Summary:\u00a0 After more than five years since Adam was forced to leave, his family has a lot of questions, but it will take time and some luck to get the answers they want, and then they may find they don’t like all the answers either.
\nRating: T\u00a0 Word Count: 41,355<\/p>\n
Not Guilty series <\/p>\n Not Guilty Part Two Justice Delayed<\/strong><\/p>\n The setting is more than five years after the end of Not Guilty Part One Justice Denied<\/strong><\/p>\n Chapter 1 <\/strong><\/p>\n Over five years after Adam had left to avoid arrest, the family had heard almost nothing from him. They wondered what he was doing of course and worried about him. On a trip to buy horses, Hoss was riding with Candy when they got caught in a storm that made it as dark as night. With the strong wind, and the dark clouds promising heavy rain, it was dangerous to travel, so they decided to seek shelter. Finding an area that was shielded from the wind and relatively dry, they used a tarp and set up a lean-to. After quickly gathering wood from underneath trees and up against the same bulwark of rock that protected them and grabbing pine boughs from the still dry lower branches, they settled into their small shelter. Within an hour, everything they could do was done. It meant they had hours to wait out the storm and plenty of time to talk. The subject of that talk was the missing older brother.<\/p>\n Sitting next to the ranch foreman Candy Canady, Hoss Cartwright pulled his feet back to keep them dry as rain drummed down steadily. With the tarp strung above, a nice set of heavy pine boughs on both sides of them to block the wind and keep some warmth aimed at them, the two men were reasonably comfortable. They had a small fire burning with a pot of hot coffee sitting next to it. Dinner had been beans and bacon. They had taken care of their horses and were waiting for the rain to diminish. Talk was all they had to do to pass the time, and the they enjoyed talking with each other. During this interlude, the conversation has been mostly about the Cartwright family history and some of the story Candy didn’t know.<\/p>\n “What do you mean, Jamie’s your third brother? There’s you, and there’s Joe, and now there’s Jamie. That’s three. You been hiding a brother in the house that you never let out? Is there a crazy one you keep hidden in the attic?”<\/p>\n “Nah, it’s nothing like that, Candy. You must have heard me or Joe mention Adam now and then.”<\/p>\n “Of course, I did. I figured he was a hand who worked here when you and Joe were young. You talk about him like you liked him a lot. Joe seems to have mixed feelings sometimes mentioning how bossy he was and other times saying he really pulled his bacon out of the fire a bunch of times. Seemed to me like he was important to you but not family.”<\/p>\n Embarrassed to admit it, Hoss knew that he and Joe had probably presented their brother that way not wanting, as the years went by, to have to explain the whole situation. But sitting here by the campfire with the rain falling outside the area protected by their tarp and nowhere to go for hours, he had time to explain.<\/p>\n “No, Adam was, or is, our oldest brother. Least I hope he still is. Things were pretty unsettled, you might say, when he left. We ain’t heard much from him lately.”<\/p>\n “What’s ‘lately’ in this case?”<\/p>\n “It’s been years. It was over five years ago, he kinda got forced to leave because of things that happened that was bad and none of it his fault. It was a big mess back then. The whole thing got started when Joe was jammed up in a poker game by some cheaters and signed an IOU for a thousand dollars.” That got the appreciative whistle by Candy that Hoss expected. “Yeah, that was an awful lot. He didn’t want to tell Pa so he asked Adam to help. Adam cashed in investments and did what he could to get the money together, but Joe was a little late in paying it off. They said pay more in interest or somebody in the family gets hurt.”<\/p>\n “They hurt Adam?”<\/p>\n “Not like you might expect. They did it in the worst way they could. They kidnapped him, and they sold him to a broker who put him in place of a convicted murderer in California. He was sent to one of those prisons where nobody can make a sound, you know, no talking.”<\/p>\n “So, they wouldn’t let him tell his side of things.”<\/p>\n “At least they didn’t sentence him to hang. But you’re right about him not being able to tell anybody his side of things, and by the time we got him out of there, he was messed up pretty bad. They’d hurt him, and he’d attacked a guard, and well, things were dadblamed awful. We got him home, and just as he was coming around to being pretty much all right, the people he could testify against were killed. Witnesses said it looked like he was the one who done it. Adam was home and we were all on round-up and then a cattle drive so we couldn’t swear to him being home.”<\/p>\n “You sure he didn’t do it?”<\/p>\n “A hard, two or three-day ride there if you have spare horses, kill three people, and make a hard, two or three-day ride back with no one noticing on the ranch that he was gone? No, he didn’t have it in him even if he could have made the ride, and he couldn’t. Some days he still had to stop and take a rest going up the stairs. Besides he never was the kind of man who could murder somebody. It was kind of convenient too that one of the witnesses was a guard at that prison, a Tom Boone feller, and stood to gain if Adam was out of the way.”<\/p>\n “Sounds like he was set-up and being watched. They must have known he had no alibi. There must have been someone close to him watching and giving information to his enemies.”<\/p>\n “Yeah, we all knew it, but we couldn’t prove it. We don’t know who it was who did that either. But that’s why he left over five years ago with no plan or none we knew about and not much more than what he could carry with him. We wanted to find the ones who had done this to him, and we tried, but we found almost nothing. Then other things happened, and paying investigators cost so much, well, we kinda backed off on finding out who done this all to Adam. Without any clues as to where to look no more, well, those who first got him into prison paid the price and that was it. Seemed he wasn’t interested in coming back anyway. His letters never even asked about that or about home. We wrote a few letters to him, but I doubt he ever got any. He moved around too much.”<\/p>\n “What did you mean by no plan you knew about?”<\/p>\n “Seems he and Pa were having some kinds of disagreements about his future on the ranch and he kinda hinted things had to change or he might be leaving. To us, that sounded like he had some idea of what he was gonna do. Then when he left, he told me he couldn’t do the things he had in mind because they would be looking for him.”<\/p>\n “But he didn’t tell you what they were?”<\/p>\n “After everything that happened, it took us time to figure out he didn’t trust none of us and wouldn’t tell us nothing important like that.”<\/p>\n “Why didn’t he trust any of you?”<\/p>\n “We were the reason he ended up in town and got kidnapped in the first place. Pa interfered in his business at the bank and I made some accusations that were based on nothing but my jealousy. He wasn’t feeling too good and it was way too much with all else that was going on. He needed to get away for us for a bit, and he wasn’t thinking none too clearly either with feeling poorly.”<\/p>\n “He was sick?”<\/p>\n “We should have noticed but we didn’t, and he was. Roy Coffee gave him a hard time too. Adam must have felt like he was alone against everybody. He went to town to get away from us and get some rest, and that’s when he got kidnapped. That’s why he was upset with us, but he still loved his family. He needed time to get well again. He needed to be his own man. There was something he said too when he left that took me some time to understand.”<\/p>\n “What was that?”<\/p>\n “He said ‘I’m not leaving just for me. I’m leaving for you two as well.’ He said it to me and to Joe right before he left and made it clear he wasn’t hanging around to discuss it. I didn’t know what he meant then, but I figured it out. He never liked being called a boy and being under Pa’s thumb. But by him being there, we were all boys.”<\/p>\n “What do you mean being a boy?”<\/p>\n “Whenever Pa got mad, it seemed he called Adam a boy like he wasn’t a man able to do things a man could do.”<\/p>\n “Oh, I get it, like ‘Boy, you sure messed up this time.’ or something like that?”<\/p>\n “Yeah, exactly like that. Rubbed Adam wrong every time. But the way he saw it, if he followed Pa, we followed Pa. Plus, he took care of us too instead of making us take care of ourselves, you know, being what men ought to be. He should of left sooner than he did, but he was loyal to our family, and I guess he kept hoping he could get Pa to change. So he kept on taking care of things and watching out for us.”<\/p>\n “Like Joe going to him to take care of the trouble with the gamblers?”<\/p>\n “Yeah, like that. Too often, we expected Adam to fix things for us just like we ran to Pa to fix things. When he left, well, it didn’t work anymore. Me and Joe both had to be more in charge of our own lives and yeah, stand up to Pa when it was needed. Pa learned too how much he had taken advantage of Adam when he wasn’t there to do things, and he had to turn them over to us to get done, and we didn’t always know what to do. Adam had always taken care of some things for all of us. Adam left because he wanted to stand tall, but he knew his leaving was going to do the same for us. It had to.”<\/p>\n “Yeah, I guess that makes sense, but why bring this up now? Have you heard from him?”<\/p>\n “No, we haven’t gotten any letter from him for a long time. But there are some things that have been happening that make me and Joe wonder if Adam is around or if he has friends working for him, you know, like doing things for him. Well, they make me wonder a lot more than Joe, I guess. So many things seem to be tied to what happened to him and to people who were involved in what happened to him.”<\/p>\n “What kind of things?”<\/p>\n As soon as Candy asked the question, Hoss knew it was going to be complicated trying to explain what he thought was happening and why he thought Adam might be behind some or all of it. It might be confusing too, but he considered they had the time to talk about it if Candy was willing.<\/p>\n “Some of what I got to say might be a bit difficult to understand especially as I don’t know everything about things that happened, and some of it may take a long time to explain.”<\/p>\n “It’s all right with me if you want to take the time. With the rain, we aren’t going anywhere right now. Might be a good way to pass some of the time we have while we wait out these showers.”<\/p>\n “All right, I’ll try my best to keep to the main facts. First did you happen to see in the paper where some folks from the Bank of California put an awful lot of money in a plan to mine in southern California. The whole thing turned out to be a big old scam because all the mining areas had been seeded with gold nuggets and gold ore? There was nothing there to be mined except plain old sand and rocks.”<\/p>\n “Yeah, I didn’t read that, but I heard about it. Are they sure it was seeded?”<\/p>\n “I guess no one can be positive. Stuff could have washed down from the hills a long time ago and maybe been exposed by the wind lately. Nobody really believes that though. Somebody set it up and gave it all up so they could have been someone fooled by somebody else. Of course maybe there really was that deposit there from a long time ago. Most experts said though that wasn’t likely at all. Most probably it was a trick to get the investors’ money but nobody could prove nothing against nobody.”<\/p>\n “Someone had to invest a lot of money to put gold nuggets and ore into those areas to get those men into it, and then be willing to let it all go because otherwise he could get arrested for fraud if there was someone to investigate. He had to put up lots of money and lose it to make sure those other men lost more.”<\/p>\n “Yeah, and the two richest men who lost the most money wanted a full investigation, but then backed off when they realized it would mean they might be investigated too. There was something in the paper about how they were going to be investigated for a problem in a prison in California about five years ago, but all the main witnesses were killed and the investigation was dropped. It said the suspected murderer was still on the loose. Although the paper said he was ‘at large’.<\/p>\n “Why is that important?”<\/p>\n “That’s the mess Adam had to run away from. It’s why he’s been gone so long without much word to us and why we don’t know where he is.”<\/p>\n “The man on the run was your brother, Adam?”<\/p>\n “Yep, sure was. Besides those two that were named, there were other investors too including our cousin Will who lost a lot of money.”<\/p>\n “You’re thinking that might have been your brother Adam who did all that, but if it was, he must have found a way to make a lot of money in the five years or so that he’s been gone. But could it be him if he let your cousin lose money too?”<\/p>\n “See, that’s what I mean. I can’t be sure. He was always a planner and real smart. I think he may have figured it out who done it to him, and he’s taking care of business. He’s got reason to not like Will so much, but I don’t know if that’s why he might have done it to him. The other things that happened fit with the rest of it though.”<\/p>\n “What other things?”<\/p>\n “In the papers, I’ve seen more stories. The guard who was one of the witnesses who said Adam was the one who done the murders. His name is Tom Boone and he ended up being in a fight that was like a boxing match with someone not long ago. Witnesses say the guard was the one who started the fight because he’s been in boxing matches and must have thought he could win, but the other man pounded on him until he was unconscious. He may wish the man killed him cause I don’t think his troubles are done with just that fight. If I’m right and that was Adam, he had a reason for doing that and he probably ain’t done with that feller yet.”<\/p>\n “He won’t kill him though, will he?”<\/p>\n “No, he won’t unless the man tries to kill him. There’s another story a lot like that one though. There was another man challenged a cowboy, as they called him, to a duel and selected \u00e9p\u00e9es. It’s like a skinny little sword. You know like that little thing Joe has. I think he thought because the fight was with a cowboy, he’d win easy and maybe even manage to run the man through. He lost. He got run through, and he’s in the hospital.”<\/p>\n “Who was that man?”<\/p>\n “That man was the judge by the name of John Simpson who sentenced Adam to that prison.”<\/p>\n “Now that is a big coincidence, too big, so you think your brother was the one who was in both fights. Could he do those things?”<\/p>\n “I know he could if he decided they needed to be done. He learned how to box in college, and he learned how to fight from the Paiute and in saloons. Joe likes to play around with that little sword thing, but it was Adam taught him how to use it. Another thing is, you don’t never want to cross my brother, Adam. He has a sense of right and wrong, of justice, that is really strong, or at least it used to be. By the story in the newspaper, the two men agreed that the duel with the \u00e9p\u00e9es wasn’t supposed to draw blood, so that meant it was legal. I don’t know much about that kind of thing, but they were only supposed to touch each other to win points. But the other man lunged when he shouldn’t have and stuck himself right on the other man’s \u00e9p\u00e9e so hard it went near through him. That lunging forward according to the story in the paper kinda made it seem like the judge was breaking his agreement that it wouldn’t be to draw blood so it looked like he was fighting dirty. The story made it look pretty bad for him. So now he’s got a wound that put him in the hospital although it said he’s doing well. I guess he’ll probably make it, but nobody knew that when he was first wounded.”<\/p>\n “And the one who lost at boxing?”<\/p>\n “It doesn’t say nothing about him in the papers. I suppose he could be in the hospital too. Me and Joe heard about that from Sheriff Coffee. He’s mighty suspicious too that Adam is back and is behind these things that are happening.”<\/p>\n “It’s nothing illegal, is it?”<\/p>\n “I guess not although that mining thing came really close to breaking the law. It did say in the article that investors were told they ought to go get the area checked to make sure there was nothing underhanded being done before they handed over any money to charter the company. Roy figures that’s what made it fit just barely inside the law and made the investors more confident it was on the up and up.”<\/p>\n “So, they lost all their money?”<\/p>\n “Yes, all the company money was paid out in salary, fees, and expenses so when it went bankrupt, there wasn’t a penny in its bank accounts.”<\/p>\n “Heck, he must have made a lot of money on that scam if he collected money as an employee of that company. It would take a lot of planning to pull all of that off. But does any of that help your brother’s case? I mean, is he still charged with murder in California?”<\/p>\n “Pa’s got our lawyer checking on that now. We don’t know the names of the witnesses, but we have a feeling the businessmen who lost all that money were maybe some of them. We don’t know about our cousin Will who got caught in that scam too and lost most of the money he had too. I hope Pa don’t bail him out again.”<\/p>\n “What does your brother, Adam, have against your cousin, Will?”<\/p>\n “Only seeing his fianc\u00e9 behind his back and then marrying her.”<\/p>\n “Ouch, that would bother a man.”<\/p>\n “Yeah, Adam said it was all right, and he said they were in love so he gave them his blessing. But it had to hurt especially with all the things folks said and what men said in the saloon when they had a bit too much to drink. More than once, I had to steer him out of one of those before he killed somebody or tried to. You would have thought those men would have seen that look he had by then and known better, but they kept poking at him.”<\/p>\n “Maybe you should have let him kill someone. That would have shut the others up.”<\/p>\n “Yeah, it might have done it. People have a way of forgetting how dangerous my older brother is. He’s quiet. He got even quieter after he was in that prison, but he’s quiet the same way a mountain lion is quiet. He looks at you with them hooded eyes that kinda tell you he’s deciding whether to kill you or whether you’re worth it. If he decides to kill you, when he lands on you, you’re likely dead.”<\/p>\n The mention of mountain lion made Candy a little nervous. He looked around and listened. The horses were quiet though so it was unlikely the dreaded predator was anywhere in the vicinity. He wondered how the men who had wronged Adam felt about things now knowing he was in the vicinity and not knowing how or when he would strike. He guessed there was a measure of justice itself in that making them worry every day and night about their fate. He said as much to Hoss who agreed that those men had reason to be worried. Then he had another concern though.<\/p>\n “Hey, if he was your brother, then he had a bedroom. That wouldn’t be the one I’m using, would it?”<\/p>\n “Well, yes, it would be.”<\/p>\n “Ah, if he comes back, you don’t suppose he would be upset with me about that, would you? I mean, he ought to be upset with you or Joe, not me, right?”<\/p>\n “I don’t know. I guess it would depend on how he saw it. I mean you are the one sleeping in his bed.”<\/p>\n As Hoss turned away, he couldn’t help a grin. However Candy wasn’t sure if Hoss was kidding or not. When they got back, he was going to suggest to Jamie that perhaps they might want to switch bedrooms. Or maybe, he might just decide to go back to sleeping in the bunkhouse. It sounded like the oldest Cartwright son was not one anyone wanted to rile up. He snuggled down into his bedroll but wasn’t sure how easy it would be to sleep with so much on his mind after all that Hoss had told him.<\/p>\n With the damp chill in the air, Hoss stoked up the fire as Candy rolled over to sleep putting his back to the fire. It was dry under the tarp but cool so the fire was necessary. It would be nice to have hot coffee too to help keep the chill away. Their plan was that one would stay awake as the other slept until the rain stopped or dawn broke, whichever came first. That way, the fire could be tended and kept at a good size to give heat without getting so large as to be a problem or so small it might go out. Hoss had a lot to think about after telling so much to Candy and didn’t mind taking the first watch because it gave him the time he needed. He missed his older brother and wondered how or if he would ever see him again. Talking with Candy made him long for the days when he could talk with his brother about anything. He sat by the fire feeding in sticks and logs and thinking until he got a complaint.<\/p>\n “You planning to bake me or roast me in here?”<\/p>\n Snorting and then chuckling, Hoss responded. “I thought maybe I would do a slow roast.”<\/p>\n “I’m almost afraid to go to sleep now. I know you didn’t have enough to eat for your dinner.”<\/p>\n “Nah, you’d be too tough and stringy. Anyway, I’d run out of wood before you was done.”<\/p>\n Turning back to the fire and Hoss because he couldn’t sleep anyway, Candy noted how serious his friend looked.<\/p>\n “Seems like you’re pretty deep in thought there.”<\/p>\n “Yeah, thinking about Adam. Kinda wishing he was here, you know, not like right here, but back home or around, so I could see him and talk with him again.”<\/p>\n Deciding to change the subject because Hoss seemed to be slipping into a sad state, Candy took a sharp turn in conversation.<\/p>\n “Say, you think Joe and Jamie might have made it to that town or do you suppose they’re sitting out the rain like we are trying to stay warm and dry until morning?”<\/p>\n “You know as well as I do, with Joe, there’s no predicting what he will do. Of course, he knows that if he was to set up a lean-to like this with Jamie, that boy might not stop talking for hours. He sure can go on.” Hoss paused. “My brothers are all so different. Jamie is quite the talker. Joe can talk up a stream too when he’s got something that’s got him excited.”<\/p>\n “And Adam?”<\/p>\n “He was always the quietest one of us. He could talk quite a bit when he got mad, but otherwise, mostly he kept a lot of thoughts to himself. It got real noticeable after he got out of that prison. I don’t think we realized it at first cause we were so happy he was back, but he hardly ever said what was on his mind then. I guess maybe he didn’t think we wanted to hear what he was thinking or he didn’t trust us enough to tell us.”<\/p>\n “It could have been a little of both. Now, I know you got a lot to think about, but do you think maybe you’re ready to pay attention to what you’re doing? I’d like you to keep a proper fire so I can get some sleep?”<\/p>\n “Sorry. I’ll pay attention to the fire. You get some sleep.” Hoss waited a moment before he said the rest of what he was thinking. “Candy, thanks for listening. It’s been a while since I had somebody I could tell all of that to. I kin talk to Joe about it some, but it was good to say everything I was thinking and not have to worry about getting anyone mad.”<\/p>\n “It’s what friends are for, isn’t it?” Candy closed his eyes then and settled into a restful sleep satisfied that he had helped his friend and learned a lot too.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chapter 2<\/strong><\/p>\n About what Joe might do, Candy was correct about that as well. Joe was riding into town with Jamie and the horses they had brought with them at about the time Candy and Hoss were finishing their conversation and Candy was leaning back on his saddle to get some sleep. Soaked and cold, Joe and Jamie had to take care of the horses first before they could head to the hotel to try to get a warm bath and then a bed. More than once as they rode, Joe berated himself for the decision to ride to town in the rain with the promise of a warm room and a dry bed. Of course, the saloon had held a little extra bonus for him, but not for Jamie. He felt a little guilty for pushing his younger brother to ride through such difficult conditions. Now, all he wanted was to get out of these wet clothes that were clinging to him and get warm again. As he saw his younger brother shiver, he felt even more guilty about pushing to get to town.<\/p>\n “Jamie, why don’t you take our gear and go get a room. You get a bath first so they can have one ready for me when I get there. I’ll finish up here.” Digging in his jacket, Joe got out enough money for a room and baths and tips as needed.<\/p>\n “Thanks, Joe. I owe you for this.”<\/p>\n Summoning up a grin he didn’t feel, Joe was thinking Jamie didn’t owe him anything, but it didn’t hurt for him to think he did. With Jamie gone, it took longer to get the horses squared away, but by the time Joe got to the hotel, Jamie was in dry clothing and had a hot bath ready for him. He had even managed to find some food. A bowl of stew was waiting for Joe to eat while he soaked. An empty bowl was testament to the youngest brother’s appetite. All thoughts of a drink in the saloon were gone. Slogging through mud with rain seeping into every place it could, he was tired and now felt as comfortable and warm as he had in over a week. With the bath and the stew finished, Joe headed to the room he was sharing with Jamie, and the two collapsed into sleep waking at almost noon when Hoss and Candy pounded on the door. When Joe opened the door, Hoss was there with a grin.<\/p>\n “From the looks of you, little brother, you definitely needed that beauty sleep, but we got some horse traders who are waiting on us. So, get your pants on and hurry on down.”<\/p>\n “How about some breakfast first?”<\/p>\n “You done missed breakfast entirely, but never worry cause I ate enough for both of you. They was about to close up when we got there. Now, you kin maybe have some lunch after the horse trading is done ifn they have any food left then, but I wouldn’t count on it. You got a better chance of that though ifn you hurry up now.”<\/p>\n It took hours to work out the deal trading the mustangs and cutting horses for the draft horses to pull freight wagons and timber on the Ponderosa. In addition to the immediate work those horses could do, the brothers had a plan to start breeding them too so they needed a number of them. This was the start of that operation, and they wanted some of the best. It had taken a lot of persuading to convince their father of the soundness of their plan. Seems he was skeptical because of a few schemes they had tried which hadn’t worked out so well. However when both Candy and Jamie argued that it was logical and reasonable, Ben had given in. That did mean they needed to get back home with some impressive stock though to keep their father on their side. By the end of the afternoon, they had the ones they wanted, and there were four hungry men as a result of the hard bargain they had driven. They were quite pleased with themselves though.<\/p>\n The plan was that the four of them were going to take the seven large horses back to the Ponderosa. They bought some of the harness they would need too to get started, and Jamie’s job was going to be driving the wagon with the harness in it as well as any supplies they needed for the trip. Their packhorses had been thrown into the deal when they realized they could use the wagon for that purpose. It meant they had enough to buy seven horses instead of six which was cause for celebration. They had completed one task and didn’t realize how close they were to another goal if only they had been more observant. Without even trying, Candy set them on the road to their goal though.<\/p>\n “How about a beer to celebrate? We didn’t have lunch, but we could grab some food from the end of the bar if we buy beer.”<\/p>\n “Nah, Candy, we got to sign some papers, so me and Joe have to stay here until that’s all done. Going to be right painful having to wait to have a beer and some food.”<\/p>\n “Hoss is right about that. I’d love to have a cold one and a something to eat. You go on and have that beer. We’ll meet up with you as soon as we can.”<\/p>\n “Now, Joe, I don’t know why anyone says you Cartwrights aren’t a pleasure to work for. I will meet you in the saloon at your earliest convenience.”<\/p>\n Jamie looked hopeful. “Maybe I could go with Candy. I’m not old enough to sign any documents anyway.”<\/p>\n It was almost funny to watch the change in Jamie when Hoss answered him.<\/p>\n “Oh, no, littlest brother, you ain’t going with Candy to the saloon. You’re going to stay here and learn how all this stuff is done.”<\/p>\n With a grin and a wave, Candy headed to the saloon for an important encounter he didn’t know he was going to have nor did he have any idea how momentous it would be. The future of the family would be determined by his action or conceivably by his lack of action. That talk he had with Hoss the previous night was significant, but neither knew how important it had been until after the night was over.<\/p>\n While the brothers handled all the paperwork, telegrams, and bills of sale, etc., Candy walked into the saloon immediately relishing the sights and smells of civilization. Camping out, eating beans, and sleeping on the ground always made him appreciate more being able to get a beer and sit in a nice chair and relax. That first beer went down easy. He ordered a second and looked around the room to see what else he could do. There weren’t many people there, but one table had a poker game going with four men. Entertainment was another thing he missed.<\/p>\n As Candy walked over to the table to ask if he could sit in, one man dressed in dark clothing hooked a chair with his boot and pushed it out for him. Nothing was said. It was as if the man had read his mind. It was a bit unnerving although Candy thought perhaps he had looked a bit eager as he walked toward the table. However that meant the man had been watching him before he got near them. Candy sat down and asked what the table stakes were and if there were limits on raises.<\/p>\n “Five dollars for each.”<\/p>\n “Any other rules I should know?”<\/p>\n “Same as anywhere.”<\/p>\n “Not bad. I can afford that kind of betting at least for a while.”<\/p>\n It was a friendly game then, but apparently that was all he was going to get for conversation. The four men weren’t interested in talking. They had made that clear with terse answers to all of his questions. The game was challenging enough to be interesting and took most of his concentration anyway. There was enough money to put some pressure on a man, but not so much as to make it scary. With no raise more than five dollars, one might expect the pot to be relatively small, but with all of them betting and raising on the same hand, some of the pots got to be over one hundred dollars. That didn’t happen much though. The men were serious about their game though. Most of the time, they knew when the odds were against them and dropped out early. There was little talking even about the game as the men gave most of their attention to their cards and the betting.<\/p>\n Used to a more light-hearted atmosphere, Candy found the game difficult especially as the men were skilled at poker. The serious nature and lack of talk made finding a tell on these three hard to do especially on one man dressed in all dark clothes. Candy never saw him react to anything. Even when he won, he acted the same as when he lost. By the money in front of him, he won quite a lot more than he lost, but it would be impossible to tell by his demeanor. He could be losing by the look he had. It was the perfect poker face. Candy had only seen a few men who could pull it off.<\/p>\n After a short time, he gave up trying to see a reaction, but that’s when he got one. It wasn’t about the game though. It was about him. He was fairly sure of that. He had been caught out staring at the man dressed in dark clothing. There was a small almost smile, more of a smirk, as if the man knew what he had been thinking. That smirk irritated Candy more than it should have, and he raised on the next hand when he probably shouldn’t have. He laid down his three fours and waited. The dark man threw his cards in, and Candy pulled in the pot. It was funny though because he had another gut feeling there that the man had just let him win one when he had actually lost. He got a little irritated then because the man might be feeling sorry for him.<\/p>\n It was so irritating that he wanted to flip over the man’s hand to see what he had thrown in. That would be a breach of poker etiquette though that men far less dangerous than this man would not tolerate. And he was certain that the man was dangerous. He had that quiet intensity of men who could hurt you had. But Candy was also thinking this man had no right to look out for him or do him any favors he hadn’t asked of him. They weren’t friends or even acquaintances. About that time, Jamie came in.<\/p>\n “Hey, Candy, when you see Hoss or Joe, would you tell them I went to our room. I found a book to read.”<\/p>\n “Sure will, Jamie. They should be here soon. Not much to stop Hoss when it comes to a cold beer after the work is done.”<\/p>\n “There sure isn’t. I was surprised he told you to head over here and he stayed with Joe at Mooney’s stable to get all the paperwork done.”<\/p>\n “No one was more surprised than me. Why did they let you go? I thought you were supposed to be working on the paperwork with them.”<\/p>\n “I did. They’re only waiting now for copies to be made. I’ll see you later then.”<\/p>\n As soon as Jamie turned and left, by Candy’s estimation, the funniest thing happened. The man in the dark clothes decided he had won enough apparently or had some other reason to quit. Standing, he said he was leaving. One man at the table objected.<\/p>\n “You can’t leave now. You got almost all the money. You need to give us a chance to get some of it back.”<\/p>\n “I won it. And you have had hours to win it back, but you have only lost more.”<\/p>\n The tone of voice and the look in those eyes said not to argue. The man who had objected got the message.<\/p>\n “Yeah, but, oh, hell. I shouldn’t have stayed as long as I did. It’s my own damn fault I ended up like this. Sorry for taking it out on you that I have to go home and face my wife and tell her how much I lost.”<\/p>\n Then the man in the dark clothes did something that was astonishing to Candy who would never have imagined doing the same.<\/p>\n “Here, I don’t need your money. It’s just a way of keeping track of who wins the most anyway.”<\/p>\n The man pushed the bulk of the money he had won into the middle keeping only his original stake and some of the rest. Saying nothing more, he turned to leave with the astonished players not knowing whether to be grateful or insulted. While the man who had complained and apologized tipped his hat and grinned, Candy saw the other two look like they might say something. Before either of them could do that and inflame the situation, Candy settled it for them. By his experience, he knew neither of them was ready for the trouble they would likely cause by saying something stupid to the dangerous man who stood there.<\/p>\n “Boys, the best thing for you to do right now is say thank you to this gentleman. He’s keeping things friendly like they were, and I suggest you do the same.”<\/p>\n With Candy’s thinly veiled warning, the two men offered their thanks as well although some of what they said sounded less than genuine. The man was gracious as the others quietly accepted his gesture, but the look of a banked fire was still behind those eyes even as he turned back to them, tipped his hat, and then left, but that was as warm as he got with the men with whom he had clearly spent hours playing cards.<\/p>\n Waiting only a moment, Candy stood and walked to the saloon door to watch him walk down the street and then turn to disappear down an alley between two buildings. The man walked in almost a glide a lot like a mountain lion reminding Candy of the description Hoss had used. He was amazed and watched to see if there was a chance he might see the man again. A short time later, Candy did when he saw him riding away, but from where he stood watching, he couldn’t tell which exit from town he was likely to take or if he was going to some other place in town. By the leisurely pace the man set and the relaxed way he sat in the saddle, he made it appear it could be either a long or a short ride he was anticipating. He gave nothing away.<\/p>\n When he could no longer see him, Candy went back to the bar to wait until Hoss or Joe would show up because his mind was churning with what might have happened. Although he had thought about following the man, he guessed he might spook him or even get himself into a dangerous situation if everything Hoss said was true. Instead, he leaned on the bar and had a drink chatting with the men there until one of the Cartwright brothers got there and hoping it wouldn’t be a long wait. The first to walk into the saloon was Hoss. Telling the others his boss had arrived, Candy moved over then, and told Hoss he had to talk to him. Hoss frowned and then shrugged before moving to the end of the bar near the door. He raised two fingers to the bartender and said only that he wanted beer.<\/p>\n After getting the two beers and pushing one into Candy’s hand, Hoss downed about a third of his and looked expectantly at his friend wondering what could be so important. As he saw it, they had already done everything that needed to be done. Then Candy’s rapid-fire questions shook him.<\/p>\n “What does your brother Adam look like? I mean does he have a look that could freeze your soul? Does he dress in dark colors? Does he have a scruffy look with a thick beard growth? Are his eyes hazel but darker than the usual hazel color? You compared him to a mountain lion. Does he almost glide like a mountain lion when he walks?”<\/p>\n “Hold on. What are you talking about? Why all these questions about my brother all of a sudden? All I did was to come in here to have a beer or five with you.”<\/p>\n Candy began talking so fast that Hoss never got a chance to say anything not that he could as the shock of the words left him speechless anyway.<\/p>\n “When I got here, there was a man over at that table playing poker. He was cool, calm, dressed all in dark colors, and it was like he was playing with us. He was good, really good. I couldn’t pull a tell from him no matter how hard I tried. Then Jamie came in and mentioned you and Joe, and he lost that cool way he had. He looked like something had shaken him up some, and then he said he was leaving. It was like he was a different man really sudden like. It wasn’t a rush, but there was nothing slow about what he did either. He walked out of here in a hurry like the last thing he wanted to do was to see you or Joe. But before he left, he gave those men most of their money back saying he didn’t need it. I’ve never seen anybody ever do anything like that. You did say your brother wasn’t like any other man.”<\/p>\n “Where did he go?”<\/p>\n “Watching from the door, all I could see was that he went straight down the street and then took a right. Listen, I wasn’t going to follow him. From what I saw, that is one dangerous man. Those quiet ones with those eyes like that watching everything, you gotta be careful for yourself.”<\/p>\n Hoss was already moving to the door to look out. Candy kept talking as they walked.<\/p>\n “His eyes were always roaming around, you know, seeing everything and everybody. I waited and from here, I saw him riding down the street later. Kept his head down and rode like he didn’t have a worry in the world like he didn’t want to draw any attention to himself. I figured he was probably leaving town, but I couldn’t be sure. I doubt he saw me because I stayed inside and he wasn’t looking around.”<\/p>\n “Let’s go take a look around.”<\/p>\n Hoss went for a walk with Candy but found no one that matched that description had stayed at any of the hotels in town. Checking in the livery stable, they found that he had left. No one seemed to know what direction he had gone. If it was Adam, he was in the wind again. Like the previous five years, they had no way to know where he was nor how to contact him. Hoss decided to go ahead and tell Joe and Jamie what Candy suspected and why. He had a gut feeling Candy was right, but Joe was skeptical from the start.<\/p>\n “How could Candy recognize our older brother? He’s never met him.”<\/p>\n “We had a lot of time to talk, and I guess I ran my mouth an awful lot about Adam because he’s been on my mind so much ever since we saw those newspaper articles.”<\/p>\n So Joe was willing to listen to the story but nothing cracked that wall he had around himself.”<\/p>\n “I think that a lot of things happened by coincidence at about the same time. You built up this big fantasy in your head and now you want us to go chasing after it.”<\/p>\n “Just listen to what we got to say. Then you can think what you want.”<\/p>\n In addition to Candy and Hoss telling what they knew that evening, Hoss suggested that Candy tell Jamie what the man looked like and have Jamie try to draw a sketch. The two worked on it for an hour until Candy agreed that it was a reasonable likeness. Then Jamie showed his brothers what he had drawn.<\/p>\n “Joe, that’s Adam, sure enough. With what Candy said about him, it has to be him.”<\/p>\n “Hoss, Jamie has seen pictures of Adam in the house.”<\/p>\n “Yeah, but did any of those pictures ever show him with a beard growing in, or did they show that little scar by his eye he had after being in that prison?”<\/p>\n Looking closely, Joe nodded. “You’re right. That’s probably him. If he was here though, why didn’t he stay and talk with us, or at least he could have left us some word about how to get in touch with him. Could it be Adam and be that cold to us?”<\/p>\n No one had an answer. After breakfast, there was no more news about Adam for the Cartwright brothers even though they had gone out to canvass the town trying to find someone who knew something about him. With the sketch, they thought they might get some information but there was nothing. After discussing it the night before, Joe was still angry that if it was Adam, he had not stayed to talk with them and that he had left with no way for them to contact him. Hoss had no answers to any of that no matter how many times Joe repeated his complaints, and Jamie could only sympathize with him.<\/p>\n “What can we do? We’d need four search parties at least to try to figure out which way he went. He’s in the wind again just like when he left us. Hoss, if that was him, he doesn’t want to be part of our family. Seems to me he’s made that pretty clear by doing what he’s doing. No contact for years, and then he has a chance to see us, and he takes off without a word to either of us.”<\/p>\n Hoss knew there was no answer that would satisfy his younger brother so said only that they should wait until they knew more even though he had no idea how they would ever know more. Otherwise, nothing more was said until Candy brought it up again.<\/p>\n “We were intent on asking where that stranger went that we never asked the other obvious question.”<\/p>\n Jamie was intrigued. Joe was too but wouldn’t say he was. So Jamie was the one who asked.<\/p>\n “What’s the obvious question?”<\/p>\n But by then, Hoss had figured it out, and Candy didn’t have to tell them.<\/p>\n “We plumb forgot to ask which way he came in. Like as not, he was heading out in the opposite direction. Damn, Candy, why didn’t you think of that before now?”<\/p>\n “Hey, doing all the thinking for four takes a lot out of a man.”<\/p>\n Jamie had another question though. “What good does that do now?”<\/p>\n Joe snorted as if that should have been obvious. “We can follow him.”<\/p>\n “But we have to get these horses back.”<\/p>\n “We don’t need all four of us to do that, Jamie. It’ll only take one of us to follow Adam and try to catch up to him. By now, he would have been watching to see if he was followed and most likely figured out we ain’t following along so there might be a chance to catch up to him. He should slow down if he thinks he’s not being followed. He had no way of knowing that the night before I had told Candy so much about him.” Hoss was confident, and some enthusiasm for the task was showing.<\/p>\n “Oh. Then who’s going to go?”<\/p>\n Even as he posed the question, Joe offered to go. “I’d like to ask him a few questions like why he’s let Pa worry so much for five years and why he couldn’t at least stop in to greet us before he ran out of town.”<\/p>\n “And that’s exactly why you ain’t going. I am.”<\/p>\n Hoss was adamant. It was clear he was in charge at that moment. Candy broke the tension.<\/p>\n “Then we have way too much food in the wagon. We could feed another three men on this trip.”<\/p>\n “I’ll pack some of the food with me, but otherwise, I want to go light. When you get back, you can tell Pa I’ll have news one way or another as soon as I can.”<\/p>\n Knowing he had some catching up to do, Hoss left as quickly as he could. The others wished him good luck and knew he would need it. He didn’t know where Adam was going and had no trail to follow and no clues to help him. Hoss was determined though and that was his best asset in this search. After Hoss rode out of town, the others packed up and headed home hoping Hoss would be successful. None of them knew how much they should share with Ben Cartwright, but knew they had to tell him something when Hoss didn’t arrive home with them. They wouldn’t want to get his hopes up too much because if Hoss didn’t find him, it would be like losing him again. But when Ben Cartwright saw that drawing Jamie had done, he was likely to draw the same conclusion the others had, and then he was going to have the same questions. They had to hope that Hoss might have some answers by the time he came home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chapter 3<\/strong><\/p>\n A day later, Hoss was getting closer but Adam didn’t know that. He had not rushed out of town because he did not want it to appear that he was running away from anything. Thinking no one was following him, he took a leisurely pace, camped one night, and reached the next town a day later. When he was able to leave his horse at the livery stable in that familiar town, he relaxed a little. The near meeting with his brothers had shaken him. This was a town in which he had a temporary home, so he went to his rented house and was greeted warmly at the end of his short trip.<\/p>\n “You are back here early. I’m certainly not complaining, but I am surprised. I didn’t think to see you for perhaps a week. Your beard isn’t even fully grown yet. Although, my love, you do grow one so very quickly. After five years, I’m rather used to seeing you that way.”<\/p>\n Waiting impatiently for Adam to drop his gear and pull off his hat and undo his gunbelt, she was finally able to get his embrace rushing into his arms and wrapping hers around him for a kiss as he spoke to her without words. She was used to that and accepted it. His mouth to hers showed his passion for her and all the longing for her that weeks apart had caused. Leaning back after a minute of catching up on kissing, she began running her hands over his scruffy face, but then she couldn’t help herself sliding her hands down to undo the buttons so he could pull the shirt off over his head. Without hesitation, he did so, and he quickly stripped off his other clothing as well.<\/p>\n “I should take a bath.”<\/p>\n “You know my thoughts on that.”<\/p>\n “You are the queen of impatience. I know.”<\/p>\n With a grin, he picked her up and carried her to the bed in the small room. Pushing papers from the bed, he made room for the two of them. There would be time later to discuss what else she had discovered if anything as well as his near encounter with his family. At that moment, they were going to enjoy each other and forget all the troubles that they might still be up against. He caressed her face with his left hand as he kissed her tenderly on her cheeks, her chin, and her ear lobes until she grabbed him and pulled him to her for lip-to-lip contact. Undressing quickly, she took charge then as she often did and told him what she liked and for how long but asked him too what he wanted her to do. She was that selfish and unselfish as a lover taking and giving in equal measure. When they finished and lay beside each other, she had one question for him.<\/p>\n “Was that enough?”<\/p>\n “Yes, as always you make me feel wonderful. You can guess that was in my thoughts as I rode here. For you?”<\/p>\n “Yes, I feel good about everything after we’re together. Can we sleep for a few hours? I don’t sleep well when you’re gone.”<\/p>\n “I would love to sleep for a few hours or even more. I’m relaxed now, but I wasn’t on the way back, and I didn’t sleep well. I’ll explain later. It’s nothing bad, but something happened that caught me by surprise. I’m still not sure how I feel about it and if I did the right thing. We can talk about it in a a couple of hours though when we’re both rested.”<\/p>\n “I have good news to share so perhaps only a few hours of sleep, and then we can have dinner and do some talking about what’s bothering you and then I can tell you the good news to cheer you up.”<\/p>\n “That’s a good plan now that both of us are intrigued, but actually, after what we did, I don’t need to be cheered up any more.”<\/p>\n “I’m glad you said intrigued and not worried. It relieves some of my concern.”<\/p>\n Snuggling into his chest then placing her hand under her cheek so his chest hair didn’t tickle her nose, she closed her eyes. Adam reached down and pulled a light quilt up and over them. They didn’t need it yet but would as their bodies cooled. Then he closed his eyes and relaxed in the comfort of the only woman he had ever met who accepted him for who he was and asked nothing of him that he didn’t freely offer. In the years with her, he couldn’t remember sleeping as well in his life and waking up to find someone smiling at him who had no rules for him, no expectations, no demands. When he awoke, she was already awake almost purring as she stretched out beside him.<\/p>\n “Lady, are you ready to share your good news?”<\/p>\n “You want the good news first?”<\/p>\n By the way he looked, she knew he needed time to think about how to explain what had happened to him. Her part was easy so she started talking.<\/p>\n “All right, yes. The second guard who swore you were the one who did the killing, Tom Boone, was the partner of Wallace, the one you pushed through the window and later supposedly killed. Except there’s a business that Boone helps run, a freight hauling business called Boone and Wallace. Neither of them bothered to change names or anything else. The legal documents for their business clearly identify them. Wallace has a lot of scars on his face.”<\/p>\n “Well, that makes sense.”<\/p>\n “Anyone who knew him could still identify him, and I have several statements doing just that.”<\/p>\n “That wraps up one more loose end.”<\/p>\n “That’s not the best of the good news. Their company is mostly hauling freight for a business owned by a man with the same last name as the warden you were supposed to have killed, who looks like the warden who was an only son, and who uses the first name of Jack instead of John.”<\/p>\n “It’s the same man? Jack Wilson instead of John Wilson?”<\/p>\n “It won’t take much to prove it. I’m still working on that. But that makes two more who you supposedly killed who are alive. We already found that Sheriff Thomas is alive and well in Los Angeles living a a good life. Now we have found that he gets most of his income providing security services for, you guessed it, Boone and Wallace Freight Lines. You put the judge in the hospital with that wound and Boone has a head injury so he won’t be going anywhere soon. At this moment, Wallace is in the city by the bay negotiating more contracts for their growing company because Boone is unable to do it. They seem to do a lot of business with men on our list who are tied to this corruption in some way.”<\/p>\n “Two of those men financing the brokerage have lost their money. They won’t be financing any criminal enterprises like Boone and Wallace anytime soon.”<\/p>\n “Yes, and those men were also major customers of Boone and Wallace Freight Lines which has branched out into shipping and appears to be quite profitable. Makes you wonder what kinds of things they’re shipping, doesn’t it? When we get the final list of investors, we’ll have the rest of those tied to this conspiracy perhaps. Adam, we have them all or all that we know were part of it. It’s time to turn everything we have over to the state and clear your name.”<\/p>\n “There’s one more name on the list.”<\/p>\n “Do we have to do more to him?”<\/p>\n “He may be the worst of all after what he did to me. Someone had to set me up to go back into that hell hole, and I don’t even know why he did it. He should have been someone that had my back and instead stabbed me in it. That investment scheme was the test to see if he was tied in with the others and he was.”<\/p>\n “He’s ruined financially. Isn’t that enough?”<\/p>\n “My father may bail him out again for the sake of his wife and children. Those men knew when to pull this scheme on me because he told them when I would not have an alibi.”<\/p>\n “Tell your father that.”<\/p>\n “I don’t think he’ll believe me. He’s blind when it comes to his faults.”<\/p>\n “We have enough evidence. Tell Dan and let him write the story in the Territorial Enterprise.”<\/p>\n “We’ve talked about this. I don’t want my life to be a story to entertain others.”<\/p>\n “I’ve told you it isn’t entertainment. It’s self-defense. You get to tell your story and wipe out all those negative stories that have been told about you, all the lies. You get to put the truth out there and challenge the falsehoods.”<\/p>\n “You are very persuasive.”<\/p>\n “Yes, I am.”<\/p>\n “You are also without clothing, and we have nothing else to do right now.”<\/p>\n “Yes, you are absolutely correct. We have nothing else we have to do right now.”<\/p>\n And they did without ever getting out of bed. It was only later that Adam was able to share his news about his brothers and the meeting that he had avoided. She could tell how much he had been affected by it by how his voice changed as he spoke.<\/p>\n “I know Hoss and Joe were in that town. I wanted to see them, and yet I didn’t want to see them. It’s so complicated. They want the Adam that used to be. He’s gone. I will never be there like that again. I doubt they will ever understand that.”<\/p>\n “They’re not stupid, are they?”<\/p>\n “No, of course not.”<\/p>\n “Then, when you’re ready to see them again, you will, and they will find out the man you are. They will accept you because it is what men do. It may take time, but I know it will not be forever.”<\/p>\n “I’m not as confident as you are that being smart enough is all it takes. They have expectations of me. They always have. It seemed I never could measure up to what they wanted of me before and probably would be less likely to now.”<\/p>\n “Then their expectations were what was wrong. If they expected too much or what they wanted you to be instead of who you are, then that is their problem, not yours. As I said, give it time. You are a strong man. They will have to accept you for who you are because you will give them no other choice. Now, did you actually see them? More importantly at this point, do you think they ever saw you?”<\/p>\n “I was in the saloon playing a little poker. This boy named Jamie came in and asked for his brothers Hoss and Joe. That alone got a reaction from me that I’m sure I wasn’t able to hide, but I don’t think anyone noticed focused on the boy as they were. The boy, Jamie, and this Candy had a discussion. As soon as he left, I did.”<\/p>\n “Leaving so suddenly may have gotten some interest.”<\/p>\n “I know, but if I stayed, Hoss or Joe was likely to walk in the door of that saloon. I can fool almost anyone, but I don’t think I could ever fool them or not for very long.”<\/p>\n “No one followed you, did they? Sorry, that was a rhetorical question. I guess you wouldn’t be sitting her like this if they had. Based on that, I guess they must not have seen you.”<\/p>\n “I left before they could see me and rode in the opposite direction of where they were. I heard the kid say they were at Mooney’s Stable so I rode out of town the opposite way without going near there. It was the direction I wanted to go anyway so that worked out. I don’t know how smart this Candy is, and if he picked up on my reaction enough to talk to them about me. I don’t think he was paying any attention to me. If he was and mentioned it to my brothers, they may have wondered if it was me, but I was already gone.”<\/p>\n “Good. Then you get to choose the time and place of your reunion.”<\/p>\n “Beryl, I’m not sure yet that I want that reunion.”<\/p>\n “I think you’re fooling yourself if you try to convince yourself you don’t.”<\/p>\n They left it at that as they always did. It wasn’t time for it yet so no answers were needed. There was another issue related to that anyway that might have led Adam to take the same steps.<\/p>\n “It’s too soon for those who want me dead to get any clue that I might be here. If I had met with them and anyone said anything, it could have been enough. They could stay quiet, but there were two more with them and I don’t know this Candy or Jamie well enough to trust that they could remain quiet about me.”<\/p>\n Conceding Adam had taken the best option, Beryl turned back to the reports and materials they had yet to duplicate. Looking over the new documents Beryl had gotten, Adam tackled writing the complete report of what they had found. The work helped distract him from the feelings that had been stirred up by the events in that saloon. He kept wondering what his brothers were thinking and what they were doing and was especially curious about Jamie. What was most frustrating was that he was unable to get any answers.<\/p>\n As frustrated as Adam was with the lack of information, his brothers were even more so because he had been so close and yet they knew nothing more than they had. Joe had a hard time holding his anger in check about that, but Jamie’s curiosity about his oldest brother had grown substantially after the things Candy had said giving substance to stories he had heard from his brothers. Hoss was the only one who thought they knew more than they had. Adam was clearly trying to hide so he must have a reason not to want anyone, even his family, know he was in California. When Hoss drew that conclusion, he guessed a bit more might be true and hoped to find his brother to confirm those suspicions.<\/p>\n When Hoss bid his brothers and Candy goodbye, he hoped he would be able to catch up to Adam because he was certain that it had been him. With that gut feeling, he didn’t know how far he was going but intended to keep following his older brother until there was nothing left to follow or he found him. He had enough provisions to camp out a few nights, but otherwise he would stay in towns along the way until he found some hint of where his brother may have gone. What Hoss didn’t know of course was there was going to be time for him to catch up because Adam was staying put for a few days at least because he was not suspecting that he was being followed. He had no way to know that Candy had known so much about him that he might recognize him.<\/p>\n The town Adam temporarily had made his home had been selected as a base of operations because of its central location to a number of places he had to go. Adam had gone to the hospital to put a scare into the man he had sent there and visited the guard he had knocked unconscious. He was hoping to get information from them, and he needed them to be able to recognize him so he had shaved his beard for the hospital visits. Returning, he had stopped one town or a day and a half ride away from that little town to let his beard grow so he could assume his old persona when he got back to his temporary home. Although he hadn’t gotten much from the two visits, it had been gratifying to see the fear in their eyes when they recognized who he was and realized what he might do. Their fear meant they had guilty knowledge and that the conspiracy against him had been real and not some imaginary thing he had envisioned to rationalize all that had happened to him.<\/p>\n Now though, Adam once again needed that full beard to be able to move through areas where people might know him. The full beard and the clothing were good camouflage as well as the fact that people did not expect to see him. He used a variety of accents too to cover his voice so that wouldn’t trigger someone’s memories of him. As was his habit and his preference now, he talked as little as possible too so there were few opportunities for someone to overhear his conversation and identify him.<\/p>\n While Adam had the evidence he needed, what he still required was a way to get it all together and in the hands of someone in the California state government who was honest and would use it to go after the guilty parties and clear Adam of any wrongdoing. They had been tossing around names of people who might do it, but they had not settled on any person yet. Adam had been out of touch for five years. He couldn’t be sure who could be trusted in this age when it seemed half the people in government at every level were in it to line their own pockets. What they needed was someone in the other half who still saw government service as it was supposed to be and followed the law.<\/p>\n The first day he was back, most of the time he and Beryl were working was spent putting the evidence together in a logical order and drafting a letter that explained how it all fit together. Then Adam drafted a second copy of the same letter. All of the evidence was backed up that way. Everything of any importance was duplicated. Adam was beginning to think triplicated would be a good idea. When he mentioned it, his partner agreed but thought it could wait until the next day.<\/p>\n “I’m hungry. Do you want to go to the restaurant or should I go get something and bring it here?”<\/p>\n “How about here? I still don’t have my full beard so I’d rather not go out yet. I’ll keep working while you’re gone and wrap up a few things like finishing my notes from this last trip and what happened with Boone and the judge. Then I can put all these papers away so we can use the table.”<\/p>\n “I love how you think.”<\/p>\n “I love you.”<\/p>\n “I know you do. I love you, and I’ll be back soon with some dinner.”<\/p>\n Forty-five minutes later, she stepped inside and closed the door quickly. Looking up from the table where he was working, Adam could see her worry but could tell too that she wasn’t afraid so the threat wasn’t too serious. Setting a tin of stew on the counter next to the small stove, she turned to him with her news.<\/p>\n “We may have an issue. I think your brother is here. He certainly fits the description you gave me, and you did mention you were in the same town a short time ago. It would be a heck of a coincidence, and I know what you think of those anyway. Apparently, he may have figured some things out and followed you here.”<\/p>\n “Which brother?”<\/p>\n “By the descriptions you’ve given me, I think it might be Hoss.”<\/p>\n “Where did you see this man?”<\/p>\n “Just now he was riding into town on a big dark horse wearing a very large hat.”<\/p>\n “Who? The horse or the man?”<\/p>\n “Adam, this isn’t funny.”<\/p>\n “No, it isn’t, but it is nothing too bad either. Of all those in my family who might come to see me, Hoss is the best possibility. Now, I should go find him and bring him here before he stirs things up by asking people about me. I don’t want my name used here.”<\/p>\n “I think he was heading toward the livery stable. If you hurry, you should be able to intercept him there.”<\/p>\n Shortly after striding out of the livery stable after stabling his horse, Hoss paused to look around the small town as he wondered if he wanted to get a room and a bath first or a big steak dinner. A little uneasy because he felt like he was being watched and had been since riding into town, he hadn’t decided which it would be when he felt a gun pressed into his lower back. A voice with a strange accent hissed to him that he should turn and walk to the alley behind the stable to talk.<\/p>\n “Don’t say anything and don’t try anything.”<\/p>\n “Listen, I ain’t got much money. You kin have it, and we kin both just go our separate ways. I don’t want no trouble. I got other matters more important than you.”<\/p>\n Even though the man said it was to talk, Hoss assumed it was about money. Mostly he was irritated by this interruption of his plans and was trying to put the man at ease so he could disarm him. Then before he could whirl and grab the man who had dared to do put a gun in his back, the pressure was gone, and he knew he had lost his chance to disarm him. With no other option at the moment, he walked to the alley and stood on the edge of the dark shadows hoping for another opportunity to be presented. He had heard the man follow him and assumed the man was there where he couldn’t be seen, but Hoss decided he wasn’t going any further until he knew what the odds were. The man walked softly too so Hoss didn’t know exactly where he was making a move on him too dangerous to try. Instead he thought he would try some negotiating.<\/p>\n “What do you want?”<\/p>\n What he heard next was shocking.<\/p>\n “C’mon, Hoss, you don’t think I’d really shoot you, do you?”<\/p>\n A moment later, Adam had to tell him to stop so he could breathe. He hadn’t had a bear hug like that in a very long time. When Hoss released him, he actually rubbed his ribs hoping none were cracked, but some were certainly sore.<\/p>\n “Sorry about that, brother, but I been saving that up a long time. Hope I didn’t hurt you none, but I think you got a lot less padding than you used to have.”<\/p>\n “It’s all right, I guess.”<\/p>\n About all Adam could do other than that was to nod. He couldn’t explain anything in this setting, and his ribs did still hurt from that bear hug.<\/p>\n When releasing Adam from the hug, Hoss had not entirely let him go. It had been too long to cease contact entirely so he kept a hand on his shoulder almost finding hard to believe that he had actually found him. Adam didn’t shift away letting Hoss know he wanted that touch too. Though they were quiet for a time, the words Adam heard next from his younger brother weren’t at all welcome as Hoss’ frustration came out in a challenge.<\/p>\n “Where the hell have you been and why ain’t you let us know you were so close? You could have at least said howdy before skedaddling out of town. You got Joe a mite more upset than me, but I wasn’t none too happy about it.”<\/p>\n “There are reasons that I would rather not discuss out in the open where anyone can hear. If you come with me, you’ll get your answers or as many as we can give you. I have questions too especially how you knew I was here and found me so quickly. We might have to change our plans based on your answers.”<\/p>\n “We?”<\/p>\n “Yes, we, and you will get an explanation of that too but that will happen all in good time. Let’s go before this meeting draws some unwanted interest. One request, if you do say something more to me, don’t use my name. It’s important that no one hear that.”<\/p>\n Pointing the way, Adam directed Hoss to his home. Hoss understood why he shouldn’t use his brother’s name because he was aware that Adam was still a wanted man in California. There was no statute of limitation on murder. The rest he didn’t understand at all and was looking forward to some answers. Mostly he wanted to know why his brother was in California with that threat hanging over him and knew a careful man like Adam must have a plan. What he couldn’t understand was what kind of plan would be worth the risks he was taking, and how did the fight and the duel play into whatever plan he had.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chapter 4<\/strong><\/p>\n Walking briskly, Adam soon had them behind closed doors in a very small adobe building. Hoss looked around the modest interior and the door to the one bedroom. He could see one large bed in there because the lamp was lit. There was a table and chairs, boxes of papers, various personal items for a man and a woman, and other evidence of habitation. The signs were obvious and Hoss knew Adam and the woman there were in a long-term relationship. By bringing him into the house with no warning and no attempt to hide anything, Adam was making an announcement without saying a word. Adam shrugged as Hoss turned attention back to him.<\/p>\n “Hoss, this is Beryl. Beryl, this is my brother, Hoss, who has a lot of questions.”<\/p>\n The pretty woman at the table nodded to him in acknowledgement. As Beryl sat there unflinching and smiled at him, Hoss was struck by the similarity to Adam in her look and manner. She had way of looking at a person that made them want to defend themselves. He met her look though and didn’t back off either. Her smile turned into a grin.<\/p>\n “Welcome to our home, or our temporary abode.”<\/p>\n “Adam said he would answer some questions when I got here, and I got a bunch of questions.”<\/p>\n Ignoring the rudeness and the question, Beryl was gracious. She could tell how ill at ease Hoss was in the circumstances he found himself. He had only questions and was having trouble tamping down all the emotions that threatened to spill over finding Adam after so many years of worry and wondering.<\/p>\n “Hoss, would you like some dinner? I have heard stories of your appetite and would hate to see you go hungry. I had gotten some stew a short time before I saw you ride in and told Adam I thought it was you. I can get that heated up again and get some bread to go with it.”<\/p>\n “I would love some stew ifn I get some answers with it.”<\/p>\n Adam put a hand on Hoss’ arm. He needed his brother to get himself under control.<\/p>\n “You’ll get some answers, but it will take some time. Don’t rush things. You’re here, and remember I keep my word. I told you that you would get answers to your questions, and you will.”<\/p>\n Although Hoss was reluctant to wait for answers, he knew he had to calm down and listen. What Adam said made sense so he nodded in acceptance. Keeping his hand on Hoss’ arm, Adam turned to Beryl.<\/p>\n “Now, Beryl, I’ll get the bread and maybe some beer. You can go ahead and heat the stew.”<\/p>\n “You’re not going to go to the saloon are you?”<\/p>\n “No, but it’s about that time when Charlie is looking for some errands to run so he can get a few coins for a visit to the saloon. I’ll send him.”<\/p>\n A short time later, the three were eating stew with thick chunks of fresh bread and cups of beer poured from a tin. As they ate, Hoss wanted answers to the basic questions about his brother but knew he had something to say first. He put down his spoon and stopped eating which got Adam’s attention right away.<\/p>\n “I got something I need to say. I got to apologize for being so rude to you both. It wasn’t right. All I can say is that I was a mite upset after getting here and finally finding my long-lost brother but with a gun in my back at first and being surprised to find Adam with you, Beryl. I guess I let my emotions get the better of me. I’ll try to be more in control from now on. You both been real nice considering how I been acting. I’m not being a good guest. I’ll do better.”<\/p>\n Adam was gracious. “We understand. While we eat, maybe you can ask a question or two and we can get started on getting you some of those answers.”<\/p>\n It wasn’t difficult to predict the first question Hoss had.<\/p>\n “I guess mostly I’m wondering why when we were so close, you left instead of contacting us.”<\/p>\n Putting down her spoon and a chunk of bread rather deliberately and taking a moment before turning to Hoss, Beryl got her thoughts in order and gave that answer. As she did those things, Hoss was struck again by the similarity in mannerisms as well as manner she had to his brother.<\/p>\n “Adam couldn’t come forward to see you and Joe because we can’t let anyone know yet that he’s in California or more precisely where he might be in California at any time. We’re working on clearing his name and getting the names of those who are guilty to the attention of the authorities. If you or Joe had said anything that would have given away that he is here, it could have made things very difficult and probably dangerous. All you had to do was call him by name once and the word could have spread. There could have been men hunting him, and all of you could have been in danger too if they thought he had contacted you and you knew where he was. They will stop at nothing to get what they want.”<\/p>\n “And that’s why Adam waylaid me at the livery stable before I had a chance to ask a single question about him being here?”<\/p>\n “That’s exactly it.”<\/p>\n After thanking Beryl for the information and explanation, Hoss turned to Adam.<\/p>\n “I kinda figured you was working on your own case when I saw a cowboy ran a man through with an \u00e9p\u00e9e in a duel and a cowboy got in a boxing match and beat a man senseless. When I read those stories in the paper, and considering who got run through and who got beat, I kind of figured it was probably you seeing as how it was that judge and a guard from the prison where you were.”<\/p>\n “I was trying to get information from them.”<\/p>\n Beryl added more. “It didn’t work, but he scared them which was the second purpose of the visits. He let them know he was in the state but before they could let anyone know, he was gone. That’s why he was so concerned about anyone finding out where he might be. They’re likely wondering where he is right now and worried about that. It probably got some others worried too, and worried men like that make mistakes. We’re counting on that to perhaps find out more people who were involved in this conspiracy.”<\/p>\n Looking around the room, Hoss waved his arm indicating all the research results Adam and Beryl had accumulated. “What are all these papers? Is this all part of what you’re working on?”<\/p>\n “These are all the reports and the evidence we need to get Adam’s name cleared. We’ve been working on this case for most of the last six months. We’ve nailed down almost all the men involved. We even know the men he was accused of killing are alive, and we know exactly where four of them are. There are witness statements, various bank records and copies of deeds, a few letters, company charters, lists of corporate investors, and assorted other documents that add up to quite a case.”<\/p>\n “Wait, the men you are accused of killing are all still alive? But I don’t understand why you were charged with murder then?” Pausing to think, it didn’t take long for Hoss to guess the answer. “They wanted you back here to get rid of you. Were they going to put you in prison solitary forever?”<\/p>\n “The whole scheme was set up to get Adam back to California and under their control. It meant too that no one was looking at the corruption any longer because the men at the center of all of it were supposedly dead. Instead the focus was on Adam who was then a murder suspect for multiple murders and not the main witness in a scandalous corruption case that could implicate even more leading officials and members of the business community. It was going to be a more permanent solution than solitary would be though. They had already found that didn’t work.”<\/p>\n “So it was all because they wanted to get you back here and then have you hanged for murder?”<\/p>\n “No, Hoss, he wouldn’t have lived long enough for a trial and a hanging.”<\/p>\n “They was going to kill him?”<\/p>\n “That’s the only thing that makes sense. They didn’t want a trial of any kind. In a trial, evidence and witnesses are brought in and that could start a trail to the corruption that is massive. They will kill to stop anyone who tries to uncover their activities. It’s why it was so important that Adam not be identified by you or Joe and let anyone know he was back here now. We’ve been so careful to set this all up to try to expose all the people involved without them knowing Adam is here or only to let them know he’s here when we want them to know. We are well aware of what they would like to do to him.”<\/p>\n “The investment thing with the salted gold mines where some lost all their money: was that you two doing all that too?”<\/p>\n “That was clever of you to discern that. It was. Two of the major investors were men who had financed some of the criminal enterprises we’ve been investigating. We put them out of business at least for a while. Adam and I celebrated pulling that off. It was the closest we got to breaking any laws, but we consulted with an attorney to be sure no laws were broken. It was a way to get the names of more men involved in the corruption. We sent the prospectus to those we knew were involved. We let them send it on to their associates and friends. The final list of investors gave us a long list of suspects. It was a way to make a lot of progress in uncovering who was involved in these crimes.”<\/p>\n “That ain’t all you done.”<\/p>\n From the look on Hoss’ face, Adam was aware that he probably had questions as to why Will had been targeted and probably why Beryl was doing most of the talking. The answers were complicated. Adam felt they had been justified in what they had done with Will. Will didn’t have to do what he did on either end of the conspiracy. It might be difficult for some to separate this from the other trouble between Adam and Will, but one was forgiven and one wasn’t. Will had freely made his choices, and as far as Adam was concerned, those choices were damning as well as affirming his low opinion of his cousin as a two-timing kind of man in everything he did. As for why Beryl did all the talking, that question came next.<\/p>\n “I done looked right at you sometimes with questions, Adam, yet Beryl is the one usually answers them. Now she done a right fine job giving me the answers, but is there a reason you don’t want to talk to me? I mean, you were always kinda quiet, but this is more like when you were mad at one of us. Are you still so mad at me about what I done all those years ago?”<\/p>\n Although Adam could see Beryl was ready to answer, he held up a hand. He needed to take this one himself. After a moment to get his answer clear in his mind, he told Hoss his ideas on the matter.<\/p>\n “I was never so much angry as hurt. I felt I couldn’t trust you, or Pa, or Joe. I don’t trust anyone easily after all that happened and because of some things that happened before that. I only trust Beryl. I find it difficult even today to talk with anyone about things important to me so she takes over to make things easier for me.” Taking a deep breath because he knew he had to say more, Adam used the pause to prepare himself to do it. He looked at Beryl for her encouragement and got it. “I’ve been letting Beryl do it. Hell, I’ve been grateful that Beryl does the talking because it helps me and it works well in what we do too. Many men are put off by a man questioning them about things, but often with a woman, they often open right up. So I get to listen as she so politely and effectively drains the information out of them. I guess it may be time I try to change that habit at least a little.”<\/p>\n “Thank you for that. I could tell it was hard for you to do. I didn’t mean to criticize. I only wondered. I wonder about a lot of things with you. I’m just so dadblamed happy to see you.”<\/p>\n “I’m happy to see you too, but I am worried about how you found me. How did you know?”<\/p>\n “You been on my mind a lot. With all them stories I been reading in the papers, I was thinking there was going to be more happening. On the way to buying some horses, we got caught in a nasty storm. While we sat nice and dry under a tarp, me and Candy talked. I told him a lot about you. He’s the one put it all together. He noticed how you was dressed and how you walked. He told us how good you was at poker and how scary you can be when you want to be. But it was the way you reacted when Jamie was there looking for me and Joe that got the most attention. Then when we looked for you, there was nothing, cause you left. But Candy told Jamie what to draw and the likeness was you.”<\/p>\n For a few minutes at least, the two brothers were quiet and simply glad to be in each other’s company. Beryl decided she liked Hoss, and that he was very much as Adam had described him.<\/p>\n The next question Hoss asked was a big one. He wanted to know about Will because Adam had never seemed vindictive. The inclusion of Will in his plans was out of character or at least it was for the Adam he had known or he wondered if there was another explanation.<\/p>\n “Why did you let Will get involved and lose all his money? It threw me off cause I didn’t think you was the kind of man to hold a grudge enough to do that kind of thing.”<\/p>\n As Adam sat there with an impassive look and stared at him, Hoss thought he might know the answer he was going to get about Will. He glanced at Beryl who was gazing at Adam with a look of sympathy. With all the investigation that they had done, she knew how difficult this part was for him. Hoss voiced his thoughts.<\/p>\n “I’m guessing now maybe it wasn’t that you still hold a grudge on Will for all that happened with Laura. Is it because you think Will somehow was involved in what happened to you?”<\/p>\n “I do. He was.”<\/p>\n “Adam, that’s crazy. He’s our cousin. We took him in when he needed our help. Pa helped him out a bunch of times since then when he had hard times. I know you got reason to maybe want to hurt him after what he done to you and you sure ain’t got no reason to trust him. Well, I suppose it would be hard for anybody to really trust him seeing what he done. But he shouldn’t have no reason to want to hurt you.”<\/p>\n “Hoss, I don’t know why he did it although I have strong suspicions as to his motives. With what we have learned about his life, it isn’t too hard to consider what his reasons might be for doing what he did. The evidence we do have ties him directly to the men who did this. This has nothing to do with what happened with Laura. The most damning is that someone had to let these men know when I would not have an alibi and would be most vulnerable to their plot. We found out that Will was in town then.”<\/p>\n “He was? How could you know that?”<\/p>\n “We have proof that he was. Beryl got copies of the hotel register and had them verified. No one there knows her so it wasn’t a problem for her to get that done. He was in town but never contacted me or any other member of the family or any family friends as far as we know. There had to be a reason he didn’t want people to know he was there. I know it isn’t proof, but it fits with all the other things we’ve found out about him.”<\/p>\n “Maybe he wasn’t in town long enough to do those things?”<\/p>\n “Hoss, the records I got showed he was there nearly a week. He must have had time if he wanted to visit or let anyone know he was there. Adam and I never invited him to invest in that scheme in southern California. Only the men we thought were involved in the plot against Adam were invited by the people we hired to do that. Some the reason for that scheme was to bankrupt those investors so they couldn’t use their wealth to finance any more criminal activities. Our plan has always included ways to weaken those who are against us. One of the other reasons was to use it as a test to see if Will was involved with them. If so, they would let him know about the investment opportunity. When he put his money into it, it confirmed what we suspected which is that he’s working with those men. It was the only way he could have found out about it.”<\/p>\n Hoss had a difficult time accepting what Adam and Beryl told him about Will. However, if that was true, then there was a lot that Will was hiding.<\/p>\n “Pa has given him money every time he asked. If this is true, and that was just plain nasty that he helped them do that to you, Adam, but do you want to put him in prison? He’s got Laura and Peggy to look after, and now they got another one.”<\/p>\n “Yes, it was nasty, and he could face worse than a prison sentence. He’s gotten himself in trouble a number of times because he can’t control his gambling. Then besides begging Pa for as much money as he can get, he has to do things to pay off his debts. He may not like doing what he does, but the important thing is that he does them no matter what they are.”<\/p>\n “Adam, we need to talk about this more. We still got to consider Laura and Peggy too, and there’s that little one there too. They’re family, you know, even if Will did maybe do some nasty things.”<\/p>\n “We can talk. We have some time.”<\/p>\n It was only later that Hoss realized he should have asked how much time Adam meant when he said they had ‘some time’ to answer questions. In retrospect, he knew Adam had been purposefully vague on that point. At the time though, he was so intent on hearing answers and getting information, he forgot how well Adam could camouflage his intent. He had smoothly moved beyond the Will issue into the practical issues he and Beryl were facing without Hoss realizing he had been distracted from the time issue.<\/p>\n “We could use your advice too now that you’re here. I haven’t been in California for almost five years other than as a fugitive from justice over the last six months. I don’t know who to trust in the state government now.”<\/p>\n “We can’t contact anyone Adam knew here because we don’t want to put any of them in harm’s way. We could ask the, ah, companies we usually work for, but I think what Adam is trying to say is that we would like you to give us your recommendation first. We can trust you more than we can trust anyone else.”<\/p>\n That at least made Hoss feel somewhat better about the whole situation. Apparently Adam had told Beryl that he was the most trustworthy of the family and friends he had so that meant something. It made him choke up a little, but he had to think about the answer to give so that gave him time to get control of his emotions again.<\/p>\n “That’s a tough one. Usually when we have a difficult issue and need a meeting, we ask for at least three people to be there. You know, ask people from different parts of the government because it’s not likely they’re working together that way. We’ve been darn careful with any contracts with the government men cause we got burned a time or two.”<\/p>\n “You don’t trust them either then.”<\/p>\n “No, we don’t, but honest ones fight the crooked ones who fight each other and that keeps them all reasonably honest.”<\/p>\n “It’s a sad situation, but if that’s what works, we may have to do it that way.”<\/p>\n “How much of this can I tell Pa and Joe and Jamie too?”<\/p>\n After glancing sideways at Beryl who nodded, Adam had an answer to that. “Tell them as much as you want to tell them.”<\/p>\n Even with the permission to tell the story, Hoss wasn’t sure how much he could divulge to their father. He tended to judge first and think later. Hoss knew what he would be thinking about on the ride home.<\/p>\n “If that’s how it’s going to be, I probably need more information cause I know Pa will ask me. About you and Beryl, can I ask some questions?”<\/p>\n Adam wasn’t at all surprised by that request. “Go ahead.”<\/p>\n “Are you married?”<\/p>\n “No.”<\/p>\n “Going to get married?”<\/p>\n “No.”<\/p>\n “You even asked her?”<\/p>\n “No.”<\/p>\n “How long you been together?”<\/p>\n “Almost five years.”<\/p>\n “So that wasn’t that long after you left?”<\/p>\n “No, it wasn’t long even if it seemed like a lot of time had passed.”<\/p>\n “I’m glad you found somebody. I used to worry about you being alone. I wish I would have known you had found somebody to share your life.”<\/p>\n When Adam didn’t respond to that, Hoss understood that it was probably the lack of trust that had existed since all the trouble that had occurred. He decided to ask the tough question then because he wanted to know but mostly because he knew their father would want to know.<\/p>\n “Then why ain’t you two married up yet? Seems to me you done everything else two people who are married would do except for that.”<\/p>\n As the questions had come, Adam had gotten prepared for that one. “Beryl said when we met and decided to pair up that if I ever asked her to marry me, she would leave. She doesn’t want to get married and doesn’t want me to put that kind of pressure on her. As you said, we already have everything any two who are married would have. She has never tried to change me. I haven’t asked her to change. We accept each other as we are.”<\/p>\n “What if you was to have a baby?”<\/p>\n “Hasn’t happened so we haven’t had to face that issue.”<\/p>\n Both Adam and Beryl had a sober look again so Hoss knew they had both considered that possibility and had probably talked about it too. He rather hoped it would happen and also hoped it wouldn’t because he had not seen his older brother this happy and relaxed for at least twenty years. If they had been together for almost five years, then Adam had met her not long after leaving the Ponderosa. Hoss was glad his brother had not been alone all those years. What made him wonder was why they had never heard about her, but he realized Adam had never put anything in the few letters they had received that would have helped anyone find him and therefore nothing personal was there. The letters had always been rather businesslike when clearly Adam’s life had been far more interesting than that.<\/p>\n “I don’t know what to say to Pa about you and Beryl. I mean, you never said anything about her in the couple of letters we got. Of course, you never said all that much of anything else either. We never knew what you was doing and mostly didn’t even know where you were. For a long time now, there weren’t no letters, and we had to wonder what happened to you.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chapter 5<\/strong><\/p>\n Instead of Adam, it was Beryl who answered that question.<\/p>\n “To be fair, he doesn’t say much of anything to anyone. It took a long time for him to open up to me, and we were together around the clock. He doesn’t talk much. For some time now, we couldn’t write because we were too close and worried that any letter could be traced back to us. It was too dangerous.”<\/p>\n “Seems like he must have talked a lot to you and told you about everything by now. He must trust you completely.”<\/p>\n Adam had said that, and by the look the couple shared, Hoss knew that was true. There was that unspoken communication between them that only two people who trusted each other and knew whatever they needed to know could have. He had that relationship once with Adam but knew it had been shattered by his actions and words. Still he wondered if it was possible to rebuild something he had damaged so much and let slip away. Beryl must have seen the concern on his face. She reached out and touched his hand.<\/p>\n “Yes, as much as anyone could, we trust each other. I know Adam’s story from his earliest memories including the trip out west. He told me a lot about your mother and how much he admired her and how he felt about you when you were born. I learned about how difficult life was for your family when you first settled on what became your ranch. He kept telling stories until it seemed I knew the whole family history up to the day we met. Then of course there is everything we’ve been through together, and we have had quite a number of interesting experiences. I know the good, the bad, and the ugly as well as the beautiful. I know he loves his family. He talked about you often. It’s why I knew it had to be you when I saw you ride into town.”<\/p>\n Although Hoss was happy for Adam in that he had found someone in whom he could confide so much, it hurt too that he was no longer that person in his brother’s life and probably never would be again.<\/p>\n “I’m glad you found somebody you could trust. It’s hard to live without anyone you can trust around you.”<\/p>\n “Yes, it is.”<\/p>\n Although Hoss had meant it more to apply to the time after Adam left the Ponderosa, the way Adam answered and then looked at him with that look of sadness, Hoss knew what he was thinking. He was applying it to being on the ranch with his family and not being able to trust them enough to talk with them or to protect him. Finally Hoss understood how much he had hurt his brother.<\/p>\n “I’m sorry.”<\/p>\n With a sad smile, Adam shrugged. It was in the past. They couldn’t go back and relive those days. In order to get to something less emotionally demanding, Hoss’ next question was about Adam and Beryl’s history.<\/p>\n “How did the two of you meet up, anyhow?”<\/p>\n With the smile that Adam had, Hoss knew the story had to be a good one, but once more it was Beryl who told most of that story. However Adam opened up more first introducing the story and then filling in some details along the way. It was a good story too even if they quite clearly left out some parts, but it was easy to guess what else had happened. It was the kind of story that Hoss was going to have to think about quite a bit before he found a way to tell his father without having him blow steam out his ears. Thinking about that made him smile too, and he could swear Adam knew what he was thinking by the grin he got when he looked at him.<\/p>\n “After I left and was basically on the run, the first six months were uneventful. You could probably describe the time as routine at best or even dull at times. I saw a lot of the country and took a variety of jobs. Mostly I did any job I could find at first to build up a fund to finance travel should I decide to go outside the country or be forced to flee. I have a lot of skills so finding work wasn’t a problem. Not having a family or any obligations helped too. I rode a stage coach as the shotgun guard for a short time. I met a lot of interesting people, but I worried that at some point I would run into someone I knew. Mostly, I worked on ranches with horses and cattle doing short term jobs for a daily wage. There were a few times when I did a little work in offices along the way because of my skills in arithmetic and writing. Although I didn’t think it would be necessary to leave the country, I knew it might be prudent to be ready to do that if my enemies in California wanted me dead more than just out of the way. I kept moving and built up enough funds to travel wherever I wanted to go.”<\/p>\n “But you never left the country?”<\/p>\n “No, when I sent out telegrams through various aliases, the responses I got let me know there weren’t even wanted posters out on me outside of California. That meant my enemies were satisfied with having chased me away. At some point, I knew they were going to regret that, but they didn’t know it yet.”<\/p>\n Hoss had a smirk at that, and Adam had to nod in agreement. His well-known sense of justice had been increased by the injustice he had endured. However Hoss had a question for later based on that answer.<\/p>\n “Before I could take any action against them, I needed a plan for how to get retribution and justice, and at that early stage, I had no idea how to manage it even if I was committed to finding a way to do it. With wanted posters around in California where they were and no plan to act against them, I simply wandered in whatever direction my mood dictated or toward any place that piqued my curiosity. It was a good way to elude pursuit if they were ever after me because no one could predict where I could be going when I didn’t even know until I decided each time.”<\/p>\n “On ranches, the jobs I took were the kind any top hand could do. I made good wages, but I didn’t make any friends because I didn’t spend much social times with the other hands, and I was let go when the job I was hired to do was done. Oh, I played some poker and had a drink on occasion. It fit the pattern of many drifters. No one was overly suspicious. If anyone sensed I was on the run, no one remarked on it. Many men in the west are on the run from something.”<\/p>\n “How did you meet up with Beryl? It must have happened somewhere around that time.”<\/p>\n “Between jobs, in a saloon in Dodge City, Kansas, I got into a poker game with four others. It turned out to be an important game.”<\/p>\n Because he looked at Beryl then, Hoss guessed that it must have been instrumental in how they met, but he couldn’t see her ever working in a saloon so it was another question if they didn’t explain it. Beryl shrugged. Adam grinned. Hoss was confused as to why.<\/p>\n “Beryl, we’re going to have to tell the story.”<\/p>\n “Not everything.”<\/p>\n “Enough so he understands why we’re together. He’s already wondering about how a poker game in a saloon played a role.”<\/p>\n “All right.”<\/p>\n The two of them told the story then leaving out the parts they decided were no one’s business but their own.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n About five years earlier:<\/strong><\/p>\n Smoke hung in a cloud near the high ceiling, but the place was clean and relatively quiet. Most of the men there were talking with friends or playing a game of faro or poker. There were more faro players than poker, but Adam always preferred poker. He won some hands, lost most of the others, and by the end of the night, he was only slightly ahead. That was better than most of the men at the table who had lost money. Only the youngest player at the table had a substantial amount of money to pocket. When the game broke up, he followed that player out of the saloon and down the walk. With a smile, he watched his quarry duck into an alley because he was following. In law enforcement, they refer to that as awareness of guilt. Adam grinned as he thought about Roy Coffee telling someone “I know you know you did it.” When someone acts guilty, it means that person knows they did something wrong and there’s a reason they might be followed. It only confirmed his suspicions.<\/p>\n Adam slowed his pace when the young gambler ducked around that corner. He walked softly until he was at the corner of that alley where he waited patiently until the less experienced gambler looked out to see where Adam was. Making a one-handed grab, he had a fight on his hands until he was able to pin the gambler up against the wall of the building. As one hand sought to go inside the jacket, he grabbed the wrist and held it, and for safety, grabbed the other using his body to stop any more resistance.<\/p>\n “What do you want?”<\/p>\n “Answers.”<\/p>\n There was less struggle then because of his unexpected response.<\/p>\n “You want answers?” “I wasn’t cheating.”<\/p>\n “Now you’re lying.”<\/p>\n “What else are you going to accuse me of?”<\/p>\n “I’m not making accusations. I’m stating what I observed. I’m only interested in the truth. I’d like to know too why a young woman finds it necessary to be dressed like a man.”<\/p>\n That seemed to take the fight out of her or at least for the moment, she stopped resisting. She sighed and looked up at him with a frown. He talked when she didn’t.<\/p>\n “Yes, I know it happens, but there is usually a good reason when a woman thinks she needs to do that. I’d like to know yours, and I want the answers to my other questions too.”<\/p>\n “Are you going to have me arrested?”<\/p>\n Amazed, she watched as a slow grin developed and a dimple appeared. Somehow, she knew he wasn’t a danger to her and was probably going to be important in her life. She smiled back at him.<\/p>\n “There, that wasn’t so difficult. Now, I’d like my answers. Whether I take you to the sheriff depends on what you have to say.”<\/p>\n “I needed the money. You looked like you needed the money too, like maybe you were needing to get somewhere too. I didn’t take that much from them. I didn’t want the others to get upset by taking everything they had. Those men live here and have ways to replace any money they lost.”<\/p>\n “And they wouldn’t be so suspicious of you if you only won small amounts.”<\/p>\n “Yes. Card cheaters usually clean men out. I don’t. I only take enough to get by.”<\/p>\n “And dressing like a man?”<\/p>\n “I need to get away from someone, and it seemed a good way to try to do that.”<\/p>\n “So you could hide in plain sight.”<\/p>\n “Huh?’<\/p>\n “Dinner?”<\/p>\n “What?”<\/p>\n “Do you want to go get some dinner? There’s still one restaurant open.”<\/p>\n “I don’t have enough money to eat in a restaurant.”<\/p>\n “What about the money that you won?”<\/p>\n “I need that to finance my traveling. I don’t have extra money to eat in a restaurant.”<\/p>\n “I do, and you didn’t say no.”<\/p>\n “You would buy me dinner after what I did?”<\/p>\n “I liked your answers.”<\/p>\n They had dinner, talked some but not much because mostly Adam asked questions and she answered. Again it was about what she had been doing but mostly it was about things that weren’t important focusing more on her travel and what she had seen that he might find interesting if he had the time to travel to the same locations. Neither one wanted anyone else in that restaurant to know anything more about them. At the end of their dinner, Adam asked where she was staying although he suspected he already knew the answer.<\/p>\n “I stay wherever I can roll up in my blanket roll and hope nobody finds me while I’m sleeping.”<\/p>\n “I have a room. You can put your blanket roll in there if you want, and you could sleep there.”<\/p>\n “Listen, mister, one dinner doesn’t mean I owe you anything like that.”<\/p>\n “I was offering only what I said. I’m in the habit of saying what I mean.”<\/p>\n Deciding to take a chance, she thought for a moment and agreed to go with him. On the way, she gave proof that she was beginning to trust him.<\/p>\n “My name is Beryl.”<\/p>\n “I’m Adam.”<\/p>\n “Maybe by tomorrow, we can trust each other enough to share last names too.”<\/p>\n There was that grin again.<\/p>\n “Maybe.”<\/p>\n “You don’t talk much.”<\/p>\n Beryl sensed a change in his demeanor but it was gone as quickly as it showed itself. She guessed she would have a much more difficult time finding out his story than he had pried hers from her. Then he answered her.<\/p>\n “No, I usually don’t.”<\/p>\n Although he smiled again, there was a tightness to it. Smiling too, Beryl retrieved her blanket roll from where she had stashed it in the alley, and they headed to Adam’s room. To keep anyone nosy from knowing what they were doing, he went in the front door and signaled her from the window so she knew what room it was. She came in the back and joined him there rolling out her blanket as he turned down the bed. Sitting on her rolled out blanket and pad, she waited and watched. Pulling off his boots and dropping them to the floor, he next pulled off his shirt before he slid under the covers. Then he asked if she was ready and turned down the lamp. She waited a few minutes and had to ask.<\/p>\n “Why didn’t you at least offer me the bed?”<\/p>\n “I wasn’t going to sleep on the floor. It hurts my back. Asking you to share the bed would likely at best have insulted you, and at worst, I would have scared you. I stuck to my word and gave you a safe place to roll out your blanket.”<\/p>\n “It is a big bed.”<\/p>\n “It is.”<\/p>\n “I could roll out my blanket on the other side.”<\/p>\n “If you like.”<\/p>\n “Would you turn up the lamp for a moment for me to see where I’m going?”<\/p>\n “I’ll do that.”<\/p>\n “It doesn’t mean anything other than I would like to sleep on a soft bed again at least for one night.”<\/p>\n “I know. I wasn’t taking it as anything other than that.”<\/p>\n When Adam turned up the light, she saw that his pants had joined his shirt on the chair by the bed. He must have removed them when the lamp was turned down. Thinking about that made her slightly nervous, but she wasn’t going to show it or at least try not to appear nervous. She put her blanket on the other side of the bed and rolled up in it. He turned down the lamp again, and that was it. Waiting to see if he would do anything, she delayed sleep for quite a while until finally realizing he was asleep by the slight snore that occasionally escaped. Then she was able to relax waking in the morning with an arm across her middle and Adam’s head snuggled against her shoulder. Alarmed at first, she turned to see that Adam was still asleep. He must have snuggled into her side while they both were sleeping. It actually was comforting to be touched by someone and not feel afraid. She watched him for a time until he began to stir. Then she decided to take charge and make sure he knew there were limits.<\/p>\n “Wake up. Your arm is rather heavy.”<\/p>\n Coming awake, Adam pulled back making the covers drop to below his waist giving Beryl quite a view. He stretched and she looked to see if there was going to be anything more revealed. That he noticed. He grinned and pulled the covers up above his waist to his chest. That got a chuckle from her.<\/p>\n “I didn’t realize you would be so modest.”<\/p>\n She leaned on an elbow to look at him and smiled putting a hand on his chest.<\/p>\n “Beryl, I don’t know what you want.”<\/p>\n “Right now, I’m not so sure either. Last night I was worried you would try something. Now, I’m not worried.”<\/p>\n Her voice had gotten a bit hoarse as emotions tore at her. Leaning on an elbow and keeping her hand on his chest, she looked down at him.<\/p>\n “I thought I would never be able to trust anyone ever again, but here I am after less than a day, and I trust you. You could have done anything to me that you wanted last night, and I couldn’t have stopped you. Yet, somehow I knew you wouldn’t.”<\/p>\n “Oh, I thought about doing a lot of things.”<\/p>\n “You thought about doing things?”<\/p>\n “Of course, I thought about doing things with you. You’re very attractive.”<\/p>\n “And now?”<\/p>\n “I’m still thinking about doing things.”<\/p>\n “But you’re not doing anything.”<\/p>\n Tenderly, he reached over and touched her cheek. “Because it’s up to you.”<\/p>\n Staring at him for a time and realizing he wasn’t going to look away, she believed him. Leaning down, she caressed his bare chest as she kissed him. His hand slid from her cheek to her neck and pulled her closer as he wrapped his other arm around her. When she broke the kiss, he smiled at her.<\/p>\n “Why are you smiling?”<\/p>\n “I think you know what you want now. I think you know I want it too.”<\/p>\n “Yes, I do and I do.”<\/p>\n She leaned back as Adam began to kiss her cheeks, her lips, and her neck as his hands began to caress her like she was fine china. It was the beginning of a slow seduction in which she was quite a willing participant. She had been married, but she had never made love until that morning. She found for the first time that a man could be gentle and passionate. Resting in his arms afterwards, she told him why she was running and from whom.<\/p>\n “I’m married. I’m sorry. I should have told you that before anything happened. My husband wants to kill me because of what I know. I’m on the run because of his crimes not because of anything I’ve done.”<\/p>\n His answer was to pull her close and tell her that he would help her. Although she told him she wasn’t asking him to get involved in her problems, he said he knew enough to know she needed him to help.<\/p>\n “Adam, I’m a married woman. I can’t make any promises to you. This was wrong too, I guess. It seems right though. You’re more like a husband to me than my legally wedded spouse ever was. But I spoke vows to him. Now I have broken most of them. I don’t know why I did this. I’ve never done anything like this in my life.”<\/p>\n “A man is supposed to love, honor, and protect the lady in his life. What he has done and wants to do violates every principle of what a marriage should be. There is no love. He is doing the opposite of what a husband is supposed to do. There is no trust so there can be no marriage. Your vows became null and void when he tried to have you killed. As to why you did this, perhaps you needed to be held and touched by someone who cared about how you felt and wanted you to be happy and enjoy your time together.”<\/p>\n She guessed that last part spoke about more than her needs.<\/p>\n “Thank you.”<\/p>\n “Do you know how to ride a horse?”<\/p>\n Not used to Adam’s habit of using distraction yet when faced with an uncomfortable discussion, Beryl was surprised but managed an answer.<\/p>\n “What? No, I can’t, and I can’t afford to buy one anyway.”<\/p>\n “If you’re going to be with me, you need a horse. I’ll teach you to ride, and we’ll travel slowly at first.”<\/p>\n “You really are going to help me? You will help a married woman who cheats at cards?”<\/p>\n “You’re going to have to get used to the fact that if I say something, I mean it. And if you’re with me, you won’t be cheating at cards or breaking any other laws. Deal?”<\/p>\n “It’s a deal.” There had not been any pause before her answer. He liked that.<\/p>\n It was over the next few months, when he did as he said he would, he found that her commitment to law and justice was as strong as his own despite what she had been doing when they had met. They forged a relationship in shared purpose. It was after her husband was arrested and punished that they began working together on other cases.<\/p>\n During that same time and in the months that followed, she found out why he didn’t talk much. Adam had nightmares, and when she questioned him at first, he didn’t want to talk about them at all. She was smart though and put together things he called out during those nightmares, the scars on his wrists and his back, and his reticence to talk. One day she asked him how long he had been in prison. Looking at her in shock, he asked how she knew and then began to tell her stories of his time in prison. That was the beginning of telling her everything about his life once that dam was breached. Most painful for him was to explain how he ended up in that prison, and what to him was the callous reaction of his family to his imprisonment once he was out. She could hear the pain in his voice and did her best to comfort him.<\/p>\n “They never asked you about what happened to you while you were in that prison?”<\/p>\n “No, they never asked. It seemed it was more important to them that I forget about it and let them forget about it.”<\/p>\n “But something like that is too important to forget. It will always be with you.”<\/p>\n “You have asked more questions about that time than the three in my family together ever asked.”<\/p>\n “I am so sorry you suffered through all of that. Thank you for telling me. I understand the nightmares more now.”<\/p>\n What surprised neither of them was that he had fewer and fewer nightmares as they spent more time talking. She heard more of his painful past, and eventually he told her more positive stories and then told those stories that were joyful memories. The trust issue continued and would probably always be part of Adam’s relations with others, so he still didn’t talk much to anyone except her. She liked to talk though so it worked out well for them as she did most of the talking except when he told her his story, and he enjoyed listening to her.<\/p>\n For five years, they lived together, worked together, fought, loved, and traveled. Their bond was like iron. She was what he needed. She offered him trust, love, acceptance, and respect for who he was. Comfort was given without question, and listening without judgement. Because Adam could offer her the same, nothing could come between them. Five years after that poker game, they were still together.<\/p>\n Although Hoss felt guilt at hearing how his brother and Beryl had discussed the family response to his imprisonment and the aftermath of it, he knew that he understood better why Adam was estranged from the family. Looking back, all he could feel was responsible. However, there was good news too because Adam had finally found that partner for his life he had searched in vain to find for so long. Adam and Beryl had told Hoss much of their story without any intimate details, but Hoss could imagine what those probably were seeing the looks they gave each other. As Beryl told that story, she first reached for Adam’s hand, and then put her other hand on his arm. Adam looked at her as she spoke and occasionally gave her that small gentle smile he had, and Hoss could see how the depth of care they had for each other in the looks they shared.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chapter 6<\/strong><\/p>\n It had been five years together, and Hoss wondered too what they had been doing to make a living.<\/p>\n “In the few letters we got before you stopped writing to us, you said you were traveling all over the place. Now I know you left out a lot, but did you really do all the traveling you did according to those letters?”<\/p>\n “Yes, we did travel a lot. Some of what I said I was doing was cover for where we were actually travelling. I was concerned about someone finding out where I actually was. We’ve been in Cuba and Mexico and sometimes Canada. Trips to France and Italy were cover stories. We didn’t do any business there.”<\/p>\n “Business? What kind of business do you mean?”<\/p>\n “We’re independent contractors of a sort. We work on special projects for groups that can’t do what we do.”<\/p>\n “Now just what is it you do? What do you mean by special projects? It’s time to stop beating around the bush and tell me what you been doing.”<\/p>\n Waving his arm around the room, Adam indicated all the papers and reports that were there.<\/p>\n “We collect things like this. If someone thinks there’s a problem, we go in and investigate and find evidence including witnesses if we can until there is a case or we tell them there’s nothing there to find.”<\/p>\n “Have you ever had to say there was nothing there?”<\/p>\n “No, if someone suspects corruption or wrongdoing, there is. It’s not something that is hard to see. It can be difficult to prove. That’s the part we handle and get paid well to do unless it’s personal.”<\/p>\n “How can a case be personal?”<\/p>\n “We put Beryl’s husband on the gallows.”<\/p>\n Hoss’ eyes got big hearing that. Guessing there was quite a story there, he waited to hear if either would say more. Beryl decided to trust him and gave a short version which is all she would ever share with anyone other than Adam. Hoss was shocked by her story.<\/p>\n “My husband was a corrupt and ruthless man who had men who opposed him killed. It was how he did so well in business. No one dared stand against him. Before we were married, I thought he was a charming businessman and I succumbed to his promises. He was such a romantic and so generous. There were always flowers and wonderful rides in his carriage and trips to the theater with dinner afterwards. I thought I had found a heavenly match. It was a terrible mistake to make. The money to pay for all of that came from criminal activities and many of those involved murdering those who tried to stop him. I witnessed one of those murders after I overheard him give the order for the man to be killed. Watching from a darkened window of our home, I saw his men gag and then strangle a man burying him in our back garden. I could never have gone back there again realizing that the gardens probably held more bodies. I had suspected bad behavior as I learned more about my husband, but I had never imagined it was that awful. I went to the local authorities with the information about the murder. It was a huge mistake. They told my husband what I had done because they were part of his criminal network.”<\/p>\n “What did you do with nobody to help you?”<\/p>\n “I ran. I had to flee for my life running away with nothing except what I wore. I knew they would catch me so I stole some clothing from a wash line. All that was there was men’s clothing. It worked, and I got away. I realized if I dressed as a man, they couldn’t find me. Just like running away, they weren’t looking for a young man. The huge problem was that I didn’t have much in the way of job skills to use in that disguise. So, I played poker until I met Adam. I learned to play with my father and brother when I was young. We played for fun. This was serious, but I had the skills. Somehow, I knew I could trust Adam and told him the truth. Adam went back with me, and we dug up everything we needed and took it to the state. They used it to get rid of him.”<\/p>\n “What state was this?”<\/p>\n At that point, Adam took over the narrative because he could tell how taxing it was to Beryl.<\/p>\n “Missouri. Hoss, one thing we’ve found with corruption is that corrupt politicians and businessmen don’t like those who go too far because it will likely bring on reform. So, they are quite willing to take down those who are in their opinion too extreme in their activities that could draw too much attention. It is true whether we are talking about governments or businesses. Murder is frowned upon by those who are corrupt. It seems that money and power is what they want, and they know that resorting to murder is likely to interfere with their goals. So we end up helping to get rid of some of the worst of them but not all of them.”<\/p>\n “And that’s what you been doing?”<\/p>\n “Yes, it’s what we’ve done, and we get paid well to do it. After that first time working together, we realized we were good at it and good working as a team. One man in the Missouri state government referred us to a client he said could probably use our services. It was our first paid case. People are generally not very suspicious of a couple so we were able to move in social circles that a single man could not penetrate. At times, we have had some close calls with criminal organizations that caught on to what we had done. We ended up hiding out in Florida once for several weeks until they thought we were lost at sea. We stole a small boat and bought provisions and got water before heading out to an island where people seldom went. No one lived there as there was no fresh water even though the island was relatively large. We stayed there until our water supplies ran out.”<\/p>\n “What about when you showed up alive?”<\/p>\n “We have used a variety of identities. It is unlikely they know we are alive. In fact, it is unlikely they knew who we were when we did it. We both speak Spanish and used that as part of our cover. It was our work on five cases that gave us enough money to do this investigation. It has been expensive, but we’re finally at the end of it. Now it’s a matter of wrapping up the last couple of men involved and turning over the evidence to the state.”<\/p>\n “How is it expensive?”<\/p>\n “Often we have to pay to get documents or copies of documents. We don’t pay for witness statements because then they wouldn’t be legally admissible. When we build a case, we want to be sure everything we have can be used in a court case or there could be retaliation.”<\/p>\n “You sound like a lawyer when you talk like that.”<\/p>\n “Adam and I sometimes feel we know as much as lawyers and judges about the law because we have to follow the rules of procedure so carefully. We study laws in states we are in and do our best to comply with their rules. Adam does most of the planning for our investigations. He has the better mind for seeing inconsistencies and maybe things that don’t fit or make sense. We take a close look at those kinds of things and build the evidence until we have a solid case. I do a lot of the research going through documents looking for the records that will show what he suspects may be wrong. He tracks down people and tries to get information from them. He can be quite intimidating or quite charming, whichever is most useful in a situation.”<\/p>\n “Seems to me what you said about Will wasn’t based on much evidence though.”<\/p>\n Adam didn’t like admitting it but agreed with Hoss. “You’re right. We still have to get solid evidence there. We also have to get more information on the sheriff who was part of the conspiracy and have him arrested before he can get away. We know that he is in Los Angeles at this time. Those are the only holes left in the case.”<\/p>\n “Adam, not any more, remember. The sheriff hasn’t been arrested yet though, and he’s using a fake name, but I don’t think he has any idea we’ve unmasked him. It shouldn’t be a problem to have that verified and have him arrested at the appropriate time.”<\/p>\n “You could turn in what you have now though and clear your name?”<\/p>\n “Yes, we could, but then Will and the sheriff would get away with everything they did to Adam.”<\/p>\n Looking at Adam, Hoss had a challenge. “Would that be that awful as long as you get cleared and can come back home?” Seeing Adam’s impassive look at that, Hoss had another suspicion. “You are planning on coming home, aren’t you?”<\/p>\n “No, I wasn’t planning on going back to the Ponderosa other than possibly for a visit.” He saw Beryl’s smug look but ignored it. Knowing Hoss would want an explanation, Adam gave a short version. “I feel free and happy in my life now. I don’t want to go back to the way I felt when I had to live that life. It may be good for you and for Joe, but it wasn’t the best choice for me. Once my name is cleared, I’ll have even more options. I want the chance to explore those and not be locked into someone else’s ideas of what I should be doing.”<\/p>\n Hoss knew Adam was talking about how their father had ordered Adam around and told him what he should be doing and even how he should be thinking.<\/p>\n “Pa’s changed quite a lot, Adam. mostly because you left, and then he had to change more when Jamie came to live with us. You probably didn’t know about Jamie. He was all alone and needed a place to live. At first, we were only taking care of him, but he kinda grew into our hearts, and Pa adopted him. Pa’s heart has opened up to new things. Maybe you could give him a chance.”<\/p>\n “I’ve changed a lot too, Hoss. It would never work. That’s not my world anymore and not where I would feel comfortable. I chafe at anyone telling me what to do or even suggesting it. After being in that prison, I can never be confined anywhere again or anything that feels remotely like a place I can’t leave. You talk about changes on the Ponderosa as if I would care about them. It may bother you, but I don’t care about those changes. I’m curious about Jamie. I would like to get to know this Candy because he seems interesting. But you could have several of each of them, and it would have no impact on my life or my plans.”<\/p>\n “You’re right that it bothers me. It hurts. You’re family, but you don’t seem to think you are.”<\/p>\n “It may hurt you now, but I went through that years ago. My family left me before I left the family. I still feel love for all of you. But I don’t feel a part of you if you can try to understand that.”<\/p>\n “Well, when I get back, I’ll tell Pa and Joe as much as I can and I’ll try to get them ready for that too. You gotta know they won’t like some of it.”<\/p>\n “Whether they like it or not is not the issue. What they have to accept is that it’s my life and my decisions. Beryl is the only one who has a say. She accepts me as I am and I love her as she is. There is no one else except Beryl who has the right to tell me what they think I ought to do with my life. What I do affects her so she does have that right. What they need to get ready for is that I’m not the same as I was and never will be.”<\/p>\n With those statements, Hoss knew they might not be married but they were committed to one another as much or more than any two people he had ever met. It was us and them, and Adam thought of Beryl as his family first now. It was going to take some getting used to that fact for him even after meeting her and seeing the two together. He wondered how his father especially would react before he met the couple. He had to hope that the changes their father had made in attitude and behavior would be enough.<\/p>\n “I’m going to get a room and think on all this some. Can we talk more in the morning before I leave?”<\/p>\n “It would probably be best if we didn’t. If anyone knows who you are, they could get to wondering who I am if you come to meet with me again. We’ll be in touch as soon as we are ready to turn in this material.”<\/p>\n “You got a hard kind of life, Adam.”<\/p>\n “It’s a life with a lot of rewards, and it’s going to get better, Hoss.”<\/p>\n “For me, it’s already better, older brother. Finding you and seeing you found your lady has given me more joy than anything has these last five years.”<\/p>\n “For Adam, it’s already better too, I think, because he hasn’t talked this much to anyone except me in years.”<\/p>\n “It’s getting late now though, and I don’t know about you, but I need to get some shuteye. I’ll be heading out tomorrow, and maybe you could find a way to say goodbye that don’t draw no attention.”<\/p>\n The last was addressed to Adam who shrugged not making any kind of commitment because he probably knew he needed to discuss that with Beryl.<\/p>\n The next morning, Hoss thought he might stop by Adam’s place at least briefly to say goodbye. He found that Adam and Beryl were gone. Adam knew him that well. There was a note that Adam left tacked to the table. In it, he promised that there would be a visit as soon as it could be arranged. There was nothing else and no signature. Riding home, Hoss thought about how he would tell his father and brother what he had learned. He wondered too what Adam and Beryl were doing, but then he assumed they were still working on clearing Adam’s name. Remembering the times he had worked on things with Adam, he was a bit sad knowing that would probably never happen again. The bonds between them had been weakened if they were there at all. As he thought about what Beryl, a stranger, had offered his brother, he was ashamed that he and the rest of the family had offered so little.<\/p>\n Adam and Beryl were in the final stage of their investigation and were unwilling to take a chance that being seen with Hoss could lead their enemies to them. As easily as Hoss had found them and the close call before that made them both more cautious. They were aware that there might be men hunting them and perhaps even some looking to earn a bounty. They needed to get the rest of their plan into motion quickly.<\/p>\n A few days after leaving Hoss, in the town by the prison where Adam had been held, there were some posters offering a substantial reward for information leading to the discovery of the whereabouts of the former sheriff. They knew where he was, but used the posters as a way to draw out more of the people involved in the conspiracy especially on the lower levels so that there might be more witnesses that could be called. With that job done, Adam and Beryl took up residence in a neighboring town to wait to see if someone came to collect the reward or to try to kill them. As it happened, it was both.<\/p>\n They got a visitor who was one of the guards at the prison. He had a story to tell but it wasn’t all truthful although it may have been what he believed to be the truth. That was difficult to determine.<\/p>\n “The sheriff got paid to do some things just like us at the prison. I know what we did was wrong, but we didn’t know about the all the things that were going on. When the sheriff found out, he asked for more money to stay quiet about all of it. What I heard is they killed him, and he’s buried in an unmarked grave outside the prison where they bury the inmates who die inside.”<\/p>\n Shots were fired then with one hitting but not killing the guard who had come to give them the information. However, Adam had alerted local law enforcement that they were trying to find out what happened to the sheriff in the neighboring town explaining that he thought the man had been murdered. Although that was misinformation because they knew the man was living in Los Angeles, it was enough to get help from the locals. The current sheriff had deputies watching the house where Adam and Beryl were staying. When shots were fired, they went after the shooter. That man was apprehended and that gave Adam and Beryl another live witness to hand over with the wounded guard who had come to them for the reward.<\/p>\n The sheriff was told some of the true story at that point, and he alerted the state government who sent investigators. They got copies of much of what Adam and Beryl had amassed. Without the knowledge of the authorities, some of the other information had been sent to the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City with a much more extensive version sent to a San Francisco newspaper. Beryl had won that argument. The investigators were told that there were multiple copies of everything they had been given so that if there were alterations or omissions, someone could be held accountable.<\/p>\n Although there was some inclination of the authorities to take Adam into custody, when the story broke in the newspaper the following morning, all thoughts of arresting him vanished. Everyone knew the story would be picked up by other papers and would be all over the state and the region by the end of the week. The paper also had Adam’s story of what he had endured in that prison detailing how he had been punished, and abused, as well as demeaned and humiliated. For an institution that claimed its purpose was rehabilitation, the report was devastating. It was the kind of story the public would read from beginning to end and share with their friends too. Soon everyone in the area would know the whole truth of what had happened.<\/p>\n Once free of any legal threat from those authorities, Adam and Beryl went to an attorney’s office where they had hired a lawyer and entrusted him with copies of documents and statements. They got all those copies of their papers, and headed to the state capital where they spent several days blowing up the conspiracy and exposing a number of men for corruption. Arrests of the former sheriff, the judge, the warden, and the guard were only the beginning as they began to name names to try to get better deals for themselves. Some only lost money when crooked business were closed up and crooked deals were quashed, but others faced significant jail time. Adam and Beryl had given copies of everything to the authorities but, there were additional copies of documents in a bank vault in the little town where they had stayed and with another lawyer they had hired. They made sure the investigators knew there were additional copies of everything so that no one was inclined to offer a sweet deal to any of the accused regardless of what they were offered to do so. Adam had demanded one condition on the investigation and his cooperation which they needed.<\/p>\n “I want to be there when you arrest Wallace and when you arrest the warden.”<\/p>\n “Why?”<\/p>\n “I want to see the fear in their eyes. I know seeing me will put it there.”<\/p>\n Beryl went with him guessing that he would get some satisfaction from those moments but that they would also stir some bad memories. When they got to the warden’s home where he was living under a fake name, the name of a brother who never existed, Adam asked to go in first.<\/p>\n “You won’t kill him, will you?”<\/p>\n “If I wanted to do that, he would be dead already.”<\/p>\n The officials there only had to consider that for a moment. Although none of them knew Adam well, what they did know told them that he wouldn’t murder anyone. They agreed but stipulated that they would be close. Adam accepted that and then moved to enter the house unannounced. He saw the light down the hall and headed there quietly stepping through the open door after hearing the warden and Wallace talking.<\/p>\n “This is convenient. Planning an escape attempt?”<\/p>\n Wallace moved to draw a pistol, but Adam was much faster. With a pistol aimed at Wallace’s head, he ordered him to throw his weapon across the room. Then he had to smirk.<\/p>\n “You two are not going to enjoy your time in prison. So many men holding grudges and so little time for them to exact justice from you.”<\/p>\n “We have friends. We won’t go to prison.”<\/p>\n “Your friends won’t be able to help you when the courts see the amount of evidence we have collected against you. No, your so-called friends won’t help you. You have more to worry about than that. They may decide the death penalty is more appropriate than the prison sentences you are likely to get. So, you’re going to suffer your humiliation in prison silently because they won’t tolerate you doing anything else.”<\/p>\n “That wouldn’t be justice. It would be revenge. Listen, almost all the men I held in there deserved to be in prison.”<\/p>\n “What about the others? Do you think the number of times you broke the law makes it less serious? You almost killed me.”<\/p>\n “I never did anything to you.”<\/p>\n “Not directly, but you did plenty to me indirectly. Remember early on after my first stint in solitary? You had them drag me to the washroom and said they could do anything they wanted to me as long as they didn’t kill me outright because you didn’t want a murder investigation.” He saw the surprise on the warden’s face. “Yes, I remember and I remember everything that was done to me. I’m a strong man, but I barely survived it. You won’t last. When they do all those things to you, you won’t be strong enough.”<\/p>\n “What things?”<\/p>\n Standing to the side, Wallace had a look that said he knew what Adam meant. But the warden did not, so Adam told him in great detail what to expect from the other men in a prison especially those holding a grudge. The man looked pale after that and begged for a gun and some time alone with the chance to use it.<\/p>\n “I won’t shoot you. I promise. I know what I have to do. You’ll get your justice even faster than you expected.”<\/p>\n “No, that wouldn’t be justice. That would be revenge. I want you to go through the system, hear that guilty verdict, ride that prison wagon, and go through all the things the men you held in that prison endured. The scales will be balanced. That will be justice.”<\/p>\n Before they got to the room, Adam had warned Beryl to watch Wallace for treachery. She had noted every movement and reaction he had. When he went for the small pistol hidden in his boot, she was ready and shot him in the hand. The gunshot brought the rest of the officials and lawmen who burst into the room.<\/p>\n “What happened?”<\/p>\n “Wallace went for a gun. Beryl disarmed him. He’s quite lucky it was her and not me. She’s a better shooter than I am with a pistol. I would have shot him in the belly. Other than the bleeding hand he has, these two are all ready for you.”<\/p>\n In the aftermath of the arrest of the warden and Wallace, Beryl was surprised when the bad dreams did not reoccur and told Adam that.<\/p>\n “So many have told me to put this all behind me, and I guess I finally have. I can deal with it now like a problem in my life, a serious problem, but not overwhelming.”<\/p>\n Beryl guessed the ones who had told him to put it behind him were his family members but said nothing about them. Instead, they went to dinner and celebrated. With all that had happened, they could appear in public for the first time, use their real names, and not worry too much about anyone trying to kill them. Although Adam’s testimony would likely be useful, his written statements could be used if he was killed, and all the other evidence was enough to convict as well. There was no strong reason to act against him other than revenge. However, that was still a possibility with angry men.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chapter 7<\/strong><\/p>\n Deciding it was time to let things cool down for them in California, they packed up everything and headed for Virginia City.<\/p>\n “Do you know what you’re going to say to your father?”<\/p>\n “No. Do you?”<\/p>\n “No, and from what I’ve heard about him, I can only imagine what he’s going to think about me.”<\/p>\n The two were quiet for a time before Beryl talked more.<\/p>\n “For five years, I’ve done most of the talking. You talk when it’s important for you to talk. I understand why that’s true, but you’re going to have to talk more now. There isn’t going to be a way around that as far as I can see. Are you ready for that?”<\/p>\n After a pause, Adam looked at her and shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll try. I knew this time would come so I have been trying to prepare myself. It’s that preparing myself in my mind can be so different than how it actually plays out.”<\/p>\n “You have faced men who wanted to kill you and were able to talk to them. Yet you find it more difficult to talk to your family, to your father?”<\/p>\n “I guess I have always found it difficult to talk to my father. I want his approval, I guess, and I expect that I won’t get it. I go into these conversations with a bit of an edge before a word has been said.”<\/p>\n “Maybe it will be better now after all this time and after all that has happened.”<\/p>\n “Maybe.”<\/p>\n “When they see the articles in the paper, they will finally know what you went through.”<\/p>\n “Yes, but will they finally understand?”<\/p>\n There was no answer to that question.<\/p>\n The couple were exhausted after blowing the case wide open, clearing Adam of all wrongdoing, and exposing a number of well-known businessmen and politicians for corruption of the worst kind. They had to take some care though. In an organization as large as the one they were trying to dismantle, it was unlikely they would get everyone especially the most powerful. They traveled with caution to stay safe, and slowly to give themselves time to recoup their strength and to prepare to meet Adam’s family on the Ponderosa. Even to Adam, it felt like meeting them because he wasn’t sure he knew them any better than they knew him after so much had happened and so much time had passed. Of course there was the brother he had never met, and there was the foreman with the funny name who had recognized him from Hoss’ description. He guessed it was going to be interesting at least to visit the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n How interesting the visit was going to be for Adam and Beryl was dependent on Adam’s father. Although Ben Cartwright had changed, on some topics, he still had strong opinions that were not easily changed. He had time to process what Hoss had told him but his sense of morality and his expectations of what his sons would be as men got in the way of full acceptance. His temper and stubbornness were factors too in how he reacted. No matter how much he may have changed, he was going to have to apply those changes to how he thought about his oldest son and was going to need some help to do so.<\/p>\n Luckily, though, Hoss had been home talking about Adam and Beryl trying to smooth the way for them. Then the newspaper story came out in Virginia City and verified it all or at least enough to make them able to believe the rest even as they were shocked by the details.<\/p>\n When Hoss first got home, he had laid out the basics of what he had learned about his older brother. He told his father and brothers that the men Adam was accused of murdering were all alive showing the conspiracy was not only in business but in government. Adam had found a woman, Beryl, and had helped her investigate her husband and get him sentenced to the gallows. Then using that experience, they had become a team investigating corruption in a number of other places. Now they were using their skills in a risky venture in California that could get both of them killed. At least that was how Ben saw what they were doing, and Hoss was ill prepared to deny the dangers of what Adam was doing. Hoss especially had a difficult time defending the scheme with the salted gold mine which skirted so close to breaking the law.<\/p>\n There was something about Ben Cartwright that reminded people of a fire-and-brimstone preacher but never more so than when he was upset and preaching his views. Before he read the newspaper articles, that was the version of Ben as a father that they got.<\/p>\n “Adam is a well-educated man who’s using none of what he learned with that college education that cost me a small fortune. He knows a tremendous amount about mining, ranching, and lumbering but he’s not using any of that either. Instead, he’s playing at skullduggery living an immoral life with no future and using some highly questionable means to get to his goal. Yet you want me to approve of that? It may be legal, but look where it’s led already. He’s implicated my nephew in this scandal without evidence to prove it. Will’s reputation is ruined.”<\/p>\n It was up to Hoss to take up Adam’s defense to help bring around his father. Once those newspaper stories were available, there were still some things that were going to be difficult to address. The main issues were covered by the newspaper stories and more was added in conversations Hoss had with his father. It was work for Hoss to fulfill his role as peacemaker but when the first story hit the newspapers, he knew there wasn’t much more time.<\/p>\n “Pa, you got to wait to see Adam. Believe me, he’s happy. I ain’t seen him like this in a long time. He’s doing the kind of things he likes doing and doing them real well. He found somebody that likes the kind of life he likes. We don’t know all that Adam is doing or what he’s using of his education. He might never tell us neither if you talk like that. You know he could have investigated more, and Will would have ended up in prison.”<\/p>\n “That’s ridiculous. I don’t think Will would have done anything like what Adam thinks he did.”<\/p>\n “I wish I didn’t believe it, but he did do those things.”<\/p>\n “How can you be so sure without proof? You’re being as foolish as your brother then.”<\/p>\n “I don’t think accepting the truth is foolish.”<\/p>\n “All I can say is that Adam might need to be ready for some legal action by Will to fight these accusations. I’ll help Will hire a lawyer if he needs me to do that.”<\/p>\n “Seems you’re helping Will an awful lot and probably far too much. You ought to believe in facts and your son more than you believe Will’s stories.”<\/p>\n “Will’s had some setbacks, and he’s family.”<\/p>\n “From what Adam told me, most of those setbacks have been Faro and other gambling.”<\/p>\n Ben wasn’t willing to completely accept that condemnation of Will yet. “That might show Adam doesn’t investigate as well as he thinks he does. Will has had some business setbacks and some investments that failed. He has a family to support and knows better than to risk his money gambling. If he had a gambling problem, Laura would tell us.”<\/p>\n “Maybe she doesn’t know. Maybe Will has been lying to her and to you. Seems to me from what I saw that Adam does a fine job investigating and that he had an awful lot of evidence there to back up what he said. If he says it, I’m thinking you ought to consider that it might be true.”<\/p>\n “You want Adam to be right so much you will say anything might be true.”<\/p>\n “No, I’m only saying what I know is true and what else makes sense. You don’t want to change what you been thinking even though you found out new things. If you want Adam to be around for visits at least, you have to be ready to accept him as a man first. He won’t settle for anything less, and saying he knows less than Will ain’t no way to do it. You need to remember who’s the most important family you got, and it ain’t Will, and it never was. A man who would go around behind his own cousin’s back and court his own cousin’s fianc\u00e9 is not someone you should be giving so much trust to. You’re arguing against yourself now if you think about it. You’re trying to convince yourself that you were right about Will all along. How about thinking about the facts only and deciding the truth? How about what you know about Adam and his way of telling the truth and going after justice no matter the cost? I don’t think you ought to be judging Adam and Beryl for the choices they’ve made either. I think there’s a thing in the Bible about people throwing stones who ought to look at what they done too before judging somebody else. Joyce Edwards? Seems to me she was married too when you made an offer to her as I recall.”<\/p>\n Knowing his father never liked being talked to that way, Hoss excused himself and headed to the barn to do some work. “Now I know you don’t like me speaking to you this way, so I’m going to go do some chores and let this all simmer with you. I can only hope you can get a clear way of seeing things now.”<\/p>\n Joe was there in the barn a short time later leaving Jamie inside with their father and his mixed reactions to that conversation with Hoss. After hearing all of what had been said, Joe wanted to make sure Hoss had someone to lean on too if he needed it.<\/p>\n “That was quite a story you told about Adam.”<\/p>\n “It’s all true.”<\/p>\n “I believe you. I’m looking forward to meeting this woman Adam has found. You know, I thought he would never find one to meet his standards.”<\/p>\n “Why do you say that?”<\/p>\n “Seems he always found a reason not to marry any of the gals he was interested in. Somehow I guess he thought they weren’t right for him.”<\/p>\n “You know, Joe, I don’t think it was his standards those gals didn’t meet. You know how Pa always had something likely to say about any woman Adam found. I think Adam thought they weren’t good enough by Pa’s standards. Once he was away from here, well, it didn’t matter. He could get a gal like he wanted cause he didn’t have to worry none about if Pa was going to like her or not. It only mattered who he liked, and I can tell you he likes Beryl a whole lot.”<\/p>\n “Well, what about us? Pa didn’t stop you from getting married or me. He never told us not to marry a gal.”<\/p>\n “No, he don’t come right out and say it, but it’s been there. He’s got his ways of letting you know what he’s thinking.”<\/p>\n After a moment, Joe nodded. “He does seem to always find something wrong with any gal I like. You don’t think it’s that thing where he does that to make sure we’re sure it’s what we want, do you?”<\/p>\n “I don’t know, but I got to say if it is, it’s a darn poor thing to do. A man’s nervous enough thinking about marrying up with a gal. He don’t need nobody putting more doubts in his head.”<\/p>\n “He would only have done it because he wanted the best for us.”<\/p>\n “Maybe there’s a time for a father to step aside and let a man make his own choices in his life. Maybe it was what Adam wanted all along. He wanted Pa to step aside and let him make his own choices. I tell you next time I got a lady friend and Pa says anything against her, no matter how well meaning he thinks he is, I’m going to have to tell him I don’t care to hear what he has to say.”<\/p>\n “It could be real interesting when Adam comes here with his lady not only to meet her, but I can see already what this has done to you. I’m looking forward to it, Hoss. You’re making me think this lady of Adam’s is someone quite a bit different than Pa would have picked for him.”<\/p>\n “She is that, Joe, she sure is, but she’s all woman too. I had a hard time taking my eyes off of her when I was with her. She has a way of making you notice everything she does.”<\/p>\n “So Adam is really smitten with her, and it sounds like you’re ready to welcome her to the family.”<\/p>\n “I have already, and I hope Pa is too by the time they get here. But by now, he’s probably in the house stewing about the fact that she was a married woman when Adam first took up with her.”<\/p>\n “What?”<\/p>\n “They worked together to get evidence against her husband and turn it over to the authorities in Missouri. He ended up getting hanged for what he done, but until that day, they were married, but she was with Adam. By the book, that’s adultery. Goes way beyond what I shamed Pa with.”<\/p>\n “Ooh, I never thought about that. Pa’s not going to like that.”<\/p>\n “No, he already called it immoral cause I told him they’re together and they ain’t married. It’s one more thing he’s maybe going to hold against Adam when he gets here.”<\/p>\n “Soon?”<\/p>\n “Yes, I have that feeling.”<\/p>\n “You know you’re going to have to talk to Pa about this again. You ready for him to come out firing with both barrels too.”<\/p>\n “I gotta be. I didn’t stand up for Adam when I should have over five years ago, but that’s the first change I got to make. I’m going to do it now against anybody.”<\/p>\n “Hoss, I’ll stand with you. I’ve had time to think since I realized we were so close to seeing Adam. I was a horse’s ass about that, but you know how I am. I thought it through. You’re right.”<\/p>\n “Thanks, Joe. Now we gotta get Pa to do the same.”<\/p>\n “Wait. What did you mean by the first change you have to make? What other changes do you have in mind?”<\/p>\n “Joe, there are things that have bothered me for a long time. Trouble was, I didn’t know what to do about them. I didn’t think it was right to challenge Pa in his own house. Well, it’s my house too, and I got a right to live my own life no matter where it is.”<\/p>\n “You’re starting to sound like Adam did years ago before he left.”<\/p>\n “I hope so, and I hope Pa notices too.”<\/p>\n Then Hoss told Joe about the changes he thought were necessary. Joe agreed with him.<\/p>\n In the house, Ben fumed for a time and then stared at Jamie who had waited quietly to see how his father would react.<\/p>\n “You don’t know Adam. Maybe you could tell me what you think about what Hoss said.”<\/p>\n “I don’t want to see you so upset. If we discuss this more, are you going to get more upset?”<\/p>\n “I’ll try not to do that. I do want your opinion. As a more neutral observer to some of what happens in this family, sometimes you have insights the rest of us miss.”<\/p>\n “Then I have to tell you that what Hoss said makes a lot of sense. I don’t know Adam or Will, but based on stories I’ve heard about the two of them and the things Hoss told you, if I needed someone or had to be with someone, it would be Adam.”<\/p>\n “So if there was a dispute between them, you would side with Adam?”<\/p>\n “I would, but first I would want to know as much as I could about what happened.”<\/p>\n “That would be wise.”<\/p>\n “It is.”<\/p>\n With that, Jamie handed over the latest edition of the Territorial Enterprise that Ben had not yet read.<\/p>\n “There’s the whole legal story about Adam. Based on that, I wouldn’t trust Will with a bucket of water.”<\/p>\n A truce was declared at dinner.<\/p>\n “I didn’t like hearing what was said but it all makes sense after I read the article in the paper brought back today. Joe isn’t the only one in the family who reacts emotionally first and with thought and consideration later.”<\/p>\n The newspaper article was a far more detailed version than any of them had read yet. The paper promised more stories would be coming. A calmer Ben asked Hoss if there was anything more he could add to what he had told them. There wasn’t much, but Hoss explained what he knew about how Adam and Beryl had met and what they did together hoping that his father would get a better idea of the life the two had together. Although it wasn’t much, he did explain in as much detail as he had, why they suspected Will of doing so much. Ben said he planned to have a long talk with Will the next time he showed up asking for money. That didn’t take long either. The next day, Ben got a telegram announcing Will’s intention to visit, and that he was bringing his family along with him.<\/p>\n It was a tale of woe and indignation that Will had ready for his uncle when he arrived. In California, he faced a number of legal problems if he stayed so he felt he had been forced to leave. His reputation had been hurt so badly there that he wouldn’t have been able to successfully work any business deals anyway. He had sold everything he had and left. With the debts he had, he hadn’t had much left. Will stood like a supplicant before Ben’s desk as Jamie sat near the fireplace with Laura and the children. All were silent as they watched the drama play out. Will delivered his well-prepared and rehearsed story, and none of it was true.<\/p>\n True to form, Will was confident.<\/p>\n “What Adam did wiped me out. We need money to get established somewhere else.”<\/p>\n Will did his best to play on what he thought might be Ben’s guilt over how his son had acted.<\/p>\n “Now, Uncle, we have to go where this scandal hasn’t tarnished my reputation so badly that I can’t do business. You know that’s because of Adam. I was hoping you would stake me to a better future with a loan. It’s not a gift. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can. I know I told you that before, but I don’t have the profits I made anymore so I have almost nothing left to use now after all that’s happened and I can’t pay you.”<\/p>\n The sad face and pleading didn’t move Ben after all that he had learned.<\/p>\n “If you sold everything you had, I’m surprised that you don’t you have money to do that or to establish yourself in business elsewhere.”<\/p>\n Surprised that Ben wasn’t accepting his story, Will began his list of prepared excuses but only got to use the first one before Ben’s interrogation pushed him further.<\/p>\n “We had to sell in a hurry so we didn’t get good prices.”<\/p>\n “How much do you have?”<\/p>\n “Less than a thousand dollars.”<\/p>\n “Will, with the money I’ve loaned to you and given to you, you should have ten or twenty times that. What happened to the money?”<\/p>\n Before Will could answer, there was an answer in another voice Ben hadn’t heard for years, and it made Will whirl around and step back. Hoss and Joe had walked in with Adam and Beryl.<\/p>\n “The money went to the faro tables and for poker stakes because he can’t control his gambling. He’s losing money on a regular schedule. It’s one of the reasons he got involved with the worst kind of criminals.”<\/p>\n It would have been mild to say that Adam was damned irritated that Will was there begging for money and blaming his troubles on Adam taking no responsibility for his actions at all. Beryl had never met or seen Will, but his appearance only reinforced her opinion of him. To her, he looked every bit the image of a two-bit criminal who would do anything for money and had no morals. Her icy stare at Will matched Adam’s glare.<\/p>\n Will and Laura didn’t know about Beryl who had not been mentioned in the newspaper articles which had stuck to the facts of the legal case and the corruption because that was all that had been shared with them. Those California newspapers had been delivered to the Ponderosa as well just before Adam’s arrival. A big shift in attitudes was underway about the time Will showed up as Ben had been doing some reading validating everything Hoss had told him about Adam and Beryl. Their first conversations had not gone well, but now Ben had accepted what Hoss had to say. Ben had apologized for any earlier defense of Will knowing it was inexcusable and asked if his sons could keep it as his shameful secret.<\/p>\n “It would hurt Adam to know what I said. I know too that it could further damage my relationship with my oldest son which I have already harmed far too much. I have no justification for what I have done but know that I will try to be more reasonable. Even if I have to force myself to do it, I will accept my son as a man and accept his decisions as the right ones for him to make.”<\/p>\n That went a long way toward easing the concern the sons had about what would happen when Adam arrived. It meant too that they could talk openly about what they were learning. The accusations they heard voiced against Will which might have been shocking a few weeks or even days or hours earlier they now knew were true. When they heard what Adam had to say, they doubted Will could counter any of it.<\/p>\n Those damning statements and the dead stare Adam directed at Will had him rather wishing he could smash a fist into his cousin’s face. Will wanted to be defiant and stand tall in the face of his cousin’s accusations, but he couldn’t. Will had never been afraid of Adam until that moment. The look in his cousin’s eyes showed that he wouldn’t mind killing him.<\/p>\n All Will had left was bravado to face Adam. That wasn’t going to be nearly enough as he had never been a match for his cousin. Will tried to argue against the accusations Adam made when entering the house with his brothers. With bluster and near tears, he looked to Ben and implored him to accept his version of events even as he argued against Adam and the statements he made.<\/p>\n “Adam, you don’t know what you’re saying. That’s all gossip and slander, and it’s upsetting my wife and Peggy. They know I had some bad investments. You were responsible for one of them. You’ve been running around for five years while I’ve been working in California so how could you know about what I’ve been doing?”<\/p>\n Even to Will, that defense sounded whiny and more like an excuse than an explanation. His demeanor changed as he knew he had only a desperate hope of changing any minds in that room. What followed though was that Adam stayed on target in a relentless attack that Will could not parry. Adam’s voice was tinged with anger, but he did not yell. He spoke with a voice that was low and deadly. It would have been easier for Will if Adam had been yelling. That icy calm demeanor made Adam’s words all the more believable.<\/p>\n “I haven’t been running around. I’ve been working as an investigator, and that’s what we did to you. We investigated you and have a number of sworn statements about your activities. As to your so-called business losses, I never made that offer to you to invest in a mining venture in southern California. The prospectus was only sent to people we thought were involved in corruption in the prison system or tied to those who were. If you invested in it, it was because you were close enough to those men to get that information from them.”<\/p>\n “I should sue you for this slander and libel. What chances I have for any business success have been ruined by you. You have cost me everything.”<\/p>\n “How I wish you would sue me. I bowed to the argument Hoss made that you are family and dropped any further investigation of you. You take me to court, and I would relish the opportunity to let everyone know you were the traitor who told them when they could get me. It was because you were uniquely able to tell them when I wouldn’t have an alibi. I can prove every allegation that I have made, and I can bring witnesses to corroborate everything I’ve said. Do you want proof of what so far are only implications and accusations? What else would we find if we dug deeper? What will you do and what have you done for money to pay gambling debts? How much of a price were you willing to have me pay to get you out of trouble? You said I cost you everything. You cost me almost everything, but good friends, luck, and Providence saved me.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chapter 8<\/strong><\/p>\n Both Laura and Ben had stood to stare at Will as Adam hammered at him with accusation after accusation. Will withered under the onslaught because he had no answer to anything. He had never expected to see Adam, and wasn’t ready for him and probably never would have been ready to face him. He had no idea that Adam knew so much especially about him, and now because of Adam, the whole family knew. Worst of all, Ben knew. Ben had always been Will’s safety line, and Adam had cut it. All that he had left was an excuse, but it was more damning than anything that had been revealed until then. Will apparently was so callous he didn’t realize he convicted himself in the eyes of the family with what he said.<\/p>\n “I don’t know why it’s such a horrible thing. You would have gotten out of that prison quickly enough. You were only in there a few weeks the first time when your family didn’t even know where you were. A couple more weeks wouldn’t have been so bad if it meant that I could stay alive. I think it was a good trade. A few weeks for a man’s life seems fair enough.”<\/p>\n Silence greeted that as there was shock in the room that he would even say such a thing. Even though he never knew how awful that experience had been for Adam, that he could so cavalier in his willingness to trade Adam’s freedom for his debts told so much about his character.<\/p>\n Staring at Will with barely controlled fury, Adam said only one thing. “Could you be so stupid to think that they were only going to lock me up. You had to know they would kill me.”<\/p>\n “I knew your family especially your father would never let that happen. It was a small risk compared to the certainty of what they would do to me.”<\/p>\n Before any of his sons could react, Ben took charge. Stepping forward, he cautioned Hoss and Joe not to do anything. He knew he could not have Will staying in the house after what he had admitted, and he turned to Laura who stood in shock after those revelations.<\/p>\n “Laura, if it’s all right with Joe, you and your family can stay in the cottage here on the Ponderosa until we can get this all sorted out. Joe and Hoss can get supplies in your carriage, and you and Will can take the children there.”<\/p>\n Joe agreed to what his father asked. Although Laura had expected to stay at the ranch house, she knew that wasn’t possible under the circumstances. Despite her emotional turmoil, she was grateful at least that Ben was offering what he was giving them. In her mind, she was thinking she would contact her Aunt Lil for advice and perhaps help. She had known for some time that her affair with Will and then her marriage to him had been mistakes, but by the time she knew it, she was too far down that road to go another way. Her regrets over what she had done to Adam were mostly selfish ones, but she did regret not staying with him and marrying him. Life would have been so much better for her if she had. She wanted to cry, but she knew that it was time for her to be as strong as she could be. From this point on, she had to be the one in charge. It was a sudden move to adult responsibility for a woman prone to selfishness.<\/p>\n “Thank you, Ben. Under the circumstances, that is quite generous of you. The children and I are most grateful.”<\/p>\n For a change, Will stood silent and accepted his defeat. His brazen attitude was not in evidence any longer, and he had nothing to say knowing how any effort to defend his indefensible actions was going to only make things worse. He may have acted quite stupidly, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew how best to get help to survive the mess he had created.<\/p>\n As Laura walked to the door, she paused next to Adam and Beryl. “Adam, there aren’t words enough to say how sorry I am.” Turning to Beryl, she added only one more thing before leaving. “My husband isn’t the only one who cheated, gambled, and lost. I can tell you’re much smarter than I am, and you know how important trust is. I wish you well.”<\/p>\n “Thank you, and best wishes as you sort through all this.”<\/p>\n “Thank you. Under the circumstances, that is most gracious of you.”<\/p>\n With a tip of his hat, Adam said goodbye to his former fianc\u00e9 and her children. Once Will and Laura were gone, Ben turned to Adam who stood with Beryl by his side.<\/p>\n “You still do have a way of making a dramatic entrance.”<\/p>\n Despite what had happened, Adam was able to smile.<\/p>\n “Pa, this is Beryl. Beryl, my father, Ben Cartwright. Hoss you know, and right here are my other brothers. This is Jamie whom I don’t know yet except by sight, and next to him is Joe whom you know mainly by my stories.”<\/p>\n “Beryl, honestly, he exaggerates in his stories. I’m sure I’m much better than you think.”<\/p>\n “Oh, Adam told me you told the most delightful stories and that you were one of the best at breaking horses and doing a fast-draw of anyone he ever knew. I guess that’s not true then?”<\/p>\n “Oh, that stuff is true, but maybe if he told you anything negative about me, you ought to question whether maybe he’s telling one of his tall tales again. He’s very good at making up tall tales.”<\/p>\n The change in atmosphere in the room was palpable. Soon, with a few extra chairs pulled close, the whole group was seated by the fireplace having coffee and chatting about nothing too serious. There had been enough of that. They agreed more could wait until the next day giving everyone a chance to think about things. The only serious topic that nearly developed was when it was time to put luggage upstairs. Joe volunteered to take the two bags up to a bedroom for his brother. Ben offered accommodations.<\/p>\n “You can use your old room, Adam. There is still a guest room for Beryl to use.”<\/p>\n “We’ll share a room.”<\/p>\n “But you’re not married.” The words hung in the air for only a short time before Adam answered.<\/p>\n “No, we’re not married, and we’ll share a room.”<\/p>\n The silence reigned then for what seemed like forever but was only a long pause as Ben answered wisely and held his opinion to himself.<\/p>\n “Very well, put all the luggage in Adam’s old room.”<\/p>\n “Thank you.”<\/p>\n It was the acknowledgement that was necessary to show that Adam was being accepted as a man not a boy subject to his father’s rules and authority. Hearing those words from his father allowed Hoss to smile and relax as Joe smiled too and walked up the stairs carrying a couple of bags. Hoss had a gut feeling that everything was finally going to work out between his older brother and their father if everything could get hammered out so quickly. It probably wouldn’t work for everything, but if it worked often enough, there would be a basis of trust that could carry them through any other disagreements.<\/p>\n By his actions and his attitude, it was clear Adam had no intention of changing or adapting to what the family might want. They were the ones who were going to have to change their way of thinking and their expectations of him. Ben sat in his chair a bit stunned by that realization but accepting finally that it was the only option he had.<\/p>\n Even though current issues might be worked out, it wasn’t going to be easy because they still had the baggage from the past with them. By now, Adam’s father and brothers had all read the articles and for the first time knew what Adam had endured in that prison. Horrifying details were laid out in grotesque passages in the articles, but Adam had never told them any of those agonizing parts of his incarceration. When they realized that, they also realized they had never asked him. Adam had been sentenced to that prison, and then he had been sentenced by his family to carry the burden of that experience alone because they all wanted him to get over it and move on. That way they had reacted and expected Adam to act seemed ludicrous after they read what Adam had survived.<\/p>\n In the family’s rush to put that horrible time behind them, they left Adam alone with his torment. At home and then on the road, he had been forced to find healing alone although luckily he had found Beryl, and she had become his new family. She had not shied away from giving him the support he needed, and that his family had shunned. Listening, asking him questions, and offering words of solace and sympathy had gone a long way in helping him face what had happened and gradually come to terms with it.<\/p>\n As Adam’s family realized that there was going to have to be healing because of those old wounds, they had to wonder too if Adam had any inclination to want to do it. He certainly had valid reasons not to reconcile with his father and brothers. However he had come to the Ponderosa and agreed to stay for a visit which was a positive sign he might be willing to try. They were the ones who were going to have to do the work though because they had already asked enough of him.<\/p>\n What happened next in conversation though was even more telling of what the future might be like and how well the family might change. With Joe gone for a moment, Ben brought up a new topic.<\/p>\n “I’m glad you’ve forgiven Joe and don’t hold anything against him for what happened to you and that you had to leave.”<\/p>\n Hoss could tell by the look Adam had that the response was not going to be the one their father hoped to hear. All Hoss could do was wait for Adam to respond and their father to react to it. Hoss had been smiling quite often hearing Adam talk so much and so well. His brother was finally back even if he was quite a bit different in some ways.<\/p>\n “Joe apologized for the mistakes he made. He was sincere. I made mistakes too. I knew about the threat to the family, but I ignored that when I went to town. Granted, I was ill and perhaps not thinking too clearly, but mostly it was because I was angry and not as careful as I should have been. Being in town is what really got me in trouble and started this whole chain of events.”<\/p>\n Hoss watched his father as he processed what Adam said. Slowly realization dawned. Hoss nodded again when his father responded because like Joe’s apology, it was much too long overdue but still necessary and showed the change in attitude that was needed.<\/p>\n “It was my fault.” Ben paused letting that sink in within himself as well as with the others. “All this time, I was thinking Joe’s actions triggered it all, but really it was because I was unfair to you, and Joe was afraid to talk to me. Adam, I am so sorry. I have to say that you leaving made me examine my behavior. I think your brothers can tell you that I am better. I’m not perfect, but I do try to listen. You taught me that lesson even if you were gone by the time it sank in.”<\/p>\n The four most important words that Ben spoke were there for all to hear. Even long overdue, it was the most necessary part of the family being able to heal. Ben wasn’t sure how to bring up the next part.<\/p>\n “There’s something else I should apologize for, but it’s about you being in that prison, and I don’t want to stir up any bad memories for you.”<\/p>\n “I think I’ve finally put those to rest. I haven’t had any nightmares about that in quite a while now. So say what you have to say.”<\/p>\n The comment about nightmares sidetracked Ben.<\/p>\n “Nightmares? How long did you have nightmares?”<\/p>\n “For about three or four months, every night. They began to diminish slowly. When I was able to talk things through with Beryl, that helped. I was able to come to terms with what happened and what I had done. Occasionally after that, I would have them when something triggered a bad memory.”<\/p>\n “I’ve read the stories that were in the newspaper. I know now what you had to endure. It was very wrong of me to expect you to simply put that all behind you. I know that was impossible. It seems I was doing what was best for me and perhaps for the family, but I was not thinking of what was best for you. I realize I never even asked you about what happened to you. I guess I was thinking it would be torturing you to have to think about it and talk about it almost like reliving it. I never gave you the chance to tell all of it or even any of it and get some support.”<\/p>\n When Ben drained his brandy, they all knew he was buying some time which meant the next part was going to be something painful for him to admit.<\/p>\n “Knowing now that you were suffering with nightmares and I offered no help lets me know even more how I failed you. It was all very wrong, and I wish I could change things, but I cannot. I am sorry. I was selfish and short-sighted. I’m trying to do better. I hope you can tell that.”<\/p>\n “I accept that you have changed. Those things that happened to me changed me as well. We’ll never go back to the way things were. I hope you’re ready to accept that. There is no other way to go”<\/p>\n Ben nodded because he realized he had no choice. As he and Adam had talked, Joe had returned, and he and Hoss realized much of what was said applied to them as well. Adam saw their looks.<\/p>\n “I think maybe we’ve all had enough for tonight. I’m tired and I would like to get a long night of sleep if you don’t mind.”<\/p>\n It was a statement, not a question.<\/p>\n When Adam and Beryl got to their bedroom, he held her in his arms and she was wise enough not to say anything until she felt him relax. When he sighed and kissed her, she knew she could talk.<\/p>\n “It wasn’t so bad, was it?”<\/p>\n “No, but it’s not over yet.”<\/p>\n “Chess or checkers?”<\/p>\n “It’s checkers. We need to win or we leave. There is no true strategy involved.” Then Adam had a question for her. “Why are you grinning? Did I miss something?”<\/p>\n “No, I think you hit everything you could. It’s that I never heard you talk so much and so vehemently and eloquently. When you got that job offer, I wasn’t so sure it was right for you, but after what I heard down there, it’s perfect for you. You’re going to do a great job.”<\/p>\n “Thank you, and I may be tired, but I think there’s something else I do a fine job with too, and you are quite good yourself. So, come here. Let’s celebrate in our special way.”<\/p>\n The next morning when Ben walked down the stairs, he was surprised to see Beryl sitting by the fireplace drinking coffee. Hearing him, she turned and smiled.<\/p>\n “We usually get up early too, but Adam was exhausted so he’s still sleeping. It’s been a difficult few weeks, but all went well yesterday overall so he’s relaxed now.”<\/p>\n “He was that worried about coming here?”<\/p>\n “There were reasons.”<\/p>\n “I’m guessing he was worried about how I would react to what was in the papers about Will and that the two of you are together but not married.”<\/p>\n “That would about sum up the most serious concerns.”<\/p>\n “We’ve cleared up everything we can about Will. We’ll have to talk about how to move forward on that. I’m sorry to have offered him a place to stay after what he did, but I had to be concerned for Laura and the children. Laura appeared not to have any idea of what had been happening. She may have some ideas about what she wants to do next when she finds out the full extent of what he’s been doing. She learned quite a bit last night, and I’m sure she knew about some of his bad behavior, but add in the connections to what she heard from us, and she has to know it’s far worse than she probably ever imagined.”<\/p>\n “I know under similar circumstances, I wouldn’t want to be in that cottage. I would be making plans for a life without a man like that.”<\/p>\n “No, I can imagine it’s rather cool inside those walls. I agree that she would be better off without Will. There are children though which makes it more complicated.” Seeing Beryl turn back to stare at the fire, Ben wondered what she was thinking and had some idea. “What about you and Adam?”<\/p>\n “What about us?”<\/p>\n “Have you changed your mind about what you told him five years ago? Hoss told us that story as Adam told him. It seemed rather firm that you stated you would not stay with him if he insisted on marriage or even asked you to marry him. Hoss said you were there as Adam told him and didn’t disagree. But do you still feel that way?”<\/p>\n She didn’t look back at him when she answered. “If I don’t, I should tell Adam before I tell his father.”<\/p>\n Knowing he should choose his words carefully, Ben was diplomatic. “Yes, I think that would be wise.”<\/p>\n “What would be wise?”<\/p>\n Adam had appeared at the top of the stairs. Hair still disheveled, he had hurried to the stairs when he heard his father and Beryl talking. Once he knew that it was civil, he was more curious than worried. Beryl smiled to see him there guessing why he had rushed out.<\/p>\n “Oh, something you and I can discuss later in private. Hop Sing makes wonderful coffee. Should I get some for you while you go back and shave?”<\/p>\n Ben was impressed at how she distracted from the original conversation and redirected Adam. Adam gave her a look though showing he knew exactly what she had done, but all she did was grin back.<\/p>\n “Black, maybe a little sugar.”<\/p>\n As Beryl went to get the coffee and Adam turned to return to the bedroom, Ben smiled too. His son and his lady were well matched, perhaps even better than Hoss had described them. There were no worries with them. Any concerns would be worked out between the two of them, but Ben frowned as he thought about Will. For many years, he had misjudged his nephew trusting him far more than he ever should have. Although he had some doubts about him in the past, he didn’t know what to do about him after these revelations of illegal conduct and his horrendous conduct in regard to Adam. It was unforgivable. During breakfast, part of the problem was resolved for him. There was a knock on the door to announce that Will had arrived to tell Ben he was taking Laura and the children to town.<\/p>\n “We have discussed what we can do or rather Laura has told me what she will do. She is taking the children to make arrangements to go stay with her Aunt Lil. She is sure that Lil will have a safe place for all of them until this is settled. I’m staying here if you would consent to me staying in the cottage for a time. I promise not to make any trouble. Right now, it wouldn’t be safe for me to return to the city.”<\/p>\n “You didn’t pay off your debt to them?”<\/p>\n “No, and Adam has taken care of those who harmed him, but that’s not the whole organization. I’m not part of the organization no matter what you may think. I worked with them because I was in debt to them. They won’t want me around especially when they realize I’m here and have been in contact with Adam. As soon as I can, I’m going to see about relocating to someplace where I can get a job. Then if Laura can forgive me, maybe she’ll join me. As a gambling man, I know how poor the odds are of that happening.”<\/p>\n “I won’t be helping you anymore.”<\/p>\n “I understand that. I’ll send some telegrams to see where I can go, and I’ll be gone as soon as I get a positive response.”<\/p>\n Laura and the children had stayed in the carriage, and Will left then. Ben went back inside to inform the family. No one was sad to see them go although Laura and the children were family and at some point, they would have to make sure they were all right. Ben assured his sons of that.<\/p>\n “I’ll send a telegram to Lil and let her know that. I’m sure we can work things out so that we can help Laura and the children without letting Will get any money from us.”<\/p>\n “I’m glad that Laura took the children and left. They should be safe now.”<\/p>\n “Safe?”<\/p>\n “Pa, Will is on the run from the criminals he once helped. Meeting me here no matter how disastrous it was for Will is certainly going to look bad for him with the syndicate.”<\/p>\n “So, if they don’t find him, he should be safe at least.”<\/p>\n Deciding they had talked enough about Will, Adam leaned down and wrapped an arm around Beryl. He asked her if it was time, and she nodded because she had told him she wanted to talk when they had time. The two got up and said they needed some privacy for a discussion, and they walked outside closing the door. Once outside and far enough from the house not to be overheard, Adam stopped and offered a seat on a bench, but Beryl preferred to stand.<\/p>\n “This is all very secretive. What is it you want to discuss?”<\/p>\n “It’s a difficult subject. I wanted to say something when it was brought up yesterday, but in front of your family wasn’t the right place to do it so I had to wait. Now we’ve both had some sleep, and I think we can have this discussion in a reasonable way. I know you remember what I told you about marriage. What would you think if I said I had changed my opinion on that?”<\/p>\n “Beryl, you don’t have to do that because of my family. I’ve made it clear that they can’t push me to do anything.”<\/p>\n “It’s not your family.”<\/p>\n Adam was quiet and looked at her, really looked at her in ways he had not for some time. Moving closer to her, he wrapped his arms around her and slid his hands down low on her abdomen.<\/p>\n “It’s too soon to feel anything there, I think. I can’t tell. Other things are starting to change though.”<\/p>\n “When did you know?”<\/p>\n “I was only getting sure about two weeks ago.”<\/p>\n “But you let me ask you to do all sorts of things when you should have been resting.”<\/p>\n “With all the things we’ve done and all the travel, I’ve never been on a regular schedule, but with the other things that have started to happen, I knew. Watching those men was a necessary distraction and something I could do regardless of condition.”<\/p>\n It was her turn to look at him and study him in ways she had not in some time looking for what was beneath the surface. He was so good at hiding his feelings.<\/p>\n “How do you feel about this?”<\/p>\n “To me, it’s more important how you feel.”<\/p>\n “I’m a little scared and not feeling too good at times.”<\/p>\n “Is this why you’ve been feeling sick at times? Sometimes you seem to need a water closet visit rather often too.”<\/p>\n “Yes, those are some of the changes, and I’ve been very tired. I mentioned a few of those to a woman at a dress shop, and she smiled at me. She told me what she thought and that confirmed my worry. I’m a little excited and joyful except if it means I lose you.”<\/p>\n Stepping to her and pulling her close, Adam hugged her tightly as tears slipped out from his eyes that were tightly squeezed shut.<\/p>\n “Oh, God, Beryl, you could never lose me, and especially not when you have given me such great news. I am thrilled, and I have to admit, a little scared too. This is all uncharted territory again for us.”<\/p>\n “You’re happy?”<\/p>\n “Yes, I am even ecstatic. It was a dream only now it is real.”<\/p>\n Leaning in close Adam whispered those important four words he never thought he could ever ask of her. “Will you marry me?”<\/p>\n It was the best result Beryl could have hoped to have. A short time later after the appropriate amount of kissing and hugging to celebrate, the couple returned to the house knowing how curious the others must be.<\/p>\n “Now that the ugly business is out of the way, we have some happier news. Beryl and I talked this morning, and we have come to an agreement. She told me once that if I ever asked her to marry her, she would leave. She has rescinded that threat. I asked her, and she said yes. It’s rather a new concept for us, so, if you’re wondering when and where, I have no idea. It’s up to her.”<\/p>\n There were congratulations on the betrothal and smiles all around. Nothing was said about her expecting because it was too early to tell others. It was too early in the day for champagne too so Ben promised some for dinner and went to alert Hop Sing who said he was already preparing the best dinner ever.<\/p>\n For the next several days, there were many conversations and opportunities for the family to find out what had been done by others. Adam found out Jamie’s story as the two found they had a number of things in common and talked of books they had read and as played chess. Adam took rides with his brothers so they could show off improvements they had made, and he saw how the ranch had changed often incorporating ideas he had tried unsuccessfully to convince his father to use. He talked to old hands and was introduced to new ones. The family found out more about Beryl and about the work she and Adam had done. Beryl had an eye for detail and described many of the places they had been until the family felt almost as if they had visited those places too. Jamie may have said the most profound thing about Beryl being there.<\/p>\n “It makes this seem even more like a home to have a woman here, doesn’t it?”<\/p>\n There wasn’t a response to that, but Jamie noted the way Hoss especially nodded when he said that.<\/p>\n Ben got a few chances to talk again with Beryl mostly because she wanted to get to know him. One conversation was very important to both of them.<\/p>\n “Mister Cartwright, one thing I don’t understand is why there is this animosity between Adam and you. I know he loves you. He loves all of his family. Yet, there is a smoldering anger there too. It shows in nearly every conversation the two of you have. I can see how he tenses up whenever the two of you start to have any kind of serious conversation.”<\/p>\n The relationship he had with Adam was something Ben had thought about for years.<\/p>\n “I don’t think it is any one thing we can discuss and resolve. It’s some things that developed over time and went the wrong way. You see, I had this dream of a ranch in the west. I told Adam when he was a little boy that I would build a ranch for him where the tall trees on the mountains would touch the sky. That would be his home. What happened though is that I lost sight of why I was building this ranch. I know that rankled with my sons. However, I persisted in that way because I had gotten selfish and didn’t want to share. I ordered Adam around in a way that made him feel more like an employee than a son. I wouldn’t listen to his ideas except if he pushed and pushed. He got tired of pushing. I questioned his decisions. I made his life here intolerable.”<\/p>\n “And now?”<\/p>\n “I’ve worked out a better arrangement with my younger sons. When Adam left, I knew why and the role I played in it. When he left, Joe questioned Adam’s love for his family. I didn’t. I knew Adam must have loved us, me, so very much to have put up with an insufferable situation for so long. No greater love is there than to sacrifice your life for another. That’s what he had been doing too. When I explained it like that, they understood. It didn’t help us with the guilt, but it helped me to change.”<\/p>\n “You do know that Adam has changed too. No matter the changes you have made, he cannot live here.”<\/p>\n “I had hopes he might consider it.”<\/p>\n Beryl shrugged in response and then shook her head because she couldn’t encourage a false hope. She didn’t think it was possible although she didn’t deny the tiny chance it could happen in the future however unlikely that was. She was enough of a realist to know that circumstances could always change.<\/p>\n Unable to accept that Adam would never return to the Ponderosa, Ben kept praying for a miracle or something close to it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chapter 9<\/strong><\/p>\n When the opportunity arose as Adam worked with Candy on a small project at the forge, Adam had a similar conversation with Candy who asked why he wouldn’t stay on the ranch.<\/p>\n “For the some of the same reasons I left.”<\/p>\n “You still mad at them for not backing you up like they should have?”<\/p>\n “No, that would be petty after this much time has passed. I made mistakes too. No, it’s that they want someone who is so different from me that I never felt I measured up. On my own, I get to make the decisions on what to do and how to do it.”<\/p>\n “I get it. I’ve been on my own many times like that. The difference is that I like having a place like this where you can count on somebody to back you up at all times. Like in that saloon with the poker game, you were on your own.”<\/p>\n “You helped.”<\/p>\n “I think I helped that other man more than you. You would have shot him.”<\/p>\n “Yes, if I had to. Then I would have left but there could have been complications.”<\/p>\n “Your brothers would likely have seen you and recognized you?”<\/p>\n “Yes. It was better the way it worked out. I was surprised when Hoss showed up and then when he told me how he was able to tell I had been in that saloon. You did a good job with limited information.”<\/p>\n “Yes, after Hoss had spent all that time remembering you and telling me about you, it seemed a good time to try it out. The way you played poker and the way you were dressed had me thinking about what Hoss said and if his long-lost brother was really lost. I described you to him and then when Jamie drew the picture based on how I described you, Hoss knew.”<\/p>\n “Thank you. It actually worked out well to explain it all to Hoss first. It made our visit here start better than it would have otherwise.”<\/p>\n The honesty between the two men was the first step in building another friendship. There was another significant conversation with Joe and Hoss. Hoss started the exchange.<\/p>\n “Adam, remember when you left, you said you were leaving for us too. I sure had no idea what you were talking about. It seemed like some crazy idea. But when Pa began to change and told us why he had to change, I understood.”<\/p>\n “Yeah, like Hoss, I didn’t think you were making sense when you said it. I didn’t see how your leaving could be for us too, but he’s right. Pa told us you leaving meant he had to make some changes. He never wanted another son to have to leave because of his behavior. I tried to tell him it wasn’t his fault, but in time, I realized it was all our fault, and I did understand why Pa blamed himself. But the truth was we all were at fault. I had to grow up. We all had to make some changes.”<\/p>\n “So you weren’t mad at me for leaving?”<\/p>\n “Oh, you know me. I was still mad. It takes a long time for common sense to break through for me.”<\/p>\n The brothers laughed then in many ways like they had in the past. They could be honest with each other again. In the spirit of that moment, Adam didn’t tell them he had hoped there would be far more change than what had occurred.<\/p>\n About a week after sending Will and his family to the cottage, Ben decided to take a ride to see Will because he had not heard anything from him. When he neared the cottage, he saw that there was no smoke or any other sign the place was occupied. The carriage horse was roaming freely in the pasture nearby. Not sure if he should even approach, Ben fired three shots to summon help and to alert anyone in the cottage that he was there. There was still nothing from the cottage.<\/p>\n Out riding, Adam and Beryl heard the shots and were the first to arrive. A quick assessment made them as worried as Ben had been. Adam was wearing a pistol, but soon Beryl had one in her hand too. Ben didn’t know where she kept it, but she carried it like she knew how to use it. The three approached the cottage cautiously. Ben called out but got no answer. The odor and blood smeared on the door told them what they would find though. Ben pushed the door open to see Will’s body with a single bullet hole in his forehead. It had blown out the back of the skull and a pool of dried blood surrounded his head. He had been there for days already. Some of his blood had been used to smear a seven on the door with the words ‘no more’ underneath it.<\/p>\n Looking at his father, Adam had one question. “Burn it?”<\/p>\n “Probably, but we should ask Joe first. With this, I don’t think he would ever consider living here now.”<\/p>\n Turning to Beryl, Adam was direct. “I think we’re out of business.”<\/p>\n Ben was confused by that. “Out of business?”<\/p>\n “If we don’t count Beryl’s husband, we’ve done seven successful investigations in the five years we’ve been together. This looks like a warning to stop. Killing Will was retribution for his failures. That message on the door is for us. They’re warning us off from doing any more investigations of corruption.”<\/p>\n Beryl explained more in the same way Adam had explained it to Hoss. “Many times we uncover those who have taken corruption to an extreme including things like murder and kidnapping. That bothers those who are in it for money and power because it brings investigations. They prefer a more subtle approach. We took out the worst offenders in the cases we were assigned. They’re telling us to back off now and not to try doing that again.”<\/p>\n Ben was actually relieved to hear that. To him it meant his son would likely be safer. “They won’t try to kill you? They killed Will. Will they try to kill everyone they see as a threat to them now?”<\/p>\n “Will didn’t pay his debts and then he came here where I was. You have to know they’re probably keeping track of where I am. Now they know about Beryl too so she isn’t safe either.”<\/p>\n “It seems the investigators have been investigated.”<\/p>\n “Yes, but we are no more threat to them unless we continue our investigation and look deeper. We took out those who had gotten involved in murder and kidnapping. Those at the top of the organization probably didn’t like them doing that anyway. They won’t kill those men though. It would be too messy and bad for the morale of the organization. They’ll do what they can to get them out of prison as soon as possible if those men don’t talk. That can’t be helped. As long as we don’t do any more investigations, they’re telling us we’re safe. That’s the warning.”<\/p>\n “I guess you’ll have to discuss what to do instead then.”<\/p>\n “I guess we will.”<\/p>\n Beryl put her hand on Adam’s arm. “I guess we have something more to discuss.”<\/p>\n The news was given to the family. Joe agreed to burning the cottage so that became Will’s grave site. The warning that was left for Adam and Beryl was explained too. After all of that, Ben was concerned about the future of his eldest son and what he would be doing now that his career as an investigator was at an end. He mentioned it as the family sat together but was surprised by his son’s response.<\/p>\n In his new manner, Adam was direct and unequivocal. “No, Pa, we’re excited at the possibilities. We can go anywhere and do anything. We’ve started talking about all the opportunities we have. We have had several offers.”<\/p>\n Ben was unable to completely disguise his disappointment that his son wouldn’t have to stay on the Ponderosa. The rest of the family had to work as hard to hide their smiles, but Hoss and Joe were grinning. Ben could tell they knew something he didn’t know.<\/p>\n “All right, what is it?”<\/p>\n “I’ve been offered a job in Carson City working in a law office. We’re thinking of locating there. All we have to do is figure out what kind of business Beryl wants to have and if she can do it there. In time, she may decide to be a lawyer too. We worked well together and could do so again.”<\/p>\n “You’re going to be a lawyer?” Jamie was intrigued.<\/p>\n “I will be if I accept the offer. I already know quite a bit about the law, and I will do some additional study with the lawyers there. Then I will be one. The firm that made the offer does quite a bit of work with the state government. If Beryl works with me, we would be doing some cases similar to what we have done except we would be putting together the legal case not working as investigators. However Beryl would like us to use what we’ve learned and perhaps start up an investigative agency to do that kind of work too. It would be in addition to the job I’m considering.”<\/p>\n Beryl interjected though that if Adam took job offer, he would be directing the investigations in some ways much as he planned their previous work. However Adam was not to be deterred and continued his version of what they might do.<\/p>\n “We’ll be going over to Carson City, checking things out, and deciding if I take that job and want to live there. If we do, we’ll have to decide to rent, buy, or build. The law office works with the Pinkerton agency so there are times when there would be travel involved if cases crossed state lines or were even in other cities in this state. The firm has a railcar law office and residence that can be moved to cities where cases might be heard.”<\/p>\n Beryl continued by discussing some of the more practical concerns of the job opportunity.<\/p>\n “Even with a child, we could manage to travel together then. I think we would get a nanny to travel with us so that I could work with Adam as much as needed.”<\/p>\n “I like the idea of being able to have my family with me and yet get to do some traveling too in my work.”<\/p>\n “Wait just a gosh darned minute. There seems to be a lot of talk about what you have to do if there’s a baby and what to do if you’re traveling with a family. You trying to tell us something?”<\/p>\n A little chagrined that they had so poorly handled keeping their secret, Adam looked to Beryl who was grinning. He shrugged and she took over.<\/p>\n “Yes, we have other news too.”<\/p>\n That led to some whooping and hollering and then more celebrating as more plans were discussed and the brothers were excited about becoming uncles. Excited by that news too, Ben finally was going to be a grandfather, but that wasn’t what affected him the most that day.<\/p>\n Listening to his son, it seemed to Ben as if Adam had made up his mind and any dream of his son living on the Ponderosa was just that, a dream. He was struck too by how different he and his son were. He had always thought of Adam as being like him. Now he knew how wrong he had been even though they shared some personality traits such as their stubbornness and the desire to have things their way. Adam was excited by all the uncertainty because of all the opportunities it provided. Ben knew he would feel the opposite. He finally understood how the way he ran the Ponderosa had been so difficult for his son to accept. Sitting back, he listened to Adam describe the things he might do in the future. Wisely, he remained silent. Over the next weeks and months, he got to know the son he had never known.<\/p>\n With the change in the relationship with his father, Adam was more relaxed with his family and on the Ponderosa so he stayed there longer than he originally planned as he and Beryl prepared for their future. He knew his brothers especially were having some difficulty adjusting to the way he was now, saying only what he felt he needed to say and often being quiet. No longer the same Adam, he knew they wondered when he would be like he had been, but his experiences had changed him. With his focus on the future, he had no desire to try to recreate what he had been in the past. There were times when he felt the pressure though especially when they brought up so many things from the past wondering when he might do those things again. He wanted to tell them he probably never would. However, that would likely start a conversation he didn’t want to have so he needed to get away to feel free again. When that happened, he hoped his absences would communicate to them what his silences apparently did not. They needed to accept if not understand that he was not the same man they remembered and never would be. He thought they understood it intellectually, but in day-to-day activities, they still fell into old thought patterns and habits at times. It would take time for those to change. Until then, he would have to leave for short intervals when he felt the pressure building up too much. Often that meant an excursion with Beryl who supported him and understood his needs. On a cool day, they headed to the lake with a lunch.<\/p>\n It was too cool for a picnic by the lake, but the sun was shining and the lake was beautiful so Adam had convinced Beryl they should go there anyway. They sat wrapped in a blanket and enjoyed their picnic lunch. There was no wind. The lake was a mirror reflecting the mountains on the other side with snow still capping the peaks.<\/p>\n “I’m glad you talked me into this. It is so peaceful here.”<\/p>\n “Yes, almost enough to forget all the troubles that have happened.”<\/p>\n “Yes, can you tell me what happened last night with Joe? He looked upset, and you didn’t want to talk about it.”<\/p>\n “He pushed to have a conversation I didn’t want to have. He asked if I trusted him.”<\/p>\n “Oh-oh.”<\/p>\n “Exactly. I had to tell him the truth. So he asked if I trusted anyone in the family, and I had to tell the truth about that too. There is a limited amount of trust, but in a fight, I would worry about them backing me up. He was going to go through a litany of all they did for me, and I simply reminded him of how it had all turned out for me. He doesn’t think it’s fair for me to think that way. I told him it’s how I feel, and he ought to accept that.”<\/p>\n “That’s a lot of talking for you.”<\/p>\n “It was, but it’s the kind of thing that has to be said. They will never understand me or what happened unless I lay it all out there for them. It’s difficult to do though. It’s why we’re here today.”<\/p>\n Snuggling into his chest for warmth, Beryl wrapped her arms around him so that he leaned back until he was laying against the soft grasses. Light fluffy clouds dotted the sky.<\/p>\n “Now, you can stop thinking negative thoughts. How about remembering something pleasant.”<\/p>\n “I remember last night. Now that was pleasant, quite enjoyable in fact.”<\/p>\n “No, that’s too easy. Adam, think about something from our time together. What’s your best memory?”<\/p>\n “That’s easy too. Other than our first meeting, it has to be that beach in Florida. You remember, don’t you, the one with sand so white it was like sugar. The sun at midday made the water look like emeralds were scattered beneath the waves.”<\/p>\n “Yes, and you have a wonderful way of describing things. There were no footprints anywhere except for some small animals. Those herons walked around without fear. They looked at us like they wondered what we were.”<\/p>\n “Yes, if we had brought more fresh water with us and stayed longer, one of those birds might have been dinner one night.”<\/p>\n “No, Adam, they were too pretty to eat.”<\/p>\n “I suppose we could have eaten more fish.”<\/p>\n “Until we slept on the beach there, I never knew ocean waves were so loud.”<\/p>\n “I know. It worried me that someone or something could get close to use without us hearing them, but then in the morning, I would realize no one was within many miles of that island. It was the two of us.”<\/p>\n “Yes, it was fun fishing and swimming, and when it got dark, we talked.”<\/p>\n “Beryl, we did a lot more than talk.”<\/p>\n “Yes, but we did that all the time. It was the talking that was special. You never talked much when I first met you. You don’t talk that much now, but you tell me what’s important. That time on the island with the white sand was the first time you opened up and really talked to me. I knew then that you loved me.”<\/p>\n “I loved you since I met you in that saloon in Dodge City or actually in the alley down the street. You were so different than anyone I had ever known, and what you said was logical and yet appealing. I wanted you right there, but I had to hope you wanted me too.”<\/p>\n “Yes, I believe that now, but until then, on that island, I wasn’t sure. When you talked to me about what was in your heart, I knew you trusted me, and with you, trust and love go together.”<\/p>\n “Yes, they do. I find it difficult to have one without the other.”<\/p>\n Leaning into Adam’s chest and enjoying his arms around her, Beryl was content. She could feel the rumble of Adam’s voice in his chest even as she heard him speak.<\/p>\n To Beryl, there was nothing more soothing than Adam talking quietly to her as he was now.<\/p>\n “You told me of your dreams, your hurts, of your wishes for the future. It was special. I didn’t want our time there to end. I know it was an interlude, a time to escape from those who were chasing us and never would suspect we would camp out on an island like that, but it was so beautiful. That’s when I knew we would always be together. I don’t want this day to end just like I never wanted to leave that island.”<\/p>\n “We can’t go back to that white sand island, but we can come back here as often as you would like. We can make more memories. We have the rest of our lives to make memories now.”<\/p>\n “I’m nice and warm wrapped in this blanket with you. Maybe we could make this an even better memory.”<\/p>\n So they did. Afterwards, they snuggled in the blanket and talked more until it was time to leave. Packing up to go back to the house, Adam noticed Beryl staring out over the lake.<\/p>\n “What are you thinking now?”<\/p>\n Standing by their horses, Beryl smiled as she looked out across the lake.<\/p>\n “It’s beautiful here. Do you suppose we could have our wedding here?”<\/p>\n Although Adam had assumed it would be an indoor wedding, he had no misgiving about a wedding by the lake.<\/p>\n “I suppose we could. Then after the ceremony, have a party at the house? It would be too difficult to have a party here, and you already told my father he could throw a party. You told him no big church wedding and no newspaper coverage and no other big event like the fireworks Joe suggested. He got that one concession from you that he could throw a party, and he would be upset if you now said no.”<\/p>\n “Oh, we can have the party.” She paused. “Now how big is this party going to be?”<\/p>\n “You should have continued negotiating with him when you had the chance.”<\/p>\n “I still have an ace in the hole to keep him in line.”<\/p>\n “What’s that?”<\/p>\n “I can ask him if he doesn’t mind us living here a while longer until we can find another place, that is as long as we all are getting along.”<\/p>\n Chuckling, Adam pulled her into his arms. She had a way of handling his family that made it easier for him to live there with them. She dropped little hints now and then that made them back off. It was rather amusing but oh so useful. Although he wasn’t quite as sure of it when his birthday was the issue.<\/p>\n That particular issue cropped up only a short time later when Beryl sought out Adam’s father and brothers to discuss how to organize the festivities. As a guest in their home, she didn’t want to assume too much, and she realized it was one topic Adam had never discussed with her.<\/p>\n “What kind of celebration are you planning for Adam’s birthday? I know he doesn’t enjoy a lot of fuss and mostly prefers a quieter event although that was when there was only the two of us. With the family, I suppose there would be more, and I would like to help if there’s anything I can do. When we’re married, I’ll take care of planning for such events of course, but you get one last hurrah with this as we are still guests in the house here.”<\/p>\n When Adam’s brothers and father were silent instead of responding, Beryl thought perhaps she had overstepped some family rule of some type. All she could do was ask what it was.<\/p>\n “Is there something I’ve done wrong? I didn’t mean to offend anyone by volunteering to help. Is there a family tradition I should know?”<\/p>\n Ben answered for the family. “Adam has never enjoyed celebrating his birthday. He usually seems to want to avoid it as much as possible even traveling so he wouldn’t be here some years. Because of that, we always keep it as low key as we can.”<\/p>\n “Oh, I guess I didn’t know that’s how it was here.”<\/p>\n Something in the way she said that made Hoss wonder if she simply didn’t know or that she knew something they didn’t know. There were so many layers to this woman, he seldom was sure what she meant when she said things. She had a way of making people feel a bit ill at ease when she wanted to do that. Again, it was a trait she and Adam shared. He was going to ask her about this birthday thing though first chance he got.<\/p>\n However Beryl’s plan was to talk to Adam about it the first chance she got. It was that night in their bedroom because she wanted to know why his family had the attitude that he didn’t like his birthday. She guessed this had to be an especially difficult topic or he would have told her about it already.<\/p>\n “Why didn’t you ever talk to your family about why you are uncomfortable about your birthday? They think you don’t want to celebrate it.”<\/p>\n “Can’t we celebrate it as we have for five years? I wouldn’t mind.”<\/p>\n “Don’t you try that distraction thing with me. You haven’t answered my question.”<\/p>\n “I don’t talk to them about it because I’m not the one who is uncomfortable about my birthday.”<\/p>\n Beryl frowned and wondered what he meant. Then she guessed. “Is it your father?”<\/p>\n “That has been my impression for a long time. We never celebrated my birthday until he married Inger. I didn’t think birthday celebrations were something that happened in our family. I had that one celebration that year. Then she was gone, and after that, no more celebrations for years. By the time we started celebrating Hoss’ birthday when he was old enough to appreciate what that meant, Pa said I was too old for birthday parties so there still were no celebrations of my birthday.”<\/p>\n “How old were you then?”<\/p>\n “I think I was about nine.”<\/p>\n “That is sad. So you got to watch everyone celebrate Hoss having his birthdays, but you didn’t get to celebrate yours.”<\/p>\n “It seemed that was the way things were.”<\/p>\n “It never changed? No one ever questioned why you didn’t have a birthday celebration?”<\/p>\n “Oh there were questions. After a few years, when he got old enough, Hoss asked why we didn’t celebrate mine and insisted we should. Pa said we had to keep it low key for me. So I got the message loud and clear again.”<\/p>\n “And as you understood it as a child, you accepted it all this time?”<\/p>\n “Why wouldn’t I? Pa never disagreed with anything that was said. If anyone asked, they got the same answer Hoss had gotten. If they wanted more detail, he went back into the history of the family. I never needed to hear that again. I remember all the details all too well.”<\/p>\n Adam remembered so clearly those days after Inger’s death. He had been so young but the trauma was great and seared those memories into his mind. The only person he had ever told that whole story to in its entirety was Beryl.<\/p>\n There were many sad moments in the narrative. One day after Adam and his father had buried Inger and taken Hoss to their wagon to continue their journey, Adam had been sent from the wagon as his father worked with one of the women on the wagon train who had lost her child in the attack. She was nursing Hoss, but he was resisting the woman. Near the center fire, alone and despondent, Adam sat outside the wagon ring and heard the people talking.<\/p>\n “Yeah, she died protecting his older boy. Them savages would never have taken that baby with them bright blue eyes. He would have been no good to them. Likely wouldn’t have lived long anyway.”<\/p>\n “That Adam is dark too. I bet he would have been a real prize to take back.”<\/p>\n “He sure would have been that because they can’t so easily replace warriors they lose in battle. I mean it takes years and years to grow up another one. Taking one already on the way to growing up would have been a sight easier.”<\/p>\n “Besides losing Inger because of him, I heard tell that his mother died giving birth to him. That boy is a real Jonah when it comes to women. He done got two of them killed already.”<\/p>\n “Yup, old Ben would have been a lot better off if Adam had been the one he lost and not Inger. I feel real bad for him. He might lose that little one too now because of it.”<\/p>\n “Sure hope he thinks Adam is worth the price he paid for him. That boy owes his father an awful lot. I got to wonder if he knows that.”<\/p>\n “Yep, and his father ain’t likely to find another woman now with that Jonah with him. He killed off two mothers already. What woman would ever want to be with that family knowing that?”<\/p>\n “He’s going to have to work real hard to try to make up to his father what he cost him.”<\/p>\n “If he ever can.”<\/p>\n That conversation molded Adam’s perceptions for years.<\/p>\n Adam was almost a young man before he came to understand his mother’s wish to have a child even though she knew her own physical weakness and what bearing a child might cost her. Inger too had celebrated with him because her great desire was to be a wife and a mother, and she found great joy in both. She didn’t die protecting him. She died protecting her family which was the most important part of her world. Once Adam understood these things, his birthday was something he wanted to celebrate, and yet his father refused to alter how Adam’s birthday was downplayed.<\/p>\n Hearing that story for the first time, Beryl had tears in her eyes but let Adam continue knowing it was something he needed to say.<\/p>\n “When I was thirteen, Marie told my father that she planned to have a small party for my birthday, and he forbid it.”<\/p>\n Remembering that scene all too well because he had been nearby hoping Marie would get her way, Adam told the story to Beryl exactly as he remembered the conversation he overheard.<\/p>\n “But Adam said he wouldn’t mind. I asked him about it. I think he wants to have the party.”<\/p>\n “I don’t think so. A party would only open old wounds for him. We will do what we have always done. He has been uncomfortable with celebrating his birthday and I will not push him to do so.”<\/p>\n “I was listening in the kitchen. It made me begin a transformation in my thinking at that time.”<\/p>\n “You knew the deaths were not your fault.”<\/p>\n As Adam often did when the subject was emotional, he looked down and then up before continuing.<\/p>\n “I had been feeling guilty about my mother’s death and about Inger’s too. It was why I had resisted a birthday celebration, but Marie had told me that none of those things could be my fault. She was able to do that because she worked on me relentlessly about a birthday party until I had finally blurted out the truth of why my birthday had seemed to be a burden. When I stood there and heard my father’s words, I believed that my father held me accountable even if I no longer held myself responsible. Actually, I didn’t arrive at that conclusion so quickly, but eventually logic prevailed. Even though I accepted Marie’s persuasion that I had not been at fault, I could never forget my father’s words. For years, my father made sure there were birthday celebrations for Hoss and Joe, and minor acknowledgements of my birthday each year unless I was away which seemed to please him when it happened.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chapter 10<\/strong><\/p>\n “And your brothers never questioned this premise?”<\/p>\n “When I could, I found reasons to be gone when it was my birthday. I suppose that was evidence to my brothers that our father’s explanation was correct. They have never understood that he doesn’t want to celebrate my birthday because celebrating on that day seems almost an affront to my mother and he can’t bring himself to do it. I guess you’re forcing him to face it this time.”<\/p>\n “Do your brothers believe everything your father tells them?”<\/p>\n “They do most of the time. I can’t see them especially Joe challenging him. Hoss will on occasion when he thinks it’s important enough to do so.”<\/p>\n “That is so sad. Your father avoids celebrating your birthday because it makes him so sad, but in the process, he causes you great sorrow, and he doesn’t understand that. I can see more and more why you and your father have this wall between you.”<\/p>\n For all these years, Hoss and Joe accepted their father’s version of the story because Adam seemed to accept it, but now Beryl was challenging that concept. The brothers didn’t know what to think when Hoss found out more. When he had a chance to talk with Beryl and Ben wasn’t present, he brought up the subject again because he was so curious as to why Beryl thought Adam would want a celebration. Joe was as surprised as Hoss was by Beryl’s statements.<\/p>\n “Every year, we celebrate Adam’s birthday. He enjoys celebrating his birthday.”<\/p>\n “He does? But how come he never did when he was home?”<\/p>\n “Hoss, I guess someone here would need to explain that. Anyway, I want to talk to Hop Sing about a cake and a special dinner. I hope you all plan to be there.”<\/p>\n Excited by the prospect of something different on Adam’s birthday, Joe had a question.<\/p>\n “Could we have fireworks?”<\/p>\n “Joe, I think that would be wonderful for a birthday celebration.”<\/p>\n With that, Beryl strode to the kitchen as if she had won a battle. She felt she had, and wondered what would happen with Ben and Adam’s brothers now. By speaking out when Ben wasn’t there, she knew she had put the burden on Hoss and Joe to explain things to their father and force him to explain to them why he had acted as he did. He probably wasn’t going to be as accepting as Adam’s brothers had been. Then she wondered what Adam would say about what she had done, and her shoulders slumped. He might not be so accepting either of her forthright statements to his family. He wasn’t. They talked quietly in their bedroom, but that didn’t mean they agreed.<\/p>\n “Why would you do that? It’s only going to stir up trouble.”<\/p>\n “Maybe a little more trouble is what this family needs. Besides, it will help your father ignore what I’m giving you for a present for your birthday.”<\/p>\n “Oh, no, what have you done?”<\/p>\n Beryl had a wicked little grin as she prepared to announce the gift she had for him.<\/p>\n “It’s something you have talked about for several years but couldn’t have. Now you can have one because we’re going to have a real home and stay put more or less for the next few years at least.”<\/p>\n Frowning at first in thought, Adam’s eyes lit up and he grinned. “You didn’t?”<\/p>\n “I did.”<\/p>\n “What kind?”<\/p>\n “A staghound. He’s going to be tall when he’s full-grown. The man I bought him from says he could be up to thirty inches at the shoulder. He’ll be able to run with you when you go riding.”<\/p>\n “When he’s full-grown? How old is he?”<\/p>\n “Only two-months old now. We can pick him up anytime. It’s a ranch near Carson City. I thought you could bring him here or we could wait until we have a place there.”<\/p>\n “We’ll see how the news goes over. Either way, it will be soon. I’m ready to head to Carson City anyway. We should go there to find a place to rent and locate a site to build a home too. It’s time to move on to the next phase.”<\/p>\n “After the wedding?”<\/p>\n “That sounds about right. We can move there then if you think we can have things ready.”<\/p>\n “Oh, they will be ready.”<\/p>\n With a grin, Adam pulled her into his arms. “Had enough of living with my family?”<\/p>\n “Yes, I can see why you left. They’re nice enough, but they’re smothering. I can’t believe you stayed as long as you did. But now, let’s go for a ride. It is a beautiful ranch with so much to see, and it’s nice and warm out. Maybe a ride to the lake would be something we could do.”<\/p>\n “Hmm, I think I know what you have in mind.”<\/p>\n “Any objections?”<\/p>\n “None. And tomorrow, let’s go pick up my dog.”<\/p>\n “You really are ready to stir things up too. Oh, did I tell you I told Joe that fireworks would be wonderful at your party.”<\/p>\n “I have a few fireworks stories I haven’t told you yet.”<\/p>\n “Good. We always need something to talk about afterwards.”<\/p>\n They had a lot more to talk about when they heard the exchange between Hoss and Ben as they were exiting the house.<\/p>\n “Pa, I was thinking of inviting the widow Burton to be my guest at Adam’s birthday party.”<\/p>\n “Hoss, I don’t think.”<\/p>\n “Hold it right there, Pa. It’s what I think about having Linda here that matters. She’s a real nice lady, and it’s time she spends some time with me at family gatherings. Don’t say nothing more about her. It’s up to me whether or not I decide to ask her to marry up with me.”<\/p>\n “You’re going to ask her to marry you?”<\/p>\n “Maybe I am, and maybe I won’t. It’s my decision. I’ll let you know. And maybe Joe ought to invite somebody too. It ain’t natural for four men to live in this house and not have women around. I plan to have a woman around and maybe soon if she’s willing. I think maybe we ought to have a meeting and talk about some changes in how we run this ranch too.”<\/p>\n “Oh, you think we ought to have a meeting, do you?”<\/p>\n “Yes, sir, I do. Ifn you want me to stay here and work, I got to have a say in what happens. Otherwise, I like the idea of maybe having my own place. Me and Joe been talking, and he’s thinking maybe the same thing would be right for him.”<\/p>\n Shocked, Ben had only one answer.<\/p>\n “We can have a meeting on Monday morning. Would that be acceptable?”<\/p>\n Outside, Adam had a big grin.<\/p>\n “And what do you think is so funny? Hoss was serious in there.”<\/p>\n “Oh, I know he was, but I think Hoss is learning a few tricks from you too. Threatening to move to his own place if he doesn’t like how things are going here. Ha, who does that sound like?”<\/p>\n Beryl could only smile as Adam walked beside her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The End of this story.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note: The American Staghound is not a recognized breed but it is called the Hound That Tamed the West. It is most generally a crossbred sighthound used for hunting but also commonly a pet and used for protection. Most commonly crossbred were deerhounds with greyhounds, but many other breeds such as wolfhound, borzoi, whippet, and blood hound were mixed in too.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tags:\u00a0 Adam Cartwright,\u00a0Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Candy Canaday,\u00a0Hoss Cartwright,\u00a0Jamie Hunter Cartwright,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright<\/p>\n
\nNot Guilty: Part One, Justice Denied (by BettyHT)
\n<\/a>Not Guilty: Part Two, Justice Delayed (by BettyHT)<\/a>
\nNot Guilty: Part Three, Moving Forward (by BettyHT)<\/a>
\nNot Guilty: Part Four, The Dogs (by BettyHT)<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
\n“Yes, you were cheating in there, but you let me win some. Why did you cheat and why let me win some? I want to know those answers before I decide what I do next.”<\/p>\n