantime, I need you two to be extra<\/em> cautious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both of them stared at him open-mouthed.\u00a0 Almost as one, they demanded \u2018Why?\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause Sebastian Stephens\u2019 threat was open-ended,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cNo father should have to bury a son.\u201d\u00a0 He looked pointedly from Adam to Hoss. \u201cHe didn\u2019t say \u2018which\u2019 son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Joe\u2026\u201d his eldest protested.<\/p>\n

Ben shivered.\u00a0 \u201cCould be just the first.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hop Sing retreated from the threshold of the dining room.\u00a0 The things he\u2019d heard disturbed him.\u00a0 It disturbed him even more to know that there was nothing he <\/em>could do, and so he chose to go back to doing what he knew.\u00a0 There were many tasks to be completed before he could lay down his head.\u00a0 There were dishes to be cleaned.\u00a0 Bread and other food must be prepared.\u00a0 The Asian man\u2019s gaze went to the stove,\u00a0 A good-size pot, brimful with steaming water, sat upon it.\u00a0 Boiling in the pot were strips of linen that had been used to soak up the blood of his beloved son.\u00a0 On her death bed Missy Marie had made him promise to keep her Petit Joseph<\/em> safe; to love and care for him as if he was his own.<\/p>\n

It was sacred vow and one he would keep so long as he drew breath.<\/p>\n

The task before him was difficult.\u00a0 Not because the heavy cloths were hot and must wrung out by hand.\u00a0 This is not what he dreaded.\u00a0 What he dreaded was carrying the pot to the door and throwing the water out \u2013 water red with Little Joe\u2019s life energy.\u00a0 This should not <\/em>be.\u00a0 It felt like he was throwing a part of the boy away and this was something he would never do.\u00a0 He would not give up on Mistah Cartwright\u2019s number three son, nor would he let the boy\u2019s father or his brothers.\u00a0 They must not grow weary \u2013 they must <\/em>not despair \u2013 no matter how long it took for the ten-year-old to run like the wind once more.<\/p>\n

As Little Joe would.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing closed the door and returned the pot to the stove before heading for the mountain of wet linens that were ready for the wringer.\u00a0 Quietly, thoroughly, the Asian man ran the cloths through the wood and metal device one by one.\u00a0 Such repetition gave him time to think, and this day he chose to think of how he had come to be in this house with the good man whose children he loved as his own.<\/p>\n

When a young man, he came from China and chose to live in California.\u00a0 Bad choices were made and he was forced to run.\u00a0 He was Chinese and work was not to be found.\u00a0 In the end, he sold himself to a man and became indentured.\u00a0 Mistah Cartwright found him working for this cruel master and bought his freedom.\u00a0 Hop Sing smiled as he placed a stack of linens on the table.\u00a0 Missy Marie was a beautiful woman with many talents.\u00a0 Sadly, cooking was not one of them.\u00a0 The Asian man continued to smile as he went back to turning the crank.\u00a0 Or, perhaps gladly.\u00a0 Missy Cartwright had given birth and she was weary.\u00a0 The labor was not easy for her or for her small son.\u00a0 Both needed much rest and care.\u00a0 Mistah Ben hired him to cook, but soon found he had other gifts.\u00a0 He helped both mother and son with the knowledge he had of Chinese medicine.<\/p>\n

The crank stopped in his hand.\u00a0 Hop Sing sighed.<\/p>\n

Even so had come the beginning of his woes.<\/p>\n

The Asian man\u2019s gaze shifted to the back wall of the kitchen.\u00a0 He remained still, lost in thought for a moment, and then left the wringer to cross over to it and stepped into the shadows cast by a massive oak cupboard.\u00a0 There, on the wall, was his personal shrine. \u00a0In the shrine were many things: flower petals, a wooden box, spices, and several images.\u00a0 One, in shu\u01d0-m\u00f2 ink and wash, was of his great-parents.\u00a0 The second Mistah Ben had given him of Missy Marie after her death.\u00a0 Behind these two \u2013 tucked safely away where no one would see \u2013 lay a gilded locket.\u00a0 Inside the locket was the portrait of a woman.\u00a0 He did not name her for fear she would haunt him.<\/p>\n

The fear was foolish, for she haunted him still.<\/p>\n

Removing the locket, Hop Sing wrapped the gold chain about his fingers, and then opened it so he could look upon the face of the one he had loved.\u00a0 A moment later he snapped it shut and returned it to the shrine.\u00a0 Then he returned to the wringer and began to work.<\/p>\n

Work was all he had now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

FIVE<\/p>\n

It was as if the natural world knew what they were facing.<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright stood on his porch wearing his thickest, heaviest coat, with the collar pulled up around his throat to ward off the chill, coffee cup in hand.\u00a0 It was late September, not an unheard of time for old man winter to make his presence known, but not a common one either.\u00a0 It was early in the morning and he\u2019d risen to see his son off.\u00a0 He feared for Adam, making the twenty mile trek to the settlement on his own, so he\u2019d made up an excuse and sent two of the men along with him \u2018to bring back some much needed supplies\u2019.\u00a0 His son saw right through his ruse but said nothing. \u00a0He was a good boy.<\/p>\n

They were all <\/em>good boys and he loved them more than life.<\/p>\n

Ben took a sip of coffee and relished the warmth as it trailed down his throat and into his gullet.\u00a0 He\u2019d been surprised to find a thin sheen of ice on the water in the trough that morning as well as a layer of frost glazing the pummeled grass of the yard.\u00a0 Waxing poetic, Adam had quoted something about an \u2018untimely dew upon the fairest flower\u2019.\u00a0 The rancher knew it would only be a day, maybe two, before they were back to early autumn, but for now, that \u2018untimely frost\u2019 suited his mood.<\/p>\n

Joseph still could not feel his legs.<\/p>\n

Where the day before the boy had railed and screamed and cried his heart out, thrashing and fighting them to prove that he could make <\/em>his legs work and would<\/em> get out of bed on his own, today he was silent.\u00a0 While the injury to his forehead was still a cause for concern, Little Joe\u2019s other cuts and abrasions seemed to be healing nicely and with no sign of infection.\u00a0 Considering how long he had lain in the mud, that<\/em> in itself was a miracle!\u00a0 During the short time Joseph had been awake, he\u2019d talked to the boy and he\u2019d admitted to experiencing headaches and \u2013 thank God! \u2013 only a slight amount of nausea. \u00a0Paul had ordered absolute <\/em>bed rest so the possible fracture in Little Joe\u2019s vertebrae had time to heal.\u00a0 When he thought of the violence a severe bout of nausea would bring, it chilled him.\u00a0 The boy had eaten very little since the accident.\u00a0 There was nothing to<\/em> vomit and the dry heaves\u2026.<\/p>\n

He closed his eyes.\u00a0 \u2018Don\u2019t borrow trouble<\/em>, Ben Cartwright\u2019<\/em>, he told himself.\u00a0 \u2018Let the days troubles be sufficient for the day.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Reluctantly, in the early hours of morning, he\u2019d fed the boy the pain medication Paul had left behind and watched him drift off into an untroubled sleep.\u00a0 It bothered him to constantly drug his young son even if he needed it.\u00a0 He missed Joseph\u2019s voice, his irascible nature; the constant arguments and defiant stares \u2013 his son\u2019s touch.<\/p>\n

He missed his son.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Pa.\u00a0 You okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben opened his eyes and looked toward the barn.\u00a0 Hoss was standing before him with a hammer and a bucket of nails in his hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThinkin\u2019 about Little Joe?\u201d the teen asked as he came closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 And about all of you.\u00a0 You be careful out there today.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss was going out to one of the far flung pastures to mend fences before the snow flew.<\/p>\n

\u2018Aw, shucks, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be fine.\u201d\u00a0 The big teen put the bucket down and tugged on his gloves.\u00a0 \u201cIt sure is colder than a miner\u2019s toe out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs Pratt going with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u00a0 Bush too, if that\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked at the teen.\u00a0 \u201cBoth of them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPratt was out riding fence last night.\u00a0 He said some of the poles was knocked down and took the wire with them.\u00a0 Bush\u2019s gonna go to the settlement to get some more wire and then he\u2019s gonna meet us up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben considered it. \u00a0There was nothing suspicious about it other than the fact that Pratt was the last one to talk to Joseph before his \u2018accident\u2019.\u00a0 But then, if both were going and they knew he<\/em> knew about it, it was unlikely they would try anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right.\u00a0 Keep a close watch on them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss frowned at him.\u00a0 \u2018You think they had somethin\u2019 to do with what happened to Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0 Ben ran a hand over his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know what<\/em> I think.\u00a0 But for the moment \u2013 for your old beleaguered father \u2013 please <\/em>be careful.\u201d<\/p>\n

The big teen grinned.\u00a0 When Hoss did that, it reminded him so of Inger with her easy smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeck, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019m always careful, don\u2019t you know that?\u00a0 I gotta be with those two ornery brothers I got.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss sobered.\u00a0 \u201cYou tell Little Joe I\u2019m thinkin\u2019 about him next time he wakes up, and I\u2019ll be up to see him soon as I get back.\u00a0 Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a casual wave of his hand and a hearty, \u201cSee you later, Pa!\u201d, Hoss was on his way.\u00a0 Ben watched as the teenager met up with Pratt Shade who was coming out of the barn and then turned back toward the house.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard the door open.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing was standing in it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben go away?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked down at his coat.\u00a0 \u201cI was going to go out and check in with a few of the men while Joseph slept.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe awake.\u00a0 Boy refuse to eat.\u00a0 You come.\u00a0 Make number three son eat.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was always a struggle with Joseph whenever he was ill to get the boy to eat anything.\u00a0 Still, somehow, he knew this was different.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery <\/em>stubborn boy when he make up mind.\u00a0 Make mind up not to eat.\u201d\u00a0 His cook and friend paused.\u00a0 \u201cThink maybe too, he make mind up not to live.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben closed his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll come in.\u00a0 Give me a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

What could he say to his son?\u00a0 What did <\/em>you say to a ten-year-old boy on the cusp of turning eleven, who\u2019d had his life altered in a single moment in such an unimaginable way?\u00a0 He knew the platitudes.\u00a0 He\u2019d spoken them to Adam.\u00a0 \u2018Everything is in God\u2019s will.\u00a0 This was given to you to overcome, son, to become a stronger, better man.\u2019<\/em> Little Joe didn\u2019t want to be a man.\u00a0 He wanted to be a boy \u2013 a carefree, happy, physically fit, active and mobile boy<\/em> and that had been taken away from him.<\/p>\n

\u2018For the time being\u2019<\/em>, he reminded himself.<\/p>\n

And that was what he had to make Joseph understand.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright raised his head up as high as he could without puking, looked down his straight covers at his immobile legs, and willed them to move.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t actually see them \u2013 or feel them \u2013 but he could see the places where his toes pushed the blankets up in a kind of teepee, so he knew<\/em> they were there.\u00a0 Never in his short life had he come across something he couldn\u2019t accomplish if he put his mind to it.<\/p>\n

But they didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n

With a shallow sigh \u2013 any deeper and it hurt \u2013 Joe balled his fingers into fists and tried again.\u00a0 All that<\/em> accomplished was to send pain shooting through his head like an arrow loosed from the bow by an Apache warrior.\u00a0 And it hit its mark. \u00a0Seconds later he broke out in a sweat.\u00a0 His breaths came fast and hard.\u00a0 He was gonna puke.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t<\/em> gonna puke!<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u00a0 I\u2019ll be there in a moment, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

The voice riding down the corridor was a balm and a blister at the same time.\u00a0 Joe loved his pa \u2013 he wanted<\/em> him at his side \u2013 but he was mad at him.\u00a0 All Doctor Martin and Pa did was feed him that awful tasting gritty white liquid to make him sleep.\u00a0 Like sleeping was going to change things!\u00a0 The last time Pa pressed that glass to his lips, he\u2019d pretended to swallow while holding the liquid in his cheeks and spit it out the minute he was alone.\u00a0 It still put him to sleep, but he was able to wake up after only a few hours and it was then he\u2019d started trying to make his legs move. \u00a0He\u2019d kept at it until he exhausted himself and had to sleep again.\u00a0 Then, when he woke up and started back in, Hop Sing came in and wanted him to eat.\u00a0 A feller couldn\u2019t eat when he was concentratin\u2019!\u00a0 He knew he\u2019d scared Hop Sing when he refused to say anything.\u00a0 Hop Sing probably thought he was givin\u2019 up.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t<\/em>.\u00a0 He was a Cartwright and no one and nothing was going to keep him down!<\/p>\n

Joe looked down the long line of unrumpled blankets covering him.<\/p>\n

No one\u2026and nothing.<\/p>\n

Unless, of course, that professor who had come through a year or so back was wrong and mind over matter didn\u2019t<\/em> work.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s mood swung one hundred and eighty degrees in the opposite direction.\u00a0 Tears flooded his eyes.\u00a0 He was never gonna walk again.\u00a0 He\u2019d been kind of awake when Pa and the doctor were standing by his bed talking so low they thought no one could hear.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard words like \u2018paralysis\u2019 and \u2018crutches\u2019 and even worse, \u2018walking chair\u2019. \u00a0The doc had talked about how he might not be able to take care of\u2026.what needed taking care of for himself anymore.\u00a0 Someone might have to do it for him.\u00a0 There was another word. One that scared him most of all.<\/p>\n

Asylum.<\/p>\n

Joe sucked in snot and tears.\u00a0 He gritted his teeth and swallowed over his fear.\u00a0 With his fists clenched, he reared up as far as he could and shouted so loud God in Heaven couldn\u2019t have missed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHULLY GEE!!\u00a0 MOVE, YOU BLAM JAM DAMN LEGS!!!\u00a0 MOVE!!!!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The door flew open a second later and he knew he was in trouble.\u00a0 Pa looked like he\u2019d had one of them apocalyptic fits.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d<\/p>\n

He wondered if he could fake puking just to get some sympathy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben stifled his urge to shout \u2018hallelujah!\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI will not have that kind of language in my house, young man!\u201d he said, careful to keep his tone stern.<\/p>\n

Little Joe looked sheepish \u2013 and wonderfully awake.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Pa,\u201d he replied, meek as a mouse.<\/p>\n

Ben sat on the side of the bed and reached out to brush the rampant curls from his son\u2019s forehead. \u00a0Still masking his smile with mock anger, he demanded, \u201cNow, tell me, Joseph.\u00a0 Where have you heard that kind of language?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s nose wrinkled.\u00a0 \u201cFrom the horses?\u201d<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t help it.\u00a0 He laughed out loud.\u00a0 \u201cWhich one?\u201d<\/p>\n

His son thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben wanted to stand up and dance a jig.\u00a0 Here was his son \u2013 his obstinate, fiery, determined, and slightly exasperating son.<\/p>\n

He thought he\u2019d lost him.<\/p>\n

He might still.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I see, Adam\u2019s.\u00a0 Well, I\u2019ll admit Sport can be a little\u2026testy at times.\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s hand cupped his son\u2019s chin.\u00a0 \u201cHow are you, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe glared at him \u2013 for about two seconds before his lower lip started to tremble.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m okay, Pa.\u00a0 Don\u2019t\u2026you worry.\u201d<\/p>\n

He hated to do it, but he moved his hand and laid it on one of his son\u2019s legs.\u00a0 \u201cCan you feel that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe bit the lip and shook his head.<\/p>\n

He moved his hand to the other leg.\u00a0 \u201cHow about this one?\u201d<\/p>\n

Another shake.\u00a0 Slower and more deliberate this time.<\/p>\n

He took the boy\u2019s head in both hands so he couldn\u2019t turn away as he spoke.\u00a0 \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean you won\u2019t ever feel them again.\u00a0 Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe remained still.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, do you believe what I am saying?\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy swallowed a couple of times.\u00a0 A tear trailed down his cheek. \u00a0\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sat back.\u00a0 \u201cWell, that\u2019s honest.\u00a0 I can deal with honesty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, what if\u2026\u201d\u00a0 His son\u2019s eyes went to the hand that lay on top of his leg.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if it don\u2019t <\/em>come back?\u00a0 What if I can\u2019t\u2026ever\u2026walk?\u00a0 Will my legs shrivel up like Mister Benson\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n

Carl Benson was a veteran of the Mexican War who had a bullet cut through his spine.\u00a0 He was lucky to be alive.\u00a0 His legs had shriveled to the size of a child\u2019s \u2013 about the size of Joe\u2019s.\u00a0 Poor Benson had taken to liquor to satisfy his despair.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s fingers gripped his son\u2019s leg as a vision of this boy \u2013 now, a man \u2013 living a life of waste and desolation flashed before his eyes.<\/p>\n

To his surprise, he felt small \u00a0fingers on his arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dam brook.<\/p>\n

The rancher did all he could do to stop the ensuing flood, but there was nothing to do but to let the waters of grief and guilt and remorse wash over him.\u00a0 The tears started as a stream but were soon a river.\u00a0 He wanted to run, to flee \u2013 to do anything to keep Joseph from seeing him as he was \u2013 but a still small voice told him to be a man and remain.<\/p>\n

He was okay with that until he began to sob.<\/p>\n

Joe was sitting up.\u00a0 He shouldn\u2019t be sitting up, but he was.\u00a0 His small son had used his hands to haul his body forward enough to encircle him with his arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t cry, Pa,\u201d he whispered as he patted his back.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

His own words.\u00a0 His own damn<\/em> words, spoken with such easy assurance so many times in the midst of the tempest of so many tragedies.\u00a0 They were useless \u2013 false \u2013 filled with a hope that remained unfulfilled.\u00a0 Elizabeth.\u00a0 Inger.\u00a0 Marie.<\/p>\n

Marie\u2019s boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll see, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ll walk again.\u00a0 I will!\u201d<\/p>\n

He was still waiting for the calm after the storm, but for the most part, the tempest had passed.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, I\u2026.\u00a0 Just a moment.\u201d\u00a0 Ben rose and went to his son\u2019s washstand and tossed water on his face.\u00a0 He almost lost it a second time as the realization struck him that even that simple action might lay outside of the life given to his third boy.\u00a0 After drying his face and his tears with a towel, Ben returned to the bed and sat by his son\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

His son looked\u2026scared.<\/p>\n

He took his tiny hand in his own.\u00a0 \u201cSon, I\u2026.\u00a0 I should have been here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was cleaning out the stalls?\u201d<\/p>\n

The absurdity of it struck him.\u00a0 He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa.\u00a0 You can\u2019t be here all the time and if..if I hadn\u2019t done what I knew I oughtn\u2019t<\/em> to have done, I wouldn\u2019t be in this pickle.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d never discussed what happened.\u00a0 Welcoming the change of subject, the rancher asked, \u201cWhat do you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe lay against the bed sheets.\u00a0 His son had barely more color than they did, but he was awake \u2013 and alive!<\/p>\n

\u201cNot much,\u201d he said after a minute.\u00a0 \u201cI wanted to see Cochise\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 His boy\u2019s eyes flicked to his face.\u00a0 \u201cI wanted to see the paint.\u00a0 She likes me, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI remember being in the barn doin\u2019 my chores and then talking to her.\u00a0 That\u2019s about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben frowned.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t remember anything about something dropping out of the open barn door?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe frowned too.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 Did it?\u201d<\/p>\n

He ignored that.\u00a0 \u201cDo you remember Pratt Shade talking to you before you went into the corral?\u201d<\/p>\n

The frown deepened.\u00a0 Joe shook his head and then winced.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you hurting, boy?\u201d he asked, his hand returned to his son\u2019s cheek.<\/p>\n

The boy\u2019s lips twisted with the admission.\u00a0 \u201cSome.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Little Joe, that was tantamount to an admission of guilt from a lifer!<\/p>\n

\u201cHere,\u201d Ben reached for the medicine.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s hand stopped him.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want that stuff, Pa. \u00a0It makes me feel funny.\u00a0 I promise I won\u2019t move around a lot.\u00a0 Please<\/em> don\u2019t make me take it.\u201d<\/p>\n

All of the sudden Joe\u2019s lucidity took on a new meaning.\u00a0 \u201cDid you spit it out the last time?\u201d<\/p>\n

His boy paled, but nodded.<\/p>\n

Ben let out a sigh. \u00a0\u201cJoseph, what am I going to do with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCarry me downstairs so I don\u2019t have to lay in this dumb room by myself all day?\u201d\u00a0 Those eyelashes fluttered. \u00a0\u201cPlease,<\/em> Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet, son.\u201d\u00a0 At Little Joe\u2019s crestfallen look, he added.\u00a0 \u201cPaul\u2019s due back soon.\u00a0 If he says it\u2019s okay, then we\u2019ll see.\u201d\u00a0 Ben imagined it was too soon, but he couldn\u2019t stand to dash the boy\u2019s hopes.\u00a0 \u201cNow, please, take this for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe eyed the glass like it was a rattler.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u00a0 But only for you, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled as he raised the boy\u2019s head up, and then sat there after he had taken the medicine and waited until it had gone into effect.\u00a0 Then he rose and headed for the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d a sleepy voice asked just as he reached it.<\/p>\n

That boy\u2019s stubbornness!<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll say a\u2026prayer for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben closed the door behind him and stood in the hall, humbled.\u00a0 What miracle had given him three such sons?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you do in barn, Mister Hoss?\u00a0 It late.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss started and then turned to find Hop Sing staring at him from the open door of the stable.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey there, Hop Sing! \u00a0What\u2019re you doin\u2019 outside this time of day?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing headed for chicken coop.\u00a0 See if he can find eggs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fetchin\u2019 the eggs was Little Joe\u2019s job and he and Adam had kind of hit and miss on doin\u2019 it lately.\u00a0 They was awful busy with all the extra chores from both little brother and Pa bein\u2019 out of the mix.\u00a0 Here near the whole day was gone and there was still tons to do!<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Hop Sing.\u00a0 I should\u2019ve checked \u2018em before I came in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo need.\u00a0 Big boy have other things to do.\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing looked around.\u00a0 \u201cNumber one son not home yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAin\u2019t seen hide nor hair of him, but Adam thought he\u2019d be late gettin\u2019 home what with havin\u2019 to sign all them papers and smoke cigars and drink brandy and shake hands and such.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss laughed.\u00a0 \u201cAt least, he\u2019ll enjoy the brandy part.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you do in barn?\u201d<\/p>\n

That was another thing about Hop Sing.\u00a0 He was as persistent as Little Joe \u2013 and could be just as much of a pest at times.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m goin\u2019 out to ride night fence.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNumber two son not go alone!\u00a0 Father not like it if you go alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss stifled a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Hop Sing, I\u2019m sixteen \u2013 gonna be seventeen soon.\u00a0 I don\u2019t need no nursemaid like my little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe very angry if he hear you say that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss sighed.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know how happy I\u2019d be to have Joe come runnin\u2019 around that corner and shout at me right now?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing know.\u00a0 It same with him.\u00a0 Kitchen too quiet since boy hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re dang right, it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing go get eggs now.\u00a0 Fix big<\/em> omelet when you come in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s gonna be nine at least for I get in, Hop Sing.\u00a0 You don\u2019t need to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNumber two son always <\/em>hungry.\u00a0 That good thing.\u00a0 Make Hop Sing feel needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The admission took him by surprise.\u00a0 Hop Sing usually didn\u2019t say much.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeck, you know <\/em>we need you.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what we\u2019d do without you.\u201d\u00a0 He ran a hand along the back of his neck.\u00a0 \u201cI guess, sometimes, we forget to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing looked like he\u2019d hit him with a hammer.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo more talk!\u201d he declared.\u00a0 \u201cWise man have long ears, big eyes, and short tongue.\u00a0 Talk too much!\u201d<\/p>\n

And then, he was gone.<\/p>\n

Hoss stood scratchin\u2019 his head over that one for a while.<\/p>\n

As he finished tightening his cinch, the big teen heard a sound.\u00a0 He moved to the door and looked out. \u00a0He was right.\u00a0 It was <\/em>a horse riding into the yard.\u00a0 Adam dismounted near the rail, tossed his mount\u2019s reins over it, and headed for the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, big brother!\u00a0 How\u2019d it go?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stopped and turned back, obviously surprised that he\u2019d missed him.\u00a0 He walked slowly his way.\u00a0 \u201cOther than having to play nice with the man I suspect of trying to kill my little brother?\u00a0 Swell, just, swell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStephens got under your collar, eh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd my shirt and my union suit,\u201d he groused.\u00a0 \u201cI have never <\/em>met a more contemptible human being.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGod loves him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s brows jerked upward.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss tried to hide his smile, but couldn\u2019t.\u00a0 \u201cJust had to see your face.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d he asked as he noticed he had his winter coat on.<\/p>\n

\u201cOut to ride fence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlone?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Adam, don\u2019t you start that.\u00a0 I been ridin\u2019 fence alone since I was thirteen.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t goin\u2019 far, just out past where Pratt and Bush and me were workin\u2019 earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0 The big teen sighed as he turned back into the stable.\u00a0 \u201cPa ain\u2019t gonna like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t thinking of Pa.\u00a0 I <\/em>don\u2019t like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss turned back.\u00a0 \u201cDid Stephens make another threat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot so you could say.\u201d\u00a0 Adam thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cHe kept talking about how big the Ponderosa was and how easy it would be for someone to get lost and no one ever find them.\u00a0 He even suggested Pa sell him half of it to keep us safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I <\/em>ain\u2019t gonna get lost.\u00a0 I could ride fence with my hands tied behind my back and a bag over my head.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t joke about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The big teen frowned.\u00a0 \u201cAbout what?\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cOh. Sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTake someone with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0 Again, he was silent.\u00a0 \u201cAnyone but Sears or Shade.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow come?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just don\u2019t trust them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cOk.\u00a0 If\u2019n it\u2019ll make you feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about old Post-hole?\u00a0 I saw him wanderin\u2019 around earlier.\u201d\u00a0 Post-hole Wilson was so named \u2018cause \u00a0that had been the first job he\u2019d had after coming out West.\u00a0 He was just a boy back then, before the war.\u00a0 The two of them were friends since Post-Hole was bigger than he was.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t no one gonna mess with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 That\u2019ll do.\u00a0 Thanks, brother, for understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s what I\u2019m here for.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam tossed his hat on the peg, hung his coat beside it, and then coiled his gun belt on the credenza.\u00a0 An exclamation of surprise escaped him when he saw his little brother\u2019s curly head resting on the sloped arm of the settee.\u00a0 Pa was talking softly to Little Joe.\u00a0 The older man looked up at him and smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome home, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was around that settee fast as a jackrabbit in front of a prairie fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe gave him a weary smile.\u00a0 \u201cHey, older brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam met his father\u2019s gaze over his brother\u2019s head.\u00a0 His hopes were quashed as Pa shook his head slightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing downstairs, buddy?\u201d he asked as he sat on the table beside the sofa.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got tired of lookin\u2019 at those old walls in my room,\u201d Joe answered with a yawn.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul said it was safe to carry your brother downstairs \u2013 on a stretcher.\u201d\u00a0 Pa tossed his head in the direction of the corner.\u00a0 He had missed the canvas and wood pallet leaning in the corner. \u00a0It was the one they kept for emergencies.<\/p>\n

He guessed this qualified.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt kind of\u2026hurt,\u201d Joe admitted haltingly, \u201cbut I\u2019m happy to be downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam reached out to ruffle his hair.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure you are, buddy.\u201d \u00a0He looked up at his pa.\u00a0 \u201cIs Joe going to stay here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa looked directly at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cFor the time being.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Pa!\u00a0 Please don\u2019t make me go back up there,\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will do whatever is for your best, young man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s gaze dropped to the pillows supporting Joe\u2019s back.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t lying flat, but wasn\u2019t quite sitting up either.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul felt it would be good to relieve some of the pressure on Joseph\u2019s spine.\u00a0 It\u2019s easier down here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing put hot bricks wrapped up in wool under the blankets,\u201d Joe said, yawning again.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s makin\u2019 me sleepy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just go to sleep, buddy.\u00a0 You need your rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sighed as his eyes closed.\u00a0 \u201cSo\u2026everyone\u2026keeps\u2026telling\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

He was out.<\/p>\n

Adam chuckled as he rose to his feet.\u00a0 He inclined his head toward the dining table.\u00a0 Pa nodded in return and then made their way over to it.\u00a0 As they sat down, he asked, \u201cHow is Joe?\u00a0 Really?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour brother\u2019s not in quite as much pain.\u00a0 The swelling has gone down some.\u00a0 Paul said we could cut his medication in half.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was staring at his brother\u2019s curly head.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s something, isn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa snorted.\u00a0 \u201cHe certainly is!\u00a0 Joseph is already planning ways to get back on his feet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan he feel them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but that\u2019s not going to stop him.\u201d\u00a0 Pa\u2019s smile was affectionate and a little bit sad.\u00a0 \u201cYou know your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess it\u2019s better than wallowing in self-pity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man sighed.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cPaul says that may come later, once Joseph realizes he never will.\u201d<\/p>\n

That stopped him cold.\u00a0 \u201cIs it definite then?\u00a0 He won\u2019t<\/em> be able to walk?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 I\u2019m tired.\u00a0 Nothing is certain yet.\u00a0 It\u2019s too soon.\u201d\u00a0 Pa ran a hand over his face and deliberately changed the subject.\u00a0 \u201cSo, how did your day go?\u201d<\/p>\n

He made a face.\u00a0 \u201cSame as yesterday.\u00a0 Sebastian Stephens was an ass.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAny more threats?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot outright ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father stiffened and looked around.\u00a0 There was a note of panic in his voice.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s Hoss?\u00a0 I haven\u2019t seen \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s out riding fence with Post-hole Wilson.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man visibly relaxed.\u00a0 He even smiled.\u00a0 \u201cNow that<\/em> would be a sight to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Post-hole usually did what his name said, drive in posts.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t much of one for sitting a horse, though he would<\/em> grudgingly ride to the settlement and back.\u00a0 The tall gray horse he rode was part pachyderm, or so the men joked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know Hoss is big enough to be taken for a full-grown man,\u201d Ben said, \u201cbut in reality he\u2019s still a boy and, while he may look like a man, in many ways he still thinks as a child.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s too trusting, you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat and too quick to give his heart.\u00a0 Hoss also thinks he\u2019s indestructible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t we all?\u201d<\/p>\n

With that, the two of them fell silent, each lost in his own thoughts.\u00a0 They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before Pa roused.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d best get upstairs and grab a pillow and blanket.,\u201d he said as he scooted his chair back and rose.\u00a0 \u201cYour little brother refuses to budge from the settee and I decided to let him think he won.\u00a0 Paul said it would be all right to leave Joseph there until he returned tomorrow morning.\u00a0 Tomorrow he\u2019s going to instruct us in a regime to follow.\u00a0 He wants us to begin to apply hot and cold compresses.\u201d The older man drew a breath.\u00a0 \u201cHe also wants to show us what to do to keep your brother\u2019s muscles from atrophying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam studied his father.\u00a0 The older man looked like he was on his last leg.\u00a0 \u201cLet me stay with him overnight, Pa.\u00a0 You look like you could use a night in your own bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa gave him \u2018that\u2019 look.\u00a0 \u201cYou do too,\u201d he said softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m a young and growing boy,\u201d Adam countered with a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I am an old man who is only getting older?\u00a0 Is that what you\u2019re saying?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cIf the boot fits.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa mulled it over for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cIs it permitted then to go and get you<\/em> a pillow and blanket?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d he said as he rose from his chair.\u00a0 \u201cThat would be great.\u201d<\/p>\n

A minute later his father returned with the items and handed them to him.\u00a0 He headed over to check on Little Joe before climbing the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s sleeping deeply,\u201d the older man said as he caressed his brother\u2019s head.\u00a0 \u201cI gave him a dose of medicine in his milk.\u00a0 I doubt he\u2019ll rouse \u2018til morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll sleep in your chair.\u00a0 It\u2019s more comfortable than mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father\u2019s eyebrows peaked toward his graying hair.\u00a0 \u201cDo tell?\u00a0 Then why is it \u2018your\u2019 chair?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBlue\u2019s better for my complexion.\u201d<\/p>\n

His arm still stung a minute later from where his father had smacked him.<\/p>\n

With a stretch and a yawn, Adam went to his designated \u2018bed\u2019 and sat down.\u00a0 The fire flickered, its embers almost spent.\u00a0 He knew he should toss another log on, but decided he\u2019d do it later.\u00a0 The ranch house was silent except for the ticking of the hall clock and the sound of Little Joe\u2019s regular breathing.\u00a0 Adam raised the wick on the lamp by his father\u2019s chair and picked up a book.\u00a0 He read for a short time, but it wasn\u2019t long before his eyelids began to droop and he was fast asleep.<\/p>\n

That lasted until the pounding started on the front door.<\/p>\n

Adam jerked awake, his heart beating wildly just as the banging stopped.\u00a0 He took a moment to calm himself before heading for the door.\u00a0 Once there, he paused with his hand on the latch to glance over his shoulder at his little brother.\u00a0 Joe was snoring, so he was still asleep.\u00a0 As exhausted as their father was, he imagined the older man had slept through the knocking as well.\u00a0 Turning back, he opened the door and stepped out.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t see anyone.<\/p>\n

But he could<\/em> feel someone clawing at his ankle.<\/p>\n

Adam looked down and let out a string of words his father would have tarred and feathered him for.<\/p>\n

Post-hole Wilson was laying on the porch.<\/p>\n

He had a bullet hole in his side.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SIX<\/p>\n

Roy Coffee was a patient man \u2013 like how he was patiently learnin\u2019 the ins and outs of law-keepin\u2019 before he decided whether or not he wanted to be a full time sheriff.\u00a0 He was a badge-wearin\u2019 deputy, but that was kind of like a man puttin\u2019 on a collar and callin\u2019 himself a preacher.\u00a0 He could take it off any time he wanted.\u00a0 Bein\u2019 sheriff meant makin\u2019 a commitment to a group of people and swearin\u2019 to protect them no matter what the cost.\u00a0 He was pretty sure that was what he wanted to do with his life.<\/p>\n

He just wasn\u2019t one hundred percent, put your hand on the Bible sure yet.<\/p>\n

Tonight was his night to walk what the folks in the settlement called \u2018streets\u2019, and so that was what he was doin\u2019, tippin\u2019 his hat as he went and makin\u2019 nice friendly talk with all the nice friendly people. While he was doin\u2019 that, he was keepin\u2019 his eye on the unfriendly types, notin\u2019 what they was doin\u2019 and who they was with.\u00a0 One pair he was keepin\u2019 watch on when he could was Bush Sears and Pratt Shade.\u00a0 They was two of Ben Cartwright\u2019s boys.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen the Sears earlier when he\u2019d been mindin\u2019 his own business, \u00a0takin\u2019 the missus out for a soda at the mercantile.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s hand came into the settlement ridin\u2019 hellbent for leather and went straight to the hardware store.\u00a0 About a half hour later he came back out with a couple of boxes that he loaded in the wagon.\u00a0 Then he took off lickety-split.\u00a0 From the look of what he was carryin\u2019 the Cartwrights must be mendin\u2019 their fences.<\/p>\n

Roy chuckled.<\/p>\n

Ben sure<\/em> had some fences to mend with that there city slicker what came to the settlement a year or so back. \u00a0He\u2019d seen Stephens today talkin\u2019 to Adam Cartwright.\u00a0 That was when the missus went to try on a new hat she\u2019d seen in the window of the millinery and he\u2019d stepped outside.\u00a0 He\u2019d sort of moseyed over toward where they was standin\u2019 \u2013 careful to keep out of sight \u2013 and taken a listen.\u00a0 That Adam was a cool one.\u00a0 He could count on one hand the times when he\u2019d seen Ben\u2019s oldest boy lose his temper.<\/p>\n

Sebastian Stephens had managed to move that count to the second hand.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t catch all of it, but it sounded like they\u2019d sparred earlier over a business deal and the way they felt about one another was spillin\u2019 over into their free time.\u00a0 The only thing he overheard that he thought was a mite suspicious, was when the Easterner started talking about how big the Ponderosa was and how easy it would be for someone to get lost on it.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t no reason for him to say such a thing, not with Ben and the boys goin\u2019 through what they was with Little Joe.\u00a0 He\u2019d set his lawman\u2019s cap for Stephens at that time.\u00a0 If the truth were known, that was what he was doin\u2019 now.\u00a0 He was slowly and surely workin\u2019 his way along the muddy streets toward the city slicker\u2019s high-falutin\u2019 mansion that was set square in the middle of the mud-flat known as Gold Hill to see if he could, well, see anythin\u2019.<\/p>\n

Roy shook his head.\u00a0 If that there Easterner had his way, he\u2019d soon own the \u2018Gold\u2019 in the name.<\/p>\n

There weren\u2019t too many grand houses in the settlement.\u00a0 Most of the mines around that had been boom had already gone bust and the money just wasn\u2019t there.\u00a0 Everyone was hangin\u2019 on waitin\u2019 on that big strike and, in the meantime, gettin\u2019 into trouble on account of they was bored and had nothin\u2019 to do but drink and brawl.\u00a0 In time Gold Hill would either be a fine town or a ghost town.\u00a0 He and his wife would just have to wait and see.\u00a0 Since they didn\u2019t have any little ones, that was all right.\u00a0 It was different for a man like Ben Cartwright.\u00a0 He had three fine young sons.\u00a0 Hoss and Adam, well, they was almost men.\u00a0 It was the little one he worried about the most.\u00a0 It was like the Bible said, men were evil unless they chose <\/em>to do good.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d hate to think of anythin\u2019 happenin\u2019 to that young\u2019un.<\/p>\n

Roy chuckled as he continued his even stride down the rain-soaked street.\u00a0 That Little Joe, he was a caution!\u00a0 There\u2019s be many a time, when he was a little tyke, that Ben brought the boy with him into the barber shop.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019d talk up a storm while he was waitin\u2019 for Frank to work his magic on his pa and brothers.\u00a0 When his Pa got tired of hearin\u2019 it, he\u2019d send him outside with one of his older brothers and the boy would run circles around them.\u00a0 Smart as a whip, that one, with a mouth just about as sharp at times.\u00a0 \u2018Course, it weren\u2019t easy having those three big Cartwright men to live up to. \u00a0It would have been hard for Little Joe even if he wasn\u2019t<\/em> such a little squirt.<\/p>\n

Yep.\u00a0 The Cartwrights \u2013 all of them \u2013 were men among men and he was proud to call them his friends.<\/p>\n

Roy halted in front of the pie shop, just across from Sebastian Stephen\u2019s trophy house.\u00a0 The Easterner didn\u2019t know how to speak in a regular voice, he just had to shout and his house did the same.\u00a0 It was one of them fancy painted types with so many doo-dads and gewgaws dripping from the eaves it made a man dizzy to look at it.<\/p>\n

Roy tipped his hat to a man and woman as they passed by, and then slipped into the shadows and headed for the other side of the street.<\/p>\n

There was a light on in Stephen\u2019s parlor.\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t surprising considering the time of day, but it was turned down low, which indicated that the Easterner was either sittin\u2019 contemplatin\u2019 his toes or he wasn\u2019t wantin\u2019 to broadcast he was awake.\u00a0 It could be that Chinese maid of his \u2013 Lou Ling or somethin\u2019 \u2013 was working late. \u00a0Sebastian Stephens was married but his wife lived in Boston, and that about said it for the marriage.\u00a0 Beth Riley over at the pie shop said Mrs. Stephens was the delicate type and didn\u2019t care to have her \u2018olefactory\u2019 senses assaulted by sweaty cowboys and miners covered in coal dust and such.\u00a0 She\u2019d been out for the grand unveiling of the house and then gone back East.\u00a0 The local gossip said the man had been married before.\u00a0 No one seemed to know what had become of the first wife, but the daughter was dead.<\/p>\n

The lawman looked left and right and then crossed the dimly lit space between the street and Stephen\u2019s yard.\u00a0 The businessman had paid to have one of them citified streetlights put up to keep his place safe since he thought the local constabulary was inept.<\/p>\n

That bein\u2019 Robert and him.<\/p>\n

Every evenin\u2019 some poor feller had to climb up a long ladder to light that street lamp and then come back at dawn to put it out.\u00a0 He supposed it made Stephens feel special to have it, like he was a cut above all the other yahoos in the settlement.\u00a0 It was a sorry thing when a man had to puff his chest out so far.\u00a0 It usually meant that, in time, he\u2019d top over and have a fall.<\/p>\n

Roy eyed the house.\u00a0 He could see two men moving around in the front room.<\/p>\n

He wondered if that time was now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright stared in disbelief at the wounded man lying on their stoop.\u00a0 He turned to shout for Hop Sing, but then he remembered Little Joe was asleep on the settee.\u00a0 The black-haired man inched forward and closed the door behind him, and then bent down and placed his hand on the ranch hand\u2019s chest.\u00a0 Adam blew out his relief.\u00a0 Wilson\u2019s chest was rising and falling.\u00a0 Quickly crossing to the kitchen door, \u00a0he opened it and stepped inside \u2013 nearly scaring the life out of Hop Sing who let loose with a long string of Cantonese curses.\u00a0 Once he explained what had happened, the Asian man helped him drag the big man into the kitchen and maneuver him through the hall and into the first floor guest bedroom.<\/p>\n

The whole time Little Joe slept away.<\/p>\n

It took the pair of them to get Post-hole \u2013 whose real name was Jeb \u2013 onto the bed so Hop Sing could examine his wound.\u00a0 Fortunately, the bullet had missed anything vital.\u00a0 There were signs that Jeb had been beaten as well \u2013 a split lip, a bloody gash above his eyes; bruises forming on his chin and chest.\u00a0 The whole time they moved in silence, undressing the wounded man and cleaning him up, an unspoken question hung between them.<\/p>\n

What had happened to Hoss?<\/p>\n

When they\u2019d finished, he dropped into a chair and lowered his head into his hands.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing shook his shoulder a moment later.\u00a0 \u201cYou want Hop Sing should wake father?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa.<\/p>\n

God.<\/p>\n

Adam wearily pushed himself up and out of the chair.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go.\u00a0 It\u2019s my responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing blocked his way.\u00a0 \u201cResponsibility like holding egg,\u201d he said. \u201cGrasp too tightly and it drips through fingers.\u00a0 Hold too loosely.\u00a0 It will drop and break.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stared at him, uncomprehending for a moment.\u00a0 Then he smiled. \u00a0\u201cYou are very wise, my friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLearn from doing same,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing go get bandages.\u00a0 You go get father.\u201d<\/p>\n

The black-haired man cast one last look at Jeb Wilson, willing him to regain consciousness . Then he headed for the stairs.<\/p>\n

Adam hesitated outside his father\u2019s door, Hop Sing\u2019s words ringing in his ears.\u00a0 Middle brother was old enough to make his own choices, but these were special circumstances.\u00a0 He\u2019d thought that, by making Hoss take Post-hole with him, the teenager would be safe.\u00a0 Obviously that had not been enough, which was a terrifying thought.<\/p>\n

With a sigh, he rapped on the door.<\/p>\n

His father must have had a sense that something was afoot because he was wearing his robe and slippers when he opened the door.\u00a0 Pa looked done in.\u00a0 Guilt layered upon guilt in the young man as he knew he \u00a0was only going to add to that.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d his father asked, his tone wary.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2019s fine.\u00a0 He\u2019s asleep on the settee.\u00a0 It\u2019s\u2026Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre he and Jeb late getting back?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam winced.\u00a0 \u201cPost-hole\u2019s here, Pa.\u00a0 Hoss\u2026isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

He saw the light dawn in his father\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was no easy way to put it.\u00a0 \u201cPost-hole was attacked.\u00a0 He managed to make it back to the house.\u00a0 Hoss is\u2026.\u00a0 Pa, he\u2019s missing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man wavered a bit and had to reach out to steady himself against the door.\u00a0 \u201cIs Wilson alive?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s in the guest room.\u00a0 Hop Sing and I tended to him.\u00a0 He sent someone for the doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father was shedding his night clothes.\u00a0 \u201cHas Jeb been able to say anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s out cold.\u201d\u00a0 Adam felt nauseous.\u00a0 He had to swallow before continuing.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man had finished buttoning his shirt.\u00a0 \u201cLater, son,\u201d Pa said as he reached for his vest.\u00a0 \u201cWe can deal with your choice later. \u00a0Right now all that matters is finding your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI want you to take Joseph back to his bed.\u00a0 We have to keep him unaware of this as long as we can.\u00a0 If he knows something has happened to Hoss, there will be no stopping him.\u00a0 He\u2019ll try to get out of bed and may hurt himself worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2026Joe can\u2019t<\/em> get out of bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that!\u201d Pa snapped.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think I\u2019ve for\u2013 \u201d\u00a0 His father froze at his horrified look.\u00a0 Pa reached out and wrapped a hand around the back of his neck \u2013 and unusual gesture between them.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Adam. \u00a0This is not your fault. \u00a0It is the fault of whoever is trying to hurt me through my boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Pa,\u201d he said with a shy smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 No, it\u2019s not.\u00a0 Taking my fear and anger out on you will do no good whatsoever.\u201d\u00a0 Pa didn\u2019t release him.\u00a0 He looked him in the eye.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, listen to me.\u00a0 For no reason whatsoever <\/em>are you to go anywhere alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I can take care of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI imagine that\u2019s what Hoss told you<\/em>.\u00a0 Am I right?\u201d \u00a0When he said nothing, his father released him and headed for the door.\u00a0 \u201cNow, please, get your brother and take him up to his room.\u00a0 If Little Joe wakes, tell him I\u2019ll be up shortly.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to check on Jeb.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Careful to stick to the shadows, Roy walked the perimeter of Sebastian Stephen\u2019s house.\u00a0 All the windows had fancy silk shades, so he could only guess at what was happenin\u2019 inside.\u00a0 He thought there was more than one man with the city slicker.\u00a0 Not that that was a crime, but it was kind of late for a business meetin\u2019.\u00a0 A little while back a shade had been pulled aside and someone had peered out, but he couldn\u2019t make out their features.\u00a0 Sebastian had himself a stable too and he\u2019d taken a look in it. There were five horses in there, but that didn\u2019t mean much.\u00a0 The Easterner had bought him a number of high-steppin\u2019 fancy horses to pull his carriage around town.\u00a0 There was only one didn\u2019t fit.\u00a0 A black with no markings he could see.\u00a0 It was a powerful horse, bred for silence and speed.<\/p>\n

Figurin\u2019 he\u2019d seen just about all he was gonna see, Roy retreated to his post in front of the pie shop to keep watch until Stephens\u2019 lamp went out and he went to bed, or someone else came out.<\/p>\n

It was fifteen, maybe twenty minutes later \u2013 just about the time he\u2019d started to worry he was gonna nod off \u2013 that someone slipped out of the house through the side door and headed for the stable.\u00a0 The lawman couldn\u2019t see much, just that the man was dressed in dark clothes and had dark hair.\u00a0 Whoever it was, was already mounted when he left the stable.\u00a0 He headed for the center of the settlement at an easy lope and then kicked his heels and took off at a quick clip.<\/p>\n

Heading straight for the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright let out a sigh as he looked out of the guest room window and noted the rising light.\u00a0 When he\u2019d chosen this land to build his ranch house on, he\u2019d taken the view of the mountains and tall pine trees into consideration, but even more so, he\u2019d chosen it with a desire to be free of people.\u00a0 He and Adam had traveled for so long amidst the noise and chaos of wagon trains \u2013 forced to coexist with dogmatic, desperate, and often sick and starving people \u2013 that he\u2019d wanted nothing more than to be able to step out of his door in the morning and see no one as he took in a lungful of the crisp, clean mountain air.\u00a0 Ben shook his head.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t count how many times, since the boys had begun to grow, that he\u2019d regretted that choice.\u00a0 They were twenty miles out from the settlement.\u00a0 For Marie it had meant at least five hours in a carriage to and back from any social gathering.\u00a0 For his sons, it meant they were cut off from their friends.\u00a0 For supplies, it entailed endless trips over endless miles hauling goods \u2013 and always with the threat of highwaymen or other unscrupulous men lurking along the way.\u00a0 In the winter, they were cut off, not only from society, but from aid.\u00a0 Worst of all, when in need of a physician\u2019s care, it was almost a full day \u2013 seven or eight hours \u2013 before the doctor could arrive.<\/p>\n

Ben ran a hand over his face and sighed.\u00a0 Eight hours.<\/p>\n

His middle boy had been missing for eight<\/em> hours.<\/p>\n

Jeb Wilson had awakened twice during those long anxious hours.\u00a0 The first time, the older man had been incoherent. \u00a0The second, he was better able to speak.\u00a0 Jeb explained in halting sentences that he and Hoss had been heading back when a shot came out of nowhere.\u00a0 It hit him and drove him out of the saddle.\u00a0 Hoss dismounted to help him and that was when they\u2019d been attacked.\u00a0 There were five men, so they were badly outnumbered; all in black and wearing bandanas over their faces.\u00a0 Still, even wounded, Jeb had been sure he and Hoss could handle them.\u00a0 But the blood loss had caught up to him and he\u2019d fallen where he stood, and when one of the men threatened to put a bullet through his head to finish him off, Hoss had surrendered.<\/p>\n

Of course,<\/em> he\u2019d surrendered.<\/p>\n

He was Hoss.<\/p>\n

The men had tied the teenager\u2019s hands before him, blind-folded him, and ordered him to mount.\u00a0 Then, they disappeared into the night.<\/p>\n

Post-hole Wilson, one of the strongest and best men he knew, had risen to his feet and walked the five miles back to the house to let them know.<\/p>\n

Ben rose from his chair.\u00a0 Moving quietly, he exited the room and closed the door behind him.\u00a0 His tan coat was by the front door and he shinnied into it before stepping outside.\u00a0 The sun was just cresting above the mountain peaks, casting a golden glow across the land.\u00a0 Everything had grown silent in the face of such majesty.\u00a0 The rancher closed his eyes and drew in that breath of crisp, clean air.\u00a0 It did nothing to stem the rising terror in his heart, but it did remind him that this <\/em>was what counted \u2013 life, home.<\/p>\n

Family.<\/p>\n

A moment later a buggy rolled into the yard. \u00a0Ben stepped off the porch and went to meet his friend as he exited the vehicle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for coming, Paul.\u00a0 You must have ridden through the night to get here this early.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, I was on my way back from the Jenkins place when your man found me,\u201d the physician explained as he dusted off his coat and pants. \u201cI caught a few hours sleep on their settee after I tended to their little girl.\u00a0 Ellie\u2019s got a fever.\u00a0 So I am wide awake and ready for whatever the Cartwrights have to throw at me,\u201d he finished with a wink.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI assumed the call had to do with Little Joe\u2019s accident.\u00a0 Your man just said someone was in need of attention.\u201d\u00a0 Paul\u2019s look darkened.\u00a0 \u201cNo?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben started for the house.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 There\u2019s another patient.\u00a0 Jeb Wilson.\u201d<\/p>\n

The physician\u2019s brows popped.\u00a0 \u201cThat mountain of a man?\u00a0 What happened to him?\u201d<\/p>\n

The weary rancher led the way to the guest bedroom and pushed open the door.\u00a0 Jeb was lying on the bed, his chest rising and falling in a steady, if rapid rhythm.<\/p>\n

His tone was grim.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s been shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShot?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.<\/p>\n

He and Paul were of long acquaintance.\u00a0 His friend sensed there was something else.\u00a0 As he walked to the bed and laid his bag on the table beside it, Paul asked, \u201cBen?\u00a0 What aren\u2019t <\/em>you telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked once again to the window, noting the vast expanse beyond \u2013 a thousand acres and more of it that were his alone.<\/p>\n

A thousand acres of emptiness.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss is missing.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss wrinkled his nose.\u00a0 He was in a dark place that smelled awful musty.\u00a0 Whoever had dumped him there hadn\u2019t removed his blindfold so, even if there was a smidgen of light somewheres, he couldn\u2019t see it.\u00a0 When he\u2019d been on the horse, his hands had been tied in front of him.\u00a0 Now, they was tied behind his back and the rope was wrapped around some kind of a beam.\u00a0 The wood was rough and still had the bark on it, so he was guessin\u2019 he was in some kind of a cellar or maybe a mine.\u00a0 It weren\u2019t all that bad, though it was kind of cold and damp.\u00a0 The chill from the stone floor was seepin\u2019 through the fabric of his cotton work trousers and givin\u2019 him the shivers.\u00a0 All in all he\u2019d been in worse places.\u00a0 The men what took him hadn\u2019t hurt him and, if it had just been him, he probably wouldn\u2019t have had too much to complain about.<\/p>\n

But for what they done to Jeb, he wanted to kill them.<\/p>\n

The big teen had no idea how long he\u2019d been underground, though he could guess where he was.\u00a0 He\u2019d paid attention as they rode and was pretty sure his kidnappers had been headin\u2019 toward Gold Hill. They rode about four hours.\u00a0 He and Jeb had been about two hours north of the house when they was ambushed, so addin\u2019 the two together, that put him about halfway between the ranch and the settlement.\u00a0 He\u2019d listened as they rode and hadn\u2019t heard any farm animals squawkin\u2019 and mooin\u2019, or people talkin\u2019, so they hadn\u2019t passed any homesteads on the way.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t no dust in the air, so he didn\u2019t think they\u2019d come close to the desert.\u00a0 So he was probably bein\u2019 held in one of the old shanty towns that had flared up and gone out fast as a candle in the wind.\u00a0 He and his brothers had explored an awful lot of them as kids.\u00a0 Him and Adam more than him and Little Joe.\u00a0 Hoss\u2019 lips curled with a smile when he thought of his baby brother, but then the smile faded.\u00a0 If Joe couldn\u2019t ever walk again, he wouldn\u2019t be able to\u2026.\u00a0 Hoss pursed his lips and shook his head.\u00a0 If that was the case, he\u2019d just have to put Joe on his horse and ride him out there and carry him through whatever mischief the little boy wanted to get into. \u00a0Just \u2018cause Joe\u2019s legs didn\u2019t work no more, he wasn\u2019t gonna let his little brother miss out on nothin\u2019.\u00a0 He loved him too much.<\/p>\n

He sure <\/em>hoped Joe was okay.<\/p>\n

Hoss stifled a sigh as he straightened his back against the beam and lifted his head and listened.<\/p>\n

Nothin\u2019.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t like the dark much, but he guessed \u2013 since he couldn\u2019t see <\/em>that he was in the dark \u2013 it was okay.\u00a0 Maybe if he could get the blindfold off, well, the sun would just come bustin\u2019 through.\u00a0 Maybe \u2013 just maybe<\/em> \u2013 there was other people bein\u2019 held with him and he wasn\u2019t alone.\u00a0 The big teen snorted as he rested his head on the rough surface of the beam.\u00a0 He knew better.\u00a0 He knew he would have been able to feel the sun through the fabric layered over his eyes, and he knew there weren\u2019t nobody there.<\/p>\n

He was alone, in the dark, just like he\u2019d been in those nightmares he\u2019d had when he was a little runt about Joe\u2019s size.<\/p>\n

There weren\u2019t nobody but him and Pa and Adam then.\u00a0 Mama hadn\u2019t come along yet.\u00a0 She was down in New Orleans married to some other man, livin\u2019 a miserable life and waitin\u2019 on Pa to rescue her.\u00a0 Pa was kind of careful about who they made friends with and what he and Adam did and where they went.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t have a lot of friends.\u00a0 If the truth were told, they had each other and that was about it.\u00a0 Adam would stay awake long into the night to tell him stories so he wouldn\u2019t be afraid.\u00a0 Pa said he thought that was part of why Adam started readin\u2019 books \u2013 he needed more stories.\u00a0 Older brother would go from wagon to wagon, beggin\u2019 for a book, and then read it until he had the stories memorized, and then he would tell them to him to put him to sleep.\u00a0 He did it to cover the sounds too.\u00a0 People livin\u2019 together a long time get on one another\u2019s last nerve.\u00a0 Even good people.\u00a0 Late at night, when they was tired, the people travelin\u2019 with them would start to bicker and fight.\u00a0 There were always babies cryin\u2019.\u00a0 Their mamas cried as well when they had to lay them in the earth and leave them along the trail in an unmarked grave.\u00a0 On top of that there were the sounds of the night: wolves and coyotes; vultures circlin\u2019 over head.<\/p>\n

But the worst sound of all was Pa<\/em> cryin\u2019.<\/p>\n

The older man didn\u2019t do it often, and only when he thought they was both asleep.\u00a0 Pa would get down on his knees and beg the good Lord for mercy.\u00a0 He\u2019d ask the Lord to watch over him and Adam, and to make sure both of them lived and thrived.\u00a0 Then Pa would stop and the tears would flow and he\u2019d finish up by tellin\u2019 God that if He was gonna take someone else, it had better be him.<\/p>\n

That<\/em> had scared him more than anythin\u2019 else.<\/p>\n

So when he found himself alone in the dark, it always got him thinkin\u2019.\u00a0 He weren\u2019t afraid of mountain lions or bears or things that went bump in the night.\u00a0 He was afraid when he woke up he\u2019d still<\/em> be alone and everyone he loved would be gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep \u2018em all safe,\u201d the big teen breathed.\u00a0 \u201cYou hear me, God?\u00a0 You keep my pa and brothers safe \u2018til I can be there to protect them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019re awake,\u201d a voice said, startling him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2019m awake. \u00a0I been for a good while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a quiet one.\u00a0 That little brother of yours would have been kickin\u2019 and screamin\u2019 by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

So whoever it was knew<\/em> them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou better hope you never try to do nothin\u2019 to Little Joe,\u201d he growled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll tear you in half.\u201d<\/p>\n

A hand checked the ropes at the back of\u00a0 the beam and gave his foot a kick.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo late,\u201d they sneered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Someone sat down and scooted a chair forward.\u00a0 \u201cTook me a long time to find that snake.\u00a0 Disgusting thing.\u00a0 I was more than happy to drop it on the kid\u2019s curly head.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss sat up.\u00a0 Dadburnit!\u00a0 Adam had been right.<\/p>\n

It was Pratt Shade.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy\u2019d you want to go and hurt Little Joe?\u201d he demanded.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s just a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoy.\u00a0 Girl.\u00a0 Man.\u00a0 Woman,\u201d the blond man replied.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do I care so long as I get paid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss heard a match strike and smelled smoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get paid for hurtin\u2019 people?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pratt snorted.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 I get paid good<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss drew in a breath.\u00a0 \u201cAre you gonna hurt me like you hurt Joe and Jeb?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJeb?\u201d<\/p>\n

His tone darkened.\u00a0 \u201cThe man you shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, him.\u201d\u00a0 The chair shifted again.\u00a0 \u201cHe got in the way.\u00a0 I was paid to nab you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd do what <\/em>with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t know yet.\u00a0 Haven\u2019t been told.\u00a0 I\u2019m just supposed to keep you here for now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou like<\/em> hurtin\u2019 kids?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a second of silence before Pratt replied.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sixteen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2019m big for my age.\u00a0 I know it.\u00a0 But even if I ain\u2019t a kid, you hurt Little Joe.\u00a0 He\u2019s only ten.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man rose.\u00a0 There was a touch of remorse in the Pratt\u2019s voice when he spoke.\u00a0 \u201cMy employer wanted to send a message.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe cain\u2019t walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe.\u00a0 He hurt one of them verta things in his back.\u00a0 He cain\u2019t walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pratt let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cSorry to hear that.\u00a0 That kid can be a real pain, but he\u2019s got spunk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss fought to control his temper.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t going to do him any good to get a mad on \u2013 not \u2018til he was free at least.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, it\u2019s just gonna be you and me sittin\u2019 here, shootin\u2019 the breeze \u2018til someone gives you another order?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

The blond man took a few steps.\u00a0 \u201cNope.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust you, kid.\u00a0 I gotta go tell the man who pays me you\u2019re awake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 heart pounded as the man\u2019s footsteps receded, leaving him alone.\u00a0 So he wasn\u2019t in a cellar. \u00a0Pratt would have reached the ladder by now.\u00a0 He must <\/em>be in one of the old mines.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u00a0 You gonna leave me here alone?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big teen heard a \u2018click\u2019 and then a door opened in the distance.<\/p>\n

\u201cNah,\u201d the distant voice said as the door slammed shut.\u00a0 \u201cYou got the rats for company.\u201d<\/p>\n

A moment later everything was silent.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright opened the door and stepped onto the porch.\u00a0 His heart constricted when he saw Adam standing by the corral where Little Joe had been injured.\u00a0 His son was deep in thought.\u00a0 He took a step toward him but halted as one of the older wranglers who had been in the barn \u2013 a man known as \u2018Big Henry\u2019 since he was small and rangy \u2013 saw the boy and walked over to him.\u00a0 He knew it chafed on his oldest son to constantly have someone with him, but \u2013 so far \u2013 Adam had done it for him.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know what he would do if all three <\/em>of his boys were hurt or kidnapped!\u00a0 It was part of the reason he kept them so close.\u00a0 The dream of the young man he had been was to build his Ponderosa and become a cattle baron and timber king.\u00a0 So great had been his desire and \u2013 if he was honest \u2013 his ego, that he had scarcely considered the consequences to those he loved.\u00a0 His success made his sons targets for avaricious, unscrupulous men whose \u2018dream\u2019 was to live off of other people\u2019s hard-earned money.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben not eat.\u00a0 Bring breakfast out to him,\u201d a soft voice said.<\/p>\n

He turned to find Hop Sing standing near the porch table.\u00a0 There was a tray with sandwiches and a pot of coffee on it.<\/p>\n

Before he could speak the Asian man pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and waved it in the air.\u00a0 \u201cMistah Ben not tell Hop Sing he not hungry.\u00a0 Doctor leave prescription. \u00a0You eat!\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul had left a short time before to make his rounds.\u00a0 He was due back later to look in on Joseph who had still not awakened.\u00a0 He was beginning to worry that he had given the boy too much of his medication, but his old friend said to give it a few more hours.\u00a0 Joseph was, most likely, exhausted.\u00a0 He also added that the more the boy slept, the quicker he would heal.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s lips curled with amusement.\u00a0 \u201cPaul didn\u2019t actually <\/em>write a prescription, did he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing frame it.\u00a0 Use it many times!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, old friend.,\u201d he laughed as he walked to the table.\u00a0 Ben looked at the tray and then back to his cook.\u00a0 \u201cThere are quite a few sandwiches here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCheck paper.\u00a0 Have number one son\u2019s name on it too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed it did.<\/p>\n

Ben raised a hand to catch his oldest son\u2019s attention, and called him over.\u00a0 He handed Adam the paper when he arrived and watched as what Paul had written registered on his young face.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe doctor\u2019s always right, son,\u201d he said when he sensed Adam would demure.<\/p>\n

The boy glanced at Hop Sing and then turned back to him.\u00a0 \u201cLet me finish instructing Henry and then I\u2019ll join you.\u00a0 All right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly, son.\u00a0 I\u2019ll wait for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few minutes later the two of them were seated at the outside table with napkins on their laps and full plates in front of them.\u00a0 Neither of them had an appetite, but they knew they had to eat.\u00a0 He was slowly nibbling the corner of a sandwich while Adam sat pulling his apart. The boy shoved the meat aside as if his stomach couldn\u2019t take it and took a bite of the bread.\u00a0 Then he looked at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Ben said, his tone gentle.<\/p>\n

His son\u2019s black brows peaked.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you know what I\u2019m going to ask?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know because I know you.<\/em>\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry, son, but you\u2019re not going after your brother.\u00a0 For one thing, it\u2019s too dangerous, and for the other, I need you here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Pa \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, \u2018but, Pa\u2019. The answer is no.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam slammed his hand down on the table\u2019s surface.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not a child to be ordered around anymore!\u201d he declared. \u00a0\u201cPa, I\u2019m twenty-two\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, and that is a fine old age to boss a cattle drive, but not one to take off into a known danger.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t have the experience of men that I do, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t I?\u00a0 Pa, I gained my experience on the trail west just like you did.\u00a0 I learned it wasn\u2019t safe to show your back or close your eyes for even two seconds.\u00a0 Stealing, taking \u2013 killing<\/em> for gain was a way of life.\u00a0 There was no one you could trust because, friend or foe, when the food ran out they would kill you for what you had.\u201d\u00a0 His son\u2019s temper flared as he warmed to his subject.\u00a0 \u201cBy the time I was Joe\u2019s age, I had seen it all \u2013 birth, death, loss, plague, starvation.\u00a0 I lost friends \u2013 too <\/em>many friends \u2013 and watched their mothers and fathers either shrivel up or wither away with the loss.\u201d\u00a0 His son stopped, his nostrils flaring.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I was a man by the time I was seven and I\u2019ve been a man ever since.\u00a0 I am going to search for Hoss and there\u2019s nothing you can say that will stop me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was taken aback. \u00a0He sat a moment, considering.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no idea you had been left so \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJaded?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWounded, boy.\u00a0 Wounded.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tears kissed his son\u2019s whiskey-brown eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI had to learn to look out for my own, Pa.\u00a0 I need to do that now.\u00a0 I need <\/em>to find Hoss.\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cRoy\u2019s formed a search party.\u00a0 Bush Sears was in the settlement picking up supplies.\u00a0 He came back to tell us.\u00a0 Henry and I are riding into Gold Hill to join it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve made up your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben drew in a calming breath and let it out slowly.\u00a0 His tone was wistful.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I could go with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you do, Pa,\u201d his son said as he pushed his plate away.\u00a0 \u201cBut you have to be here for Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher placed his napkin on the table and rose.\u00a0 \u201cYes, and I had better go check on that boy now.\u00a0 He\u2019d going to sleep the day away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben had no more headed for the door when it burst open.\u00a0 \u201cMistah Ben!\u00a0 Mistah Adam!\u00a0 Little Joe not in his bed!\u201d<\/p>\n

The two of them stood there with their mouths hanging open.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou not hear Hop Sing?\u00a0 Number three son not in bed!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

No one could have called which of them made it up the stairs first.<\/p>\n

It was dead heat.<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s door was standing wide open.\u00a0 So was his window.\u00a0 The linen curtains his wife had chosen nearly twelve years before blew into the boy\u2019s empty room.\u00a0 It felt foolish \u2013 and Adam beat him to it \u2013 but they even looked under the bed to make sure Joseph had not fallen and rolled there, or had regained the use of his legs and was hiding to surprise them.<\/p>\n

Ben walked over to his son\u2019s bed and sat heavily on it.\u00a0 He looked at Adam and Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was looking out the window.\u00a0 \u201cThey had to take him out this way, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 The fear in his son\u2019s voice said what he didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s injury was precarious \u2013 a fall, someone handling the boy wrong, and his fracture could turn into a break.\u00a0 His eldest turned back into the room, his rage barely contained.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to kill them!\u201d<\/p>\n

He tended to agree.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s first impulse had been to climb out of the window and see if he could follow their trail.\u00a0 Instead, the older man sat on the bed thinking. There had<\/em> to be a pattern \u2013 a clue as to what was happening.\u00a0 It all started when Little Joe ran away, and yes, he knew about the incident even though his sons had conspired to keep it from him.\u00a0 Henry told him that Little Joe was uncomfortable around Bush Sears and Pratt Shade.\u00a0 The pair seemed to consider the boy a nuisance.\u00a0 He\u2019d had words with them, making certain it would not happen again, and then let it go. \u00a0Then came Little Joe\u2019s accident.\u00a0 Pratt had been speaking with the boy before it happened, and later showed Hoss the snake that had spooked the horses. \u00a0And Sears had returned today just before<\/em> Joseph vanished.<\/p>\n

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

He held up a hand.\u00a0 He needed time.<\/p>\n

Then there was Sebastian Stephens.\u00a0 Ben knew the man hated him and would do anything to make him forfeit the contracts he had won fair and square.\u00a0 Would the Easterner have the bullocks to kidnap his boys to accomplish this?\u00a0 Was he that<\/em> petty a man?\u00a0 Could Stephens be in league with Bush and Pratt?\u00a0 Did the pair work for him?<\/p>\n

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

He looked at Adam.\u00a0 His son was holding out a folded piece of paper.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just found it,\u201d he replied.\u00a0 \u201cTucked under Marie\u2019s portrait.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben glanced at the image of his beautiful wife and whispered his apologies for not caring for their young son as he\u2019d promised before responding.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you read it?<\/p>\n

The boy was slightly green.\u00a0 He nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cI have your children.\u00a0 You took mine, so now, I have taken yours.\u00a0 As a great man once said, revenge is a dish that must be eaten cold.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Ben swallowed hard.\u00a0 \u201cLet me see it, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

His son didn\u2019t move.\u00a0 He was staring at the lines written on the page. \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s not addressed to you, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot addressed to me?\u201d\u00a0 Ben rose and took a step toward him.\u00a0 \u201cThen\u2026who?\u201d<\/p>\n

His eldest looked up and met his puzzled gaze.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s for Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SEVEN<\/p>\n

Hoss jerked awake at the sound of a door opening somewhere in the distance.\u00a0 He listened as the footsteps grew closer.\u00a0 A second door opened, this one closer to him and the footsteps continued.\u00a0 Then they stopped and light struck his blindfolded eyes.\u00a0 It crept through the cloth that covered them and made him squint.\u00a0 Several pounding heartbeats later a second set of footsteps sounded along the corridor.<\/p>\n

When they stopped, a gruff voice asked, \u201cIn here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, put him with the other one.\u201d\u00a0 The man moved.\u00a0 Hoss felt a boot brush his leg.\u00a0 \u201cBrought you some company, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

There were muffled sounds, like someone shouting through a gag.\u00a0 Hoss felt a pair of boots connect hard with his leg on their way past.\u00a0 The man cursed as he dropped someone to the floor a few feet away.<\/p>\n

\u201cShut up, kid,\u201d the man ordered.\u00a0 \u201cOr I\u2019ll shut you up for good.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was the sound of a slap.\u00a0 The talking stopped.\u00a0 The light and two pair of footsteps receded.<\/p>\n

Then, there was silence.<\/p>\n

Except that, whoever the man had left behind, had started cryin\u2019. \u00a0He was guessin\u2019 by the sound that they was pretty young.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey,\u201d Hoss said, \u201chey!\u201d.\u00a0 When there was no response, he said it louder.\u00a0 \u201cHey!\u00a0 Now, you cut that out, you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n

The snifflin\u2019 came faster and then stopped.\u00a0 It was followed by a little sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re okay,\u201d the big teen said.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t alone.\u00a0 I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was another more desperate sound, like the cry of a wounded puppy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know it\u2019s scary in here.\u00a0 I ain\u2019t too fond of the dark myself.\u00a0 But it\u2019s okay.\u00a0 At least we got each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a new sound, kind of like a dog scratchin\u2019 at the door.\u00a0 Whoever his new cell mate was, they was draggin\u2019 themselves across the stone floor to his side.\u00a0 They was breathin\u2019 real hard while they did it.\u00a0 Hoss breathed right along with them, willin\u2019 them on.\u00a0 It must have took a good five minutes afore he felt somethin\u2019 bump up against his thigh.\u00a0 Then somethin\u2019 happened that confused him.\u00a0 A pair of hands \u2013 dirty and bound together from elbow to wrist \u2013 reached up to touch his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmrs?\u201d a muffled voice asked.<\/p>\n

He was surprised by the size of the fingers touchin\u2019 his chin.\u00a0 They was awful small.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t believe it, but them goldarn<\/em> varmints had kidnapped some little kid and brung him here to keep his folks from findin\u2019 him!<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d he said again.\u00a0 \u201cI may not look like much right now, but I promise I\u2019ll get us out of here.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss gulped.<\/p>\n

Somehow<\/em>, he thought.<\/p>\n

The kid sighed real loud and then started gruntin\u2019.\u00a0 Them little fingers of his gripped his shirt and used it to pull him up higher.\u00a0 For a minute Hoss thought maybe the kid had gone crazy, but then he realized what he was aimin\u2019 for.\u00a0 The kid turned his back to him and leaned in.\u00a0 Hoss felt the knot of a gag press against his lips.<\/p>\n

It tickled.<\/p>\n

Whoever it was, they sure had a lot of hair. \u00a0That was a good thing cause it left some wiggle room between the gag and the back of the kid\u2019s skull.\u00a0 As the big teen gripped the knot with his teeth and began to pull down, the kid reached up to try to help.\u00a0 Those varmints had done tied the ropes so tight, all the kid could do was move his fingers. \u00a0It took some doin\u2019, and about ten minutes, but finally \u2013 together \u2013 they managed to loosen the knot enough that the gag fell down around the kid\u2019s neck.\u00a0 A second later the kid spit something out.\u00a0 Probably a wad of cloth.\u00a0 He heard \u2018em gag and swallow several times.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey,\u201d the big teen said after a few heartbeats, \u201cyou okay?\u00a0 You ain\u2019t hurt yourself or nothin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 The kid cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, I\u2019m okay, you big galoot!\u00a0 What took you so long?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss was stunned into silence.\u00a0 For a heartbeat or two.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I ain\u2019t the man in the iron mask!\u201d his little brother snapped.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s bravado faded away very quickly as his brother\u2019s fingers took hold of his shirt again.\u00a0 \u201cIt is you, Hoss?\u00a0 Isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 I can\u2019t see you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGoldarnit, little brother!\u00a0 What\u2019re you doin\u2019 down here?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss paused as the full implications of his brother bein\u2019 at his side sunk in. \u00a0\u201cWhat are you doin\u2019 out of bed?\u00a0 Little Joe!\u00a0 Can you walk?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother grunted as he drew closer to him.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 It was Bush Sears. He took me out of my bed.\u201d\u00a0 He sniffed again.\u00a0 \u201cI still\u2026. I still can\u2019t feel my legs, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was stupid.\u00a0 Makin\u2019 him think about it.<\/p>\n

Well, in for a penny.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he hurt you, Little Joe?\u00a0 Is your back painin\u2019 you?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh-huh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn him,\u201d he cursed.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo Pa and Adam know you\u2019re gone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s voice quavered.\u00a0 \u201cI was sleepin\u2019 on the settee last I knew.\u00a0 Pa gave me one of those powders.\u00a0 I\u2026.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t wake up. \u00a0I thought\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 His little brother squeezed in even closer.\u00a0 \u201cI thought I was dreaming.\u201d\u00a0 There was a pause.\u00a0 His brother\u2019s voice grew even smaller.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, where are we?\u00a0 What are they gonna do with us?\u201d<\/p>\n

If there was one thing Bush Sears was gonna burn in Hell for eternity<\/em> for, it was the fact that his hands were tied and he couldn\u2019t hold his brother!<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Little Joe,\u201d Hoss replied, careful to keep his tone calm.\u00a0 \u201cI guess they just want to keep us somewhere for a while where Pa and Adam cain\u2019t find us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre they gonna give us back?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big teen winced.\u00a0 He hoped he<\/em> didn\u2019t burn in Hell for lyin\u2019.\u00a0 \u201cSure thing, Little Joe.\u00a0 They\u2019ll give us back once Pa does what they want.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do they want?\u201d<\/p>\n

He had to do somethin\u2019 to get the kid\u2019s mind off of the predicament they were in.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can wiggle them skinny little fingers of yours, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy arms are tied together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I felt them on my face.\u00a0 You can wiggle the tips.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2026just.\u00a0 What do you want me to do with \u2018em?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss was thinkin\u2019.\u00a0 He could feel some play in the ropes that bound him to the beam.\u00a0 He\u2019d been workin\u2019 them while he was alone in the dark before Little Joe showed up.\u00a0 The rope felt kind of old and he wasn\u2019t sure \u2013 if he could get the right angle on it \u2013 that he couldn\u2019t snap it.\u00a0 Maybe Joe could reach around him and\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you get your arms behind me?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a soft grunt as he tried.\u00a0 \u201cKind of.\u201d<\/p>\n

He could \u2018hear\u2019 the sound of his brother\u2019s teeth pressed into his lip.\u00a0 \u201cIt hurts, don\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a pause.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe, now you listen to me.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want you doin\u2019 nothin\u2019 that puts no strain on your back.\u00a0 You hear?\u00a0 But see if you can pull yourself up real close to me and get your fingers under the rope that\u2019s \u2018round my wrists.\u00a0 Do you think you can do that?\u201d<\/p>\n

There were more grunts.\u00a0 Then Joe let out a cry.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, you stop now!\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother gulped in air before replying.\u00a0 \u201cBut I gotta get you lose.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t gotta do nothin\u2019 but take care of yourself, little brother.\u00a0 Those bad men\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 He sucked in his anger.\u00a0 \u201cThey shouldn\u2019t ought to have moved you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s voice was pinched.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou gotta take care of yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u00a0 But\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo buts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the end of the rope is hanging down.\u00a0 I can feel it.\u00a0 Maybe if I pull it?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother\u2019s words were a ray of hope.\u00a0 Had he already managed to work the end free?<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you do it without hurtin\u2019 yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure\u2026well\u2026it won\u2019t hurt\u2026much.\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe started and then he stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, are we gonna die here?\u201d<\/p>\n

He could hear it in his brother\u2019s voice.\u00a0 Little Joe was beginning to panic.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, if you aren\u2019t tellin\u2019 me the truth.\u00a0 If you\u2019re hurtin\u2019 your back more\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am, Hoss.\u00a0 I am telling the truth.\u00a0 I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u00a0 Okay.\u00a0 Give it a try then.\u00a0 But don\u2019t you push yourself!\u201d<\/p>\n

He could only imagine his brother\u2019s position.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s skinny legs were stretched out beside his.\u00a0 The boy had to have his torso twisted like a pretzel for him to reach around behind and grab the rope.\u00a0 All the big teen could do as his ten-year-old brother grunted and gasped was pray that the Doc was wrong and that Little Joe\u2019s verta-whatever wasn\u2019t really cracked.<\/p>\n

Hoss had vision of hearing a \u2018snap\u2019 in the dark and his baby brother goin\u2019 limp as a rag doll.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got hold of it, Hoss!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep your voice down, Little Joe.\u00a0 We don\u2019t know if anyone\u2019s out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 \u201cSorry.\u00a0 I got it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you pull on it?\u201d\u00a0 He felt a tug.\u00a0 \u201cAnything happenin\u2019?\u00a0 Joe?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss waited.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe, you answer me.\u00a0 I can hear them teeth of yours bitin\u2019 into your lip again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m\u2026okay, Hoss,\u201d Joe gasped.\u00a0 \u201cI really want to\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou stop now if it\u2019s too bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if I stop I can\u2019t\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 A little sob escaped him.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, I really want to feel your arms around me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The big teen closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the beam as he fought for control.\u00a0 He was gonna need that there light to come back so he could see to pick up the pieces of his heart and put them back together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you do, Little Joe,\u201d he said, fightin\u2019 back his own tears.\u00a0 \u201cBut I want you to walk again, and \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

For a second, he couldn\u2019t believe it.\u00a0 Joe had tugged again and his hands were free!\u00a0 Hoss dragged his blindfold down around his neck and then began to rub them together to bring back the circulation.\u00a0 After a moment, he realized Little Joe hadn\u2019t moved.\u00a0 He\u2019d kind of expected the kid to fling himself into his arms the moment he was\u2026.<\/p>\n

Damn.<\/p>\n

Hoss reached out with one of his hands and found Joe\u2019s leg.\u00a0 He moved up from there to the boy\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

Tears were streamin\u2019 down it.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, punkin\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss had been a long time without moving, but the physical pain he felt in his muscles as he pushed them into action was as nothing compared to the soul-deep pain that pierced his heart.\u00a0 The big teen slipped an arm around his little brother\u2019s skinny shoulders and gently lifted him onto his lap and then circled him with his arms.<\/p>\n

The only sounds in the abandoned mine were that of a slow drip of water and two heartbeats joined as one.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hop Sing was devastated \u2013 and completely at a loss.<\/p>\n

The Asian man sat on Marie\u2019s striped settee.\u00a0 He had the note in his hand and stared at it as if it were a snake that would bite him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have no<\/em> idea what this is about?\u201d Ben asked, slightly exasperated.\u00a0 He felt bad for grilling his friend, but the stakes were too high to go gently.\u00a0 The note had said nothing about ransom or any intention to return his boys.\u00a0 In fact, it was terrifying in its simplicity.\u00a0 He pointed toward the folded piece of paper.\u00a0 \u201cNo idea what the note means?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben,\u201d his cook began, his voice trembling.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing only wish he did.\u00a0 He never take any man\u2019s children.\u00a0 He never would.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have any enemies that you know of?\u201d Adam tried.\u00a0 \u201cAnyone who might want to\u2026use Joe and Hoss against you?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo enemies.\u00a0 Hop Sing friend of every man.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was true, though there were plenty of bigoted white men in the area who did not <\/em>reciprocate that feeling.<\/p>\n

A chill snaked down his spine as Ben looked at his oldest son.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, it\u2019s clear you are a target as well.\u00a0 Whoever this is simply hasn\u2019t found the opportunity to\u2026take you yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be harder<\/em> to take, Pa, and they know it.\u00a0 I\u2019m a man.\u00a0 Hoss and Little Joe are just boys.\u00a0 These cowards\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 His son\u2019s jaw clenched.\u00a0 \u201cIf they hurt\u2026. I\u2019ll kill them, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just\u2026.kill them.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d talked over sending for Robert or Roy, but there was even less the lawmen could do than they themselves.\u00a0 There was no trail to follow.\u00a0 Whoever had taken Joseph had been expert at masking their tracks, and Hoss\u2026\u00a0 Hoss had simply disappeared.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing, show me the note again,\u201d Adam said as he reached out.\u00a0 He studied it a moment, \u201cEveryone knows that you work for us, Hop Sing.\u00a0 But who would know you well enough to know that you consider the three of us your <\/em>children?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man blushed.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing would never presume\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher brought his hand down on his friend\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s all right, old friend.\u00a0 We consider you family as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly Hop Ling and honorable brothers and sisters know this one so well,\u201d their cook said.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps honorable cousins who come to visit.\u00a0 No one else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s an important clue, Pa,\u201d his eldest insisted.\u00a0 \u201cWhoever took Hoss and Little Joe has to know Hop Sing, or know someone connected to him.\u00a0 How else would they know that he was anything other than a hired hand?\u00a0 Or that hurting us <\/em>would hurt him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all well and good, Adam, but it doesn\u2019t get us one<\/em> step closer to figuring out who took your brothers or where they are holding them.\u201d\u00a0 Ben rubbed his forehead.\u00a0 He had developed a whopper of a headache.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph isn\u2019t well.\u00a0 He needs to be home in his bed, resting and healing.\u00a0 If he loses the ability to walk because of this \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

A small moan escaped the man on the settee.<\/p>\n

Ben apologized.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben right,\u201d their cook admitted with a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cAll of this Hop Sing\u2019s fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I told Adam earlier, this is no one\u2019s \u2018fault\u2019 except the evil men who have perpetuated the crime.\u00a0 Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man nodded and then dropped his head, unable to meet his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what do we do, Pa?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

Ben let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cHave any of the men come back yet?\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d sent a dozen hands out in every direction to look for signs of Joseph\u2019s kidnappers that he might have missed.<\/p>\n

Adam walked to the door and opened it. \u00a0\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was decided they would go into Gold Hill at the first opportunity.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take much time to issue the needed orders to keep the ranch running.\u00a0 He had good men and they knew what to do.\u00a0 By the time they reached the settlement the blinds were being raised, the bank was opening, and there were people milling about.\u00a0 He and Adam were mounted.\u00a0 Hop Sing followed in a wagon.\u00a0 Together, the three of them were going to the jail to fill Robert Olin and Roy Coffee in on what had happened and request a discreet search party be formed to search for his missing sons.\u00a0 Since there had been no ransom demand \u2013 and no command not<\/em> to inform the law \u2013 Ben considered it a prudent thing to do.<\/p>\n

The odds were, whoever had his boys, had no intention of returning them.<\/p>\n

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

He looked at his son.\u00a0 Adam had already dismounted and was tossing his reins over the post.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d he asked as he did the same.<\/p>\n

The boy was chagrinned.\u00a0 \u201cI hate to ask, but do you think Hop Sing is telling us the whole truth?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked back in the direction they had come.\u00a0 He\u2019d been as sympathetic as he could be, but his sons lives were at stake.\u00a0 He had grilled Hop Sing late into the night and then continued to think about his cook\u2019s replies long after he\u2019d gone to bed.\u00a0 Always, his answer was the same.\u00a0 He had no idea who would hate him enough to threaten the lives of the two \u2013 Ben\u2019s gaze flicked to his eldest \u2013 of the three boys he loved and had helped to rear as if they were his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cSon, we\u2019ve both known Hop Sing for over ten years now.\u00a0 You know the kind of man he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do, Pa.\u00a0 But I also know he is<\/em> a man, and men have secrets.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s what, four or five years younger than you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, he\u2019s in his mid-forties. That means he was in his early thirties when you hired him.\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s a lot of life to live.\u00a0 How much do we really <\/em>know about him?\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher had to admit there wasn\u2019t much.\u00a0 He took a man as he found him and didn\u2019t ask a lot of questions, believing that the past was the past and everyone had a right to a new start \u2013 especially in the West.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know he lived in Yerba Buena before he came to us,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI believe he arrived there or somewhere close by when he emigrated from China.\u00a0 He\u2019s spoken of a school he attended in the area where he learned the culinary arts, as well as an apothecary shop he worked in where he specialized in Chinese medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what made him leave Yerba Buena?\u00a0 Do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cI understand that, Pa, and I respect it.\u00a0 As I respect Hop Sing.\u00a0 But there\u2019s so much we don\u2019t know.\u00a0 He would have been old enough by then \u2013 more<\/em> than old enough \u2013 to have his own family.\u00a0 The note does mention children.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut not<\/em> Hop Sing\u2019s children.\u00a0 The children mentioned in the note, Adam, belong to whoever has taken your brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt accuses Hop Sing of having \u2018taken\u2019<\/em> them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0 Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cBut we both know he would never do <\/em>such a thing.\u00a0 And even if he had, where are they?\u00a0 He came to me with no children or \u00a0wife.\u00a0 No, Adam, I think the note is purposefully misleading.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what do you<\/em> think it means?\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI have no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, there, Ben.\u00a0 Adam,\u201d a cheerful voice called out.\u00a0 \u201cWhat brings you two in so early?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben turned to greet his friend.\u00a0 \u201cGood morning, Roy.\u00a0 We\u2019ve come to see Robert.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cFraid you can\u2019t, Ben.\u00a0 Robert rode out last night.\u00a0 Seems someone found a body out by one of the old diggin\u2019s.\u00a0 He went to fetch it in.\u201d\u00a0 The deputy eyed the sky.\u00a0 \u201cProbably won\u2019t make it \u2018til noon.\u00a0 Maybe later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAny idea who it was?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope.\u00a0 Sounds like some drunk who landed in the wrong spot.\u201d\u00a0 The lawman\u2019s sharp gaze moved from him to Adam and back.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe ain\u2019t worse, is he?\u00a0 I saw the Doc headin\u2019 for his office.\u201d\u00a0 When neither of them said anything, Roy tried again.\u00a0 \u201cBen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSon, will you keep an eye out for Hop Sing?\u00a0 Bring him in when he gets here.\u00a0 In the meantime I\u2019ll fill Roy in on what\u2019s happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy\u2019s gaze narrowed.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing\u2019s comin\u2019 in too?\u00a0 Ben, what\u2019s this about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to talk in your office, Roy.\u00a0 You never know who\u2019s listening.\u201d\u00a0 As the lawman unhooked his key ring from his belt, Ben turned back to his son.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, you stay close.\u00a0 Don\u2019t wander off.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eldest son\u2019s shoulders rose and fell with a suppressed sigh.\u00a0 He moved to the bench that fronted Robert Olin\u2019s office and sat down.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll sit right here and wait like a good boy, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 The last was said with a half-smile.<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThank you.\u00a0 Two sons missing is more than enough to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam stretched his legs out so he could rest them on the porch rail of the jail.\u00a0 It was a crisp, late September day.\u00a0 The air was still and the dust low and altogether it wasn\u2019t unpleasant to sit on a wooden bench outside of the sheriff\u2019s office and watch the world go by.<\/p>\n

Or it would have been pleasant had his brothers not been missing.<\/p>\n

He and Pa had discussed their shared guilt on the way in. The fact that someone \u2013 most likely Sears or Pratt \u2013 had broken into the house and snatched Little Joe right out from under their noses mortified them both, as did the fact that they had hired the two men in the first place.\u00a0 He and Pa were self-proclaimed protectors; his father of them all, and him, of his younger brothers.\u00a0 He\u2019d failed in his duty and it rankled like a dead fish too long in the sun.\u00a0 He\u2019d failed.\u00a0 He\u2019d let both Hoss and Little Joe down, but Joe most of all.\u00a0 Hoss had made a choice and, while it proved to be a less than wise one, he\u2019d removed himself from his big brother\u2019s protection.<\/p>\n

For God\u2019s sake!\u00a0 Little Joe had been asleep in his room!<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Adam. \u00a0You and your father are in early.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been so caught in his own thoughts that he\u2019d missed the fact that one of the businessmen he\u2019d met with had stopped on the boardwalk and was staring at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Mister Chase,\u201d he said as he lowered his legs.\u00a0 \u201cI was lost in my thoughts.\u00a0 Pa had some business with the sheriff, so we came in before he could go out on his rounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Philip Chase let out a sigh \u2013 a slightly infuriated one.\u00a0 \u201cI wish my business <\/em>was so pleasant,\u201d he said, a sour look on his face.<\/p>\n

Adam chuckled. \u00a0\u201cI take it you\u2019re meeting with Sebastian Stephens?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, more mining business.\u00a0 I swear, that man won\u2019t be happy until he owns every last enterprise in the territory!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs he trying to buy you out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRuin me.\u00a0 But I won\u2019t let him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam leaned forward.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s he done?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSpread rumors that I can\u2019t pay my men; that the mine is failing.\u201d\u00a0 Philip scowled.\u00a0 \u201cTold my creditors I can\u2019t pay them either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you the only one he\u2019s done this with?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a few others.\u00a0 We all own small mines, or small spreads of timber.\u00a0 Nothing like your father\u2019s holdings.\u201d\u00a0 Chase paused.\u00a0 \u201cBen hasn\u2019t received any threats, has he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Not that kind of threats\u2019<\/em>, he thought.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cThat\u2019s good to hear.\u201d\u00a0 Philip tipped his hat.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I best be on my way.\u00a0 I\u2019m having breakfast with the snake at the hotel.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019ll swallow an egg whole and choke.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chase\u2019s remark brought a smile to Adam\u2019s face, but it didn\u2019t remain on his lips long.<\/p>\n

As the businessman headed for the hotel, a wagon rolled into town.\u00a0 The black-haired man recognized it instantly as their supply wagon.\u00a0 Hop Sing was in the driver\u2019s seat.\u00a0 Adam watched the Asian man skillfully pull the wagon up in front of the feed store, disembark, and head inside.\u00a0 Since they were in town anyway, their cook was going to pick up a few supplies.<\/p>\n

No matter what, life went on.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, have you seen Hop Sing yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned to find his father standing in the doorway.\u00a0 \u201cHe just rolled in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man looked.\u00a0 \u201cI want you to join us then.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll be along in a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben took his seat again and waited until Adam did the same.\u00a0 Roy Coffee leaned on the edge of Robert Olin\u2019s desk.\u00a0 He still looked slightly stunned.<\/p>\n

Which was just the way he <\/em>felt.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, let me get this straight,\u201d Roy said. \u201cBoth<\/em> Hoss and Little Joe are missin\u2019?\u00a0 And you ain\u2019t got a clue who took \u2018em or why other than suspectin\u2019 those two varmints \u2013 Pratt and Shade\u00a0 – was involved somehow?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t shown Roy the note yet.\u00a0 He\u2019d been waiting on Hop Sing. \u00a0Ben considered it a moment and then reached inside his pocket and pulled it out.\u00a0 There was no way of knowing how long the Asian man would be.\u00a0 This way the three of them could leave the settlement as soon as they were done with Roy.<\/p>\n

He handed the note to lawman without a word.<\/p>\n

Roy read it once, and then twice \u2013 and then a third time before he looked up.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got any idea what this means, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes Hop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, \u2018no\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou recognize the handwritin\u2019 at all?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t thought about that.\u00a0 Ben took the note again.\u00a0 He drew a steadying breath as he perused it.\u00a0 \u201cSadly, no.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou said Hoss went missin\u2019 while he was out ridin\u2019 fence with Posthole and Wilson got hurt.\u00a0 How\u2019s he doin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d moved Jeb to the bunkhouse that morning at his insistence;\u00a0 \u201cJeb\u2019s going to be all right,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cShot him, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the only way they could take Jeb down,\u201d Adam remarked, his tone clearly impatient with Roy\u2019s thought processes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, son.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get your nose out of joint\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was up and on his feet.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are we doing here?\u201d he demanded.\u00a0 \u201cWhy aren\u2019t we out there looking for my brothers?\u00a0 What good does it do sitting here chatting like church women at a social when at any moment whoever took Hoss and Little Joe could kill <\/em>them.\u00a0 For all we know, they might already be dead!\u201d<\/p>\n

His son paled.<\/p>\n

The silence in the room was deafening.<\/p>\n

Adam fell heavily into his chair.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

It was Roy, not him.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s blazing amber eyes shot to the lawman.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you\u2019re worried about your brothers.\u00a0 Your pa and me, we\u2019re worried about them too.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t you<\/em> tell me where we should start lookin\u2019?\u00a0 You tell me, and I\u2019ll raise a search party and light out right now.\u201d\u00a0 When his son said nothing, Roy continued.\u00a0 \u201cThe truth is, son, we just don\u2019t have enough to go on.\u00a0 You said there weren\u2019t no tracks you could find leadin\u2019 off the Ponderosa and you didn\u2019t find nothin\u2019 at the place where Hoss disappeared.\u00a0 All we got right now is jawin\u2019 and I\u2019m sorry to admit it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was silent a moment.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t do\u2026nothing<\/em>.\u00a0 I have to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSon\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s keen eyes bore into him.\u00a0 \u201cPa., I\u2019ll go crazy<\/em> if I don\u2019t.\u00a0 I know you\u2019re worried about someone taking me too, but I\u2019m twenty-two and you can\u2019t stop me if I decide to go look for my brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was silent a moment.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I can\u2019t.\u00a0 But I can ask you not <\/em>to go alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about I come with you?\u201d Roy asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOlin\u2019s away.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you have to be here?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll send one of the boys for another deputy.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t much to do but stop saloon brawls and such.\u00a0 You give me an hour.\u00a0 I\u2019ll raise some men and then we\u2019ll head out.\u00a0 That sound all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded as he rose to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to get some fresh air\u2026\u201d\u00a0 The boy\u2019s gaze shot to him.\u00a0 \u201cUnless I need your permission for that too.\u201d<\/p>\n

His son\u2019s words were insolent.\u00a0 His tone disrespectful.<\/p>\n

Ben decided to ignore it \u2013 this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee if you can find Hop Sing.\u00a0 He should have finished up by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u00a0 Be back shortly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben waited until he heard the door close to let out the breath he\u2019d drawn.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boy\u2019s right upset, Ben.\u00a0 He don\u2019t mean anythin\u2019 by it.\u00a0 I imagine he\u2019s feelin\u2019 guilty that he\u2019s all right and his little brothers\u2026well\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Joseph I\u2019m the most concerned about,\u201d he admitted.\u00a0 \u201cUnder most circumstances, Hoss can take care of himself.\u00a0 Little Joe, with his injuries\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 As he paused a rage, deep-rooted in righteous anger sought to consume him.\u00a0 \u201cWith God as my witness, Roy, if I find the men who did this and what they have done causes that boy to never walk again, I\u2019ll\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy was watching him.\u00a0 \u201cDo what?\u00a0 Kill them?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben didn\u2019t answer, because at that moment the door to the jail flew open and his eldest burst in.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa!\u201d Adam exclaimed.\u00a0 \u201cPa!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben went to meet him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EIGHT<\/p>\n

As Ben Cartwright and his son sat down to talk with Roy Coffee, Hop Sing stood before the counter of the feed store. \u00a0The Asian man had glanced out the window earlier and seen Adam sitting on the sheriff\u2019s porch, and then watched him go inside.\u00a0 As soon as he completed his tasks he would join them, though he knew not what good it would do.<\/p>\n

What had he done?<\/p>\n

Who<\/em> had he offended?<\/p>\n

Who had taken his sons, and who did they believe he<\/em> had taken?<\/p>\n

Such thoughts swam round in his mind like golden fish in a pond.\u00a0 They churned and turned as if a great blue heron peered down at them through the water.\u00a0 Golden fish meant happiness and brought wealth and prosperity.\u00a0 The great heron, with its giant wings spread wide, heralded death.<\/p>\n

Whose death?\u00a0 Mistah Hoss?\u00a0 Little Joe?<\/p>\n

Mistah Ben looked at him with eyes of sympathy, but Mistah Adam\u2019s eyes held a suspicion that he did not tell the truth.\u00a0 He would not lie.\u00a0 Concealing the truth was like wearing embroidered clothes and traveling at night.\u00a0 All men could see.<\/p>\n

If Mistah Adam could see into his heart, he would see it was breaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing.\u00a0 Did you hear what I said?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man looked up.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, no hear,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a million miles away today,\u201d the proprietor sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI said, we just got in a new shipment of sugar.\u00a0 You want one of the boys to fetch it for you so you can finish out your list?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat be okay,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cHave time for boy to fetch, then Hop Sing must go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs Ben waiting on you?\u00a0 I saw him come into the settlement with Adam earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 Mister Cartwright expect me soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw them go into the office with Roy.\u201d\u00a0 The store owner lifted an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cAnything wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing blinked.\u00a0 His sons were missing.\u00a0 His life was ended.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026see.\u00a0 Well, anyway, it\u2019ll take about twenty minutes.\u00a0 Jake has to go down to the warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing go tell Mister Cartwright then.\u00a0 Let him know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood enough!\u00a0 I assume Ben\u2019s gonna settle up the account before you leave?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI send Mister Cartwright in.\u00a0 You ask him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u00a0 Okay!\u00a0 No need to get testy.\u201d\u00a0 As he turned his back, Hop Sing heard the man mutter under his breath.\u00a0 \u201cUppity Chink!\u201d<\/p>\n

He ignored him.\u00a0 The Asian man was used to such insults.\u00a0 They fell as rain on a man such as him whose skin was not white.\u00a0 Long ago he had learned a nut is hard to crack because its skin is tough. \u00a0When he was a young man he did not know this.\u00a0 He had been like the peach whose skin is broken with the barest touch.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonorable Hop Sing, this one is pleased to see you today,\u201d a soft voice said.<\/p>\n

The Asian man turned.\u00a0 In spite of his broken heart, he smiled.\u00a0 He had learned that <\/em>long ago as well.\u00a0 A smile could heal where medicine could not.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonorable Lu Lin,\u201d he said with a bow.\u00a0 \u201cIt is good to see you as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have come for supplies?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLu Lin see honorable Mister Cartwright and son at the jail.\u201d\u00a0 The young woman let out a little sigh.\u00a0 \u201cHonorable son most <\/em>handsome.\u201d<\/p>\n

His smile widened.\u00a0 \u201cHonorable Lu Lin most beautiful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

She looked back toward the door.\u00a0 \u201cSuch a one as he does not see one such as me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing touched her arm.\u00a0 \u201cYou are wrong.\u00a0 To Mister Cartwright\u2019s number one son, no one is invisible.\u201d\u00a0 The Asian man paused as he noted something.\u00a0 Normally Lu Lin, who worked in the house of Sebastian Stephens, wore her hair up and held in place with ruby-studded combs given to her by her honorable mother.\u00a0 Today her hair was down; the thick black waves pulled close to her face to conceal a dark smudge near her ear.\u00a0 \u201cLu Lin.\u00a0 What is this?\u201d he asked as he reached for it.<\/p>\n

The young woman was a child compared to him and considered him as a father.\u00a0 She had no one and nothing in this world but a dishonorable brother who worked for the dishonorable Easterner Sebastian Stephens as gardener and driver.\u00a0 Her brother, Lu Yin, was young and foolish.\u00a0 Like his name, he was interested in money and rode the tiger.<\/p>\n

Her hand darted to her cheek as she took a step back.\u00a0 \u201cIt is nothing, Honorable Hop Sing.\u00a0 This one fell while carrying dishes down the stairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why do you hide the bruise?\u201d he asked patiently.<\/p>\n

Her dark eyes darted to his face.\u00a0 Then she looked down.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho did this to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you think you\u2019re doing, coolie?\u00a0 Get away from her!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing looked over Lu Lin\u2019s head.\u00a0 The man who had spoken stood on the threshold of the establishment. \u00a0He was a tall man with a broad build, whose hat sat uneasily upon a head of thick dark hair.\u00a0 Like the wall of a mine, which is richly veined, it took the rising light to reveal the streaks of silver in it.<\/p>\n

He wore an Easterner\u2019s suit that did not speak of his wealth, but shouted.<\/p>\n

\u201cLu Lin, you will come here immediately if you wish to remain employed,\u201d the newcomer commanded.<\/p>\n

The girl looked up at him.\u00a0 \u201cI must go,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n

So this <\/em>was Sebastian Stephens.\u00a0 Hop Sing had never met the man, though he had heard much of him from his employer and Mistah Cartwright\u2019s number one son.\u00a0 When he left his homeland and came to this country he had hoped for a better life.\u00a0 In Guangdong there was much fighting and great upheaval.\u00a0 In the end, those who had wealth had none and so they pressed the poor farmer to pay for their foolishment.\u00a0 His father, Hop Ling, was such a farmer, working the land his father and his father\u2019s fathers had lived upon for untold years.\u00a0 Soon, Hop Ling could not afford to feed his wife or his many children.\u00a0 He was a young man then, without the fears or wisdom of age.\u00a0 He went to his father and told him of the opportunities in Gam Saan<\/em> or Gold Mountain, and said he would go to America.\u00a0 He would work and earn money and send it to back them so that, in time, they too could come to the land of plenty.\u00a0 At first Hop Ling forbade it, but as he watched his many children grow thinner and thinner \u2013 and his wife\u2019s beautiful black hair turn gray as mist \u2013 his father gave him both his permission and his blessing.<\/p>\n

And so he sailed away.<\/p>\n

A few years before Mistah Cartwright\u2019s youngest son was born, the ship he boarded brought him to a port near Yerba Buena.\u00a0 There were few people there, and those who were there came from many lands \u2013 England, Spain, Russia, China and more. \u00a0Each sought to find his place.\u00a0 He was no different.\u00a0 From the time he was a child, he had known all of the herbs and their uses.\u00a0 His mother said he knew them without her teaching.\u00a0 As a boy he had spent much time at her side learning how to use them not only to cook, but to heal.\u00a0 Upon his arrival he sought employment and found it with another man from China whose apothecary shop was on the wharf.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing raised a hand to block the sun as he took a step forward.\u00a0 He wanted to see Sebastian Stephens better, but the shameful man\u2019s face was hidden like a tiger in the grass.\u00a0 All he could see was his narrowed eyes and they looked on him with hate.<\/p>\n

Many men\u2019s eyes had looked upon him in this way when he first came to this land.\u00a0 Coolie.\u00a0 Ching-chong.\u00a0 Chink.<\/em>\u00a0 These were words that stung but had no bite. \u00a0At the time he had thought it was so with all white men; that they hated any who were not like them.\u00a0 In his heart he could not dream of such a man as Ben Cartwright.\u00a0 A man who looked at him and saw, not the color of his skin or the shape of his eyes, but him.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lu Lin had reached the door. \u00a0She bowed humbly and went to wait on the porch.\u00a0 Hop Sing did not miss where the man\u2019s hand went as she passed and it angered him.\u00a0 Lu Lin did not dare <\/em>speak for fear of retribution.<\/p>\n

He <\/em>did not fear retribution.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost honorable sir,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Stephens turned from the girl.\u00a0 \u201cAre you addressing me, chink<\/em>?\u201d he hissed.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing moved closer.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 Most honorable sir forget something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lu Lin\u2019s employer looked directly at him.\u00a0 \u201cIs that right?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man stepped closer and lowered his voice.\u00a0 \u201cHonorable sir has eye on Lu Lin.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cMany eyes on honorable sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man snorted.\u00a0 \u201cIs that a threat, coolie?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is no more than an observation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 Well, this<\/em> is my observation.\u00a0 Eyes that look where they shouldn\u2019t end up being put out.\u00a0 Lu Lin is my business.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright is yours; him and his children<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing drew in a sharp breath.\u00a0 There was something in the way Stephens said the word that lifted the hairs on the back of his neck.\u00a0 The cruel man caught Lu Lin\u2019s arm and propelled her down the steps and into the street.\u00a0 Just as they reached his rig, he turned back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got two words for you, ching-chong<\/em>, and two words only.\u00a0 Maiden Lane.\u201d<\/p>\n

The water parted.<\/p>\n

And the Great blue heron devoured the golden fish.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sixteen-year-old Hoss Cartwright drew in a weary breath and let it whistle out softly through his nose.\u00a0 He was tired and achin\u2019 and hungry and, if the truth be told, more than a little bit scared.\u00a0 It had been bad enough before, bein\u2019 taken without warnin\u2019, blindfolded and hog-tied, and then quick-marched into wherever he was and left to rot.<\/p>\n

It had been bad enough before them bad men did the same thing to his little brother.<\/p>\n

Little Joe was still sittin\u2019 on the floor pushed up against him, close as he could be.\u00a0 The boy was makin\u2019 little gruntin\u2019 sounds in his sleep.\u00a0 Hoss wasn\u2019t sure if it was \u2018cause he was dreamin\u2019 bad dreams or if Little Joe was actually hurtin\u2019.\u00a0 Most like it was both.\u00a0 It was dark and no one had come for a while, so the big teen had gone ahead and taken off his calfskin vest and put it underneath his little brother so his tailbone was cushioned.\u00a0 He had to hope that whoever came in next to bring them food didn\u2019t notice.\u00a0 Little Joe had pleaded with him to untie his hands and he\u2019d felt about as low as a low-bellied snake when he said \u2018no\u2019.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t no way to hide the fact that he\u2019d done it, and if their captors noticed Joe was free then they\u2019d know he was free too.\u00a0 Their only hope lay in the fact that he was<\/em> free.\u00a0 His captors had left his feet loose since he was tied tight to a beam.<\/p>\n

If the opportunity arose, he\u2019d take it and get them out of there.<\/p>\n

Hoss touched his little brother\u2019s matted curls.\u00a0 Punkin had been awful brave.\u00a0 He\u2019d sucked in his disappointment and nodded his head and then leaned into him and let the tears silently fall.\u00a0 Little Joe probably thought he didn\u2019t know he\u2019d been cryin\u2019.\u00a0 After all they just about couldn\u2019t see a single thing.\u00a0 But he\u2019d heard him and the sound of it had near tore his heart in two.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d get them out of this.\u00a0 He would!<\/p>\n

He just didn\u2019t know how.<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 stomach rumbled as he turned toward the door.\u00a0 Every so many hours someone came in with water and, once in a while, with a bit of food.\u00a0 In the beginning it had been Pratt Shade or Bush Sears, but lately the footsteps told him it was a woman.\u00a0 He guessed whoever was holdin\u2019 them didn\u2019t want them dead \u2013 at least not yet.\u00a0 The woman smelled like vanilla and ginger.\u00a0 The last time she\u2019d come she\u2019d said something, he thought it was in Chinese, and touched his cheek before she stood up and left.<\/p>\n

It was awful lonely when she did.<\/p>\n

Hoss looked down at Little Joe as his brother shifted.\u00a0 He listened to him breathe and noted how the breaths began to come more rapidly as if he was beginnin\u2019 to panic.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe, you awake?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

His brother shuddered.\u00a0 A second later, he asked, \u201cHoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s me.\u201d\u00a0 He put his arm around his brother\u2019s tiny shoulders and squeezed.\u00a0 \u201cI got you.\u00a0 You feel my arm, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe blew out a breath.\u00a0 \u201cI couldn\u2019t wake up.\u00a0 I thought this\u2026.\u00a0 I thought I was still caught in a nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018You are, little brother<\/em>,\u2019 the big teen thought, but he said, \u201cNah.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t much of any light in here, so it\u2019s hard to know if you\u2019re awake or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe inched in a closer.\u00a0 \u201cThey still got us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, they still got us.\u00a0 But don\u2019t you worry none, Little Joe. \u00a0I\u2019ll figure me a way to get us out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a pause.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think Pa\u2019s coming?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa and Little Joe were mighty close.\u00a0 Maybe on account of Mama dyin\u2019, and maybe just \u2018cause they was. Pa was Joe\u2019s hero and he couldn\u2019t have a better one.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s on his way,\u201d he said firmly and he meant it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2026he won\u2019t know where we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss hesitated, forming his reply.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe, you know how people tell me I\u2019m just about the most natural tracker around?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 <\/em>compared to an old mama grizzly when her babies go missin\u2019.\u00a0 I tell you, they got themselves some unnatural natural sense that leads them right to their cubs.\u201d\u00a0 He paused to wet his lips.\u00a0 \u201cYou and me, punkin, we\u2019re Pa\u2019s cubs.\u00a0 He\u2019ll find us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe seemed to relax a bit at that.\u00a0 There was another silence and then he said, \u201cI\u2019m hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am too.\u00a0 I tell you I could just about eat you<\/em> right now!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can hear your belly grumblin\u2019,\u201d Joe giggled.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s tellin\u2019 them varmints what took us that it\u2019s supper time.\u201d\u00a0 Or dinner, or breakfast.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t really know which it was.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWon\u2019t they know somethin\u2019s different when they see I don\u2019t have my gag on anymore?\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d thought about that.\u00a0 There\u2019s been more than one man comin\u2019 and goin\u2019, checkin\u2019 on them.\u00a0 Some of them were strangers.\u00a0 He just prayed they didn\u2019t talk to one another and would think one of the others had done it \u2013 takin\u2019 off Little Joe\u2019s gag, that was.\u00a0 The big teen\u2019s fingers touched the vest he\u2019d put under his brother\u2019s skinny little hiney.\u00a0 That was another prayer.\u00a0 He prayed it was so dark whoever came in wouldn\u2019t see it, \u2018cause if they did, they\u2019d figure out his hands were free.\u00a0 As it was, he had lean down and have Joe pull his blind back into place and then shove his hands behind his back every time one of them bad men came in.\u00a0 They never checked his hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t worry about it, Little Joe.\u00a0 I think they got other things on their mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even as the words came out of his mouth, footsteps sounded, echoing through the corridor outside.\u00a0 Hoss leaned down so Joe could tug his blind into place and scooted a foot or so away from his brother. \u00a0Whoever it was stopped just inside the room and stood there, saying nothing.\u00a0 A second set of footsteps told Hoss they had more than one \u2018visitor\u2019.\u00a0 He heard a curt order issued and then the door closed.\u00a0 As the man moved off, the woman headed for them.<\/p>\n

He knew it was her \u2018cause the scent of vanilla and ginger came before her.<\/p>\n

\u201cXi\u01ceo n\u00e1nh\u00e1i<\/em>,\u201d she groaned as she knelt beside him.<\/p>\n

He knew that one.\u00a0 Hop Sing used it often enough.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, Joe\u2019s awful young,\u201d Hoss agreed, his tone edgy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t little,\u201d his brother protested in a very little voice.<\/p>\n

The woman shifted.\u00a0 He thought she was lookin\u2019 back toward the door.\u00a0 He could tell because he heard her feet move.\u00a0 She remained silent for several moments and then moved in close so she could feed him.<\/p>\n

\u201cDu\u00ecb\u00f9q\u01d0<\/em>,\u201d she breathed as the spoon touched his lips.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s sorry,\u201d Little Joe said.\u00a0 After a moment the little boy added, \u201cHop Sing made me learn that one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Sorry\u2019 about what, he wondered?\u00a0 What she was doin\u2019, maybe.\u00a0 Or, maybe, the fact that they were bein\u2019 held.\u00a0 Or maybe just that his little brother was?<\/p>\n

In-between bites he said, \u201cYou gotta help Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t goin\u2019 anywhere without you Hoss,\u201d Joe stubbornly insisted.\u00a0 \u201cNo way no how!\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman turned.\u00a0 She seemed to be listenin\u2019.\u00a0 Then she moved from him to Little Joe.\u00a0 He heard the spoon scrape the bowl.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t eatin\u2019 no bad guys food!\u201d Joe declared.<\/p>\n

\u201cLitte Joe, you hear me.\u00a0 You take what she offers and you eat it right down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Hoss\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, buts.\u201d\u00a0 He was worried sick about the kid.\u00a0 Little Joe was worn down from his accident.\u00a0 He had to keep up his strength.\u00a0 The cold and the damp and the pain and the worry were like to be enough to kill him.\u00a0 \u201cYou do what I say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was silent a moment.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, Adam,\u201d he huffed smartly<\/p>\n

Hoss couldn\u2019t help it.\u00a0 He chuckled.\u00a0 Then he smiled as he heard his brother swallow.<\/p>\n

\u201cMa\u2019am, could I ask you one thing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot help you escape,\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not askin\u2019 you to.\u00a0 I\u2026\u00a0 Well, it\u2019s two <\/em>things really.\u00a0 Can you take off my blindfold?\u201d\u00a0 He wanted it off.\u00a0 It was hard to remember to put it back on every time someone came in.\u00a0 Little Joe could have worked his own gag free by reachin\u2019 up with his hands, even bound, but there was no way either of them should have been able to work off his blindfold.\u00a0 \u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n

A moment later her fingers touched each side of his head.\u00a0 \u201cNot think master care,\u201d she said as she pulled it loose.<\/p>\n

That was kind of frightenin\u2019 since it meant he might see someone when they came in.\u00a0 If her \u2018master\u2019 didn\u2019t \u2018care\u2019, the odds were he didn\u2019t think it was gonna matter, which meant he probably did <\/em>mean to kill them before it was over.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is second thing?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNext time you come, could you bring a blanket for my little brother?\u00a0 He was sick afore those men took him and I\u2019m worried he\u2019s gonna get worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m okay, Hoss,\u201d Joe insisted.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want a blanket if you can\u2019t have one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suddenly, a man\u2019s voice called out, \u2018N\u01dah\u00e1i. L\u00e1i zh\u00e8l\u01d0 ba!\u2019<\/p>\n

It was an order.<\/p>\n

The girl gasped and rose to her feet.\u00a0 He caught a glimpse of her before the lantern light disappeared. She was young and pretty. \u00a0Hoss thought he might know her, or at least, had seen her in the settlement.\u00a0 The trouble was most all of Chinese girls looked the same to him.\u00a0 They was all pretty and usually pretty small, with pretty dark eyes and shy smiles.<\/p>\n

And scared.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know that one?\u201d Hoss asked after she left.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Little Joe replied as he laid his head on his leg.\u00a0 \u201cHe told her she had to go now<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you see her, Little Joe?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cMm-mm,\u201d his brother nodded.\u00a0 It sounded like Joe was fallin\u2019 asleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know who she is?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother yawned.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve seen her before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the store, when I went to the settlement with Hop Sing.\u201d\u00a0 Joe yawned.\u00a0 \u201cI think he called her Lulu or somethin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was a mighty funny name for a Chinese woman.<\/p>\n

\u201cLulu?\u00a0 You sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr somethin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss thought about it.\u00a0 Lulu.\u00a0 Lu lu.\u00a0 Or maybe Lu Lin?<\/p>\n

\u201cWas it Lu Lin?\u00a0 Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t know.\u00a0 Don\u2019t care,\u201d his brother grumbled.\u00a0 \u201cLet me sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Little Joe.\u00a0 You go to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss pulled his hands from behind his back.\u00a0 He pulled his brother in closer and once again circled the little boy\u2019s shoulders with his arm.\u00a0 He was still thinkin\u2019 about Lulu or Lu Lin or whoever she was when he realized somethin\u2019 else.\u00a0 Reachin\u2019 over with his other hand, Hoss laid it on Little Joe\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n

Punkin was on fire.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hop Sing watched from the window of the livery as his grieving master and number one son left the sheriff\u2019s office and crossed the street to the mercantile.\u00a0 They hitched their horses behind the supply wagon, climbed into it, and headed for the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

He would never see it or<\/em> them again.<\/p>\n

Such was his shame that he would never be able to return to his home or to those he loved.\u00a0 From triumph to failure was but one step.\u00a0 The choice he had made so long ago cast a shadow so deep that the bright sun of his time with Mistah Ben and his sons was lost.<\/p>\n

Mr. Ben\u2019s sons.<\/p>\n

His<\/em> sons.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s jaw tightened with grief.\u00a0 Tears filled his eyes and fell like morning dew to wet his cheeks.\u00a0 He remembered the time before he left China.\u00a0 Wise father tell him as he left his home, \u2018A truth spoken before its time can be dangerous.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Wise Father had been wrong.<\/p>\n

Time betrays and hangs the thief.<\/p>\n

As the wagon trundled out of sight, Hop Sing turned and bowed to the stable owner. After paying what was owed, he took the horse he\u2019d rented into the light of the noon day sun.\u00a0 He did not mount, but led the animal down the muddy streets toward the center of the settlement.\u00a0 The Asian man had no need to ask for directions.\u00a0 Mistahs Ben and Adam had spoken often enough of the magnificent house Sebastian Stephens had built that rose like a temple above the smaller siheyuan. \u00a0<\/em>Once there, he led the horse into a small stand of trees.\u00a0 He did not wish to see the elegant men and women who entered by its front door.\u00a0 He watched for one young woman.\u00a0 Lu Lin would not be allowed to use this door.\u00a0 If she disobeyed, she would pay the price.<\/p>\n

As had another young woman many long years before.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright coiled his gun belt and slammed it down on the credenza before heading into the great room.\u00a0 He was tired and frustrated and about at his wit\u2019s end.\u00a0 He and his pa had headed out for a time with Roy Coffee, but all they\u2019d found was frustration.\u00a0 Now, it was the end of the day, and they were back home with nothing to show for it. \u00a0The sun\u2019s dying rays had tracked them as they rode into the yard, casting long black shadows before them that matched his mood.\u00a0 He shouldn\u2019t be angry, but he was and he knew why.<\/p>\n

He felt impotent.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam,\u201d his father said as he closed the door behind him.\u00a0 \u201cSon\u2026.\u00a0 Please.\u201d<\/p>\n

He knew his pa felt the same way. \u00a0They\u2019d suppered on surprise and shared a breakfast of despair.\u00a0 \u00a0Neither one of them had slept more than two or three hours since Hoss and Little Joe had gone missing.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard his father pacing in the great room all night because he\u2019d <\/em>been pacing in his room upstairs.<\/p>\n

As he fell into his chair, the black-haired man let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Pa.\u00a0 I don\u2019t mean to make things worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cSon, I don\u2019t think there is any way you could.\u201d<\/p>\n

The remaining contracts, the timber, the cattle and horse business \u2013 \u00a0all been forgotten, as had the daily needs of the ranch. \u00a0Not that they could be forever, but at this moment who really gave a damn as to whether or not a horse was shoed or a tree felled?\u00a0 Nothing mattered but finding Hoss and Little Joe.\u00a0 Nothing.<\/p>\n

And there was simply nowhere to start.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think you could eat something?\u201d Pa asked.\u00a0 \u201cI think Hop Sing left some cold cuts in the ice box.\u201d<\/p>\n

The subject turned his stomach \u2013 Hop Sing, not the cold cuts.<\/p>\n

What did they really <\/em>know about him?<\/p>\n

All the way home his father had defended the Asian man, but, really, who was he?\u00a0 Pa admitted he knew very little other than the fact that Hop Sing was a son of Hop Ling and had come highly recommended by his last employer, a man in Hangtown.\u00a0 Before that he had worked in the bay area in what served as the upscale part of Yerba Buena, California.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t much.\u00a0 Hop Sing had been in the US for approximately fifteen years, arriving when he was a bit older than him.\u00a0 That left at least four years unaccounted for.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d<\/em> spent four years away at college.\u00a0 He knew<\/em> how long a time that was and how much a young man could get into and up to during it.\u00a0 Adam knew as well that he had secrets he\u2019d never told his family and did not intend to tell.<\/p>\n

Could Hop Sing be any different?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re very quiet, son,\u201d his father remarked as he took a seat in the leather chair by the fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know<\/em> what about, Pa,\u201d he admitted with a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cUntil we solve the puzzle of Hop Sing and who he is and was, we\u2019re not going to solve the puzzle of who took Hoss and Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa winced at the mention his younger brother\u2019s name.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that Pa wasn\u2019t just <\/em>as worried about Hoss, but \u2013 at least when he left \u2013 Hoss had been whole.<\/p>\n

Little Joe was not.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just need to ask him, son.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure Hop Sing will tell us \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen where is he?!\u201d he demanded, jumping to his feet and beginning to pace. \u00a0\u201cPa, you have to admit his absence looks like an admission of guilt!\u201d<\/p>\n

His father pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cOr shame,\u201d he said softly.\u00a0 \u201cYou have to remember, son, there are ways in which Hop Sing is not<\/em> like us.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a matter of bigotry to say that, but of fact.\u00a0 Ours \u2013 the Western man\u2019s \u2013 is a system based on guilt and innocence.\u00a0 For Hop Sing, who is from the East, it\u2019s about honor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe he prizes his \u2018honor\u2019 more than Hoss and Little Joe\u2019s lives,\u201d Adam said and instantly regretted it.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019m clutching at straws.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand, son, just as I understand that your knowledge of Hop Sing is a child\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0 His father held up a hand to stifle his protest.\u00a0 \u201cWhat I mean is, you were twelve when you first met him.\u00a0 Barely older than Little Joe is now.\u00a0 The world was lived from your perspective \u2013 what could you get from it, what could it give you \u2013 what would make you happy.<\/p>\n

His son grinned.\u00a0 \u201cWell, Hop Sing certainly made me happy when you brought him here to cook.\u00a0 Nothing against Marie, but cooking was not one of her strong suits.\u201d<\/p>\n

His father chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cNo, it wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 Much as I loved her, Marie had little skill in cooking or any other task associated with running a household.\u00a0 She\u2019d been\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 The older man paused as if rethinking the word he had chosen.\u00a0 \u201c In many ways she\u2019d been a kept woman.\u00a0 There was always someone else to perform menial chores whether it be a servant or slave.\u201d<\/p>\n

It galled him to think that anyone felt they had the right to enslave another and yet it was part and parcel of the founding of their country.\u00a0 That was part of what had drawn Pa to the West as it offered a fresh start to men of all colors and races.<\/p>\n

And yet, was it really any different?\u00a0 There were men right now petitioning the government to put more and more restrictions on the Chinese who had come into the area during and after the Gold Rush.\u00a0 In some ways they were seen as an \u2018uppity\u2019 slave population that expected wages.\u00a0 The California legislature was considering a bill known as the Foreign Miner\u2019s License Tax that would stipulate a tax of three dollars per month on every foreign miner who chose not to become a citizen.\u00a0 Many Chinese did not want to do so as they intended to return to China once they had earned enough money to support their families.\u00a0 The irony \u2013 and this was not lost on the men writing the bill \u2013 was that an earlier law, the Naturalization Act of 1790, only allowed free white persons to become citizens.<\/p>\n

Pa leaned his head back against the warm leather of his chair.\u00a0 \u201cThat man in Hangtown, he wasn\u2019t really Hop sing\u2019s employer.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

His father looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cHe was his owner.<\/em>\u00a0 Hop Sing was indentured to him.\u00a0 He never told me why, but I had to buy out his contract in order to bring him with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was news to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t think\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Adam cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, does that kind of thing still happen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOld ways die hard.\u00a0 I asked him about it, but Hop Sing was tight-lipped and I decided it didn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

The past, in other words, was the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think that could have anything to do with\u2026well\u2026with what\u2019s happened?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

His father leaned forward.\u00a0 He nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Standing, the older man replied.\u00a0 \u201cSomething I thought I would never<\/em> do.\u00a0 Go through Hop Sing\u2019s things.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NINE<\/p>\n

They started in the kitchen.\u00a0 There were several places Ben knew his cook kept personal items.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that he\u2019d paid much attention, but now and then Hop Sing would open a drawer or cupboard and he couldn\u2019t help but notice.\u00a0 He sent Adam to check out the drawers while he headed for the personal shrine Hop Sing kept in the back.\u00a0 Ten years before he had given him a copy of Marie\u2019s portrait to keep there.\u00a0 Ben knew Hop Sing prayed every day.\u00a0 His friend\u2019s unique mix of Chinese ancestor veneration and Freewill Baptist beliefs made him smile at times.\u00a0 He knew the shrine contained another portrait, as well as momento mori<\/em> such as a smudge pot, dried flowers, and at least one small box.\u00a0 On a table below it were half a dozen candles of various sizes and a shallow gilt-edged dish for burning incense.\u00a0 The rancher stared at the dish for a moment.<\/p>\n

It had been a gift from Marie.<\/p>\n

Ben lit one of the candles and raised it so he could see into the shrine.\u00a0 It was made of wood painted red and shaped like a Chinese pagoda . The roof was ebony.\u00a0 There were doors and a bit of ornamental fencing on both sides to hold the precious items in.\u00a0 Within the enclosures were a few sprigs of pine.\u00a0 The rancher drew in a breath as he shifted a branch and came face to face with his late beloved wife.\u00a0 Marie stared at him with disapproval.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t blame her.\u00a0 He felt as if he was violating his friend\u2019s trust.<\/p>\n

But then, his sons lives were at stake and he had no choice.<\/p>\n

When Ben shifted Marie\u2019s portrait to one side, his hand encountered another. \u00a0It was of an older man and his wife.\u00a0 He remembered that Hop Sing had told him the painting was of his grandparents. \u00a0Behind it was an object that glinted in the light.\u00a0 At first, he wasn\u2019t sure what it was, but then the rancher realized it was a chain.\u00a0 Tugging at it, he brought it and the object attached to it forward and into his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that, Pa?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

He looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cNothing in the drawers?\u201d<\/p>\n

His son shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cBills of sale.\u00a0 Letters from his family.\u00a0 Oh, and one or two from a woman named Clare.\u00a0 Those were post-marked back in the thirties.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben gazed at the locket he held.\u00a0 It was obviously a woman\u2019s.\u00a0 The piece was roughly rectangular in shape and made of gold. The open-work case was studded with five diamonds \u2013 one on each corner and another in the middle.\u00a0 The chain was just as elegant.\u00a0 Alone, the price of it would have purchased a fine thoroughbred.<\/p>\n

Adam let out a whistle.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you think Hop Sing came by that?\u201d<\/p>\n

He had no idea.\u00a0 As he\u2019d said, when he hired Hop Sing the Asian man had been poorer than a church mouse.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you going to open it?\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher went to the kitchen table and sat down.\u00a0 Adam followed and did the same.\u00a0 Once there, the older man puzzled over how to open the locket.\u00a0 It was the type with a hidden clasp.<\/p>\n

\u201cTry pressing the stones, Pa.\u00a0 I remember Marie had one like that.\u201d\u00a0 At his look his son grinned.\u00a0 \u201cIt drove Little Joe nuts.\u201d<\/p>\n

He remembered that now.\u00a0 Thoughts of his missing boys vied for his attention, but Ben pushed them aside and concentrated on the puzzle at hand.\u00a0 He tried the center stone first as that was the obvious choice.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t work, of course.\u00a0 Neither did the other four.\u00a0 Then he noticed a bit of raised work toward the top on the back and pressed that.\u00a0 The locket popped open to reveal the portrait of a beautiful young woman.<\/p>\n

A beautiful young white <\/em>woman.<\/p>\n

Adam was twisting his neck to see, so he showed him the image.<\/p>\n

He whistled.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s stunning.\u201d<\/p>\n

And obviously a child of wealth.\u00a0 Whoever she was, the young lady was attired in an off-the-shoulder dress, but had demurred and added a modesty scarf.\u00a0 She wore a fashionable dimity cap with French lace that barely managed to contain a mass of spiraling golden curls.\u00a0 She was very young, most likely under twenty, and had a beautiful, intelligent and serene face.\u00a0 Ben tried to divine the thoughts in her head.\u00a0 If he had been hard-pressed, he might have said she had the look of a caged lark \u2013 content, but longing for freedom.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d he muttered as he turned the locket over in his hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho do you think she is?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben was pressing the locket in other places.\u00a0 Marie\u2019s had a secret chamber in the back.\u00a0 Finally, his fingers found the spot he was looking for and it popped open.<\/p>\n

Inside was a tiny slip of paper.<\/p>\n

Ben unrolled it and read the words aloud, \u2018Tonight at Maiden Lane.\u00a0 I await.\u00a0 My love, Clare<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n

He handed the paper and the locket to Adam who stared at them a moment before speaking.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

No, he didn\u2019t think \u2013 he knew.<\/p>\n

Clare was the woman Hop Sing had loved.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Night had fallen.\u00a0 Hop Sing watched from his place of concealment as a fine vehicle rolled into Sebastian Stephen\u2019s elaborate carriage house.\u00a0 A moment later the man mounted the steps and went inside.\u00a0 Where he came from in China, such a building could have housed his entire family \u2013 \u00a0and <\/em>many honorable cousins.\u00a0 When young, he and his father had visited the home of a wealthy man.\u00a0 While there, his b\u00e0ba<\/em> told him to remember that the downfall of a man began with pride.\u00a0 \u2018Pride goeth before destruction\u2019<\/em>, the preacher in the Baptist church would say.\u00a0 Sebastian Stephens deserved such a fall.<\/p>\n

God had appointed him<\/em> to make sure it happened.<\/p>\n

Deciding it was time, the Asian man spoke softly to his horse.\u00a0 He told him to be patient, that he would not be long, before starting across the street.\u00a0 It was quiet.\u00a0 Most who lived in the settlement had gone inside and, those who worked late, were occupied.\u00a0 His own father was busy in his laundry, washing and ironing the clothes of rich men such as Sebastian Stephens.\u00a0 His path had been different, and yet the same.\u00a0 Upon arriving in America he\u2019d found employment with a friend and worked in Lee Chen\u2019s apothecary shop. \u00a0Their clients were the common people of Yerba Buena.\u00a0 One day a man of wealth came into their establishment.\u00a0 His daughter suffered with headaches.\u00a0 Often, she would lay in the dark for days unable to eat or speak.\u00a0 The white man\u2019s doctors could do nothing for her.\u00a0 A friend of this man, who had traveled in the East, suggested he seek a cure in Chinese medicine.\u00a0 Hop Sing was surprised when his friend suggested that he accompany the man to his home.\u00a0 Lee Chen was older \u2013 wiser .\u00a0 Chen told the man that he<\/em> had a special kind of magic in his hands and called him a healer.<\/p>\n

This one, deeply humbled, left his post grinding herbs and followed Sebastian Stephens to his home.<\/p>\n

The house Stephens had in Yerba Buena was as out of place as the one in Gold Hill.\u00a0 There were few structures there, and most were humble.\u00a0 This house sat on a hill overlooking the bay and was large and impressive.\u00a0 Upon their arrival, the wealthy man puffed his chest out like a Sage Grouse and told him\u00a0 how he had beaten out every other man in the area to become the richest among them.\u00a0 He owned ships and used them to move goods from place to place.\u00a0 Stephens did not tell him how he had ruined these men to get what he wanted, or of the cruel joy it brought him.<\/p>\n

This he would learn later.<\/p>\n

He was told to wait in the front hall while the wealthy man went up a tall stair to the next floor.\u00a0 While he waited many servants came and went.\u00a0 Most were Mexican women.\u00a0 He was later to find out that the men Stephens employed worked out-of-doors for he did not trust them with his daughter.\u00a0 Sometime later a well-dressed Spanish woman in her fifties appeared.\u00a0 She ordered him to follow her and took him up the stairs.\u00a0 At the top there was a large room with a great window that looked out onto the water.\u00a0 The curtains were pulled back and the dying sun was the only light in the room.\u00a0 To one side was a bed, separated from the rest of the room by a muslin curtain.\u00a0 On the bed lay a young woman whom he assumed to be Mister Stephen\u2019s daughter.<\/p>\n

His jaw tight; the words forced from between his lips, the wealthy man said, \u201cHelp her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephens departed then, leaving him alone in the room with the two women.\u00a0 The Spanish woman, whose name was Maria Theresa, went to sit by the window.\u00a0 He was later to find out that she had been with Stephen\u2019s daughter from her birth and served as her mother since her own had died.\u00a0 Maria Theresa would chaperone them while he tended her.<\/p>\n

The young woman\u2019s name was Clare.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing shifted and looked up.\u00a0 A lamp had come to life on the upper floor of the great house in Gold Hill.\u00a0 Sebastian Stephens had retired to his private quarters.<\/p>\n

It was time.<\/p>\n

The Asian man clung to the shadows as he moved to the yard between the stable and the house.\u00a0 Through the window he could see Lu Lin.\u00a0 She was speaking to her brother.\u00a0 Her face was animated and her hands flew; the gestures she made both challenging and condemning.\u00a0 He would have to wait until they finished to approach her. \u00a0He did not want<\/em> to wait.\u00a0 Every minute that passed, each breath taken brought death closer to those he loved.\u00a0 Retreating to the garden, Hop Sing took up a post from which he could watch the side door.\u00a0 Above his head there was an arbor; the worn latticework held together by a network of vines whose blossoms had long since died.<\/p>\n

As had Sebastian Stephens daughter.<\/p>\n

—-<\/p>\n

Clare stirred at his approach.\u00a0 A trembling hand pulled back the muslin curtain, revealing a heart-shaped face fresh as the first morn.\u00a0 Her skin was white as the dove.\u00a0 Her spiraling hair, golden as the beams of light it rode.\u00a0 Her eyes startled him, for the black centers were far too wide within their sea of azure blue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am Hop Sing,\u201d he said as he bowed.\u00a0 \u201cHonorable father has asked that I provide relief for your headaches.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for speaking softly,\u201d Clare said as she lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the meager light spilling in the window.\u00a0 Her voice was weary as it was lyrical.\u00a0 \u201cFather always shouts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you desire the curtains to be drawn?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Clare turned her face to the side.\u00a0 \u201cFather won\u2019t allow it.\u00a0 The doctor said the air was good for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the light is not.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI will close them.<\/p>\n

A smile touched her lips as she turned back. \u00a0\u201cFather will be angry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not believe so.\u00a0 Your father has given you into my hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA Chinese man?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing bowed again.\u00a0 \u201cForgive this one for being forward.\u00a0 He did not ask leave to attend you.\u00a0 If you would not have one such as I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 It\u2019s not that,\u201d she answered.\u00a0 \u201cFather hates the Chinese.\u00a0 I am just\u2026surprised he brought you here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNecessity can change a lion into a fox,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd a fox into lion,\u201d Clare replied as she turned her head away from the light again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will close the curtains.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maria Theresa watched him as he went to the window and did just that.\u00a0 The older woman smiled and nodded as if she approved.\u00a0 As she returned to her needlework, he returned to his patient.\u00a0 Sitting in the chair beside her bed he said, \u201cTell me of these headaches.\u00a0 Have you always had them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSince I was a little girl,\u201d she sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas there an incident when they began?\u201d<\/p>\n

Clare glanced at him.\u00a0 \u201cLike an accident?\u201d\u00a0 When he nodded, she said, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you describe how they feel?\u201d<\/p>\n

She thought a moment before replying.\u00a0 \u201cAs if I am lost in the fog.\u00a0 I\u2026cannot find my way.\u00a0 I know that if I turn, I will fall and, if I fall, I will never land.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you feel pain?\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, she thought about her answer.\u00a0 \u201cYes\u2026and no.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan Missy Clare elaborate?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cMissy Clare,\u201d she mused.\u00a0 \u201cThere is a stabbing pain. \u00a0It runs from the base of my neck to behind my eyes.\u00a0 It is a pain\u2026with no substance.\u00a0 It does not come and go.\u00a0 It simply is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you see lights?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, yes,\u201d she exclaimed.\u00a0 \u201cThey are beautiful and deadly.\u00a0 Like fire and ice.\u201d<\/p>\n

How poetic was her soul.<\/p>\n

\u201cClare?\u201d a young voice called softly from the doorway, interrupting the interview.<\/p>\n

Clare lifted her hand.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s Ethan,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFather asked me to look in and see how things were going?\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0The young man walked into the room.\u00a0 In form, he was handsome; slender and willowy as a young pine.\u00a0 His hair was golden as his sister\u2019s and his eyes were the same.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing realized with a start that they were twins.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are you doing, Kitten?\u201d Ethan asked, though his eyes were on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know yet,\u201d she replied with a little pout.\u00a0 \u201cDoctor Hop Sing is still working on a diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPermit this one to remind Missy Clare that he is not a physician,\u201d Hop Sing said.\u00a0 \u201cThis one comes with humble knowledge and skill \u2013 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you are certainly not <\/em>a doctor.\u00a0 Humility is the last thing in their bag!\u201d Ethan remarked as he sat on the side of the bed and stretched his hand out.\u00a0 As he touched his sister\u2019s forehead, he asked, \u201cDoes it hurt, Kitten?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMm-hm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ethan turned to him.\u00a0 \u201cCan you help her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is this one\u2019s belief that he can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you going to use Chinese remedies?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ethan slapped his knee.\u00a0 \u201cMan\u2019s alive!\u00a0 That will wake the snakes with the old man,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n

\u201cEtty, please,\u201d Clare moaned.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Kitten,\u201d he whispered as he kissed her on the cheek.\u00a0 Then Ethan stood and turned toward him.\u00a0 \u201cClare\u2019s been plagued by these headaches since we were children.\u00a0 Usually has them once or twice a year.\u00a0 Recently, they\u2019ve become more frequent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis humble one will do his best to alleviate your sister\u2019s suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ethan placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cThanks, old chap.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to see her suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n

——<\/p>\n

A noise brought Hop Sing\u2019s attention back to the present.\u00a0 The side door to the house opened and Lu Yin stepped out.\u00a0 He was wearing a light coat and carrying a hamper.\u00a0 Yin headed for the stable and in a short time, reappeared on horseback.\u00a0 With a last look at the house, the young man disappeared into the night.<\/p>\n

It was time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright returned to the great room to await his son\u2019s return.\u00a0 They\u2019d risen with the sun and, as soon as they\u2019d finished breakfast, he\u2019d sent Adam out to round up as many of their men as he could to join in the new day\u2019s search for Hoss and Little Joe.\u00a0 It was midday now and he expected Roy Coffee to appear any minute with even more from the settlement.\u00a0 The Ponderosa was vast and, as they had no idea which direction to head, they would have to head in all <\/em>directions.\u00a0 He\u2019d put his best tracker on the hunt for signs, instructing him to begin at Joseph\u2019s window.\u00a0 The man had returned a short time ago to inform him that there was <\/em>nothing to find.\u00a0 No boot or hoof prints.\u00a0 No wagon wheels.<\/p>\n

Nothing.<\/p>\n

It was as if his baby boy had been secreted out of his bed by faeries and disappeared into thin air.<\/p>\n

The rancher glanced at the box he held in his hand.\u00a0 His search had taken him into Hop Sing\u2019s room and he\u2019d found it under the bed.\u00a0 He had yet to open it.\u00a0 It seemed so great a violation of his friend\u2019s trust that he hesitated.\u00a0 The Asian man was intensely private about his personal affairs.\u00a0 He\u2019d met Hop Sing\u2019s father, brothers, and countless dozens of cousins.\u00a0 He\u2019d worked side by side with him for nearly a dozen years, and yet of the man himself, he knew very little.\u00a0 Whenever curiosity reared its ugly head he would beat it down with sensible words, telling himself a man had a right to his privacy and what was in the past should remain in the past.\u00a0 He <\/em>wouldn\u2019t want his sons to know everything he had done in his wild and misspent youth, and he certainly wouldn\u2019t want to be held accountable now for the man he had been then.<\/p>\n

But this was his sons.<\/p>\n

Ben took a pen knife, inserted it in the handle of the lock that dangled off of the box\u2019s catch, and pried it open.<\/p>\n

Propriety be damned!<\/p>\n

The wooden box fit roughly on his lap.\u00a0 It was a thing of beauty, made of cherry with mahogany and ivory inlays.\u00a0 It put him in mind of the chest Marie used to keep her jewels in and he wondered briefly if it had belonged to a woman. \u00a0It was filled almost entirely with letters and papers.\u00a0 A quick glance told him that most of the papers were of a business nature and dated from the eighteen-thirties; from the time before Hop Sing had come to work for him.\u00a0 As he rifled through them, one in particular caught his eye.<\/p>\n

It was a warrant for Hop Sing\u2019s arrest.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa,\u201d Adam said as he opened the door and poked his head in.\u00a0 \u201cDeputy Roy\u2019s here with the men from the settlement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben raised a hand in acknowledgment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d his son asked as he entered and crossed the room to his side.<\/p>\n

Without a word, he handed the warrant to him.<\/p>\n

Adam perused its contents quickly, and then went back and read it again more slowly.\u00a0 \u201cDo you think the woman it mentions is the one in the locket?\u201d he asked as he handed it back.<\/p>\n

A woman was dead.\u00a0 Hop Sing had been sought in connection with the crime.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he said as he began to rifle through the rest of the papers.\u00a0 There were a good many letters at the bottom.\u00a0 Most seemed to be from the same period of time.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou fellers ready?\u201d Roy Coffee asked as he stepped into the house.\u00a0 \u201cWe got us a plan for coverin\u2019 all the Ponderosa, but it will take every man we got.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stopped what he was doing and looked up.\u00a0 While the papers and letters in the box were interesting, they had little to do with their present dilemma.\u00a0 Or at least, he didn\u2019t think they did.\u00a0 Later.\u00a0 Later, after his sons were found, he would return to them and explore this facet of the man he called \u2018friend\u2019.<\/p>\n

A man he was beginning to believe he had never known.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn our way, Roy,\u201d the rancher responded as Adam headed for the kitchen and the saddlebags they had filled with supplies in preparation for several days in the saddle.<\/p>\n

He had his coat on by the time his son reappeared,<\/p>\n

\u201cI got me a feelin\u2019 in my bones, Ben,\u201d Roy said as they headed out the door.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re gonna find those boys of yours today.\u00a0 I just know it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded as he reached for his hat.\u00a0 \u201cGod willing, Roy.\u00a0 God willing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once outside he spoke to his men.\u00a0 Most of them were old hands who had watched Hoss grow from a boy to a budding man and they were keen to find whoever had taken him and make them pay. \u00a0There was a deep burning ember of hatred within them for the boys\u2019 kidnappers and for what they had done to Jeb Wilson.\u00a0 Thanks to Paul Martin, Jeb was going to pull through, but the man\u2019s recovery would be lengthy due to the nature of the injury and his advanced age.\u00a0 Ben took time to look each one in the eye, letting them know he meant it when he said he appreciated their willingness to volunteer and <\/em>that he wanted them to abide by the law.\u00a0 He reminded them that there were two boys whose lives depended on them not losing their heads or doing anything rash.\u00a0 Roy stepped up then and spoke.\u00a0 He\u2019d deputized a dozen men.\u00a0 He stressed that the volunteers in each party needed to let the lawmen with them take the lead if they came across anything, and that they were to send word back to him or Ben before taking any action.<\/p>\n

The rancher closed his eyes as his friend spoke.\u00a0 He was only half-listening.\u00a0 A fear had taken root in his heart as his gaze moved from one anxious face to the next, including Old Henry and Phillip Chase.\u00a0 For all he knew, the men who took Hoss and Little Joe could be in the crowd surrounding him.\u00a0 If they felt threatened \u2013 if they feared exposure and possible capture \u2013 they might just cut their losses and run.\u00a0 Little Joe and Hoss could be lost; abandoned and left behind.<\/p>\n

Or, their abductors might simply kill them.<\/p>\n

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

He looked at his son.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re ready to ride out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where, Ben wondered?\u00a0 Where would they go?\u00a0 Just how <\/em>did you begin to search an area when the area you were searching was literally the size of a small state?<\/p>\n

\u201cRobert Olin\u2019s back,\u201d his eldest said.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s taking a party of men and heading into the desert.\u00a0 Roy thought we should start here since we know the land best, and work our way toward the settlement.\u00a0 Maybe head for some of the old abandoned mining towns.\u201d\u00a0 When he said nothing, his son asked, \u201cPa?\u00a0 Are you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher shook his head. \u201cNo, son, I\u2019m not all right, and I won\u2019t be all right until both your brothers are safely home.\u00a0 I\u2019m worried for them both, but my chief concern is for Little Joe.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s safe to say that his kidnappers will give little thought for the boy\u2019s welfare.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe\u2019s tough, Pa.\u00a0 Tougher than you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s such a sensitive boy\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I know Little Joe, his last thought will be for his own welfare.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be worried about Hoss.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s lips curled with an affectionate smile.\u00a0 \u201cI imagine Joe\u2019s hard at work figuring out a way to escape right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour brother can\u2019t walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat won\u2019t stop Joe trying.\u201d\u00a0 Adam placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cTrust him.\u00a0 Trust both of them.\u00a0 They\u2019ll fight as hard as they can to come home safe to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded as he briefly covered his son\u2019s hand with his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ready, Ben?\u201d Roy Coffee asked.<\/p>\n

The rancher looked toward the Heavens.<\/p>\n

Let He who hath the steerage of my course, direct my sail. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hop Sing watched as Lu Lin closed the door behind her and walked down the short flight of steps leading from Sebastian Stephen\u2019s house.\u00a0 She lived with her brother in a small house in the area of Gold Hill known as Chinatown. \u00a0He had watched her grow from a child to a beautiful young woman in the time he had lived with the Cartwrights. It saddened him to find her working for such a bitter man as Sebastian Stephens.\u00a0 He was sure the wealthy man paid her well and this, most likely, was why Lu Lin remained with him in spite of his harsh treatment of her.<\/p>\n

Leaving the shadows, the Asian man blocked her path.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonorable Lu Lin,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cThis one must speak with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes darted back to the house.\u00a0 \u201cMost honorable Hop Sing, it is not wise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWise or not, this one must.\u201d\u00a0 He indicated the arbor behind him.\u00a0 \u201cI would ask you to join me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lu Lin looked extremely nervous.\u00a0 He knew she feared her employer, but sensed there was more to her agitated state than simple fear.\u00a0 Her beautiful face was pale; her cheeks sunken and her eyes rimmed with red.\u00a0 She hesitated and then nodded and preceded him into the shadows.<\/p>\n

Before he could speak, she said, \u201cI know why you are here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen perhaps, you will tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her lips parted, but she shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cI cannot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCannot, or will not?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Lu Lin winced.\u00a0 Tears glistened in her dark eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI do not fear for my own life, honorable Hop Sing, but for the life of one I love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is for the life of those I<\/em> love that I have come to you,\u201d he countered.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps you can explain to this one how one life can be worth more than another?\u201d<\/p>\n

The young woman closed her eyes and dropped her head.\u00a0 \u201cThis one is ashamed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing reached out.\u00a0 He took her chin in his fingers and lifted her head.\u00a0 \u201cWhat has Sebastian Stephens threatened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother,\u201d she began, \u201che has brought dishonor on our house.\u00a0 He has\u2026stolen from the man who owns him.\u00a0 If I\u2026speak, Mister Stephens will turn Lu Yin into the law and they will hang him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow will he know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes grew wide.\u00a0 \u201cHe is a devil.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man nodded.<\/p>\n

So he had learned long ago.<\/p>\n

———-<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is that you are doing?\u201d Clare\u2019s light voice asked.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing turned toward her.\u00a0 Sebastian Stephen\u2019s beautiful daughter was in her bed; her back propped by many pillows.\u00a0 He was sitting at a table by the window, its surface illuminated by a single shaft of light.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am preparing willow bark,\u201d he replied.\u00a0 \u201cSince before the Christ was born, it has been used to treat headaches.\u00a0 The bark crushed is good for pain and inflammation. I am making a tea for you to drink.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clare was silent a moment.\u00a0 \u201cAre you a Christian?\u201d<\/p>\n

He rose and headed toward her, carrying a pot of steaming water and a cup filled with the preparation he had made.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe man whose home I live in is a Baptist.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled shyly.\u00a0 \u201cThis one listens when he talks.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled as well.\u00a0 \u201cNot preaches?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head as he placed the cup on a bedside table and slowly poured boiling water over the leaves.\u00a0 \u201cLee Chen does not preach.\u00a0 He speaks and answers when I question.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clare leaned back against the pillows, her arm languidly thrown across her forehead.\u00a0 \u201cThere are a few churches in Yerba Buena.\u00a0 They\u2019re all Catholic, so Papa says we cannot go.\u00a0 He has a man who comes here to conduct services.\u201d\u00a0 The beautiful young woman pursed her lips as if she had tasted something sour.\u00a0 \u201cAll he does<\/em> is preach.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue faith is confirmed by the heart, confessed by the tongue, and acted upon by the body,\u201d he said as he picked the cup up and handed it to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does it taste like?\u201d she asked, looking at it from under her arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cA life without pain,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

Her lips curled.\u00a0 \u201cIn other words, awful.\u201d\u00a0 She made a face as she sipped the liquid it contained.<\/p>\n

\u201cBitter herb often brings sweet fruit,\u201d he replied with a hint of a smile.<\/p>\n

The young woman took another sip, this time making less of a face.\u00a0 A moment later she handed it back empty.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks are not necessary.\u00a0 It is my duty to heal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, caring for me, it\u2019s just a matter of duty?\u00a0 You find no pleasure in it?\u201d\u00a0 Clare looked directly at him.\u00a0 \u201cI think I\u2019ve been insulted.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did not know how to reply.\u00a0 His experience of women \u2013 other than family \u2013 was limited, and of white women was practically non-existent.\u00a0 He knew some were what men called \u2018teases\u2019, while others were vain and found it necessary to have men approve of them.\u00a0 Meeting Clare\u2019s gaze, he did not think she was either of these things.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is my pleasure, Missy Clare,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cThis one is honored to be allowed to care for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her face broke into a smile, brighter than the beam spilling into the room.\u00a0 Clare reached out, offering him her hand.\u00a0 He took it, because he felt he must, though he knew he should not.<\/p>\n

\u201cDear Hop Sing, you have it wrong,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cThe pleasure is all mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

———-<\/p>\n

\u201cXu\u00e9 h\u01ceo s\u0101n ni\u00e1n, xu\u00e9 hu\u00e0i s\u0101n ti\u0101n<\/em>,\u201d he said softly.\u00a0 \u201cIt takes three years to learn well, but only three days to forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, you must choose to do good or evil will have its way.<\/p>\n

Lu Lin hung her head again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is your brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

It snapped back up.\u00a0 She looked startled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI watched him ride away half of an hour ago.\u00a0 Where does he go?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her voice was small as a mouse.\u00a0 \u201cI do not know.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t believe her, but he let it pass.\u00a0 \u201cBut you know what he went for.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cI do not know\u2026for certain.\u00a0 When Lu Yin comes in the house, he and Mister Stephens go into the study and lock the door.\u00a0 It is there they speak.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you have listened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly once.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he catch you?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded.<\/p>\n

Hence the bruise on her cheek.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing thought a moment.\u00a0 \u201cDo not speak.\u00a0 Simply nod.\u00a0 Did this conversation have to do with Mister Cartwright\u2019s sons?\u201d<\/p>\n

A hesitation, and then another nod.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes Mister Stephens know where they are?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d she breathed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd does your brother tend to them where they are?\u201d<\/p>\n

Tears flooded her eyes.\u00a0 Again, there was silence and then a soft, painful sigh.\u00a0 \u201cAs do I.\u201d<\/p>\n

He reached out to catch her wrist.\u00a0 \u201cLu Lin.\u00a0 Are they well?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her dark lashes fluttered, sending tears streaming down her cheeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonorable Hop Sing must hurry.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TEN<\/p>\n

Hoss no longer cared whether the men holdin\u2019 them knew he had his hands free or not.<\/p>\n

A sound had awakened him earlier and he\u2019d reached out to touch his brother, only to find Little Joe wasn\u2019t by his side.\u00a0 He pert near panicked until he felt around and realized the boy had toppled over and was layin\u2019 on the cold stone floor.\u00a0 Picking his brother up, he\u2019d returned Joe to his lap and begun to work on the ropes that bound the little boy\u2019s arms together.\u00a0 Joe woke up while he was doin\u2019 it.\u00a0 His brother held still as he worked the knots loose and then flung his arms about him the minute he was free and took hold like he was three stories up and afraid to fall.\u00a0 Little Joe was hot \u2013 really<\/em> hot.\u00a0 Even so he\u2019d been shiverin\u2019 to beat the band.\u00a0 Fearin\u2019 for him, Hoss had retrieved his vest from the floor and wrapped it around his skinny frame before pullin\u2019 him close.\u00a0 Joe was whimperin\u2019, so he kept talkin\u2019, tellin\u2019 the little boy he was right there and everythin\u2019 was gonna be okay.<\/p>\n

He sure <\/em>wished he believed what he said.<\/p>\n

That had been a few hours back.\u00a0 He\u2019d been waiting ever since for someone to tote in some water so\u2019s he could give his little brother a drink, but so far no one had.\u00a0 Since he\u2019d been taken, it seemed there was always someone comin\u2019 and goin\u2019.\u00a0 There\u2019d be voices outside or he\u2019d hear footsteps, and every so often a light would shine into the room and someone would open the door and come inside.\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019d been in mines before with Adam and their pa.\u00a0 Adam said that a mine without a light was a new definition of \u2018black\u2019.<\/p>\n

He sure did miss that light.<\/p>\n

Hoss stared out into the gloom, thinking about all the shafts and corridors that were out there and how they burrowed into the earth like a prairie dog.\u00a0 For the life of him, he couldn\u2019t understand why any man would want to work in a mine.\u00a0 If you had to do it, that was one thing, but to choose <\/em>to leave the light and the air and all of God\u2019s glorious creation behind to labor in a pitch-black pit?<\/p>\n

That was his <\/em>new definition of \u2018crazy\u2019!<\/p>\n

Tiny fingers plucking at his chin brought Hoss back to the present.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, punkin?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m thirsty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss licked his lips.\u00a0 \u201cI know, Little Joe.\u00a0 I am too, but we ain\u2019t got any water.\u201d The big teen leaned over and picked up a crust of bread.\u00a0 He\u2019d been hoarding little bits over the last few meals just in case\u2026.<\/p>\n

Well, just in case.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got me some bread.\u00a0 You want it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s head shook against his shirt.<\/p>\n

Hoss placed a hand on his brother\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 \u201cYou got yourself some fever goin\u2019 there, little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you think I know that, you big lug!\u201d Joe snapped.<\/p>\n

It was good to hear some fire in Joe\u2019s tone.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure <\/em>we don\u2019t have any water?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Little Joe. \u00a0They ain\u2019t brought anythin\u2019 for a couple of hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you looked around?\u00a0 Maybe there\u2019s some in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, you know I can\u2019t \u2018look around\u2019 at nothin\u2019,\u201d he snorted.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s black as a winter chimney in here!\u201d<\/p>\n

Even as he said it, the big teen wondered why he hadn\u2019t<\/em> gotten up to check out the space they occupied.\u00a0 He guessed it was because he didn\u2019t want to leave Little Joe behind \u2013 and he still didn\u2019t.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t smell of blasting powder or nothin\u2019 so he didn\u2019t think it was a storeroom.\u00a0 Maybe it was the foreman\u2019s office or somethin\u2019 like that.\u00a0 Hoss remained silent as he considered his little brother\u2019s needs.\u00a0 It was damp and cold in the room and Lu Lin had never brought that blanket.\u00a0 Maybe there was one here, or maybe there was something else like a coat or shirt hangin\u2019 on a peg that he could toss over Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re awful quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI was just thinkin\u2019 about how smart you are, little brother.\u00a0 Could be <\/em>there\u2019s some things in here we could use.\u201d\u00a0 He paused.\u00a0 \u201cI hate to put you down, but\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sure you will, he thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna scoot you off my lap and lean you against the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026okay\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

After he was sure Joe was propped real nice, Hoss unbuttoned his shirt and removed it.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gonna put my shirt around you to keep you warm,\u201d he said as he lifted his brother\u2019s feverish form and began to wrap it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019ll get cold!\u201d Little Joe protested meekly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got an extra shirt on \u2018cause I was ridin\u2019 night fence,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be gone long, Hoss,\u201d Joe\u2019s small voice pleaded.<\/p>\n

He put his hand on his brother\u2019s head and ruffled his damp curls.\u00a0 \u201cI won\u2019t.\u00a0 I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was like bein\u2019 blind, only he didn\u2019t have no cane to feel around with.\u00a0 One thing Hoss found out right quick was that the room weren\u2019t very big.\u00a0 He hit a wall within seven steps and that put it at under twenty feet.\u00a0 Luckily, he didn\u2019t hit anythin\u2019 else.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou find anything, Hoss?\u201d Joe called out.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet, little brother.\u00a0 Just hold them horses of yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss changed directions, heading left from where he\u2019d been.\u00a0 A few seconds later he said, \u201cOuch!\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

His knee had encountered something hard and now that he felt along it, he thought it was a wooden desk.\u00a0 It was empty of papers and pencils, and there wasn\u2019t a chair.\u00a0 Or at least he hadn\u2019t found one yet.\u00a0 Hoss almost fell when his hands encountered a dead space with nothing in it and then \u2013 thank the Almighty! \u2013 he felt something made of a heavy cloth.<\/p>\n

He also felt a slight breeze.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d you find?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomethin\u2019 that\u2019ll make you feel a sight better, little brother,\u201d he answered as he moved toward the opening through which the air was pouring.\u00a0 It was<\/em> a door \u2013 the<\/em> door to their prison he imagined.\u00a0 He was about to test it when he heard those voices he\u2019d been missin\u2019 \u2013 only he wasn\u2019t so happy about hearin\u2019 them now.\u00a0 Turning in his brother\u2019s direction, Hoss ordered, \u201cLittle Joe, you keep quiet.\u00a0 Someone\u2019s comin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

A small moan told him his brother had heard.<\/p>\n

Hoss reached up to feel the door and discovered it had a small window in it, which had been broken out at some time.\u00a0 He paused just to the side of it and listened.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t hear much.\u00a0 The men weren\u2019t close, but he managed to catch a few words.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026with them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026sure.\u00a0 \u2026said he\u2019ll\u2026let us know today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026cares.\u00a0 \u2026dead by sundown.\u201d<\/p>\n

The big teen froze.\u00a0 He stood there, contemplatin\u2019 what he\u2019d heard as the voices moved away.\u00a0 There was a few glass shards left in the window, but he didn\u2019t care.\u00a0 Hoss pushed his arm through it and reached down, prayin\u2019 that he could find the lock and that the key would still be in it.<\/p>\n

All he managed to do was cut the heck out of his armpit.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss?\u201d Joe called.\u00a0 \u201cAre\u2026you\u2026comin\u2019 back\u2026soon?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little brother\u2019s teeth was chatterin\u2019.<\/p>\n

Hoss turned and caught the garment off the hook.\u00a0 It was a heavy coat made out of wool, with a big old collar just right for turnin\u2019 up.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know if it belonged to one of the men who\u2019d brought them there, or if it belonged to whoever had used this office once upon a time, but he didn\u2019t care.\u00a0 For his little brother, it was big as a blanket.<\/p>\n

Little Joe was slid partway down the wall by the time he got to him.\u00a0 Hoss caught his brother under the arms and lifted him up.\u00a0 He held the little boy to his chest while he slipped the coat around him, and then lowered Joe to the floor and sat beside him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Hoss.\u00a0 It\u2019s\u2026real warm,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cDid you\u2026find a\u2026way out too?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss laid a hand on his brother\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m gonna sit with you a while and then I\u2019m gonna go and look again.\u00a0 Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s reply was quiet.\u00a0 \u201cI was kind of hoping you were gonna find a way out.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was glad his brother couldn\u2019t see his frown.\u00a0 Hoss was thinkin\u2019 about what he\u2019d heard those men say.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know what they was plannin\u2019, but whatever it was, it wasn\u2019t good.\u00a0 Seemed to him that whoever was holdin\u2019 them must have decided they weren\u2019t worth it, or were too much trouble, or maybe, they\u2019d just been waitin\u2019 and meant to kill them all along.\u00a0 Even as that dark thought took root, hope sprung in Hoss\u2019 large heart.\u00a0 Maybe the bad men knew their pa was on the way!\u00a0 Maybe they was thinkin\u2019 they was gonna get one over on their father, but these varmints didn\u2019t know Pa.\u00a0 Pa would move heaven and earth to find them.<\/p>\n

Hoss looked toward the door.<\/p>\n

He just better do it before sundown.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright sat across the camp fire from his eldest son, his thoughts as black as his mood.\u00a0 He was tired\u2026well, exhausted really.\u00a0 From the time of Little Joe\u2019s accident, he\u2019d had very little to eat and even less sleep.\u00a0 His nights were plagued with dreams, the theme of which was always the same: all three of his sons were dead.\u00a0 In his nightmares he watched them die, or found out they were dead, or stood before three open graves watching the coffins being lowered into the ground \u2013 and the worst thing was, there was no reason.\u00a0 There was no one to blame.<\/p>\n

No one but Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

The rancher shook himself.\u00a0 He was a man who put faith in his good judgment and, from the moment he had met Hop Sing, he had known he was a good man.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t doubt him, not really, but he wished his old friend had taken him into his confidence before leaving.\u00a0 The system of honor held sacred by the Chinese and cultures like theirs was a worthy one.\u00a0 It placed others above one\u2019s self and created a world where elders and children alike were respected and truth was paramount.\u00a0 At the same time, it had a darker side where secrets were kept and cowardly acts committed in the dark in order to keep one\u2019s \u2018face\u2019.\u00a0 Hop Sing had lived in America for fifteen years or more.\u00a0 He\u2019d become Westernized in some ways, but in others was still a man of the East.<\/p>\n

A man of mystery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you like more coffee, Pa?\u201d Adam asked, breaking into his reverie.<\/p>\n

He shook his head.<\/p>\n

There was a pause.\u00a0 \u201cAre you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben looked at Adam \u2013 really<\/em> looked at him.\u00a0 Though he was a man \u2013 at twenty-two \u2013 to him, his son seemed little more than a boy.\u00a0 Only six short years ago he had been Hoss\u2019 age.\u00a0 A child really, in the greater scope of things.\u00a0 Though he\u2019d<\/em> sailed away from everything he knew at a younger age and<\/em> thought himself grown and worldy-wise, in reality, he had known nothing.\u00a0 His had been a fairly happy childhood and adolescence.\u00a0 Though he and his father fought, he\u2019d known the older man loved him dearer than his own life.\u00a0 His parents cared for him \u2013 protected him \u2013 just as he had done with his boys.\u00a0 In Hoss and Little Joe that had bred a sense of safety and a willingness to trust.\u00a0 Perhaps a little too <\/em>much so.\u00a0 Adam, on the other hand, had seen his fair share of the dark underbelly of life on the journey west and come away from it guarded and wary.<\/p>\n

He just hoped the boy was wary enough <\/em>to keep from falling prey to the same men who had taken his brothers.<\/p>\n

Ben stretched and leaned back against the bole of the pine tree he was sitting under.\u00a0 They\u2019d made camp in a small grove with one of Roy\u2019s deputies and about a dozen other men.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m worried about your brothers.\u201d\u00a0 The rancher paused.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam grinned.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019d have to be some pretty bold kidnappers to snatch me out from under the eye of all these armed men.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey took you brother out of his bedroom while we were in the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eldest sobered quickly.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 I have to admit, that\u2019s pretty bold.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, son, for playing it safe.\u00a0 I know it chafes at you to be watched over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2026.\u00a0 I remember when I was a little kid.\u00a0 The wagon train was a pretty dangerous place, but I never worried about it.\u00a0 I knew you were there, keeping watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

As best he could.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what\u2019s the plan for tomorrow?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

The day had fled.\u00a0 His youngest sons had been missing for over twenty-four hours now.\u00a0 Ben glanced at the lawman who was traveling with them; a good solid man of middle years whose name was Lucas Painter.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t help feeling we are going about this the wrong way.\u00a0 I know it was my idea to begin the search, but something keeps calling me back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think Hop Sing\u2019s the answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThe best one we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you want to go back and find him, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

He did, but he didn\u2019t want to leave Adam alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be okay,\u201d his son said, reading his mind.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll stick to the group and not go anywhere alone, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben frowned.\u00a0 Adam was <\/em>a man.\u00a0 He could trust him to look out for himself.<\/p>\n

Or, at least that\u2019s what he kept telling himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you going to leave now or in the morning?\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher placed his cup on the ground.\u00a0 \u201cNow.\u00a0 There\u2019s plenty of light with the moon so full.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen go<\/em>, Pa.\u00a0 If there\u2019s one thing I\u2019ve learned in my life, it\u2019s to trust your intuitions.\u00a0 You\u2019re seldom wrong.<\/p>\n

Ben looked at his boy.\u00a0 He raised on eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cCan I have that in writing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam laughed.\u00a0 \u201cSure.\u00a0 I can always claim it\u2019s a forgery.\u201d<\/p>\n

He rose to his feet and his son did as well.\u00a0 \u201cHave I told you lately how much I love you, son?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat depends on your definition of \u2018lately\u2019.\u201d Adam grinned.\u00a0 \u201cI think it might have been twelve hours ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToo long.\u201d\u00a0 Ben touched his son\u2019s cheek.\u00a0 \u201cI love you.\u00a0 Take care of yourself.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be back as soon as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam Cartwright woke after only a few fitful hours of sleep.\u00a0 He sat up and blinked, and then stretched and yawned before rising to his feet.\u00a0 For a second, it had taken him by surprise not to find his father and brothers sleeping beside him.\u00a0 Then it all came crashing back \u2013 Little Joe\u2019s accident and kidnapping, Hoss\u2019 disappearance; his father leaving the night before. \u00a0Adam gazed in the direction his pa had gone and wondered how far the older man had made it by his moon and starlight before he had to stop.\u00a0 Knowing his father \u2013 and Pa\u2019s determination \u2013 he was probably pulling up in front of the house right about now.<\/p>\n

\u201cMornin\u2019, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

The black-haired man turned to find Deputy Lucas Painter approaching.\u00a0 Painter was around Roy Coffee\u2019s age and had been a sheriff when he was young.\u00a0 The sandy-haired man said his shoulders got smaller the older he became and they weren\u2019t big enough to carry all that responsibility any more. \u00a0He was lean and tough as a month old piece of jerky, with a shock of mustard yellow hair and crisp blue eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Lucas,\u201d Adam replied as he bent to pick up his bed roll.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t see your father around.\u00a0 Did he go missin\u2019 too?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cPa decided to go home.\u00a0 He felt he could accomplish more there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucas\u2019 brows met in the center.\u00a0 He was silent a moment and then he asked, \u201cSo what do you two know that I don\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucas shifted his weight from one foot to the other.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t born yesterday, son, and I know your father well.\u00a0 The fact that you\u2019re<\/em> still here indicates that we need to keep searchin\u2019 for your brothers.\u00a0 Otherwise, he would have taken you with him.\u201d\u00a0 Lucas was looking straight at him.\u00a0 \u201cLook, Adam.\u00a0 Everyone in the Nevada territory knows how your pa is about you boys.\u00a0 He\u2019d turn Heaven and Earth upside down and march straight into Hell to find one of you if you went missin\u2019, and make the men who took you pay.\u00a0 So, why <\/em>did your father leave?\u201d<\/p>\n

He said nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere must be something \u2013 or someone \u2013 back at the Ponderosa who knows somethin\u2019 I don\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0 Lucas pinned him with that \u2018look\u2019 lawmen got, when they were just about to use the power of the badge.\u00a0 \u201cSomethin\u2019 I don\u2019t that I should<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

He considered it a moment.\u00a0 The lawman was right.\u00a0 If it had been anyone other <\/em>than Hop Sing, they would have gone straight to the law with the information they had \u2013 sketchy as it was.<\/p>\n

But it was <\/em>Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

Adam bit the inside of his lip.\u00a0 \u201cLucas, really, Pa just felt we might have missed something.\u00a0 He was feeling\u2026frustrated that we haven\u2019t made any progress.\u00a0 He wanted to start at point A and move back through B to C.\u201d\u00a0 He cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll rejoin us later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucas continued to stare at him.\u00a0 Then he nodded his head.\u00a0 \u201cOkay.\u00a0 We\u2019ll go with that for now.\u00a0 If there\u2019s one thing the Cartwrights are known for, it\u2019s their honesty.\u00a0 I\u2019ll take you at your word.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawman really knew how to turn the screw.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Lucas.\u00a0 If Pa finds out anything, we will certainly share it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do that.\u00a0 That\u2019s the way we\u2019ll keep your brothers alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

And with that, he turned and walked away.<\/p>\n

Adam let out a sigh as he watched the man go.\u00a0 Lucas was right.\u00a0 He should have told him about Hop Sing.\u00a0 It was just, well, Hop Sing was family, and if one of his family was suspected of something \u2013 something that had not been proven \u2013 he would keep it close and not tell anyone until and unless he had<\/em> to. \u00a0It was all too easy for men to misinterpret words.\u00a0 He\u2019d seen lynch mobs formed over a rumor.\u00a0 And if word got out that a man from China was suspected in the disappearance of two white boys, well\u2026.<\/p>\n

He shuddered.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Cartwright!\u00a0 We\u2019re gonna be heading out soon.\u00a0 You better get moving.\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned to find one of the men who had volunteered to help in the search for Hoss and Joe waving at him.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know him, so he presumed he\u2019d come from the settlement.\u00a0 He was a big man and kind of looked like an older version of Hoss.\u00a0 Adam lifted his hand and waved back.\u00a0 The man was right.\u00a0 Half the camp was ready to roll and he was still standing in the middle of it holding his bed roll.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe ready in a minute,\u201d he responded as he finished rolling it up.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long to gather his things and secure them to his horse\u2019s saddle.\u00a0 That left only a few things to do before mounting up.\u00a0 First, Adam returned to the fire where he downed the last of his slightly stale coffee and ate a stick of jerky skinny as Lucas.\u00a0 Then he went to the stream that bubbled nearby and splashed some water in his face.\u00a0 Finally, the black-haired man headed into the trees to take care of business.\u00a0 He\u2019d finished and was ready to return to camp when something stopped him.<\/p>\n

That \u2018something\u2019 being the barrel of a gun pressed into his ribs.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake a sound and you won\u2019t ever make one again,\u201d a familiar voice warned.<\/p>\n

Adam glanced over his shoulder.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t surprised to find it was Bush Sears who held the gun on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMight I ask what you\u2019re doing?\u201d he inquired.<\/p>\n

Bush snorted.\u00a0 \u201cAnd here I thought you were the smart <\/em>Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I will admit that I am a bit puzzled.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lawman and about a dozen other armed men on the other side of these trees.\u00a0 If your intention is to rob me, you might have chosen a more opportune moment.\u00a0 All I have to do is call out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRob you?\u201d Sears scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cI get paid good, Cartwright. \u00a0I\u2019m not robbing you.\u00a0 I\u2019m gonna take you to see your little brothers.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that what you want?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stiffened.\u00a0 He and Pa had suspected Sears, but to hear him admit it\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss and Little Joe,\u201d he demanded.\u00a0 \u201cYou better<\/em> tell me they\u2019re all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat big one, he\u2019s okay.\u00a0 The little one ain\u2019t feelin\u2019 too good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat have you done to Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t done nothin\u2019.\u00a0 The kid was sick when we took him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOut of his bedroom,\u201d he snarled.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 It was kind of dumb, leaving a window open like that.\u201d\u00a0 The barrel pushed more deeply into his ribs. \u00a0\u201cDoesn\u2019t your Pa know the night air ain\u2019t good for little boys?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I take it you\u2019re kidnapping me as well?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 You come nice and quiet, Cartwright, and no one back there in the camp needs to get hurt.\u00a0 There\u2019s more of us in the search party.\u00a0 You yell and there\u2019ll be a bloodbath.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam drew a breath and held it. With Lucas and the other men so close, he could probably get away.<\/p>\n

But did he want<\/em> to?<\/p>\n

Hoss had to be terrified.\u00a0 He was alone with Little Joe, who was sick \u2013 and who knew how <\/em>sick?\u00a0 No one knew where his brothers were and this man was going to lead him to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d his kidnapper asked.<\/p>\n

Adam sighed.\u00a0 He\u2019d made his father a promise and he\u2019d just made the choice to break it.<\/p>\n

He sure hoped his<\/em> shoulders were big enough.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben topped the last rise before his home just as the dawn light broke over the mountains.\u00a0 With every clop of his horse\u2019s hooves he\u2019d grown more determined to get to the bottom of whatever was happening.\u00a0 Obviously someone held a grudge against Hop Sing and he was certain Hop Sing knew who it was. Why else would the Asian man have vanished?\u00a0 Ben kept reminding himself that Hop Sing was a trusted friend and that whatever his motives were, they had to be pure.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t believe the Asian man would do anything to willingly<\/em> put the boys in danger.\u00a0 As the note said, Hop Sing did<\/em> think of Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe as his \u2018sons\u2019.\u00a0 His dear wife on her deathbed had put the boys in their housekeeper\u2019s care and Hop Sing had done everything he could to fulfill that sacred duty.\u00a0 He washed their clothes and fed them, tended them when they were sick, and had been there for them when he<\/em>, in his grief, had abdicated his responsibilities and abandoned the three most precious things in his life.<\/p>\n

Still, there was something Hop Sing was not telling him and he simply could not let that stand.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d stopped briefly in the settlement on his way back to the Ponderosa to grab a cup of coffee and inhale a piece of day old pie at Beth Riley\u2019s shop.\u00a0 He knew she\u2019d be up early baking.\u00a0 Beth had welcomed him in and they\u2019d chatted for a bit as he ate.\u00a0 When he put his hat on and headed for the door, she\u2019d called him back.\u00a0 Beth explained that she\u2019d been going home late the night before and her path \u2013 as he knew \u2013 took her past Sebastian Stephens\u2019 grand house.\u00a0 She\u2019d glanced at the mansion as she walked past, and seen two people standing outside.<\/p>\n

\u2018Is there any reason Hop Sing would have been visiting so late?\u2019 she\u2019d asked him innocently.<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s jaw clenched at the thought of the slick Easterner.\u00a0 He detested the man and had assumed when Hoss disappeared, that Stephens had been behind it.\u00a0 It was the same with Little Joe.\u00a0 He knew there were unscrupulous men who would stop at nothing to get what they wanted, and Sebastian was certainly one of them.<\/p>\n

Then the note had come.<\/p>\n

Impossible as it seemed, it appeared that the kidnapping of his sons was aimed at Hop Sing and not<\/em> at him.<\/p>\n

Could the two men be somehow connected?<\/p>\n

Ben reined in his mount after rounding the end of the stable. \u00a0Since most of the men were out looking for Hoss and Joe, the yard was deserted \u2013 with one exception. \u00a0A small wagon with a team of horses was tethered to the rail in front of the house.\u00a0 The animals looked at him as he dismounted and approached and pawed the ground, as if anxious to be on their way. \u00a0When he arrived at the wagon, Ben lifted the tarp that covered the bed and looked in.\u00a0 It held food and drink, enough for a long journey, but \u2013 even more surprisingly \u2013 most of Hop Sing\u2019s belongings.\u00a0 As he stood there, pondering what it meant, a sound caught his attention and he turned toward the front door.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing stood there; his mouth agape. \u00a0The wooden box that held his papers was in the Asian man\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n

Ben said nothing as he dropped the tarp and crossed to where his friend stood.\u00a0 Hop Sing met his gaze and then dropped his head.<\/p>\n

His jaw tight, the rancher asked, \u201cAre you running away?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s shoulders rose and fell with a sigh.\u00a0 He shook his head before looking up.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing not run.\u00a0 Leave.\u00a0 He no longer belong here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was that a supposition of his<\/em> own intent, or the intent of his friend, he wondered?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere?\u201d Ben asked, his jaw tight.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing not know.\u00a0 Only know he cannot stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben thought a moment, carefully selecting his words before continuing.\u00a0 \u201cIs whatever you are hiding worth abandoning my boys?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing not<\/em> abandon them!\u00a0 Hop Sing go to save <\/em>them!\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, that statement could be taken several ways.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you mean to say that your continued <\/em>presence here threatens them?\u00a0 Or,\u201d he moved closer, \u201cdo you mean you are going to find them?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man\u2019s knuckles were white against the brown box he held.\u00a0 He blinked back tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing mean both,\u201d he answered quietly<\/p>\n

Ben placed a hand on his cook\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing, I know you would never willingly<\/em> do anything to put Adam, Hoss, or Little Joe in jeopardy.\u00a0 But they are<\/em> in jeopardy.\u00a0 Running\u2026leaving\u2026will solve nothing.\u00a0 You, old friend, hold the key to unlocking this mystery.\u00a0 Whoever wrote that note called my boys your \u2018children\u2019.\u00a0 It\u2019s true.\u00a0 They think of you as a surrogate or second father.\u00a0 Part of what they are \u2013 the men they will become<\/em> \u2013 is due to your loyalty and positive influence.\u201d\u00a0 His fingers tightened on Hop Sing\u2019s raw silk shirt.\u00a0 \u201cIf you truly<\/em> love my sons, you owe them \u2013 and me \u2013 the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing dropped his head.\u00a0 \u201cIt will bring much shame upon the name of Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care one whit about the name of Cartwright!\u201d Ben snapped.\u00a0 \u201cWhoever wrote that note has my sons!<\/em> \u00a0Their very lives are in peril!\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man remained silent for a dozen heartbeats before he nodded. \u00a0Hop Sing placed the box on the porch.\u00a0 Then he reached into his jacket pocket and produced the locket from the kitchen shrine.<\/p>\n

As he opened it and handed it to him, he said, \u201cThis is Missy Clare.\u00a0 Sebastian Stephens\u2019 only daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d Ben asked as he stared at the lovely, if haunted face within the frame.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis one killed her.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ELEVEN<\/p>\n

As Adam Cartwright stumbled in the dark, he wondered how long it had taken Lucas Painter and the other men in the search party to realize he\u2019d gone missing.\u00a0 His horse had been left behind, so that would have been a giant clue.\u00a0 Once he\u2019d agreed to go with Bush Sears, they had simply walked away.\u00a0 The route Bush took them on led through dense undergrowth and over rocky terrain.\u00a0 There would be next to nothing to guide the lawman to him.\u00a0 The few times they had left tracks, Sears had back-tracked and brushed them out, and then taken them even higher into the hills.<\/p>\n

He had no idea where they were going.<\/p>\n

They\u2019d been on the move for several hours when Bush called a halt.\u00a0 Even though he\u2019d promised not to try to escape, his kidnapper had bound his hands behind his back (\u2018to keep you off-balance\u2019) and tied a kerchief across his eyes.\u00a0 A rough grip on his arm had guided his steps up until the moment they stopped.<\/p>\n

\u2018Stay here!\u201d Sears ordered.\u00a0 \u2018You move one foot, Cartwright, and I promise I\u2019ll shoot one of those brothers of yours between the eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam did as he was told.\u00a0 He remained still \u2013 he held his breath, in fact \u2013 and waited.\u00a0 While he did, he listened.\u00a0 Somewhere, not too far ahead, two men were exchanging words.\u00a0 He heard his name \u2013 and his father\u2019s \u2013 as well as \u2018orders\u2019 and \u2018soon\u2019, and even more disturbingly, \u2018ditch\u2019.\u00a0 It seemed an eternity, but it wasn\u2019t very long before the hand returned to grip his arm and he was roughly propelled forward.\u00a0 The rough ground beneath his feet gave way to smooth rock and his footsteps began to echo.\u00a0 He\u2019d been in enough mines to recognize the sound.\u00a0 He was forced into a shaft and, as they descended, the air grew thick and a chill settled in his bones.\u00a0 They were moving to one of the mine\u2019s lower levels \u2013 into the bowels of the earth.<\/p>\n

Once there escape would be next to impossible, if<\/em> it was possible at all.<\/p>\n

When the elevator stopped, Sears shoved him again.\u00a0 They walked for a minute or two and then Bush released him \u2013 with a second warning not to move.\u00a0 Low whispers were exchanged before he heard a key turn in a lock.\u00a0 They moved forward again.\u00a0 There was a second key \u2013 a second lock \u2013 and then he was thrust forward.\u00a0 Bush shoved him with such force that he lost his balance and fell, striking his head against the cold stone floor, and momentarily blacked out.<\/p>\n

When he came to, Adam felt hot breath on his cheek.\u00a0 A hand quickly followed, slapping it gently.<\/p>\n

\u201cOlder brother, are you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though it was pitch-black in the room, he was seeing stars.\u00a0 \u201cMm\u2026mm okay,\u201d he mumbled as he reached for the back of his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cDang it, Adam!\u00a0 What\u2019re you doin\u2019 here?\u201d<\/p>\n

He swallowed as his brother helped him to right himself and the stars began to fall around them.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026ungrateful\u2026\u201d was all he managed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ain\u2019t that I ain\u2019t glad to see you, older brother,\u201d Hoss sighed, \u201cbut I ain\u2019t <\/em>glad to see you.\u00a0 Not here.\u00a0 Not like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam blinked trying to focus.\u00a0 \u201cAre you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI could just about eat a elephant, but otherwise I\u2019m okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked about, even though he couldn\u2019t see anything.\u00a0 \u201cIs Little Joe with you?\u00a0 Someone took him out of his bed.\u00a0 Bush said \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Little Joe\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was something \u2013 a sadness, maybe even a hopelessness in his brother\u2019s tone.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid they do something to him?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could say that.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss was angry.\u00a0 \u201cThey done locked Little Joe in this cold damp place when he ought to be in a room with a fire roarin\u2019 and about a dozen blankets on top of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Hoss finished, it hit him \u2013 what was \u2018off\u2019.\u00a0 The room was silent.<\/p>\n

Little Joe hadn\u2019t said anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss\u2026what aren\u2019t <\/em>you telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI done what I can, Adam, but I\u2019m scared it ain\u2019t enough. \u00a0Little Joe\u2019s awful sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOver by the wall.\u00a0 Come on, I\u2019ll help you up and take you to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam felt his brother\u2019s arm reach around his back.\u00a0 As he wobbled, Hoss asked, \u201cYou sure you can make it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine. \u00a0I don\u2019t think I hurt myself.\u00a0 I just had the wind knocked out of my sails.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, you did,\u201d his brother snorted.\u00a0 \u201cJust like Little Joe\u2019s \u2018fine\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a short walk \u2013 no more than the distance across the great room \u2013 but, to Adam, it felt like he\u2019d walked to the northern boundary of their land.\u00a0 Hoss leaned him against a wall.\u00a0 He heard the rustle of his brother\u2019s clothing as he crouched.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, punkin,\u201d Hoss said gently.\u00a0 \u201cWake up, Little Joe.\u00a0 We got us a visitor.\u201d<\/p>\n

A low moan was his reply.<\/p>\n

Adam felt his way down the wall and then felt along it, seeking his baby brother.\u00a0 His hand encountered the boy\u2019s curls and then his forehead \u2013 which was ablaze<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got quite a fever,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I know. \u00a0Not sure how long he\u2019s had it since I lost all track of day and night.\u00a0 I know he\u2019s in pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHas he been awake?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c…wake now\u2026\u201d a sleepy voice groused.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s a feller\u2026s\u2019posed to sleep\u2026with\u2026you two\u2026jabberin\u2019\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe,\u201d Adam asked as he touched his brother\u2019s cheek.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026fine\u2026go away\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I need you to stay awake, for just a minute.\u00a0 Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t want to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you don\u2019t, but I need you to talk to me.\u00a0 Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s asleep again, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

The black-haired man let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cHas he been able to feel his legs?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot so\u2019s I know.\u00a0 I gave up askin\u2019 him when he got so sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s fingers encountered the thick fabric wrapped around his baby brother.\u00a0 \u201cI see you found something to keep him warm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss took hold of the coat and tucked it in around Joe\u2019s chin.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, \u2018that\u2019s about all I been able to do for him.\u201d\u00a0 His brother paused.\u00a0 \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never answered my question.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was maneuvering himself into a seated position.\u00a0 Once settled, he reached over and pulled his little brother\u2019s feather-light frame onto his lap and cradled the boy\u2019s head against his chest.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t really do anything to help Joe, but it made him<\/em> feel better having the boy so close.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat question was that?\u201d he asked as he pushed a lock of sodden curls from Joe\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are <\/em>you doin\u2019 here?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a good question.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t have much choice,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid they kidnap you too?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSort of,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI was in the trees answering nature\u2019s call when Bush Sears came up to me and shoved the barrel of his gun in my ribs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWas you alone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was with a search party.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCouldn\u2019t you have called out for help?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam leaned his head against the wall.\u00a0 It was still throbbing, though the stars had faded.\u00a0 \u201cI could have, but under the circumstances, I decided not to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat circumstances?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe threatened to harm the men in the camp \u2013 said there were others in the search party that were with him.\u00a0 Lucas and his men could have been killed.\u201d\u00a0 He hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cBesides, I knew going with Sears might be our only hope of locating you and Little Joe.\u00a0 Pa and I have been looking, Hoss. \u00a0It\u2019s been days.<\/em>\u00a0 We had no trail and no clues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam pulled his baby brother tighter to his chest and decided not to add, \u2018and no hope<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n

Hoss fell silent.\u00a0 When he spoke again, he sounded like the sixteen-year-old boy he was \u2013 a boy who needed his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo Pa was with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was.\u00a0 He decided to go back home to speak with Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing?\u00a0 What\u2019s he got to do with anythin\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam winced.\u00a0 He\u2019d forgotten that Hoss didn\u2019t know about the note.\u00a0 Neither did Little Joe.\u00a0 He hesitated, unsure of whether or not he should tell his brother his suspicions.\u00a0 Did it really matter if, in the end, Hop Sing was exonerated of any wrong doing?<\/p>\n

\u201cPa suspects that Sebastian Stephens had something to do with your kidnapping,\u201d he responded, keeping somewhat to the truth.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing knows Yin and Lin Lu.\u00a0 They work for Stephens.\u00a0 Pa thought they might know something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he got that right,\u201d the big teen agreed. \u00a0\u201cStephens sure enough has somethin\u2019 to do with it.\u00a0 Matter of fact, both Lu Lin and her brother been comin\u2019 here and bringin\u2019 us grub.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stiffened.\u00a0 If that was true, then it really was<\/em> Stephens who was behind everything.<\/p>\n

But what was the bastard\u2019s connection to Hop Sing?<\/p>\n

\u201cDid either of them tell you anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah.\u00a0 That poor little gal is scared stiff and her brother, you know Yin, he just don\u2019t care.\u00a0 If he\u2019s bein\u2019 paid, he ain\u2019t gonna ask any questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did know Yin and did not<\/em> count him among his friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo,\u201d Hoss said, his tone wry, \u201cback to what you\u2019re <\/em>doin\u2019 here\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI came to rescue you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The big teen was stunned into silence.\u00a0 \u201cWell, you sure enough got a funny way of goin\u2019 about it,\u201d he said at last.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll figure something out.\u00a0 I have to,\u201d the black-haired man said as he felt his baby brother\u2019s forehead and winced at what he found.\u00a0 Little Joe was on fire.<\/p>\n

They were running out of time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mistah Ben sat in his leather chair, his fingers steepled under his chin.\u00a0 Behind his employer the fire in the hearth blazed, casting light and warmth across the great room.\u00a0 It did nothing to dispel the icy fist that gripped his heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you care to explain that last statement?\u201d Mistah Ben asked.<\/p>\n

Without looking up, he replied, \u201cHop Sing say what he mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou killed <\/em>someone?\u00a0 A woman?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo<\/em> someones,\u201d he sighed.\u00a0 \u201cSister and<\/em> brother.\u00a0 Both dead because of Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, tell me, how did you do it?\u00a0 Did you shoot them through the heart or use a rapier?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man\u2019s held came up sharply.<\/p>\n

Mistah Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing, wouldn\u2019t it be more truthful to say you feel that, in some way, you brought about their deaths?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing bring about deaths,\u201d he insisted.\u00a0 \u201cMake choice.\u00a0 Choice not wise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChoices of the heart seldom are, my friend. And that\u2019s what it was, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d\u00a0 His employer and friend pinned him\u00a0 with his keen brown stare.\u00a0 \u201cThe woman in the locket.\u00a0 Clare.\u00a0 She was the woman you loved, wasn\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man could see her as she was that last day.\u00a0 Sad as the twilight that was sure to come. \u00a0He had tended Missy Clare for six months, finding joy in bringing her relief from her pain.\u00a0 On many of his visits her brother would join them.\u00a0 Mistah Ethan would bring a book and read out loud as he worked grinding the needed herbs and creating tinctures.\u00a0 Due to this Maria Theresa no longer felt the need to remain.\u00a0 Had the older woman known what was to come, she would never have left.<\/p>\n

Had he <\/em>known, he would not have let her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d Mistah Ben asked.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing closed his eyes.\u00a0 Summer had ended and autumn come. \u00a0Red, orange, and yellow leaves blanketed the hill outside Clare\u2019s window; the one that led down to the bay where the tall ships came and went.\u00a0 The light that filtered into the beautiful young woman\u2019s room that day was golden as the ringlets that lay upon her collar; the breeze that rustled the curtains, crisp but not chill.\u00a0 When he entered the house that morning, he found Clare\u2019s brother had excused himself and retired to his room for the day, complaining of a headache.<\/p>\n

He would find out later that Ethan had lied.<\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, Hop Sing,\u201d Clare said as she walked to the window, \u201cbefore you came the light hurt my eyes so I could not bear it.\u00a0 I was like a caged thing, trapped in the dark.\u201d\u00a0 She looked over her shoulder at him.\u00a0 \u201cYou have freed me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMissy Clare is very kind,\u201d he replied as he began to pack his bag in preparation for departing. \u00a0\u201cThis one is humbled and unworthy of such praise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not like other men.\u00a0 Do you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n

He was uncertain of what she meant.\u00a0 \u201cIf Missy Clare says so,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do.\u00a0 Men are\u2026hard.\u00a0 Cruel even.\u00a0 Like my father, they seek power and ways to use it to rule others.\u201d\u00a0 Clare came toward him.\u00a0 \u201cThey use their abilities\u2026their talents to get what they want \u2013 no, to take<\/em> what they want.\u201d\u00a0 She was close now \u2013 so close it made him uncomfortable.\u00a0 Before he was aware of it, she had reached out and taken his hand in hers.\u00a0 \u201cYou use yours to give.\u00a0 Are all those who come from China like you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is our wisdom to walk in harmony with all, but there are those among us who chose to do otherwise.\u00a0 These men use their hands to bring harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut not you.\u00a0 You use your hands to heal.\u201d\u00a0 Clare startled him by leaning down and pressing her lips to his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cYour hands are beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMissy Clare, you must not \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy<\/em> must I not?\u00a0 Because you are Chinese and I am white?\u201d she snapped, a bit of an edge to her tone.\u00a0 \u201cBecause I have worth and you<\/em> do not?\u00a0 I have lived my life selfishly, seeking only my own pleasure; shut up in this house like a lark imprisoned, singing without knowing why, while you\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Tears entered her eyes as she reached up to touch his face.\u00a0 \u201cWhile you, dear Hop Sing, have chosen a life free from such restraints \u2013 a life of giving.\u201d\u00a0 A single tear slipped down her cheek.\u00a0 \u201cYou have given me<\/em> so much\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

He broke away.\u00a0 \u201cMissy Clare must not say these things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I must.<\/em>\u00a0 Ethan told me my father intends to dismiss you upon his return.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was surprised.\u00a0 \u201cAnd why is this?\u201d<\/p>\n

She pouted.\u00a0 \u201cI was foolish.\u00a0 I let it slip.\u00a0 Maria knows how I feel.\u00a0 She wrote to my father.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow you feel?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Clare rolled her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe you are <\/em>like other men.\u201d\u00a0 She laughed.\u00a0 \u201cAt least when it comes to women. I told her how I feel about you<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

It took a moment.\u00a0 \u201cYou must not,\u201d he breathed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do, and there\u2019s nothing you can do about it.\u201d\u00a0 She held his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing, I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is because I have tended you and brought you relief from pain \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have brought relief for my pain \u2013 \u00a0the pain of living<\/em>,\u201d she replied.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t do it anymore.\u00a0 I can\u2019t pretend that this life, that these things<\/em>,\u201d Clare indicated the elegant room they occupied, \u201chave any meaning for me. \u00a0I can\u2019t\u2026take anymore.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you understand?\u00a0 I need to give<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot <\/em>love me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I do.\u201d\u00a0 Clare paused.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I think, if you are honest, you will admit you love me too.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cSuch a thing cannot be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps it cannot be, but it is<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 She took his hand again.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go now, before father returns on his ship.\u00a0 Ethan has said he will help us.\u00a0 We\u2019ll travel over the mountains.\u00a0 He\u2019ll never find us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ethan?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEthan knows, silly.\u00a0 Whom else could I trust?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I am Chinese.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not Chinese.<\/em>\u00a0 You\u2019re a man and I love you.\u00a0 That\u2019s good enough for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He did love Clare \u2013 he had loved her with all his heart from that first day \u2013 but he had not allowed his head to know.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou would do this?\u00a0 You would leave everything for me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Clare touched his face again.\u00a0 \u201cI am leaving nothing, and I gain everything,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI would go with you and be your wife, if you would have me.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then she kissed him.<\/p>\n

—–<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man looked at his employer.\u00a0 Mistah Ben\u2019s face was soft with sympathy, but hard with a father\u2019s worry.\u00a0 His answer brought pain to both of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe note you received, it speaks truth,\u201d he admitted.\u00a0 \u201cThis one took Sebastian Stephens\u2019 only daughter and son.\u00a0 Missy Clare pledged herself to this unworthy one.\u00a0 She asked her brother to help her leave her home before her father could return.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou planned to run away together?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cThis one dreamed of a new path, but woke and walked the old one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Mistah Ben said.\u00a0 \u201cI take it Clare\u2019s father prevented you from being together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s jaw clenched.<\/p>\n

As wise father Hop Ling had taught, the thorn from the bush one has planted, nourished, and pruned pricks most deeply and draws the most blood.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam had shared his brother\u2019s tenebrous dungeon for several hours now.\u00a0 It was hard to imagine Little Joe and Hoss had been here for days.\u00a0 The air \u2013 while adequate \u2013 was stifling, a constant cold crept up from the floor into your bones, and the all encompassing darkness was oppressive.\u00a0 From what Hoss said, they\u2019d had little water and even less food, and now even that <\/em>routine had been broken.\u00a0 The black-haired man wasn\u2019t sure what time it was, but he knew it was well after the noon meal and probably past supper-time as well.\u00a0 He\u2019d heard someone speaking a while back \u2013 he thought it was Pratt Shade \u2013 but his voice had been far off in the distance and then disappeared.\u00a0 Adam let out a sigh as he shifted his grip on Little Joe.\u00a0 So far his plan for rescuing his brothers was not going too well.\u00a0 He\u2019d managed to get himself imprisoned along with them, and could see no way to get them \u2013 or himself \u2013 out.\u00a0 He\u2019d figured that, together, he and Hoss could overpower one of the captors, or that one of them could manage to slip out while the other kept a guard occupied.<\/p>\n

So much for that idea!\u00a0 It was almost as if they had been abandoned.<\/p>\n

As they sat side by side, listening to their little brother\u2019s labored breathing, he and Hoss had talked.\u00a0 He\u2019d told the big teen about the note and about Hop Sing running away.\u00a0 For what must have been the thousandth <\/em>time, Adam wondered what in the world the note meant.\u00a0 He knew from his father that Hop Sing had been alone when he met and hired him.\u00a0 There had been no wife \u2013 no \u2018children\u2019.\u00a0 Of course, there could have been before, but it was almost impossible to believe that they could have known Hop Sing for over ten years and never heard anything about them.\u00a0 Their cook and housekeeper was close about his past \u2013 his present, even \u2013 but a man slips.\u00a0 He says things he doesn\u2019t intend to.<\/p>\n

His back was hurting, so Adam shifted and sat up straighter.\u00a0 As he did, his little brother stirred.\u00a0 Feebly, Joe touched his cheek.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d the boy asked.<\/p>\n

Adam caught his brother\u2019s hand in his own.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Joe.\u00a0 It\u2019s me.\u00a0 Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s\u2026Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s coming, Little Joe.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s coming.\u00a0 I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe pulled his hand away.\u00a0 He shivered and then tucked in closer to him, wrapping his arms around his waist.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t leave\u2026me\u2026Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

The black-haired man drew in a startled breath as Little Joe gripped him with the strength of a gale force wind.\u00a0 It was a feeling at once familiar and almost forgotten, and it nearly unmanned him.\u00a0 How many times had he comforted his baby brother in just this way after one of his nightmares?\u00a0 How often when Joe had angered Pa or Hoss and felt like he didn\u2019t have a friend in the world?\u00a0 With Marie\u2019s death, his brother\u2019s need for his approval and love had grown exponentially.\u00a0 While he was at college he had forced himself to forget, for the power of the memory \u2013 \u00a0of that need<\/em> \u2013 was nearly enough to drive him to the first stage that was headed home.\u00a0 Though his education had gained him much, he\u2019d lost something while he\u2019d been gone.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d lost Little Joe\u2019s trust.<\/p>\n

Adam ran his fingers through his baby brother\u2019s curls.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not going anywhere, Joe.\u00a0 Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s sleepin\u2019 again. Adam,\u201d Hoss said softly.<\/p>\n

He hoped<\/em> that was all Joe was doing \u2013 sleeping.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, you can\u2019t blame yourself,\u201d the big teen went on.\u00a0 \u201cIt ain\u2019t your fault.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss must have inherited his intuition from their father.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it is.\u00a0 I should have protected you.\u00a0 Both<\/em> of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, I ain\u2019t talkin\u2019 about that.\u00a0 I\u2019m talkin\u2019 about this here little scamp.\u00a0 I know you\u2019re feelin\u2019 bad for goin\u2019 away and leavin\u2019 him so soon after Mama died.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cYou play it anyway you like, older brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s fingers continued to play with his brother\u2019s curls.\u00a0 \u201cPa never\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 He cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cI asked, but in his letters Pa always said Joe was \u2018all right\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 The black-haired man paused.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not sure if that was a comfort or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe missed you, Adam.\u00a0 He missed you a lot.\u00a0 But you know how it is with kids, they got a special way of survivin\u2019.\u00a0 After a while, well, I guess Joe took to pretendin\u2019 you weren\u2019t never there to begin with.\u00a0 Just like Mama.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss blew out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI think it hurt too much for him to think about what he was missin\u2019.\u00a0 Little Joe was \u2018all right\u2019 \u2018cept for when your letters came and he had<\/em> to remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam groaned.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, don\u2019t go feelin\u2019 bad about that either, older brother.\u00a0 Pa said it was good for Little Joe to remember.\u00a0 Pa said a man grows stronger when he faces things and weaker when he don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe had written to him every month that first year, but then the letters had fallen off to every three or four months, and even then there had been a sense of \u2018duty\u2019 about the way they were written.\u00a0 He\u2019d replied, letting the family know what he was doing and that he was thinking of them, but \u2013 like Joe \u2013 he never used the words \u2018I miss you\u2019.<\/p>\n

They were too painful to write.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been back a little less than a year now.\u00a0 He\u2019d had to learn to know his brother all over again \u2013 and to love him in a different way.<\/p>\n

He guessed it was the same with Little Joe.<\/p>\n

Adam tilted his head back against the wall and let the tears flow.\u00a0 No one would know.\u00a0 The room they were in was pitch-black.\u00a0 After a moment, he felt his brother stir.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s hand found his cheek again; his small fingers tracing the course of one of those impossible tears.<\/p>\n

The arms that held him grew tighter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Adam,\u201d Little Joe whispered.\u00a0 \u201cI missed you too.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hop Sing could not meet Mistah Ben\u2019s fierce gaze.\u00a0 His shame would not let him do so.\u00a0 The words he spoke were hard as stones and weighed him down as if they were tied around his neck.\u00a0 He had not thought of that day for many years and had no wish to do so now.<\/p>\n

And yet, for the children he loved, he must.<\/p>\n

______<\/p>\n

The night was dark.\u00a0 The three-quarter moon hid its face behind a bank of clouds and the stars were dim.\u00a0 Missy Clare\u2019s note, along with a token of her affection, had come an hour before, delivered by the hand of a faithful servant.\u00a0 Hop Sing held the golden locket in his fingers even now as his footsteps took him to her.\u00a0 Her father\u2019s ship had docked, but he had not returned to their house.\u00a0 The wealthy man had gone to another settlement to conduct business and would be gone for two more nights.<\/p>\n

The time was now if it was to be any time.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d bid Lee Chen goodbye, taken up his bags, and headed for the bay.\u00a0 The note from Missy Clare said she would not be alone.\u00a0 Her brother would be with her.\u00a0 Ethan had hired a coach and arranged for them to stay at a small mission outside of Yerba Buena that was run by a friend.\u00a0 His friend, who was a Jesuit, would join them as man and wife.\u00a0 After that, Missy Clare would go east with him, into unsettled territory, while Mistah Ethan returned to their father\u2019s house to \u2018mop up\u2019 as he said.\u00a0 Hop Sing paused just outside of a pool of light cast by one of the tall street lights that lined the avenue he walked.\u00a0 Theirs would not be an easy union.\u00a0 There would be much hatred, much derision, and much trouble.<\/p>\n

When he told her this, Missy Clare would not listen.\u00a0 She told him \u2018love would find a way\u2019.<\/p>\n

He was to meet them at midnight at a garden gazebo.\u00a0 The park that contained it sat high on a hill and was fronted by a street called \u2018Maiden Lane\u2019.\u00a0 There was a Spanish name for the street as well, but the white man had given it this name because young women often came here to watch for the tall ships to return with the men they loved. \u00a0As Hop Sing rounded a corner and the small wooden structure came into view, somewhere in the distance a clock struck twelve times.\u00a0 He could see movement within.\u00a0 Missy Clare\u2019s face appeared from out of the darkness and his heart soared at the sight of his beloved.\u00a0 Then he saw the man behind her.\u00a0 It was not <\/em>her brother.<\/p>\n

It was Sebastian Stephens.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey hang white men for stealing, coolie,\u201d the wealthy man growled as he twisted Clare\u2019s arm and reeled her in. \u00a0\u201cWhat do you suppose they\u2019d do to a chink?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing halted a few feet away; his eyes never leaving the one he loved.\u00a0 \u201cThis one has stolen nothing from you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve stolen my children\u2019s affections!\u201d Stephens shouted as he came down the steps, dragging Clare with him.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve bewitched them with your potions and heathen ways!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing!\u00a0 No!\u201d she cried.\u00a0 \u201cRun!\u00a0 He has a gun!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI should kill you where you stand,\u201d the wealthy man growled as the weapon appeared.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing remained where he was.\u00a0 He held Missy Clare\u2019s gaze, willing her to trust him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told him,\u201d she sobbed.\u00a0 \u201cI told Papa it was my choice and that he can\u2019t stop me. That I love \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

Her father struck her; silencing her.<\/p>\n

But not her brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I<\/em> told you to let her go!\u201d Ethan declared as he appeared from out of the shadows.\u00a0 His hair was in disarray; his collar askew.\u00a0 One eye was blackened and his lip bled from being struck.\u00a0 It was evident he and his father had clashed before.\u00a0 \u201cThis is Clare\u2019s life!\u00a0 Let her go, father, or I swear I will never <\/em>speak to you again!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou will keep silent!\u201d Stephens commanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI warn you,\u201d Ethan continued, his eyes locked on the gun.\u00a0 \u201cIf you murder Hop Sing, you will lose us both!\u201d<\/p>\n

He had known better, but he had forgotten.\u00a0 The path he had chosen was a simple one, to give and to expect nothing in return.\u00a0 If he could take back his words of love, he would.<\/p>\n

But he could not.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing closed his eyes and asked for wisdom.\u00a0 He remained still as the wind whipped about him and whispered words to calm his beating heart.<\/p>\n

He knew what he must do.<\/p>\n

There was only one path and he must walk it.\u00a0 He would challenge the wealthy man and make certain the bullet came to him.<\/p>\n

With a smile on his face, the Asian man took a deep breath and stepped directly into the path of the gun.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Hop Sing sighed.<\/p>\n

As an older and a wiser man, his choice would have been different, but he was young then and did not know the hearts of men.\u00a0 It was not the way of his people, but it was <\/em>the way of the white man.\u00a0 As Sebastian Stephen\u2019s finger closed on the trigger, Missy Clare\u2019s brother shouted \u2018NO!\u2019 and grabbed his father\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

Clare broke free. \u00a0She ran to him.<\/p>\n

The bullet took his beloved in the back, just above her heart that beat with love.<\/p>\n

And then, it beat no more.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

TWELVE<\/p>\n

Adam was on the move.\u00a0 He\u2019d gently passed Little Joe over to Hoss and begun to explore their prison.\u00a0 \u00a0For the last few hours there had been no sound or movement without it and he was beginning to suspect there never would be.<\/p>\n

He was beginning to suspect that they\u2019d been abandoned and left to starve to death.<\/p>\n

As he moved along the perimeter of the room running his hands over the furniture \u2013 pulling out every drawer and searching every cubby \u2013 Adam continued to analyze the choice he had made.\u00a0 At the time it had seemed the logical thing to do \u2013 allowing himself to be taken and brought to his brothers\u2019 location.\u00a0 Of course, he couldn\u2019t have known that location would be twenty or more feet down.\u00a0 Now that he thought about it, it made perfect sense.\u00a0 Sebastian Stephens had bought just about every unimportant mine in the area and let most of them go dark.\u00a0 Their demise upped the value of the larger mines he owned and operated. \u00a0Little did he care that he\u2019d ruined the lives of the men who\u2019d founded them or put dozens of miners out of work.\u00a0 Some of those men had come to the Ponderosa, desperate for a job, and Pa had hired them even though they knew nothing of cattle or horses.<\/p>\n

Adam halted where he was.\u00a0 Pa.\u00a0 Their father was out there looking for them.\u00a0 Pa would reach the same conclusion.\u00a0 He would come to save them.\u00a0 But\u2026. even if he did, how would Pa know which <\/em>mine to search?\u00a0 If he searched them all, they<\/em> would run out of time.<\/p>\n

No.\u00a0 It was up to him to get them out.<\/p>\n

The black-haired man hesitated where he was and listened to his brothers.\u00a0 Little Joe had awakened and he and Hoss were speaking softly.\u00a0 Both of them were pretty weak.\u00a0 He\u2019d eaten the night before his capture, so he still had some strength.\u00a0 From what he could tell, the two of them had been practically starved to death, receiving nothing more than some kind of gruel and water since they arrived. \u00a0It made him wonder why Stephens kept them alive.\u00a0 He was grateful for it, but it made little sense.\u00a0 Unless he just wanted to make them suffer.<\/p>\n

Or wanted someone to know<\/em> they had suffered.<\/p>\n

Adam grabbed the edge of the table in front of him.\u00a0 He was a rational man.\u00a0 It took a lot to drive him to a killing rage.\u00a0 The thought of that arrogant Easterner making his little brothers pay the price for whatever grudge he held against Hop Sing was enough to do it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou find anythin\u2019, Adam?\u201d Hoss called out.<\/p>\n

He closed his eyes and drew a breath.\u00a0 It pained him to hear his normally robust and vigorous middle brother sound so weak.<\/p>\n

\u201cFurniture,\u201d he replied as he began to move again.\u00a0 \u201cSome papers on a table.\u00a0 Not much else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a rack somewheres.\u00a0 It\u2019s got some clothes on it.\u00a0 That\u2019s where I got the coat for Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam turned toward them.\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u00a0 How are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m\u2026fine,\u201d his brother answered in a voice too small for a mouse.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t\u2026you worry\u2026about me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s good,\u201d he said, though he didn\u2019t believe it.\u00a0 \u201cIs Hoss taking good care of you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh huh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI got him all wrapped up, Adam.\u00a0 Nice and warm.\u201d\u00a0 There was a pause.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s shiverin\u2019 pretty bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s his fever?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s on its way up again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTry to get some more water in him, Hoss,\u201d he said as crossed back over to his brothers.\u00a0 He\u2019d found a little in the bottom of a bucket tucked in a corner.\u00a0 It was stale but it was better than nothing.\u00a0 \u201cThe pail\u2019s on your side.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill you two\u2026stop\u2026talkin\u2019 about me like\u2026I ain\u2019t here!\u201d Joe protested meekly.<\/p>\n

Adam reached out to brush a mop of sopping curls off his brother\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, buddy.\u00a0 Would you like some water?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s teeth were chattering.\u00a0 \u201cToo\u2026cold,\u201d he said as he leaned into his hand.\u00a0 \u201cJust..wanna\u2026sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a whole <\/em>world of worry in that one word.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you hand him over to me again, Hoss?\u00a0 Joe, I\u2019m gonna hold you.\u00a0 When Hoss brings the water, I want you to drink some.\u00a0 Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

He could hear the pout even if he couldn\u2019t see it.\u00a0 \u201cOkay.\u00a0 If you\u2026ouch!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay, Punkin?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomethin\u2019\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Joe fell silent. \u00a0When he spoke again, his voice choked.\u00a0 \u201cSomethin\u2019 just poked\u2026me in the leg.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam started to pick Joe up before the reality of his brother\u2019s words struck him.\u00a0 \u201cYou felt something poke your leg?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s head nodded against his arm.\u00a0 He took hold of his brother\u2019s leg and squeezed.\u00a0 \u201cJoe?\u00a0 Can you feel that?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a pause.<\/p>\n

\u201cSort of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tears welled in the black-haired man\u2019s eyes even as his other brother spoke.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean you can feel your legs, Little Joe?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2026tell they\u2019re\u2026there,\u201d he answered.\u00a0 \u201cI can feel somethin\u2019\u2026stickin\u2019 me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barely masking his jubilation, Adam asked, \u201cWhere, Joe?\u00a0 Can you tell me where?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKind of\u2026underneath my right leg.\u201d<\/p>\n

He took hold of the little boy and leaned him forward.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, see what you can find.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss was already feeling around Joe\u2019s leg. \u00a0All of a sudden he sat up straight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Hoss.\u00a0 That\u2026feels better.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0Joe tugged at his arm.\u00a0 \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI still can\u2019t\u2026move my legs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s okay, buddy,\u201d he reassured him.\u00a0 \u201cIf the feeling is coming back, you will in time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u00a0 About this here pointy thing\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d almost forgotten about the mysterious pokey object.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you find?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

His brother took hold of his hand and turned it palm upward.\u00a0 \u201cI know what I <\/em>think it is.\u00a0 Let\u2019s see what you think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam knew their father was praying for them.\u00a0 He\u2019d felt it like a covering.\u00a0 Pa was petitioning God for a miracle.<\/p>\n

It just happened.<\/p>\n

Adam felt something cold and metallic settle on his palm.<\/p>\n

It was a key.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright glanced at his companion.\u00a0 Hop Sing had stubbornly refused to speak since finishing his story.\u00a0 It all made sense now.\u00a0 Sebastian Stephens \u2018children\u2019 had been grown, but the Easterner blamed the Asian man for taking them from him.\u00a0 Clare had been killed instantly.\u00a0 Her brother, Ethan, disavowed his father and walked away, never to return \u2013 but not before going to the law and letting them know what had happened.\u00a0 It was at this time that the warrant had been issued for the Asian Man\u2019s arrest and Hop Sing had been detained.\u00a0 If it had been up to Stephens, he would have hung, and it almost happened.\u00a0 The story that Ethan gave the law was truthful but incomplete in parts.\u00a0 The young man threatened to tell everything<\/em>, knowing his testimony would destroy not only his father\u2019s reputation but his life.\u00a0 Sebastian relented and Hop Sing left the bay area and headed east as he and Clare had intended.\u00a0 In order to survive, he became indentured and worked for the man who owned him up until the time they met.<\/p>\n

The rancher glanced at the man seated beside him.\u00a0 They\u2019d left the ranch and were on their way by wagon to meet up with Adam.\u00a0 Sometime over the last few hours Ben had come to the conclusion that they were going about the search for his sons in the wrong way.\u00a0 They\u2019d been looking above ground when they should be looking under <\/em>it.\u00a0 Something Sebastian Stephens said at that last meeting had come back to him.\u00a0 The Easterner had boasted that he owned so many abandoned mines, he could hide an entire army in them and no one would be the wiser.<\/p>\n

It terrified Ben to think of his young sons trapped below ground, but his intuition told him that was where he would find them.<\/p>\n

As they sped along the road, the rancher considered all what he knew of Stephen\u2019s holdings. \u00a0If<\/em> the villain had concealed his boys in one of his mines, most likely it would be an inconsequential one, far from settlement and prying eyes.\u00a0 It would have to be<\/em> one that had been abandoned, unless that men who worked it were as unscrupulous as him. \u00a0Before they left the house Hop Sing had spoken of his suspicion that both Yin and Lin Lu were involved. \u00a0Ben had considered going to settlement to talk to the siblings but had decided against it.\u00a0 He was concerned about the time it would take to get there and back.\u00a0 Hoss had been missing for two days and Little Joe for a day and a half.\u00a0 Joseph\u2019s physical condition could only have deteriorated. \u00a0His youngest son had barely recovered enough from his accident to be allowed to go downstairs and sit on the settee, let alone to be hauled out of his window and over the roof to God only knew where.<\/p>\n

Ben closed his eyes briefly.\u00a0 God did<\/em> know.\u00a0 He had to keep reminding himself of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben,\u201d Hop Sing said.<\/p>\n

The Asian man was pointing ahead.\u00a0 Ben noted a cloud of dust headed toward them.\u00a0 It materialized into Roy Coffee and Lucas Painter.<\/p>\n

They were riding hell-bent for leather.<\/p>\n

A chill snaked along his spine as the rancher reined the team in and waited.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen!\u00a0 Thank God!\u201d Roy breathed as he checked his horse.\u00a0 \u201cWe was hopin\u2019 we wouldn\u2019t have to ride all the way back to the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucas said nothing but simply stared at him.<\/p>\n

Ben looked behind them.\u00a0 There was no more dust.\u00a0 No other riders.<\/p>\n

He drew in a breath and asked, his voice tight with fear.\u00a0 \u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s missing, Ben,\u201d Lucas said.<\/p>\n

It took a second.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026kidnapped?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gotta assume so,\u201d Roy replied.\u00a0 \u201cThough from what Lucas here said, it seems the boy might of just up and walked away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWalked?\u00a0 He didn\u2019t take Sport?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Adam go to find brothers,\u201d Hop Sing said.<\/p>\n

Ben turned to look at his housekeeper.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Adam young and know no fear.\u00a0 He feel responsible for little brothers.\u201d\u00a0 The Asian man\u2019s gaze moved from Roy to Lucas.\u00a0 \u201cThink old men move too slow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know this?\u201d Roy asked with some suspicion.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing looked at the lawman for the first time.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing young man once as well,\u201d he replied softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you try to track the boy?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSoon as we realized he was missing,\u201d Lucas answered.\u00a0 \u201cThe tracks led out a ways but disappeared when they went up into the rock.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey?\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawman nodded.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone was with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood Lord!\u201d he breathed.\u00a0 \u201cThen Sebastian has him too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy scratched his head.\u00a0 \u201cSebastian?\u00a0 You mean, Sebastian Stephens?\u00a0 You think that city slicker\u2019s got somethin\u2019 to do with all of this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben opened his mouth to respond, but Hop Sing beat him to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Ben not think.<\/em>\u00a0 He know.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam continued to open and close his fingers on the key, unable to believe it was real. \u00a0His voice was hushed with awe.\u00a0 \u201cTell me where you found it again?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe key\u2019s what was pokin\u2019 Little Joe\u2019s leg,\u201d Hoss replied.\u00a0 \u201cIt was in the pocket of the coat I wrapped around him \u2013 the one I found hangin\u2019 on the rack by the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did he dare <\/em>hope?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think it could of belonged to mine\u2019s foreman maybe?\u201d his brother asked.<\/p>\n

Adam grinned.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m thinkin\u2019 Pa\u2019s prayers have been answered.\u201d\u00a0 He rose to his feet and quickly crossed to the door.\u00a0 Once there, the black-haired man listened, making sure the hall was silent before he tried it in the lock.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell?\u201d Hoss called.<\/p>\n

He closed his eyes and whispered a prayer of his own, and then he pressed two fingers against the door and gave it a shove.\u00a0 The sound it made as it creaked open rang hollowly down the empty corridor. \u00a0Adam winced and waited, but there was no response.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s open,\u201d he breathed, still not quite believing it.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Hoss.\u00a0 Pick up Little Joe and get over here.\u00a0 We need to go now!\u201d\u00a0 When his brother failed to move, Adam turned toward him.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, is something wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 The big teen sounded terrible.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t\u2026\u00a0 Dang it, Adam!\u00a0 I ain\u2019t got the strength to get myself up and<\/em> carry Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

He quickly crossed the space between them and placed a hand on his brother\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re weak.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been without food for nearly two days.\u00a0 I\u2019ll get Joe.\u201d\u00a0 As he said it, he realized his baby brother hadn\u2019t spoken in some time.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s out again, Adam.\u00a0 Happened just about the time you headed for the door.\u201d\u00a0 There was a pause.\u00a0 \u201cI cain\u2019t wake him up this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam probed the darkness until he came upon his little brother\u2019s slight form.\u00a0 Joe was lying on the floor.\u00a0 He was breathing rapidly and his skin was on fire.\u00a0\u00a0 Before lifting him, he turned to Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cCan you get up on your own?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t\u2026that bad,\u201d his brother lied.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m on my feet\u2026already.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you walk?\u201d Adam asked as he rose with Little Joe in his arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 Not sure how fast, but I can walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right then.\u00a0 Follow my voice,\u201d he said as he led the way to the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think any of them varmints are out still there, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

No, he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Not on this level at least.<\/p>\n

But there was no way of knowing what they would find when they got to the top.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben explained his thinking once they met up with the remainder of the search party.\u00a0 He was forced to share Hop Sing\u2019s story, but kept it to its essential facts.\u00a0 The Asian man was distraught.\u00a0 He was sure the choice he had made so long ago had doomed Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe.\u00a0 As for him, he didn\u2019t believe his boys were gone.\u00a0 Sebastian Stephens was a cruel man and cruel men enjoyed inflicting pain.\u00a0 Most likely Stephens had not killed his boys but imprisoned them in some abandoned mine, intending to let thirst and starvation do the dirty work for him.\u00a0 Roy and Lucas Painter agreed they should call the rest of the search parties in and then send them out again to search all of the Easterner\u2019s properties.\u00a0 Stephens owned two mines on the road to Hangtown.\u00a0 Ben felt they should begin the hunt there, so while the lawmen headed out to find the others, he and Hop Sing headed west.\u00a0 The mine closest to Gold Hill had once belonged to a neighbor of his.\u00a0 He\u2019d named it \u2018Shade\u2019s Girl\u2019 after his daughter, but after that daughter chose a less than reputable \u2018career path\u2019,\u00a0 it became known as the Shady Lady.\u00a0 It had been closed shortly after Stephens came to the settlement and began his campaign to own not only Gold Hill but everything in the territory surrounding it.<\/p>\n

It had taken them half a day to reach it.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s touch brought him back to the present.<\/p>\n

\u201cSmoke,\u201d the Asian man declared as he lifted his hand and pointed.<\/p>\n

Ben saw it.\u00a0 A thin gray trail, rising above the trees.\u00a0 It was just the right amount for a small campfire.\u00a0 That in itself was suspicious since there was no reason anyone should be at the vacant mine.<\/p>\n

The rancher reined in the horses and let the wagon roll to a halt.\u00a0 He hesitated and then reached in the back and handed his companion his spare sidearm. \u00a0Hop Sing made a face \u2013 the sort a man makes when someone has handed him a snake.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you\u2019re not a man of violence,\u201d the rancher said, \u201cbut\u2026\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Hop Sing\u2019s jaw clenched as his fingers tightened on the weapon.\u00a0 \u201cI will kill him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn self defense, Hop Sing.\u00a0 Only in self-defense.\u00a0 Anything else and it will be murder.\u201d<\/p>\n

His housekeeper was already on the ground.\u00a0 The Asian man looked up and met his worried gaze.\u00a0 \u201cThis one\u2019s body breathes, his heart beats, but he already dead.\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing paused.\u00a0 When he spoke again his English was unbroken.\u00a0 \u201cThere is nothing left for me, Benjamin Cartwright, but the grave.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was gone before he could stop him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam dropped to his knees when they got to the top of the shaft.\u00a0 His muscles were trembling and he was out of breath.\u00a0 Since there had been no one to bring them up, he\u2019d had to hand over hand the rope to pull the elevator bearing the three of them to the surface.\u00a0 All the way up Hoss sat on the platform holding Little Joe, who was still unconscious.\u00a0 He\u2019d had to help his giant of a brother to his feet and then support him as he stepped off the platform with Joe in his arms.\u00a0 Both were seated now against the cave wall.\u00a0 The black-haired man had wanted to bend down and kiss the ground when they emerged, but he knew that would have to wait.\u00a0 He could rejoice later.\u00a0 Right now he had two sick brothers to care for and protect and he had no earthly idea what they would find when they stepped out of the darkness into the light of the dawning day.<\/p>\n

Adam glanced down.\u00a0 His thigh was empty.\u00a0 Bush Sears had taken his sidearm and belt when he abducted him.\u00a0 That meant they were pretty much defenseless.<\/p>\n

He was counting on the great favor God held their father in to see them home.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2026think\u2026anyone\u2019s out there, Adam?\u201d Hoss asked, breathless.<\/p>\n

He shook his head.\u00a0 He\u2019d moved to the cave mouth and was looking out.\u00a0 The way was clear so far as he could see, but he knew that meant little.\u00a0 Someone could be hiding to either side of the opening or behind the trees just across the clearing.\u00a0\u00a0 He could smell smoke, which made him nervous.\u00a0 Then again, the scent could have carried on the wind from a nearby cabin or homestead.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s Little Joe?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe still ain\u2019t woke up, Adam.\u00a0 I\u2019m gettin\u2019 worried.\u201d<\/p>\n

He<\/em> was already worried.\u00a0 Damn it!\u00a0 He\u2019d come to rescue his brothers and so far all he\u2019d managed to do was become trapped along with them.\u00a0 Adam ran a hand over his eyes.\u00a0 He was tired \u2013 really <\/em>tired.\u00a0 The lack of sleep and food was finally catching up with him.\u00a0 The black-haired man shook his head and tried to blink it away.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t afford to be sleepy because he couldn\u2019t afford to make a mistake.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be so hard on yourself, Adam.\u00a0 You done your best.\u00a0 You got us out of that hole,\u201d his brother said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, my best isn\u2019t enough,\u201d he snapped.\u00a0 \u201cNow I have to get you home.\u00a0 Both<\/em> of you.\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cCan you carry Little Joe or do you need me to take him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m thinkin\u2019 you better do it, Adam.\u00a0 I don\u2019t\u2026want to drop him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The black-haired man turned away from the opening and headed for his brothers.\u00a0 His eyes had rapidly adjusted to the meager light filtering into the chamber and he could see them clearly.\u00a0 Both Hoss and Joe were filthy.\u00a0 Their clothes and hair were soaked through with sweat and dirt caked their visible skin.\u00a0 Hoss was doing his best to hide it, but he just as sick as Little Joe.\u00a0 Dehydration and lack of food played a large part, no doubt, but the simple truth was that Hoss was a kid and all of this was just too much.\u00a0 Fear and worry about his baby brother had about done him in.\u00a0 Little Joe, on the other hand, wasn\u2019t worrying about anything.<\/p>\n

Their kid brother was dead to the world.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s arms and legs swung free as he lifted him out of Hoss\u2019 arms.\u00a0 A brief smile flickered across Adam\u2019s lips in spite of their dire circumstances.\u00a0 His little brother was the soundest sleeper he had ever known.\u00a0 Many were the times he\u2019d carried the kid up the stairs in just the same way. \u00a0Only this time Joe wasn\u2019t sound asleep, he was unconscious and in danger of his life.<\/p>\n

He waited as Hoss stumbled to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d the teen replied.\u00a0 \u201cYou get goin\u2019.\u00a0 Get Little Joe out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He had every intention of doing so.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll take him outside and then come back for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u00a0 I can get out on my own.\u00a0 You take care of Little Joe!\u201d Hoss snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, you\u2019re fine,\u201d Adam replied as he adjusted his grip on their brother.\u00a0 \u201cNormally you could wrestle a grizzly to the ground and you can\u2019t carry seventy pounds.\u00a0 Look, Hoss.\u00a0 Humor me.\u00a0 Wait for me to come back for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I already\u2026done\u2026wrassled that grizzly\u2026.\u201d Hoss admitted as he leaned against the cave wall.<\/p>\n

Adam walked the few yards to the mouth of the cave and stepped out into the growing light.\u00a0 He paused to draw in a breath of the crisp autumn air and then headed for the nearby trees, one of which he gently laid his little brother under.\u00a0 The scent of smoke lingered in the air, making him wonder once again if someone had a camp nearby. \u00a0If they did, maybe he could get them to help.\u00a0 As he rose, the black-haired man heard a sound \u2013 something like the noise a small animal made when wrapped in the coils of a snake.<\/p>\n

When Adam turned back toward the mine, he saw he was right.\u00a0 There was a snake, although the creature it threatened wasn\u2019t so small.<\/p>\n

Sebastian Stephens had his arm locked around Hoss\u2019 neck.<\/p>\n

And the barrel of his pistol pressed into the side of his brother\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hop Sing clasped the weapon tightly as he moved stealthily through the underbrush. \u00a0As Mistah Cartwright said, he was not a violent man.<\/p>\n

He was one with a mission.<\/p>\n

For nearly twelve years he had worked and cared for Mistah Ben and his sons.\u00a0 Safe and secure in his kitchen \u2013 hidden away on the Ponderosa \u2013 he was, for the most part unaffected by life.\u00a0 After Missy Clare\u2019s death, he had grown hard.\u00a0 Never again would he give his heart.\u00a0 He lived his life with eyes downcast, never daring to look up.\u00a0 He had been bought and sold and beaten and abused and had accepted it as just punishment for his crime \u2013 until he met a tall rancher who recognized in him something others could not or would <\/em>not see.\u00a0 Benjamin Cartwright would not listen to his self-effacing words, but told him he had worth.\u00a0 Mistah Ben gave him a home; a place to belong \u2013 and children such as might have been.\u00a0 Children he had grown to love as if they were his own.<\/p>\n

Children who were now in danger because of him.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing stopped and listened.\u00a0 He knew Mistah Ben was not far behind.\u00a0 His employer\u2019s heart was that of the tiger. \u00a0He was strong and brave; bold and without fear.\u00a0 Nothing would stop him from seeking and saving his cubs.\u00a0 This brought him fear.\u00a0 He knew what came of thinking with one\u2019s heart.\u00a0 It quickened a man\u2019s steps and blinded his eyes to danger.\u00a0 Mistah Cartwright would give his life for his sons. \u00a0This he could not allow.<\/p>\n

If such a thing happened, it was for him<\/em> to do.<\/p>\n

A stand of trees blocked his view.\u00a0 Hop Sing could hear men speaking on the other side.\u00a0 He could not distinguish their words, but recognized the anger behind them.\u00a0 Warily, the Asian man approached, carefully choosing his footing so he would not make a sound or fall and give himself away.<\/p>\n

In this he succeeded.\u00a0 He did not fall.<\/p>\n

But he did make a sound \u2013 a strangled one \u2013\u00a0 when his foot encountered the dead man.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam glanced at Little Joe, who lay silent on the grass, and then stepped between him and Sebastian Stephens.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me brother go!\u201d he commanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a good thing I decided to come out and see how things were progressing.\u201d\u00a0 Stephens sneered.\u00a0 \u201cYou simply can\u2019t trust hired help these days.\u00a0 You three were supposed to have been dead <\/em>by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam remembered the smell of smoke.\u00a0 So someone had <\/em>been camping near the mouth of the cave.\u00a0 Probably Sears and Pratt since they were the ones who had been set to watch them.<\/p>\n

That word came back to him.\u00a0 The one Sears mentioned.\u00a0 \u2018Ditch.\u2019<\/p>\n

It looked like he\u2019d interpreted it wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cI take it they deserted,\u201d he scoffed.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened?\u00a0 Too cheap to pay for someone you could trust?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Easterner held his gaze.\u00a0 \u201cApparently, I looked in the wrong end of town. \u00a0This pair couldn\u2019t stomach killing three kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam wondered if any of the other the men Stephens had hired were still around.\u00a0 Fear of that caused him to turn and glance at Little Joe.\u00a0 He found his brother stirring.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u00a0 Stay put!\u201d he commanded and then realized the order was unnecessary.\u00a0 Adam winced at his insensitivity.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

His little brother\u2019s voice was laced with fear. \u00a0Joe\u2019s concern was for Hoss, he knew, and not for himself even though Stephens had shifted the gun and was now pointing it at baby brother.\u00a0 Adam wondered if the man knew them well enough to realize that a threat to one of them was a threat to all.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it you want?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

Stephens answer was cold.\u00a0 \u201cAs I said, the three of you dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of Hop Sing,\u201d Adam replied.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u00a0 What\u2019s between the two of you?\u201d\u00a0 He thought furiously and then remembered the locket with the beautiful young woman\u2019s image and the letters from her among Hop Sing\u2019s things.\u00a0 \u201cThis is about Clare, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

The businessman\u2019s knuckles whitened on the cold gray metal of his gun.\u00a0 He bit off each word, \u201cYou\u2026 will\u2026not\u2026mention\u2026her\u2026name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam swallowed over his fear.\u00a0 If he could make Stephens angry enough to turn the gun on him, <\/em>then Hoss <\/em>would be free to move.\u00a0 He could only pray that his brother, in his weakened condition, had the strength to take on the Easterner.<\/p>\n

\u201cClare loved Hop Sing, didn\u2019t she?\u00a0 That\u2019s why you hate him, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephens jaw was rigid.\u00a0 \u201cHe bewitched her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf that\u2019s what you have to tell yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The gun did not waver.\u00a0 It remained firmly fixed on Little Joe where he sat in the grass, unable to move.<\/p>\n

\u201cI brought that chink<\/em> into my house to help my daughter,\u201d the Easterner growled.\u00a0 \u201cHe was supposed to cure her headaches, and instead he used his potions and charms and pagan<\/em> ways to put her under his spell. Clare would never have gone with a man of color of her own volition!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam moved a step closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou stop where you are, boy, if you don\u2019t want me to put a bullet through that brat\u2019s head.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a dangerous game he was playing and he knew it.<\/p>\n

One he hoped neither of his brothers paid the price for.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, you take care of Little Joe and yourself,\u201d Hoss rasped. \u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t you worry none about \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

The Easterner throttled him into silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo noble, so good<\/em>, you Cartwrights,\u201d Sebastian Stephens snarled.\u00a0 \u201cAnd all this time you have been harboring a murderer under your roof.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing murder no one,\u201d a familiar voice remarked.\u00a0 \u201cAt least he not do so until now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with Stephens, Adam turned to look.\u00a0 Their cook and housekeeper \u2013 one of the most gentle men he knew \u2013 was standing in front of the trees, revolver in hand.\u00a0 The barrel was pointed directly at the Easterner.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut the gun down, Chink, or I\u2019ll kill the kid,\u201d Stephens warned.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing lowered his gun and deliberately stepped into the line of fire.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing one you hate.\u00a0 You kill him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephens quickly swung the gun back to Hoss\u2019 head and pressed the nose into his brother\u2019s downy red-blond hair.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to kill you, you miserable coolie!\u201d\u00a0 Adam winced as he heard a \u2018click\u2019, signaling that Sebastian had cocked the trigger.\u00a0 \u201cI want you to suffer like you made me<\/em> suffer!\u00a0 I want you to live with unending, unendurable agony just as I have for these last fifteen years!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing had nothing to do with your suffering,\u201d a new voice remarked even as a tall, silver-haired figure emerged from the shadows, gun in hand.\u00a0 \u201cYou brought that upon yourself, Sebastian, by your selfish actions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa.<\/p>\n

It was\u2026Pa.<\/p>\n

Every bone in his body threatened to go to jelly, but Adam kept his feet.<\/p>\n

His father moved into the clearing.\u00a0 The older man looked at each of them in turn \u2013 at Hoss, who was held at the end of a gun, at Little Joe, paralyzed and unable to move, and at him, exhausted and at the end of his strength \u2013 and he smiled.<\/p>\n

They were all alive \u2013 at least for the moment.<\/p>\n

Pa pointed his firearm directly at Sebastian Stephens.\u00a0 \u201cYou will let my sons go,\u201d he commanded in that voice of his that was like the rumble of God.\u00a0 \u201cThis is between you and Hop Sing. \u00a0They have no part in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, but you\u2019re wrong,\u201d the Easterner countered.\u00a0 \u201cHe stole my children \u2013\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are my<\/em> children,\u201d Pa pronounced.\u00a0 \u201cI will not<\/em> let you harm them.\u00a0 Adam, get your brothers.\u00a0 Take them home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephens glared at his father for several heartbeats and then, unexpectedly, released Hoss.\u00a0 The big teen wobbled on his feet and almost fell down.\u00a0 Instinctively, he, Hop Sing, and his pa all moved in to help.<\/p>\n

The sound of a gunshot startled them all.<\/p>\n

Taking advantage of the confusion, Sebastian Stephens had pointed his gun at Little Joe.<\/p>\n

And pulled the trigger.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THIRTEEN<\/p>\n

Adam glanced out of the window and acknowledged the rising light with a sigh before twisting in his chair so he could reach the bowl on the bedside table.\u00a0 He plunged the warmed cloth he held into the icy water and wrung it out before replacing it on his brother\u2019s feverish brow.\u00a0 He\u2019d thought he\u2019d known what \u2018tired\u2019 was before, but the word was starting to have a whole new definition.\u00a0 Pa had been around for the last few days but had ridden into settlement the night before leaving him to fend for himself.\u00a0 It had been all Roy Coffee could do to tear the older man from Hoss\u2019 side, but he\u2019d managed it by reminding Pa that he had to give testimony before the judge if he wanted to see justice done.<\/p>\n

Murder.\u00a0 That was the charge.<\/p>\n

The black-haired man blew out a breath and ran a hand over his eyes.\u00a0 Normally Hop Sing would be here to help, but since he was in the thick of things, there was no one to left to look after his ailing brother but him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n

Make that \u2018brothers\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe!\u00a0 For goodness sake!\u00a0 What are you doing out of bed?\u201d Adam demanded as he rose to his feet and headed to the door where Little Joe leaned heavily against the jamb.\u00a0 \u201cAnd how did you even get<\/em> out of bed without your crutch?\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d been careful to put it in the closet and<\/em> close the door before he left his brother\u2019s room.<\/p>\n

The little boy glared at him and then dropped his head.\u00a0 Joe muttered something.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI crawled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam let out a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, you know what the doctor said.\u00a0 You\u2019re not supposed to be out of bed at all.<\/em>\u00a0 You could undo everything<\/em> you\u2019ve gained by diso\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 His voice trailed off as he noted the tears running down his brother\u2019s cheeks.\u00a0 \u00a0Adam knelt before him.\u00a0 \u201cWould you like to see Hoss before I take you back to bed?\u201d he asked, his voice gentle.<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s curly head bobbed up and down like an autumn apple in a bucket of water.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to carry you,\u201d Adam declared and then waited for the fight.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t come.\u00a0 His brother didn\u2019t protest \u2013 Joe just waited there, patiently \u2013 and that <\/em>probably scared him more than anything else could.\u00a0 Catching the kid in his arms, the black-haired man crossed over to Hoss\u2019 bed and sat down.\u00a0 Once there he let Joe slip off his lap so the little boy could place a hand on the big teen\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

A moment later Little Joe turned his tear-streaked face toward him.\u00a0 \u201cIs Hoss gonna be all right?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be okay, buddy.\u00a0 He\u2019s just exhausted.\u201d \u00a0Adam ruffled his brother\u2019s curls.\u00a0 \u201cLike you.\u201d<\/p>\n

And like me, he thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow come he won\u2019t wake up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he needs sleep to heal.\u00a0 That\u2019s why the doctor ordered you both <\/em>to stay in bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Joe spoke again, his voice trembled.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t\u2026like to lay in bed, Adam.\u00a0 It\u2019s like\u2026. Well\u2026.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if my legs work unless I\u2019m usin\u2019 them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam closed his eyes.\u00a0 Thank God they were<\/em> working!\u00a0 Otherwise the little boy at his side would have been dead.\u00a0 Thinking of it, he pulled his brother closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u00a0 You\u2019re gonna smother me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam rose.\u00a0 He swung Joe up and into his arms and then headed for the door.\u00a0 \u201cHow about we let your covers do that for me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe fell quiet as he carried him down the hall toward his room.\u00a0 By the time they got there, his little brother\u2019s hands were twisted in the fabric of his shirt and Joe\u2019s curly head was firmly attached to his shoulder.\u00a0 Adam could feel his brother trembling and wondered what was amiss.\u00a0 They were home.\u00a0 They were safe.<\/p>\n

It was over.<\/p>\n

It took a moment or two to detach the little boy.\u00a0 After he got him in bed, Adam pulled the covers up to Joe\u2019s chin, leaned in and planted a kiss on his furrowed forehead, and headed for the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, will you read me a book?\u201d<\/p>\n

The black-haired man pivoted on his heel.\u00a0 He intended to refuse \u2013 after all, he was needed in Hoss\u2019 room \u2013 but the look on Joe\u2019s face stopped him.\u00a0 This wasn\u2019t about him reading a book, it was about his little brother not being alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, buddy, but it will have to be quick.\u00a0 With Pa and Hop Sing away, I have to take care of Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Book in hand, Adam crossed back to the bed and sat beside his brother. \u00a0Little Joe\u2019s lower lip was thrust out and he was trembling.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy did Pa have to go into the settlement?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cAnd where\u2019s Hop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brother didn\u2019t know about Pa leaving, or what was going on with Hop Sing, because up until a few hours ago Joe\u2019d been no better off than Hoss.\u00a0 The strain of his injury, coupled with what Sebastian Stephens put him through, had left the little boy exhausted and fevered.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019d slept for nearly twenty-four hours straight.\u00a0 It was only after baby brother woke up and had been pronounced \u2018in recovery\u2019 by Paul Martin, that Pa had agreed to leave \u2013 and then, only to ride into the settlement with Roy, give his testimony, and return as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

Adam hesitated to tell him more.\u00a0 Joe was still pretty weak.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you tell me what you<\/em> remember first, buddy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout what happened with Mister Stephens, you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 Little Joe had been incredibly brave \u2013 and incredibly reckless <\/em>that day.<\/p>\n

The kid had taken ten years off his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Adam replied, careful to maintain an even tone.<\/p>\n

Little Joe frowned.\u00a0 Then he reached out and took his hand.\u00a0 Adam placed his other one over his brother\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was gonna shoot me,\u201d Joe said, breathless.\u00a0 \u201cIf my legs hadn\u2019t started working\u2026.\u00a0 If I hadn\u2019t been able to move and get out of the way\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shuddered. \u00a0He could see it happening now \u2013 Sebastian Stephens pointing the barrel of his gun right between the little boy\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

____<\/p>\n

Smoke hung in the air along with the acrid scent of gunpowder.<\/p>\n

Adam saw his father stiffen at the sound.\u00a0 He watched the older man fight the urge to turn and run for his baby.\u00a0 It took everything that was in him, but Pa knew whatever had happened to Little Joe had already happened.\u00a0 He had another <\/em>son to save.\u00a0 Stephen\u2019s gun had more rounds in it.<\/p>\n

Hoss was within a hair\u2019s breadth of dying.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, check on your brother,\u201d Pa breathed between clenched teeth.<\/p>\n

Stephen\u2019s gun swung in his direction. \u00a0\u201cMove and you\u2019ll be next.\u201d<\/p>\n

The light was rising.\u00a0 The place where Little Joe lay had become blanketed with leafy shadows.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t see his brother.\u00a0 Couldn\u2019t tell if Joe was alive or\u2026not.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t win,\u201d Pa said, his voice tight.\u00a0 \u201cYou can\u2019t kill all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t need to kill all of you.\u00a0 Just your sons,\u201d the Easterner snarled.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, Sebastian?\u00a0 Why?<\/em>\u00a0 You\u2019ll end your life in prison or, even worse, at the end of a rope.\u00a0 Is it worth it?\u00a0 Harming\u2026murdering<\/em> my boys won\u2019t bring your <\/em>children back.\u201d\u00a0 The older man\u2019s voice broke with emotion.\u00a0 \u201cClare and Ethan were adults.\u00a0 Old enough to live their own lives and make their own choices.\u00a0 The only crime Hop Sing is guilty of is having your daughter fall in love with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy daughter did not love that chink!\u00a0 He took her from me with his potions and lies!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMister Stephens wrong,\u201d Hop Sing said as he moved forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay where you are, coolie!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The Asian man halted.\u00a0 \u201cThis one tell your daughter it will not work.\u00a0 He beg her to remain at home.\u00a0 She would not listen.\u00a0 Missy Clare say she is a caged lark that wishes to fly free.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re lying!\u201d Stephens shouted.<\/p>\n

Adam glanced at the darkness beneath the tree again and then his gaze returned to Hoss.\u00a0 Stephens had his brother by the arm and held the gun against his head.\u00a0 The madman\u2019s hand was shaking, whether from fear or rage he had no idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis unworthy one does not lie,\u201d Hop Sing continued as he took another step forward.\u00a0 Bending, he laid his weapon on the ground.\u00a0 \u201cLet Mistah Cartwright and boys go.\u00a0 It is this one you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Easterner glared at him.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 Mister Stephens say this unworthy one kill his children.\u00a0 Then it only right he kill this unworthy one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephens was vacillating, swinging the gun from him to Pa, and then back to Hoss.\u00a0 Finally, he came to decision.<\/p>\n

He let Hoss go.<\/p>\n

As his brother plunged to the ground, the Easterner raised the weapon, pointed it straight at Hop Sing, and cocked the trigger.<\/p>\n

At that moment a very loud and very long \u2018Noooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!<\/em>\u2019 rang out and a four-foot-four seventy-three pound missile barreled out of the trees.\u00a0 Little Joe was on his feet and uninjured.\u00a0 He ran past Hop Sing and their father and threw himself at Sebastian Stephens\u2019 knees.\u00a0 Stephen\u2019s gun went off but the bullet went wide, striking a distant tree.\u00a0 For a moment he and Hoss and Pa and Hop Sing remained where they were, stunned by the unexpected turn of events.\u00a0 It was only when the Easterner reached down and back-handed Little Joe, that the spell was broken.\u00a0 The little boy fell backwards and lay still.\u00a0 Sensing an opportunity, Sebastian Stephens dove for his gun.<\/p>\n

He never made it.<\/p>\n

One again, gun-smoke filled the air, but this time the bullet came from Hop Sing\u2019s revolver. The Asian man stared at the smoking weapon for several heartbeats before his knees turned to jelly and he and it dropped to the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo to Hop Sing,\u201d his father said, briefly touching his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI need to check on Hoss and Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam glanced at the big teen on his way and was pleased to see that middle brother was awake and \u00a0strong enough to give him a tight smile and a nod. \u00a0Little Joe was still laying on the ground, but Pa was headed for him, so he whispered a prayer and let it go and continued on to Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

When he got to the Asian man\u2019s side, Adam crouched beside him and reached out.\u00a0 \u201cAre you all right?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis one does not matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s gaze was fixed on his father.\u00a0 Pa was standing up.\u00a0 He had Little Joe in his arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe will be okay,\u201d he replied, praying his words were true.\u00a0 \u201cI think he hit his head when he fell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tears streaked the Asian man\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cOnly reason he not dead is Little Joe able to walk again.\u00a0 When he walk, he put himself in danger!\u00a0 Little boy risk his life for this unworthy one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd for Pa and Hoss and me,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what family does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing appeared stunned.\u00a0 He looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cThis one is not family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf\u00a0 course you are!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 His tone was adamant.\u00a0 \u201cThis unworthy one bring only shame\u2026danger\u2026to the house of Cartwright.\u00a0 He must go.\u00a0 Not belong here anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked up to find his father standing over them.\u00a0 Little Joe was in his arms.\u00a0 The older man had thrown his coat around the little boy and held him close. \u00a0Joe\u2019s fingers were stroking Pa\u2019s chin, so he was awake \u2013 and alive.<\/p>\n

Thank God!<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph risked his life to save you,\u201d Pa said.\u00a0 \u201cBy calling yourself \u2018unworthy\u2019, you demean not only his courage but his love.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing lowered his head.\u00a0 \u201cThis one cannot remain.\u00a0 He is without honor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo what you must,\u201d Pa said as he began to walk away.\u00a0 \u201cBut know you are always welcome at the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam was still on his haunches.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man looked at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the meaning of \u2018honor\u2019?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 When Hop Sing said nothing, he went on.\u00a0 \u201cDoes it mean running from what is difficult, or facing up to it?\u00a0 Does it mean fleeing, going far away where no one knows what you have done, or living day to day in the face of bad choices and making them right?\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused, collecting his thoughts.\u00a0 \u201cIt seems to me that a man who seeks to be honorable must walk many difficult roads.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss appeared beside them.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing.\u00a0 Pa sent me.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019s cryin\u2019 and he\u2019s askin\u2019 for you.\u00a0 He wants to know that you\u2019re okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing remained as he was for a moment and then rose slowly to his feet.\u00a0 His gaze moved past Hoss to the cave mouth where Sebastian Stephens\u2019 body lay.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis one tell Little Joe he okay.\u00a0 Then find Deputy Coffee.\u00a0 Turn self in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shot to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing, you don\u2019t have to do that.\u00a0 You saved our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, \u00a0Hop Sing,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll tell Mister Roy it was self-defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man looked from him to his brother and back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis one thanks you, but difficult road to honor must begin with first step of truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

____<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s grip was fierce.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that all you remember?\u201d Adam asked.\u00a0 \u201cThat Stephens was going to shoot you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Wide-eyed Little Joe nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the next thing you remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa holding me.\u00a0 Hop Sing saying \u2018goodbye\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 Tears entered his brother\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cIs Hop Sing ever coming back?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam wasn\u2019t quite sure how to answer that.\u00a0 The Asian man had made no promises before climbing into the wagon and heading for the house where they met up with Roy Coffee and Lucas Painter.\u00a0 Their cook and housekeeper sat in the great room and admitted to shooting Sebastian Stephens with the intent to kill.\u00a0 There were mitigating circumstances, of course \u2013 like the fact that Stephens had kidnapped and intended to murder the three of them \u2013 and he had Pa to speak for him, but Hop Sing was Chinese and Stephens was white. \u00a0He\u2019d be lucky if a mob didn\u2019t rise up to lynch him.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing might just have<\/em> to leave.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t answer that, buddy,\u201d he replied honestly.\u00a0 \u201cWe can only hope and pray.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we do that now?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t the most comfortable praying out loud, but he could do it.\u00a0 As he knelt beside his brother\u2019s bed and took Joe\u2019s small hands in his own, he heard the front door open.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes were open too.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that Pa?\u201d his brother asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so,\u201d he said as he rose and headed for the door.\u00a0 A sound alerted Adam to the fact that his little brother was climbing out of bed, ready to follow.\u00a0 \u201cWhoa.\u00a0 Whoa!\u201d he said turning back.\u00a0 \u201cYou stay right there.\u00a0 I\u2019ll bring Pa up to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, Adam\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Ah, Adam\u2019, yourself.\u00a0 Pa will have my hide<\/em> if he sees you out of bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s lips curled at the ends as he settled back.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019d be kind of funny to see you skinned.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a pillow conveniently close.<\/p>\n

Joe almost <\/em>ducked in time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright tossed his hat on the credenza and then removed his gun belt and coiled it beside it.\u00a0 He was weary to the bone.\u00a0 The normal time to cover the twenty mile ride to the settlement was four to five hours.\u00a0 He\u2019d made it both ways in a little over three.\u00a0 Forgoing the fire and his comfortable chair \u2013 as well as the enticing flask of brandy beside it \u2013 the rancher started up the stairs just as his eldest appeared at the top and started down.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are your brothers?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re good, Pa.\u00a0 Hoss is resting and Little Joe\u2019s awake and asking for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAnd how are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe, Pa?\u00a0 \u00a0I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

They both had a chuckle over that.<\/p>\n

Adam looked beyond him.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s Hop Sing?\u00a0 Is he with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 He\u2019s still at the jail speaking with the judge. \u00a0I wanted to get home. \u00a0I\u2019m\u2026worried about your brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs he\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Adam paused.\u00a0 \u201cAre they going to hold him?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI honestly don\u2019t know.\u00a0 I spoke up for him.\u00a0 I told the judge what Stephens had done to you and your brothers. \u00a0I assured him we were all in mortal peril and Hop Sing took that shot to save us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sighed.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing is his own worst enemy.\u00a0 He said he shot Stephens deliberately.\u00a0 What the judge is trying to determine is, first of all, the course of events and, secondly, the motive behind the shooting.\u00a0 They were waiting on Roy.\u00a0 At the last minute he was called away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe\u2019s pretty upset.\u201d<\/p>\n

The older man eyed his eldest son.\u00a0 \u201cDoes he remember everything that happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 Just Stephens pointing the gun at him and then you holding him.\u00a0 I guess that knock on the head took the rest of it.\u00a0 But that\u2019s not what he\u2019s upset about.\u00a0 He\u2019s worried Hop Sing is not coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 His youngest had a deep-seated fear of abandonment brought on by the loss of his mother at such a tender age.\u00a0 When Marie died and he lost his way, for a time Adam became his brother\u2019s rock.\u00a0 Then, Adam left.\u00a0 Joseph had been crushed when his eldest went to college.\u00a0 The boy had wept for weeks on end and experienced nightmares nearly every night.\u00a0 It had been Hop Sing, with his quiet spirit and soothing ways, who had stepped in to fill the void and brought both behaviors to an end.<\/p>\n

He had no idea what it would do to his youngest child if Hop Sing left as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go up and check in on Hoss, and then I\u2019ll talk to Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once upstairs the rancher stopped at his middle boy\u2019s door to listen.\u00a0 He could hear Hoss snoring away.\u00a0 Opening the door he went inside and crossed to the bed where he laid a hand on the boy\u2019s forehead to check for fever.\u00a0 It was there but much lower than when he\u2019d left, for which he whispered a quick prayer of thanks before moving on to his youngest\u2019s room.\u00a0 Ben was a bit surprised not to be greeted as he opened the door. \u00a0That was before he realized Joseph had cried himself to sleep.\u00a0 The boy\u2019s pillow was soaked, so he lifted him up by the shoulders and held him as he turned and repositioned it.\u00a0 Then he sat down in the chair beside bed.\u00a0 There were moments when it seemed a dream, having all three of his boys back safe and fairly sound.\u00a0 There were moments as well when he wanted to blame Hop Sing for what had happened \u2013 for keeping secrets \u2013 but they were brief.\u00a0 Every man, each woman, had things in their past that were not to be spoken of, even to the people they were the closest with.\u00a0 He knew what grief he had suffered with the death of each of the women he had loved.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t imagine losing one of them at the end of a gun.<\/p>\n

Lowering his head, Ben closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and began to pray.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The next thing the rancher knew, the sun was creeping in the window.\u00a0 Ben blinked and sat up and put a hand to his aching back.\u00a0 Sleeping in a chair at his age \u2013 no matter how comfortable \u2013 was less than desirable.\u00a0 He stretched before glancing at his youngest son\u2019s bed.\u00a0 For a moment, he couldn\u2019t find the boy and he was sure he\u2019d been disobeyed yet <\/em>again, but then he realized Little Joe was cocooned in bed linens from head to toe.\u00a0 Only a few wisps of chestnut-brown hair showed at the top.\u00a0 Taking hold of the covers Ben pulled them down to make sure the boy could breathe; then he left the room and headed downstairs for a cup of coffee to clear away the cobwebs.<\/p>\n

Adam was already seated at the table.\u00a0 His son had a newspaper in his hand, which he quickly put down when he caught sight of him.\u00a0 Ben smiled.\u00a0 He had a rule about not reading at the table.<\/p>\n

As he took his seat and reached for the coffee pot, the rancher asked, \u201cAnything interesting?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam made a face.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s another article about the Foreign Miner\u2019s License Tax.\u00a0 Do they think anybody is really fooled?\u00a0 It\u2019s just another way to oppress the Chinese.\u201d\u00a0 His son\u2019s disgust with the politicians was clear.\u00a0 \u201cIf I live to be one hundred, I will never understand why people hate a man just because of the color of his skin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople fear what is different, what they don\u2019t understand, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, then, why don\u2019t they learn <\/em>to understand?\u00a0 Instead of chasing someone like Hop Sing away, why don\u2019t they get to know him?\u00a0 Invite him to dinner or something?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben hid his smile.\u00a0 Adam was young and impassioned as he <\/em>once had been.\u00a0 Perhaps, in time, young men like him would make a difference.<\/p>\n

His son grinned sheepishly.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNever apologize for compassion, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded. \u00a0\u201cAre you hungry?\u00a0 I\u2019ve got some hotcakes on the griddle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds wonderful.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s voice trailed off.\u00a0 He frowned.\u00a0 \u201cWas that a wagon?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He rose to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cYou get the hotcakes.\u00a0 I\u2019ll get the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time the rancher got there someone was knocking.\u00a0 It was early for anyone to be out and about.\u00a0 If they\u2019d come from the settlement, they would have to have left before the sun was up.\u00a0 Ben glanced at his gun, wondering if he should pick it up.\u00a0 After a moment he decided he was being overly-cautious and, instead, opened the door.<\/p>\n

Roy Coffee tipped his hat.\u00a0 \u201cMornin\u2019, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n

His gaze went past the lawman.\u00a0 Hop Sing was seated in the wagon.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy?\u00a0 What is this about?\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawman turned and gestured.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing, you get over here!\u201d<\/p>\n

At first, the Asian man didn\u2019t move.\u00a0 Then he began a slow dismount.<\/p>\n

\u201cI brung him back to you. Ben.\u00a0 He was ready to light out of town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid the judge let him go?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy nodded.\u00a0 \u201cOne of Stephens\u2019 men came forward.\u00a0 Seems to me he might have been one of yours too.\u00a0 Goes by the name of Pratt Shade?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 He\u2019d wondered what had become of Pratt.\u00a0 The dead body Hop Sing had stumbled over was his partner, Bush Sears.\u00a0 From what Adam had told him about the pair and their actions, he was more than happy to see the back of both of them!<\/p>\n

\u201cShade told the judge how Stephens paid him and Sears to kidnap your young\u2019uns and then ordered them to kill \u2018em.\u00a0 He said Stephens killed Sears for not doin\u2019 what he told him to, so that makes him a murderer.\u201d\u00a0 Roy looked at his housekeeper, who by this time had made it to their side.\u00a0 \u201cSeems Hop Sing here did the settlement a service getting\u2019 rid of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s eyes were on the Asian man.\u00a0 \u201cAnd there were no repercussions?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy pushed his hat back.\u00a0 \u201cNot so\u2019s you can say, but I think it\u2019d be smart to keep Hop Sing on the Ponderosa until everythin\u2019 dies down.\u00a0 Sad to say, some people ain\u2019t too fond of the Chinese and there\u2019s folks spreadin\u2019 rumors that everythin\u2019 he said is a lie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing tell nothing but the truth,\u201d the Asian man said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat you did, Hop Sing, and I\u2019m right proud of you for it.\u00a0 Tellin\u2019 the truth shows a man who respects the law.\u201d\u00a0 Roy took a step toward the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cI gotta get goin\u2019, Ben, but afore I do I wanted to ask after your boys.\u00a0 How are they?\u00a0 How\u2019s Hoss and Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben noticed how closely Hop Sing listened.\u00a0 \u201cRecovering. \u00a0Given time, they\u2019ll both be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGlad to hear it.\u201d\u00a0 The deputy turned to the other man.\u00a0 \u201cNow, you listen to me, Hop Sing.\u00a0 You stay put for your own good.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to see you in the settlement \u2019til next spring!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing not hide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t askin\u2019 you too.\u00a0 I\u2019m askin\u2019 you to take it careful.\u00a0 We wouldn\u2019t want anythin\u2019 happenin\u2019 to you.\u201d\u00a0 Roy shot him a look.\u00a0 \u201cNow would we, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n

He held his old friend\u2019s gaze.\u00a0 \u201cNo, we wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Ben closed the door behind Hop Sing, Adam came out of the kitchen, hotcakes in hand.\u00a0 They \u2013 and<\/em> his son \u2013 looked a little\u2026singed\u2026around the edges.\u00a0 At almost the same instant there was a shout and<\/em> an exclamation from the top of the stairs.\u00a0 Hoss was there.\u00a0 He was wearing his green check night shirt and grinning like a fool.\u00a0 The big teen had his little brother in hand \u2013 or he did <\/em>until Joseph broke loose and bolted down the stairs.\u00a0 The little boy\u2019s legs were wobbly at best and he stumbled about halfway down and would have fallen the rest of the way if not for the fact that Hop Sing practically flew up the steps to catch him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch foolishment!\u201d the Asian man declared as he gathered Little Joe in his arms and turned to look at Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cWhat little boys do out of bed?!\u00a0 Little boys get sick, Hop Sing have to take care of them and he have no time!\u00a0 Many days away!\u00a0 Have many things to do!\u201d\u00a0 His next target was Adam, who was standing by the sofa table snickering.\u00a0 \u201cWhat number one son laugh at?\u00a0 What you do in kitchen? \u00a0Boy not know how to cook!.\u00a0 He burn house down!\u201d\u00a0 Ben stifled a laugh as his eldest stuttered an apology and began to back out of the room.<\/p>\n

But Hop Sing was not done.<\/p>\n

The finger pointed at him next.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy Mistah Ben laugh?\u00a0 Dark river run under eyes.\u00a0 He look like old man.\u00a0 Where you sleep last night?!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cIn a chair\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn chair like baby.\u201d\u00a0 The finger wagged.\u00a0 \u201cNot baby.\u00a0 Old<\/em> man!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Asian man looked down at the little boy in his arms.\u00a0 \u201cWhat number three son want?\u201d<\/p>\n

Without warning, his youngest son threw his arms around the Asian man\u2019s neck.\u00a0 \u201cNobody can yell like you!\u00a0 It\u2019s great<\/em> to have you home!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben wondered what Hop Sing would do.\u00a0\u00a0 He was worse than Adam when it came to a show of affection.\u00a0 To his surprise, the Asian man responded by pulling his small son into a tight embrace.<\/p>\n

Then he looked at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing happy to be home as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

EPILOGUE<\/p>\n

Marie would have had his hide.<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright stood by the coral with his oldest son, watching his thirteen hand baby boy mount the powerful fifteen and a half hand pinto that had saved his life and begin to walk it around the corral. \u00a0Hoss was leading the pair, so there was nothing to fear \u2013 and Joseph truly did have a way with horses.\u00a0 After everything that had happened he should have taken joy in watching his young son take on a challenge, but in reality all he wanted to do with Marie\u2019s boy was pull him in tight and hold him to his chest and never let him go.<\/p>\n

He had almost had to let him go \u2013 almost had to let all<\/em> of them go.\u00a0 The nightmare that was Sebastian Stephens was still with him.<\/p>\n

Ben wondered when and if <\/em>he would ever be able to let that<\/em> go.<\/p>\n

The man had been a selfish brute, that much was evident.\u00a0 He\u2019d made life hell for his family and bullied just about every business owner in Yerba Buena, or San Francisco as it was now known as well as Gold Hill.\u00a0 As his boys recovered, the rancher had become curious.\u00a0 He\u2019d sent out a good many letters, to various lawmen in the bay area, seeking to make contact with anyone who had known Sebastian Stephens and was willing to talk.\u00a0 Eventually, Maria Theresa \u2013 Sebastian\u2019s housekeeper \u2013 had written back.\u00a0 She told him Stephens first wife had not died, but left him and their two children shortly after the twins birth.\u00a0 No one knew why, though the evidence suggested she took off with another man.\u00a0 Sebastian was a businessman and seldom home, and so it had been Maria who had acted as Clare and Ethan\u2019s surrogate father and <\/em>mother.\u00a0 As the children grew Stephens began to pay more attention, especially to Clare who was the spitting image of his missing wife.\u00a0 Maria said the man\u2019s interest bordered on unhealthy.\u00a0 Clare, a beautiful, blithe child, began to wither.\u00a0 On her sixteenth birthday her father forbid her to leave the house unless he or a man he had appointed accompany her.<\/p>\n

That was the year the headaches began.<\/p>\n

Maria was unsure if Clare\u2019s condition had been medical or mental or maybe both.\u00a0 The headaches seemed to coincide with her father\u2019s time at home.\u00a0 At first, they were inconvenient, but then grew to be incapacitating and that was when Sebastian Stephens \u2013 in his desperation \u2013 turned to Chinese medicine and engaged Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

Thus sealing his and his children\u2019s fate.<\/p>\n

Little Joe was grinning and waving as he jogged around the corral for the tenth time.\u00a0 Ben lifted a hand and waved back.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re awfully quiet,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n

He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cJust thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked toward the house.\u00a0 \u201cStephens and his daughter.\u00a0 Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been pretty quiet too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 I\u2026feel for him.\u00a0 I know what it is like to have loved and lost.\u201d\u00a0 Ben paused, gathering his thoughts.\u00a0 \u201cSon, life is journey from birth to death and, like any journey, there are pitfalls along the way.\u00a0 It\u2019s the hazards, the dangers, and how a man handles them that make him what he is. \u00a0I\u2019ve tried to teach you boys to face them, to forge forward when you must, to forgive whoever who has done you wrong, and to fight for justice when and where you can.\u00a0 There are men \u2013 and women \u2013 who choose another path. It\u2019s no easier.\u00a0 In fact I think, in the end, it may be the harder one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo hide, you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo turn a blind eye, and to pretend something didn\u2019t happen.\u201d\u00a0 Ben glanced again at Hoss and Little Joe.\u00a0 Joe was still on the pinto, but they had come to a halt.\u00a0 Hoss had one hand on his brother\u2019s leg and was petting the horse\u2019s muzzle with his other.\u00a0 \u201cYou can pretend all you want to, but you can never forget.\u00a0 A man that carries a secret is slowly eaten away from the inside out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam leaned on the corral fence.\u00a0 \u201cWell, Hop Sing\u2019s is out now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, it was.\u00a0 In fact, it seemed the whole settlement knew about it.\u00a0 It had been a month since his sons\u2019 abduction and they had yet to go into Gold Hill \u2013 and he didn\u2019t intend<\/em> to go in until the winter was done.\u00a0 It was late October now and soon the snow would fly, cutting them off.\u00a0 The cold bitter months would do much to make the busybodies and rumor-mongers forget.\u00a0 Struggling to survive had a tendency to do that to a person.\u00a0 Ben prayed that, by the time they went back into the settlement in March or April, his housekeeper \u2013 and his affairs \u2013 would be old news.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think Hop Sing will be okay, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben clapped a hand on his son\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re here \u2013 all three of you.\u00a0 There were consequences to for his actions, but the Good Lord saw everything through.\u00a0 It will take time and understanding on all our parts but, yes, I think Hop Sing will be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

The look on Adam\u2019s face made him turn back to the corral.\u00a0 Hoss had mounted behind Little Joe and the pair were making their way toward the gate.\u00a0 Ben drew in a breath and held it as his father\u2019s fears kicked in.\u00a0 Joseph was barely healed from his accident.\u00a0 Paul Martin had been out the day before and, after a good ten minutes of begging on his small son\u2019s part, told Little Joe that he could ride again \u2013 if<\/em> he was careful.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss will take care of him, Pa.\u00a0 You know that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss recovered quickly and had been on his feet and back to work after three days.\u00a0 His injuries were minor and he\u2019d mostly suffered from lack of food and water and exhaustion.\u00a0 As was always the case, Joseph was the last to heal and the first to start telling everyone that he was \u2018fine\u2019.<\/p>\n

Ben nodded and waved at the trusted ranch hand who was standing by the gate.\u00a0 Hoss turned and gave him a grin and then he and Joseph exited the corral and headed out into the wide open spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you going to let Little Joe ride Cochise?\u201d his son asked.<\/p>\n

In spite of the irony of a female horse being named after a male warrior, the name had stuck.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn time,\u201d Ben replied.\u00a0 \u201cFor now he can take care of her and ride with his brother.\u201d\u00a0 He was secretly hoping that due to the boy\u2019s slighter frame and slow growth Little Joe wouldn\u2019t be able to ride the mare for some time.\u00a0 \u201cI told him he needed to be at least as many hands high as the horse before he could ride alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam snorted.\u00a0 \u201cSo, say about age twenty-one?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben laughed.\u00a0 \u201cCadfan will do for now, though he\u2019ll soon be too small.\u00a0 We\u2019ll have to look for something in the interim.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGeronimo?\u201d the boy suggested with a grin.\u00a0 \u201cOr maybe Crazy Horse?\u201d<\/p>\n

The rancher pursed his lips and shook his head. \u201cDefinitely not <\/em>Crazy Horse!\u201d\u00a0 Reaching out, he placed an arm around his oldest son\u2019s shoulders. \u201cNow, come on, young man.\u00a0 We have work to do.\u00a0 Those figures aren\u2019t going to settle themselves!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From the kitchen window Hop Sing watched as the men he loved went about their daily business.\u00a0 He was once again a part of their lives and yet, still apart from them.\u00a0 This was how it would always be.\u00a0 Mister Adam had been right.\u00a0 There could be no honor without shame.\u00a0 He had hidden his for many years \u2013 so<\/em> many, he thought it gone.\u00a0 He had believed himself safe from prying eyes and knowing lips \u2013 safe from pain.\u00a0 This was not so and would never be.\u00a0 Mistah Cartwright had come to the kitchen early that morning, seeking coffee.\u00a0 His employer told him that God often uses our greatest pain as the beginning of our greatest calling.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s gaze returned to the men in the yard.<\/p>\n

So it was with him.<\/p>\n

His greatest loss had become his greatest gain.<\/p>\n

Leaving the window, the Asian man crossed through the kitchen and halted by his personal shrine.\u00a0 With respect, he moved the images of Missy Cartwright and his honorable grandparents and reached behind to draw out the golden locket Missy Clare had given him.\u00a0 He whispered a few words as his fingers brushed its intricate surface and then opened the small box in the shrine and placed the locket inside, consigning Clare \u2013 along with all of the hopes and dreams he had had of a life together \u2013 to the past where they belonged.\u00a0 She was free now.<\/p>\n

As he was free.<\/p>\n

The kettle whistled.\u00a0 The fire crackled and popped.<\/p>\n

Life went on.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0ESA,\u00a0Family,\u00a0Hop Sing,\u00a0Hoss Cartwright,\u00a0hostage,\u00a0JAM,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright,\u00a0JPM,\u00a0kidnap,\u00a0SJS,\u00a0trapped<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

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

Summary: Ben Cartwright’s young sons are under threat. Could a secret long buried be the reason? And if so, just whose secret is it?<\/p>\n

Word Count: 66,559<\/p>\n

Rated PG-13 for racial slurs and western style brutality and violence<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10058,"featured_media":30469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1004,23,41,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ben-cartwright","category-drama","category-hurtcomfort","category-prequels","wpcat-1004-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-41-id","wpcat-30-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":5927,"today_views":1},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Difficult-Roads-cover-two--scaled.jpg?fit=1950%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7728,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7728","url_meta":{"origin":28164,"position":0},"title":"I’ve Got A Secret (by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"May 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Little Joe knows a secret Adam would rather he did not tell. 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Rated:\u00a0K+\u00a0\u00a0 Word count:\u00a0887","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Cartwright"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1005"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/adam_11.jpg?fit=796%2C638&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/adam_11.jpg?fit=796%2C638&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/adam_11.jpg?fit=796%2C638&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/adam_11.jpg?fit=796%2C638&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25624,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=25624","url_meta":{"origin":28164,"position":2},"title":"Christmas Spirit (by AC1830)","author":"AC1830","date":"December 25, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Little Joe learns something special about Christmas, with the help of his brothers. Rating: T, WC 947","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/St.-Nicholas.jpg?fit=600%2C539&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/St.-Nicholas.jpg?fit=600%2C539&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/St.-Nicholas.jpg?fit=600%2C539&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49924,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=49924","url_meta":{"origin":28164,"position":3},"title":"The Ugliest Christmas Ornament (by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"December 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Little Joe thinks an ornament is too ugly for the Cartwright tree. Adam has the opposite opinion in this slice-of-life vignette. Rating: G 610 words","rel":"","context":"In "Brothers"","block_context":{"text":"Brothers","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1009"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Bonanza-SC-Angel.jpg?fit=385%2C289&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3669,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=3669","url_meta":{"origin":28164,"position":4},"title":"One Out Of Six (by Heike)","author":"heike","date":"April 26, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Little Joe and five of his school mates are playing a game that may come to a deadly end. \u00a0 Rating: \u00a0K+ \u00a0WC 850","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/guiltily-looking-little-boys.jpg?fit=400%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7598,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7598","url_meta":{"origin":28164,"position":5},"title":"A Blue Plate Special (by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"May 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0A chipped blue plate holds memories for Ben and a lesson for his son. 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