{"id":2934,"date":"2013-07-24T16:49:10","date_gmt":"2013-07-24T20:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2934"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:16:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:16:44","slug":"morehouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2934","title":{"rendered":"Morehouse (by frasrgrl)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"label\">Summary:\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span>July 2013 Chaps and Spurs entry.\u00a0 \u00a0Joe has been shot.<\/p>\n<p>Word Count: 3,634\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"label\">Rated:<\/span> K+<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Morehouse<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Author&#8217;s Chapter Notes:<\/p>\n<p>July 2013 C&amp;S words<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bang<\/li>\n<li>Report<\/li>\n<li>Crackle<\/li>\n<li>Hummer<\/li>\n<li>Whistle<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Please forgive me, I&#8217;m going outside my comfort zone on this and it hasn&#8217;t been beta&#8217;d yet.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The first thing I heard was the <strong>bang<\/strong> of a door being slammed. It jerked me from the outer reaches of the universe, where nothing existed except for a warm, soft, blackness that surrounded me like my favorite quilt. I sat up much too fast; the pain that cascaded through my body was almost unbearable.<\/p>\n<p>What happened to me?<\/p>\n<p>I remember riding away from the house and Pa\u2019s shout because he didn\u2019t like, and never does, the speed that I spurred Cochise to.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSorry, Pa!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I know it worries Pa when I ride like this, but today I just couldn\u2019t help myself. I was finally being allowed to go to town after two months of exile. Pa was none too pleased about my last trip to town and the fight I got into with Les Morehouse. It didn\u2019t matter that I didn\u2019t start it, or that I even tried to avoid it. Les was one of those men who I would not take on even on my cockiest day, or when my temper was at its peak. I just ain\u2019t that stupid, no matter what my brothers say. What did matter was Pa not only had to ride into town; he also had to bail me out of Roy Coffee\u2019s jail.<\/p>\n<p>This time I promised I would stay out of trouble. I would get the mail and if Mitch or one of my other good friends were in town I was told I could spend some time catching up with them. Before I was allowed to leave he told me exactly what would happen if I got into <em>any<\/em> trouble, and he meant any little bit of trouble at all. I had to be on my best behavior or I wouldn\u2019t be permitted to leave the ranch until my next birthday, and considering I just celebrated my seventeenth, that was quite a lot of time. I would also spend that time doing every single chore I hated, I would be riding Clementine, the absolute worst horse on the ranch, I wouldn\u2019t be allowed anywhere near the corrals, or the horses that needed to be gentled. The worse threat, no not a threat but a promise, was a very intimate one on one discussion with Pa, one that I hadn\u2019t had since I was fifteen and thought I was too old for. I had every intention of keeping the promise. There was no way that I was going to have that discussion with him.<\/p>\n<p>But what had happened to me?<\/p>\n<p>I knew I was home, but that slamming door told me someone was angry. After all, I\u2019m the only one who has the nerve to slam a bedroom door.<\/p>\n<p>I shifted in my bed and sucked in a gasp of air through clenched teeth. The fire in my side suddenly came alive; burning hotter than any forest fire I had ever been around.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJoseph?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s Pa and he\u2019s close to me so it wasn\u2019t his door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPa\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m here, Son. Just take it easy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I could feel his thumb on the back of my hand, caressing calming circles on it. I also heard footsteps leaving my room, but who?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d I gasped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSorry? What on earth for?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrouble\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0I didn\u2019t mean to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLittle Joe, open your eyes for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I tried, I really did, but I just couldn\u2019t. They felt like they had been the victim of Hop Sing\u2019s sewing needle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCan\u2019t\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0Tired.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Boy. Go back to sleep. I\u2019ll be right here when you wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPromise?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course I do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt him push those wayward curls of mine off my forehead, and couldn\u2019t help smiling because of how soothing it is. With a sigh I let myself slip back into the warm, waiting arms of Morpheus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHoss told me he was awake. Did he say anything?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ben looked up at Dr. Paul Martin, his brows drawn together in confusion. \u201cHe said he was sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSorry? Why would he say that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know, but he said something about causing trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWas that all?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBasically. He did say he was tired and he couldn\u2019t seem to open his eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paul looked up from his examination of Joe\u2019s side. \u201cThat\u2019s to be expected, Ben. I\u2019m actually surprised he got that much out considering the amount of blood he lost and how weak he is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoc, is he gonna be okay?\u201d Hoss asked from his position behind his father.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a good sign that he woke up and spoke with you. His fever is also down. He has more than a fighting chance now, but I just can\u2019t say for sure yet. I won\u2019t give any of you any false hope.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Watching the shallow rise and fall of his son\u2019s chest, Ben refused to accept any other outcome than the one that said his son was going to live and be back to his most endearing, annoying self.<\/p>\n<p>Hoss laid a comforting hand on the older man\u2019s shoulder. \u201cHe\u2019s gonna be just fine, Pa. You know Little Joe, so do you, Doc, he\u2019s a fighter. Didn\u2019t he just prove you wrong <em>again<\/em>? You said he didn\u2019t have a chance, and that he wouldn\u2019t wake up. Well, he just done woke up, not only that, but he talked to Pa. Little Brother is gonna be aggravating all of us before long; demanding to get out of bed. He\u2019s just too dadburn ornery to let a hole in his side stop him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ben reached up and squeezed his son\u2019s hand. \u201cYou\u2019re right, Hoss, he is too stubborn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>~~~~<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A shrill <strong>whistle<\/strong> rent the air, causing Cochise to dance around. I was able to gain control and slowed him to a walk. When I leaned forward, rubbing his neck to soothe him, I heard the <strong>report<\/strong> from a gun and almost immediately felt a blistering, pain blaze its way into my side; the power of it knocked me from the saddle, and the last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me was my fool horse running for home.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>~~~~<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou need to eat somethin\u2019, Pa, or you\u2019re gonna get sick\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not leaving him, Hoss,\u201d interrupted Ben.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf\u2019n you wilt away to nothin\u2019 because you ain\u2019t eatin\u2019, what good will you be to Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Staring up at his middle son from the overstuffed chair in which he\u2019d taken up residence in, Ben realized Hoss did have a point, whether he liked it or not.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlright, but you call me at the first sign of him waking. I made a promise to him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, Sir, I\u2019ll call you if he wakes up and you\u2019re still eatin\u2019 or sleepin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t say anything about sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knows you didn\u2019t, but you will even if Adam and me have to, um, do a little persuadin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow\u2019s Adam doing?\u201d Ben asked, changing the subject.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s calmed down a might, but he still ain\u2019t too happy \u2018bout it all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know, but there isn\u2019t really anything to be done right now. We have to wait to see what Roy finds out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know that, and you know that, but Big Brother don\u2019t want to accept it. He\u2019s a lot like this one here, but will never admit it.\u201d Hoss pointed towards the door, and stared at his father. \u201cNow you get.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ben knew there wasn\u2019t any use of fighting the inevitable; it was a losing battle when Hoss had that look on his face. He\u2019d seen it many a time used on his youngest and the results it got. He surrendered gracefully and relinquished his chair to his middle son.<\/p>\n<p>Bending down towards Joe, Ben once again pushed that wayward lock of hair off the boy\u2019s forehead. \u201cI\u2019ll be back, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>~~~~<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Humming. Someone is nearby humming a song, a song that I know. The distant memory tickled at my mind, demanding me to recognize it. I heard it a long time ago, but it was a woman, not a man\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0Mama\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0except she was singin\u2019 it in French. I can remember that it always made me feel safe\u2014secure; but most of all loved.<\/p>\n<p>This person wasn\u2019t singin\u2019 it, he was humming it. It wasn\u2019t Pa, I know because Pa doesn\u2019t hum. It ain\u2019t Adam either, he would be singin\u2019 it and in French too. The show-off. He\u2019s done it before for me. It has to be Hoss. Unlike me he hums when he feels the need. Me, I whistle. I\u2019m a whistler; so I guess that makes Hoss a <strong>hummer<\/strong>. Yeah, he\u2019s a hummer.<\/p>\n<p>A sigh of contentment slipped past my lips as I slid back into the calm, serene arms that awaited me.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>~~~~<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Ben, but there jest ain\u2019t anything to go on. I wish I could tell you otherwise, but we\u2019re gonna haveta wait for Little Joe to wake up and tell us what he knows. Other than that I don\u2019t even know who we\u2019re looking for,\u201d explained Roy Coffee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMorehouse,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n<p>It was all coming back to me. Les Morehouse was leaning over me, pushing on my shoulder, demanding that I wake up. I couldn\u2019t stifle the moan that escaped when I did open my eyes; and the laughter that my pain elicited just added to my rising frustrations.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cNext time you won\u2019t mess with me, Cartwright. That is, if there\u2019s a next time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Mess with him? Needless to say I was confused. Last time I saw him I was having a beer in the Bucket of Blood and minding my own business.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<p><em>I was standing at the bar looking around the room hoping to find one of my friends when Morehouse came up to me. He jostled my arm hard enough that not only did my beer spill onto the bar, but also down the front of me. Smelling like a saloon hadn\u2019t help things with Pa either. I knew I wasn\u2019t only outsized, but out-muscled. I\u2019ve seen Hoss take Les on and he could barely handle the man. I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt he could tear me apart. There was no way I was going to be that stupid. And Adam says I never think things through! Deciding retreat was the best option; I bid Sam a goodnight and started for the door. That\u2019s when I found myself flat on the floor, clear on the other side of the room.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cI was talking to you, Boy! Don\u2019tcha turn away from me!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018Boy.\u2019 Normally I see red when I\u2019m called that by anyone other than Pa. But not on that day. Oh no, I wasn\u2019t going to mess with that one. I scrambled to my feet, but before I could take one step a fist connected with my face, spinning me around. Morehouse kept coming at me, and somehow I managed to get in one heck of a\u00a0left hook, for all the good it did. A solid punch to my abdomen bent me in half and left me trying to suck some air into my now starving lungs. A gray haze was starting to creep around the edge of my vision, and was attempting to slither further in, in an effort to completely obstruct everything around me. I was pulled upright, but before I was completely torn limb from limb a shotgun blast put a damper on Morehouse\u2019s fun.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>I still couldn\u2019t draw in a decent breath, and as a result was unable to defend myself against Sheriff Coffee. Bless his soul, Sam tried his hardest to get me out of trouble, but the sheriff wouldn\u2019t listen to him. I had been the cause of too much trouble in town of late, and he had warned me that the next time, no matter what, I would be seeing the inside of one of the jail cells; and true to his word, that\u2019s where I found myself. At least he had the decency to put Les and me in separate accommodations. Then he sent for Pa.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">****<\/p>\n<p><em>Two months later I found myself lying in the middle of the road to Virginia City with this giant of a man kneeling over me and laughing his fool head off.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cWhat?\u201d I croaked.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cBecause of you, I not only spent a week in that stinkin\u2019 jail cuz I don\u2019t have a rich daddy to pay my bail or for the damages you caused. I lost a week\u2019s wages! I figure it\u2019s time you paid for it\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0in blood. Took me two months of waitin\u2019 but you finally showed yerself.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cWhat I do to you?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cWhatcha do? You were in that saloon! That\u2019s whatcha done. A snivelin\u2019, snot-nosed brat has no place in a saloon. Only real men belong there.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>I tried, I really tried, but I just couldn\u2019t keep my mouth shut.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cThen what were you doing there?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Needless to say that didn\u2019t go over to well. He picked something up and stood. I tried to roll away when I saw the butt of his rifle headed towards me. That may have been my saving grace. It only grazed me, but was still hard enough to knock me out cold.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cJoe? Joseph!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHuh?\u201d Pa\u2019s shout drew me back to the present, but all I could do was stare at him, not understanding the concerned look in his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMorehouse, Little Joe.\u201d I turned and found Roy Coffee standing on the other side of my bed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMorehouse?\u201d It took me a minute to pull my muddled brain back to the present and realize what he was talking about.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh. Sorry. It was Les Morehouse that\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d I had to pause to catch my breath. I really hate when I\u2019m like this. \u201c.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0shot me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sure about that?\u201d Roy asked.<\/p>\n<p>I nodded my head and immediately regretted the action. After swallowing a few times to keep my stomach where it belonged, I was able to answer him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs sure as I know that\u2019s Pa.\u201d I feebly motioned at my father. I\u2019d say that I felt as weak as a kitten, except I think a kitten could take me on and win.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw him\u2014talked to him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy did he shoot you, Son?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCuz Roy \u2018rrested him.\u201d My eyes started drifting shut, but I knew there was more to be said and I forced them back open.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe didn\u2019t like me bein\u2019 in the saloon. I tried to walk \u2018way, Pa. Honest. I ignored him s\u2019illing my beer on me. Went to leave. Didn\u2019t even smart off to \u2018im.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That remark drew a snort of disbelief not only from Pa, but from Sheriff Coffee too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019s true. I osly threw one punch too. That was <em>after<\/em> he tried to teach me ta fly an gave me a love pat on the chin.<\/p>\n<p>Pa shook his head and stared down at me like he couldn\u2019t believe I was sayin\u2019 what I did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou must be feeling better since you\u2019re already getting cheeky with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wish.\u201d I took a deep breath and instantly wished I hadn\u2019t. I went to grab my side where it felt like a branding iron was being applied. Pa always said he was going to put the Ponderosa brand on me, so\u2019s everyone would know where I belonged when I got away from him and my brothers. Before I could reach my goal, Pa had ahold of my hand, stopping me from trying to rub the pain away.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEasy, Son.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSorry, Pa,\u201d I whispered. His warning about getting in trouble was still forefront in my mind. I hadn\u2019t even gotten off the Ponderosa before trouble found me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGetting\u2019 inta tr-trouble\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0again. I, I didn\u2019t mean to. Honest, P-Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLittle Joe\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease, Pa. I don\u2019t wanna have that talk, or ride Clementine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pa brushed his hand over my hair and smiled down at me. It was the smile that always set my world right no matter how upside down I had turned it. I knew that with that smile everything was okay between us. When I looked into his eyes I was shocked. Those warm, chocolate brown eyes had a shimmering shine to them; like mine do just before the water works start. But that couldn\u2019t be, not with Pa. He never cries. He\u2019s strong, as are my brothers. They never tear up like I do. I couldn\u2019t stop myself; I reached up and laid my palm against his cheek. He grasped it and held my hand against his face with his own for a moment before he cleared his throat, pulling himself together.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I knew that threatening you with Clementine was what it took to keep you out of trouble, I would have done it years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He pushed that dang piece of hair that never wants to stay where it belongs back off my forehead. I was having the worse time trying to keep my eyes open, but it was a losing battle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re not in any trouble, Son. Stop your worrying and go to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, \u2018ir.\u201d I closed my eyes and that was the last I knew until much later.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>~~~~<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I woke up gritting my teeth against the pain that my shivering was causing. Doggone it was cold in here. That thought no sooner left my brain when I felt a blanket being draped across me, and heard the <strong>crackle<\/strong> from the fireplace in my room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSorry, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdam?\u201d I opened my eyes to a soft warm glow coming from the lamp on my dresser. My oldest brother walked over to my bed and sat down in the chair by me. He was wrapped in his robe and his hair was all mussed from sleep.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah, we didn\u2019t realize it was going to get so cold tonight. That\u2019s what woke me and it hit me that it had to be worse in here, it always is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I was starting to warm up now and was able to relax.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFeels better already.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood. Paul would have our heads if we let you tear those stitches out because you\u2019re cold. How are you feeling?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHurts,\u201d I mumbled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat, you mean you\u2019re not fine?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He got me there. It\u2019s not often I\u2019ll admit to not feeling well, but this time there just wasn\u2019t any denying it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPaul left you some pain medicine, do you want any?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot right now. Pa\u2019s been feeding that stuff to me like it was water. I think I got enough stored up to last me all week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That got a laugh from Adam. This is the first time I\u2019ve seen Adam since breakfast on the day I left for town. Hoss had been in and out, and of course Pa was a constant, but Big Brother here had been noticeably absent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow come you were mad the other day?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat makes you think I was mad at something?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou slammed your door. I heard you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow could you hear that, you were unconscious? Besides what makes you think it was me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s what woke me up. And I know it was you because Pa was in here. So was Hoss, and besides he never slams his door. I was already in bed, so it wasn\u2019t me as it usually is. That leaves you, Big Brother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVery astute of you; maybe you\u2019ll grow up to be a detective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPa would love that. So why were you mad?\u201d There are times I\u2019m like a dog with a bone and just won\u2019t let go of something. This was one of those times. My cool as a cucumber older brother was acting like his hot-headed younger brother and I wanted to know why. I had to smile as I watched Adam tugging at his ear and then run his hand through his hair before answering.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was because of you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMe,\u201d I squeaked. \u201cWhat did I do to you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou got shot and almost died; that\u2019s what you did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now I was really confused. Mr. Logical wasn\u2019t making any sense at all.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know I got hit on the head, but that wouldn\u2019t cause you to suddenly start sounding like me.\u201d That really got him to laughing. Here I am lying in bed after being shot in the side and almost having my head bashed in and <em>he\u2019s <\/em>laughing at <em>me<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Adam suddenly sobered and looked me in the eye. \u201cI was upset, Joe. I found you out there on that road and it scared me. I felt powerless, waiting to see what would happen. I wanted to go looking for whoever did this to you, but Pa wouldn\u2019t let me. We had words and I took a page out of your book and left the room in typical Joe fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you\u2019re still able to sit?\u201d I saw Adam\u2019s brows crinkle together and I knew he didn\u2019t get the reference. But then again, it had been a long time since he had been on the receiving end of one of Pa\u2019s <em>intimate<\/em> talks. Something that was still fresh in my memory. I\u2019m also sure he wasn\u2019t the recipient of as many of them as I had been.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI meant that Pa didn\u2019t have one of his talks with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Big Brother smiled at that one. \u201cOh, we talked alright, but it didn\u2019t get that far. I was left with this niggling feeling that I was pretty darn close.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adam and I butt heads\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0A lot. Pa says it\u2019s cuz we\u2019re a lot alike; Hoss says it\u2019s because we both enjoy it too much to stop. Whatever the reason, it didn\u2019t matter to me. What mattered was that I know I love my brother, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he loves me.<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_2934\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"2934\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 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K+<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":11265,"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":[39,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chaps-spurs","category-challenges","wpcat-39-id","wpcat-40-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":2343,"today_views":1},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/normal_MBK-JC2.jpg?fit=400%2C320&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4460,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4460","url_meta":{"origin":2934,"position":0},"title":"The 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Joe on the high seas.\u00a0 Word Count: 546\u00a0\u00a0Rated: K","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Chaps and Spurs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Chaps and Spurs","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=39"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/ponderosa-lj.jpg?fit=640%2C475&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/ponderosa-lj.jpg?fit=640%2C475&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/ponderosa-lj.jpg?fit=640%2C475&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2981,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2981","url_meta":{"origin":2934,"position":2},"title":"Brothers and Mud (by frasrgrl)","author":"frasrgrl","date":"April 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 \u00a0This is my entry for April's 2013 Chaps & Spurs\/Pinecone Trifecta.A WHIB for Springtime. Have you ever wondered what happened between the brothers making a \"Joe sandwich\" and the mud fight? Well, here's my answer to it. Word Count: 708\u00a0\u00a0Rated: K","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Chaps and Spurs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Chaps and Spurs","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=39"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/springtime6.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/springtime6.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/springtime6.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/springtime6.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2929,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2929","url_meta":{"origin":2934,"position":3},"title":"No Coffee (by frasrgrl)","author":"frasrgrl","date":"April 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 \u00a0The Cartwrights are out on the trail. Rated: K\u00a0 (700 words)","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Chaps and Spurs&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Chaps and Spurs","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=39"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/cutthroat-junction.jpg?fit=301%2C303&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7161,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7161","url_meta":{"origin":2934,"position":4},"title":"Dah-Gey:  A Fable Told by Hop Sing (by JoaniePaiute)","author":"JoaniePaiute","date":"May 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0An extremely silly response to a Chaps & Spurs challenge. Also partly inspired by the thread \"Feminizing the Cartwrights.\" Little-Little Joe is driving Adam crazy. Hop Sing has the solution: it's story time! 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