{"id":3416,"date":"2008-11-19T16:12:22","date_gmt":"2008-11-19T21:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=3416"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:13:36","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:13:36","slug":"love-cuts-both-ways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=3416","title":{"rendered":"Love Cuts Both Ways (by karilyn)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>This is a What Happened Instead for Candy and Lisa Campbell from “The Stalker.”<\/p>\n

Rated K (8,890 words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Love Cuts Both Ways<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lisa had gotten used to having Candy stay for dinner after he worked on her ranch.\u00a0 He always helped with the dishes, and had even started putting Kenny to bed when he fell asleep under the kitchen table.\u00a0 He was an easy man to have around; the ranch had never been in better shape and he often brought her small gifts; a bunch of flowers, sweets, or a comb for her hair. He was always happy, too.\u00a0 That was a change for her.\u00a0 She and her husband, Jim, had always struggled to make the ranch work, and even though they cared about each other, there was always so much work to do that happy was something that didn\u2019t come around very often.<\/p>\n

She had just put a stew on the stove to cook, and bread dough to rise for dinner.\u00a0 She sat down for the first time all day, it seemed, letting out a sigh and brushing strands of blonde hair out of her face.\u00a0 Looking outside to make sure that Kenny was all right, she sat back, reflecting on how Candy had gradually become a stable figure in their lives.<\/p>\n

She had hated him when she learned that he had killed Jim on Virginia City\u2019s main street, having come upon him holding up another man at gunpoint for his wallet.\u00a0 Of course, the Campbells were cash strapped.\u00a0 They always were.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter to her that Candy hadn\u2019t meant to kill Jim, or that he wasn\u2019t the guilty party, Jim was.\u00a0 All she knew was that she was a widow and Kenny was fatherless.\u00a0 And Jim had been a good father. How was she supposed to carry on here now when Jim had barely been able to?<\/p>\n

Full of grief and irrational anger, she had written to her husband\u2019s brother asking him to come and kill Candy, and Jake had set out on his way.\u00a0 What Lisa hadn\u2019t counted on was finding out that Candy was an honorable man.\u00a0 He felt terrible about the situation he had put her and her little boy in.\u00a0 He had apologized to her immediately at the inquest, but she had turned away from him.\u00a0 So he had started coming over on a regular basis, putting in the oat crop, repairing fences, working in the barn, and all while working on the Ponderosa as well.\u00a0 At first she had tried to drive him off, ignore him, make cutting remarks.\u00a0 But he would smile his infectious smile and set to work.\u00a0 Little by little she had started talking to him, and one day she invited him to stay for supper.\u00a0 One day had turned into two, and two had multiplied into most.<\/p>\n

The first time he kissed her, she realized she was in over her head.\u00a0 What was she doing?\u00a0 Jim hadn\u2019t even been dead four months!\u00a0 Kenny was still asking for him.\u00a0 And Jake would be showing up any day to kill Candy.\u00a0 Lisa agonized over what to do.\u00a0 She would have to tell Candy what she had done.\u00a0 He would have to stop coming around.\u00a0 She made up her mind.<\/p>\n

And then one day Hoss Cartwright came over to do chores for her.\u00a0 She asked about Candy and was told he\u2019d been in a riding accident and had to take it easy for a few days.\u00a0 Lisa didn\u2019t need to see Jake to know that he had arrived.\u00a0 She knew he had caused that riding accident as surely as if she\u2019d seen him do it.\u00a0 Coming back from town one day, Lisa found Jake in the barn.\u00a0 She tried to send him away, but he was vengeful, and he wasn\u2019t walking away from the man who had killed his brother.\u00a0 And hadn\u2019t she sent for him anyway?\u00a0 He felt he had arrived just in time to find her falling for her husband\u2019s killer.\u00a0 She managed to get him off her property, but only after a struggle.\u00a0 When Candy rode past a wooded area on his way to her place later in the day, shots rang out.\u00a0 Candy never saw anyone, but a bullet grazed his shoulder.\u00a0 Leaning low in the saddle, he\u2019d raced to Lisa\u2019s, finding a man in full pursuit behind him.<\/p>\n

He burst into the house and slammed the door behind him, ordering Lisa and Kenny against the wall, low.\u00a0 A gun battle ensued and ended with Candy outside pursuing Jake while Lisa had armed herself inside the house. Jake lost the battle.\u00a0 Lisa told Candy what she had done in bringing Jake around, and he forgave her.\u00a0 He understood her turbulent feelings following Jim\u2019s death.\u00a0 But time had changed things between them.\u00a0 Hate had turned into something much nicer.\u00a0 Maybe there was a fine line between hate and love.<\/p>\n

Not only had their feelings changed, he wanted them to be permanent. \u00a0He wanted to take care of Lisa and Kenny.\u00a0 Candy wanted to marry her.\u00a0 They could make a go of the ranch or they could live on the Ponderosa.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t care; he just wanted her with him.\u00a0 Shaken by the encounter with Jake, Lisa needed time to think everything over.\u00a0 How would a long-term relationship with Candy work for Kenny?\u00a0 He would grow up and want to know what happened to his father.\u00a0 Candy agreed to give her time.\u00a0 When they parted, he kissed her and held her in his arms.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t remember feeling this way when Jim had kissed her\u2026or had she just forgotten?<\/p>\n

The next thing Candy knew, some of the ranch hands at the Ponderosa were teasing him about his girlfriend leaving town.\u00a0 He must have been too much for her, they laughed.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know what they meant.\u00a0 Hadn\u2019t he heard?\u00a0 She had sold her ranch and was moving back East.\u00a0 He was at the Campbell ranch in record time. She was already packing to leave.\u00a0 How could she do this, he demanded.\u00a0 She cried and said it would never work between them.\u00a0 He said love could overcome anything, and he loved her.\u00a0 She loved him too, she said, but she had to think about her son.\u00a0 Some day when he asked what happened to his real father, they would have to tell him the truth and then he would hate them both.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t he see that?\u00a0 No, he said, he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, Lisa.\u00a0 I want to be with you, take care of you, be a father to Kenny.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why things happen the way they do, but this crazy thing brought us together. Please \u00a0don\u2019t take us apart.\u201d\u00a0 He held her tightly in his arms, stroking her hair while she wept.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you too, Candy, but what will people say?\u00a0 They already talk about us when we go to town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho cares what they say?\u00a0 Love doesn\u2019t just come around the corner every day.\u00a0 You have to grab it when it does.\u00a0 Are the gossips in town a good enough reason for us to be apart?\u00a0 I had love once and lost it, so did you.\u00a0 Now we have it together.\u00a0 Kenny is just a little boy.\u00a0 We have years to figure out what we\u2019re going to say to him when he needs to know.\u00a0 Hopefully I\u2019ll have a place in his heart, just as his father does.\u201d\u00a0 Candy was urgent, and he was persuasive.<\/p>\n

Wiping her tear-streaked face, she begged for more time to think it over.\u00a0 He told her to take all the time she needed, and then he went outside to work.\u00a0 He left without saying anything to her.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t see him for days.\u00a0 She and Kenny stayed close to the house.\u00a0 He was a quiet child, three-and-a-half and tow headed.\u00a0 He took more after her than Jim.\u00a0 One evening at supper, he asked her where Candy was, and she was startled.\u00a0 First he lost his father, and now Candy.\u00a0 That\u2019s when the picture fell into place for her.\u00a0 She, Kenny and Candy could<\/em> be a family.\u00a0 Candy would be a stable father figure for Kenny, and he would also be the man she loved, a husband, a provider, a protector.<\/p>\n

The next day she and Kenny rode out to the Ponderosa in their buggy.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright was coming out of the barn when she drove up.\u00a0 They exchanged greetings, but when she asked for Candy, she discovered he wasn\u2019t there.\u00a0 Ben explained that he and Joe and Hoss, along with a group of the ranch hands were in the north pasture rounding up some strays and doing some branding.\u00a0 It would be an all day job.\u00a0 Lisa smiled and asked him just to tell Candy that she had come by.<\/p>\n

Ben invited her in for coffee, but she said she had errands to do in town.\u00a0 Ben promised to convey the message to Candy.<\/p>\n

It was late when she heard a horse galloping up to the house, followed by pounding on the door. She was tying a robe around her waist as she went to the door.\u00a0 He stood there, breathing heavily, arms braced on either side of the doorway, grimy from the long day\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t wait.\u00a0 Ben said you came,\u201d he explained between gulps of air.<\/p>\n

Laughing, she drew in him and made him sit at the table to catch his breath.\u00a0 When he was breathing more easily, she told him what she had realized.<\/p>\n

\u201cCandy, we need you.\u00a0 I<\/em> need you.\u00a0 We can be a family.\u201d\u00a0 She reached out and put her hand over his.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He lowered his head and breathed a sigh of relief, raising it to show her his wide grin and sparkling blue eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t know how much I wanted to hear you say that,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, too.\u201d\u00a0 Then she realized how tired he looked.\u00a0 \u201cHave you eaten yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He looked sheepish and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI was going to eat with the Cartwrights, but when Ben told me you\u2019d come, I left right away.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Immediately, Lisa was on her feet, preparing food.\u00a0 She made coffee, reheated leftovers from dinner, and cut a large wedge of apple pie.\u00a0 While she got his food, Candy went outside to wash up and beat some of the dust off himself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He ate like a starving man, and Lisa sat watching him, her chin in her hand, smiling.\u00a0 When he was done, they sat together near the fireplace in a stuffed chair, she on his lap with her head on his shoulder.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what it will be like every night,\u201d he told her, bending his head to kiss her.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI hope so,\u201d she wrapped her arms around his neck, and they kissed again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Between kisses, they discussed marriage.\u00a0 She said it should be small, and he said he should be soon.\u00a0 He would talk to Ben tomorrow and figure out whether he would leave the Ponderosa or stay on there.\u00a0 In the surge of happiness they both felt, it would have been easy to let the hugs and kisses take them further.\u00a0 But Candy was a gentleman, and although they both fell asleep in the chair, it was chaste.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They awoke when streaks of dawn began to touch the sky.\u00a0 Lisa offered to make him breakfast, but he said no, he didn\u2019t want to compromise her in any way.\u00a0 And besides, Kenny would be up soon.\u00a0 He left quickly, but only after kissing her thoroughly again, and he promised to be back later in the day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thus it was that she came to be sitting at the kitchen table while dinner cooked, thinking about Candy.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t wait to see him again.\u00a0 Kenny would be happy, too.\u00a0 They would have to find just the right way to tell him.\u00a0 Lisa felt sure that he would accept Candy as his new father.\u00a0 It was both a plus and a minus that he was so young; he was already beginning to forget his real father, and he was easily identifying with Candy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When Candy arrived that evening, Lisa had just taken the fresh bread out of the oven.\u00a0 It was hot and smelled delicious.\u00a0 He came in sniffing the good smells appreciatively. He brought with him a bunch of flowers he\u2019d picked, as well as congratulations from the Cartwrights.\u00a0 He took Lisa immediately in his arms, and then swooped Kenny up over his head in a joyful greeting, which the boy delighted in.\u00a0 Dinner was not only delicious, but gave them an opportunity to see what it would be like when they were together all the time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After Kenny fell asleep, Candy told Lisa that Ben had been about to give him a lecture about spending the night with an unmarried lady, but when Candy explained that they had just fallen asleep on the chair after becoming engaged and talking for hours about their future, Ben relented.\u00a0 He wanted to give them a piece of land on the Ponderosa as a wedding present.\u00a0 They could build a house on it and farm it, or raise cattle or horses, or any combination they chose.\u00a0 Candy thought it might be easier if Lisa went ahead and sold her ranch since she had already made an agreement with someone.\u00a0 He said she should keep as much of the proceeds of the sale for Kenny as she felt appropriate.\u00a0 The ranch would have been his legacy if Jim had lived, so he deserved to benefit from it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lisa was grateful he felt that way.\u00a0 It made her feel better knowing that her son would receive something from his father.\u00a0 Candy was truly a good man.\u00a0 She marveled at how something wonderful had come out of something awful.\u00a0 They began planning their house, deciding how many rooms they wanted and exactly what it would look like.\u00a0 It was time for the oat crop to be harvested, and Candy was trying to figure out how soon he could get the house built.\u00a0 The man who was buying the Campbell ranch was expecting to buy it and move in soon, which was why Lisa had been packing.\u00a0 Would it be possible to get the house finished before winter?\u00a0 They decided to speak to the buyer to find out how soon he needed to move in, and that would help them decide.\u00a0 Candy felt certain that Ben would also be able to help them in some way if they needed it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lisa\u2019s buyer, Will Marshall, had been hoping to move in as soon as they could arrange a closing date for the sale.\u00a0 Candy talked to Ben about his need to harvest Lisa\u2019s oat crop, get their house built, and still do his duties on the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s response was for Candy to work on the crop and then the house so he and Lisa could move into it by the time winter set in, which could be only three months away, depending on the whims of Mother Nature.\u00a0 In the meantime, Candy could add onto one of the line shacks on the Ponderosa for temporary living quarters for his new family. \u00a0In fact, Ben, the boys, and the ranch hands would help.\u00a0 Candy was overwhelmed.\u00a0 Ben was being more than generous with him.\u00a0 He was treating Candy like one of his own sons.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There followed a whirlwind two and a half weeks during which the oat crop was harvested and sold at the grist mill, Lisa sold the ranch to Mr. Marshall and deposited the proceeds in the Bank of Virginia City, and two rooms were added onto the line shack closest to the site of Candy\u2019s new land.\u00a0 Immediately following those activities, Lisa and Candy were married in a very small, quiet ceremony held at the Ponderosa with only the Cartwrights in attendance.\u00a0 Hop Sing prepared a wonderful wedding supper, which included a beautiful and delicious wedding cake which was completely chocolate, at Candy\u2019s request.\u00a0 For a honeymoon, the newlyweds spent a few days alone settling into their temporary home while Kenny stayed with the Cartwrights.\u00a0 Lisa had giggled on their wedding day.\u00a0 She learned something about her new husband when she watched him sign their marriage certificate: John Canaday<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Candy threw himself right away into building their new house.\u00a0 They chose a small hilltop surrounded by Ponderosa pines all around, with a small pond about a quarter mile in front of it, where they could sit on their porch, watching ducks and geese swimming there, and best of all, Candy would teach Kenny to fish.\u00a0 With the help of Little Joe, Hoss and the ranch hands whenever they could be spared, the house, along with a barn, was finished by the middle of November.\u00a0 Candy then immediately began crafting furniture for the house.\u00a0 They had taken everything which had been in the Campbell ranch house, but Candy wanted to make some special pieces: a family sized dining table and a bedstead for his and Lisa\u2019s room.\u00a0 He would work most of the winter on furniture, in between his duties as foreman on the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lisa was thrilled with her new house, especially its gleaming wood floors and paned glass windows in every room.\u00a0 She kept busy making curtains and braiding rugs for weeks.\u00a0 She worried about Kenny wandering too close to the pond, so one of the first things Candy did was take the time to teach the boy to swim.\u00a0 He did this during a week of Indian summer in October.\u00a0 That was also the week they played hooky one day and fished.\u00a0 Candy fashioned two poles and showed Kenny how to cast his line out into the water.\u00a0 He caught his first fish that day, and between them they had enough for dinner.\u00a0 Kenny was proud of himself, and both Candy and Lisa lavished him with praise.\u00a0 Candy was patient with the boy, and allowed him to accompany him around the house and barn whenever practical.\u00a0 Kenny soon developed a case of hero worship for Candy, and after a couple of months was calling him Papa instead of Candy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They existed in a state of bliss.\u00a0 There were people in Virginia City who frowned at them disapprovingly and turned up their noses, but there were also those who accepted them and were glad they had found happiness with each other.\u00a0 As the holidays approached, the Canadys planned to spend their first Christmas together with the Cartwrights.\u00a0 On Christmas morning, however, they had their own little celebration with their own small Christmas tree.\u00a0 Kenny was excited to receive a set of set of wooden blocks, some carved horses, brightly painted tin soldiers, a stuffed bear and a new pair of cowboy boots.\u00a0 Candy gave Lisa a gold locket in the shape of a heart, along with the china tea set she had been coveting in the general store.\u00a0 Lisa gave Candy two warm flannel shirts she had sewn for him, along with warm leather gloves and a new hat.\u00a0 But the best present of all was her news that she would be making him a father in late summer.\u00a0 Candy\u2019s face lit up like the night sky on July Fourth.\u00a0 In his joy, he picked her up and whirled her around the room, and then suddenly thought better of it and put her carefully down in her chair.\u00a0 He put his hand over her stomach and kissed her.\u00a0 Together they told Kenny the happy news and asked him if he would like a new brother or sister.\u00a0 He nodded his head vigorously and requested a brother.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As it turned out, Kenny got his wish when seven pound John Jeremy Canaday was born in August of the following year.\u00a0 Dr. Martin got to the house in time to deliver the baby, who came easily after a short labor.\u00a0 Four year old Kenny was delighted, but couldn\u2019t understand why the baby wasn\u2019t interested in his toys.\u00a0 Candy, who was bursting with pride, picked him up and explained that he would be if Kenny just gave him a little time.\u00a0 For the entire day after his birth, John\u2019s family sat on the big bed and admired him.\u00a0 For days and weeks afterward, Candy would hurry home after work to see his boys and check for new developments in baby John\u2019s growth.\u00a0 When Lisa finally became stir crazy, her first outing with the baby was to the Ponderosa to introduce John to Ben and the boys.\u00a0 It was nice to be pampered and eat Hop Sing\u2019s cooking while she relaxed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Over the years, a girl and another boy were born to the Canadays.\u00a0 Sarah Lynn and Steven Andrew joined the family, each two years apart.\u00a0 During this time, their ranch was also growing.\u00a0 Candy had managed to develop one of the finest horse farms in the area.\u00a0 He had purchased some thoroughbred horses himself, and bred them with some of Ben\u2019s stock.\u00a0 Soon he had a thriving business, with orders being placed for foals before they were even conceived.\u00a0 Kenny loved helping his father with the horses, and he was a talented rider, too.\u00a0 Of course, he was in school by then and his parents insisted that his school work came first.\u00a0 He grumbled about that, but complied so he could get himself out into the barns as fast as he could.\u00a0 Candy had built another large barn to house the horses and had fenced pastures so they could graze and get plenty of sun and exercise.\u00a0 There was also a large corral where the horses were trained.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

***<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kenny was always on hand when there was a horse to train, and by the time he was ten he was able to train a horse that was saddle broken all by himself.\u00a0 He was tall for his age and had been riding his own pony, Barney, since he was seven. Candy and Kenny hunted together on a regular basis.\u00a0 Candy had taught him how to safely and accurately use a gun, and would do the same for John when he was old enough.\u00a0 Kenny was also an attentive big brother, willing to watch John and Sarah if Lisa was busy cooking, or with baby Steven.\u00a0 Their lives were full and busy.\u00a0 The Cartwrights were a big part of their lives, especially since the horse business overlapped.\u00a0 Little Joe had married and now had a family living on the Ponderosa, and it looked as though Hoss would be following suit shortly.<\/p>\n

Over the years, Lisa and Candy had not spoken about Kenny\u2019s father, Jim.\u00a0 Candy had adopted Kenny and since he had been so young, it had made sense to them to allow all three of them to bond as a new family. They had discussed it carefully when Candy adopted Kenny, and decided together to begin family life anew.\u00a0 Besides, Kenny and Candy were especially close.\u00a0 They were buddies as well as father and son.\u00a0 As he grew, Kenny continued to resemble Lisa, as did Sarah, whereas John and Steven more closely resembled Candy.\u00a0 It made for easy family assimilation, and often they joked about it.\u00a0 Sometimes Lisa thought about her initial hesitation to marry Candy and thanked heaven she had chosen to follow her heart.\u00a0 She shuddered at the thought of what her life might have been like without him in it.<\/p>\n

Things began to change when Kenny, now called Ken, was fifteen.\u00a0 Candy and Lisa first noticed it one day when he returned home from school.\u00a0 He seemed disgruntled and his face was red.\u00a0 His clothes were filthy and there was a rip in his shirt.\u00a0 His mother asked him if he\u2019d been fighting, but he refused to answer.\u00a0 He simply changed shirts and went to the barn as he usually did.\u00a0 Lisa asked eleven year old John if anything unusual had happened at school, and John reported that Ken had scuffled with another boy, but he didn\u2019t know why.\u00a0 John had been involved in a serious game of marbles with his friends at the time.\u00a0 Nine year old Sarah was able to confirm the scuffle story, but added that Ken and the boy he\u2019d fought were pretty far away from the school house, behind it, and she didn\u2019t know what it had been about.\u00a0 Lisa asked if the teacher had intervened, and Sarah said no.<\/p>\n

Candy also noticed that something was different about his son.\u00a0 He asked Ken if something was wrong.\u00a0 Ken wouldn\u2019t look at him, and mumbled \u201cno.\u201d\u00a0 Candy decided to let him be, to cool off.\u00a0 Maybe they would be able to talk later.\u00a0 He went back to working a stone out of the hoof of one of the horses. Ken saddled one of the young mares and took her out for exercise.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t returned by the time Lisa had dinner on the table.\u00a0 Both parents were concerned, and after dinner was over, Candy got ready to head out looking for Ken.\u00a0 Just as he was getting his horse saddled, Ken returned.<\/p>\n

\u201cKen, your mother and I have been worried about you.\u00a0 Where have you been?\u201d\u00a0 Candy tried to hold back the anger he felt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ate with the hands in the bunk house at the Ponderosa,\u201d he replied as though it was an everyday event.<\/p>\n

Now Candy felt his anger increase.\u00a0 \u201cDid you even think about how your mother would feel when you weren\u2019t here for dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ken had pulled the saddle off the mare and was rubbing her down.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t answer the question.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, did you?\u201d\u00a0 Candy demanded.\u00a0 Rarely did they have a disagreement, but this had been flagrant, and couldn\u2019t be ignored.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ken looked at Candy, and for the first time, there was defiance in his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I didn\u2019t,\u201d he retorted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let it happen again,\u201d Candy said.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t mind if you want to do that now and again, but you need to let us know where you are.\u201d\u00a0 He turned and began to unsaddle his own horse.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After moving the mare into her stall and giving her some feed, Ken left the barn, sullenly, and without another word.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That night in bed, Lisa and Candy spoke about the incident in low voices.\u00a0 They were mostly bewildered; Ken had always been an obedient and cooperative child.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you always hear that teenagers can be difficult,\u201d Candy said, lying on his back with his hands under his head.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe he\u2019s just going through a teenage phase.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lisa moved close to snuggle with him, and she put her arm across his chest.\u00a0 \u201cI hope so, Candy.\u00a0 I hope it\u2019s nothing more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Things didn\u2019t improve with Ken for weeks.\u00a0 He did what he was supposed to do around the house and barn, but he didn\u2019t have much to say to anyone in the family, including his siblings.\u00a0 There were times when Candy thought he was seeing a breakthrough, like the time he took Ken and John hunting with him and they bagged a large buck.\u00a0 Ken\u2019s had been the shot that took the deer down, and he was triumphant.\u00a0 He asked if he could have the antlers mounted in his room, and Candy agreed.\u00a0 Ken had been on top of the world for the next couple of days, but he gradually sank back into his prior irritable mood.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Another time he and his father were exercising two roans that were going to be picked up by their new owners soon.\u00a0 They were out in the pastures several miles from home, and after cresting a hill, they were getting ready to head back to finish chores before the end of the day.\u00a0 Close enough to nudge Ken, Candy got his attention.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHey,\u201d he said with a twinkle in his eye.\u00a0 \u201cWanna race?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That was all Ken needed to hear.\u00a0 Competitive, and a skilled rider, he gave his horse a kick and got a head start.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d Candy protested, but he was right behind his son.\u00a0 He really didn\u2019t know which of the two horses was faster, but they had a heck of a time finding out during the five mile run.\u00a0 There were times when Candy was ahead, and times when Ken nosed ahead.\u00a0 Ken won the race by a hair, and Candy knew he would never tell that he allowed it to happen.\u00a0 In his heart he wanted the boy to have this small victory, wanted him to feel good, to repair whatever had gone wrong between them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They were wiping the horses down in adjoining stalls, each boasting about the race, and it seemed to Candy as though he was with the boy he had always known.\u00a0 He decided to take a chance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to talk about what\u2019s been bothering you lately?\u00a0 I\u2019m a pretty good listener,\u201d Candy said quietly to the boy.\u00a0 Half expecting the sullen mask to descend again, he was surprised to see his son look at him with undisguised pain in his eyes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ken\u2019s head shook.\u00a0 \u201cNo,\u201d he said somberly.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe sometime, but not now.\u201d\u00a0 He finished up his task and moved silently onto another one.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Candy was thoughtful.\u00a0 At least he hadn\u2019t snapped when he answered.\u00a0 Something was bothering him and it had put some distance between them.\u00a0 He\u2019d tell Lisa that they\u2019d have to be patient, he decided.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To their delighted surprise, both Lisa and Candy thought that Ken\u2019s mood improved over the next months.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t know if he had made a conscious decision or just began feeling better about whatever had been bothering him, but the moody Ken seemed to recede into the background.\u00a0 He was more like himself and threw himself back into ranch work.\u00a0 He also began spending more time working with the Ponderosa hands, which was fine with the Canadays.\u00a0 Both parents felt that when he was around, he was back to being the boy they had raised and loved.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Time passed and their family grew up.\u00a0 Almost without their realization, Ken was seventeen, John thirteen, Sarah eleven and Steven nine.\u00a0 Sarah was a big help to Lisa around the house, and all the boys were involved in the horse breeding business with their father. \u00a0Ken began spending more and more time away from home.\u00a0 He was either with friends in town, or at the Ponderosa.\u00a0 He was almost finished with his formal schooling, but he began skipping days altogether.\u00a0 Sometimes Candy would find out that he\u2019d been doing field work with the Cartwrights, but other times he never knew where he\u2019d been.\u00a0 He had developed an attitude, along with a serious chip on his shoulder.\u00a0 There had been a two year reprieve, but the angry boy was back again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One night after Ken had not been home for two days, he came riding in well after supper was over.\u00a0 Candy, who had always tried to extend extra understanding to this son, was beyond the point of generosity.\u00a0 After Ken rode silently past his parents sitting on the porch, Candy followed him into the barn.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cStart talking, Ken,\u201d Candy said in a low voice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhaddya wanna know?\u201d\u00a0 There was almost a smirk in his voice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou better have a good explanation for where you\u2019ve been without any word to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Ken turned, leaning an elbow on his saddle and pushing his hat back on his head, \u201cI been with some friends, an\u2019 we been here and there.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Candy moved fast then.\u00a0 He grabbed Ken by the shoulders and brought him up against the side of the stall.\u00a0 The horse sidestepped quickly out of the way.\u00a0 \u201cI said good<\/em> explanation,\u201d he repeated carefully.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Caught off guard by his father\u2019s physical reaction, which was rare, Ken\u2019s face flushed red.\u00a0 He tried to shrug away, but Candy\u2019s grip was tight.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWent to Genoa City, Placerville, rode back,\u201d he muttered.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDoing what?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPlaying cards.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Playing cards?<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cIn a saloon?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where you play cards.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about work?\u00a0 That\u2019s what we do around here and on the Ponderosa.\u00a0 We work for a living.\u00a0 You know that, and you know that you\u2019re needed here.\u00a0 What makes you think you can go off and do something stupid like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ken, who was the same size as Candy, lifted his arms and shoved his father back against the horse.\u00a0 \u201cWhat made you think you could do something stupid like kill my father?\u201d\u00a0 The animosity in Ken\u2019s blue eyes was clear.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Candy stared back at Ken, but inside he was dying.\u00a0 He knew.\u00a0 What Lisa had feared thirteen years ago was happening.\u00a0 They had naively believed they would be exempt from paying this debt.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you find out about that?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSome kid at school told me two years ago.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know whether to believe it.\u00a0 But I\u2019ve heard it since.\u00a0 My name\u2019s not Ken Canady.\u00a0 It\u2019s Ken Campbell.\u00a0 I\u2019ve looked in the churchyard. His grave\u2019s there.\u00a0 Did you think I\u2019d never find out?\u201d\u00a0 There was bitterness and accusation in his voice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Two years ago.\u00a0 The fight at school.\u00a0 That was when Ken had changed.\u00a0 He\u2019d been grappling with shocking news a kid at school had crushed him with.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you say something then?\u00a0 We could have talked about it.\u00a0 We can talk about it now,\u201d Candy reached out for Ken, but he stiffened so quickly that Candy pulled back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you were my father, but you aren\u2019t.\u00a0 You killed him and you married my mother.\u00a0 That\u2019s cheap.\u00a0 You\u2019re nothing but a two-bit beater.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cKen, are you going to judge us without even listening to what your mother and I have to say?\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t easy for us, I can tell you that.\u00a0 We wanted to do the right thing for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cSo you lied,\u201d he almost spat it out.\u00a0 \u201cYou always told me not to lie, but you were telling me the biggest lie of all.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Feeling the boy slipping away from him, Candy raised his voice.\u00a0 \u201cIt was an accident!\u00a0 I didn\u2019t intend to kill him, but he was robbing another man at gunpoint and I just happened to come across it.\u00a0 He shot at me.\u00a0 You know what that means.\u00a0 I shot back in self defense but I didn\u2019t shoot to kill.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNo?\u00a0 But you killed anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t enjoy killing.\u00a0 I was sick about it, especially when I saw you and your mother, all alone.\u00a0 I tried to help her with the ranch.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t manage it all alone and a young child.\u00a0 She was very angry at me, but gradually we developed feelings for each other, and I had always liked you.\u00a0 You and I went everywhere together.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ken snorted and shoved Candy away while he tightened the cinch on his saddle and checked his horse\u2019s bridle.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat difference does it make?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it makes a hell of a lot of difference to your mother.\u00a0 Do you want to destroy her?\u00a0 She tried to do what was best for you.\u00a0 She wanted you to have two parents and a family, and that\u2019s what you got.\u00a0 You may not remember, but you had a happy childhood, and I\u2019m proud of that.\u00a0 We\u2019ve worked and played side by side.\u00a0 Please.\u00a0 Talk to us about this.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ken hesitated, and Candy knew this was a critical moment.\u00a0 He hushed himself, knowing that anything else he said might be the wrong thing.\u00a0 Agonizing, Ken put his head down, forehead against the saddle.\u00a0 There was a rustling sound at the barn door, and they both looked up to see Lisa standing there, a stricken look on her face.\u00a0 She took a step forward.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cKenny, please, don\u2019t leave,\u201d her voice was anguished.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His face almost crumpled, but in an amazing display of discipline, he steeled himself and stood straight.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

No, Ma.\u00a0 I know all about it.\u00a0 Both of you lied to me, and you betrayed me and my father\u2019s memory.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Candy could see that his wife\u2019s eyes were starting to well with tears.\u00a0 This was what they had both dreaded.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWon\u2019t you even come in and eat something so we can talk?\u201d\u00a0 She was begging now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He hesitated again.\u00a0 \u201cI need to get a few things inside,\u201d he said, looking from Candy to Lisa.\u00a0 Silently, they nodded and Candy let Ken pass ahead of him as they walked toward the house.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lisa put food out on the table while Candy sat silently, head in his hands.\u00a0 Ken was in his room rolling some clothes into a pack.\u00a0 When he came downstairs, he sat and began eating the food he mother had set out.\u00a0 While he ate his parents explained again why happened, how it happened, and why they decided to marry.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t hear anything new.\u00a0 He knew they cared, but he felt a young man\u2019s anger at finding his life wasn\u2019t what he thought it was.\u00a0 When he finished eating, he pushed his chair back and stood.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d\u00a0 His mother was distraught.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he answered honestly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to get away, can\u2019t you just go to Ben Cartwright\u2019s?\u201d\u00a0 Candy asked him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I will,\u201d some of the anger had gone out of him, but the hurt hadn\u2019t.\u00a0 \u201cI need to think.\u201d\u00a0 And then he was gone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Candy and Lisa sat at the table, neither one speaking or moving.\u00a0 They heard him ride away, and Lisa put her head on her arms, folded on the table, miserable.\u00a0 Candy got up and came to stand behind her, kneading her shoulders gently.\u00a0 After a long time, he gathered the dishes and washed them.\u00a0 We he was finished, Lisa had already gone upstairs.\u00a0 When Candy went upstairs, he discovered that $50 he kept in a wooden box on his dresser was missing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A week passed and they didn\u2019t hear from Ken.\u00a0 He had not gone to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Joe reported that one of the hands had just up and left at the same time.\u00a0 No one knew if there was a connection with Ken, but the two had known each other.\u00a0 Candy checked with some of Ken\u2019s friends, and they were unable to give him any information.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lisa went about her business at home with great sadness and few words.\u00a0 Her mood was obvious to the children, who asked questions.\u00a0 Candy explained that Ken was trying out life on his own and that they missed him.\u00a0 John and Sarah seemed concerned by this, and Steven, the youngest, cried.\u00a0 He missed his oldest brother.\u00a0 There was a distance between Candy and Lisa too.\u00a0 They both felt transported back to that time when they had decided to marry, and they were second guessing their decision.\u00a0 They both knew they loved each other, but they didn\u2019t want their family broken up over a decision which had driven one of their children away.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One Sunday three weeks after Ken left, Candy had persuaded Lisa to invite Joe and his wife, Melanie, over for dinner with their children.\u00a0 He hoped that some friendly company would cheer her up.\u00a0 Lisa fried chicken and made potato salad and greens.\u00a0 Melanie brought a fresh chocolate cake, which she knew was Candy\u2019s favorite.\u00a0 All the children enjoyed an afternoon of fishing in the pond, and the adults visited on the porch after the early evening meal.\u00a0 They were chuckling over a story Joe had told about one of his boys when two riders came galloping out from the fields behind the barn.\u00a0 As they dismounted, Candy and Lisa were delighted to see that one of the riders was Ken.\u00a0 He was back!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHey, that\u2019s Sid, the hand that left when Ken left,\u201d Joe said, recognizing the other rider.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The adults got up and began to move toward the two young men.\u00a0 Joe stopped them when he realized that Ken was wearing a gun belt and had his hand on the butt of his pistol.\u00a0 He gestured to Candy, who was shocked.\u00a0 Ken had never worn a gun before.\u00a0 Had never been drunk the way he was now, either.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCome here, Canaday,\u201d Ken shouted.\u00a0 \u201cLessee if you can still kill a man.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Candy stood completely still.\u00a0 Lisa\u2019s hands were over her mouth and both she and Melanie were looking at the younger children by the pond, who didn\u2019t realize what had happened.\u00a0 They couldn\u2019t call out to them, and they couldn\u2019t go to them because no one knew what Ken would do.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cKen,\u201d Joe called out.\u00a0 \u201cCome sit down.\u00a0 Let\u2019s all talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In response, Ken drew the gun out of its holster.\u00a0 \u201cC\u2019mon, Canaday.\u00a0 Self defense, just like you did for my father.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Candy reached back for Lisa\u2019s hand, and grasped it.\u00a0 \u201cNo Ken.\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to fight you.\u00a0 You\u2019re my son.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not<\/strong> your son!\u201d His shout got the attention of the children by the pond.\u00a0 Most of them stared silently, but two of the younger ones began to scream in fright.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lisa and Melanie gasped as some of the children started running for the house.\u00a0 It was too far away when a gun was being brandished.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cKen, let the kids go in the house,\u201d Candy called.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ken did nothing, and after a couple of minutes, Joe and Melanie moved out to herd the children safely into the house.\u00a0 Joe came back out to the porch when everyone was safely inside in his wife\u2019s care.\u00a0 Lisa still stood watching her son.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Not wearing a gun and holding his hands out where Ken could see them, Candy walked slowly toward his son.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s talk, Ken,\u201d he called.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ken raised his arm straight ahead and appeared to take aim.\u00a0 Lisa gave out a strangled gasp.\u00a0 Candy quickly held up his hands and stopped moving forward.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not going to shoot at you,\u201d he said firmly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sid pulled a pistol out of his holster and sent it skittering over the dirt toward Candy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cPick it up,\u201d Ken said in a warning tone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Candy shook his head and kept his hands in the air.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI said pick it up!\u201d\u00a0 It was practically a scream.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Slowly Candy began to back up, hands still up.\u00a0 He never looked at the gun on the ground.\u00a0 Ken kept his arm out straight and appeared to take aim again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019 say I dint warn you,\u201d he warned again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cKenny!\u201d\u00a0 Lisa called out plaintively.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At the sound of her voice, Ken flinched and squeezed the trigger.\u00a0 Candy spun around and fell.\u00a0 At almost the same moment, Joe yanked his gun out of his gun belt and fired at Ken.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NO!\u201d\u00a0 Lisa screamed, running forward when Ken hit the ground.\u00a0 Joe tried to hold her back but he couldn\u2019t stop her.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ken was struggling to sit up and as his mother came toward him, he pointed the gun at her.\u00a0 \u201cStop, Ma. Go away.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lisa froze in place as her son slowly came to his feet, with Sid\u2019s help.\u00a0 He\u2019d been shot in the shoulder.\u00a0 Sid helped him mount up and they rode away.\u00a0 Shocked, Lisa turned to Candy, who was still on the ground, with Joe kneeling next to him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a side wound, in the flesh, but the bullet\u2019s still in there.\u00a0 It\u2019ll have to be removed.\u00a0 I can get the doc.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHelp me get him to bed first,\u201d Lisa said, putting an arm under her husband\u2019s shoulders.\u00a0 Between them, she and Joe got Candy on his feet.\u00a0 He was unsteady and groaned some, but he walked inside and slowly mounted the stairs.\u00a0 Fortunately, Melanie had the children in a back bedroom where they had heard shots, but not seen anything.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lisa sat next to Candy on their bed.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t believe he did that.\u00a0 I just can\u2019t believe he would do something so horrible.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been so good to him.\u00a0 We\u2019ve both done everything for him,\u201d tears were spilling down her cheeks.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Candy reached for her hand.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019d been drinking, Lisa.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t expecting something like this, but he wasn\u2019t responsible for his actions.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re being awfully gracious inasmuch as you\u2019ve got the bullet in you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got a bullet in him, too.\u00a0 Shoulder wound.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be all right.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m worried about you!\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be all right too.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe took his family home on the way to get Dr. Martin.\u00a0 Lisa apologized many times over that their children had been exposed to such a frightening experience.\u00a0 They downplayed it and sent her back up to her husband.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dr. Martin came and took care of Candy while Lisa got the children to bed.\u00a0 Dr. Martin said he would keep an eye out for Ken in the event he came seeking care, but that never happened.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Months passed, and it seemed that Ken was gone for good.\u00a0 Lisa both mourned and raged over what had happened.\u00a0 Candy was just sad.\u00a0 His body recovered well, but his spirit was low.\u00a0 He understood Ken\u2019s anger and kept thinking about what he could have done differently to prevent this.\u00a0 Maybe Lisa had been right at the very start.\u00a0 Ken did<\/em> hate them for what happened to his father. But he had been given a loving home.\u00a0 Would his life have been better if Lisa and Candy had gone their separate ways?\u00a0 No one could answer that question, but two people could<\/em> speculate about it endlessly as they went about their work.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Years went by, and there was no word from Ken, directly or indirectly.\u00a0 He had just disappeared, and there were plenty of places in the west someone could get lost in if he wanted to.\u00a0 Candy continued the breeding ranch, and John stepped in to help him.\u00a0 At eighteen, he was happy to be working with his father, he loved horses, and he had the same happy disposition his father had.\u00a0 Over time, Candy\u2019s cheery outlook returned.\u00a0 There was no rule that Ken couldn\u2019t be discussed in the Canaday home, but in general, he wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 Whatever Lisa felt, she kept to herself after her initial feelings dissipated.\u00a0 She was involved with her children\u2019s lives, with activities in town, and she frequently visited with Joe\u2019s and Hoss\u2019 wives. Her life was full and peaceful.\u00a0 She had not forgotten Ken, and he was still in her heart, but she did not agonize over him day and night.\u00a0 She had realized that would be doing her and her family a disservice if she did that. Her grieving was over.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One hot, summer day, Lisa and seventeen year old Sarah were working on a dress pattern for a town social dance.\u00a0 A special boy had asked pretty Sarah to attend with him, and she was over the moon.\u00a0 This would be the prettiest dress she\u2019d ever owned, white with red stripes and red bows.\u00a0 Puffed sleeves and a full skirt.\u00a0 Mother and daughter were working with great concentration, two blonde heads bent over the fabric on the kitchen table, when the sound of a wagon approaching caught their attention.\u00a0 Lisa looked up and stepped over to the window to see was coming.\u00a0 A covered wagon was lumbering slowly toward the house.\u00a0 A man and a woman were sitting on the seat.\u00a0 The woman was holding a baby on her lap.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Curious, Lisa walked out to the porch.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t recognize the couple, especially since man had a hat down low over his brow and the woman wore a full bonnet to keep the sun out of her eyes.\u00a0 Yet, there was something familiar about the man.\u00a0 The way he sat, the way he held the reins.\u00a0 Lisa put her hand to her throat, but no, her eyes weren\u2019t fooling her.\u00a0 The wagon stopped in front of the house, and the man pulled on the brake.\u00a0 Then he pushed his hat back on his head.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cHi, Ma,\u201d Ken said uncertainly with a half smile.\u00a0 He looked older and his face was weathered from the sun.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cKen! Oh, I thought I\u2019d never see you again!\u201d\u00a0 Lisa was already running around the horses to be by his side.\u00a0 He slipped down from the wagon seat, and caught her in his arms.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m back, Ma.\u00a0 And I\u2019m sorry about everything.\u00a0 I did everything wrong.\u00a0 I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By this time, Sarah was on the porch, squealing in delight at the sight of her brother, and this brought Candy and the boys from the barns.\u00a0 The smile on Candy\u2019s face faded when he saw Ken.\u00a0 He, too, was uncertain.\u00a0 Ken looked up and put his mother down.\u00a0 He walked toward Candy and put his hand out.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hi, Pa.\u00a0 I have some fences to mend, and I hope you\u2019ll forgive me.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Candy took his hand and shook it.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve gotten pretty good at mending fences over the years,\u201d he said, and for the first time both men smiled.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ken turned and gestured to the woman still sitting in the wagon.\u00a0 \u201cThis is my wife, Abby, and that\u2019s our son, James Canaday.\u00a0 He\u2019s ten months old.\u201d\u00a0 Abby had a sweet face and long brown hair that was braided down her back.\u00a0 James was chubby, with fuzzy blonde hair and he smiled often, showing two small teeth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lisa gave out a soft cry and held out her arms for the baby.\u00a0 Abby handed him over, and Ken helped her down from the wagon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cCan we all talk?\u201d\u00a0 Ken asked after putting his arms around his three excited siblings.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Soon they were all seated around the kitchen table with coffee and lemonade.\u00a0 Sarah had scooped up her dress fabric and moved it safely out of the way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to tell you what happened to me after I last saw you on that awful evening five years ago.\u00a0 Sid and I rode all night, and I got my shoulder taken care of in Placerville.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t exactly want to see Dr. Martin that night.\u00a0 Sid and I took up with some other guys and we just drifted around, mostly drinking and playing cards.\u00a0 Sometimes we\u2019d work when we needed money, and sometimes the guys would steal what they needed.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t steal, though. I usually took up as a ranch hand for a while until I got enough money to move on.\u00a0 One night we were in a saloon late, and when we came out, we were real drunk.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t many people out at that hour, but Sid noticed a couple walking toward the hotel.\u00a0 He got a smart idea and told us to watch what he was gonna do.\u00a0 He sneaked up behind the couple and stuck his gun in the man\u2019s back, demanding all their money.\u00a0 The lady screamed, and another man inside the hotel came out with a gun.\u00a0 He shot at Sid and Sid shot at him.\u00a0 They both died.\u201d\u00a0 Ken stopped, took a deep breath, and looked around the table.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat cured me of my ways then and there.\u00a0 As soon as I saw that, I understood what happened between my father and Candy.\u00a0 And I understood why you married him, Ma.\u00a0 Sid didn\u2019t have a family, but the other man did, so his wife became a widow in a few seconds and her children were fatherless.\u00a0 I never found out what happened to them.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know if they were as lucky as I was. I rode for a few days, and the next big ranch I came to, I hired on and stayed for three years.\u00a0 That\u2019s where I met Abby, and we got married.\u00a0 She\u2019s the daughter of one of the ranch hands I worked with there.\u00a0 But I had big ideas, and I wanted to have my own ranch.\u00a0 I bought a run down place nearby and for almost two years worked it day in and day out with my bare hands.\u00a0 Abby worked right beside me until the baby was on the way.\u00a0 Something always needed fixing, and it either rained too little or too much for my crops.\u00a0 By the time I told Abby I wanted to come back to see my family, I had learned a lot of lessons, including how hard it is to make a go of a piece of land.\u00a0 Just having it doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019ll work.\u201d\u00a0 He stopped again and looked down at his hands folded on the table in front of him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI was so stupid and so young.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t understand anything, and I had everything<\/em>.\u00a0 Both of you gave me everything a kid could need, which is what I want to do for James now.\u00a0 When I first learned that you weren\u2019t my real father, Pa, I didn\u2019t stop to think how lucky I was to have you in my life.\u00a0 I was mad that I hadn\u2019t known.\u00a0 I\u2019ve given you every reason to hate me, and now I\u2019m here to ask your forgiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lisa reached out and put a comforting hand on Ken\u2019s arm.\u00a0 Candy started a smile that began with curving lips, moved to show his teeth, then spread from ear to ear, and finally twinkled in his eyes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome back, Ken.\u00a0 We missed you\u201d he said simply. \u201cI can always use some extra help in the breeding business, and if you need a place to live, I know of a line shack with a couple of extra rooms attached that might be available.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ken put his arm around Abby and grinned, \u201cJust point me in the right direction, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The End<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0\u00a0This is a What Happened Instead for Candy and Lisa Campbell from “The Stalker.” \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated K (8,890 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":1228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-whi","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-27-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1050,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/bonanza2.jpg?fit=720%2C475&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5456,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5456","url_meta":{"origin":3416,"position":0},"title":"Mona Lisa (by deansgirl)","author":"deansgirl","date":"May 1, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0A\u00a0famous painting, a beautiful girl, and a lost memory reunite a man with his family. \u00a0 Rated:\u00a0K+ (5,810 words)","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\/Hossb.jpg?fit=444%2C339&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2272,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2272","url_meta":{"origin":3416,"position":1},"title":"Found Love (by Rona)","author":"Rona","date":"February 22, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Love comes to one of the Cartwrights. \u00a0 A What Happened Next for \"Found Child.\" Rated: \u00a0T \u00a0 (3,715 words)","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\/10\/feature-4.jpg?fit=387%2C387&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5524,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=5524","url_meta":{"origin":3416,"position":2},"title":"Afterwards (by deansgirl)","author":"deansgirl","date":"August 30, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0 Started in August 2011.\u00a0 What happens after Hoss dies and the storyline of Bonanza ends? 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