{"id":48207,"date":"2020-04-25T07:52:30","date_gmt":"2020-04-25T11:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=48207"},"modified":"2026-07-30T13:29:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T17:29:08","slug":"a-fragile-hope-by-ac1830-and-ah83","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=48207","title":{"rendered":"A Fragile Hope (by AC1830 and AH83)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: A WHN for The Hopefuls – a conversation between brothers after Adam said farewell to Regina Darien.\u00a0 2020 April BTR Collaboration story – AC1830 and AH83<\/span><\/p>\n

Rating: G, Word Count: 1403<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Fragile Hope<\/b><\/p>\n

I feel like I\u2019ve lived a year in the last few days. What started out to be a simple offer to escort a wagon train to their new home ended up turning into a nightmare, not only for them folks but for me an\u2019 Adam too. We\u2019re finally on our way home and as I sit by my brother near our campfire, I can tell he\u2019s hurtin\u2019 bad, from both his shoulder and his heart.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lookin\u2019 back at how it all began, I was surprised, and later rather excited that Adam decided to take up with the folks who\u2019d come all the way from Ohio to settle in these parts. Me, Pa, an\u2019 Joe met \u2018em when they were campin\u2019 on the Ponderosa, an\u2019 they asked us to stay to supper. Jacob Darien\u2019s people were an interesting group of folks an\u2019 I\u2019m sure they thought that we were interesting too. When Adam said that he would be going with them to their new home near Slatersville, I decided to ride along. True, they had good food, but I was curious about their ways and wanted to get to know \u2018em better. To me it didn\u2019t seem they were much different from us. Sure they wore different clothes and used the words \u2018thee\u2019 and \u2018thou\u2019, but they were such a friendly group of folks. It was all goin\u2019 so well, and I could tell Adam and Miss Regina, Mister Darien\u2019s daughter, were fallin\u2019 for each other. Little did we know that Sam Bord who came along with Adam would cause so much misery for everybody.<\/span><\/p>\n

When it looked like Sam Bord and his friends were going to attack the train, that\u2019s when we found out how different the people were from us. Adam tried to convince \u2018em to use guns, but they\u2019re a people of peace, not violence. I couldn\u2019t believe they didn\u2019t have any weapons and that they believed their faith would protect \u2018em. At least Mister Darien agreed to my suggestion to circle the wagons so they\u2019d be more protected.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we got ready for the fight, Miss Regina came over to say she would stand with Adam. Shucks how did she put it? \u2018If thee can\u2019t believe with us, I\u2019ll try to believe with thee.\u2019 That right there told me how much they cared for each other.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fight came that night and it was short. Adam killed two of them jaspers but not before Bord and his other friend stole the money these people had saved for their new land. I\u2019d give anything to have kept Miss Regina\u2019s father from gettin’ killed. After we buried him I saw a change in my brother. I\u2019d seen it before, that need he gets to set a wrong to right, but this time he had a fire and determination in him to find Sam since he blamed himself for the death of Mister Darien and their money being stolen. We had always been there for each other, an\u2019 after seein\u2019 that familiar look I felt I needed to be there for him this time, even though I hated to leave Miss Regina and her people alone.<\/span><\/p>\n

After a long hard search, we finally found Sam Bord in Slatersville just as Miss Regina\u2019s group arrived. She tried so hard to stop Adam from killing Sam. She begged him to let it be. When she warned him that his actions against Sam could be a wedge between them, I thought for sure Adam would listen. But he didn\u2019t. He shoved her into my arms just as Sam drew his gun.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Adam drew his gun, Bord shot him in the shoulder but Adam still managed to kill Sam and get the people\u2019s money back. When she went to him it broke my heart to see the hurt that came between him and Miss Regina.<\/span><\/p>\n

A few days later when he said good-bye to Miss Regina, I almost couldn\u2019t stand the sadness I saw in both their eyes. They had fallen in love with each other, but I began to see that Adam would never have done well in their world or she in ours. They\u2019d have to make a lot of changes even though they\u2019ve given their hearts to each other.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we rode off toward home, we were silent for a spell.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, Pa was right.\u201d Adam finally spoke up after several miles of riding.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me that we\u2019re different from them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, we are but you still have something in common.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou both love your family and will stay with them. You\u2019re both loyal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam was quiet. I knew he was thinking about what I had said.<\/span><\/p>\n

We rode on in silence and made camp for the night. After we ate and I put a fresh bandage on Adam\u2019s wound, we settled by the fire. I knew he was still thinkin\u2019 about what I\u2019d said early, and I learned long ago to let him start talkin\u2019 first. It didn\u2019t take long.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you said makes sense but how could it be enough for us, Hoss? I know I told her I\u2019d never visit her, but now\u2026well, now I\u2019m not so sure. There\u2019s got to be a way to make it work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This troubled me, as I knew he wasn\u2019t thinkin\u2019 straight. Now I kinda regret what I said earlier. A few other questions came to mind an\u2019 I spoke up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet me ask you a few questions. I know you both loved each other but if you did stay, could you change your ways? Could you leave behind the life you lived with us? Could you live in a way that might not be true to you? An\u2019 what about her, could you ask her to live in a place where she doesn\u2019t fit in and where she\u2019d hafta change her ways to fit in with other women?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, now I\u2019ve done it. I barely got those questions out and he bolted straight out of the camp. I waited a bit then went to find him. As I suspected he\u2019d gone over to his horse. I backed off and let him be in peace.<\/span><\/p>\n

An hour passed and I finally settled down to sleep. That\u2019s when I heard his quiet footfalls. I waited while he got situated on his bedroll.<\/span><\/p>\n

He turned to me with a sad look on his face. \u201cI couldn\u2019t change my life. It would be too hard. I know it would be hard for her to leave her family and all she knows, especially after Jacob\u2019s death. I know I hurt her when I went after Sam and resorted to violence. What she said to me then was the truth. My actions would be between us no matter what.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou went with what you knew, to make a wrong right again. There was no other way, as much as you\u2019d wish there was.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The silence that followed told me we were through talkin\u2019 for the night. Guess we\u2019ll see what the mornin\u2019 brings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam and I began our journey home the next day. We rode in silence again. It was hard not to ask what he was thinking. I thought I\u2019d let him take the lead with the conversation. I worried I\u2019d said too much last night. I really regret havin\u2019 said what I did about him and her havin\u2019 to change so much.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHoss?\u201d Adam\u2019s quiet voice pulled me out of my anxious thoughts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad you came with me. You\u2019ve given me a lot to think about.\u201d He shifted in his saddle to ease his aching shoulder. \u201cI\u2019ve been thinking about how things would be between me and Regina. There\u2019s just no way things could work for us.\u201d He let out a deep sigh. \u201cI\u2019ll need time to get over her and to just forget her. Please don\u2019t talk about this to Pa or Joe. This is just between us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Course. I\u2019d never tell Pa an\u2019 Joe anything unless you tell me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Glancing at Adam I saw the sadness still in his eyes and yet I saw a new determination in \u2018em. I knew he wouldn\u2019t forget Miss Regina. He\u2019d hold a special place in his heart for her. He was just gonna have to find a way to live without her.<\/span><\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From the Brandsters.\u00a0 The story was originally written and published on the Bonanza Trail Riders site.\u00a0 Brand is happy to offer this story a new home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: A WHN for The Hopefuls – a conversation between brothers after Adam said farewell to Regina Darien.\u00a0 2020 April BTR Collaboration story – AC1830 and AH83
\nRating: G, Word Count: 1403<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12475,"featured_media":62121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1009,23,13],"tags":[1246],"class_list":["post-48207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brothers","category-drama","category-whn","tag-the-hopefuls","wpcat-1009-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-13-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/BTR.png?fit=442%2C255&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/12475"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/62121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}