{"id":4864,"date":"2014-04-29T13:22:23","date_gmt":"2014-04-29T17:22:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4864"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:12:57","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:12:57","slug":"the-return-of-abigail-jones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4864","title":{"rendered":"The Return of Abigail Jones (by pjb)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Getting Abigail Jones and Hank Meyers married was the easy part. . . .<\/p>\n

Rated:<\/span>\u00a0K+ \u00a0WC \u00a020,000<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 The Return of Abigail Jones<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

A single crash woke all four Cartwrights.<\/strong> Even Hoss, who had once slept through a stampede while they were trailing a herd to market, staggered groggily to his doorway, blinking.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat in tarnation was that?\u201d He peered into the darkened hallway. He could hear what sounded like shouting coming from the front yard.<\/p>\n

Adam, who had already pulled on his shirt, glared at his large brother. \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d he snapped as he headed for the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the\u2014hey, Joe, what\u2019s he talkin\u2019 about?\u201d Hoss grabbed his little brother\u2019s arm as the crash of breaking glass momentarily drowned out the angry voices outside.<\/p>\n

Before Joe could answer, their father stormed past, tying the belt of his dressing gown. He stopped to shake a finger at them. \u201cYou two and your smart ideas! You\u2019ll fix this!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDagnabit\u2014what\u2019s goin\u2019 on?\u201d Hoss was starting to feel like he\u2019d slept through the first half of a show at the opera house.<\/p>\n

Little Joe grimaced at his brother. \u201cI think it\u2019s Hank,\u201d he said in a low, conspiratorial voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cHank? Hank Meyers?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many other Hanks do you know who\u2019d be making this kind of a ruckus in the middle of the night?\u201d Joe snapped. He didn\u2019t like being awakened even at a reasonable hour, and three in the morning was nobody\u2019s idea of reasonable.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014what\u2019s he doin\u2019 here? Why ain\u2019t he home with Miss Abigail?\u201d Even after five months, Hoss still wasn\u2019t used to thinking of Miss Abigail Jones as Mrs. Meyers.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow should I know? Just put your boots on, and come on!\u201d<\/p>\n

The younger Cartwright brothers emerged into the chilly yard to see what looked like a saloon fight of major proportions. Light streamed through the broken windows of the bunkhouse. Tables and chairs and bodies flew through the air. Even Ben Cartwright\u2019s stentorian tones were barely audible above the shouting and crashing.<\/p>\n

The blast of a rifle brought instant silence. For a moment, everyone was frozen. Then, they turned as one to see Hop Sing in his nightclothes, rifle pointed at the sky.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo more noise!\u201d the little man scolded. \u201cYou want eat in morning, Hop Sing need sleep! Everybody bed! Hmmpf!\u201d He turned, pigtail swinging angrily, and stormed back into the house. An instant later, the door slammed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, now, what is going on?\u201d thundered Ben. Those who couldn\u2019t see his fury in the shadows could feel it. His two younger sons swallowed hard. Somehow, this was about to be laid at their feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Mr. Cartwright\u2014we was just defendin\u2019 ourselves!\u201d offered Ned Peterson.<\/p>\n

In the light from the bunkhouse, Ben\u2019s raised eyebrow spoke eloquently of his skepticism.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s tellin\u2019 the truth,\u201d insisted Frank Porter. \u201cWe was all asleep when\u2014when he came in and started wreckin\u2019 the bunkhouse!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018He\u2019?\u201d Ben\u2019s voice held that combination of doubt and threat that his sons knew all too well. Without thinking, Hoss and Joe put their hands behind them in a gesture that had never succeeded in protecting their backsides when they were younger.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe,\u201d said Adam from the doorway to the bunkhouse. He stepped aside, and a sheepish Hank Meyers stepped into the yard.<\/p>\n

\u201cHank, what in blazes are you doing here at this time of night?\u201d demanded Ben.<\/p>\n

Hank stepped forward, and the light from the window showed what was likely the most miserable face on the Washoe. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Mr. Cartwright, I truly am. I reckon I\u2019m just unhappy. I\u2019ll pay for the damage, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben drew a deep breath. Hank\u2019s unhappiness had proven to be expensive in the past. The big man always offered to pay, but somehow, Ben could never quite make himself take Hank up on the offer. He surveyed the wreckage visible in the bunkhouse light. He didn\u2019t even want to see what was inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cHank, get into the house,\u201d he said. \u201cThe rest of you\u2014get this mess cleaned up!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Mr. Cartwright\u2014it\u2019s the middle of the night,\u201d protested one of the young hands most unwisely. \u201cBut don\u2019t you worry, sir, we\u2019ll get it all cleaned up!\u201d he hastened to add as one of the older hands smacked him on the back of the head. Reluctantly, they began to stack broken furniture as Ben half-dragged Hank Meyers into the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Hoss, maybe we better help them,\u201d suggested Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no, you don\u2019t,\u201d said Adam, seizing his young brother\u2019s arm. \u201cYou\u2019re coming inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe? What did I do?\u201d The youngest Cartwright\u2019s voice fairly squeaked with innocence.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t even bother, Joseph,\u201d said Hoss heavily. He followed his family and Hank into the living room, where Pa was lighting lamps so that they could all see his displeasure clearly.<\/p>\n

Finally, Ben turned to the four men who were lined up in front of him. Adam had already resigned himself to the forfeiture of sleep as well as peace and harmony. Hoss still looked as though he could nod off standing right there. Joe\u2019s eyes shifted nervously, and Ben could almost see him trying to figure out a way to get out of this mess. And Hank . . . well, Hank just looked every bit as unhappy as a man married to Abigail Jones had a right to look.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t that Abigail was intentionally unpleasant; it was simply that she came from a different way of life. Ben recalled her well from Little Joe\u2019s school days. She had more formal education than any other lady in town\u2014as well as most of the men\u2014and she made no effort to downplay it. Until Adam returned from college, Abigail Jones was the only person in Virginia City who said \u201cwhom.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was devoted to the pursuit of knowledge, and especially to the study of literature and history. Her special passion for the romantic tales of any age\u2014Lancelot and Guinevere, Romeo and Juliet, John Alden and Priscilla Mullen\u2014was well-known among her students. Her shortcomings, as it were, centered on her way of dealing with people who weren\u2019t characters in books or from history\u2014in other words, the small humans who populated her classroom and the larger ones who passed her on the street. While she was not unattractive, and she could even be quite pleasant in brief conversation, she always seemed as though she was on the verge of correcting someone. Ben Cartwright, who was undeniably well-spoken, found himself watching his grammar whenever they met.<\/p>\n

It hadn\u2019t helped that Little Joe had been a very energetic and imaginative child, taxing the patience even of those who loved him the most. Miss Jones, who had not fallen into that category, was greatly frustrated by this child who was clearly bright and capable, but was just as clearly far more interested in the world outside the classroom than in anything the teacher presented. While Ben was not one to make excuses for his son\u2019s inattention, he had once tried to suggest gently to Miss Jones that young boys sometimes lack the attention span of grown-up ladies, especially about romantic poetry and the Renaissance.<\/p>\n

Miss Jones had simply fixed him with a look. \u201cMr. Cartwright, I was brought here to educate the children of Virginia City. I am introducing their young minds to worlds they will likely never know in any other way. This is great literature I am reading to them, and I would be doing a tremendous disservice both to these children and to the people of Virginia City who have entrusted them to my care if I were to accept as an excuse for failing to do my best the fact that they are simply children. They can, and they will, learn to pay attention and to appreciate the incredible beauty and power of English literature.\u201d Her voice faded and a faraway look appeared in her eyes, as though she were seeing herself before a room full of rapt children. Ben took that opportunity to mumble his thanks and escape.<\/p>\n

Now, as they stood with Abigail\u2019s husband in the living room in the middle of the night, Ben shot a quick look at his younger sons. While it wouldn\u2019t be fair to say that this marriage had been their idea, they had practically turned the Ponderosa upside down to help Hank marry his beloved Abigail. The notion of the cultured schoolteacher with the unschooled ranch hand hadn\u2019t made sense to anybody except Hank, but that hadn\u2019t stopped Hoss and Joe from concocting one hare-brained scheme after another to try to get the two together, from re-enacting the scene where Sir Walter Raleigh laid his cloak across a puddle for a lady to cross to setting up Adam as some sort of musical Cyrano de Bergerac to serenade Abigail on Hank\u2019s behalf. Eventually, and remarkably, Abigail had fallen in love with the big ranch hand. At the wedding, Joe and Hoss had been as proud as if they were the fathers of the bridal couple, and Ben and Adam had breathed a sigh of relief that as the Meyerses drove out of the churchyard, ready to live happily ever after.<\/p>\n

Theirs might have been a match made somewhere other than heaven, but it could have been much worse, Ben reminded himself now. Abigail Jones could have succeeded in her original plan, which was to lasso Adam Cartwright. Had that happened, they would have had the lovely couple living under this very roof, at least until a new house could be built.\u00a0That would have been the fastest construction in the territory,<\/em>\u00a0Ben thought before he could stop himself.<\/p>\n

He drew a deep breath. He didn\u2019t know what had brought Hank Meyers here tonight, but he had every reason in the world to sort the matter out, and right now. If marital bliss wasn\u2019t restored in the Meyers household, his bunkhouse would be shambles. Worse, Hank could leave, and Miss Abigail could end up as a single lady, once again intent on wooing the eldest of the Cartwright brothers. Both prospects sent shivers down Ben\u2019s spine, and he straightened, glaring at the lineup.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow,\u201d he intoned in his deepest, most authoritative voice. He noted to his satisfaction that all four of them stood a bit straighter. Hoss looked almost awake. \u201cWhat the devil is going on?\u201d His powerful baritone could have caused the Ponderosa pines to quiver.<\/p>\n

His sons all turned to glower at Hank. \u201cWell, sir\u2014the truth is, Mr. Cartwright, I don\u2019t rightly know,\u201d confessed the big ranch hand. \u201cMy little buttercup\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d Hoss hissed at Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cMiss Abigail,\u201d muttered Joe.<\/p>\n

Hank nodded as though everyone thought of his bride by this affectionate nickname. \u201cAnyway, she\u2014she\u2014Mr. Cartwright, do you know anything about women?\u201d<\/p>\n

Almost as one, his three sons covered their mouths to hide their grins, but Hoss\u2019s chuckle, Adam\u2019s snicker and Joe\u2019s snort were not quite successfully muffled.<\/p>\n

Oblivious, Hank continued, \u201cWhen we was first married, she seemed to like me just fine, but now\u2014well, it\u2019s like everything I do bothers her. Last night, I come home, and I set myself down on the settee, and she starts yellin\u2019 at me about how I can\u2019t set there \u2019cause I got dirt on my pants. Well, sure I do\u2014I was workin\u2019! Where else am I supposed to set? An\u2019 while we were havin\u2019 supper, I was cleanin\u2019 my fingernails with my knife, and she starts yellin\u2019 again. I thought she liked it when my fingernails were clean! An\u2019 then, last night, when it was time for bed, she wouldn\u2019t let me come in\u2014said I stunk of cows and I should jest go and sleep with \u2019em. What does she want me to do, take a bath? It\u2019s Wednesday! It\u2019s like she wants me to take a bath every night or something! An\u2019 the other day, I brung her lemon drops from the mercantile, an\u2019 those are her favorites, and she jest gave me this real peculiar look and ran out of the room. I tell you, Mr. Cartwright, I dunno what\u2019s wrong!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben glared at his sons, who were still doing a poor job of stifling their amusement. He drew a deep breath as he tried to figure out how to ask the obvious question without actually having to ask it. He decided to start with a lesser point in the hope that he might be able to avoid the larger matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cHank, adjusting to married life is\u2014well, it\u2019s more complicated than people realize,\u201d he began. Joe snorted again, and Ben cleared his throat ominously. He met Joseph\u2019s eyes with a silent warning so fierce that if the boy had been a few years younger, he would have feared for his ability to sit down. When Joe dropped his gaze, Ben continued, \u201cWhen a woman has\u2014well, strong opinions about matters in general, a man can sometimes find it difficult to know exactly how she feels about certain specific points.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know how my buttercup feels,\u201d said Hank. \u201cShe thinks everything I do is wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019m sure that\u2019s not the case,\u201d said Ben. \u201cIt just seems that way because\u2014well, because\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2014because Abigail is such a refined lady, and you haven\u2019t had the privilege of living with someone like her before,\u201d Adam interjected smoothly. \u201cIt\u2019s like\u2014have you ever been to a foreign country, Hank?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho, me? I ain\u2019t never even been to San Francisco!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, well\u2014what I mean is that people have different ways of doing things, and it\u2019s not that one way is better than another\u2014it\u2019s just different. Abigail\u2019s way of doing things is different from yours, and you and she just need to work out a way so that you can\u2014you can\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2014you can live together without getting on each others\u2019 nerves,\u201d Joe supplied helpfully. \u201cIt\u2019s like me and Adam here. He thinks he\u2019s all cultured and stuff, and he\u2019s always complaining about everything I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you do about it?\u201d asked Hank.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I just ignore him most of the time,\u201d said Joe cheerfully. \u201cSometimes, I have to punch him, but most times, I just don\u2019t pay any attention to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot that anyone\u2019s suggesting this as a way of dealing with your problem,\u201d said Ben with a black stare at his youngest son. \u201cMarriage is very different from living with a brother,\u201d he added as Joe opened his mouth to offer another unhelpful comment. \u201cWomen are much more complex than men in many ways, and you\u2019ll find that there are things that matter to her that would never occur to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m findin\u2019 that, all right,\u201d said Hank glumly. \u201cI reckon she\u2019d be jest as happy if I never came home again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019m sure that ain\u2019t so,\u201d said Hoss, laying a brotherly arm around the big man\u2019s shoulders. \u201cIn fact, I\u2019d bet she\u2019s worried sick right now \u2019cause you ain\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hank rolled his eyes. \u201cSo, when I go home, she\u2019s gonna yell at me for that, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben took a deep breath. \u201cHank, how long ago would you say this all started?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hank bit his lip as he thought. \u201cAbout three months ago,\u201d he said finally. \u201cMebbe a little more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you\u2019d been married two months at that point?\u201d When Hank nodded, Ben forced himself to ask the question. \u201cHank\u2014is it\u2014is it possible that maybe Mrs. Meyers is\u2014well, that she\u2019s\u2014how has she been feeling lately? Has she seemed like she might be\u2014well, a bit under the weather?\u201d He let the question dangle, hoping that Hank would pick up on the hint.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean? Do you think she\u2019s sick?\u201d Hank\u2019s eyes were wide with sudden fear.<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, Hank, that\u2019s not what he\u2019s asking!\u201d Joe rolled his eyes in disgust. \u201cHe\u2019s asking if it\u2019s possible you\u2019re gonna be a daddy!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? How\u2014you mean\u2014\u201d For a man who had handled breeding stock since he was four years old and leading the family cow out to pasture, Hank seemed flabbergasted at the notion.<\/p>\n

Ben clenched his teeth. What had he ever done that was so awful that he should be punished by being forced to talk about the private lives of Hank Meyers and Abigail Jones? \u201cHank, it\u2019s just that\u2014well, sometimes, if a woman is\u2014in the family way\u2014she can get\u2014I mean, things might bother her that ordinarily, she wouldn\u2019t mind,\u201d he managed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Hoss chimed in. \u201cWhen Little Joe\u2019s ma was carryin\u2019 him, we wasn\u2019t allowed to wear boots in the house. Had to take \u2019em off outside the front door.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou what? How come?\u201d Hank looked even more amazed than before, if that was possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe didn\u2019t like the noise,\u201d said Hoss. \u201cAn\u2019 Pa wasn\u2019t allowed to smoke his pipe in the house, and Hop Sing couldn\u2019t cook greens, and Adam wasn\u2019t allowed to whistle around her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hank whistled. \u201cWomen sure do get peculiar, don\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat they do,\u201d said Adam, remembering. \u201cI was reading aloud one night, and Marie just burst into tears, and she couldn\u2019t stop crying.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have been reading her something sad,\u201d Joe snapped, his fists already clenched as he stood ready to defend his mother.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was\u00a0The Comedy of Errors,<\/em>\u201d said Adam wearily. \u201cShakespeare,\u201d he added when Hank looked blank.<\/p>\n

Hank shook his head. \u201cMr. Cartwright\u2014you think my little buttercup might be gonna\u2014gonna have a\u2014you think she might be. . . .\u201d He looked stunned, as though he couldn\u2019t quite sort out how this might have happened.<\/p>\n

All three brothers were suddenly seized with coughing fits as Ben fought to keep a straight face. \u201cIt\u2019s\u2014well, it\u2019s possible, Hank,\u201d Ben said when the noise finally died down.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think mebbe I should ask her?\u201d Hank asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d The force of Ben\u2019s answer caused his sons to dissolve into more faux-coughing. \u201cYou never ask a woman about that,\u201d he said, regaining control. \u201cYou just don\u2019t,\u201d he added firmly as Hank opened his mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what should I do?\u201d asked Hank.<\/p>\n

The Cartwrights exchanged helpless looks. Finally, Ben rested his hand on Hank\u2019s shoulder and delivered the wisest advice he could think of to the man who might be the father of Abigail Jones\u2019s baby.<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight\u2014sleep in the barn.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

The next morning, Ben stood in the front yard, surveying the remains of the wreckage piled neatly outside the bunkhouse. \u201cWhat\u2019s left intact?\u201d he growled.<\/p>\n

Adam pushed his hat back on his head. \u201cNone of the chairs, one of the tables, and about half the bunks,\u201d he said. \u201cHoss and Joe are on their way into town to pick up lumber so that we can build new ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded and started to turn back to the house. Then, he froze. Slowly, he turned. \u201cDid you say Hoss and Joe?\u201d he asked. Adam nodded. \u201cThose two are going into town this morning?\u201d Adam nodded again, his brow furrowing. \u201cAlone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the problem, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben closed his eyes. \u201cThink about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam thought. Then, his face went pale. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa,\u201d he said. \u201cIt never occurred to me\u2014do you want me to go after them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long ago did they leave?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight after breakfast,\u201d said Adam. \u201cAbout two hours ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, they\u2019re probably there already,\u201d said Ben. He drew a deep breath. \u201cLet\u2019s just hope they have the sense to go straight to the lumber mill and come straight back here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam smirked. \u201cThis is Hoss and Little Joe you\u2019re talking about,\u201d he reminded his father with more than a touch of smugness.<\/p>\n

Ben considered this and shook his head. \u201cEven they won\u2019t want to tangle with Abigail Jones in her condition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure she\u2019s going to have a baby?\u201d asked Adam. \u201cIt could be that married life with Hank just isn\u2019t what she thought it would be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course I\u2019m not sure!\u201d snapped Ben. \u201cBut at least if she\u2019s expecting, there\u2019s a chance that Hank\u2019s misery will end. If she\u2019s just unhappy with Hank, there\u2019s not going to be much anybody can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head. Abigail Jones Meyers in the family way. He shuddered at the thought of Abigail as a mother. \u201cI hope she has a girl,\u201d he mused. \u201cIf she has a boy, that kid is going to get beaten up by every other boy in school\u2014and probably most of the girls, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf she has a boy, hopefully he\u2019ll take after Hank,\u201d said Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmen,\u201d said Adam. Resignedly, he headed into the bunkhouse, where a crew was busy repairing bunks. Please don\u2019t let those two go anywhere near Abigail Jones, he thought. Knowing his brothers, they\u2019d end up squarely in the middle of whatever was going on between the Meyerses. Adam suddenly had a horrible vision of Hoss and Joe driving into the yard with Miss Abigail sitting right there between them.<\/p>\n

No, they wouldn\u2019t,<\/em>\u00a0he assured himself.\u00a0Not even Hoss and Little Joe are that foolish.<\/em><\/p>\n

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

\u201cGood morning, Mrs. Meyers,\u201d said Joe, almost hiding his nervousness. His fingers worked the brim of his hat as he tried to hold a pleasant smile in place. He elbowed his big brother, who echoed him with a faint, \u201cGood morning, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abigail Jones Meyers looked from one Cartwright to the other suspiciously. \u201cGood morning, boys,\u201d she said, her inflection evidencing doubt as to the morning\u2019s goodness. \u201cWhat can I do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked up at Hoss expectantly. Hoss took a deep breath and said, \u201cWell, ma\u2019am, we just thought you might want to know\u2014you see, Hank\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid something happen to him? Is he all right?\u201d she interrupted.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s fine, ma\u2019am,\u201d said Hoss. \u201cWe just\u2014we wanted to let you know that he\u2019s out at the ranch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her worry faded to puzzlement. \u201cOf course, he is,\u201d she said. \u201cWhere else would he be? Why are you telling me that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014we thought you might be worried,\u201d said Joe, now puzzled himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorried?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he wasn\u2019t here last night,\u201d clarified Joe.<\/p>\n

Abigail turned pale. \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe and Hoss exchanged startled glances. \u201cMrs. Meyers, you knew Hank came out to the Ponderosa last night, didn\u2019t you?\u201d Joe ventured.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did no such thing,\u201d the lady said indignantly. \u201cMy Hank and I are perfectly happy, and he was here with me last night. How dare you insinuate that he might\u2014that there might be\u2014how dare you come here and ask personal questions about our lives? Who do you think you are, anyway?\u201d She drew herself up to her full height, her stare as fierce as it had ever been when Joe was a restless pupil.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Miz Meyers\u2014\u201d Hoss began, but Joe cut in.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mistake, Mrs. Meyers,\u201d he said hastily. \u201cSorry to have bothered you. Let\u2019s go, Hoss.\u201d He tipped his hat and grabbed Hoss\u2019s arm, pulling his big brother away from the door that slammed just as they cleared the porch.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat in tarnation was that all about?\u201d Hoss demanded when they were safely on the sidewalk.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got me,\u201d said Joe. \u201cI\u2019m guessing she didn\u2019t know Hank snuck out. She probably had the poor guy sleeping on the settee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t reckon either one of them would thank us for noticing,\u201d said Hoss. \u201cWell, let\u2019s get that lumber and get goin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute,\u201d said Joe. \u201cWe can\u2019t just walk away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAn\u2019 why not?\u201d demanded Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause if they don\u2019t make up, we\u2019re gonna be making this same trip back to the lumber mill tomorrow, and again the day after, and we\u2019re gonna have to keep on doing it for as long as Hank\u2019s unhappy,\u201d Joe pointed out. \u201cAnd you know as well as I do that Pa\u2019s not gonna let this go on forever. Sooner or later, he\u2019s gonna fire Hank, and do I need to remind you that Hank\u2019s about the only fellow on the ranch who\u2019s as big and strong as you are? So, if we ain\u2019t got Hank, all those chores that need a really strong back are gonna fall right on you. Now, is that what you want, Big Brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss pondered his brother\u2019s words, his face growing more and more glum by the moment. \u201cI dunno, Joe,\u201d he said finally. \u201cI just can\u2019t help thinkin\u2019 that we should probably mind our own business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shrugged. \u201cSuit yourself,\u201d he said. \u201cI ain\u2019t the one who\u2019s gonna have to haul all those heavy sacks of grain all by myself, and I won\u2019t be havin\u2019 to carry all those fence posts\u2014but if that\u2019s your idea of a good time, I\u2019m not gonna be the one to spoil it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDadburn you,\u201d muttered Hoss. Joe hid his smile of triumph as Hoss demanded reluctantly, \u201cWhat do you think we should do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Big Brother, this is what I\u2019m thinking. . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWould you like another sandwich, Mrs. Meyers?\u201d inquired Ben. If Abigail Jones Meyers was in the family way, it certainly wasn\u2019t interfering with her appetite.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy, thank you, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d said Hank\u2019s wife. She perused the platter, scrutinizing its offerings as though she would be held to account for choosing wrongly. Finally, as the others waited, she selected a roast beef sandwich, and the Cartwrights relaxed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was most surprised that Hoss and Little Joseph invited me to lunch.\u201d She was busy enough slicing her sandwich that she didn\u2019t see the black look Ben shot at his youngest son.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we haven\u2019t really seen you since the wedding,\u201d said Ben a bit too heartily.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a shame that Adam couldn\u2019t join us,\u201d said Miss Abigail as she continued to cut her sandwich into smaller and smaller pieces.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be sorry to have missed you,\u201d lied Ben. The eldest Cartwright son had leapt into the saddle and ridden off over his father\u2019s protests as soon as the wagon bearing two Cartwrights and Mrs. Meyers had driven into view.<\/p>\n

The front door opened, and Hank clomped into the room. \u201cYou wanted to see me, Mr.\u2014Buttercup!\u201d His mouth hung open as he gazed upon his bride at the dining table. \u201cWhat in tarnation are you doin\u2019 here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Miss Abigail smiled so sweetly that the Cartwrights all fixed their attention on their plates. \u201cThe Cartwrights were kind enough to invite me to lunch,\u201d she said. If she was at all surprised at being conveyed all the way to the Ponderosa for sandwiches, she wasn\u2019t saying so.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t say \u2018huh\u2019,\u201d Miss Abigail instructed. Having reduced her sandwich to bite-sized pieces, she surveyed her plate with satisfaction.<\/p>\n

\u201cHank, won\u2019t you join us for lunch?\u201d Ben interposed hastily before more corrections could be issued.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2014well, sir, I mean\u2014\u201d Hank seemed to be flabbergasted at the notion.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, Hank, pull up a chair!\u201d Joe favored him with a grin that anybody else would have known instantly to distrust.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2014uh\u2014I gotta wash up,\u201d said Hank. He scurried from the room, leaving the Cartwrights to cast worried glances at each other while Miss Abigail placidly nibbled one of her newly-carved tea sandwiches.<\/p>\n

A few minutes later, Hank sat at the foot of the table. His face, hair and shirtfront were wet, and he\u2019d removed most of the dirt from his hands. Miss Abigail barely favored him with a glance until he began to tuck in his napkin at his collar.<\/p>\n

\u201cHank!\u201d she snapped. Instantly, Hank yanked the napkin from his neckline and dropped it into his lap. His bride nodded approvingly, and Ben scowled again at Joe, who pretended not to feel the heat emanating from his father\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

A long, long silence ensued. Finally, Ben said, \u201cMrs. Meyers, have you read any good books lately?\u201d<\/p>\n

Abigail Jones Meyers looked up from her sandwich. \u201cWhy, yes, Mr. Cartwright, I have,\u201d she said brightly. \u201cMr. Dickens\u2019s newest novel,Great Expectations,<\/em>\u00a0is without question his finest work. Have you read it?\u201d She looked around the table expectantly. When all of the men had reluctantly turned their attention from their food to her, she began, \u201cIt\u2019s about a young boy named Pip. . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

Half an hour later, Mrs. Meyers\u2019 recitation of the story of\u00a0Great Expectations<\/em>\u00a0drew to a close. Joe and Hoss had spent the past twenty-nine minutes shooting their father looks that were by turns incredulous, reproachful, and downright irritated at his having asked such a question. Hank had finished his lunch in the first five minutes and had spent the next seven gazing raptly at his bride. But more than that was too much even for a man who was in love with Abigail Jones. Around the thirteenth minute, he began to fidget, only to be subjected thereafter to periodic frowns from the lady, who hissed \u201cHank!\u201d when his clinking of silverware and shuffling in his chair threatened to distract anyone from her tale.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that was fascinating, Mrs. Meyers, but the boys and I need to return to work,\u201d said Ben when she had finally finished. Hoss and Joe rose with more alacrity than they had ever shown when heading off to work, and Hank sprang to his feet.<\/p>\n

Abigail Jones Meyers folded her napkin. \u201cThat was a most delightful meal, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d she announced. \u201cIn fact, I don\u2019t know when I\u2019ve enjoyed a meal more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shot a fiery glare at his sons before one of them could offer an ill-advised comment about Mrs. Meyers\u2019 monologue. \u201cIt was a pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Meyers,\u201d he said. \u201cHank, why don\u2019t you drive your wife back home?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hank blanched. \u201cMr. Cartwright, don\u2019t you want me to see about movin\u2019 that stock out of the west pasture?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, we\u2019ll do that,\u201d Hoss assured him a bit too heartily. \u201cYou take your missus home, an\u2019 we\u2019ll see to the stock.\u201d<\/p>\n

That resolved, the lady rose from the table. Almost at once, though, she staggered, reaching for the table as she sat heavily in her chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cButtercup! What\u2019s the matter?\u201d Hank rushed around the table to her side.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you all right, Mrs. Meyers?\u201d asked Ben, fingers mentally crossed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d she said. \u201cI just felt a trifle faint for a moment. I\u2019m certain it\u2019ll pass.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cartwrights exchanged grim looks. With no choice, Ben said, \u201cMrs. Meyers, perhaps you\u2019d like to lie down for a short while before you start that long trip home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Hank, take your wife upstairs to the guest room,\u201d said Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, I think you should show Mrs. Meyers the way,\u201d said Ben with a meaningful frown.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir,\u201d Joe mumbled. \u201cRight this way, Mrs. Meyers.\u201d At the jerk of his father\u2019s head, Joe moved to Mrs. Meyers\u2019 side and offered her his arm. She looked for a moment as though she was about to refuse. Then, she placed her hand on Joe\u2019s arm and allowed him to assist her across the living room, with Hank following so closely that he nearly bumped into her when she paused at the foot of the stairs.<\/p>\n

Several minutes later, Joe all but ran down the stairs. \u201cPa, she\u2019s heaving her guts,\u201d he announced.<\/p>\n

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

Joe shrugged. \u201cHop Sing!\u201d When the little man appeared, Joe said, \u201cMrs. Meyers is sick. Can you get some rags or something to clean up with?\u201d As Hop Sing headed back into the kitchen, Joe lowered his voice. \u201cYou think she\u2019s really. . . ?\u201d He let the notion trail off as the others cringed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know,\u201d said Ben firmly. \u201cIt may simply be that lunch didn\u2019t sit well with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Pa,\u201d said Hoss, shaking his head. \u201cI got a bad feelin\u2019 about this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBad how?\u201d asked Ben ominously.<\/p>\n

Hoss crossed his arms. \u201cBad like she ain\u2019t leavin\u2019 here any time soon.\u201d He and his father both turned to glare at the youngest Cartwright.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph.\u201d On Ben Cartwright\u2019s lips, that one word could have any of a thousand meanings. Right then, Little Joe knew exactly which one his father intended, and he winced.<\/p>\n

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

Adam Cartwright closed the door behind him gratefully. The wind had been picking up for the past hour. No question about it: snow by morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s for supper? I\u2019m starved!\u201d he announced as he hung up his coat. When there was no answer, he called out, \u201cHey, Pa! Hoss, Joe! Anybody home?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam!\u201d his father hissed from the top of the stairs. \u201cKeep your voice down!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy? What\u2019s the matter? Is everybody all right?\u201d It wouldn\u2019t have been the first time he\u2019d come home to find one of his brothers laid up with some new injury and Pa trying to keep said brother quiet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a guest,\u201d said Ben. Adam had never before heard that word sound quite so ominous. \u201cMrs. Meyers is here,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Adam stood very still. \u201cWhy?\u201d he managed finally.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe came for lunch,\u201d said Ben. \u201cAnd then she began to feel poorly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow poorly?\u201d Adam felt dread descend upon him like the imminent snowfall.<\/p>\n

\u201cPoorly enough that she\u2019s not leaving tonight.\u201d The words were heavy.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut . . . she\u2019ll be leaving tomorrow, right?\u201d\u00a0Please, oh, please. . . .<\/em><\/p>\n

Ben looked his eldest son in the eye. \u201cWe don\u2019t know,\u201d he said. \u201cIt appears that Mrs. Meyers is indeed going to have a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014that\u2019s hardly a reason for her to stay here! I mean, when Hoss\u2019s ma was carrying him, she was driving the wagon and helping out with all sorts of work!\u201d Adam didn\u2019t actually recall much of the work Inger had done as the wagon train moved west all those years ago, but he was sure he\u2019d remember if she\u2019d been laid up due to her condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss\u2019s mother was very different from Mrs. Meyers,\u201d said Ben in what could well have been the understatement of the year. \u201cBesides which, each woman\u2019s situation is different,\u201d he added diplomatically. \u201cI\u2019m sure you recall that Marie had a much more difficult time with Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHaven\u2019t we all,\u201d Adam muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, if Mrs. Meyers needs to rest up before making the trip home, then that\u2019s what she needs to do,\u201d Ben concluded as though Adam hadn\u2019t spoken.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Pa\u2014there\u2019s a snowstorm coming. If we get snowed in, it could be days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr longer,\u201d his father reminded him. \u201cBut we have no choice. Where are you going?\u201d he added as Adam reached for his coat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to go out and find your sons,\u201d Adam said. \u201cAnd then, I\u2019m going to wallop the daylights out of both of them for creating this mess.\u201d<\/p>\n

Normally, Ben would have chastised Adam for such a sentiment. This time, he merely shrugged.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cHey, Adam, can I borrow your guitar?\u201d asked Hank on the third day of the snowstorm.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d Adam looked up from his book. \u201cOh, sure, Hank.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, the implication of the request hit them all at the same time. \u201cHank, you ain\u2019t gonna sing, are you?\u201d asked Hoss, the red checker in his hand suddenly forgotten. Joe took advantage of his brother\u2019s distraction to slide two black pieces to more helpful positions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, sure!\u201d Hank looked from Cartwright to Cartwright as though they were all a trifle simple. \u201cMy buttercup loves to hear me sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss and Joe exchanged an eye-roll. No one knew why such a refined lady was so enamored of the songs of a cowboy who sang through his nose, but she was. In fact, it had been Hank\u2019s barely-melodic crooning that had won Abigail Jones\u2019s heart. More proof that there was just no understanding women, in Hoss\u2019s opinion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll bet she\u2019d really like it if you read to her instead,\u201d Joe began, but his father silenced him with a look.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou go on and have a good time, Hank,\u201d said Ben firmly. As the big man charged up the stairs, guitar in hand, Ben said in a low, fierce voice, \u201cIf it makes her happy to hear Hank sing, then Hank will sing. Do you understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir,\u201d Joe mumbled.<\/p>\n

There was no question that their houseguest had proven to be somewhat less than a delight. Her periodic nausea and occasional lightheadedness had dictated that she would be more comfortable resting in bed. This had not, however, made her quieter or more relaxed. Rather, bedrest seemed to be giving her far too much time to think, and every time someone went into her room, she began to assail him with her views on Elizabethan poetry or the price of dry goods at the mercantile. The Cartwrights had plied her with books, but it soon became apparent that her taste in books was vastly different from theirs. Even Adam\u2019s collection failed to satisfy her: he offered\u00a0Paradise Lost<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Moby Dick,<\/em>\u00a0and she wanted Elizabeth Barrett Browning\u2019s love sonnets.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gave her Shakespeare\u2019s sonnets, but apparently, that wasn\u2019t quite good enough,\u201d Adam had reported the night before. \u201cI have no idea what she wants.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, but I\u2019ll bet she could find it at home,\u201d Joe muttered.<\/p>\n

The Cartwrights had had guests who had stayed for weeks, even months, without wearing out their welcomes. Abigail Jones Meyers had exhausted their collective patience in less than ninety-six hours. Privately, Ben considered this something of a record.<\/p>\n

Still, there was nothing to be done about it. He was now certain that Mrs. Meyers was in the family way. Her physical symptoms, her rapidly-changing moods, and her strange cravings were all too familiar from the days when his wives had carried their sons. Besides, he wouldn\u2019t have sent a woman out from under his roof in this storm under any circumstances, but especially not now. They would simply have to wait until it was safe for Hank to load her into the buggy and drive her back to town.<\/p>\n

That day couldn\u2019t come too soon.<\/p>\n

Hank\u2019s song drifted down the stairs. \u201cEarly one morning, just as the sun was rising,\u201d came the pinched tones. Hoss and Joe cringed. Adam\u2019s mouth was set in a tight, determined line.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least he stays on pitch,\u201d Ben offered.<\/p>\n

All three of his sons turned as one to glower at him.<\/p>\n

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

Fully a week passed before the sun broke through. That was the good news. The bad news was that the snowstorms had deposited more than five feet of snow which drifted in some spots to well over eight feet. It was hard enough to get from the house to the barn to care for the stock. Getting a wagon out to drive Mrs. Meyers back to town was impossible.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t help that the snow meant that the ranch hands had little to do. Men accustomed to being outside and working hard tended to become restless when confined to a bunkhouse. At least once a day, the Cartwrights found themselves breaking up a fight over a card game or some imagined slight.<\/p>\n

Unlike the other hands, Hank Meyers had the dubious pleasure of being snowed in with his wife. That the pleasure was dubious was underscored by the fact that Mrs. Meyers was most definitely exhibiting all the signs of a woman who would bear a child within a few months: morning sickness that lasted all day, extremes in emotion from giddiness to despair to fury, and demands for odd food combinations, such as roast beef with sugar and spearmint. Even Hank, the one man on the Ponderosa who was truly fond of Abigail Jones Meyers, winced as he approached the guest room that they now shared.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s his own doggone fault,\u201d Joe muttered to his brothers as they took refuge in Adam\u2019s room. \u201cIf he\u2019d picked himself a normal girl, none of this would have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if you two could mind your own business for five minutes, we\u2019d be snowed in with nobody for company except Hop Sing,\u201d said Adam without lifting his eyes from his book.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always used to like being snowed in with Hop Sing,\u201d Hoss grumbled. Being expectant had enhanced Mrs. Meyers\u2019 sense of smell, and there seemed to be a great many cooking scents that she found objectionable, including baking bread and roasting pork. So, instead of spending his snowbound days making all sorts of delectable treats to relieve the tedium, Hop Sing was grumbling and stomping around the kitchen\u2014though not clanging pans in his usual fashion, since this was likely to awaken Mrs. Meyers from her slumber, and no one was eager for that to happen.<\/p>\n

A knock on the door snapped them all to attention. \u201cWho is it?\u201d Adam called.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour father,\u201d came the terse reply.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Pa,\u201d said Adam as he leaned over to open the door. Ben entered, and Joe jumped up to close the door firmly behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you three doing up here?\u201d Ben demanded as though he didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

\u201cHiding from Mrs. Meyers,\u201d said Joe. \u201cShe wanted to have a discussion about some article from The Territorial Enterprise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you think it\u2019s polite to hide from your guests?\u201d Ben raised his eyebrows as he fixed his gaze on first one son, then another, and then the third.<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, Pa, it ain\u2019t that.\u201d Hoss never wanted for anyone to be unhappy, but for once, he was willing that the group of not-unhappy people should include himself. \u201cIt\u2019s just that\u2014well, it\u2019s the paper from the day before the snowstorm, and we\u2019ve already discussed everything in it three times!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve offered her other things to read,\u201d said Adam. \u201cAs it turns out, her taste in literature is a bit different from mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBesides, it ain\u2019t enough for her to just read something,\u201d Joe said. \u201cShe has to tell us all about what she reads, and\u2014doggone it, Pa, it\u2019s just so danged boring we can\u2019t stand it!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, you listen to me, young man.\u201d All three sons sat up straight at their father\u2019s tone. \u201cMrs. Meyers is a guest in our home, and you will be polite to her. And if that means discussing articles and literature, then that is what you will do. Now, get yourselves out of this room and entertain our guest!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben crossed his arms as his sons got to their feet and slunk from the room. He waited until he could hear them going downstairs. Then, he seated himself in Adam\u2019s armchair and picked up the book his son had abandoned. He figured that it would be at least half an hour before anyone noticed that he was missing.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cHey, Pa! Great news!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe burst triumphantly through the door. He was so thoroughly bundled up against the bitter winds that between his hat and his muffler, the only part of him that actually showed was his eyes, but they were glowing as though he\u2019d just won a million dollars.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s have it!\u201d At that point, Ben would have accepted mediocre news. Nearly two weeks of being snowbound had left them starved for any word from the outside world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Virginia City road is passable!\u201d Joe held up his hands like a performer expecting cheers and applause, and that was pretty much the reaction he got from his grateful family. For the moment, the lack of response from Abigail Jones Meyers, who reclined on the settee, went unnoticed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s great, Little Brother!\u201d Hoss pounded Joe on the back. \u201cHow\u2019d you find out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was trying to see if I could make it over to the Devlins\u2019, and Clem came along. He said that it took him longer than usual, but a couple of the mine owners wanted the road open so that they could get their men back to work, so they\u2019ve had a crew working on clearing it for a while.\u201d He pulled off his muffler, hat and gloves as he told the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait\u2014why were you going over to the Devlins\u2019?\u201d his father interrupted.<\/p>\n

Joe paused in the act of unbuttoning his coat. \u201cI figured it would be nice to check and see if they needed anything,\u201d he said with such innocence that his brothers had to cough to cover their laughter. Mitch Devlin had been one of Joe\u2019s closest friends since their school days. Unlike Joe, however, Mitch Devlin was well-known for planning ahead. The notion that the Devlins might need anything was about as far-fetched as the idea that Abigail Jones Meyers might want to borrow one of Joe\u2019s dime novels.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat made you think them newlyweds weren\u2019t perfectly happy bein\u2019 snowbound all by themselves?\u201d asked Hoss before he thought. Joe had been the best man at Mitch\u2019s wedding to Kathleen Morrison, a ceremony that had taken place only a week after the Meyers nuptials.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyway,\u201d said Joe with a fierce glare at his brother, \u201cthe point is that if Mrs. Meyers wants to, we could take her back home now that the road\u2019s clear.\u201d He favored their houseguest with his most charming smile.<\/p>\n

But Mrs. Meyers didn\u2019t look charmed. If anything, she looked a bit troubled by the news. \u201cAre you certain that the road is completely clear?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, yes, ma\u2019am,\u201d said Joe. \u201cClem said he rode out from Virginia City, and it was just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut isn\u2019t it terribly cold outside?\u201d she inquired.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2014it\u2019s not so bad as long as you\u2019re wrapped up real warm,\u201d said Joe. He\u2019d been rubbing his hands to warm them, but now he stopped and held them motionless by his sides. \u201cIn fact, I\u2019d bet that with the sun out, it\u2019s probably not much more than ten below zero.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mrs. Meyers frowned. \u201cThat seems awfully cold to me,\u201d she mused. Then, she turned to Ben. \u201cWhat do you think, Mr. Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I think that it\u2019s up to you and Hank,\u201d said Ben, ignoring his sons\u2019 wordless urgings. \u201cAfter all, ladies are more delicate than men,\u201d he added as though this was news. \u201cAnd especially since you haven\u2019t been feeling well\u2014I definitely think that this is a decision you and Hank should discuss. Joe, why don\u2019t you go out to the bunkhouse and fetch Hank?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u201d Deflated, Joe pulled his outerwear back on and trudged out to the bunkhouse.<\/p>\n

The Cartwrights ended up spending the remainder of the afternoon upstairs in their rooms in order to give the Meyerses privacy to discuss the trip, although Joe and Hoss eavesdropped from the top of the stairs and periodically reported in about the state of the negotiations.<\/p>\n

It seemed that Hank was more than willing to drive his buttercup back to town, but he felt that he should remain on the ranch. Mrs. Meyers took the position that the two of them should remain together, either at home or on the Ponderosa. \u201cThen both of you should go home,\u201d Joe whispered, and Hoss smacked him on the head.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, it was decided that the Meyerses would go back to town the next morning. That night, supper seemed like a party even though Mrs. Meyers couldn\u2019t stand to have the cornbread on the table and she required no fewer than six glasses of milk during the course of the meal. Tomorrow, the Cartwrights told each other silently, she would be gone and life would return to normal.<\/p>\n

If only.<\/p>\n

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

The next morning, Ben Cartwright woke with a sense of relief so overwhelming that at first, he could not fathom its source. Then, he remembered. Today, Abigail Jones Meyers was going home.<\/p>\n

Ben burrowed down among his warm bedclothes instead of throwing them back to prepare for the day\u2014a moment of luxury to celebrate the Ponderosa\u2019s imminent independence from Abigail Jones. He sighed with contentment, reveling in a deep sense of well-being as the winter sun peeked around the edge of the draperies. Tomorrow morning, it would be just himself, his sons and Hop Sing. Peace was within their grasp at last.<\/p>\n

Not for the first time\u2014or the fiftieth\u2014he allowed his mind to wander into the question of what on earth Hank Meyers saw in that woman. True, she was refined and clean and sweet-smelling, but surely Hank must have known other women who fit that description. Why he had fixated on Abigail would remain one of life\u2019s mysteries.<\/p>\n

Who could say what led a man to choose this woman rather than that one? After all, there had been those who had questioned his decision to marry Marie. Of course, their objections had had nothing to do with his bride\u2019s personality. Even her most ardent critics could not have truthfully said that she was anything other than charming, vibrant and witty. Her laugh rang through the house like sweet silver bells. Her generosity was boundless; on one notable occasion, she had removed her new hat, just received from New York, and bestowed it upon a woman who had just been snubbed as poorly-attired by some of Virginia City\u2019s self-proclaimed elite.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, her tongue could be sharp when she was crossed. Marie Cartwright was the most passionate defender of anyone she cared about, and the people of Virginia City learned quickly not to criticize Ben, her boys, Hop Sing, or anyone else in her circle.<\/p>\n

Her son\u2019s tendency to try to fix other people\u2019s romantic lives was a direct legacy from his mother. Even now, Ben chuckled as he recalled Marie\u2019s hapless attempts to match the local seamstress with one of the miners. That the man was shy and slight with receding chin and hairline to match, while the girl could most charitably be described as robust and well-fed, interfered not at all with his wife\u2019s determination that Rosalie Evans should wed the man of her dreams. The fact that Marie had barely two months before Little Joe\u2019s birth did nothing to diminish her enthusiasm for this endeavor. She enlisted a reluctant Adam as courier so that she could send lengthy notes to the girl, advising her in such matters as how to find out her beloved\u2019s favorite kind of pie so that she could bake it for the upcoming church social, or how to best position herself so that he would know that she was favorably disposed toward an invitation to next Saturday\u2019s dance. When the miner ultimately proposed to a girl he had known back in St. Louis, Marie was nearly as despondent as Rosalie.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartwright!\u201d<\/p>\n

The urgency in Hank\u2019s voice yanked Ben from his memories back to the present. Snatching up his dressing gown, he fumbled for his slippers and barreled out of his room. Adam, Hoss and Joe, similarly attired, ran from their rooms as Hank appeared in the doorway of the guest room. \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d Ben demanded.<\/p>\n

Hank\u2019s face was frighteningly pale. \u201cShe\u2019s bleeding, Mr. Cartwright!\u201d<\/p>\n

Frantically, Ben\u2019s mind raced through the possibilities, none of them good. \u201cHow much blood?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot.\u201d Hank\u2019s eyes beseeched Ben to do something.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, go and fetch Doc Martin,\u201d Ben barked. \u201cAdam, Hoss, see if Hop Sing has something that can help.\u201d He had no idea what that something might be, but if there was any way to hold off a catastrophe until Doc arrived, he was willing to try it.<\/p>\n

Five long hours passed before Doc\u2019s buggy drove into the yard. From the doorway to the guest room, Ben breathed a prayer of thanks for the mine owners who had cleared the roads. He approached Hank, who had sat by his wife\u2019s bed all morning. \u201cThe doctor\u2019s here,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n

Hank didn\u2019t appear to have heard, but Abigail looked up at Ben. \u201cThank you, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d she said. \u201cHank, you can go with Mr. Cartwright now. The doctor will see to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Buttercup\u2014\u201d His words faded as she nodded firmly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait downstairs, Hank,\u201d she said as the doctor appeared in the doorway. Hank squeezed her hand and rose, head bowed as he squeezed past Doc Martin.<\/p>\n

Fully another hour elapsed before the doctor appeared at the top of the stairs. Immediately, Hank was on his feet, and the Cartwrights leaned forward in their seats. \u201cHow is she?\u201d Hank demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s fine,\u201d said Doc. \u201cSo is the baby. Lucky thing she was here. She said you\u2019d been planning to go back to town this morning. If this had happened on the way in, it wouldn\u2019t have been good for either of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they\u2019re all right?\u201d Hank was still focused on the most important thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are,\u201d the doctor affirmed. \u201cMind you, she\u2019s going to need to be very careful until the baby\u2019s born. I don\u2019t want her out of bed until then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014but\u2014\u201d Joe\u2019s sputtering spoke for all the Cartwrights, and the doctor nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Meyers cannot travel to Virginia City,\u201d he said. \u201cShe needs to stay right where she is until the baby is born.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd just how long is that?\u201d Adam\u2019s deceptively even tone bore a thin edge of trepidation.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy best estimate is four months.\u201d If the doctor enjoyed this particular pronouncement, he gave no sign other than a brief twinkle in his pale blue eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cFour months?\u201d Ben\u2019s voice was faint.<\/p>\n

The doctor nodded. \u201cComplete bedrest,\u201d he added. \u201cShe\u2019s not to be up for any reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

The emphasis on \u201cany\u201d did not go unnoticed by his audience. As one, the Cartwrights turned their gazes to the floor. None of them would look up and meet Hank Meyers\u2019 eyes. Four months of Abigail Jones Meyers in bed was a hardship that they knew they were only just beginning to appreciate. That the four months would run through most of the winter, when forced proximity due to harsh winter weather routinely wreaked havoc on the family\u2019s usual close relationships anyway, only heightened their dread of what lay ahead.<\/p>\n

Ben raised his head defiantly. He had sailed storm-tossed seas, fought rustlers and land barons, and defended his sons and his Ponderosa against far bigger challenges than this. He had always faced trouble head on, and he would not back down now. \u201cAdam, I want you to take the buckboard and go into town with Hank, and bring back all of Mrs. Meyers\u2019 books,\u201d he announced. At their startled expressions, he added, \u201cWe can\u2019t ask her to spend the next four months in bed with nothing to read except what we\u2019ve got here. Hank, see if there\u2019s anything else your wife would like for you to bring her to make her time more pleasant\u2014maybe some sewing or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

A smile crossed Hank\u2019s face for the first time all day. \u201cThat\u2019s right nice of you, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d he said. \u201cHey, Adam, you write good. Bring up a piece of paper so\u2019s we can write down everything my buttercup wants us to fetch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d said Adam, pressing his lips together to keep from saying more. It wasn\u2019t that Pa\u2019s logic was flawed. After all, whatever could be done to keep Mrs. Meyers amused would undoubtedly work to all their advantages. He just didn\u2019t see why this task couldn\u2019t have been handed to Little Joe, who was, after all, the cause of the whole problem. Clearly, Pa didn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, you go with them,\u201d Ben continued. \u201cWe need supplies anyway, and Hop Sing will need to know what foods Mrs. Meyers prefers in her condition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go with them, too,\u201d Joe offered a touch too eagerly.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Joseph, you won\u2019t,\u201d said his father. \u201cYou will stay here and make sure that Mrs. Meyers has everything she needs. If she calls for anything, you will take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam turned away to hide his smile. Pa understood just fine.<\/p>\n

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

Large, lazy, late-January snowflakes danced outside the window of the guest room as Joe tapped at the door. \u201cCome in,\u201d came a distracted voice.<\/p>\n

Joe pushed the door open. Mrs. Meyers was engrossed in her book and barely seemed to notice his presence. How she could spend so much time re-reading the same stories over and over made no sense to Joe, but she declined offers of other reading material with the singular exception of The Territorial Enterprise. Although the newspaper was published daily, the winter\u2019s storms meant that many days sometimes passed in between trips to town for fresh news. At Ben\u2019s request, the editor, Dan DeQuille, had begun to set a copy aside each day, and whenever the weather permitted, a boy was dispatched to the Ponderosa to deliver all the issues that had been published since the last storm. Ben\u2019s appreciation for this supply of reading material made itself known monetarily, with the result that the boys in town were vying fiercely for the privilege of delivering newspapers to the Ponderosa and DeQuille was considering whether there might be others who would pay to have the newspaper delivered to their homes.<\/p>\n

\u201cNewspapers are here, Mrs. Meyers,\u201d Joe announced. He dropped onto the bed the stack of papers he\u2019d secured under his arm. Then, he set the tray carefully across Mrs. Meyers\u2019 ever-decreasing lap. \u201cThere you go, ma\u2019am,\u201d he said. \u201cEnjoy your lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rich aromas of Hop Sing\u2019s vegetable beef soup and freshly-baked bread were tantalizing, but their houseguest didn\u2019t seem to notice. Instead, she merely set aside her well-worn copy of\u00a0Romeo and Juliet.<\/em>\u00a0\u201cThank you, Little Joseph,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Joe hesitated at the door. \u201cUh, ma\u2019am,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you wanted\u2014I mean, it\u2019s all right if you call me just plain Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abigail Jones Meyers was rearranging her silverware, and for a moment, Joe wasn\u2019t certain she\u2019d heard him. He was about to repeat himself when she looked up. \u201cI don\u2019t believe in nicknames,\u201d she said, her glance clearly dismissing him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014\u201d Joe stammered. \u201c\u2018Little Joe\u2019 is a nickname. So is \u2018Hoss\u2019\u2014and so is \u2018Hank\u2019!\u201d<\/p>\n

Abigail Jones Meyers laid down her spoon. \u201cAre you correcting me?\u201d She fixed him with the look that had so often preceded a note to Pa, with all the unpleasantness that brought.<\/p>\n

Joe gulped, but he stood his ground. \u201cNo, ma\u2019am,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you are,\u201d said the teacher. \u201cYou\u2019re correcting me, and you should know by now that correcting someone is impolite.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014\u201d The obvious protest died on Joe\u2019s lips. \u201cI just meant\u2014I just meant to let you know that pretty much everybody calls me \u2018Joe\u2019 now\u2014so you don\u2019t have to call me \u2018Little Joseph.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

She watched him without speaking. The silence stretched out between them, just as it had so many times when he\u2019d made some sort of misstep in her classroom.\u00a0I\u2019m a grown man,<\/em>\u00a0he told himself.\u00a0I can just walk right out of here. There\u2019s nothing she can do to me now. Pa would never tan me\u2014I\u2019m too old. Besides, he\u2019d never have tanned me over something like this anyway. I should just leave. Don\u2019t say a word. Just walk right out the door and leave her to her lunch.<\/em><\/p>\n

But the words blurted themselves out in spite of him. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, ma\u2019am,\u201d Joe said. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to correct you.\u201d<\/p>\n

She considered him for another long moment. \u201cYou\u2019re forgiven, Little Joseph,\u201d she said, turning back to her lunch. She ignored him as his eyes grew wide and his lips trembled with the effort of holding back the words. She didn\u2019t appear to notice as he stormed out of the room, stomping down the stairs.<\/p>\n

Hoss and Adam were in the barn when Joe barreled in. \u201cWhat\u2019s your problem?\u201d asked Adam as he forked hay into a stall.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gotta get rid of her,\u201d said Joe. \u201cShe\u2019s making me loco!\u201d His breath formed furious clouds in the frigid January air.<\/p>\n

His ever-sympathetic brothers snickered. \u201cWhat happened now?\u201d asked Adam.<\/p>\n

The snickers grew to snorts of laughter as Joe recounted the events of the past few minutes. \u201cAnd after all that, she still called me \u2018Little Joseph\u2019!\u201d Joe finished.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Little Brother, it ain\u2019t like there\u2019s not still a fair number of people who call you \u2018Little Joe,\u2019\u201d Hoss said when he\u2019d regained his breath. \u201cMe and Adam, and Pa, and Hop Sing, and Roy Coffee, and the doc\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s different!\u201d Joe snatched the pitchfork out of Hoss\u2019s hands and began flinging hay into a stall.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how is this different?\u201d inquired Adam. \u201cI already did that one,\u201d he added as Joe flung hay into the next stall.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I like all those people!\u201d Joe shoved the pitchfork into the haypile. \u201cBesides, you all call me \u2018Little Joe.\u2019 She calls me \u2018Little Joseph\u2019\u2014it sounds stupid!\u201d Hay scattered as he tossed it into a stall.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he\u2019s got a point there,\u201d Adam said, still chuckling. \u201cBut unfortunately, Little Brother, it looks as if you\u2019re stuck with it until this baby\u2019s born. After that, she can go home, and you never have to see her again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d be happy if I never had to see her again right now,\u201d muttered Joe. \u201cBelieve me, I\u2019ve seen all of Abigail Jones that I ever want to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou might want to keep your voice down,\u201d Hoss warned. \u201cHank could be around here someplace, and he\u2019d flatten you into a Little Joseph flapjack if\u2019n he heard you say something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stabbed his pitchfork into the floor and flung himself onto the hay pile. \u201cThis is all your fault,\u201d he said, glaring at Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy<\/em>\u00a0fault?\u201d The big man\u2019s voice nearly squeaked in amazement. \u201cYou\u2019re the one who decided she oughta come out here!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you didn\u2019t stop me!\u201d argued Joe. \u201cPa always said it was your job as the big brother to keep me out of trouble!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I\u2019ve heard everything,\u201d said Adam. \u201cWhen was the last time Hoss kept you out of trouble? When he went along with your plan to rob the bank? Or the time you two stole that emerald when you thought the Widow Hawkins had been swindled? Or maybe when the two of you took up bullfighting? Or when\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, you jest hush up!\u201d snapped Hoss. To Joe, he said, \u201cIt ain\u2019t my job to keep you from doin\u2019 stupid things. Lord knows, if it was, I wouldn\u2019t have time for nothin\u2019 else! Now, you\u2019re the one that came up with this notion to bring Mrs. Meyers out to the Ponderosa in the first place, and I don\u2019t wanna hear you complainin\u2019 about her no more. You hear me? \u2019Cause if you make her unhappy, ol\u2019 Hank\u2019s gonna get unhappy, an\u2019 if that happens, he\u2019s gonna break up the whole danged ranch an\u2019 then I\u2019ll have to pound you right into the ground!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe crossed his arms and huffed. Then, he looked up from his seat in the hay, eyes wide and guileless. \u201cHey, Hoss,\u201d he said, as friendly as though they were sitting around and having a beer. \u201cWouldn\u2019t you like to fetch her tray and take it down to Hop Sing?\u201d His smile was as innocent as a sunny spring day, and he held it that way right up until his brothers doubled over, their guffaws echoing through the barn.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a chance, Little Joseph,\u201d said Hoss when he\u2019d caught his breath. \u201cToday\u2019s your day. I got her tomorrow, and that\u2019s soon enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t even ask,\u201d added Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmph!\u201d Joe tried to get to his feet, but his attempt at a dignified exit dissolved as he lost his balance and fell backward into the hay pile. He floundered in the hay until Hoss reached down and yanked him to his feet. \u201cSome brothers you are!\u201d Joe muttered as he tried ineffectually to brush the hay off himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou missed some,\u201d said Adam. He delivered a sound swat to the seat of Joe\u2019s pants as he announced, \u201cThere, that\u2019s all of it. Just trying to help,\u201d he added innocently as his youngest brother glared.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you worry, Older Brother,\u201d Joe said. \u201cI\u2019ll go get her tray\u2014and I\u2019ll be sure to let her know you sent your love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d snapped Adam. He lunged for Joe, but the younger Cartwright was too quick. Hoss grabbed Adam\u2019s arm as Joe scooted out of the barn. Adam glowered at Hoss, who shrugged.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s more\u2019n one way to keep that young\u2019un out of trouble,\u201d said the big man philosophically.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cThree more weeks,\u201d muttered Joe as he slid into his seat at breakfast. \u201cJust three more weeks, and she\u2019ll have this baby, and her and Hank can go home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe and Hank,\u201d said Adam as he refilled his coffee cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow you sound like her!\u201d Joe snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cHush up, you two,\u201d said Hoss. \u201cI done heard all I want to hear about her. I took her breakfast up, an\u2019 she told me eggs make her sick, so Hop Sing had to make her some flapjacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEggs make her sick? Since when? She had eggs for breakfast yesterday!\u201d Joe\u2019s voice went higher with indignation.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s having a baby,\u201d said Adam as though any of them needed reminding. \u201cWomen\u2019s likes and dislikes change from day to day when they\u2019re with child. Marie\u2019s certainly did, anyway,\u201d he added before Joe could challenge Adam\u2019s superior knowledge.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you compare her to my mother,\u201d Joe warned. \u201cI don\u2019t care what you say\u2014my mother could never have been anything like Abigail Jones.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you say so,\u201d Adam muttered. It was a pointless discussion.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure it\u2019s three weeks?\u201d Hoss asked after a few minutes of silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cYep,\u201d said Joe. \u201cThree weeks and two days, if you count from when Doc said four months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou do realize that he was just estimating,\u201d said Adam. \u201cNobody can predict exactly when a baby is going to be born.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you can\u2014it\u2019s nine months.\u201d Joe speared another ham steak from the platter.<\/p>\n

\u201cNine months from . . . an event we don\u2019t know the date of,\u201d Adam reminded him. Satisfied, he watched as his brothers cringed in unison at the mental image of that particular event. \u201cAnd even if we knew, there are all sorts of things that can make a baby come early or late. By all estimates, you were almost three weeks early,\u201d he added as Joe seemed about to comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why he\u2019s so doggone puny,\u201d chortled Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf that\u2019s how it works, then you musta been three\u00a0months<\/em>\u00a0late!\u201d Joe retorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d asked Ben as he descended the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the usual high level of intellectual discussion,\u201d Adam assured him as his brothers stared daggers at each other.<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright knew when it was better not to get involved. \u201cWhich one of you is responsible for Mrs. Meyers today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe,\u201d muttered Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, then,\u201d said Ben. \u201cAdam and Joe will head up to the north pasture with some of the hands to see how the herd is doing. It\u2019s anybody\u2019s guess when we\u2019ll have this chance again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Adam, I\u2019ll trade you,\u201d Hoss offered brightly. \u201cIt\u2019s mighty cold out there, an\u2019 I reckon you\u2019d rather set by the fire with that book you was readin\u2019 last night, wouldn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam chortled. \u201cNot a chance, Big Brother.\u201d At Hoss\u2019s glare, he added, \u201cMuch as I appreciate the offer, I find that a brisk ride in the winter\u2019s air helps me to appreciate a quiet evening by the fireside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust you wait,\u201d Hoss muttered. \u201cYou\u2019re gonna wish you traded.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a statement Adam Cartwright would recall later that afternoon as the sun was setting and he was making the frosty ride into Virginia City to fetch the doctor. Even with his head bent against the frigid wind, he could feel the hairs in his nose freezing and his eyes watering. When he finally reached the doctor\u2019s office, he was so cold that he had to thaw out by the stove in the main room before his teeth stopped chattering enough to enable him to speak.<\/p>\n

\u201cHank Meyers broke his leg,\u201d he managed at last as Rose Martin pressed a cup of coffee into his grateful hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow did he do that?\u201d Mrs. Martin asked as she bustled about, assembling the necessary equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not quite sure,\u201d Adam admitted. \u201cHis horse stepped into a hole, and he went down, and then he was trying to check on the horse, and the next thing anybody knew, he was on the ground, screaming.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch a shame,\u201d clucked Mrs. Martin. \u201cAnd with his wife almost due! Lands sakes, but that family has had its share of hard luck lately.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat they have,\u201d agreed Adam, and it was by a mighty effort that he refrained from commenting on another family that had had its own share of hard luck as a result of the Meyerses\u2019 misfortunes.<\/p>\n

Later that night, the doctor came out of Hoss\u2019s room, where the only bed big enough for Hank Meyers was now occupied. Doc unrolled his sleeves, sighing as he headed down the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is he?\u201d Ben demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like it,\u201d Doc Martin admitted. \u201cIt\u2019s a bad break. I wish we had a surgeon here in town. I\u2019m not at all comfortable with the way I had to set that leg.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with it?\u201d asked Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt needs more expertise than I have,\u201d admitted the doctor. \u201cHank needs a surgeon, not a country doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes Mrs. Meyers know?\u201d asked Ben as Hoss came down the stairs. The middle Cartwright was often recruited to serve as the doctor\u2019s assistant, especially when the task at hand required muscle to hold a suffering patient in place.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told her as little as I could,\u201d said the doctor. \u201cIn her condition, the less that upsets her, the better. I told her only that Hank had broken his leg. I didn\u2019t mention the surgeon. No point until I know whether I can find one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t there a surgeon around here?\u201d asked Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cClosest one is Dr. Hennepin in Carson City,\u201d said Doc. \u201cAnd that\u2019s if he\u2019s not gone to San Francisco\u2014he\u2019s got a daughter there, and so he makes that trek a couple times a year. I\u2019ll wire him when I get back to town and see where he is, but I\u2019d like for Hank to see him as soon as he can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou tell him that if he\u2019ll come here, I\u2019ll cover all the costs,\u201d said Ben.<\/p>\n

Doc smiled wearily. \u201cI\u2019ll let him know,\u201d he said. \u201cNow, if it\u2019s not too much trouble, might I have a cup of coffee before heading back to town?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d said Ben. He called for Hop Sing, who already had a pot of coffee and a plate of sandwiches ready for this moment.<\/p>\n

After the doctor left, the Cartwrights regarded each other. \u201cDo you think we should tell her?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head. \u201cYou heard the doctor. In her condition, she shouldn\u2019t be upset.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut won\u2019t she be more upset if she finds out that Hank needs an operation and nobody told her?\u201d asked Joe reasonably.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll deal with that problem when we get to it,\u201d said his father firmly. \u201cFor now, Hank will stay in Hoss\u2019s room, and Mrs. Meyers will stay in the guest room, and we just won\u2019t mention anything that will trouble either of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019m I supposed to sleep?\u201d asked Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cBunk with Joe,\u201d said Adam before anyone could suggest that his large brother share his room.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he talks in his sleep!\u201d Hoss protested. \u201cLast time, I heard all sorts of stuff about some gal\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Hoss snores louder than a typhoon!\u201d Joe cut in before his brother could elaborate.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, if you want to go out to the bunkhouse, I\u2019m sure the men won\u2019t mind,\u201d said Ben as though he had no idea what reaction that suggestion would evoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bunkhouse? But, Pa\u2014last time I slept there, they all said I snored so bad I was shakin\u2019 the timbers, an\u2019 they poured cold water on me to wake me up!\u201d Hoss looked downright miserable at the memory.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s that or Joe\u2019s room,\u201d said his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy me? Why not Adam?\u201d demanded Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause my room is next to Mrs. Meyers\u2019 room, and Hoss\u2019s snoring is liable to keep her awake,\u201d said Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cDadburn it,\u201d muttered Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoggone it,\u201d Joe grumbled at exactly the same time. \u201cI get the bed,\u201d he added before his brother could speak. \u201cYou can sleep on the rug.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDadburn it,\u201d Hoss muttered for the second time in as many minutes.<\/p>\n

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

The news from the surgeon was not good. He was indeed in San Francisco, but he anticipated returning to Carson City by the beginning of the week, weather permitting. If the Cartwrights could transport Mr. Meyers to his offices there, he would be happy to examine him promptly upon his return. If he was required to come to the Ponderosa, he would not be able to see Mr. Meyers for at least another week due to previously-scheduled matters.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no choice,\u201d said Ben as he perused the letter again. \u201cDoc says he needs to be seen as soon as possible. So, it looks like we\u2019ve got to take Hank to Carson City.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s going to go?\u201d asked Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cI should go,\u201d said Joe. At his brothers\u2019 skeptical looks, he said, \u201cHank\u2019s gonna need somebody to fetch and carry, and I\u2019m the youngest and I got the most energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

His brothers doubled over, laughing. \u201cBy that logic, you should stay here and wait on Mrs. Meyers,\u201d said Adam when he caught his breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cI should go,\u201d said Hoss. \u201cPa\u2019s gonna need somebody who can help move ol\u2019 Hank, an\u2019 I\u2019m the only one big enough to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe Pa should stay here, and Hoss and I can take him,\u201d said Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2019s going with him,\u201d said Ben. \u201cAs far as which one of you will be going\u2014well, that\u2019s not something we need to decide tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen will you decide?\u201d asked Joe hopefully.<\/p>\n

Ben raised an eyebrow. \u201cIs there some reason you need to know soon? Some plans that you\u2019ve got that would be affected if you went away?\u201d He waited for Joe to look away as he routinely did when caught trying to adjust the Ponderosa\u2019s activities to his plans to meet up with a girl.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sir,\u201d said Joe, holding his father\u2019s gaze. \u201cI just figured that the sooner we know, the sooner we can sort out who\u2019s doing what.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll keep that in mind,\u201d said his father in a tone that said as clearly as words that the topic was closed.<\/p>\n

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

The next afternoon, Adam approached his father\u2019s desk. \u201cPa, I need to talk to you about something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s demeanor was so serious that Ben felt his stomach lurch. He kept his expression impassive as he nodded for his eldest son to take a seat. \u201cWhat is it, son?\u201d asked Ben when Adam said no more.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2014I think I should go with you to Carson City,\u201d said Adam.<\/p>\n

Ben relaxed. \u201cYou do?\u201d he inquired. \u201cStrangely enough, each of your brothers has said the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not surprised,\u201d said Adam. \u201cBut I really ought to be the one to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh? And why is that?\u201d Assured now that the matter was nothing serious, Ben sat back in his chair, fingertips together.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause Mrs. Meyers is in love with me,\u201d said Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain?\u201d Ben barely suppressed his smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not funny,\u201d said Adam. \u201cI won\u2019t be responsible for breaking up a family!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, I think you\u2019ve overreacting a bit,\u201d said Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, you haven\u2019t heard her,\u201d Adam protested. \u201cEvery time I take her something to drink, she wants me to read her poetry or sing to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s probably just bored,\u201d said Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just that,\u201d said Adam. \u201cShe keeps telling me how much she misses having someone who can talk about literature and art and music. She says that Hank can\u2019t talk about anything other than the Ponderosa or his mare. She likes to talk with someone who\u2019s her intellectual equal\u2014her words, by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI still don\u2019t think that means she\u2019s in love with you,\u201d said Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis afternoon, when I was setting the tray on her lap, she kissed me.\u201d Adam crossed his arms and waited for his father\u2019s reaction.<\/p>\n

Ben didn\u2019t disappoint. \u201cShe did\u00a0what<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe leaned over and kissed me on the cheek,\u201d said Adam. He shuddered at the memory.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI told her that I was glad she appreciated her lunch, and I left. What else could I do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben stroked his chin. \u201cIt\u2019s possible that she didn\u2019t mean it the way you\u2019re taking it,\u201d he began.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, come on! This is the same woman who thought she and I were going to get married\u2014and that was just last summer! Believe me, I know when a woman has feelings for me!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben pretended to search in his desk drawer to hide his smile. After a few minutes, he gave up his faux search and sat back. \u201cSon, do you remember what Marie was like when she was carrying Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of it,\u201d said Adam. \u201cI seem to remember a lot of dishes getting broken.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d conceded Ben. \u201cShe was\u2014a bit\u2014well, short-tempered during that time.\u201d Adam resisted the urge to point out that, expecting or not, his stepmother had always been \u201ca bit short-tempered,\u201d or that anybody who was going to produce Little Joe had good reason to be peeved. Ben continued, \u201cWomen who are in the family way tend to be\u2014well, moody. I suspect that Mrs. Meyers is simply a little bit lonely. After all, she spent months in bed while Hank was out working all day, and now with him restricted to bed in another room, all she has for company is us. I wouldn\u2019t read too much into her behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam looked unconvinced. When several minutes passed with his eldest son doing nothing more than pinching the bridge of his nose, Ben decided to take pity on him. \u201cSon, I appreciate your concern for the integrity of Hank and Abigail\u2019s marriage,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you think that coming along to Carson City will help with that, then I think you should come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I do, Pa, I truly do,\u201d said Adam.<\/p>\n

Somehow, I thought you might,<\/em>\u00a0thought Ben. \u201cWell, then, it\u2019s settled. Remind me to let your brothers know in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course. Good night, Pa.\u201d Adam bounded up the stairs the way Joe did, and Ben smiled.<\/p>\n

Your brothers may never forgive you for this,<\/em>\u00a0he thought.<\/p>\n

Little did he know.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cPa, you ain\u2019t serious!\u201d Hoss\u2019 voice squeaked. \u201cWhat if\u2014what if\u2014I mean, she could\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, Miss Abigail could have that baby while you\u2019re gone!\u201d Joe\u2019s eyes were wide with horror at the thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Meyers is not going to have the baby before we get back,\u201d said Ben firmly, as if his pronouncement could make it so.<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright hath spoken,<\/em>\u00a0thought Adam, fighting to maintain a straight face.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if something should happen, you just send someone to town for the doctor,\u201d continued Ben, apparently recognizing that the remote possibility that his word might not be law where Abigail Jones Meyers was concerned.<\/p>\n

Joe pounced on that bit of equivocation like a hound on a rabbit. \u201cBut what if he ain\u2019t around? What if there\u2019s an accident at the mines, or a blizzard, or\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEnough!\u201d thundered Ben. \u201cAdam and I are going to take Hank to Carson City to meet with the surgeon, and you two will stay here with Mrs. Meyers. Is that understood?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBesides, I\u2019m sure you have nothing to worry about,\u201d said Adam with a truly annoying bit of smugness in his voice. \u201cMrs. Meyers will refuse to have that baby until Hank is back\u2014and you know Mrs. Meyers when she sets her mind to something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOlder Brother has a point,\u201d said Hoss, looking slightly less frantic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d grumbled Joe. \u201cI bet she\u2019d do it just to spite us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d Ben\u2019s scowl was so ferocious that none of his sons could see him holding back his own laughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Pa,\u201d Joe mumbled. \u201cHey, Older Brother\u2014I\u2019ll trade with you. Twenty dollars, and I\u2019ll do your chores for a month\u2014no, two months. Two months, Adam. Three.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Little Brother.\u201d Adam\u2019s smile was so self-satisfied that both his brothers had to restrain themselves from knocking it right off his face. \u201cI\u2019ll be sure to give the lovely ladies of Carson City your best wishes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d thundered Ben as Little Joe lunged for Adam and Hoss grabbed his arms. \u201cIf the three of you are finished, Adam and I need to get going. Adam, my wallet\u2019s upstairs. Would you get it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Pa,\u201d said Adam genially. With a quick wink at his youngest brother, he loped up the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, you two listen to me,\u201d Ben said in a low, fierce voice. \u201cHank is already nervous enough about leaving his wife this close to her time. You will not say another word, do you understand me? The last thing Adam and I need is to have Hank become unhappy on this trip. So, you will reassure him that everything is going to be fine here so that the only thing he needs to concern himself with is this operation. Understand?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir,\u201d said Hoss with a sidewise look at Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir,\u201d mumbled Little Joe. \u201cBut\u2014don\u2019t you think it would be better if one of us went up with the men into the north pasture to work on the roundup? After all, with you and Adam and Hank gone, we\u2019re going to be getting real far behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth of you will stay at the house,\u201d said Ben, glaring. \u201cThe hands will be up at the roundup, and with Hop Sing away, you\u2019re both going to be needed to care for Mrs. Meyers. Neither of you goes any place. Is that understood?\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time he\u2019d finished speaking, Ben was nearly nose-to-nose with his youngest son, whose eyes had grown wider and wider. Little Joe swallowed hard. \u201cYes, sir,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood!\u201d Ben reached for his coat, hat and gun. \u201cNow, get Hank into the wagon, and remember\u2014everything is going to be just fine back here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir,\u201d said Hoss. \u201cCome on, Little Brother. Let\u2019s go reassure Hank.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben watched as his two crestfallen sons headed up to Hank\u2019s room. Over the clatter of boots on wooden stairs, he heard Joe mutter, \u201cI always knew Pa liked Adam best.\u201d<\/p>\n

You think so,<\/em>\u00a0Ben mused as he buttoned his coat. All Hoss and Joe had to do for a few days was lounge around the house and take a few trays upstairs, while Ben and Adam were going to deal with a very large, very nervous and, after the operation, very cranky ranch hand. His younger sons might not believe it right now, but they were getting the sweet end of this deal. Ben was sure of it.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cHey, Joe, telegram!\u201d shouted one of the hands as he rode into the frozen mud of the yard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Cody!\u201d Joe grabbed the envelope eagerly and tore it open. He scanned it quickly and whooped with exultation. \u201cHey, Hoss!\u201d he shouted, waving the paper as he ran back into the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cHush yourself, Joseph! What\u2019s the matter with you, anyway?\u201d Hoss caught his arm, glaring at his noisy brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cWire from Pa!\u201d Joe announced, shaking off Hoss\u2019s hand. \u201cOperation went well. They should be home by next Friday!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHallelujah!\u201d crowed Hoss. Five days alone with Abigail Jones Meyers had already worn through the patience of the most patient Cartwright.<\/p>\n

The brothers shared a satisfied grin. Eight more days, and they could hand their guest back to their father, her husband, or anyone else who would have her. And then\u2014<\/p>\n

A piercing scream split the relative peace of the living room. Eyes round with the effort of not understanding the significance of such a sound, they stared at each other. She screamed again, and Joe murmured, \u201cNo. No, it can\u2019t be. It just can\u2019t be. Hoss. . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

One more scream, and Hoss nodded slowly. \u201cPut some water on to boil, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Hoss\u2014Hank\u2019s gonna be back next week! Can\u2019t she wait until then?\u201d<\/p>\n

Another scream resonated, and Hoss snorted a humorless laugh. \u201cIt don\u2019t sound like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019ll we do?\u201d Joe\u2019s voice was climbing the scale.<\/p>\n

\u201cSend one of the hands for Doc Martin,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cIt\u2019s for sure Miz Meyers won\u2019t want the likes of us tending her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUs? No\u2014no, we can\u2019t do anything like that.\u201d Joe sounded more than a little bit panicky.<\/p>\n

\u201cJest send for the doctor,\u201d said Hoss. \u201cI\u2019ll go up an\u2019 see what\u2019s goin\u2019 on.\u201d Joe darted out the front door, and Hoss took a deep breath. If Mrs. Meyers had been challenging before, he had a feeling that that was nothing compared to how the lady would be during childbirth.\u00a0Better Doc than us,<\/em>\u00a0he thought as he climbed the stairs.<\/p>\n

Late afternoon faded into early evening. Having ascertained that their houseguest was indeed in the early stages of labor, Hoss was doing his best to calm her. Joe\u2019s contribution was to stay as far away from the lady\u2019s room as he could manage without actually leaving the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

Finally, Hoss heard the hoof beats of a single horse. Frowning, he sidled up to the window and snuck a look out. No buggy of any kind\u2014just Cody, swinging down from his horse and conversing earnestly with Joe. Even from the window, Hoss could see in the waning light as the color drained from Joe\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it the doctor?\u201d asked Abigail Jones Meyers. Her normally impeccable hairstyle was mightily disheveled, and her face was shiny with perspiration in spite of Hoss\u2019s repeated ministrations with a damp cloth.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, ma\u2019am,\u201d Hoss admitted. \u201cI\u2019ll go an\u2019 see what\u2019s goin\u2019 on.\u201d Before she could answer, he was out of the room and down the stairs.<\/p>\n

When he came out onto the porch, Joe was alone. He repeatedly punched one fist into the other palm as he watched the direction in which Cody had ridden. \u201cWhere\u2019s Cody?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sent him out to Gold Hill Mine.\u201d Joe\u2019s voice sounded tight and strangely disconnected.<\/p>\n

Hoss peered at his brother, who was still staring at the road. \u201cWhat\u2019d you do a thing like that for?\u201d he demanded. \u201cWhere\u2019s the doc?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe turned to him at last, his gaze grim and stony. \u201cDoc can\u2019t come,\u201d he said. \u201cBig accident at Gold Hill Mine. Cave-in. They figure as many as thirty men might be trapped. I told Cody to take all the hands and whatever equipment they need.\u201d Hoss nodded his approval. Then, Joe ventured, \u201cDo you think\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

But Hoss shook his head. \u201cI need you here,\u201d was all he said, but for once, Joe didn\u2019t argue.<\/p>\n

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

Joe had lost track of how many times he\u2019d trudged up and down the stairs with bowls of cool water and glasses of ice chips. Every time he went into the guest room, he looked everywhere except at the woman in the bed, and even so, he knew that her face was red with exertion from screaming.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere you go, ma\u2019am,\u201d he\u2019d say, handing her the glass of ice chips and beating a hasty retreat. He felt bad about leaving Hoss alone with her, but the notion of being there when she had her baby scared the dickens out of him. If he hadn\u2019t been convinced that Hoss would put his head through the wall for leaving, he\u2019d have hightailed it out to the Gold Hill Mine. Blasting through rock seemed a quiet, safe and sane way to spend the next few days.<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t meant to fall asleep on the settee, but at some point in the night, Joe awoke to Hoss shaking him. \u201cJoseph, wake up! Miss Abigail\u2019s gettin\u2019 close to her time!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014but\u2014\u201d Joe sputtered as the clouds of sleep gave way to cold reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo buts,\u201d said his brother firmly. \u201cYou come with me. We got a baby to deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss!\u201d Joe\u2019s voice reached heights it hadn\u2019t even when it was changing. \u201cWe can\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, what do you reckon we should do? Let her birth the baby herself?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but\u2014but\u2014Hoss, we\u2019re gonna have to see\u2014we\u2019re gonna see her\u2014her\u2014her\u00a0parts<\/em>\u2014\u201d The eighteen-year-old suddenly sounded as if he were ten.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ain\u2019t like you never seen a lady\u2019s\u2014parts<\/em>\u2014before!\u201d snapped Hoss. It had been almost a year since Little Joe had met up with Julia Bulette. A long time afterward, Joe had admitted to his big brother that, all his big talk to the contrary, Julia was his first actual experience in that area. Even though he had discouraged Joe from sharing details, Hoss was quite certain that those few months with Julia had taught the boy infinitely more than he now needed to know about a lady\u2019s \u201cparts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but\u2014that\u2019s different! I ain\u2019t never seen Abigail Jones\u2019s parts, and I don\u2019t want to!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDadburnit, Joe, she\u2019s just like any other lady. Jest\u2014pretend it\u2019s somebody else, somebody you like. Pretend it\u2019s Sally Ann from the Bucket of Blood!\u201d He didn\u2019t know what Joe\u2019s relationship with pretty blond Sally Ann had been like up to this point, but knowing Joe, there\u2019d at least been some pretty colorful imaginings.<\/p>\n

Just then, their patient let loose with an operatic scream from upstairs, and Joe\u2019s face went white.<\/p>\n

\u201cSally Ann doesn\u2019t scream like that when I\u2014when we\u2014I mean, sure, she screams, but not like\u2014I mean, I ain\u2019t never heard a girl scream like\u00a0that<\/em>\u00a0when I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d The big man clapped his hands over his ears and squinched his eyes shut as if he could erase the picture his brother had so obligingly provided. \u201cWould you just shut up already! Dagnabit, pretend you\u2019re birthin\u2019 a cow, then!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can do that,\u201d said Joe, nodding vigorously. \u201cIf this danged cow just shuts up!\u201d Another scream from upstairs, and Joe said, \u201cI\u2019ll go boil some more water.\u201d Like a jackrabbit, he darted out of the room, leaving Hoss to rue the day he\u2019d ever heard of Abigail Jones, Hank Meyers, or Little Joe Cartwright.<\/p>\n

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

The mid-morning sun shone with what Joe felt to be completely inappropriate cheerfulness. When he\u2019d gone out to tend the stock that morning, the horses had tossed their heads and nickered brightly as though they were having quite a fine day. Even the squeak of the pump handle and the water splashing into the bowl sounded irritatingly happy.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s stomach growled as he set another kettle of water on the stove. Heck if he knew why he had to keep boiling water when all Hoss ever seemed to need was the cool water to make Miss Abigail feel better. He took a moment to steal into the pantry, but there were no breads, no cakes or cookies, nothing that he could grab for a quick snack. Instead, the shelves were full of jars of fruits and vegetables that Hop Sing had canned at the end of the summer. Joe looked around as though someone might be watching, and then he snatched a jar of bread-and-butter pickles from the shelf. He wrenched off the lid and fished out a handful of the tart slices. Nobody, but nobody, made bread-and-butter pickles as good as Hop Sing\u2019s.<\/p>\n

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

Cursing softly, Joe set down his prize and took up the bowl of water. Hoss hadn\u2019t had any breakfast, either, and he wasn\u2019t complaining. Then again, he hadn\u2019t left Miss Abigail\u2019s side all night, ever since he\u2019d thought the baby was about to come. Either Hoss had been wrong then, or the little fellow had changed his mind. Faced with the prospect of having Abigail Jones Meyers for a mother, the baby might have decided he was never coming out. Joe surely wouldn\u2019t have blamed him.<\/p>\n

Joe edged into the guest room with the bowl. The rest of the house was cool, but this room felt steamy and damp. A pile of wet towels rested on the hearth, and the fire blazed cheerfully as though this was a regular day. Hoss was wiping Miss Abigail\u2019s red face with a damp cloth. Just as Joe began to set the bowl down on the bedside table, she shrieked, startling Joe, and the bowl crashed to the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d snapped Hoss, who was looking pretty damp himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry,\u201d Joe muttered. He grabbed a towel to sop up the water. Hastily, he picked up the pieces of broken china and wrapped them in the towel. Hop Sing was going to have his hide for breaking his favorite mixing bowl, but there was nothing he could do about it now. The saturated towel dripped freely, and Joe hop-stepped around the trail of water that he left from the room to the hallway and down the stairs to the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t do anything right,\u201d he muttered as he grabbed the next largest bowl and began to pump. He could hear Hoss calling for him. \u201cI\u2019ll be right back!\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s next words were probably unprintable, but it didn\u2019t matter because Joe couldn\u2019t hear them over the thumping of his large brother tumbling down the stairs. \u201cHoss!\u201d He darted out to the living room to see Hoss lying on the floor below the landing, pieces of the broken railing scattered around him. \u201cHoss! Are you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man\u2019s eyes were glassy and unfocused. Joe knelt beside him. \u201cHoss!\u201d He slapped his brother\u2019s face gently, and Hoss turned his head slightly. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d Joe asked as though the answer wasn\u2019t obvious.<\/p>\n

\u201cSlipped,\u201d Hoss muttered. He started to lift his head, but in the next moment, he groaned and let it fall back.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust stay still,\u201d Joe ordered. He opened his mouth to ask whether his brother was in pain, but a scream from upstairs drew their attention. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, she\u2019ll manage this one by herself,\u201d Joe instructed. \u201cWhere do you hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019M okay,\u201d Hoss mumbled unconvincingly. He lifted his head again, and this time, he was able to hold it up. He started to move his arm as though supporting himself to a sitting position when he let slip a word his father would definitely not have approved of. \u201cMy arm,\u201d he managed between clenched teeth.<\/p>\n

\u201cLemme see.\u201d Joe crouched on Hoss\u2019s right side and unbuttoned his cuff. As carefully as he could, he slid the sleeve up until the muscular forearm was exposed.<\/p>\n

Joe Cartwright had seen numerous broken limbs in his time, including a few of his own, and he knew a bad break when he saw it. This break was definitely bad. At the sight of the inappropriate bend in Hoss\u2019s already-swollen forearm, Joe had to take a deep breath to keep the pickles from making an unceremonious reappearance.<\/p>\n

He sat back on his heels and considered his choices. Doc was at the mine, and so were all the hands. Hop Sing was taking care of some cousin or other. Pa and Adam were in Carson City with Hank. Somebody needed to tend to Hoss, and somebody needed to take care of Miss Abigail, and there was only one somebody between the Ponderosa and Virginia City.<\/p>\n

Resolute, he rose. Somehow, he would have to figure all this out.<\/p>\n

Damned if he knew how.<\/p>\n

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

Half an hour later, Joe stood before his brother, saying, \u201cNow, you just stay there. I\u2019ve got everything under control.\u201d It was the biggest lie he\u2019d told in a long time, but right then, he didn\u2019t have much choice.<\/p>\n

Hoss looked like he\u2019d been drinking for days and was paying the price. Luckily, the bump on his head didn\u2019t seem to be too serious. Setting and splinting the arm had been the challenge. Joe had had to brace his boot against his brother\u2019s side and pull with all his might, but as near as he could tell, both bones were back in place and properly splinted with makeshift sticks and a torn-up sheet.<\/p>\n

That was the easy part.<\/p>\n

The hard part came when he went upstairs to the guest room. He\u2019d done his best to ignore the screams from upstairs while he tended to his brother, but Hoss had sent him up to check on Mrs. Meyers\u2019 progress so often that it was a wonder Joe had ever gotten the arm set at all. Faced with the lady\u2019s increasingly strident demands for Hoss, Joe had hedged, quibbled, prevaricated, and finally downright lied. He held cool compresses against her face the way his father always did when he was hurt, and he tried his best to concentrate on what needed to be done, but every time he thought about pulling back the sheet and looking at Abigail Jones Meyers\u2019 parts, he had to resist the urge to scream right along with her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter with your brother? Where is he?\u201d Mrs. Meyers shrieked. \u201cDoesn\u2019t he know I\u2019m having a baby here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, ma\u2019am, he knows,\u201d said Joe wearily.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen where is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect he\u2019s out in the barn,\u201d Joe said, not caring whether the lie was even a tiny bit credible.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the barn? What on earth is he doing in the barn? This baby\u2019s coming\u2014I can feel it!\u201d The last words dissolved into a scream that made Joe want to clap his hands over his ears.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait here,\u201d he said when she stopped screaming. He darted out of the room and down the stairs to find Hoss trying his best to get to his feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you think you\u2019re doing?\u201d Joe demanded. \u201cSit right back down there and don\u2019t move!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe needs me.\u201d Hoss\u2019s voice was thick and groggy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019re you figuring on getting upstairs? You gonna crawl?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMebbe.\u201d Hoss\u2019s eyes were still unfocused, but he squinted at Little Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith one good arm? I don\u2019t think so, Big Brother.\u201d Joe gave the slightest shove, and Hoss fell back into the chair. Squatting down in front of his brother, he said, \u201cNow, you listen to me. I\u2019ve birthed as many calves and foals as you have. You just stay here, and I\u2019ll get this little one born.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, you can\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I can,\u201d said Joe with far more certainty than he felt. \u201cJust tell me\u2014is there anything about humans that\u2019s different from livestock?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss grinned slightly. \u201cLittle Brother, if you ain\u2019t figured by now that ladies are different from cows, I don\u2019t reckon there\u2019s much hope for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, shut up and go to sleep. I\u2019ll let you know when Abigail Junior is here.\u201d Joe rose, and Hoss caught his hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cHelp me upstairs,\u201d the big man murmured. As Joe started to protest, he added, \u201cI don\u2019t want her thinkin\u2019 I ran out on her. Even if I can\u2019t do nothin\u2019, I think it\u2019ll make her feel better if I\u2019m there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe took a deep breath. He couldn\u2019t speak for Miss Abigail, but he knew he\u2019d feel a whole lot better if Hoss was there to give direction. \u201cOkay, then. Come on, you big galoot.\u201d He pulled on Hoss\u2019s good arm until his brother was standing, and he ducked under Hoss\u2019s arm so that it rested across his own shoulders. \u201cLean on me,\u201d he instructed, holding Hoss\u2019s good hand against his chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do that, and I\u2019ll crush you like a bug,\u201d Hoss warned.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to stay down here instead?\u201d Joe staggered slightly under his brother\u2019s weight, but he stayed upright, and slowly, they made their way to the stairs as Mrs. Meyers screamed.<\/p>\n

Three more screams later, they entered her room. \u201cWhere have you been?\u201d she demanded. Her eyes widened at the sight of Hoss. \u201cWhat happened to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a little tumble,\u201d said Hoss. \u201cJoe here\u2019s gonna deliver that baby, and I\u2019m gonna tell him what to do. Don\u2019t you worry, Mrs. Meyers, you and the baby are gonna be just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph? Deliver my child?\u201d But her horror at the suggestion was lost in another scream.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou feeling that baby?\u201d Hoss asked as though they were having a normal conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2014yes, I\u2014I can feel it!\u201d Wildly, she looked from Hoss to Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou better sit down,\u201d Joe said to Hoss, who was looking unsteadier by the minute. He dragged a chair down by the foot of the bed and dumped his brother into it. Then, he turned to Mrs. Meyers. \u201cWe need to see how things are coming,\u201d he said, reaching for the sheet.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo! No, don\u2019t you dare!\u201d She clamped one hand on his wrist.<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Meyers, we don\u2019t have a choice,\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMa\u2019am, we gotta see how you\u2019re coming,\u201d said Hoss groggily.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re drunk! That\u2019s where you\u2019ve been\u2014drinking!\u201d Her voice was so shrill that Joe thought his eardrums might burst, but the accusation made his blood boil.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss hasn\u2019t been drinking, but Lord knows, if he had been, he\u2019d have had a good enough reason!\u201d he snapped. \u201cAin\u2019t he been listening to you screaming for hours and hours? When this is all over, I aim to get blind drunk myself!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph!\u201d Hoss sounded like Pa at his most fierce, but right then, Joe didn\u2019t care.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why don\u2019t you just get out of here right now!\u201d Mrs. Meyers pointed to the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause in case you didn\u2019t notice, Hoss doesn\u2019t have but one good arm! He fell down the stairs and broke his arm and hit his head, and that\u2019s why he\u2019s sitting over there and I\u2019m here! Now, you might not like this, but I\u2019m all you\u2019ve got, so you better just do what you\u2019re told so\u2019s we can get this baby born!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDadburnit, Joe, that\u2019s enough!\u201d Hoss tried to rise from the chair, but he sat back down heavily.<\/p>\n

Joe yanked back the sheet and braced himself. As he turned to walk to the end of the bed and get an eyeful of something he\u2019d never wanted to see, he heard a small sound. If it had been anyone else, he\u2019d have said it was a whimper. But it couldn\u2019t have been, not from Abigail Jones Meyers. He turned back to face her.<\/p>\n

Her eyes were brimming with tears. And then, Joe moved closer, and he saw reflected in her face exactly what he was feeling.<\/p>\n

Terror.<\/em><\/p>\n

At that, everything that had paralyzed and infuriated him melted away. In its place came a familiar feeling\u2014the need to protect someone who was afraid and in pain.<\/p>\n

He straightened up. Without so much as a glance at Hoss, he drew the sheet up over Mrs. Meyers, all the way up to her bust. He squatted so that they were eye to eye, and he drew a deep breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, ma\u2019am,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was an awful thing for me to say.\u201d She sniffled, and he took her hand. \u201cNow, you need to listen to me, ma\u2019am,\u201d he said, and his voice carried a quiet authority that caught her attention. \u201cMaybe I\u2019m not the one you\u2019d have picked to do this, but I\u2019m what you got. I promise you that I\u2019m not going to let anything happen to you or that little one. I swear it.\u201d He searched her face for a sign that she believed him. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be okay, really. You and Hoss and me are going to work together, and when it\u2019s all done, you and Hank are going to have a little baby, and you\u2019re going to go home and be a family together.\u201d Her eyes were still round, but she was listening, so he kept going. \u201cNow, I\u2019ve never been in your place, and I reckon it\u2019s probably pretty scary, so here\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do. You\u2019re going to listen to what me and Hoss tell you, and we\u2019re going to get this baby born.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss and I,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n

Joe couldn\u2019t help himself. He laughed. Nobody else in the whole wide world would have said that at that moment. \u201cHoss and I,\u201d he conceded. \u201cWell, Hoss and I aren\u2019t going to leave you here alone, not even for a minute. Like it or not, we\u2019re here with you, and we\u2019re all going to go through this together.\u201d She looked slightly skeptical about that last part, and Joe reflected hastily that she was probably right to, but before anybody could say anything, her face went white and she yelled. \u201cHold my hands, ma\u2019am,\u201d Joe shouted above the din, and he took her hands in his and didn\u2019t even wince when he thought she was going to break every bone in them.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cAll right, now, we\u2019re gonna try it again.\u201d Joe tried to sound as energetic as he could, but the truth was that they were all just plain beat, Mrs. Meyers most of all. \u201cWhen I count three, you push as hard as you can. Ready? One, two, three!\u201d Mrs. Meyers screamed as she pushed, and Hoss and Joe cheered her on as though they were watching a horse race.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, that was a good one, but now you\u2019ve gotta push even harder,\u201d he said when she lay back, panting. He glanced at Hoss, who looked serious. This baby seemed to be wedged in place, and if they didn\u2019t get him out soon, the little fellow was going to be in serious trouble. \u201cReady? On three\u2014one, two,\u00a0three<\/em>! Come on, come on, you can do it, come\u00a0on<\/em>!\u201d Damn it, he could see the baby\u2019s head. Frantically, he tried to remember what they\u2019d done the last time this had happened to one of the cows. But people were so much smaller than cows, and where he could have hoped to get his hand in with Maisie, there was barely room for a finger or two.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d The words were barely audible.<\/p>\n

Joe looked up from between her knees. Tears were coursing down her face. In that moment, she didn\u2019t look like the imposing teacher he\u2019d endured or the demanding houseguest he\u2019d dreaded. She looked like any other woman\u2014frightened and exhausted, and absolutely ordinary.<\/p>\n

He rested his hand on her knee. \u201cI know,\u201d he said softly. \u201cBut you have to. Your baby needs you to keep trying.\u201d He caught Hoss\u2019s eye and jerked his head in Mrs. Meyers\u2019 direction. Understanding, Hoss got to his feet and dragged the chair over so that he could sit beside her.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on,\u201d the big man said with as much heartiness as an exhausted man with a broken arm and a head injury could muster. He took her hand with his good one, and at the gratitude in her eyes, Joe found himself fighting tears. \u201cWe\u2019re gonna try again,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cThis time, don\u2019t you yell, Miz Meyers. You just put all your strength into pushing that baby out into the world. You ready now? Joe, you count three.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne, two,\u00a0three<\/em>! Come on, Mrs. Meyers, push! Push! Harder! You can do it! He\u2019s coming\u2014he\u2019s coming\u2014he\u2019s\u2014he\u2019s\u2014oh, my gosh, here he comes!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? What?\u201d Hoss got to his feet in time to see Joe holding a small figure that looked like it was covered in Hop Sing\u2019s gooey white burn salve. \u201cMiz Meyers, you did it! You did it! You got\u2014\u201d he peered at the infant \u201c\u2014a boy!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it\u2014did it\u2014let me have him!\u201d Tears poured down her face as she reached toward Joe.<\/p>\n

But Joe looked up at Hoss, and his face was stony as he shook his head slightly. He bit his lip as understanding registered on Hoss\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cJest hang on,\u201d the big man instructed as he made his way to the foot of the bed. \u201cHe\u2019s had a hard night, that\u2019s all. Hold him upside down, and smack his backside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter? What\u2019s wrong with my baby?\u201d Abigail Jones Meyers\u2019 voice was getting higher and higher.<\/p>\n

Joe held the baby up by its feet and tapped its bottom. Nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cTry again, harder.\u201d Hoss\u2019s eyes were fixed on the motionless form.<\/p>\n

Joe hit the baby lightly. Still no reaction.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with my baby?\u201d she demanded, her voice now shrill with panic. \u201cWhat did you do to my baby?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss kept his voice low. \u201cTry again, Little Brother. Not too hard, but make sure he feels it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe gritted his teeth. It seemed wrong to hit such a tiny creature, but if it was what he had to do. . . . He took a deep breath and delivered a stinging swat to the baby\u2019s bottom.<\/p>\n

\u201cWaaaaah!\u201d<\/p>\n

The baby\u2019s indignant cry sounded so much like his mother\u2019s that for a moment, Joe wasn\u2019t sure whether to laugh or cry. He didn\u2019t realize that he was doing both until he looked up and saw Hoss doing exactly the same thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome here, you,\u201d Joe said to the baby. He took the blanket Hoss offered and wrapped it around the tiny creature. \u201cIt\u2019s time to meet your mama.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, the cord,\u201d Hoss reminded him. Joe nodded to show he\u2019d heard, and he cradled the baby in the crook of his arm as he tied off the cord. He held it steady as Hoss cut it, and then, for the first time in hours, Joe straightened up. His back ached and his legs were so cramped that they felt permanently bent, but he took a deep breath and tried to stretch as he made his way to her side with the precious bundle.<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Meyers, I believe I have someone here who\u2019d like to meet you,\u201d he said as he handed the baby into her eager arms. He watched as she bent over the baby, cooing and marveling just like any other mother.<\/p>\n

There was still much more to do, of course\u2014deliver the afterbirth, wash the baby, change the bed, get everybody something to eat\u2014but right at that moment, it didn\u2019t matter how much needed to be done. It didn\u2019t even matter that it was the middle of the night and none of them had slept in so long that they couldn\u2019t quite remember what it meant to rest. The only thing that mattered was that at long last, the little baby nestled in his mother\u2019s arms, safe and sound.<\/p>\n

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

Abigail Jones Meyers nearly screamed. In the thin light of earliest dawn, she could see someone bending over the cradle. \u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d she demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, sorry, Mrs. Meyers,\u201d said Little Joe. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to wake you. I just came to check on him and make sure he\u2019s all right. He\u2019s a big fellow, ain\u2019t he\u2014I mean, isn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe surely is,\u201d agreed Abigail. \u201cLight the lamp, please, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all right, ma\u2019am, I\u2019ll just leave,\u201d said Joe. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to disturb you, honest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to talk to you for a minute,\u201d said Abigail. \u201cThere\u2019s something we need to discuss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, ma\u2019am,\u201d said Joe, a touch of apprehension creeping into his voice. He lit the lamp and stood by the foot of the bed, hands behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith everything that went on, I didn\u2019t get a chance to thank you for all you did,\u201d she said. \u201cI know that\u2014well, it wasn\u2019t an ideal situation, for either of us, but\u2014thank you. Very much. Without your help, I don\u2019t know what would have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo thanks necessary, ma\u2019am,\u201d said Joe nervously. He\u2019d been about to say, It\u2019s my pleasure, as he usually did, but he didn\u2019t want her to get the wrong idea. \u201cI\u2019m glad I could help,\u201d he added, pretty sure that was all right.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to ask you something,\u201d Abigail said. \u201cDoes your brother Hoss have any name besides \u2018Hoss\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2019m,\u201d said Little Joe, puzzled at this unexpected turn in the conversation. \u201cHe\u2019s named for his grandpa on his ma\u2019s side and for his uncle\u2014Erik Gunnar Cartwright. I guess that explains why he likes to be called Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cErik,\u201d she said thoughtfully. \u201cWell, that\u2019s a relief.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMa\u2019am?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you please bring the baby to me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe lifted the sleeping infant from his cradle. Funny how natural it felt to hold the little fellow. For a second, he forgot what he was supposed to be doing; he just looked at the round red face and marveled. Only a few hours ago, this baby had been living inside Miss Abigail, and now, here he was\u2014a whole separate person that anybody in the world could just pick up and hold.\u00a0What a peculiar way to make new people,<\/em>\u00a0Joe reflected.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cOh, sorry, ma\u2019am.\u201d Flustered, Joe carried the baby the few feet to the bed. He relinquished him into his mother\u2019s arms, shoving away the sense of being oddly bereft as he did so. \u201cI guess he probably needs to eat,\u201d said Joe. \u201cI\u2019ll be going now. I\u2019ve got to see to the stock.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute, please,\u201d said Abigail. \u201cI don\u2019t believe the two of you have been properly introduced.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMa\u2019am?\u201d Confused, Joe peered at the sleeping infant.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph Cartwright, may I present my son, Joseph Erik Meyers,\u201d she said, holding the baby up slightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI beg your pardon?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph Erik Meyers,\u201d she repeated. \u201cAfter you and your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014ain\u2019t you naming him after Hank?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Aren\u2019t\u2019,\u201d she said reflexively. \u201cAnd no, we\u2019re not. It\u2019s all right,\u201d she added. \u201cHank will agree with me on this.\u201d<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t expect he\u2019ll get much choice,<\/em>\u00a0thought Joe. He took the tiny fist between his thumb and forefinger. \u201cPleased to meet you, Joseph Erik Meyers,\u201d he said. \u201cI bet nobody\u2019s gonna call you \u2018Little Joe.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Abigail smiled. \u201cI imagine you\u2019re correct,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I hope that he grows into as fine a man as the ones he\u2019s named for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, ma\u2019am,\u201d said Joe. For an absurd moment, he felt tears threatening as he thought of this little baby growing into a man. He swallowed hard and smiled. \u201cI\u2019d better let you two get on with his breakfast,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll see you later, Mrs. Meyers.\u201d<\/p>\n

His hand was on the door latch when her voice stopped him. \u201cJoseph,\u201d she said. He turned back to see her smiling. \u201cYou may call me \u2018Abigail.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

For an instant, he was stunned. How peculiar that, after everything they\u2019d been through, this seemed to be such an intimate gesture. He tried, but he just couldn\u2019t get the words out. Finally, he said, \u201cYes, ma\u2019am. Thank you\u2014ma\u2019am,\u201d and he slipped out the door.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t have said for certain, but as the latch clicked, he thought he just might have heard her laughing.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWell?\u201d All eyes were on the doctor as he came downstairs from Hank\u2019s room.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe leg is healing beautifully,\u201d said Doc Martin. \u201cHank still needs to be careful, of course, but as long as he doesn\u2019t fall or overdo, there\u2019s no reason he needs to stay in bed any more.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that means?\u201d Ben was half-holding his breath, and the doctor nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cHank and his family can go home any time.\u201d He smiled as all the Cartwrights sighed with relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank heaven,\u201d muttered Adam as his father showed the doctor out. Between the baby crying, Hank calling for food, and Abigail barking instructions about the care of both her men, the Cartwrights hadn\u2019t had a moment\u2019s peace in the three weeks since Ben, Adam and Hank had returned from Carson City.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell you this much, I ain\u2019t gonna be sorry to see the back of ol\u2019 Hank,\u201d said Hoss. The makeshift splint Joe had concocted had been replaced with a plaster cast, leaving the big man unable to do much besides play checkers with Hank.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just want your room back,\u201d said Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot half as much as I want him to have his room back,\u201d said Joe. Once Hank had returned, Hoss had moved back into Joe\u2019s room, and Joe had reluctantly given up the bed to his injured brother. Sleeping on the cold floor had proven to be more of a sacrifice than he was willing to make, though, and he\u2019d soon moved downstairs to the settee.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to admit, this has been quite an experience,\u201d said Ben. \u201cWho would ever have thought we\u2019d survive six months of Abigail Jones?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, she\u2019s not so bad,\u201d said Joe unexpectedly. The others stared, and he just shrugged.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you just like the baby,\u201d said Adam. It hadn\u2019t escaped any of them that Joe seemed to spend a great deal of time these days holding or rocking the child when Abigail was tending to Hank.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho, me? I don\u2019t know anything about babies,\u201d said Joe so fervently that they almost believed him. The truth was that he really did like the little fellow. Maybe it was because he\u2019d been the first person ever to hold him, but Joe felt like there was some sort of special connection between himself and the baby, almost like they were related. He wondered whether Doc Martin felt that way about all the babies he\u2019d delivered\u2014including Joe himself.<\/p>\n

He pulled himself back to the conversation as Hoss chortled, \u201cWho\u2019re you joshin\u2019? Next thing we know, you\u2019re gonna get hitched and have a whole passel of kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s not rush into anything,\u201d Ben interjected hastily. \u201cThere\u2019s plenty of time for that kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you want grandchildren?\u201d asked Adam, his eyes twinkling.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot right now,\u201d said Ben. \u201cAt least, not until one of you is properly married.\u201d He eyed his three bachelor sons, all of whom suddenly found the toes of their boots most interesting.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me, gentlemen.\u201d Abigail Jones Meyers stood on the landing, the baby in her arms. \u201cI just wanted to let you know that Hank and Joseph and I will be leaving in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to rush, ma\u2019am,\u201d said Joe, his gaze intent on the baby.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you should feel free to do whatever you think best,\u201d Ben added with a glance at his son.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s time we went home,\u201d said Mrs. Meyers. \u201cYou\u2019ve all been most generous, and we appreciate everything you\u2019ve done, but we should be getting home. Shouldn\u2019t we, my precious little darling?\u201d she added to the baby in her arms, her voice suddenly high and soft. \u201cWe\u2019ll take the itty bitty baby home, won\u2019t we? We\u2019ll hitch up the horsie, and Papa will say \u2018Giddyap!\u2019, and Mama will cuddle the eensy beansy baby all the way home, and. . . .\u201d Abruptly, she straightened, regaining her usual dignified bearing. \u201cThank you all very much for everything you\u2019ve done,\u201d she said firmly, and she swept up the stairs more rapidly than usual.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re very welcome,\u201d Ben called after her.<\/p>\n

The Cartwrights sat silently until they heard the door to her room close. Then, they turned to stare at each other.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Precious little darling\u2019?\u201d Adam said finally.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Take the itty bitty baby home\u2019?\u201d Hoss managed.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe never struck me as the type to hitch up the horsie,\u201d Joe admitted. It wasn\u2019t the moment to admit that he\u2019d said similar things to the baby a number of times\u2014but only when they were alone, of course.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, boys, that\u2019s enough,\u201d said Ben. \u201cJust wait until you have children of your own. You\u2019ll be surprised what you\u2019ll say to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou certainly never called any of us your \u2018precious little darling\u2019,\u201d Adam pointed out.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid it ever occur to you that there might be a good reason for that?\u201d his father asked drily.<\/p>\n

\u201cMama used to call Little Joe her \u2018petit cheri\u2019,\u201d Hoss recalled. \u201cAin\u2019t that the same thing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was when he was a baby,\u201d said Adam. \u201cBefore anybody knew how he was going to turn out.\u201d<\/p>\n

As his sons bantered, Ben found himself thinking about the woman who was upstairs packing. Maybe they\u2019d misjudged her after all. Maybe she really was just like every other woman.<\/p>\n

Well, she\u2019s Hank\u2019s responsibility now,<\/em>\u00a0he reflected with deep relief. Just a few more hours, and\u2014<\/p>\n

From upstairs came a crash, a deep howl of pain, and a baby\u2019s cry. \u201cDadburnit!\u201d Hank shouted.<\/p>\n

\u201cHank! Look what you\u2019ve done now! You woke the baby!\u201d came his wife\u2019s reprimand.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ain\u2019t my fault!\u201d Hank called back. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to fall down!\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cartwrights exchanged wide-eyed stares. \u201cYou don\u2019t suppose\u2014\u201d Adam began, but he was cut off by another howl of pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartwright!\u201d called Hank.<\/p>\n

Abigail Meyers appeared at the top of the stairs, the screaming babe in her arms. \u201cMr. Cartwright, would you come up here, please?\u201d she shouted over the baby\u2019s cries. \u201cI think Hank\u2019s hurt his leg.\u201d Her skirt swirled as she turned on her heel and headed back to her husband.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook at the bright side,\u201d Joe offered feebly as Ben laid aside his book and rose with obvious trepidation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat bright side?\u201d his father demanded.<\/p>\n

Joe winced. \u201cAt least the baby\u2019s already born.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the time they get out of here, there could be an entire dynasty of Meyerses,\u201d Adam muttered as he followed his father up the stairs. Below, Hoss and Joe regarded each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cWant to play checkers?\u201d Joe suggested. Hoss shrugged and seated himself on the settee as Joe fetched the board and pieces.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust one thing,\u201d Joe warned as he set the pieces in place.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d Hoss slid a red piece forward.<\/p>\n

Joe waved a black piece for emphasis as he made his pronouncement: \u201cNext time Abigail Jones has a baby\u2014you\u2019re delivering it.\u201d He clapped the piece onto the board with more force than necessary, adding, \u201cYour move.\u201d<\/p>\n

From upstairs came the summons, clear and fierce even over the howling and the baby\u2019s cries. \u201cHoss! Joseph! Get up here\u2014now!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cD\u2019you suppose we can say we were in the barn and didn\u2019t hear him?\u201d Joe suggested even as they rose.<\/p>\n

Hoss rolled his eyes. \u201cLet\u2019s go, Little Brother.\u201d As they headed upstairs, Joe turned back to cast an exasperated gaze at the settee. Somehow, he had a feeling it was going to be a long, long time before he got his room back.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Disclaimer:<\/span>\u00a0All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

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

Summary:\u00a0\u00a0Getting Abigail Jones and Hank Meyers married was the easy part. . . . \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0K+ \u00a0WC \u00a020,000<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":0,"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_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23,4,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-drama","category-humor","category-whn","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-4-id","wpcat-13-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1110,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":48084,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=48084","url_meta":{"origin":4864,"position":0},"title":"Raffle a Cartwright (by mo1427)","author":"mo1427","date":"March 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Adam is raffled off for a date, but he's not the one who's worried.\u00a0 Rating: G, Word Count: 668","rel":"","context":"In "Brothers"","block_context":{"text":"Brothers","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1009"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/S03.24_Wooing-of-Abigail-Jones-12.jpg?fit=1200%2C904&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/S03.24_Wooing-of-Abigail-Jones-12.jpg?fit=1200%2C904&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/S03.24_Wooing-of-Abigail-Jones-12.jpg?fit=1200%2C904&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/S03.24_Wooing-of-Abigail-Jones-12.jpg?fit=1200%2C904&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/S03.24_Wooing-of-Abigail-Jones-12.jpg?fit=1200%2C904&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1921,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=1921","url_meta":{"origin":4864,"position":1},"title":"Waiting for the Stage (by JoanS)","author":"JoanS","date":"October 11, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0When Ben's stage is delayed, Adam has his hands full trying to keep himself and his brothers out of trouble while they wait for it Rated: K+ (19,185 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Brothers"","block_context":{"text":"Brothers","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1009"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14279,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14279","url_meta":{"origin":4864,"position":2},"title":"Adam and the Imp of Satan #2 – The Imp, Some Demons, and a Few Short Lists (by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"May 10, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Abigail Warner has returned, just in time for the trial. Rating: \u00a0T \u00a0(19,070 words) Adam and the Imp of Satan Series, links to all the stories within the series included.","rel":"","context":"In "Action\/Adventure"","block_context":{"text":"Action\/Adventure","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Mine.png?fit=586%2C426&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Mine.png?fit=586%2C426&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Gold-Mine.png?fit=586%2C426&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35076,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=35076","url_meta":{"origin":4864,"position":3},"title":"A Bonbon Too Far (by Sierra Girl)","author":"Sierra Girl","date":"December 25, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: Beware gifts that fall into the wrong hands. 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