{"id":4948,"date":"2014-04-29T17:18:29","date_gmt":"2014-04-29T21:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4948"},"modified":"2025-02-18T19:12:55","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T00:12:55","slug":"danny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4948","title":{"rendered":"Danny (by pjb)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The Cartwrights become embroiled in a young widow’s fight to protect her baby from her in-laws’ attempts to gain custody.<\/p>\n

Rated:<\/span>\u00a0K+ \u00a030,600<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Danny<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

\u201c. . . In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, amen.\u201d<\/p>\n

The spring breeze barely disturbed the black veil of the woman who wept so loudly as she stood between the coffins.\u00a0 Her husband\u2019s arm around her shoulders steadied her, but he allowed himself no public display of grief.\u00a0 For all the emotion the other mourners saw, he might have been standing beside a stack of law books instead of the caskets of his two sons.<\/p>\n

Most of Virginia City had come to say its goodbyes to Philip and Thomas Wagner.\u00a0 A fair number of girls wept into lacy handkerchiefs, and even the boys looked stricken.\u00a0 Philip had been only seventeen, Thomas a year younger.\u00a0 Many of those in attendance had known the Wagner boys ever since the family had moved to Virginia City nearly fifteen years earlier.<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright watched Edward and Martha Wagner.\u00a0 His heart ached for them.\u00a0 To lose one child was unthinkable.\u00a0 To lose both. . . .\u00a0 He permitted himself a brief glance at his sons, breathing a swift, silent prayer of thanks that they were with him.<\/p>\n

Standing apart from the others was a plump girl holding a baby.\u00a0 Her borrowed black dress was too tight, and her bosom strained against its buttons.\u00a0 Like Edward Wagner, she displayed no emotion as the preacher spoke.\u00a0 Others dabbed at their tears, but she remained dry-eyed.\u00a0 Only when the baby began to waken toward the end of the service did she seem to be jarred back to the reality of the present.\u00a0 Then, she bent her head over the bundle in her arms, jiggling him to keep him quiet.<\/p>\n

The preacher, having finished his prayer, took a step toward the girl.\u00a0 Then, he paused.\u00a0 He glanced at the boys\u2019 parents as if seeking permission to continue.\u00a0 When they appeared not to notice him, he moved toward the girl.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Mrs. Wagner,\u201d he said in a low voice.\u00a0 \u201cIf there\u2019s anything I can do for you or Danny, please let me know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Reverend.\u201d\u00a0 She looked puzzled, as though it were odd that he was acknowledging her.\u00a0 Perhaps it was.\u00a0 Few people had ever seemed willing to admit that she was Philip Wagner\u2019s wife when he was alive.\u00a0 Now that he was gone, the town had no reason to recall that this plain, solitary girl had been the wife of one of their most handsome and promising young men.<\/p>\n

The reverend moved to Edward and Martha, and the girl was left alone with the baby as\u00a0 mourners approached Philip\u2019s parents.\u00a0 She stayed where she was, as if waiting for her classmates to speak to her, but no one seemed to notice she was there.<\/p>\n

Then, one of them separated himself from the group and approached her.\u00a0 She smiled.\u00a0 She should have known.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Addie,\u201d said Little Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m so sorry about Philip.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For a moment, neither of them seemed to know what to say.\u00a0 \u201cIs this your baby?\u201d Joe asked after too long a pause.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no, I just borrowed him for the day.\u201d\u00a0 The retort startled both of them, and then short barks of laughter escaped them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, that was a stupid question,\u201d said Joe, recovering.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m sorry,\u201d said Addie.\u00a0 \u201cThat was rude of me.\u201d\u00a0 Deliberately avoiding the glares being flung like daggers in their direction, she said, \u201cLittle Joe, this is Danny.\u00a0 Danny, this is Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes he understand you?\u201d\u00a0 Joe looked unsure.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Addie shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cBut even if he doesn\u2019t, I like to treat him like he does.\u00a0 Besides, someday he will, so why not start early?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo reason at all,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s a cute little fellow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d said Addie.\u00a0 \u201cPhilip\u2019s mother says he looks just like Philip, but I think he\u2019s got my nose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe peered at the baby.\u00a0 \u201cI can never tell that kind of thing,\u201d he admitted.\u00a0 \u201cBut you see him the most, so you\u2019re probably right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addie opened her mouth to speak, but her eyes grew round and her words froze.\u00a0 In the next moment, Ben Cartwright approached her, saying, \u201cMrs. Wagner, I\u2019m so sorry for your loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d she squeaked.<\/p>\n

The tall man with the silver hair smiled at her baby, and suddenly he didn\u2019t seem scary.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s a fine boy you have there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

He lowered his voice slightly.\u00a0 \u201cI know it\u2019s hard to raise a child by yourself,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cIf there\u2019s anything we can do to help, please don\u2019t hesitate to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss and Adam Cartwright came up behind their father.\u00a0 They expressed their sympathy and admired her son.\u00a0 Eventually, though, the Cartwrights turned to go.\u00a0 Addie watched them leave and then turned her attention back to the crowds who still surrounded Philip\u2019s parents.\u00a0 She waited, but none of them seemed inclined to speak to the widow.\u00a0 Finally, she kissed Danny\u2019s forehead and started the long walk back to town.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Ben opened the door of E. Wagner, Attorney at Law.\u00a0 There was no sign of the occupant.\u00a0 \u201cAnybody here?\u201d he called.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be right there,\u201d called a voice.\u00a0 Ben waited, and a few minutes later, Edward came into the waiting area.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo sorry to keep you waiting, Ben,\u201d said Edward, shaking his hand.\u00a0 His eyes were clear, his whiskers neatly trimmed.\u00a0 \u201cWhat can I do for you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can bring Martha and come out to the Ponderosa for supper tomorrow night,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 Nearly two weeks had passed since the funeral, and neither Edward nor Martha had been seen around town.\u00a0 Knowing something of grief, Ben determined that perhaps a quiet evening among friends might be a small step forward.<\/p>\n

Edward\u2019s smile was clearly one of politeness rather than genuine pleasure.\u00a0 \u201cI appreciate the offer, Ben, but I don\u2019t think so,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cMartha\u2019s not really up for socializing these days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can imagine,\u201d said Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t think you can,\u201d said Edward.\u00a0 \u201cIt was hard enough on her when Philip had to get married\u2014she thought she\u2019d lost him then.\u00a0 But now . . . well, she\u2019s taking it pretty hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how are you?\u201d Ben asked gently.<\/p>\n

Edward shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cIt was all supposed to turn out so differently,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cIf only Philip had gone off to university the way we\u2019d always planned . . . but he couldn\u2019t, of course.\u00a0 He had to support his family.\u00a0 I just wish he hadn\u2019t decided to try the mines.\u00a0 I offered him a job here, but he wanted to stand on his own two feet, he said.\u00a0 And, of course, whatever Philip did, Thomas did.\u00a0 Two peas in a pod, they were.\u00a0 And now. . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

The two men stood, not speaking, until Edward raised his head.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s all her fault,\u201d he said, his voice curiously dispassionate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhose fault?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat girl,\u201d said Edward.\u00a0 \u201cThat little tramp who seduced my boy, trapped him into marriage.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head as he began to pace.\u00a0 \u201cI told him not to be ridiculous.\u00a0 He was throwing away his entire future, and there wasn\u2019t even any way to know whether the child was his.\u00a0 A girl like that . . . the father could have been anybody in Virginia City.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEdward,\u201d Ben remonstrated.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Philip was convinced that the child was his, and her parents demanded that he marry her.\u00a0 I made them a very reasonable offer, but they wouldn\u2019t hear of it.\u00a0 Insisted on marriage.\u00a0 Said Philip had disgraced their daughter and he had to do the honorable thing.\u00a0 The honorable thing,\u201d he repeated, bitterness rising.\u00a0 \u201cSo, he did their honorable thing, and now he\u2019s dead.\u00a0 And where are they?\u00a0 Left town as soon as they saw their girl married to a Wagner.\u00a0 That was all they ever wanted anyway.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t have a pot to piss in, but their girl managed to marry money.\u00a0 They probably planned it that way.\u00a0 Well, no more.\u00a0 My boy is dead, and she can just get out of Virginia City.\u00a0 Go wherever her parents are.\u00a0 I don\u2019t care.\u00a0 Just as long as we never have to lay eyes on her again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what about your grandchild?\u00a0 Don\u2019t you want to be near him?\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawyer turned a fierce glare on Ben.\u00a0 \u201cOh, we\u2019re keeping him,\u201d said Edward.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s all that\u2019s left of our Philip.\u00a0 She can go wherever she wants, do whatever she chooses, but that baby is staying with us.\u00a0 We\u2019ll raise him as we raised our boys.\u00a0 He\u2019ll have a pony and fine clothes and a good education.\u00a0 And when it\u2019s time, he\u2019ll go off to the university, and no little floozy will stand in his way.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be everything his father never had the chance to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

“But Edward–you can’t just take<\/em> the child. He has a mother.”<\/p>\n

Edward set his shoulders.\u00a0 \u201cThat girl isn\u2019t fit to raise a child,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cAny judge would agree with me on that.\u00a0 She has no way to support him, and she\u2019s morally unfit.\u00a0 The only reason we didn\u2019t step in before now was that Philip was there, and we knew he\u2019d do right by the boy.\u00a0 Without him, the baby will be nothing but a street urchin, running wild while his mother entertains men or works in saloons and ruins any chance he has to be respected by the decent people in this town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, now, Edward, that\u2019s a bit extreme, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t know her the way I do, Ben,\u201d said Edward.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose it\u2019s possible that she could trap another rich man into marriage, but not here.\u00a0 Everybody in Virginia City knows what she is.\u00a0 No, she\u2019d have to go away from here to find her next husband, and we\u2019ll take care of that.\u00a0 We\u2019ll take the baby, and as much as it sticks in my craw, we\u2019ll give her enough money to get her out of this town and away from us forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben waited a few moments before approaching Edward.\u00a0 \u201cI know you\u2019re hurting,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t imagine how it feels to bury a child.\u00a0 I understand that you\u2019re angry.\u00a0 But don\u2019t take it out on the girl or on your grandson.\u00a0 I may not know exactly how you feel, but I know that the loss of someone you love deeply can make you want to do things you never would otherwise.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be rash now\u2014take your time and think this through.\u00a0 Don\u2019t start something that can\u2019t end well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The expression in the whiskered man\u2019s eyes was chilling.\u00a0 \u201cMy boys are buried under six feet of dirt,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s too late for anything to end well.\u201d<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

The preacher stepped up to the pulpit.\u00a0 \u201cToday\u2019s reading is from the epistle of Paul to the church at Ephesus,\u201d he intoned.<\/p>\n

As the preacher began to read, Little Joe heard what sounded like whimpering.\u00a0 He started to turn around, but his father nudged him sharply.\u00a0 He could feel Pa glaring at him, but he fixed his eyes on the pulpit even as he tried to figure out what he was hearing.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long.\u00a0 The whimpering got louder, and in the next instant, the preacher was completely drowned out by a crying baby.\u00a0 Reverend Abbott continued even though people could hear him, because the baby wailed as if the world was ending.\u00a0 People sitting in front of them were turning around to see where the baby was, and Joe took advantage of the moment to do the same.<\/p>\n

In the back pew, he saw Addie bent over the blanketed bundle in her arms.\u00a0 Her round face was frantic, and she was clearly trying to shush the baby.\u00a0 Finally, she gathered up the baby and rose, mouthing, \u201cI\u2019m sorry\u201d to the folks who were glaring at her.\u00a0 She ducked her head as she took her son outside, and once the door closed, it muted the baby\u2019s cries enough that St. Paul\u2019s words were again audible.<\/p>\n

Joe couldn\u2019t pay attention, though.\u00a0 It sounded like Danny was just crying and crying.\u00a0 Why didn\u2019t somebody go out and help her?\u00a0 Surely, with all the mamas in the congregation, one of them would know what to do.\u00a0 And yet, they all sat there, just like they didn\u2019t hear anything at all.<\/p>\n

Then, a most startling thing happened.\u00a0 Hoss Cartwright stood up and whispered, \u201cExcuse me, Pa.\u201d\u00a0 Before Pa could say anything, Hoss had squeezed past him and was heading up the aisle.\u00a0 The door closed behind him, and a few minutes later, the baby\u2019s cries subsided.<\/p>\n

When they emerged from the sanctuary, Hoss was sitting on the front step with the baby sleeping in his arms.\u00a0 He rose to allow people to leave the church, but apart from that, he didn\u2019t seem to be paying attention to anything except the baby.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Addie?\u201d asked Joe as he and Adam came out of the church.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told her to go for a walk,\u201d said Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cPoor gal\u2019s worn to a frazzle.\u00a0 Lookit this little fella.\u00a0 Ain\u2019t he cute?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you do to get him to stop crying?\u201d asked Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cSame thing we used to do with Joe,\u201d said Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cSwooped him up an\u2019 down a bunch of times.\u00a0 Looks like Danny don\u2019t like settin\u2019 still any more than our little brother did,\u201d he chuckled.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing with that child?\u201d\u00a0 They turned to see Martha Wagner, her eyes flashing fire.\u00a0 \u201cSo she\u2019s abandoned him already?\u00a0 Give me my grandson!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe ain\u2019t abandoned him, ma\u2019am,\u201d said Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s jest takin\u2019 a little walk.\u00a0 Look, here she is now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addie was strolling along the sidewalk, but when she caught sight of Martha Wagner, she broke into a run.\u00a0 \u201cStay away from my son!\u201d she called out.\u00a0 Her bosom heaved as she ran the last several yards to where Hoss was holding tightly to the child.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou leave him be, you little floozy!\u201d shrieked Martha.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss, give him to me,\u201d said Addie.\u00a0 Hoss turned his back to Martha, handing the child to Addie.\u00a0 \u201cThanks,\u201d she whispered.\u00a0 More loudly, she added to the older woman, \u201cYou just leave us alone!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on here?\u201d\u00a0 Ben hurried down the church steps, Edward and the preacher close behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my Philip\u2019s child!\u201d\u00a0 Martha tried to reach past Hoss to the baby, but the big man planted himself firmly in front of Addie.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s my son!\u201d shouted Addie from behind Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot for long,\u201d said Edward in a voice meant to carry.\u00a0 \u201cCome along, Martha.\u00a0 It\u2019s the Sabbath, and we shall observe it in a proper manner.\u201d\u00a0 The threat of what would happen after the Sabbath hung in the air as he took his wife\u2019s arm and escorted her away.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did he mean by that?\u201d asked Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever mind,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cWe should be getting along.\u00a0 Are you going to be all right?\u201d he asked of Addie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine, sir,\u201d she said.\u00a0 She straightened Danny\u2019s blanket and lifted her chin.\u00a0 \u201cGood day, everyone.\u00a0 Hoss, thanks again for your help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy pleasure, ma\u2019am,\u201d said Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cAddie, how about if I walk you home?\u201d Joe said suddenly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you don\u2019t need to do that,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know I don\u2019t\u00a0need<\/em>\u00a0to,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d just like to walk you two home.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked startled.\u00a0 Then, a shy smile stole across her face.\u00a0 \u201cThat would be nice, thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, I\u2019ll be back in a few minutes,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 To Addie, he said, \u201cDo you want me to carry the baby?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, thank you,\u201d said Addie.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll carry him.\u201d\u00a0 She adjusted his blanket.\u00a0 \u201cTime to go home, Danny,\u201d she murmured.\u00a0 She smiled again at Joe, and they headed down the street.<\/p>\n

The small frame house was on one of the side streets that was only slightly larger than an alley.\u00a0 Joe opened the door, and Addie carried her son inside.\u00a0 She was so focused on the baby that she didn\u2019t invite Joe to sit, and so he stood by the door, alert for any suspicious sound.<\/p>\n

Once Danny had been settled in his cradle, Addie turned to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cThat was very nice of you,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d ask you if you\u2019d like a cup of coffee, but your family is probably waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe I can come back for that cup of coffee another time.\u201d\u00a0 She looked startled, and he asked, \u201cAre you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI just didn\u2019t\u2014I\u2019m fine, don\u2019t worry.\u00a0 Thanks again for walking us home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome,\u201d said Joe, touching the brim of his hat.\u00a0 He turned to go, and then he turned back.\u00a0 \u201cAddie, what was all that about with Mrs. Wagner?\u201d<\/p>\n

The girl\u2019s round face hardened.\u00a0 \u201cShe wants to take Danny away from me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe can\u2019t do that.\u00a0 You\u2019re his mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

A humorless laugh escaped her.\u00a0 \u201cThat doesn\u2019t make any difference to the Wagners,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cThey have money and power, and I don\u2019t.\u00a0 So, they figure they\u2019ll get whatever they want, and what they want is their grandson.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you going to do?\u201d\u00a0 Joe closed the door and took off his hat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I knew,\u201d said Addie.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll have to figure out something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I knew, I wouldn\u2019t have to figure it out,\u201d she shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cAnyway, don\u2019t worry.\u00a0 It\u2019s not your problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s gaze fell on the cradle by the fireplace.\u00a0 The baby slept with one tiny fist up by his face.\u00a0 Joe had never had much experience with babies, but suddenly, he wanted to know more about this one.\u00a0 \u201cHow old is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFour months next Tuesday,\u201d said Addie.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s a little bit small for his age, but Doc Martin says it\u2019s nothing to worry about.\u00a0 Philip\u2019s mother said he was small as a baby, too, and he ended up being almost six feet tall.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou miss him, don\u2019t you?\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s voice was quiet.<\/p>\n

Of all the reactions he might have expected, a snort of disgust wasn\u2019t among them.\u00a0 \u201cMiss him?\u00a0 Why would I miss him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought\u2014didn\u2019t you love him?\u201d\u00a0 Joe was honestly perplexed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 Addie turned squarely to face Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t love him, and he didn\u2019t love me.\u00a0 We got married because we had to, not because we wanted to.\u00a0 He never forgave me for ruining his life.\u201d\u00a0 She began to pile the dirty breakfast dishes into a wash pan.\u00a0 \u201cNow, if you\u2019ll excuse me, Joe, I need to do some cleaning while Danny takes his nap, and you need to get back to your family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d\u00a0 Joe put his hat back on and opened the door.\u00a0 He turned back once more.\u00a0 \u201cAddie\u2014if you need anything, let me know.\u00a0 I mean it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure you do,\u201d she said.\u00a0 Her eyes were ineffably sad.\u00a0 Then, she tucked the wash pan under her arm, prepared to head out back to the communal pump.\u00a0 Joe watched her for a moment, and then he touched the brim of his hat again and left, closing the door quietly behind him.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

That evening, Joe was unusually quiet.\u00a0 He picked at his supper, not even defending himself against Hop Sing\u2019s shrieks of dismay over his largely untouched plate.\u00a0 Ben watched as Joe picked up his fork, poked at a slice of beef or a string bean, and then seemed to forget all about it.\u00a0 He caught Adam and Hoss watching their brother, and he smiled to himself as they exchanged\u00a0your-guess-is-as-good-as-mine<\/em>\u00a0shrugs.<\/p>\n

As soon as supper was over, Joe headed up to his room.\u00a0 Ben settled himself in his red leather armchair with a book and his pipe, but he couldn\u2019t concentrate on Mr. Dickens.\u00a0 It was a fairly constant battle between his head and his heart:\u00a0 his head recognized that his seventeen-year-old son was practically a man and deserving of the same privacy he would have afforded Hoss and Adam, while his heart wanted to go to the boy and urge him to unburden himself so that Pa could make things better.\u00a0\u00a0Foolish old man,<\/em>\u00a0he chided himself.\u00a0 He sipped his coffee, forcing from his mind the sudden image of Edward Wagner, sitting in his parlor with no sons upstairs, downstairs, or anywhere else.<\/p>\n

The evening passed without a sign of Joe.\u00a0 Hoss and Adam went out to bed down the stock.\u00a0 Somewhat to Ben\u2019s surprise, they didn\u2019t holler for their little brother to get down here and help.\u00a0 He waited after his older sons went up to bed, but Joe didn\u2019t appear.\u00a0 Finally, he closed his book and trudged up the stairs.<\/p>\n

At Joe\u2019s door, he paused.\u00a0\u00a0Leave him be,<\/em>\u00a0he counseled himself.\u00a0 But almost of its own volition, his fist rapped lightly on the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome in,\u201d called Joe.<\/p>\n

Ben opened the door to see his youngest son stretched out on his bed, hands under his head.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s kind of late,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cThink maybe it\u2019s time to turn in?\u201d<\/p>\n

A corner of Joe\u2019s mouth quirked.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve been figuring out when to put myself to bed for a long time, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben smiled.\u00a0 Whatever the problem was, it couldn\u2019t be too serious.\u00a0 \u201cWell, don\u2019t stay up too late,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cYou boys have a lot of fence to check tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 Then, his smile faded.\u00a0 \u201cCan I ask you something?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Here it is.<\/em>\u00a0 Ben stepped into the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould it be okay if I invited Addie to bring the baby and come out to the ranch for a few days?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben peered at his son.\u00a0 \u201cWhy would you want to do that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cShe looks like she could use a little rest,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s got her hands full, what with the baby, and Philip being gone and his parents acting like they are.\u00a0 I thought she might like a break, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben considered his words carefully.\u00a0 \u201cHave you already invited her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot yet.\u201d\u00a0 It was Joe\u2019s turn to peer at his father.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter with inviting her here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell . . . nothing.\u00a0 It\u2019s just that\u2014as you said, she has a lot going on right now, and maybe she won\u2019t want to be all the way out here.\u201d\u00a0 Even Ben could hear how feeble the excuse sounded.<\/p>\n

So could Joe.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with inviting Addie and Danny out to the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sighing, Ben sat on the side of the bed.\u00a0 \u201cSon, you know that there\u2019s a pretty big dispute going on right now between Addie and the Wagners.\u00a0 I just think that, if we invite her here, we give the impression that we\u2019re taking sides, and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s such a good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean how Mr. and Mrs. Wagner want to take Danny away from Addie?\u00a0 Why shouldn\u2019t we take sides?\u00a0 They\u2019re wrong, and we should say so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that easy, Joseph,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cThe Wagners want what\u2019s best for the baby.\u00a0 The fact is that they can offer him much more than Addie can.\u00a0 Besides which, as you said, she\u2019s got her hands very full.\u00a0 She\u2019s a young girl, Joe.\u00a0 Maybe she\u2019s too young to be raising a child all by herself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut she doesn\u2019t have to be all by herself,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cShe has friends.\u00a0 We can help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, that\u2019s very nice of you, but seriously, boy\u2014what do you know about taking care of a baby?\u00a0 Have you ever even changed a diaper?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not what I\u2019m saying, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019m saying that we can help her fight the Wagners so that she can keep her baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019m saying that that may not be the best thing for the baby, and we should stay out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stared as though his father had said something outrageous.\u00a0 Small wonder:\u00a0 Ben Cartwright had been stepping into the middle of disputes as long as his son could remember.\u00a0 Ben forced himself to hold Joseph\u2019s gaze even as he recalled dozens of occasions when he had\u2014well, not interfered, exactly, but also not insisted that somebody else\u2019s fight was none of his business.<\/p>\n

He tried again.\u00a0 \u201cJoe, you\u2019re only thinking about one side of this.\u00a0 The Wagners lost both their sons.\u00a0 It\u2019s only natural they would want to do the best they can for Philip\u2019s son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t make any sense, though.\u00a0 They lost their sons, and the way to fix it is for Addie to lose hers?\u00a0 People can\u2019t do that!\u00a0 What if Adam\u2019s grandfather had said you had to leave Adam with him?\u00a0 What would you have done?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was different,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cI was much older than Addie.\u00a0 I was twenty-one, and how old is she?\u00a0 Sixteen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost seventeen, I think,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 \u201cShe was in our class because she was so smart, but I think she was a year younger than us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, that\u2019s a five-year age difference\u2014and it\u2019s a pretty important five years.\u00a0 Also, I wasn\u2019t trying to manage the baby alone.\u00a0 I\u2019d hired a wet nurse to go along with us.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0And Lord knows how I\u2019d have managed without Mrs. Caulkins<\/em>, he thought now.\u00a0 He was a grief-stricken ex-sailor who knew nothing at all about babies.\u00a0 If it hadn\u2019t been for Mrs. Caulkins, he sometimes doubted that Adam would have survived those first few months.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you saying?\u00a0 Addie should have to give up her baby because she doesn\u2019t have enough money to hire help?\u00a0 Pa, that\u2019s just wrong and you know it!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019m saying is that this is a very complicated problem that doesn\u2019t have an easy answer, and I think it\u2019s important that we not appear to be taking sides.\u201d\u00a0 Ben tried to sound calm and neutral, but Joe\u2019s agitation was contagious.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t quite know why it was so important to him stay neutral, but until he did, he didn\u2019t want to have any more of these discussions.\u00a0 He stood as he said, \u201cSo, the answer is no, you can\u2019t invite her to come out and stay right now.\u00a0 Let the Wagners and Addie work out their problems first.\u00a0 Then, if you still want to invite her, we can talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not fair!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t raise your voice to me, boy.\u201d\u00a0 Ben waited until Joe had dropped his gaze before he spoke again.\u00a0 \u201cSometimes, we can\u2019t solve everyone else\u2019s problems.\u00a0 Now, it\u2019s time for bed.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got a lot to do tomorrow.\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s jaw dropped, but one hard look from his father, and he closed his mouth.\u00a0 \u201cGood night, Joseph,\u201d he added.\u00a0 He waited a moment, but when his son just turned away with no responsive \u201cgood night,\u201d he left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.<\/p>\n

It was a complicated problem, that much was certain.\u00a0 And if Joe intended on siding with Addie Wagner, the complications were only just beginning.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

The next morning, Ben was coming down the stairs when he heard Joe saying, \u201cTell Pa I won\u2019t be home for supper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can tell Pa yourself,\u201d Ben said from the landing.\u00a0 His youngest son\u2019s head jerked around.\u00a0 Something in the tense set of Joe\u2019s mouth and the flare of his nostrils let Ben know that Joe hadn\u2019t intended to be here when he came down.\u00a0 \u201cWhere will you be going?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInto town.\u201d\u00a0 The words sounded almost like a dare, and Ben met it head on.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo see Addie Wagner?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 Joe turned to face him squarely.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going into town tonight, and I\u2019m going to see Addie Wagner.\u201d\u00a0 Ben half-expected him to add, \u201cAnything wrong with that?\u201d or something similar, but no comment was invited.<\/p>\n

Very well, then.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t foolish enough to forbid Joe from seeing the girl.\u00a0 Not that there was that kind of interest between them, of course.\u00a0 But he knew his son well enough to know that clamping down was more likely to drive Joe toward the Wagner girl than away from her.\u00a0 Let Joe offer friendship and assistance.\u00a0 They\u2019d been schoolmates, after all.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be unexpected, nor would it be the kind of statement that inviting her to the Ponderosa would have been.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince when are you sparking Addie Wagner?\u201d asked Adam.\u00a0 Ben, who was passing the long, low table in front of the settee, squelched a sudden impulse to snatch an apple from the brass bowl and fling it at his eldest son\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re sparkin\u2019 Addie?\u201d Hoss asked through a mouthful of ham.<\/p>\n

\u201cMind your own business!\u201d Joe snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cSettle down, everybody,\u201d Ben interjected.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph is entitled to visit his friend without being subjected to an inquisition.\u201d\u00a0 His emphasis on\u00a0friend<\/em>\u00a0brought a raised eyebrow, but thankfully, no comment from Adam.\u00a0 To Joe, Ben added, \u201cJust don\u2019t stay out too late.\u00a0 I want to start moving the herd tomorrow.\u201d\u00a0 He eyed his two older sons.\u00a0 \u201cIs Joe the only one with work to do?\u201d he asked pointedly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t finished my breakfast!\u201d Hoss protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you waste away before lunch, we\u2019ll haul your carcass back here,\u201d said Adam, rising as Joe headed for the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a word about Addie Wagner, do you understand?\u201d Ben said to his older sons in a low voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014\u201d Hoss began.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a word.\u201d\u00a0 Neither his tone nor his stern gaze invited further comment.\u00a0 Grumbling, his sons followed their brother.\u00a0 Not until the door closed behind them all did Ben sink into his chair.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

A light sprinkle of rain was just starting as Joe emerged from Daisy\u2019s Restaurant with a basket containing fried chicken, biscuits and sweet corn.\u00a0 He\u2019d debated about getting Danny a piece of gingerbread.\u00a0 He knew so little about babies that he didn\u2019t know whether Danny was even old enough for that kind of thing.\u00a0 In the end, he bought apple pie instead; maybe Addie could feed him some of the filling.<\/p>\n

He hesitated at her door.\u00a0 Maybe he should have sent her a message to ask whether it was all right if he came by.\u00a0 She might not even be home.\u00a0 She could have made up with the Wagners, and maybe they were all having dinner together while Joe stood here with enough food to feed an army.<\/p>\n

He straightened.\u00a0 What was the worst that could happen?\u00a0 She might not be here.\u00a0 Or she could already have company.\u00a0 Well, in that case, he\u2019d just leave the food and head over to the Bucket of Blood for a beer\u2014an option that was sounding better and better anyway.<\/p>\n

Before he could give in to the temptation to do just that, Joe knocked firmly on her door.\u00a0 Moments later, she yanked it open, her finger to her lips.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s asleep,\u201d she mouthed.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry,\u201d Joe whispered.\u00a0 When she just looked at him as though trying to figure out what he was doing there, he added, \u201cCan I come in?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019m sorry.\u00a0 I\u2019m so tired I thought I\u2019d already asked you in.\u201d\u00a0 She stepped back, and he entered her home for the second time in as many days\u2014and the second time in his life.<\/p>\n

The smell of sour milk permeated the room.\u00a0 Her light brown hair was damp and messy, with as much escaping the knot as contained in it.\u00a0 The front of her dress bore splotches that Joe guessed had been created by Danny by one means or another.\u00a0 Unwashed dishes teetered in piles on the table.\u00a0 Even in the dim light of a single oil lamp, he could see dust on the room\u2019s lone bookcase.<\/p>\n

\u201cPardon the house,\u201d she said, startling him.\u00a0 \u201cI haven\u2019t had a chance to clean.\u00a0 Danny has colic, and I spend all my time trying to get him to stop crying.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no, it\u2019s fine,\u201d Joe said hastily.\u00a0 \u201cI knew you were probably busy, so I brought you some supper.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d\u00a0 The girl\u2019s gaze was clear and direct, even with redness around her eyes.<\/p>\n

He thought briefly of making some sort of excuse, but she\u2019d probably see through it anyway.\u00a0 \u201cIt seemed like you have your hands full between Danny and your in-laws.\u00a0 I thought you might like a little bit of help and maybe a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd maybe some charity, with a little pity on top?\u201d she snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u00a0 Just help from a friend.\u201d\u00a0 He stepped past her and set the basket on the table.\u00a0 \u201cEnjoy it.\u201d\u00a0 He strode past her and out the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait,\u201d she called.\u00a0 On the sidewalk, he turned, but he didn\u2019t come any closer.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re being kind, and I\u2019m . . . well, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d\u00a0 When he didn\u2019t respond, she said, \u201cIf you\u2019d like to stay for supper, that would be nice.\u201d\u00a0 She smiled slightly as she added, \u201cAs it happens, it\u2019s all ready right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He grinned then.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A few minutes later, she had moved the dishes to the work table and spread a cloth over the round table in the middle of the room.\u00a0 \u201cJust give me a minute,\u201d she said as she rummaged in the breakfront, emerging with two plates.\u00a0 \u201cI should have some glasses around here somewhere\u2014oh, wait, here they are.\u201d\u00a0 She held up a pair of dusty goblets.\u00a0 \u201cA gift from my mother-in-law to her son,\u201d she said as she wiped them with a towel.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo her son?\u201d\u00a0 Joe wasn\u2019t certain he\u2019d heard correctly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, they weren\u2019t for me,\u201d said Addie.\u00a0 \u201cShe was very clear about that.\u00a0 Anything they gave Philip or the baby was for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you were Philip\u2019s wife, and you\u2019re Danny\u2019s ma.\u201d\u00a0 Joe focused on opening the basket.\u00a0 At least the fried chicken made sense to him.<\/p>\n

Addie snorted.\u00a0 \u201cNot to them,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019d rather die than be related to someone like me.\u00a0 Do you know that they\u2019ve never even called me by my name?\u00a0 I was married to their son for almost a year, and I\u2019m the mother of their grandson, and not once has either of Philip\u2019s parents addressed me by my name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about your folks?\u00a0 Where are they now?\u201d<\/p>\n

Addie shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cOregon, maybe.\u00a0 That\u2019s where they were hoping to go.\u00a0 I have no idea whether they got there.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t heard from them since before Danny was born.\u201d\u00a0 Her voice grew soft and wistful.\u00a0 \u201cI wanted to write to them and tell them they had a grandson, but I didn\u2019t have an address.\u00a0 Neither does my sister\u2014do you remember Julia?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t she marry some fellow from back east?\u201d<\/p>\n

Addie nodded.\u00a0 \u201cMarcus,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s a professor of history at a college for women.\u00a0 She\u2019s so lucky.\u201d\u00a0 Her voice trailed off.\u00a0 Then, she brought her attention back to the conversation.\u00a0 \u201cThey live in Ohio.\u00a0 Anyway, I wrote and asked her about our parents, but she hasn\u2019t heard from them, either.\u201d\u00a0 She shook her head as though to bring herself back to the present.\u00a0 \u201cWe should eat before Danny wakes up.\u00a0 Once he starts crying, there\u2019s just no stopping him.\u201d\u00a0 She placed the food on the plates and looked up at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cThis was very nice of you,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry I was so rude before.\u00a0 I\u2019m just so tired, and now with the colic and the Wagners\u2014sometimes, I just forget how to be with people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t any of your friends come over?\u201d\u00a0 Joe couldn\u2019t remember who her school friends had been.\u00a0 He bit into a piece of chicken.\u00a0 He\u2019d never tell Hop Sing, but Daisy made the best fried chicken he\u2019d ever eaten.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no,\u201d Addie was saying.\u00a0 \u201cOnce people found out that I\u2019d\u2014that Philip and I\u2014that we had to get married\u2014well, none of the nice girls would have anything to do with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not right,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 He knew what she was going to say, though, and she did.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight has nothing to do with it.\u00a0 It\u2019s the way things are.\u201d\u00a0 She handed him another biscuit.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll probably end up leaving Virginia City eventually.\u00a0 That\u2019s the only way Danny\u2019s going to have a chance to be anything other than a\u2014well, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not a\u2014\u2018you know\u2019,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 \u201cYou and Philip were legally married.\u00a0 Besides, that kind of thing happens all the time.\u00a0 I\u2019ll bet you could find twenty people just on this block whose folks said they were born early, but. . . .\u201d\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t quite believe he was saying such things out loud to a girl, but Addie didn\u2019t seem at all perturbed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe so, but they\u2019re not related to the Wagners,\u201d Addie said.\u00a0 \u201cIf you think Edward and Martha are going to let anybody forget why Philip married me. . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that was just as much Philip\u2019s doing as it was yours,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 \u201cMore, really.\u00a0 My pa always said it was up to the boy to respect the girl and not take liberties.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPhilip\u2019s pa would have done well to teach his son the same lesson,\u201d Addie said darkly.\u00a0 \u201cHave some more chicken.”<\/p>\n

Joe took another piece, munching as he tried to figure out how to ask the obvious question:\u00a0 how on earth had Addie McKinley and Philip Wagner ever gotten together at all?\u00a0 Philip was wealthy and handsome and popular, while Addie was plain and bookish and smarter than a girl should be.\u00a0 Just as he was going to ask straight out, an indignant wail came from the other room.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it,\u201d said Addie over the baby\u2019s shrieks.\u00a0 \u201cFeel free to finish your dinner, but if you want to take it with you, I understand.\u00a0 This is going to go on all night.\u201d\u00a0 She disappeared into the other room, returning moments later with Danny in her arms.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, sweetie, calm down,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re going to be okay.\u00a0 I know you don\u2019t feel good, but crying about it isn\u2019t going to help.\u00a0 Just settle down now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there anything I can do to help?\u201d Joe half-shouted to be heard<\/p>\n

Addie shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cNot unless you want to go deaf,\u201d she responded at similar volume.\u00a0 \u201cThanks for dinner.\u201d\u00a0 She walked back and forth, jiggling the baby, her attention focused on her son.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, well . . . let me know if I can do anything.\u201d\u00a0 Joe waited, but when she didn\u2019t acknowledge him, he picked up his hat and let himself out.\u00a0 On the sidewalk, he could hear the baby\u2019s wails.\u00a0 He thought about what it would be like to try to manage a house and a screaming baby all by himself, and he shuddered.<\/p>\n

Still, there had to be something he could do to help.\u00a0 Lost in thought, he wandered over to the Bucket of Blood.\u00a0 Maybe a beer would help him think.<\/p>\n

Three hours later, he left the saloon with no more insight than he\u2019d had when he entered it.\u00a0 As he walked back to the livery stable, he could hear Danny Wagner\u2019s cries halfway down the block.\u00a0 He paused to listen, but the wailing showed no sign of stopping.<\/p>\n

All right, then.\u00a0 Even if he couldn\u2019t take her out to the ranch, there had to be something he could do.\u00a0 Damned if he knew what, but there had to be something.\u00a0 He strode down the board sidewalk to her door.\u00a0 He\u2019d just lifted his hand to knock when he heard her sobbing, \u201cAren\u2019t you ever going to stop?\u201d<\/p>\n

Abruptly, he made up his mind.\u00a0 Let Pa say what he would.\u00a0 They couldn\u2019t just leave the poor girl alone to deal with this.\u00a0 He rapped sharply and opened the door.\u00a0 \u201cCome on,\u201d he said above the din.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re coming with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u00a0 What are you talking about?\u201d\u00a0 Her face was nearly as red as her son\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cJust leave us alone!\u00a0 I can manage!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAddie, you\u2019re exhausted,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 \u201cAnybody would be.\u00a0 Come on.\u00a0 You\u2019re coming out to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 We can help you take care of Danny, and you can get even get some rest.\u201d\u00a0 She stared, open-mouthed.\u00a0 Joe held out his hands.\u00a0 \u201cGive him to me and get some things together for both of you.\u00a0 Come on, let\u2019s go.\u00a0 It\u2019s already late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014what will your father say?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPa won\u2019t mind,\u201d Joe lied.\u00a0 He tried not to picture his father\u2019s face when he brought a screaming baby into the house.\u00a0\u00a0I couldn\u2019t just leave them there,<\/em>\u00a0he argued silently.\u00a0 \u201cBesides, Pa knows all about colic.\u00a0 He says I had it when I was little.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019ll know something you can do for Danny.\u00a0 Now, hand him over and get packed.\u201d\u00a0 He was bluffing big now, but he didn\u2019t have a choice.\u00a0 If she knew how Pa felt, she wouldn\u2019t go anywhere near the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

She handed him the screaming, squirming, damp bundle that was her son and disappeared into the next room as Joe tried to figure out the right way to hold him.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s that?\u201d he asked the baby as he laid him on his back, head resting in the crook of Joe\u2019s elbow.\u00a0 He put his other hand under the baby and immediately drew it back.\u00a0 \u201cDo you have a dry diaper?\u201d he called.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0 She appeared in the doorway.<\/p>\n

\u201cA dry diaper.\u00a0 This one\u2019s . . . not good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes widened as though she\u2019d never heard of such a thing, and a fresh onslaught of tears began.\u00a0 Moments later, she was removing one of the wettest, smelliest diapers Joe had ever seen from her son.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Danny, I\u2019m so sorry,\u201d she sobbed.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake it easy, he\u2019s okay,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 He tried not to cringe too much as he took the diaper.\u00a0 \u201cWhere does this go?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the bucket over there,\u201d she said, but he could hardly understand her through her crying.\u00a0 He thought she said, \u201cBring me some water and a cloth,\u201d so he did.\u00a0 As he brought them to the table where poor Danny lay, she was saying, \u201cOh, you poor little one.\u00a0 I can\u2019t believe I never thought\u2014I just figured it was the colic\u2014I\u2019m so sorry, sweetheart\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSsssh,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s fine.\u00a0 Go sit down for a minute, and I\u2019ll do this.\u201d\u00a0 Remarkably, she did, leaving Joe to figure out how to clean and change the baby.<\/p>\n

It probably took him about four times as long as it would have taken Addie, but eventually, the baby was clean and dry\u2014and quiet.\u00a0 His mother, however, was not so easily consoled.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t believe I did that,\u201d she wept.\u00a0 \u201cAll he needed was changing, and I never even thought\u2014I\u2019m a terrible mother.\u00a0 The Wagners should take him.\u00a0 I can\u2019t do anything right.\u00a0 I\u2019m so awful.\u00a0 My poor little boy, wearing that dreadful diaper all this time and I never even realized\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAddie.\u00a0 Enough.\u201d\u00a0 Joe kept his voice gentle as he rested his hand on her shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re a fine mother.\u00a0 You\u2019re just worn out, that\u2019s all.\u00a0 Now, get your things, and let\u2019s get going.\u201d<\/p>\n

She gulped and sniffled.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t have to do that,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re fine now.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re exhausted,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not leaving you here all alone.\u00a0 You come out to the Ponderosa, and tomorrow, we\u2019ll have a couple of Hop Sing\u2019s cousins come in and put the house in order.\u00a0 Then, when you\u2019ve had a chance to rest, you and Danny can come home.\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked up at him with something akin to wonder in her eyes.\u00a0 Her round face was red and shiny, most of her hair was loose, and the front of her dress was damp.\u00a0 Her lips were trembling, and she sniffled again.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t even remotely appealing–quite the opposite at the moment–but\u00a0 he couldn\u2019t just leave her here.\u00a0 It would be like leaving a calf stuck in a mud bog.\u00a0 He\u2019d always been taught that if you could help, you should.\u00a0 All right, then.\u00a0 He could help, and he would.\u00a0 And if Pa didn\u2019t like it, then . . . well, he\u2019d worry about that later.<\/p>\n

Half an hour later, he was driving a rented buggy along a moonlit road while Addie and Danny slept beside him and Cochise trotted along, tied to the back.\u00a0 Pa was going to have his hide, but even he would have to admit that there was nothing else Joe could have done.\u00a0 He tried to remember how much money he had in the box on his bureau and whether that would be enough to pay to have one of Hop Sing\u2019s cousins go over to Addie\u2019s house to clean and do the laundry a couple of times a week.\u00a0 He cringed as he imagined the look on Hop Sing\u2019s face when he brought a baby into the house.\u00a0 Pa wasn\u2019t the only one who wasn\u2019t going to be happy; the last time there had been a baby in the house, when Hoss and Joe had found that Shoshone girl when they were hunting and they brought home the girl and her baby, Hop Sing had been fit to be tied.\u00a0 But there wasn\u2019t anything to be done about it now.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019d be able to think of a nice gift for Hop Sing to smooth things over.\u00a0 He\u2019d have to get over to the Chinese section of town and see if somebody could suggest something.\u00a0 And as for his brothers\u2014well, Hoss would try to help, but if the baby kept Adam up at night, it wasn\u2019t going to be good.\u00a0 Adam was grumpy enough in the morning when he\u2019d had a good night\u2019s sleep.\u00a0 When his night got interrupted, the breakfast table could be a dangerous place.<\/p>\n

The baby made a small noise, and Joe froze.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 All he needed was to drive into the yard with the baby already screaming, and they\u2019d all end up sleeping in the barn.\u00a0 Well, maybe not Addie and the baby, but certainly Joe.\u00a0 His brothers would see to that.<\/p>\n

All too soon, they were in the front yard.\u00a0\u00a0Please, oh, please be asleep,<\/em>\u00a0he begged even though the lights in the living room windows made it clear that his plea was futile.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re here,\u201d he whispered to Addie.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll take you inside, and then I\u2019ve got to tend the horses.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d\u00a0 She blinked several times, and then she smiled.\u00a0 \u201cThat was nice,\u201d she murmured.\u00a0 \u201cI haven\u2019t slept that much at one time in weeks.\u201d\u00a0 She peered at Danny and her smile widened.\u00a0 \u201cAhhh,\u201d she breathed.\u00a0 \u201cHere, hold him while I get down, but don\u2019t jiggle him or you\u2019ll wake him up.\u201d\u00a0 She handed the baby to Joe, who sat rigidly until she was standing on the ground and reaching for Danny.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s it, punkin, you be a good boy,\u201d she whispered.\u00a0 The baby made another noise, and she and Joe stared wide-eyed at each other.\u00a0 \u201cQuiet, honey,\u201d she whispered more urgently, but the baby began to whimper.\u00a0 \u201cSsssh, Danny, you\u2019re all right,\u201d she said, but the increasing agitation belied her words.<\/p>\n

The front door opened, and Joe closed his eyes.\u00a0 Before he could do anything more than open them to see his father\u2019s silhouette in the doorway, Danny\u2019s whimper burst into full-throated wailing.\u00a0 Addie jiggled him frantically, and Joe\u2019s shoulders slumped in defeat.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019s there?\u201d called Pa.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s me, Pa,\u201d Joe called over the baby\u2019s cries.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, what\u2014?\u201d\u00a0 But Pa didn\u2019t continue, because the answer was already too obvious.\u00a0 Joe climbed out of the buggy as his father approached Addie.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you take him in the house?\u201d Pa said as though she were an expected guest\u2014which, Joe figured, she just might have been.\u00a0 Then, Pa came near enough for Joe to see the fire in his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI take it Mrs. Wagner and her child have a satchel?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe swallowed hard and nodded as he reached into the buggy and removed the bag.\u00a0 He held it out to his father, who snatched it from his grasp.\u00a0 \u201cHere\u2019s the extra diapers,\u201d Joe half-whispered, holding out a second bag.\u00a0 As his father grabbed that one, Joe gave silent thanks for the fact that he was too old to be tanned.\u00a0 Otherwise, he\u2019d probably have ended up in the barn with Pa and his belt.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut the horses away.\u201d\u00a0 Pa bit off the words.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll have Hop Sing take care of your guests, and then I will be out to see you in the barn.\u00a0 You and I need to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe gulped.\u00a0 Somehow, it didn\u2019t sound from Pa\u2019s ominous tone as though he would have much of an opportunity to speak during this talk.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m too old to be tanned,<\/em>he reminded himself, but as Pa turned on his heel and marched into the house, he couldn\u2019t help wondering whether Pa would agree.<\/p>\n

He was grooming the rented horse when Pa came back into the barn and closed the door.\u00a0 His stomach dropped, but he kept working.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought we had this discussion last night,\u201d Pa began.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d said Joe, swallowing hard.\u00a0 He turned to face his father.\u00a0 \u201cBut, Pa, if you\u2019d seen her there\u2014you couldn\u2019t have left her, either.\u00a0 She\u2019s so tired, and the baby cries all the time, and\u2014she needs help.\u00a0 She says he has colic.\u00a0 You remember what that was like, don\u2019t you?\u201d\u00a0 He watched as understanding, sympathy and dread crossed his father\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cYou said it took all four of you to handle me until it was past.\u00a0 She doesn\u2019t have anybody, Pa.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how much use Philip was anyway, but it\u2019s just her now.\u00a0 The Wagners don\u2019t help at all.\u00a0 Everything\u2019s on her, and\u2014I couldn\u2019t just leave her there like that.\u201d\u00a0 Pa wasn\u2019t saying anything, so Joe pressed on.\u00a0 \u201cYou won\u2019t have to do anything, honest.\u00a0 I\u2019ll help her.\u00a0 And you\u2019ll like him.\u00a0 He\u2019s cute when he\u2019s sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour mother used to say that about you.\u201d\u00a0 Pa\u2019s voice was unexpectedly gentle.<\/p>\n

Joe decided to risk a tiny joke.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about you?\u00a0 What did you think of me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll let you know when I decide,\u201d said Pa dryly.\u00a0 He shook his head as though dealing with a lost cause.\u00a0 His weathered face grew serious.\u00a0 \u201cSon, this isn\u2019t a permanent solution.\u00a0 Addie has to work this out herself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI just thought that maybe, if she could get a few days to rest, she\u2019d be able to handle it all better.\u00a0 I think she\u2019s kind of overwhelmed right now.\u00a0 Even if she didn\u2019t like Philip, he was her husband and he\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe didn\u2019t like him?\u201d\u00a0 Pa looked so surprised that Joe bit his lip.<\/p>\n

\u201cI probably wasn\u2019t supposed to say anything,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t tell her I told you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not,\u201d said Pa.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you\u2019re right\u2014no matter how she felt about him, losing him is probably still hard, especially at her age.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI still don\u2019t think we should be involved in this, but it appears we don\u2019t have a choice now.\u201d\u00a0 The stern look was back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa,\u201d said Joe, and he meant it.\u00a0 He still didn\u2019t understand why Pa didn\u2019t think they should be involved, but he could see that something was troubling Pa beyond the obvious.<\/p>\n

Pa looked as though he was going to say something serious, but then he smiled.\u00a0 \u201cIt looks as though you\u2019re finally going to learn to diaper a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI already did,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cWhen I went back to Addie\u2019s tonight, Danny\u2019s diaper was messy, and I changed him.\u201d\u00a0 He wrinkled his nose at the memory, and Pa laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cLuckily, babies have other things about them that make up for the diapers,\u201d he chuckled.\u00a0 He grew serious again.\u00a0 \u201cJust be careful, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cAbout getting yourself into\u2014well, something you\u2019re not\u2014\u201d\u00a0 Pa broke off as though unsure how to finish.\u00a0 Joe peered at him, but he didn\u2019t continue.\u00a0 Instead, he said, \u201cMake sure the buggy\u2019s ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2014you\u2019re not sending them home tonight?\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s eyes widened in horror.<\/p>\n

To his shock, Pa laughed.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Joseph, I\u2019m not,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cBut one of the things that we found that worked to calm you down was riding in the buggy.\u00a0 I have no idea why, but it helped.\u00a0 Fact is, you and I spent a lot of time driving up and down the road at night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why he slept until we got here.\u201d\u00a0 Joe felt as though he\u2019d made a major discovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite possibly,\u201d Pa said.\u00a0 \u201cSo, just be ready.\u00a0 You and Danny may be going for quite a few rides until he settles down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can do that.\u201d\u00a0 Relieved, Joe turned back to the horse and began to brush.\u00a0 If that was all there was to taking care of a baby, he could get Addie and Danny settled in no time at all.\u00a0 As Pa opened the door, Joe turned to face him.\u00a0 \u201cPa.\u201d\u00a0 When Pa paused, Joe said, \u201cI thought you were coming out here to tan me for disobeying you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt crossed my mind,\u201d Pa said with a small smile.<\/p>\n

Joe knew he should just keep quiet, but he had to ask.\u00a0 \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa\u2019s smile widened.\u00a0 \u201cFinish the horses, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014\u201d\u00a0 The word faded as Joe tried to sort out what he was seeing in Pa\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinish the horses.\u201d\u00a0 Pa left the barn, and Joe watched after him until he heard the faint sound of the front door closing.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Shortly after sunup, three bleary-eyed Cartwrights gathered at the breakfast table.\u00a0 The soft colors of the morning sky went unnoticed as Danny Wagner screamed from upstairs.\u00a0 Somewhere around one in the morning, Adam and Hoss had taken their pillows and blankets and retreated to the barn.\u00a0 Ben had longed to follow, but he couldn\u2019t bring himself to leave the baby with an exhausted young mother and a clearly-terrified Joe.\u00a0 So, he\u2019d dug deep into his memory, trying to recall anything he and Marie had done when their youngest had sounded the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Little Joe?\u201d Hoss mumbled.<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably hiding so that we don\u2019t kill him,\u201d snapped Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s hitching up the buggy,\u201d Ben yawned.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re going to try another ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought that used to work better.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss downed his coffee in one gulp and refilled his cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing\u2019s perfect with colic,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cBuggy rides only worked about half the time with Little Joe.\u00a0 Otherwise, the child probably wouldn\u2019t have seen the inside of the house until he was a year old.\u201d\u00a0 He yawned again.\u00a0 \u201cI want you boys to go into town and bring back Mrs. Guthrie.\u00a0 If this ranch is to have any hope of running while those two are here, we\u2019ll need a woman to help out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll send her out first thing,\u201d said Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Send\u2019?\u201d\u00a0 His father raised his eyebrows.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t think we\u2019re staying here through this siege, do you?\u201d\u00a0 Adam shoveled a load of eggs onto his plate.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou most certainly are,\u201d said Ben in a tone that would brook no interference.\u00a0 \u201cIf I\u2019m here, you\u2019re here.\u201d\u00a0 He leveled a look at his eldest son that Adam held for a long minute before conceding by dropping his eyes.<\/p>\n

Two hours later, Adam and Hoss stood at Harriet Guthrie\u2019s door.\u00a0 Adam could almost taste relief.\u00a0 He was old enough to remember Joe as an infant, and it was not a sweet memory.\u00a0 Not that the kid hadn\u2019t been cute enough, but the incessant screaming had nearly driven them all mad.\u00a0 Ironically, it had been that experience that led Adam to appreciate his stepmother, who had spent the most time with her son.\u00a0 Up to that point, he\u2019d dismissed her as a silly bit of fluff, but her determination and grit in handling a colicky baby changed his opinion.\u00a0 If she could live through that, he\u2019d figured, she was all right.<\/p>\n

Their knock was greeted moments later by Mrs. Guthrie.\u00a0 She was a widow whose children were grown and who now cared for the rest of the town.\u00a0 Many families in Virginia City hired her to help out with household chores and child care.\u00a0 The Cartwrights routinely brought her out to the Ponderosa when Hop Sing was away.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Adam, Hoss,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cWon\u2019t you come in?\u201d<\/p>\n

The men stepped into her immaculate home.\u00a0 Her own house was the best possible advertisement for her services.\u00a0 \u201cGood morning, Mrs. Guthrie,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 \u201cWe were wondering if you might be available to help out at the Ponderosa for a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly,\u201d said Mrs. Guthrie.\u00a0 \u201cHow long will Hop Sing be away this time?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ain\u2019t Hop Sing, ma\u2019am,\u201d said Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cSee, we got a houseguest and she\u2019s got a baby that\u2019s kind of a handful, and we were hopin\u2019 you\u2019d be able to help out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d said Mrs. Guthrie.\u00a0 \u201cI raised seven children of my own, and I\u2019ve probably tended half the children in Virginia City at one time or another.\u00a0 Just let me gather my things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a relief,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 \u201cYou know how to handle colic, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mrs. Guthrie smiled.\u00a0 \u201cAdam, nobody \u2018handles\u2019 colic,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cYou just get through it.\u00a0 How long will the lady be staying with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably not too long,\u201d said Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cJust until she gets back on her feet.\u00a0 She\u2019s pretty young, and she just lost her husband, so she\u2019s stayin\u2019 out at the Ponderosa \u2018til she can catch her breath.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mrs. Guthrie paused in the act of retrieving a fresh apron from the breakfront.\u00a0 She narrowed her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cWho is this young lady?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAddie Wagner,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 Something in Mrs. Guthrie\u2019s expression shifted.\u00a0 \u201cIs there a problem?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs it turns out, I won\u2019t be able to help after all,\u201d said Mrs. Guthrie.\u00a0 \u201cI trust you will find someone else to assist you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Mrs. Guthrie!\u201d\u00a0 Hoss was confused.\u00a0 She\u2019d just said\u2014\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Hoss,\u201d said Mrs. Guthrie.\u00a0 \u201cBut I won\u2019t have anything to do with a girl like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA girl like what?\u201d\u00a0 There was a touch of steel in Adam\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Guthrie drew herself up to her full height of nearly five feet.\u00a0 \u201cThat girl is the reason that the Wagner boys died,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cIf she hadn\u2019t seduced Philip, he\u2019d have been at the university, and Thomas would have followed.\u00a0 Instead, she forced Philip into marriage, and he had to abandon a promising future to support her and her\u2014child.\u201d\u00a0 She spat the word out as though it was the worst obscenity.\u00a0 \u201cWhen I think what this disgrace, this tragedy\u2014when I think of what it\u2019s done to Philip\u2019s dear parents\u2014such fine, upstanding people\u2014I can\u2019t believe that you Cartwrights are taking that little hussy\u2019s side.\u00a0 Obviously, she\u2019s not fit to raise a child, or you wouldn\u2019t be here asking me to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a young mother with no husband and a colicky baby,\u201d said Adam, the steel hardening.\u00a0 \u201cAnd that\u2019s why she needs help, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re helping her.\u00a0 We\u2019re not taking anybody\u2019s side, except maybe that child\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to do what\u2019s best for that child, you\u2019ll take him to his grandparents so that he can be raised properly!\u201d\u00a0 Harriet Guthrie\u2019s eyes were flashing.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you\u2019ll tell your father to make sure that she stays away from Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere did you ever get the notion that anybody can \u2018tell\u2019 my father anything\u2014especially about Little Joe?\u201d asked Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you get fresh with me, Adam Cartwright!\u00a0 That girl already snagged one rich husband and destroyed his life.\u00a0 Do you think for one minute that she doesn\u2019t have her eye on Husband Number Two?\u00a0 Little Joe would be a mighty fine catch for the likes of her, and don\u2019t you think for one minute that she doesn\u2019t know it!\u00a0 Why, she likely started setting her cap for him before Philip was even cold\u2014and don\u2019t think she wouldn\u2019t ruin Little Joe\u2019s life the same way she did to poor Philip!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait a minute, ma\u2019am,\u201d Hoss began, but Adam took his arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go, Hoss,\u201d he said, his voice now fully hardened.\u00a0 \u201cSorry to bother you, Mrs. Guthrie, but don\u2019t worry.\u00a0 It won\u2019t happen again.\u201d\u00a0 He held her eyes until he saw a hint of worry as his meaning became clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d certainly be happy to help you out in the future when Hop Sing is traveling,\u201d she said hastily.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure that won\u2019t be necessary,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Hoss.\u00a0 Good day, ma\u2019am.\u201d\u00a0 He touched the brim of his hat and led the way out, ignoring her sputters of protest and indignation.<\/p>\n

Out on the sidewalk, the brothers regarded each other.\u00a0 \u201cNow what?\u201d Hoss asked after a minute.<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cIf that\u2019s how Harriet Guthrie feels, it\u2019s a pretty sure bet that\u2019s how most of the ladies feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I reckon everybody in town\u2019s gonna know by noon that Addie\u2019s out at our place,\u201d said Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cHow come this whole thing\u2019s her fault, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt isn\u2019t,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 \u201cBut Philip was a man.\u00a0 It\u2019s a different standard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt don\u2019t make sense to me,\u201d Hoss grumbled.<\/p>\n

\u201cOr to me, but that\u2019s just how it is,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 \u201cThe question is what we do now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss thought for a minute.\u00a0 Then, he snapped his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cI bet ol\u2019 Hop Sing\u2019s got some cousins who wouldn\u2019t mind a few days work.\u201d\u00a0 Then, his round face grew somber.\u00a0 \u201cOr do you figure they\u2019d be like Mrs. Guthrie?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam grinned.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re in a different part of town,\u201d he reminded Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cThey probably don\u2019t know or care who the Wagners are.\u00a0 Even if they do, I don\u2019t imagine any of them would dare to face Hop Sing if they turned us down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, come on!\u201d Hoss crowed.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go round up a few cousins!\u201d<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Exhausted, Ben closed the ledger.\u00a0 Hop Sing\u2019s cousins had been godsends, but in the end, four days of a colicky baby had brought back all too vividly the memories of his youngest son\u2019s infancy.\u00a0 It was one thing when it was your own child, Ben reflected.\u00a0 It was quite another when the screaming infant was an unplanned houseguest whose visit had no end in sight.<\/p>\n

To his credit, Joe was trying.\u00a0 For someone who had never before held a baby, Joe had become passably good at rocking and diaper-changing.\u00a0 Hop Sing prepared rice cereal for the child twice a day, and if Joe wasn\u2019t yet an expert at getting the food into Danny\u2019s mouth, he was making progress.\u00a0 Ben recalled the unending frustration of scooping food back into baby Joe\u2019s mouth as quickly as he spit it out, and it gave him no small satisfaction to see his son doing the same as he coaxed, wheedled and begged the baby to eat.<\/p>\n

For the first day, Joe had insisted that Addie rest, that he and Hop Sing could handle the baby.\u00a0 While he had obviously been relying heavily on the Chinaman\u2019s skills in making that boast, the fact was that he was correct:\u00a0 the girl was exhausted, and she needed rest.\u00a0 Although there were, of course, some tasks that she couldn\u2019t delegate, and she was understandably nervous about leaving her son to anyone else\u2019s care, it soon became apparent that the prospect of truly resting was so attractive to the young mother that she was willing to set aside her concerns.\u00a0 Ben suspected that her willingness to hand over her son had less to do with her faith in Joe than it did with her confidence in his father, his brothers, and Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for Danny Wagner, when he wasn\u2019t screaming, he had all the charm of a storybook baby.\u00a0 His cheeks were chubby, his blue eyes round and surprisingly alert, his noises as soft as the coo of a dove.\u00a0 He would grab at a finger being waved in front of him, and if he caught it, he would hold it with all his tiny might.\u00a0 He had a froth of fine blond curls that he had clearly inherited from his father and a dimple in his left cheek that had apparently come from his mother.\u00a0 More than once, as Ben sat in the red leather armchair, reading and holding Danny, he discovered that the baby had fallen asleep in his arms and was making tiny bubble noises.\u00a0 It was enough to make him miss the days when his own boys\u2014even Little Joe\u2014had been that age.<\/p>\n

As he\u2019d walked the floor with Danny the night before, Ben found himself imagining the day when he would do so with his own grandchild.\u00a0 In such moments, he pondered the fact that neither Adam nor Hoss had as yet found a woman to marry.\u00a0 Well, perhaps that wasn\u2019t quite true; Hoss would have married Emily Pendleton, and Adam might well have wed Sue Ellen Terry.\u00a0 Sadly, neither girl had survived even to the asking.\u00a0 At the rate things were going, the first Cartwright grandchild might well come from Little Joe.\u00a0 Ben shuddered at the thought of his seventeen-year-old son taking on a home and family.\u00a0 While he was well aware that some seventeen-year-olds managed such a thing, it was his personal belief that most of them\u2014including his son\u2014were simply too young for such responsibilities.<\/p>\n

After all, look at Philip and Addie.\u00a0 Philip had barely been seventeen when they wed, and Addie hadn\u2019t even been sixteen.\u00a0 Just from the little bit Joe had said, Ben\u2019s impression was that that marriage had not been a happy one.\u00a0 They were mere children, thrown together by circumstances neither had apparently foreseen.\u00a0 Still, Ben didn\u2019t have the impression that Addie particularly missed her husband.\u00a0 She certainly didn\u2019t act as though she was heartbroken by the loss of him.\u00a0 At most, she seemed angry that he had left her alone to do battle with his parents.<\/p>\n

Well, that was none of the Cartwrights\u2019 business, Ben told himself firmly.\u00a0 The sooner Addie could pull herself together and take her child home, the better things would be for all of them.\u00a0 Either that, or the sooner she admitted that the best thing for her son was to hand him over to his grandparents, who would take excellent care of him and would raise him to be every bit as fine as their own sons had been.<\/p>\n

\u201cMistah Cahtlight!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben\u2019s reverie was broken by an irritated Hop Sing.\u00a0 Although Ben had caught the little man holding and singing to the baby on several occasions, Hop Sing\u2019s official attitude remained one of annoyance at the undeniable increase in his workload as a result of having this non-housebroken creature in his house.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, Hop Sing?\u201d\u00a0 Ben allowed a note of weariness to creep into his voice in the hope that it might slow their worthy down.<\/p>\n

It did not.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing need diapers!\u201d the little man announced.<\/p>\n

Ben resisted the urge to say that he seriously doubted this statement:\u00a0 while it was quite probable that little Danny needed diapers, it was most unlikely that Hop Sing was similarly afflicted.\u00a0 Knowing that Hop Sing would not see the humor, however, Ben contented himself with dealing with the meaning of the pronouncement.\u00a0 \u201cI thought your cousin was taking care of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChun Xi go back to Virginia City, work in honorable father\u2019s laundry today!\u00a0 Hop Sing not have cousin to wash diaper fast enough!\u00a0 All diaper washed and hanging up, no diaper dry!\u201d<\/p>\n

This was unquestionably a problem.\u00a0 \u201cHow many clean diapers are left?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing frowned.\u00a0 \u201cTwo,\u201d he said.\u00a0 The word was almost a dare.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll send one of the boys to town,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 There was probably something in the house that Hop Sing could have cut up to serve the purpose, but Ben wasn\u2019t about to suggest it.\u00a0 \u201cIs there anything else you need?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing need Mistah Cahtlight send baby back to home, leave Hop Sing to run Ponderosa in peace!\u201d\u00a0 The little man\u2019s pigtail swung emphatically as he turned on his heel and stomped back to the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll see what I can do,\u201d said Ben, but not all that loudly.\u00a0 The truth was that if it hadn\u2019t been for the colic and the controversy surrounding the baby, he wouldn\u2019t have minded having him here indefinitely.\u00a0 Until he could get some grandchildren of his own, Danny Wagner was an excellent stand-in.<\/p>\n

Not that he would let Joseph know this, however.\u00a0 The last thing he needed was to have his son treat the Ponderosa as a home for husbandless mothers and their offspring.\u00a0 His boys\u2014Hoss especially, but all of them to one extent or another\u2014already had a tendency to bring home any unfortunate person whose hard-luck story touched their hearts.\u00a0 No, he wouldn\u2019t let Little Joe know that he found anything positive in their current living situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d said Addie.\u00a0 Ben looked up to see the girl and her child coming down the stairs.\u00a0 Just a few days\u2019 rest had done wonders for her.\u00a0 Already, she looked more peaceful, less disheveled.\u00a0 She was more plain than pretty, but she certainly had a more pleasant appearance than she had when she arrived.<\/p>\n

His smile widened as she approached.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019s he doing?\u201d Ben asked<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s just fine,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI wonder whether\u2014would it be all right if\u2014I mean, would you mind\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben chuckled and reached for the baby.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d be delighted,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cHello, Danny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, sir,\u201d said Addie.\u00a0 \u201cI remember somebody telling me that babies should be held by lots of people so that they don\u2019t get to the point where they\u2019re so attached to one person that nobody else can hold them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben chuckled again.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t remember hearing any such thing, but if agreeing meant that he got to hold Danny, that was good enough.\u00a0 \u201cIn that case, maybe Danny and I will go out on the porch, and you can take a nap.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, that\u2019s lovely, Mr. Cartwright, but I can\u2019t,\u201d Addie said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to make some of that rice cereal for Danny\u2019s lunch.\u00a0 Hop Sing shouldn\u2019t have to do everything for us.\u201d\u00a0 She darted away before Ben could respond.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, little man, it looks as though it\u2019s just the two of us,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 The baby cooed at him, and his heart swelled.<\/p>\n

No two ways about it:\u00a0 his sons were going to need to start producing grandchildren soon, or he was going to have to take drastic action.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to put him down,\u201d said Addie, rising from the settee.\u00a0 It had been a lovely peaceful evening.\u00a0 Danny had been the focus of everybody\u2019s attention, and for once, he hadn\u2019t even spent the evening howling.\u00a0 Hop Sing had insisted that his special rice cereal would cure Danny\u2019s colic, and while \u201ccure\u201d might have been overstating the result, there was no question that the flare-ups were less frequent.\u00a0 Doc Martin had told them that colic went away on its own and that while it sometimes resolved by the time a baby was only a few months old, there was no set timetable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone could invent a cure for colic, I guarantee he\u2019d become a millionaire,\u201d the doctor had said as the baby wailed in the next room.<\/p>\n

But tonight, Danny was as sweet-tempered as Hoss had been at that age.\u00a0 He burbled and laughed and grabbed at the toys Joe and Hoss dangled in front of him.\u00a0 He watched intently as Adam sang, and he snuggled in Ben\u2019s arms as his mother looked on proudly.\u00a0 It was as tranquil a domestic scene as any of them could have asked for.\u00a0 Finally, they all waved and called good night to Danny as Addie carried him up the stairs.<\/p>\n

Once the pair was safely out of earshot, Hoss said, \u201cShe\u2019s doin\u2019 a lot better with him.\u00a0 You reckon the worst is past?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know about \u2018the worst,\u2019 but she\u2019s still facing a great many challenges.\u00a0 Raising a child by yourself is one of the toughest jobs there is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLucky for you we were all such angels,\u201d Joe quipped.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou especially,\u201d Adam retorted.\u00a0 \u201cThe quietest, most obedient child the Almighty ever created.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe I\u2019ve met that Joseph,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s \u2018cause there ain\u2019t no such person!\u201d Hoss chortled.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d Joe protested, laughing.<\/p>\n

\u201cSsssh!\u00a0 Don\u2019t wake the baby!\u201d Ben hushed his sons.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a cute little fellow,\u201d Hoss mused after a minute.\u00a0 \u201cI think him and Addie\u2019s gonna be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I don\u2019t understand is how she and Philip got together in the first place,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 \u201cHow on earth did a girl like Addie wind up with Philip Wagner?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a bet.\u201d<\/p>\n

For an instant, none of them moved.\u00a0 Then, they turned as one to see the girl standing on the landing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAddie, I\u2019m so sorry,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cWe didn\u2019t mean\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, you did,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cEverybody has wondered from the moment we said we were getting married.\u00a0 I\u2019ve heard it whispered a thousand times.\u00a0 But nobody\u2019s ever actually asked me.\u00a0 And that\u2019s the answer.\u00a0 It was a bet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand,\u201d said Ben carefully.\u00a0 He had a horrible feeling that he did understand, but he hoped for the girl\u2019s sake that he was wrong.<\/p>\n

She came down the stairs.\u00a0 For a long moment, she stood at the foot of the staircase.\u00a0 She met each one\u2019s eyes squarely.\u00a0 Then, she said, \u201cI\u2019m not pretty, Mr. Cartwright.\u00a0 And I\u2019m too smart for my own good.\u00a0 That\u2019s what my mother used to tell me, and she was right.\u00a0 If I\u2019d been plain and stupid, maybe I wouldn\u2019t have understood.\u00a0 But plain and smart . . . it\u2019s about the worst hand a girl can be dealt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWouldn\u2019t have understood what?\u201d asked Joe.\u00a0 He rose from the blue chair and gestured for her to sit.\u00a0 With a sad, sad look in her eyes, she did.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat there are two kinds of people in the world,\u201d Addie said.\u00a0 \u201cNo, not rich and poor, or haves and have-nots.\u00a0 There are the fortunate and not-fortunate.\u00a0 And those two types don\u2019t mix.\u201d\u00a0 She leaned back as though preparing to tell a story.\u00a0 \u201cPhilip was one of the fortunate ones.\u00a0 He was like you, Little Joe.\u00a0 You both had everything\u2014charm, wit, looks, social position\u2014and appearance, of course.\u00a0 Everybody wanted to be your friend.\u00a0 I remember watching both of you.\u00a0 It seemed like every week, you had a different girl on your arm.\u00a0 Always a pretty one.\u00a0 Never one like me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014\u201d Joe began, but Addie shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell the truth, Joe,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cYou never really noticed me.\u00a0 You knew I was there, and you were perfectly pleasant to me, but it never would have occurred to you to ask to walk me home or go to a social or anything like that.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t one of those girls.\u00a0 Not for you, anyway.\u00a0 And that was all right.\u00a0 I knew my place, and it wasn\u2019t at picnics and socials.\u00a0 Because I had a plan. \u00a0I was working at the mercantile, and I was trying to earn money to leave Virginia City.\u00a0 I was going to go to San Francisco or someplace else where girls could study, and I was going to go to college.\u00a0 I could have done it.\u00a0 I\u2019m smart enough.\u201d\u00a0 She looked to Adam for confirmation, and he nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut one day, when I was leaving the mercantile, there was Philip.\u00a0 I started to say hello and just walk past, but he stopped me.\u00a0 He wanted to talk to me.\u201d\u00a0 She looked around as though to impress on them what this meant.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019d been in school together for years, and he\u2019d barely said hello to me, and all of a sudden, he wanted to talk to\u00a0me<\/em>.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know what to make of it.\u00a0 He asked whether I would take a walk with him, just like I was one of the pretty girls.\u00a0 We walked down C Street, and at one point, he took my hand and placed it on his arm, the way he would have if we were courting.\u00a0 My head was spinning.\u00a0 All those years of reading stories where the handsome young prince rescues the girl who seemed to be doomed to a life of drudgery\u2014well, my mother always said reading would be my downfall, and it turned out she was right.\u00a0 Because I thought\u2014just for that little bit of time\u2014that all those romantic tales were coming true.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAddie, you don\u2019t have to\u2014\u201d Ben began, but she shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never said it out loud before, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I\u2019ll probably never say it again.\u00a0 So just this once, I\u2019ll tell it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to, Addie.\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s voice was quiet, but it fairly vibrated with guilt and pain.<\/p>\n

Remarkably, she smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI think I want to\u2014if that\u2019s all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, it is,\u201d said Hoss in a voice that dared anybody to disagree.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not that much to tell.\u00a0 He asked if I wanted to go for a buggy ride, and I went.\u00a0 When we got to a secluded spot, he kissed me.\u00a0 I knew I should be indignant, but it was the first time in my life any boy ever wanted to kiss me, and I was afraid that if I said he couldn\u2019t, he\u2019d take me home and never talk to me again and my fairy tale would be over before it had even begun.\u00a0 And when he touched me . . . well, it was the same.\u201d\u00a0 Tears welled up in her eyes, and Hoss stood up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand, Miss Addie,\u201d he said firmly.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t gotta say nothin\u2019 else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re very sweet,\u201d she said.\u00a0 She waited until Hoss sat down again before she continued.\u00a0 \u201cIt was like I said.\u00a0 He had a bet going with some other boys about how fast he could get a girl to. . . .\u201d\u00a0 She swallowed hard.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he wasn\u2019t dead, I\u2019d kill him.\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s voice was barely audible.\u00a0 The others nodded their assent, but Addie didn\u2019t seem to notice.<\/p>\n

\u201cTen dollars,\u201d she said after a long minute.\u00a0 \u201cHe got ten dollars for . . . my virtue.\u201d\u00a0 She gave a short, humorless bark of a laugh.\u00a0 \u201cSix weeks later . . . I hadn\u2019t seen him since that afternoon.\u00a0 I\u2019d written him letters\u2014pages and pages\u2014and he\u2019d never responded.\u00a0 I knew I felt dreadful and sick, but I didn\u2019t know\u2014I thought I was just heartbroken\u2014but somehow, my mother figured it out.\u00a0 Even then, I wasn\u2019t going to tell her who.\u00a0 I thought I loved him.\u00a0 I thought I was protecting him.\u201d\u00a0 Tears were falling now, but her voice remained steady.\u00a0 \u201cThen one day, a whole crowd of Philip\u2019s friends came into the mercantile.\u00a0 Homer Cassidy and Marcus Stubbs and Jake Fuller and Philip\u2019s brother, Tom.\u00a0 I was kneeling behind the counter, putting away some fabric, and they couldn\u2019t see me, so they didn\u2019t bother whispering.\u00a0 Homer told Marcus and Jake about how Philip was so good with the ladies that they\u2019d made a bet about how fast he could . . . well, and that Philip had won it with the girl from this very store\u2014and they were all laughing about it.\u00a0 I just stayed there\u2014I couldn\u2019t move.\u00a0 I felt . . . frozen.\u201d\u00a0 Unexpectedly, she laughed\u2014a harsh, humorless sound\u2014but her eyes glistened.\u00a0 \u201cAnd then, Tom said something\u2014something about me, and whether he could try that bet.\u00a0 That shocked me enough that I stood up, and I looked right at them.\u00a0 Homer went white as a sheet.\u00a0 I thought Tom was going to faint.\u00a0 Marcus and Jake just looked confused, like I couldn\u2019t possibly be the girl Homer was talking about.\u00a0 We all just stood there.\u00a0 Finally, I said, \u2018Philip\u2019s getting more than just his money.\u00a0 He\u2019s going to be a father.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood for you,\u201d said Adam, handing her a handkerchief.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then, I got sick all over the counter,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo bad it wasn\u2019t on Homer and the rest of them,\u201d Joe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought about that afterward,\u201d Addie said.\u00a0 She wiped her eyes and dabbed at her nose as she continued, \u201cThat night, Philip and his father came to our house.\u00a0 His father offered me money to leave town, but Philip . . . it was the oddest thing.\u00a0 He must have felt guilty, because he said that if marriage was what I wanted, he\u2019d do it.\u00a0 His father tried to say that he might not—that it might be someone else\u2014but he said no, he was sure.\u00a0 It was the closest he ever came to being decent about the whole thing.\u201d\u00a0 She blew her nose.\u00a0 \u201cMy parents insisted that he marry me, so that\u2019s what we did, obviously.\u00a0 And here we are.\u201d\u00a0 She looked from one Cartwright to another, but none of the men seemed to know what to say.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, that\u2019s the whole pathetic story,\u201d she added, rising.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019s wrong to be glad that Philip is dead, but the truth is all he ever gave us was his name and his wages.\u00a0 There was no affection, no tenderness\u2014not for either of us.\u00a0 He barely spoke to me.\u00a0 He never touched me again.\u00a0 For more than a year, we lived in the same house, and he never touched me.\u00a0 I can\u2019t say for sure whether he ever even held his son.\u00a0 He hated me, and he hated Danny.\u00a0 He blamed us for ruining his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe blamed\u00a0you<\/em>?\u201d\u00a0 Joe sounded appalled.<\/p>\n

Addie nodded.\u00a0 \u201cHe told me once that even though he made the offer, he never expected that I\u2019d take him up on it.\u00a0 He said he thought I had more pride than that.\u00a0 I told him it wasn\u2019t about pride.\u00a0 I just didn\u2019t want my son to be a bastard.\u201d\u00a0 She lifted her chin in defiance as she spoke the word.<\/p>\n

Then, she sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose I\u2019ll have to come up with some sort of a story for Danny when he\u2019s old enough to ask about his father.\u201d\u00a0 She met Ben\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cDo I have to tell him the truth, or can I make something up?\u201d\u00a0 Her voice grew wistful:\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like him to believe that he was born out of love, not a schoolboy prank.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAddie, I\u2019m so sorry,\u201d said Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now, they want to take him away from me because they want to raise him to be\u00a0just like Philip.<\/em>\u201d\u00a0 She practically spat the last words.\u00a0 Then, she rose, her head held high, and made her pronouncement:\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll see them in hell first.\u201d\u00a0 She turned on her heel and went upstairs.<\/p>\n

After a long silence, Joe glared at his father.\u00a0 \u201cDo you still think the Wagners should raise Danny?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, they\u2019re not responsible for what Philip did,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d Joe demanded.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re the ones who taught him right from wrong.\u00a0 And a piss-poor job they did of it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, when you mess up, is that Pa\u2019s fault?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019d never do anything like that, because Pa did teach me right from wrong.\u00a0 Obviously, the Wagners didn\u2019t teach their boys the kind of things we learned.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that simple, Joseph,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cJust because someone uses bad judgment doesn\u2019t mean that his parents did a poor job of raising him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBad judgment?\u00a0 That\u2019s what you call it?\u00a0 He does something like that to an innocent girl\u2014just for fun, to see if he can\u2014and you call it bad\u00a0judgment<\/em>?\u00a0 How about bad character?\u00a0 Or bad upbringing?\u00a0 Or just being a lowdown slimy snake?\u201d\u00a0 Joe was on his feet, and he looked as though he was either going to cry or punch something.<\/p>\n

\u201cSit down, son.\u201d\u00a0 Ben\u2019s voice was unexpectedly gentle.<\/p>\n

But Joe stared at his father as though he didn\u2019t recognize him.\u00a0 Then, before anyone could speak, he darted out of the house, pausing only long enough to grab his jacket.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet him go,\u201d said Ben as Hoss rose to follow.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s got a lot of thinking to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u00a0 Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect some of Addie\u2019s tale hit a little too close to home,\u201d said Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you talkin\u2019 about?\u00a0 Joe would never do anything like Philip did.\u201d\u00a0 Hoss was aghast at the thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, he wouldn\u2019t,\u201d Ben agreed.\u00a0 \u201cAt least, he\u2019d never intentionally hurt someone.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what?\u201d Adam prodded when his father fell silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI suspect that your brother\u2019s probably had his share of . . . well, plain girls . . . who\u2019ve had feelings for him and whom he simply never thought about or even noticed.\u00a0 For all we know, Addie might be one of them.\u00a0 And now, he\u2019s seeing one of those girls as a real person, with her own thoughts and feelings\u2014and I expect he\u2019s feeling a little guilty at how easily he dismissed them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wonder whether he might even be a little worried,\u201d Adam mused.\u00a0 \u201cFor all he knows now, he might have led them on just by being polite.\u00a0 He\u2019s probably broken some hearts without ever knowing he did it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember that little gal who used to follow him down the street when he was about fourteen,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cI think her pa was the undertaker back then.\u00a0 She was always makin\u2019 cow eyes at Little Joe.\u00a0 I used to tease him about her, an\u2019 he\u2019d just shrug and say it wasn\u2019t anything.\u00a0 I\u2019m thinkin\u2019 now that it might not have been anything for him, but maybe it was for her.\u201d\u00a0 His voice trailed off as he added, \u201cI don\u2019t know if he even knew her name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hope he doesn\u2019t decide that this is a good time to atone for his past sins,\u201d said Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s already rescued Addie once.\u00a0 What better way to make up to all those plain girls he\u2019s ignored than to marry one?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014he doesn\u2019t have feelings for her, and I\u2019m pretty sure she doesn\u2019t have any for him,\u201d said Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re forgetting.\u00a0 That\u2019s Sir Galahad out there,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 \u201cGive him a chance to rescue a damsel in distress\u2014especially one who\u2019s been wronged by an evil prince\u2014and I can pretty much guarantee he\u2019ll figure out a way to convince himself he loves her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, heavens, I hope not.\u201d\u00a0 For something to do, Ben went over to the table where he kept his pipes and tobacco.\u00a0 Carefully, he selected a pipe, filled it, lit it, and drew on it.\u00a0 When he could exact no more from the ritual, he turned back to his sons.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat would be so wrong with Joe marrying Addie?\u201d Hoss asked unexpectedly.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s a fine little gal, and Danny\u2019s a cute young\u2019un.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a very fine girl,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if things were different, I wouldn\u2019t object at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDifferent how?\u201d Adam asked.\u00a0 \u201cShe was married when the baby was born.\u00a0 There\u2019s no issue there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t thinking about that,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cBut Addie\u2019s already married one man she didn\u2019t love because she didn\u2019t think she had a choice.\u00a0 If Joe proposes, I\u2019m sure she\u2019ll say yes just because he\u2019s decent and kind and will provide for her son.\u00a0 But they deserve better than that, both of them.\u00a0 They deserve to be with people they truly love, and who truly love them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t argue with that,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 \u201cI just hope they think that clearly about the whole thing.\u201d\u00a0 He rose, stretching.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m going to turn in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I will, too,\u201d said Hoss with an enormous yawn.\u00a0 \u201cYou coming, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to read for a little while,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 He pretended not to see the glance his sons shared.\u00a0 All right, fine.\u00a0 So he was waiting up for Joe.\u00a0 There was nothing wrong with that.\u00a0 It was a father\u2019s prerogative.\u00a0 He bid his older sons good night and settled himself into his red chair with a book.\u00a0 Maybe if he was lucky, Danny would start to cry and he could distract himself with the baby\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Ben didn\u2019t realize that he\u2019d dozed off until he was jolted from sleep by a noise he couldn\u2019t identify.\u00a0 He sat up in his chair, listening.\u00a0 He still held the pipe which had gone out and was now quite cold.\u00a0 His book was closed in his lap.\u00a0 The fire had burned down and emitted only the barest crackle.<\/p>\n

Then, he heard it again.\u00a0 It sounded as though someone was outside the door, lurching unsteadily and bumping into the wall.\u00a0 In an instant, drowsiness gave way to the sharpest attention, and he was on his feet before he could have articulated what he feared.<\/p>\n

He yanked open the door to see Little Joe leaning against the wall.\u00a0 His stomach dropped as the light from the living room highlighted the blood on his son\u2019s face.\u00a0 Joe was cradling his left arm with his right hand.\u00a0 When the light touched him, he looked up slightly, and Ben felt his throat catch as he saw the bruises.<\/p>\n

\u201cEasy, son, I\u2019ve got you,\u201d he said.\u00a0 He took Joe\u2019s right arm and kept the boy on his feet as he got him into the house.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t until they got inside that Ben realized it must have been raining, because Joe was soaked.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s get those wet things off you,\u201d he said, unbuttoning Joe\u2019s jacket as he spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait, I\u2019ll do it,\u201d Joe managed.\u00a0 Still holding his left arm close to his body, the left-handed boy managed to maneuver the buttons of the jacket with his right hand.\u00a0 Then, he tried to shrug his right arm out of his jacket, but he couldn\u2019t get his shoulder free of the soggy fabric.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me help,\u201d Ben said.\u00a0 He eased the jacket off and unbuttoned the boy\u2019s shirt, so thoroughly soaked that he had to peel it off his son\u2019s slim torso.\u00a0 He reached for the button on the wet trousers, but Joe stopped him, murmuring, \u201cAddie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben couldn\u2019t help smiling.\u00a0 He glanced up at the clock, and his smile faded.\u00a0 It was past two o\u2019clock.\u00a0 Joe had left hours earlier.\u00a0 It was anybody\u2019s guess how long he\u2019d been out in the rain.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be right back,\u201d he promised.\u00a0 Within a few minutes, he came downstairs with the brown dressing gown that Adam and Hoss called Joe\u2019s monk robe.\u00a0 \u201cYou need to get the rest of those wet clothes off,\u201d he said.\u00a0 At Joe\u2019s hesitation, he said, \u201cThey\u2019re all asleep.\u00a0 Addie, too.\u201d\u00a0 This time, Joe allowed him to help, and a minute later, the soggy garments lay in a pile on the floor and Ben was tying the belt of Joe\u2019s dressing gown around his waist.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened to your arm?\u201d he asked as Joe sat on the settee and Ben perched on the table in front of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wrist,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 \u201cBut it\u2019s not that bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me see it.\u201d\u00a0 Ben pushed back Joe\u2019s sleeve as carefully as he could manage.\u00a0 The wrist was bruised and swollen, the hand and fingers puffy.\u00a0 \u201cCan you move your fingers?\u201d\u00a0 Joe obliged, biting his lip, and Ben allowed himself a moment of relief.\u00a0 He felt the wrist carefully, bending it slightly this way and that.\u00a0 \u201cI think you probably just sprained it,\u201d he said finally.\u00a0 \u201cWhere else are you hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben allowed himself a lingering look at the blood and bruises on the boy\u2019s face.\u00a0 He\u2019d noticed some bruises on Joe\u2019s torso as he undressed, but nothing appeared to be life-threatening or causing the boy undue pain.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be right back,\u201d he said, rising.<\/p>\n

Several minutes later, Ben returned with a tray that bore a bowl containing warm water, a washcloth and towel, a small bottle of arnica, another bowl of water with ice chunks, and a long strip of cloth.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s get you cleaned up,\u201d he said, settling in for the familiar ritual.\u00a0 \u201cPut your hand in the ice water,\u201d he said.\u00a0 Wincing, Joe obeyed.\u00a0 The crackling of the last embers was the only sound as Ben washed away the blood and dabbed arnica on the cuts.\u00a0 When he finished, he dried Joe\u2019s wrist and wrapped the bandage around it, pretending not to notice his son clenching his jaw against the pain.\u00a0 Then, he met Joe\u2019s gaze squarely and asked, \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked slightly surprised, as though he\u2019d thought he might get away without answering.\u00a0 \u201cI was on my way out of town, and I got bushwhacked,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The explanation was perfectly credible, but somehow, it was insufficient.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know who did it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not even sure how many there were,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cTwo or three, I think.\u00a0 It\u2019s all kinda fuzzy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you recognize them?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cIt was dark.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid they take your wallet?\u201d<\/p>\n

Another headshake.\u00a0 \u201cThey didn\u2019t even look for money or anything.\u00a0 At least, I don\u2019t think they did.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t ask for it, and my jacket was still buttoned when I came to.\u201d<\/p>\n

That didn\u2019t make sense.\u00a0 \u201cDid they say what they wanted?\u201d\u00a0 Joe pressed his lips together, looking away.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cWhat did they want?\u00a0 Lean forward,\u201d he added.\u00a0 Even as he asked for answers, his fingers sought different information, stroking Joe\u2019s hair until they located the lump on the back of his head that the bushwhackers had left when they knocked Joe out.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re going to need to put some ice on that,\u201d he said.\u00a0 He fished the largest chunk out of the bowl, wrapped it in the towel, and held it against the sore spot.\u00a0 \u201cHold this,\u201d he said, and Joe reached up with his good hand to hold the ice pack in place.\u00a0 \u201cWhat did they want?\u201d he asked again.<\/p>\n

Joe forced himself to meet his father\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 \u201cLike I said, it\u2019s fuzzy, but I remember somebody saying I should mind my own business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid they say why?\u201d\u00a0 A glimmer of a suspicion stiffened Ben\u2019s spine.\u00a0 He held his voice steady, but only with effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey said something about \u2018that Wagner kid.\u2019\u00a0 I figure that meant Danny, not Philip or Addie.\u00a0 I don\u2019t remember what else they said, except that I should mind my own business.\u00a0 Next thing I remember, I was waking up on the ground and they were gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sour taste filled Ben\u2019s mouth.\u00a0 He\u2019d have sworn that Edward Wagner was incapable of such a thing.\u00a0 No matter how strongly the lawyer might have felt about getting his grandchild away from Addie, Ben would have bet his last nickel that Wagner would never hire thugs to beat up anybody, and especially not a boy.<\/p>\n

But who else could have done it?\u00a0 Were they friends of Philip Wagner\u2019s who resented Addie?\u00a0 Bad seeds floating through town who\u2019d heard some talk and decided to jump in?\u00a0 But that didn\u2019t make sense.\u00a0 Why bushwhack Little Joe?\u00a0 The act seemed so random, but the message was clear and deliberate.<\/p>\n

None of it made sense, but this wasn\u2019t the time to try to sort it out.\u00a0 Ben had a more pressing situation to take care of.\u00a0 \u201cCome on,\u201d he said, rising.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s get you up to bed.\u00a0 It\u2019s late.\u201d\u00a0 He helped Joe to his feet and dropped the half-melted ice into the bowl.\u00a0\u00a0 Between Hop Sing and his cousins, someone would tend to the tray and the wet clothes in the morning.<\/p>\n

As they climbed the stairs, Ben kept his arm around Joe to steady him.\u00a0 They were nearly at the top of the stairs when the too-familiar cries of Danny Wagner began.\u00a0 Joe winced, and Ben allowed himself a small smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll close your door,\u201d he promised.<\/p>\n

Joe had been focused on the floor in front of him, but now he looked up at Ben.\u00a0 \u201cJust don\u2019t let anybody take him out for a drive,\u201d he said with unexpected seriousness.<\/p>\n

Ben stopped.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t think\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cBut whoever bushwhacked me was mighty interested in Danny.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t want to give them a chance at him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, in any case, we wouldn\u2019t take him out in the rain,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 His attempt to downplay his son\u2019s concern felt flimsy to him, and he could see that Joe was unconvinced.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s get you into bed,\u201d he added as though changing the subject would help.\u00a0 He supported Joe, who seemed wobblier with each step, until they reached Joe\u2019s bed.\u00a0 He eased the boy onto the edge and reached under the pillow for a night shirt.\u00a0 Joe was swaying as Ben undid the knot of his dressing gown tie, and so Ben slid the dressing gown off his son, got him into the night shirt, and drew back the covers without further comment.\u00a0 Only when Joe was lying down, relief and worry equally obvious in his eyes, did Ben pause in his ministrations.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get some sleep now,\u201d he said, stroking Joe\u2019s hair.\u00a0 \u201cAnd tomorrow, I want you to take it easy.\u00a0 Consider it a day off.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got to find out what this was all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, son,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve<\/em>\u00a0got to find out what this was all about.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to stay here and rest.\u00a0 Besides, the last thing we need is for you to be laid up with a cold for the next two weeks.\u00a0 There\u2019s too much to be done around the ranch.\u00a0 Just let me handle this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you going to do?\u201d\u00a0 Even drowsy, the boy sounded unconvinced that his father could handle matters without his assistance.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a start, I think I need to talk to the sheriff\u2014and maybe pay a visit to Edward Wagner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe looked pointedly at the closed door beyond which the baby cried, and he gave a soft snort.\u00a0 \u201cI think I\u2019m going to get more rest if I go with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben smiled.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s see how you\u2019re feeling in the morning.\u201d\u00a0 If he had his say, the boy would spend the day in bed, but he knew from long experience that unless Joe was feeling truly miserable, he\u2019d be up and about as soon as his father left the house anyway.<\/p>\n

He watched his son fighting to keep his eyes open.\u00a0 The bruise on his jawbone and the puffiness on his cheekbone would probably display spectacular color by morning.\u00a0 For all his protestations that the sprained wrist was nothing, his left arm rested gingerly on top of the covers.\u00a0 Ben suspected that he probably had a whale of a headache from the blow that had knocked him out, and lying out in the rain would likely contribute to a cold.<\/p>\n

All because Little Joe wasn\u2019t willing to stand by and do nothing as a young widow and her baby were struggling.<\/p>\n

Ben felt hot anger building in his chest.\u00a0 He still didn\u2019t know what was best for Danny Wagner, and his heart still ached for the couple who had lost their boys, but a line had been crossed now.\u00a0 If Edward wanted a fight, he would get one.\u00a0 Ben might not have been willing to take sides before, but now. . . .<\/p>\n

\u201cGo to sleep, boy,\u201d he murmured, but Little Joe was already asleep.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

Hoss and Adam were already at breakfast when Ben came down the next morning.\u00a0 \u201c\u2018Bout time you got up,\u201d said Hoss with a wink.\u00a0 \u201cWe figured you were startin\u2019 to take after Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho hasn\u2019t been down yet, either,\u201d Adam added dryly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t expect you\u2019ll see him this morning,\u201d said Ben as he took his seat.\u00a0 \u201cHe ran into a little trouble last night, and I\u2019m going into town this morning to try to get to the bottom of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both brothers set down their forks.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened?\u00a0 Is he okay?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss\u2019s easygoing tone vanished, replaced by the first growl of anger.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be fine,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cHe got bushwhacked.\u00a0 Nothing too serious, but I want him to take it easy today.\u00a0 You two can handle moving the herd, can\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

A look darted between Adam and Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve got enough hands that one of us can handle the herd,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 \u201cAnd the other can go with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph already offered to come along last night,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I\u2019m going to tell you what I\u00a0didn\u2019t<\/em>\u00a0tell him:\u00a0 somebody needs to stay here with Addie and Danny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u00a0 What\u2019s going on?\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s gaze was intent now.<\/p>\n

Ben sipped his coffee to delay answering.\u00a0 There was no way not to tell them, though.\u00a0 \u201cJoe said that the men who bushwhacked him mentioned Danny and told Joe to mind his own business,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cSo somebody needs to say here with them, just in case whoever beat up Joe decides that they want to send a more forceful message.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s Joe doing?\u00a0 Is he okay to take care of them if we go to town?\u201d asked Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe needs to rest,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cHe got knocked out, sprained his wrist, and spent a while lying out in the rain.\u00a0 I\u2019d rather not have him worrying about defending the Ponderosa\u2014at least, not today.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sneeze from the top of the stairs caught their attention.\u00a0 Moments later, Joe came into view.\u00a0 As Ben had expected, his bruises had blossomed so that his handsome face bore splotches of black, purple and red.<\/p>\n

\u201cDadburnit, boy!\u00a0 What\u2019d they do to you?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss was on his feet and bounding across the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d said Joe irritably, pushing past his brother.\u00a0\u00a0Not surprising<\/em>, Ben reflected.\u00a0 When Joe was seriously ill, he was quiet, and when he was fine, he was generally delightful.\u00a0 When he was only moderately indisposed, however, he was as grouchy as a bear with a sore paw.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing up? Ben asked as his youngest son approached the table with Hoss behind him.\u00a0 \u201cI thought I told you to rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did rest,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 \u201cBut I got things to do today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam gestured to the bandaged wrist.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you figure you\u2019re going to do with one hand?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything you can do with two,\u201d Joe snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, simmer down,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, I meant what I said.\u00a0 I want you to rest up today\u2014maybe tomorrow, too.\u00a0 We\u2019ve got a busy few weeks coming up, and you\u2019re not going to be any good to anybody if you end up sick in bed with a cold.\u00a0 So, you\u2019ve got two choices.\u00a0 Either you agree to take it easy here at home today, or I\u2019ll put you to bed and set Hop Sing to watch you\u2014and I don\u2019t think either of you would enjoy that.\u201d\u00a0 He cast a stern eye at his youngest son, studiously ignoring the grins his older sons were trying to hide.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d Joe muttered, defeated, and Ben hid his smile.\u00a0 There had been a number of times over the years when Ben had been forced to leave Hop Sing in charge of keeping Joe from getting up from a sickbed, and the experience was never pleasant for anyone.\u00a0 Between Hop Sing\u2019s nasty-tasting ancient Chinese remedies and his young charge\u2019s impatience at being restrained, the two who were normally so fond of each other would be practically at each other\u2019s throats.\u00a0 On one notable occasion when Joe was twelve, matters had reached the point that Hop Sing had had his bags packed and was throwing them into the buckboard by the time Ben returned.\u00a0 It had been nearly impossible for Ben to understand what Hop Sing was saying, partly because the little man was shouting in Chinese and partly because Little Joe had come running out of the house, barefoot and clad only in a nightshirt, to argue his own case just as loudly.\u00a0 The matter had eventually been settled:\u00a0 Hop Sing was given bonus pay and time off, and Joe spent the rest of the day lying on his stomach and fuming about the unfairness of it all.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you\u2019ll have plenty of company,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cAdam\u2019s going to be around today as well, so you\u2019ll have him as well as Addie and Danny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSpeaking of whom, where are they?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer door was closed,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t hear anything.\u00a0 I figured she was feeding him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The others exchanged glances.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll go check,\u201d said Adam before anyone could articulate their concerns.\u00a0 He headed up the stairs, and Joe peered at Ben questioningly.<\/p>\n

\u201cEat your breakfast,\u201d said Ben as though there was a chance of distracting the boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, you sure you don\u2019t want me to go with you?\u201d\u00a0 Hoss speared another ham steak, his round face creased with concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is still a working ranch,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t devote all our resources to taking care of a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

As if on cue, a cry from upstairs split the morning peace.\u00a0 A minute later, Adam came back down the stairs, a sheepish grin on his face.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re up there,\u201d he said unnecessarily.\u00a0 \u201cSleeping\u2014or at least they were until I knocked on the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks for nothing,\u201d said Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you care?\u00a0 You get to leave the house,\u201d grumbled Joe.\u00a0 He pushed his scrambled eggs around his plate, then put down his fork.\u00a0 \u201cI should come with you, Pa.\u00a0 I\u2019m the only one who can tell the sheriff what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got a point,\u201d said Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s also got a fever,\u201d said Ben as he laid his hand on Joe\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 The boy wasn\u2019t too warm, but it was enough to confirm Ben\u2019s concerns about the onset of a cold.\u00a0 \u201cI can tell the sheriff everything you told me last night,\u201d he said to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if Roy has any questions, he can come out and talk to you himself.\u00a0 No more arguing,\u201d he added as Joe opened his mouth.\u00a0 \u201cFinish your breakfast and go back up to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whatever protest Joe intended to lodge was lost in another sneeze.\u00a0 Before he could speak, Addie came down the stairs with her son in her arms.\u00a0 The baby was whimpering, but nothing more.\u00a0 \u201cGood morning,\u201d she said with far more cheer than Ben would have expected for someone who had been up in the middle of the night with a crying baby.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood morning, Addie,\u201d he said.\u00a0 The others offered their greetings, and she was about to sit when she caught sight of Joe\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, what happened to you?\u201d\u00a0 She came around the table and peered closely at him.\u00a0 \u201cWhen did this happen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLast night,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI went out for a ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened?\u00a0 Did you fall off your horse?\u00a0 What did you do to your hand?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a sprain.\u00a0 Nothing to worry about,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 He took the baby\u2019s fingers in his as if to shake hands.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Danny, how\u2019re you doing this morning?\u00a0 Mean old Adam woke you up, didn\u2019t he?\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t let anybody sleep, does he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMean old Adam may put you to sleep permanently if you don\u2019t watch yourself,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAddie, Joe and Adam are going to stay at the house today with you and Danny,\u201d Ben said, ignoring his sons.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to alarm the girl, but there was no point in keeping secrets from her, either.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got to go into town, and until I get back, I\u2019d prefer it if you stayed close to the house.\u00a0 Don\u2019t take Danny out for any drives or walks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs something wrong, Mr. Cartwright?\u201d\u00a0 Addie looked from Ben to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cDoes this staying around the house have anything to do with how Joe got hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not certain,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 Sometimes he wished she wasn\u2019t quite so smart.\u00a0 \u201cThe men who bushwhacked Joe mentioned Danny.\u00a0 Since we don\u2019t know who they were or why they were talking about him, I\u2019d just feel better if you two kept to the house today.\u201d<\/p>\n

She balanced the child on one hip and reached out with her free hand to touch Joe\u2019s face lightly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Joe,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI feel awful.\u00a0 The idea that someone beat you up because of us\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have nothing to feel bad about,\u201d Joe interrupted.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t know who did this, but just because they knew about Danny doesn\u2019t mean that they did it because of you.\u00a0 They might just be drifters from town who heard talk about you being here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat doesn\u2019t make any sense,\u201d Addie said before Ben could voice the same opinion.\u00a0 \u201cIf they were drifters, how would they know who you were, much less who Danny is?\u201d\u00a0 She shook her head, lips pressed together angrily.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll tell you who it sounds like,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI probably shouldn\u2019t say it, but if I were you, I\u2019d be looking to Philip\u2019s father.\u00a0 Let\u2019s face it\u2014lawyers know the bad folks.\u00a0 After all, they represent them.\u00a0 Who\u2019s to say there isn\u2019t somebody Edward did a favor for\u2014maybe got him off a serious charge and didn\u2019t charge him?\u00a0 And maybe that fellow wants to return the favor.\u00a0 Or\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a thousand ways we could guess,\u201d said Ben, less because he disagreed than because he didn\u2019t want her to become too agitated.\u00a0 The last thing they needed was for Addie and Joe to sit here and feed off each other\u2019s ideas about some sort of conspiracy involving the Wagners.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m going to speak to the sheriff, and I\u2019m going to speak to Edward Wagner.\u00a0 Hopefully, we\u2019ll be able to come up with some answers.\u201d\u00a0 He rose and dropped his napkin beside his plate.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, take as many of the men as you need to get that herd moved.\u00a0 Adam, as long as you\u2019re here, there are some figures that need to be entered in the ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Pa,\u201d said Adam.<\/p>\n

Ben paused, his gaze intent on Joe.\u00a0 \u201cI meant what I said,\u201d he reminded his youngest son.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir,\u201d Joe grumbled.\u00a0 Truth was, he looked drowsy already.\u00a0 Ben had a feeling that it wouldn\u2019t take much convincing to get Joe to go upstairs and lie down for a while.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you, young man,\u201d Ben added, ruffling what little hair Danny had, \u201cyou have yourself a good breakfast and great big nap, and don\u2019t give your mother any trouble.\u201d\u00a0 The baby squinted at him, and Ben chuckled.\u00a0 He\u2019d forgotten the way babies wrapped those tiny fingers around your heart.<\/p>\n

Within a quarter of an hour, Hoss had headed off to oversee the moving of the herd, Ben had left for Virginia City, and Addie had retreated with Danny to the kitchen.\u00a0 Adam turned to Joe, who remained at the table although he hadn\u2019t eaten anything since his father had dispensed instructions.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe,\u201d said Adam quietly.\u00a0 When Joe looked up, his eyes glazed, Adam suppressed a smile.\u00a0 \u201cGo lie down for an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam\u2014\u201d Joe began.<\/p>\n

\u201cListen, Little Brother,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on, but from the sounds of things, I may be needing you, and you\u2019re not going to be any good to me if you\u2019re as exhausted as you are now.\u00a0 From what Pa said, you got maybe half a night\u2019s sleep, and that was after you got bushwhacked.\u00a0 Even if you can handle a gun right-handed, you couldn\u2019t hit the broad side of a barn right now, and don\u2019t try to deny it.\u00a0 I doubt Addie can even fire a gun, and she\u2019ll need to be watching out for Danny, so if something comes up, it\u2019s going to be you and me.\u00a0 That means that you\u2019ve got to rest up so that if I need you, you\u2019ll be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe regarded him carefully, looking for signs of subterfuge.\u00a0 Adam held his gaze, and after several moments, Joe let down his guard.\u00a0 \u201cOkay,\u201d he said, exhaustion unveiled at last.\u00a0 \u201cBut if anything happens, you call me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cCount on it.\u201d\u00a0 He watched as the boy moved stiffly across the room and up the stairs.\u00a0 From the looks of him, once he nodded off, it was going to take dynamite to waken him.\u00a0 Adam found himself hoping fervently that the day would bring nothing more taxing than erroneous entries in a ledger.<\/p>\n

Because if anything else happened, he was going to be on his own.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, you ain\u2019t got no proof that Edward Wagner had anything to do with this,\u201d Roy Coffee said for the third time in five minutes.\u00a0 \u201cNow, I\u2019ll go check around, but I don\u2019t want you gettin\u2019 in the middle of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI already am in the middle,\u201d Ben retorted.\u00a0 \u201cThat was my son who got beaten up, and that girl and her baby are my houseguests.\u00a0 If one had anything to do with the other, it doesn\u2019t take a genius to figure out that somebody\u2019s going to be trying again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, Ben, what do you think Wagner\u2019s like?\u201d\u00a0 Roy rolled his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s a lawyer, not a hired gun.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you think that if he really wanted that baby, he\u2019d have got a court to hand him over by now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn what grounds?\u00a0 The fact is that the child has a mother, and she\u2019s perfectly capable of caring for him.\u00a0 There\u2019s no basis for a court to take the baby away from her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know about that \u2018perfectly capable\u2019 part,\u201d mused Roy.\u00a0 \u201cI done heard she\u2019s having a pretty rough time.\u00a0 Mebbe she\u2019d be better off if Edward and Martha took the boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEdward and Martha didn\u2019t exactly do a sterling job with their own son,\u201d Ben muttered.\u00a0 At Roy\u2019s startled expression, he shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 What matters is that somebody\u2014whether it\u2019s Edward or someone he\u2019s hired\u2014wants that baby badly enough to get violent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it don\u2019t make no sense,\u201d Roy protested.\u00a0 \u201cYou said yourself that nobody knew Little Joe was going out until he went. \u00a0Why would some hired thugs be wandering around just in case they run into him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Ben admitted.\u00a0 \u201cBut Joe said that they specifically mentioned \u2018the Wagner kid\u2019.\u00a0 Who else could they mean other than the baby?\u00a0 Surely they wouldn\u2019t have called the girl that, and Philip is dead, so there\u2019d be no call to tell Joe to stay away from him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy scratched his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou said Adam\u2019s out at the Ponderosa with Little Joe and the girl and the baby?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI wanted somebody there who could handle things if whoever beat Joe up came back.\u00a0 He\u2019s nowhere near steady enough to defend himself today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy\u2019s mustache bristled with concern.\u00a0 \u201cYou gonna have Doc Martin go out and have a look at him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s necessary,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cWhat he needs at this point is rest.\u00a0 Hopefully, Adam\u2019s gotten him to go back to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy looked skeptical.\u00a0 \u201cWell, lemme go talk to Wagner an\u2019 see what he says.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going with you,\u201d Ben announced.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m the one who saw Joe and heard what he said,\u201d he added at the sheriff\u2019s frown.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll know if something doesn\u2019t add up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can come, but you better keep quiet and let me handle things,\u201d said Roy.\u00a0 He knew there wasn\u2019t a chance of Ben Cartwright really keeping quiet under the circumstances, but hopefully, just saying it might slow him down a bit.<\/p>\n

When they reached the lawyer\u2019s office, they found the door locked.\u00a0 Roy knocked loudly.\u00a0 \u201cEdward!\u00a0 It\u2019s Roy Coffee!\u00a0 You in there?\u201d\u00a0 They waited for a minute.\u00a0 \u201cEdward Wagner!\u00a0 It\u2019s Sheriff Coffee!\u00a0 I need to talk to you!\u201d\u00a0 Still no response.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe he\u2019s down at the courthouse,\u201d Ben said.\u00a0 \u201cIs anybody on trial?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot that I know of,\u201d said Roy.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t got no prisoners in my jail, but that don\u2019t mean nothing.\u00a0 Folks get out on bail.\u201d\u00a0 The two men headed down to the courthouse.<\/p>\n

But when they arrived, the courtroom was empty except for Harold Esty, the judge\u2019s clerk.\u00a0 \u201cMorning, Sheriff, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d said the young red-haired man.\u00a0 \u201cCan I help you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ain\u2019t seen Edward Wagner this morning, have you?\u201d asked the sheriff.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sir,\u201d said Harold.\u00a0 \u201cI haven\u2019t seen him since the Haines trial last week.\u00a0 Shame about that one.\u201d\u00a0 He lowered his voice.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Wagner didn\u2019t seem to be himself, if you know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t know,\u201d said the sheriff.\u00a0 \u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it\u2019s just–usually he\u2019s real prepared and everything, but this time he seemed kind of distracted.\u00a0 I\u2019m not saying he did a bad job, but Judge O\u2019Brien would say something and it was like he didn\u2019t even hear him, and you know Judge O\u2019Brien.\u201d\u00a0 That last was delivered in a low voice with a quick glance back toward the closed door that separated the courtroom from the judge\u2019s chambers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do,\u201d Roy said, nodding.\u00a0 Judge O\u2019Brien was not widely known as a patient man.\u00a0 \u201cHis Honor say anything to Mr. Wagner?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, sir,\u201d said Harold.\u00a0 \u201cAt least, not that I heard.\u00a0 After court adjourned, I saw Mr. Wagner approach the bench, but the judge just walked away like he didn\u2019t even know he was there.\u00a0 Maybe he didn\u2019t,\u201d he allowed with another glance at the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for your time, Harold,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 He and Roy left the courthouse and stood on the sidewalk in the weak morning sun.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you think?\u00a0 Should we pay Edward a visit at his house?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t think where else he\u2019d be,\u201d said Roy.\u00a0 Without further comment, the two men walked the six blocks over to the Wagners\u2019 home.\u00a0 When they arrived, Roy lifted the brass knocker and rapped it against the small brass strike plate.<\/p>\n

A few moments later, Edward Wagner yanked open the door.\u00a0 \u201cQuiet, please!\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 \u201cMy wife is lying down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMind if we talk for a minute?\u201d Roy said, his voice lower than usual but by no means a whisper.<\/p>\n

Wagner looked over his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cCome in, come in,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 He ushered Ben and Roy into the parlor and closed the door.\u00a0 \u201cMartha\u2019s not feeling well,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m working in my study here today.\u201d\u00a0 The usually-controlled lawyer sounded agitated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry to hear that your wife isn\u2019t well,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cAs it happens, neither is my son.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBen.\u201d\u00a0 Roy\u2019s tone cautioned him to wait.\u00a0 After a moment, the sheriff turned to Wagner.\u00a0 \u201cYou still set on gettin\u2019 that baby away from Addie?\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawyer stiffened.\u00a0 \u201cIf you\u2019re asking whether we still intend to do what\u2019s necessary to gain custody of Philip\u2019s son, the answer is yes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a mighty interesting way of sayin\u2019 it,\u201d Roy mused.\u00a0 \u201cMighty interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cSomebody bushwhacked Little Joe Cartwright last night,\u201d Roy said.\u00a0 \u201cWarned him not to get involved with Danny.\u00a0 You know anything about that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you serious?\u00a0 Are you asking if I bushwhacked that boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat, or if you had somebody do it for you,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 The sheriff glared at him, but he continued, \u201cSomebody deliberately targeted my son.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t take his money or his horse.\u00a0 They beat him up and left him lying in the road, and they told him to mind his own business and they talked about the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeein\u2019 as you\u2019re the only one besides Addie who\u2019d have any interest in what happens to little Danny there, and she sure ain\u2019t the one who did it\u2014well, you see why we\u2019re askin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not asking.\u00a0 You\u2019re accusing.\u00a0 Without a shred of evidence, I might add.\u00a0 Because the Cartwrights have decided to take that girl\u2019s side, you\u2019ve decided that I\u2019m capable of hiring some ruffian to beat up a boy.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry to disappoint you both, but I had nothing to do with it.\u00a0 I have\u2014had<\/em>\u2014sons of my own.\u00a0 Even if I were willing to break the law that I\u2019ve spent my life upholding, I would never do anything like that to another man\u2019s son.\u00a0 Not for any reason at all, and most certainly not for sport or whatever the reason was here.\u201d\u00a0 He stood straight and tall, with light from the window glinting off his iron-gray hair.\u00a0 Either he was a gifted actor, or he was telling the truth.<\/p>\n

Roy and Ben exchanged a quick look.\u00a0 \u201cThank you for your time, Mr. Wagner,\u201d said Roy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cTell Martha I hope she feels better.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man\u2019s countenance softened slightly.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Ben,\u201d he said.\u00a0 He opened the parlor door and ushered them into the front hall.\u00a0 As he reached for the door knob, he paused.\u00a0 \u201cYour boy isn\u2019t seriously injured, is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d said Ben.<\/p>\n

The lawyer smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m glad to hear it.\u00a0 Goodbye, gentlemen.\u201d\u00a0 He opened the door, holding it as they exited and closing it quietly behind them.<\/p>\n

Ben and Roy walked a block in silence.\u00a0 \u201cSo, what now?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d said Roy.\u00a0 \u201cHe sure sounded like he was telling the truth, but if it weren\u2019t him, I ain\u2019t got no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNeither do I,\u201d Ben admitted.<\/p>\n

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

Adam eased open Joe\u2019s bedroom door.\u00a0 The boy was curled up under an afghan, fully dressed except for the boots that lay next to bed.\u00a0 Even in his sleep, he sniffled and snorted.\u00a0 Adam shook his head.\u00a0 That was going to be a humdinger of a cold by the time it settled in.<\/p>\n

He startled at the slight touch on his sleeve.\u00a0 Turning, he saw Addie trying to peer past him.\u00a0 He held a finger to his lips, and she nodded.\u00a0 They both stepped back into the hallway, Adam pulling the door closed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow is he?\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 A crinkle between her brows revealed her skepticism.\u00a0 \u201cIt looks worse than it is,\u201d he assured her as they moved toward the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just feel so awful,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cHe got beaten up because he was trying to help us.\u00a0 I wish there was something I could do for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, the best thing you can do is to let him rest,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 \u201cSpeaking of rest, is Danny sleeping?\u201d<\/p>\n

She held up crossed fingers.\u00a0 \u201cFor now,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll see which one of them wakes up first.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith any luck, it\u2019ll be Joe,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 At the foot of the stairs, he veered off toward Pa\u2019s desk, but her voice stopped him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay I ask you something?\u201d<\/p>\n

May I.<\/em>\u00a0 Adam could barely suppress a smile.\u00a0 The distinction between \u201cmay\u201d and \u201ccan\u201d was something he\u2019d never managed to impress on his brothers.\u00a0 \u201cCertainly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou went to college, didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded.\u00a0 \u201cIn Boston.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was it like?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam regarded the girl.\u00a0 Her eyes shone the way another girl\u2019s might have at the sight of a beautiful dress.\u00a0 \u201cIt was the greatest experience of my life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me.\u201d\u00a0 The words were nearly breathless.<\/p>\n

Adam settled himself in the blue velvet chair as Addie perched on the settee.\u00a0 No one had ever been so eager to hear about his college days.\u00a0 Pa and his brothers had listened to his stories and even asked some questions, but it was clear to Adam that they were doing so because they cared about him, not because they found college itself to be interesting.\u00a0 But Addie\u2019s entire face glowed as he told of attending lectures and concerts, spending hours in the library reading great books, debating profound questions with professors and other students.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re so lucky,\u201d she whispered when he finally stopped.\u00a0 \u201cMy sister\u2019s husband is a professor.\u00a0 I used to think that maybe someday, I could go and live with her and go to the college where he teaches.\u00a0 But that was before—well, before Danny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never know,\u201d Adam said, but even he could hear the weakness in his words.\u00a0 There was no question that the girl was intelligent enough.\u00a0 If things had been different, she could have succeeded admirably in any college.\u00a0 But\u2014<\/p>\n

Right on cue, Danny\u2019s cries floated down the stairs.\u00a0 The light in her eyes faded as she rose.\u00a0 \u201cSometimes you do,\u201d was all she said.\u00a0 She headed up the stairs, leaving Adam to ponder the way life worked out for some people.<\/p>\n

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

By the time Adam heard the horses in the yard, he was well and truly sick of the ledgers.\u00a0 Pa\u2019s handwriting wasn\u2019t as bad as Joe\u2019s, but sometimes it was close.\u00a0 Adam stood, stretching and yawning.\u00a0 He was so tired of squinting at the tiny numbers that it took him a moment to realize what he\u2019d heard.<\/p>\n

Horses.\u00a0 More than one.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, he was alert, his senses humming.\u00a0 He stood very still, listening.\u00a0 It was possible that Pa had brought the sheriff out to talk to Joe.\u00a0 It was also possible that Hoss had sent men back to pick up something from the barn.<\/p>\n

And it was possible that the men who\u2019d bushwhacked Joe were going to try again.<\/p>\n

The voices he heard outside were low and male, but Adam couldn\u2019t tell anything more.\u00a0 Silently, he moved to the credenza and slid his gun from the holster that lay on top.\u00a0 With great care, he lifted the latch on the door and opened it slightly.<\/p>\n

The door burst open, banging into the right side of his body and knocking his gun to the floor.\u00a0 Three men stood before him, hats pulled down and bandannas over their faces.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t move and nobody gets hurt,\u201d said the tallest one in a thin, reedy voice that he was trying to deepen into something fierce.<\/p>\n

Adam relaxed slightly.\u00a0 These weren\u2019t men; they were boys.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s age, or maybe slightly older.\u00a0 The faces were familiar; he\u2019d undoubtedly seen them around over the years.\u00a0 Still, they all held guns that were trained on him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d he asked in his most casual way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want the kid,\u201d said the tall one.\u00a0 \u201cJust hand him over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat kid?\u201d Adam furrowed his brow as though he had no idea what the boy meant.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Wagner kid!\u201d the chubby one snapped.\u00a0 His eyes were dark under his hat.\u00a0 \u201cGet the kid and we\u2019ll leave you alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, but I can\u2019t do that,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 He knew better than to treat these kids carelessly.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t know how to manage this kind of situation, and they were liable to shoot just to show that they were in control.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou better do it!\u201d the shortest one chimed in.\u00a0 He was skinny, and his hat was too big for him.\u00a0 It rested on his ears, bending them down like jug handles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 \u201cThat baby\u2019s not going anywhere.\u00a0 Now, why don\u2019t you kids just ride out and we\u2019ll forget all about this.\u201d\u00a0 He raised one eyebrow slightly, the same way he did when Joe was propounding some ridiculous notion.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not leaving without the kid!\u201d\u00a0 The tall one raised his gun so that Adam was staring directly into the muzzle.<\/p>\n

Adam raised his hands to show them that he was unarmed.\u00a0 For the moment, he was grateful that his gun lay on the floor behind the door.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t want to do this,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cIf you shoot an unarmed man, you\u2019re looking at prison\u2014and if you kill me, it\u2019s the gallows.\u00a0 That baby isn\u2019t worth you dying.\u201d\u00a0 He was gratified to see the boys exchanging swift, uncertain glances.<\/p>\n

Then, the tall one straightened.\u00a0 \u201cInside,\u201d he said, gesturing with the gun.\u00a0 He pushed the door open wider and said to Adam, \u201cOver there.\u00a0 Sit down with your hands on your head.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not taking his eyes off them, Adam walked over to the settee.\u00a0 He wished that the highbacked blue chair wasn\u2019t so close to the stairs; if they hadn\u2019t already figured out that the baby would likely be upstairs, he didn\u2019t want to draw their attention to the staircase.\u00a0 He sat on the settee and placed his hands on his head as if he were merely stretching.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s the kid?\u201d the chubby one demanded.\u00a0 He looked like Andy Stubbs.\u00a0 Adam fished in his memory for the name of Andy\u2019s little brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have him,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 Marcus, that was it.\u00a0 Marcus Stubbs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean, you don\u2019t have him?\u201d\u00a0 The tall one had icy blue eyes that glared beneath the brim of his dirty brown hat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have him,\u201d Adam repeated, gesturing as though inviting them to look around the room.\u00a0 Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement at the top of the stairs.\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t come down,<\/em>\u00a0he wanted to shout.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know whether it was Addie or Joe, but it was time to switch tactics.\u00a0 He had to buy time so that they could escape.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you want with a baby, anyway?\u201d he asked, shifting so that he was facing toward the stairs.\u00a0 As he\u2019d hoped, they all adjusted to face him, their backs to the staircase.\u00a0 \u201cYou fellows don\u2019t know anything about babies.\u00a0 Why do you want this one?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s none of your business!\u201d the short one retorted.\u00a0 Adam dug deep, but he couldn\u2019t put a name on this one.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, mister, we got a job to do and we\u2019re gonna do it!\u201d Marcus said.<\/p>\n

Adam raised his eyebrows.\u00a0 \u201cA job?\u00a0 So, you\u2019re not trying to get the baby for yourselves, is that it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would we want a baby?\u201d the tall one snorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I said,\u201d Adam reminded them.\u00a0 \u201cHow much is Mr. Wagner paying you to do this\u2014Jake, right?\u00a0 Jake Fuller?\u201d\u00a0 He was gratified when the tall boy looked startled.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho, him?\u00a0 He ain\u2019t payin\u2019 us nothin\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 Marcus rolled his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean you\u2019re doing this for free?\u00a0 You\u2019re trying to kidnap a baby and threatening to shoot an unarmed man, and you\u2019re not even getting paid?\u201d\u00a0 He narrowed his eyes as if to suggest that they were being taken advantage of.\u00a0 If he could deflect their attention from Danny to whoever hired them, he might have a chance of persuading them that they were on a fool\u2019s errand.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Course we ain\u2019t doing it for free!\u201d Jake snapped, offended.\u00a0 \u201cWe already seen the money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo who hired you?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s none of your business!\u201d the short one\u2014Homer, maybe?\u2014said again.\u00a0 \u201cNow, where\u2019s the kid?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI told you, I don\u2019t have him,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 Mentally, he crossed his fingers as he said, \u201cThe baby has colic.\u00a0 We take him out for rides in the buggy to settle him down.\u201d\u00a0 The two sentences were true enough.\u00a0 Hopefully, these kids hadn\u2019t thought to look in the barn to see whether the buggy was there.<\/p>\n

Sure enough, they looked uncertainly at each other.\u00a0 Jake snapped to Marcus, \u201cGo check in the barn.\u00a0 See if the buggy\u2019s there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey might have taken the buckboard,\u201d Adam offered.\u00a0 \u201cThey do that sometimes, too.\u201d\u00a0 He thought he remembered somebody loading the buckboard this morning to take supplies up to where the crew would be working.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo check,\u201d Jake said, and Marcus dashed out the door.\u00a0 Jake turned to\u00a0 Adam.\u00a0 \u201cYou better not be lying to us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 He tried to look relaxed even though two kids were holding guns on him.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you fellows sit down,\u201d he suggested.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marcus came running inside.\u00a0 \u201cBuggy and buckboard are both out there,\u201d he announced.<\/p>\n

Jake moved closer.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s the kid?\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n

Adam bit his lip.\u00a0 Almost to his surprise, though, there was no cry from upstairs.\u00a0\u00a0Run, Joe,<\/em>\u00a0he thought as he stared into the barrel of the tall boy\u2019s gun.\u00a0\u00a0Take them and run.<\/em><\/p>\n

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

\u201cBen!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben reined in his horse.\u00a0 Turning, he saw Edward Wagner bustling down the street at a somewhat undignified pace and waving to him.\u00a0 He waited, and finally the lawyer caught up to him, out of breath and sweating.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad I caught you,\u201d Edward said.\u00a0 \u201cBen, I was wondering if it would be all right for me to accompany you back to the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben regarded the man.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward flushed slightly.\u00a0 \u201cI haven\u2019t seen the child in nearly three weeks,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like to see him.\u00a0 He\u2019s my grandson.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about Martha?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Oliver arrived shortly after you left,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cOur cook,\u201d he clarified at Ben\u2019s frown.\u00a0 \u201cShe offered to stay with Martha this afternoon.\u201d\u00a0 He looked up at Ben.\u00a0 \u201cThat child is all I have left of Philip.\u00a0 Don\u2019t make me beg.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not up to me to say yes or no,\u201d Ben said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s his mother\u2019s decision.\u201d\u00a0 But he remembered the soft warmth of the small body in his arms, the sparkling blue eyes, the light coo of happiness when he tickled the child\u2019s belly.\u00a0 Keeping his voice intentionally stern, he said, \u201cYou can ride with me out to the Ponderosa if you like, but whether you see Danny is entirely up to Addie.\u00a0 Is that clear?\u201d<\/p>\n

Anger flared for an instant in Edward\u2019s eyes; then, he nodded as one defeated.\u00a0 \u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Joe woke to a frantic Addie shaking his arm.\u00a0 \u201cThere are men downstairs with guns,\u201d she whispered.\u00a0 \u201cThey have bandannas over their faces.\u00a0 They\u2019re pointing their guns at Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sat bolt upright, ignoring the shaft of pain in his head.\u00a0 \u201cGet Danny and go down the back stairs,\u201d he hissed.\u00a0 \u201cBe as quiet as you can.\u00a0 Go down to the root cellar and stay there.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to see what\u2019s going on.\u201d\u00a0 Without putting on his boots, he slipped down the hall and stood at the top of the stairs, out of sight, listening.<\/p>\n

Come on, Adam,<\/em>\u00a0he thought as he heard somebody say that the buggy and the buckboard were still here.\u00a0\u00a0Stall them.\u00a0 Think of something.<\/em>\u00a0 He heard somebody yell, \u201cWhere\u2019s the kid?\u201d and his heart began to pound with fury.\u00a0 It was the same voice he\u2019d heard last night.\u00a0 His attackers had had the nerve to come into his home to kidnap Addie\u2019s son.\u00a0\u00a0Like hell you will,<\/em>\u00a0he thought as he moved silently back down the hall to his room and pulled on his boots.\u00a0 He looked around to see whether he had anything that could be used as a weapon, but nothing presented itself.<\/p>\n

As soundlessly as an Indian, Joe made his way to Hoss\u2019s room and peered out the window overlooking the yard.\u00a0 Three horses, but no riders.\u00a0 As he opened the window, he sneezed.\u00a0 He froze like a rabbit spotted by a fox.\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t hear, don\u2019t hear, don\u2019t hear,<\/em>\u00a0he thought as hard as he could.\u00a0 He crouched down on the side of Hoss\u2019s bed away from the door and listened.\u00a0 Even when he heard nothing\u2014no voices, no angry boots pounding down the hall\u2014he counted out the seconds for five minutes, just in case.<\/p>\n

Two ninety-eight, two ninety-nine, three hundred.<\/em>\u00a0 Still staying low, he crept over to the window and slid the window up, grimacing as he gripped the frame with his left hand and climbed out onto the roof.\u00a0 Crouching low for balance, he scuttled to the edge.\u00a0\u00a0Damn.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Climbing down would be challenging with a bad hand, but it couldn\u2019t be helped.\u00a0 He clenched his teeth as he made his descent, sucking in his breath every time he had to grab the post with his left hand.\u00a0 As soon as he could, he dropped to the ground.\u00a0 The horses nickered, and he ducked behind the rain barrel, but nobody came outside.<\/p>\n

He could hear Adam talking.\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t make them mad,<\/em>\u00a0he wanted to shout.\u00a0 Joe couldn\u2019t hear the words, but he\u2019d guess that Adam was explaining to them that they should get the hell out of there because kidnapping a baby was a lousy idea that would just land them in jail.\u00a0 Not a bad approach, except that Adam was using his superior voice.\u00a0 Even after all these years, Older Brother hadn\u2019t figured out\u2014or didn\u2019t care\u2014that this tone was pretty much guaranteed to irritate whoever he was lecturing.\u00a0 Joe knew this for a fact, because he was usually the one being lectured.<\/p>\n

He thought briefly of slipping into the barn and saddling one of the horses, but there wasn\u2019t time.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 His left hand and wrist were flaming with pain.\u00a0 Even if he could lift a saddle onto a horse with just his right hand, it would take too long to maneuver the saddle and bridle one-handed.\u00a0 So, he swung into the saddle of the nearest mount and kicked as hard as he could, jerking the horse around and galloping out of the yard.\u00a0 Sure enough, shouts and gunfire followed him, but he bent low and the shots weren\u2019t good enough to hit him before he was out of range.<\/p>\n

All but one.<\/p>\n

He thought he was clear when his body was suddenly slammed forward.\u00a0 Only a lifetime of riding kept him in the saddle.\u00a0 An instant later, the fire in the back of his left shoulder threatened to consume him.\u00a0 Still holding the reins in his right hand, he grabbed mane and kept riding, not even trying to keep from moaning as each stride jolted his body.\u00a0 He held as tightly as possible with his legs, but he felt himself sliding.\u00a0 \u201cNo!\u201d he managed, just before blackness overtook him.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cWho was that?\u201d Jake demanded.\u00a0 He\u2019d kept his gun trained on Adam as the other two shot at the retreating horse and rider.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone who doesn\u2019t want to see you get away with that baby.\u201d\u00a0 It was all Adam could do to keep his voice steady.<\/p>\n

The two boys ran back into the house.\u00a0 \u201cDid you get him?\u201d Jake barked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot sure,\u201d said Marcus.\u00a0 \u201cThought maybe I winged him, but he kept going.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, go after him!\u201d shouted Jake.\u00a0 \u201cI can handle this one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014\u201d the short one began.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the kid?\u00a0 We\u2019ve gotta find it.\u00a0 Whoever took your horse couldn\u2019t have had a baby with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy horse?\u00a0 They took\u00a0my<\/em>\u00a0horse?\u201d\u00a0 He aimed at Adam\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cI should just kill you right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be the worst idea you\u2019ve had yet,\u201d said Adam, keeping his voice steady with an effort.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s somebody out there on your horse.\u00a0 If anything happens to me, it\u2019ll be the easiest thing in the world to trace it back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll just say it was stolen,\u201d said Jake.\u00a0 \u201cWhich it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head slightly.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t report it to the sheriff,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cBesides, your friends here aren\u2019t going to want to hang for what you do.\u00a0 They\u2019ll talk before it gets to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just as a look of uncertainty darted through the tall boy\u2019s eyes, Adam heard a faint but distinctive cry.\u00a0 It sounded as if it was coming from beneath them.\u00a0\u00a0Joe must have sent them down to the root cellar,<\/em>\u00a0he realized.\u00a0 A good plan unless the kidnappers decided to search, because there was only one way in or out.\u00a0 If they found the door to the root cellar, Addie and Danny would be cornered.\u00a0 Hurriedly, Adam started to talk about anything that crossed his mind in the hope that they wouldn\u2019t hear the baby.<\/p>\n

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

The ride from Virginia City to the Ponderosa wasn\u2019t short, but Ben couldn\u2019t recall a time when it seemed longer than it did that afternoon.\u00a0 Forget the fact that he was hungry, although he was; the man riding beside him hadn\u2019t spoken since they left town, and few things could make a ride seem longer than a silent companion.\u00a0 Ben had tried to start a conversation a few times, but Edward Wagner never offered more than a word or two in response.<\/p>\n

Fine<\/em>, Ben thought.\u00a0 He\u2019d wait until they got to the house.\u00a0 The expression on the lawyer\u2019s face when he saw Joe\u2019s bruises and his bandaged wrist would tell them everything.<\/p>\n

They were less than a mile from the house when they rounded a curve to see a riderless horse standing in the road.\u00a0 \u201cWhat the\u2014\u201d Ben began.\u00a0 Then, he saw the crumpled form on the ground by the side of the road, and his heart knew what he saw before his mind did.\u00a0 He yanked Buck\u2019s reins roughly and was out of the saddle before the horse had fully stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cBen, who\u2019s that?\u201d asked Edward.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my son.\u201d\u00a0 Ben could barely get the words out.\u00a0 He knelt beside Joe, feeling his throat for a pulse.\u00a0 It was fast and thready, but definitely present.\u00a0 Before he could feel relief, he saw the splotch of blood on the back of the boy\u2019s shirt.\u00a0 \u201cJoe,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 \u201cSon, can you hear me?\u00a0 Joseph, it\u2019s Pa.\u00a0 Can you hear me, boy?\u201d<\/p>\n

The boy\u2019s closed eyelids parted slightly.\u00a0 \u201cPa?\u201d\u00a0 His voice was more breath than sound.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened, son?\u00a0 What are you doing out here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBushwhackers.\u00a0 Came back.\u00a0 Danny.\u00a0 Adam.\u201d\u00a0 Each word was clearly taking enormous effort.<\/p>\n

Terror clutched at Ben\u2019s heart.\u00a0 It was an impossible choice:\u00a0 stay here with Joe, or go back to the house and try to rescue Adam and Addie and Danny.<\/p>\n

As if he knew what was in his father\u2019s mind, Joe murmured, \u201cGo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll stay here, Ben,\u201d said Edward Wagner.\u00a0 Ben had forgotten his presence until that moment.\u00a0 The lawyer dismounted and knelt on the other side of the boy.\u00a0 \u201cHe can\u2019t ride.\u00a0 I can keep him comfortable until you can get back with a buckboard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward laid his hand on Ben\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cIt sounds as if there\u2019s trouble,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re better equipped to handle it than I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo,\u201d Joe murmured again.\u00a0 \u201cAdam.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helplessly, Ben looked from his son to the man kneeling beside him.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be right back,\u201d he said to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Wagner will stay here with you.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be back as soon as I can.\u201d\u00a0 The boy\u2019s forehead wrinkled slightly, as though he was confused, but there wasn\u2019t time to explain.\u00a0 Ben patted Joe\u2019s hair and stood.\u00a0 To Edward he said, \u201cI\u2019ll be right back.\u201d\u00a0 Without waiting for a response, he mounted his horse and galloped toward the house.<\/p>\n

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

So much pain.\u00a0 Fiery daggers slashed his back and arm whenever he tried to move.\u00a0 His head pounded like there was a crowd of angry miners inside it who were using pickaxes to to try to get out.\u00a0 When he tried to open his eyes, light sliced into his brain.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake it easy, boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The voice was strange.\u00a0 A man, but not Pa.\u00a0 This voice was lighter, crisper.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know if he\u2019d ever heard it before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just have to wait here for your father to get back.\u00a0 He\u2019s going to bring a buckboard so he can take you home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfamiliar hands lifted his head slightly.\u00a0 One hand held his face while the other slid something\u2014some sort of cloth, maybe\u2014underneath.\u00a0 Then, the hands eased him back down so that his cheek rested against the cloth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat should help.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think we should try to turn you over, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe managed a small sound.\u00a0\u00a0Who are you?<\/em><\/p>\n

Someone was patting his good shoulder.\u00a0 It felt awkward, like the person wasn\u2019t sure he ought to be doing it.\u00a0 \u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be too long,\u201d the voice said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll just wait here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe tried opening his eyes again, but it was so hard.\u00a0 Everything in him just wanted to go to sleep, but somehow his gut was saying to stay awake.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t remember how he got here, but it couldn\u2019t have been good.\u00a0 He tried to say something, but all he managed was another sound.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all right, boy,\u201d said the voice.\u00a0 \u201cYou just rest.\u00a0 Your pa will be here soon.\u201d\u00a0 There was a slight chuckle.\u00a0 \u201cBut boys never rest, do they?\u00a0 Mine never did.\u00a0 Not that they got hurt much\u2014not like you here.\u00a0 Philip wasn\u2019t all that much for rough riding or things like that.\u00a0 Thomas would have done more of it, I think, but he knew Philip thought it was silly.\u00a0 That was my Philip.\u00a0 Couldn\u2019t figure out why you\u2019d want to take the hard road if the easier one was right there.\u00a0 Not that he wasn\u2019t a hard worker, because he was.\u00a0 He could have been anything.\u00a0 He wanted to be a lawyer like me, but he could have gone farther.\u00a0 He could have been a senator or maybe even the governor.\u00a0 If it hadn\u2019t been for that girl, there\u2019s no telling what he could have done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe forced his eyes open.\u00a0 All he could see was somebody\u2019s pantleg.\u00a0 Whoever was talking must have been down on the ground with him.\u00a0 But who?\u00a0 The names were familiar\u2014Philip and Thomas\u2014but his brain felt like scrambled eggs and nothing was making sense.<\/p>\n

The man kept talking.\u00a0 It was hard for Joe to keep up.\u00a0 Philip.\u00a0 That girl.\u00a0 The child.\u00a0 Philip.\u00a0 Martha.\u00a0 Thomas.\u00a0 Philip.\u00a0 That girl.<\/p>\n

So strange.\u00a0 It almost sounded like the person might be talking about Addie\u2014but why?\u00a0 Who would come along and sit down in the road and talk about Addie and Philip?<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d he murmured.\u00a0\u00a0Who are you?<\/em><\/p>\n

If the person heard, he gave no sign.\u00a0 He just kept talking about Philip and that girl and how hard it had all been on Martha.\u00a0 How it wasn\u2019t her fault because she\u2019d lost both her sons.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d Joe murmured again.\u00a0\u00a0Who is Martha?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t hold it against you or your father,\u201d the person said.\u00a0 \u201cYou were snared in that girl\u2019s web, the same as Philip.\u00a0 You\u2019d better watch out.\u00a0 She\u2019ll ruin your life the way she\u2019s ruined everyone else\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who?<\/em>\u00a0 Joe tried to lift his head to look at the face of the person talking, but in doing so, he moved his shoulder, sending fresh flames of pain through his body.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t realize he\u2019d cried out until the person was patting his head and saying, \u201cEasy, boy.\u00a0 Don\u2019t you move.\u00a0 Your pa will be back soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

It couldn\u2019t be.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t make any sense at all.\u00a0 But\u2014could it really be Philip Wagner\u2019s father?\u00a0 Sitting on the ground beside Joe?\u00a0 What on earth would Mr. Wagner be doing here?<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Wagner?\u201d\u00a0 At least, that\u2019s what he tried to say, but the words were slurring so badly that Joe didn\u2019t know for sure what he\u2019d said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it, boy?\u00a0 Do you need to move?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Joe managed.\u00a0 If there was one thing he didn\u2019t want to do, it was move.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou let me know if you do,\u201d the man\u2014Mr. Wagner\u2014said.\u00a0 He kept patting Joe\u2019s head like he was trying to soothe him, and he kept talking like Joe understood what he was saying.\u00a0 Joe tried to follow his words, but they sounded like he was getting farther and farther away, and then they stopped altogether.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cSomebody\u2019s coming,\u201d Marcus announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, make sure he doesn\u2019t get in here.\u201d\u00a0 Jake was trying to sound annoyed, but his eyes kept cutting back and forth between Adam and the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know it\u2019s not the sheriff?\u201d Adam suggested, less because he thought it might be than to distract the boys from the faint sounds coming from the root cellar.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s the sheriff, he\u2019ll be sorry,\u201d said Marcus.\u00a0 He cocked his gun as if anybody might not understand what he meant.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour ideas just keep getting worse,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cBad enough to shoot a regular person, but a lawman?\u00a0 You\u2019ll hang for that one, and nobody\u2019ll care how young you are.\u201d\u00a0 He was gratified to see them looking uncertainly at each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s the kid?\u201d Jake barked.\u00a0 \u201cJust give us the kid, and we\u2019ll leave everybody alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have him,\u201d Adam said for what felt like the fiftieth time.\u00a0 \u201cLook around.\u00a0 Do you see him here?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 Because I don\u2019t have him.\u201d\u00a0 It was a fine line between being authoritative enough to keep them off-guard and so arrogant that they lost patience and shot him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a liar,\u201d said Marcus.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re lucky we don\u2019t just shoot you right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith somebody coming?\u00a0 You think that\u2019s smart?\u201d\u00a0 Adam tried to balance a superior smirk with enough reasonableness not to irritate them into carrying through on their threat.\u00a0 He had to keep them off balance enough that they wouldn\u2019t hear Danny, whose cries were getting louder.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u00a0 Do you hear something?\u201d\u00a0 Marcus looked around the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cHear what?\u00a0 I don\u2019t hear anything,\u201d Adam said with his best perplexed look.\u00a0 \u201cExcept maybe a couple of riders.\u201d\u00a0 With any luck, the kids wouldn\u2019t be able to tell the difference between the hoofbeats of one horse or two.<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like a baby,\u201d Marcus insisted.<\/p>\n

\u201cA\u00a0couple<\/em>\u00a0of riders?\u201d\u00a0 Jake glared at Adam.\u00a0 \u201cHomer, go see who\u2019s coming,\u201d he said to the short boy.<\/p>\n

Adam nodded to himself, relieved to have the last piece of the puzzle in place.\u00a0 Of course\u2014Ella Cassidy\u2019s boy, Homer.\u00a0 Adam and Ella had sparked briefly many years back, before Adam left for college and Johnny Cassidy rode into town.\u00a0 Ella was no bigger than a minute, as Hoss would say, and Johnny was even shorter than Joe.\u00a0 No wonder their boy was so small.<\/p>\n

Homer darted into the kitchen, and Adam held his breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, looky here!\u201d came Homer\u2019s voice.\u00a0 The cries grew suddenly louder, and Adam flinched.\u00a0 The kid had found the door to the root cellar.\u00a0 \u201cYou better get up here!\u201d Homer shouted.\u00a0 \u201cOr I\u2019m gonna come down and blow your fool brains out!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll do no such thing, and we both know it,\u201d Addie retorted.\u00a0 Her voice sounded a bit shaky, but she wasn\u2019t giving in.\u00a0 \u201cYou shoot me and you\u2019ll hang, mark my words.\u00a0 Shooting a woman who\u2019s protecting her baby\u2014you\u2019d likely be lynched before you ever got to trial, Homer Cassidy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just shut up and bring that baby up here!\u201d Homer shouted.\u00a0 Danny\u2019s cries were growing louder; it was difficult for Adam to know whether Addie was coming upstairs or Danny was simply getting more irritated.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Marcus, look who I found!\u201d the kid yelled over the wailing.<\/p>\n

Jake was craning his neck to see out the window over Ben\u2019s desk, but he turned around when Homer came strutting into the room with Addie and Danny.\u00a0 \u201cWould you shut that kid up!\u201d Jake snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that easy!\u201d Adam shouted over Danny\u2019s shrieks.\u00a0 \u201cHe has colic!\u00a0 This could go on for hours!\u201d\u00a0 He caught Addie\u2019s eye and nodded firmly before she could blurt out that these weren\u2019t colic cries and that more likely, Danny just had a messy diaper.<\/p>\n

From outside came a deep voice.\u00a0 Adam was nearly positive it was Pa, but the fact was that they couldn\u2019t actually make out any words over Danny\u2019s cries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d Homer asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know!\u201d Marcus yelled back.\u00a0 \u201cMake that kid be quiet!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t work that way with babies!\u201d Adam shouted.\u00a0 \u201cThey just cry until they\u2019re done, and there\u2019s nothing anybody can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something I can do!\u201d Homer announced.\u00a0 He lunged for Addie, but her foot shot out.\u00a0 In the next instant, the boy was curled up on the floor, clutching his groin.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you ever try to come near my son again, you\u2019ll wish that was all I did you to,\u201d she snarled.\u00a0 She glared at the other two boys, who were wide-eyed.\u00a0 \u201cWhich one of you wants to be next?\u201d<\/p>\n

Marcus leveled his gun at her.\u00a0 \u201cHand over the kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s not going to do that,\u201d said Ben Cartwright from the doorway.\u00a0 Their heads snapped around.\u00a0 In his best irate-father voice, he said, \u201cDrop your weapons.\u00a0 Now!\u201d\u00a0 Adam was amused to see that this tone had the same effect on these boys as it had had on the Cartwright brothers in years gone by.\u00a0 They dropped their guns and raised their hands.\u00a0 Nimbly, Adam jumped up from the chair and collected the firearms before the boys could think of anything else to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood work, Pa,\u201d he began, but Ben said, \u201cYour brother\u2019s been shot.\u00a0 Edward Wagner\u2019s out on the road with him.\u00a0 We need to get him back here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam dropped the guns into a drawer and snatched his own gunbelt.\u00a0 Better to have a familiar weapon.\u00a0 \u201cYou and you, come with me,\u201d he said, gesturing to the two who were standing.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve got to hitch up the buckboard and get my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t shoot him!\u201d Homer protested from his place curled up on the floor.\u00a0 \u201cIt was Marcus!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter with that one?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing that can\u2019t be cured by time and a soft place to sit,\u201d said Adam.\u00a0 To the other two he said, \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I go, too?\u201d asked Homer, who was trying to get to his feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou?\u201d\u00a0 Ben raised his eyebrows.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything to get away from all that screeching,\u201d the boy explained.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cHow\u2019s Joe?\u201d Addie asked as Ben and the doctor came down the stairs.<\/p>\n

Ben smiled.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll be fine,\u201d he said.\u00a0 The bullet hadn\u2019t hit either bone or organ; it was a simple flesh wound.\u00a0 Of course, on top of the boy\u2019s other injuries, it meant that he was going to be laid up for a while, but considering what could have been, Ben knew enough to be grateful.<\/p>\n

The three would-be kidnappers were still seated side by side on the settee.\u00a0 Ben fixed them with a stern glare; then, he escorted the doctor to the door.\u00a0 When he turned around, he said to them, \u201cAssault, attempted kidnapping and attempted murder.\u00a0 You boys are looking at some jail time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we didn\u2019t do anything!\u201d Jake protested.\u00a0 \u201cIt was Marcus who shot your boy!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho bushwhacked him last night?\u201d Ben asked.\u00a0 Jake shrank back into his seat, and the other two looked around as though the answer might be written on a wall.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s what I thought,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

The three of them looked at each other.\u00a0 \u201cIt wasn\u2019t supposed to be\u2014nobody was supposed to get hurt,\u201d said Marcus.\u00a0 \u201cWe were just supposed to get the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben turned to Edward Wagner.\u00a0 \u201cDid you hire these boys to kidnap Addie\u2019s son?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d said Wagner firmly.\u00a0 \u201cI did no such thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just said\u2014\u201d Ben began.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t him, mister,\u201d Jake said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t him that hired us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben, Adam and Addie exchanged perplexed looks.\u00a0 \u201cThen who\u2014\u201d Adam began, but his voice trailed off as the same thought occurred to all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was her, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d\u00a0 Addie\u2019s voice was icy.<\/p>\n

Jake nodded.\u00a0 \u201cShe gave us five dollars each,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cAll we had to do was bring Philip\u2019s baby home to her.\u201d\u00a0 Ben caught Adam\u2019s eye, both grim at what was clearly a quote from Martha Wagner.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s my son, and he is home,\u201d Addie said.\u00a0 \u201cSo help me God, if you ever try to lay a finger on him, what I did to that one\u2014\u201d she pointed to Homer \u201c\u2014will be child\u2019s play by comparison.\u201d\u00a0 The three boys paled.<\/p>\n

Ben turned to Edward Wagner.\u00a0 In the voice his sons had learned to dread\u2014righteous anger held on a tight rein\u2014he demanded, \u201cDid you know about this?\u201d<\/p>\n

The whiskered man shook his head slowly.\u00a0 His gaze traveled from Addie and Danny to the three boys on the settee, and then to Ben.\u00a0 \u201cI had no idea,\u201d Edward said.\u00a0 \u201cI swear, I didn\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0 The crisp, clear voice that had persuaded so many judges and juries was little more than a whisper.\u00a0 \u201cObviously, I knew she was distraught about\u2014well, everything, but it never occurred to me that she would go such lengths.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to meet Addie\u2019s fierce glare.\u00a0 \u201cPlease believe me when I say that I am truly sorry.\u00a0 I know this hadn\u2019t been easy for anyone, but\u2014I\u2019m sorry.\u201d\u00a0 He rose, his hands trembling only slightly as he put on his hat.\u00a0 To the boys, he said, \u201cYou three will go with me back to town.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to the sheriff.\u201d\u00a0 He turned to the Cartwrights.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re welcome to come along to see that everything is handled properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben and Adam exchanged a long look.\u00a0 Adam shook his head slightly, and Ben nodded his agreement.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think that will be necessary,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you going to do about your wife?\u201d Addie asked.\u00a0 \u201cAre you taking her to the sheriff, too?\u201d\u00a0 She lifted her chin as if daring him to say the wrong thing.<\/p>\n

Edward looked helplessly at all of them.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose there\u2019s no choice,\u201d he said after a long minute.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, take those three into Virginia City,\u201d Ben said suddenly.\u00a0 \u201cAddie and I need to talk with Mr. Wagner.\u201d\u00a0 He didn\u2019t quite know what was about to happen, but his gut told him that there shouldn\u2019t be an audience.\u00a0 Not until the door had closed behind his son and the would-be kidnappers did Ben turn back to Edward and Addie.<\/p>\n

He drew a deep breath.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t quite certain how to say it, but he had to try.\u00a0 \u201cAs far as Martha and the sheriff are concerned\u2014well, I\u2019m not so sure about that,\u201d said Ben.\u00a0 \u201cObviously it\u2019s not entirely my decision\u2014after all, Joe was only one of the targets\u2014but it seems to me that maybe what Martha needs is a doctor, not a jail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you mean\u2014you\u2019re not going to press charges?\u201d\u00a0 The lawyer looked unsure.<\/p>\n

Ben allowed himself a moment of relief.\u00a0 At least the man hadn\u2019t taken umbrage at the suggestion that his wife\u2019s mind had broken under the strain of grief.\u00a0 To Addie, he said, \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

Addie\u2019s eyes searched Ben\u2019s face.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d she said, her voice tight.\u00a0 Danny cooed and reached up, his fingers brushing her cheek.\u00a0 She bent her head to her son, kissing his head.\u00a0 Her plump arms tightened around him as if to keep Edward\u00a0 Wagner from snatching the child away.\u00a0 After a long minute, she looked up at Ben.\u00a0 \u201cMy son is fine.\u00a0 Yours is the one who was bushwhacked and shot.\u00a0 So I think it should be your decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Ben shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, my dear,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cYou and Danny were the ones she\u2014\u201d He broke off, unsure of how to say it without causing Edward even more pain.\u00a0 Finally, he just said, \u201cIt\u2019s up to you, Addie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Danny\u2019s cooing turned to squawks.\u00a0 After weeks of living with him, Ben knew what was coming next.\u00a0 Before he could say anything, the baby\u2019s face squinched up, his toothless mouth opened, and he let loose with a wail that sounded as though it came from a child three times his size.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be back,\u201d Addie said over the baby\u2019s cries.\u00a0 She was out of the room before Ben could offer to take Danny.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t we have a seat,\u201d he suggested to Edward.\u00a0 \u201cThis may take a while.\u201d\u00a0 He gestured toward a chair, adding as casually as possible, \u201cI don\u2019t know about you, but right now I could use a brandy.\u00a0 Would you like one?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d\u00a0 The man\u2019s voice sounded almost breathless.\u00a0 And then he began to speak.<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright never repeated what he heard that afternoon.\u00a0 He listened without comment as, fueled by brandy and grief, Edward Wagner spoke of the family he\u2019d once had, the hopes and dreams they\u2019d cherished as their two fine sons grew to manhood.\u00a0 Even when Philip married Addie, there had still been the bright promise of the baby.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s heart ached as Edward told how the ghosts of what would never be haunted their too-silent home.\u00a0 He spoke of the dark fears that had grown as his wife began to act strangely, constantly reliving the tragedy, until she had no other topic of conversation.\u00a0 He wanted Philip\u2019s child, of course.\u00a0 He wanted to raise the boy properly, to provide him with a good home, moral guidance, and every advantage they could bestow.\u00a0 He wanted the baby, but she was obsessed.\u00a0 He blamed himself, Edward said.\u00a0 He\u2019d waited too long.\u00a0 He wanted to let the initial shock of the boys\u2019 death pass before he brought the baby into their home, and he waited too long.\u00a0 He should have known that she would become impatient, desperate.\u00a0 He should have seen what was happening, should have seen that something more than grief was driving her now.\u00a0 He should have figured out that she would try to get the child back without waiting for him, for the law.\u00a0 He thought he could care for her, could comfort her, could somehow make up for the fact that the boys they had loved and cherished now lay rotting in pine boxes.\u00a0 But he had failed, and that failure had nearly cost another man his son.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Ben,\u201d he said a dozen times or more.\u00a0 \u201cTo think that she could have inflicted on you the same grief that we live with every waking hour. . . .\u201d\u00a0 He drained his glass.\u00a0 Without asking, Ben refilled it.\u00a0 Edward barely seemed to notice.\u00a0 His gaze was turned inward, fixed on a vision of what could never be.\u00a0 Finally, he said, \u201cI still wish . . . but it\u2019s impossible now.\u00a0 I can\u2019t bring a child into the house.\u00a0 She\u2019s too\u2014she\u2019s too\u2014I can\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0 He sipped his brandy.\u00a0 \u201cSo the girl wins.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing I can do now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAddie\u2019s a good mother,\u201d Ben said gently.\u00a0 \u201cAnd she\u2019s a good girl.\u00a0 If you knew the whole story\u2014\u201d\u00a0 He broke off.\u00a0 No father should have to know what Philip had done.\u00a0 But then he saw a glint of something in Edward\u2019s eyes, and he wondered just how much Edward knew, or at least suspected.<\/p>\n

And how much his attacks on Addie\u2019s character might have been an attempt to bury those suspicions.<\/p>\n

The two men sipped slowly, but their glasses were still long empty by the time Addie and Danny returned.\u00a0 Carefully, she avoided looking at Edward.\u00a0 It occurred to Ben that he couldn\u2019t have said when Danny stopped crying\u2014or how much of Edward\u2019s confidences Addie might have heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs he all right?\u201d Edward asked.<\/p>\n

Addie shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cHe does this all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward smiled slightly.\u00a0 \u201cI remember those days,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cPhilip and Thomas both had colic when they were babies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo does Danny,\u201d Ben said when Addie said nothing.\u00a0 \u201cBut Addie handles it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith help from the Cartwrights,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Hop Sing\u2019s rice cereal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re very fortunate to have such good friends,\u201d Edward said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I am.\u201d\u00a0 The girl wasn\u2019t giving an inch.<\/p>\n

\u201cAddie, Mr. Wagner needs to be getting back to town,\u201d Ben said.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you want to do about pressing charges against Mrs. Wagner?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to decide now,\u201d Edward said unexpectedly.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re not going anywhere.\u201d\u00a0 He studied the girl\u2019s face as though he\u2019d never seen her before.\u00a0 Ben half-expected him to recount some of the things he\u2019d said about the effect of her sons\u2019 death on Martha, but the whiskered man said nothing more.\u00a0 He sat quietly, straight and tall as he waited for the sixteen-year-old girl who held his grandchild to decide his wife\u2019s fate.<\/p>\n

Addie turned to Ben, her eyes questioning now.\u00a0 He simply looked back at her.\u00a0 He gave no hint, yea or nay.\u00a0 The choice had to be hers.\u00a0 But as the girl stroked her baby\u2019s fine hair, he bit back the urge to say,\u00a0Don\u2019t do it.\u00a0 Don\u2019t seek revenge.\u00a0 It\u2019s not worth it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Even though rage burned in his heart every time he thought of Little Joe lying wounded in the road, he would not take the matter to the sheriff.\u00a0 Edward and Martha Wagner had buried two sons.\u00a0 That family would never stop suffering.\u00a0 Ben Cartwright, whose sons were alive and whole, would not add to their pain.<\/p>\n

But Martha Wagner had tried to kidnap Addie\u2019s son.\u00a0 Insane she might be, but she had paid those boys to steal a baby from his mother.\u00a0 The child could easily have been harmed.\u00a0 And Addie was just a girl.\u00a0 A bright one, to be sure, but she was young and headstrong.\u00a0 She\u2019d borne so much pain because of the Wagners, Edward and Martha as well as Philip.\u00a0 If Little Joe hadn\u2019t brought the girl here, it was anybody\u2019s guess how she\u2019d have managed.\u00a0 She should have been able to turn to her husband\u2019s parents–her son\u2019s grandparents.\u00a0 Instead, the very people who should have stood by her had hurled accusations and subjected her to threats and gossip and abandonment when she needed them the most.\u00a0 Whatever retribution the girl chose now, the Wagners had earned it.<\/p>\n

Addie kissed Danny\u2019s head.\u00a0 Then, she looked squarely at her father-in-law.\u00a0 Almost grudgingly, she said, \u201cI suppose Mr. Cartwright is right. \u00a0Losing a child\u2014I can see where that might make a mother do things she might otherwise not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben exhaled silently.\u00a0 He felt as though he\u2019d been holding his breath for a long, long time.\u00a0 \u201cThen it\u2019s settled?\u201d he inquired, just to be clear.<\/p>\n

Addie nodded.\u00a0 Her eyes met his, and he felt pride swell as he reached over to pat her hand.\u00a0 The tension in her mouth eased slightly, but her expression was still grim as she turned to face Edward Wagner again.\u00a0 \u201cGet her some help,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cAnd tell her that if she ever tries to take my son again, I will do everything in my power to put her away forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAddie,\u201d Ben remonstrated.<\/p>\n

But Edward Wagner nodded.\u00a0 \u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

\u201cHe looks mighty cute,\u201d Joe said as Addie straightened Danny\u2019s shift.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe does, doesn\u2019t he?\u201d\u00a0 She smiled first at her son, and then at the boy who was lying on the settee with the baby in his lap.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re looking pretty good yourself these days.\u00a0 How much longer until you\u2019re up and about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc says probably another week or two,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 He\u2019d spent the better part of the past three weeks in bed, and only this morning had the doctor given permission for him to move downstairs to the settee.\u00a0 \u201cPa says those kids didn\u2019t end up going to jail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe judge put them on probation,\u201d Addie said.\u00a0 \u201cSix months.\u00a0 They have to clean the sheriff\u2019s office, the courthouse, the school\u2014pretty much any chores the sheriff says.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToo bad he couldn\u2019t give them diaper duty,\u201d Joe said, wrinkling his nose.\u00a0 \u201cSave the diapers up and let them wash them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be poetic justice,\u201d Addie agreed.\u00a0 Her smile faded at the sound of a horse outside.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re all right here with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addie scooped her son up and took a deep breath.\u00a0 When the knock on the door sounded, she forced a smile.\u00a0 \u201cHere goes,\u201d she said as Ben came into the room from the kitchen.\u00a0 She nodded, but remained standing by the settee as Ben opened it to admit Edward Wagner.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Edward,\u201d Ben said.\u00a0 \u201cWon\u2019t you come in?\u201d<\/p>\n

Addie stood ramrod-straight as Danny squirmed in her arms.\u00a0 \u201cGood afternoon, Mr. Wagner,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI believe you know my son, Danny.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawyer stood by the door.\u00a0 \u201cCome in, Edward,\u201d Ben said, urging him forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Addie,\u201d Edward Wagner said.\u00a0 Her name sounded foreign when he said it, almost as though he\u2019d never uttered the word before.\u00a0 He allowed Ben to lead him to the red leather chair by the fireplace, where he perched uncomfortably.\u00a0 He cast an uncertain look around the room before settling his gaze on Joe.\u00a0 \u201cHello, Little Joe.\u00a0 How are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m doing fine, sir,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 He still hadn\u2019t decided what to think of Edward Wagner.\u00a0 He slid his feet off the settee and sat up straight to make room for Addie and Danny, but the girl remained standing until Ben said, \u201cAddie, why don\u2019t you have a seat?\u201d\u00a0 She hesitated, and he gave her an encouraging nod.<\/p>\n

No one spoke.\u00a0 The only sound was Danny burbling softly.\u00a0 Edward laced his fingers together.\u00a0 He and Addie were only on opposite sides of the long, low pine table, but they seemed as distant as though miles separated them.<\/p>\n

\u201cEdward, would you like some coffee?\u201d Ben suggested, more to break the silence than because his guest seemed as though he might care for refreshments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u00a0 Oh\u2014no, thank you, Ben.\u201d\u00a0 Another silence.\u00a0 Then, Edward leaned forward.\u00a0 His voice broke just a little bit as he said, \u201cHello, Danny.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addie adjusted the baby so that he rested against her shoulder, his face turned away from Philip\u2019s father.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s your wife?\u201d she asked stiffly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAddie,\u201d Ben chided as Edward winced.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t mean\u2014I meant, is she still in Virginia City?\u201d the girl amended.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor now,\u201d Edward said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be leaving for San Francisco tomorrow.\u00a0 The hospital there is supposed to be excellent.\u00a0 Doctor Martin recommends it highly.\u00a0 He says that with proper help, she\u2019ll be much better.\u00a0 She\u2019ll learn to cope.\u00a0 As much as one can,\u201d he added, his voice trailing off as he looked down at his boots.<\/p>\n

Ben watched Addie.\u00a0 He\u2019d tried to talk to her about the Wagners, but he\u2019d felt constrained.\u00a0 He\u00a0 would not repeat what Edward had confided.\u00a0 Instead, Ben spoke of his own experience with loss and grief in the hope that she would understand.\u00a0 He urged compassion, but in the end, her face remained stony.<\/p>\n

Still, she had agreed to this visit, and that was something.\u00a0 Two days earlier, Hoss had come home from Virginia City with a note for her from Edward.\u00a0 The older man wanted to see Danny once more before they left for San Francisco.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s up to you,\u201d Ben said when she showed him the note.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know,\u201d was all she said.\u00a0 She said nothing more about it for the rest of the evening, but the next morning, she handed him a folded piece of paper and asked him to have someone take it to Edward Wagner.<\/p>\n

And now, here they were.\u00a0 Her gaze was fixed on the older man.\u00a0 Ben wondered if she could understand anything about what Edward had endured.\u00a0 It was possible.\u00a0 She was young, but she\u2019d had to grow up fast.\u00a0 No matter her own feelings about Philip, she knew what it meant to love a child, to risk losing him.\u00a0 As though she could hear Ben\u2019s thoughts, she held Danny a bit closer, pressing her lips against his fine hair.<\/p>\n

Then, she rose.\u00a0 Head held high, she walked across the room to where Philip\u2019s father sat.\u00a0 She shifted the baby so that he was facing Edward.\u00a0 To her son, she said, \u201cDanny, this is your grandpa.\u00a0 See?\u00a0 He has whiskers.\u00a0 You\u2019ve never seen whiskers, have you?\u00a0 I\u2019ll bet if we ask nicely, he\u2019ll let you touch them.\u00a0 What do you think?\u00a0 Do you want to touch Grandpa\u2019s whiskers?\u201d<\/p>\n

Edward\u2019s eyes glistened.\u00a0 \u201cHello, Danny,\u201d he said again.\u00a0 He reached up to lay his hand on the baby\u2019s chubby leg.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m your grandpa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can hold him if you like.\u201d\u00a0 Addie\u2019s voice was tight, as if she still didn\u2019t trust him, as if some corner of her mind still thought he might take the child and run.\u00a0 But bless her heart, she was trying.\u00a0 Ben and Joe exchanged a quick glance, and Ben nodded slightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d Edward whispered.\u00a0 Addie handed him the baby and stepped back, watching.<\/p>\n

Edward Wagner cradled the child in his arms.\u00a0 Danny\u2019s musical laughter burbled as he reached up with one dimpled hand to touch his grandfather\u2019s face.\u00a0 Edward bent his head down, and the baby swung at him, grasping at the mottled gray and black whiskers.\u00a0 Addie\u2019s eyes never left the pair.\u00a0 Her arms were crossed over her chest, her jaw clenched.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a long time since I\u2019ve held a baby,\u201d Edward said without looking at her.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s grown so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBabies do that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

He stroked Danny\u2019s round, soft cheek.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s so beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a long minute, everyone watched Edward hold his grandson.\u00a0 Then, the older man lifted his head and met Addie\u2019s eyes.\u00a0 He seemed determined, as if he was about to resolve things once and for all.\u00a0 And yet his words were unexpected:\u00a0 \u201cWas it Philip\u2019s fault?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI beg your pardon?\u201d\u00a0 The girl bridled, her nostrils flaring.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid Philip\u2014did he\u2014\u201d\u00a0 His voice, so strong in a courtroom, trailed off.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Danny is Philip\u2019s son.\u201d\u00a0 She bit off the words with cold fury.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2014you misunderstand me.\u00a0 I never\u2014I don\u2019t doubt that.\u00a0 What I\u2019m asking is\u2014did my son\u2014when it happened\u2014did he\u2014I don\u2019t know how to say this\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

The room was eerily still.\u00a0 Ben stood motionless, his hand clutching the back of the settee, barely touching his son\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n

A furrow appeared between Addie\u2019s brows.\u00a0 \u201cAre you asking if he\u2014if he forced me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose\u2014I don\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0 The older man looked helplessly from Joe to Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0 Addie shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, Mr. Wagner.\u00a0 Your son didn\u2019t force me.\u00a0 I made my own choice.\u00a0 Whatever that says about me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014did he\u2014\u201d\u00a0 Edward swallowed hard.\u00a0 \u201cDid he behave honorably?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben inhaled sharply, but Addie and Edward didn\u2019t seem to notice.\u00a0 Joe glanced up at his father, his eyes mirroring Ben\u2019s concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I told him about the baby\u2014he didn\u2019t question that it was his.\u00a0 He stood up and took responsibility.\u00a0 He gave us a home, and he gave Danny his name\u2014even though you and his mother didn\u2019t want him to.\u201d\u00a0 As she spoke, she looked Edward straight in the eye.\u00a0 Her voice was firm now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not what I\u2019m\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, but that\u2019s what I\u2019m telling you.\u00a0 Philip and I made a mistake that day, both of us.\u00a0 We were both foolish.\u00a0 But in the end, your son gave me the greatest gift anyone could.\u00a0 I\u2019ll always be grateful for that.\u201d\u00a0 She reached down to stroke her son\u2019s downy hair.<\/p>\n

Edward tapped the baby\u2019s nose with his fingertip, and Danny laughed.\u00a0 He looked up at Addie again and smiled, his eyes glistening.\u00a0 \u201cHe has your nose.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think so, too,\u201d she said, and now her voice trembled.<\/p>\n

The silence stretched out.\u00a0 Finally, Edward spoke.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2014I\u2014all of us owe you an apology,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cFor whatever Philip\u2014and for his mother, and for me\u2014I apologize.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addie looked as stunned as though he\u2019d slapped her.\u00a0 \u201cThank you,\u201d she whispered.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I\u2014I\u2019m sor\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d he cut her off.\u00a0 \u201cPlease don\u2019t.\u00a0 You have nothing to apologize for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean it.\u201d\u00a0 Edward waited until she\u2019d closed her mouth.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve done a fine job of raising my\u2014raising your boy.\u201d\u00a0 He tickled Danny\u2019s belly, and the beautiful music of the baby\u2019s laughter filled the room.\u00a0 Then he said, \u201cIf it\u2019s all right with you, I\u2019d like to keep in touch.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how long we\u2019ll be in San Francisco, but if I could give you an address, and if you\u2019d be willing just to send me a note once in a while and let me know how he\u2019s doing–how you\u2019re both doing\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Addie nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWe can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 He rose and kissed the child\u2019s forehead.\u00a0 \u201cYou be a good boy now,\u201d he said to his grandson.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t give your mother any trouble, or you\u2019ll have Grandpa to answer to.\u201d\u00a0 For a few moments, he held the baby close.\u00a0 Then, he handed Addie\u2019s son to her.\u00a0 His eyes were ineffably sad, as though he was seeing what could have been, what could never be.\u00a0 He turned away and caught Ben\u2019s eye, and Ben saw the anguish of a father who had lost the last remnant of his son.\u00a0 But Edward Wagner simply nodded to the Cartwrights.\u00a0 He opened the front door, turning back to his grandson and daughter-in-law one more time.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodbye, Danny,\u201d he said.\u00a0 He managed a small smile as he added, \u201cGoodbye, Addie.\u201d\u00a0 The girl opened her mouth to answer, but he had already closed the door behind himself.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cAre you sure you want to go?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t look at Addie as he asked the question.\u00a0 He forced himself to sound casual as he checked the straps tying her satchel closed, as though he hadn\u2019t really been serious last night when he asked her to marry him.<\/p>\n

Except that he had been, and they both knew it.\u00a0 Just as they both knew that when she said \u201cno,\u201d it was the right answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve been incredible, Little Joe,\u201d she said now, as they stood in her little house among the trunks and barrels that would be shipped to her sister\u2019s house in Ohio.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know how we\u2019d have survived without you.\u00a0 But what you and I have\u2014I\u2019ll always treasure it, but it\u2019s not a marriage kind of love.\u00a0 And I think both of us deserve that.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was no point in arguing.\u00a0 Not if he wanted to maintain some shred of dignity.\u00a0 So Joe forced a smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve always been smarter than me,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI just hate to see the two of you go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addie smiled.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t think I\u2019m going to let Danny forget about his Uncle Joe, do you?\u201d\u00a0 Her voice was gentle.\u00a0 \u201cBesides, you\u2019re going to come and visit, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBah!\u201d came a high, light voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cBah, yourself!\u201d Joe chuckled as Danny crawled across the room.\u00a0 The child hadn\u2019t yet mastered more than one wobbly step at a time, but he was as speedy as a jackrabbit when he crawled.\u00a0 \u201cCome here, you little rascal!\u201d\u00a0 He caught the child up, swinging him so high that Danny squealed with delight.\u00a0 Addie laughed as Joe swooped the child up and down.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to make a wonderful father someday,\u201d she said when Joe finally dropped into a chair with Danny on his lap.<\/p>\n

The wistfulness in her voice made his heart leap for a second.\u00a0 Then, he made himself rein in his feelings the way he\u2019d done a thousand times in the past month.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t going to happen between him and Addie.\u00a0 It was like Adam had said when Joe told the family he planned to propose:\u00a0\u00a0You can\u2019t marry Addie just because you love her son.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>At the time Joe had protested, but in the light of day, he had to admit that Adam was right.\u00a0 He cared deeply about Addie, but the one he loved was Danny.\u00a0 All these months of caring for the baby, playing with him, feeding him, driving him up and down the road under a starlit sky, cheering him on as he started to crawl, to make sounds, to take steps, to grow from an infant into a real person\u2014Joe Cartwright had fallen in love in a way he could never have imagined.\u00a0 His love for this child was fierce and protective, tender and all-encompassing.\u00a0 Every time he thought of being separated from Danny, it was like a wildfire raging inside him, leaving his heart in ashes.\u00a0 He wanted to be there for every milestone in Danny\u2019s life, and all the moments in between.\u00a0 He\u2019d hoped so much that Danny would say his first word before they left, but all the child had managed so far was \u201cBah!\u201d<\/p>\n

He forced himself back to the conversation.\u00a0 \u201cBe sure to write and let me know what his first word is,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cAnd it had better be \u2018Joe,\u2019 or you two are going to have to come back here so I can teach him properly.\u201d\u00a0 He put his nose almost against Danny\u2019s.\u00a0 \u201cJoe.\u00a0 Joe.\u00a0 Joe.\u00a0 Come on, say it.\u00a0 Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBah!\u201d Danny said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll learn plenty of words,\u201d Addie said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll read to him when I\u2019m studying.\u201d\u00a0 Her eyes glowed at the thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so glad you\u2019re going to get to go to college after all,\u201d said Joe as Danny nestled against him.\u00a0 He hoped that she couldn\u2019t hear the unsteadiness in his voice.\u00a0 She was so happy; he had to be happy for her.<\/p>\n

This was the reason she was leaving.\u00a0 Her sister Julia had written to say that if Addie wanted to come to Ohio, she might be able attend the college where Julia\u2019s husband taught.\u00a0 Julia, who had no children of her own, would be delighted to help to care for her nephew.\u00a0 What she offered was a dream come true, but it had still been a challenge to work out since some of the faculty had disapproved of the notion of a young widow as a student\u2014especially one with a child.\u00a0 Ben had written a compelling letter of reference, and he had organized others, including Addie\u2019s teacher and Reverend Abbott, to do the same.\u00a0 Ultimately, though, it was Edward Wagner who got the job done.\u00a0 He contacted a judge he\u2019d known back when the two of them were apprentices in a law firm in Chicago and who now sat on the Ohio Supreme Court.\u00a0 The judge, in turn, wrote to the dean of the college and informed him that the school would be fortunate indeed to have such a fine, upstanding, intelligent girl as Adelaide McKinley Wagner among its students.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you know that the Wagners are paying my tuition?\u201d\u00a0 Addie\u2019s voice was full of wonder.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou told me,\u201d Joe said gently.\u00a0 She\u2019d told all of them, at least a dozen times or more.\u00a0 It was the kind of thing his father classified as a full-blown miracle, but Joe felt was only right after all they\u2019d put Addie through.<\/p>\n

Addie had wept when she read Edward\u2019s letter.\u00a0 He wrote that he and Philip\u2019s mother agreed:\u00a0\u00a0 as Philip\u2019s wife, she was a member of the family and so it was only right that the family pay for her education.\u00a0 \u201cAnd he said that when it\u2019s time for Danny to go to college, they\u2019ll pay for all of it,\u201d she added, sniffling.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s wonderful,\u201d Pa had said.\u00a0 Joe had to bite his tongue not to ask what Mrs. Wagner really thought; he\u2019d have bet a month\u2019s wages that, regardless of the \u201cwe\u201d talk in the letter, this was all Mr. Wagner\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n

Not that it mattered.\u00a0 What was important was that Addie was going to do what she wanted so much to do, Joe told himself now, as firmly as Pa might have said it.\u00a0 He felt the heavy warmth of the child sleeping in his arms, and he had to bite his lip to hold back tears.\u00a0 He swallowed hard and said, \u201cCome on, buddy.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got a stage to catch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take him,\u201d Addie offered, but Joe shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll have plenty of time to be carrying this little fellow around,\u201d he said as he rose, adjusting Danny without waking him.\u00a0 \u201cNot that he\u2019s so little anymore, so be careful,\u201d he added.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t want to hurt yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be fine,\u201d she assured him.<\/p>\n

A knock on the door, and Hoss came in.\u00a0 \u201cStage is gonna be here soon.\u00a0 You ready?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll ready,\u201d Addie said.\u00a0 At Hoss\u2019s request, she pointed out the bags that were going with them on the stage, and he hoisted them all and carried them out of the house.<\/p>\n

At the door, Addie paused and looked around the little house one last time.\u00a0 She shook her head slightly, as if she didn\u2019t really believe all that had happened.\u00a0 Then, she smiled at Joe.<\/p>\n

He had to try once more.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure,\u201d she said.\u00a0 Standing on her toes, with one hand resting on her son and the other on her friend, she kissed Joe on the cheek.\u00a0 \u201cThank you for everything,\u201d she whispered.\u00a0 Their eyes met, and then their lips.\u00a0 Her hand cradled his head as the kiss intensified.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s free arm went around her, drawing her close against him, and she pressed herself closer.\u00a0 Their mouths opened as their tongues began to explore, and\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cBah!\u201d Danny woke with a protest at being sandwiched between them.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, sweetheart,\u201d she said.\u00a0 Joe relaxed his arm, and she stepped back, out of his grasp.\u00a0 He became intent on shifting the baby in his arms, and she focused on smoothing the bodice of her brown traveling dress.\u00a0 Then, as if she couldn\u2019t help it, she looked up at him, her eyes wide.\u00a0 His heart expanded like a bellows.\u00a0 They stood motionless, caught in the fantasy of what could have been.\u00a0\u00a0I love you,<\/em>\u00a0he wanted to say, because for that moment, it was true.<\/p>\n

\u201cBah!\u201d Danny said again, and the moment was over.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on,\u201d Joe said instead.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ve got a stage to catch.\u201d\u00a0 This time it was Addie who nodded wordlessly.\u00a0 She followed Joe and Danny out of the house, closing the door behind her.\u00a0 The three of them walked down the street to where the other Cartwrights stood in front of the stagecoach office.\u00a0 As they reached the sidewalk, the stage came around the corner.\u00a0 Everyone exchanged hugs and kisses, the bags were secured on top of the stage, and Addie climbed aboard.<\/p>\n

She reached down to take Danny out of Joe\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cGoodbye, little man,\u201d Joe whispered.<\/p>\n

Danny grabbed for Joe\u2019s nose.\u00a0 \u201cPa,\u201d he said, loud and clear.\u00a0 \u201cPa.\u201d\u00a0 He nuzzled his face in Joe\u2019s neck, his high, sweet voice muffled only slightly as he chanted, \u201cPa.\u00a0 Pa.\u00a0 Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, did you hear that?\u00a0 He said \u2018Pa\u2019!\u201d Hoss announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood work, Danny!\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cJust one little thing, though.\u00a0\u00a0That\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0Pa.\u201d\u00a0 He gestured toward Ben.<\/p>\n

But Ben was watching Joe.\u00a0 The boy\u2019s eyes were glistening and he had to swallow hard, but his voice was steady and just a hair too loud:\u00a0 \u201cI told you, buddy.\u00a0 \u2018Joe.\u2019\u00a0 Work on \u2018Joe.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 He kissed the baby\u2019s head and handed him up to his mother.\u00a0 Addie leaned down to take him.\u00a0 Her words were barely audible as she murmured, \u201cHe got it right.\u201d<\/p>\n

She settled herself and her son on the seat.\u00a0 The stage driver took away the step and slammed the door.\u00a0 He climbed up on the high seat, called to the horses, slapped the reins.\u00a0 Ben rested his hand on Joe\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 The stagecoach drove away, leaving the four Cartwrights standing in the dusty, empty place that a little baby and his young mother had left behind.\u00a0 Amid the bustle and shouts of Virginia City, Joe heard his pa\u2019s quiet words, overflowing with the love and heartbreak that only a father could understand.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got it right, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Disclaimer:\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.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary:\u00a0\u00a0The Cartwrights become embroiled in a young widow’s fight to protect her baby from her in-laws’ attempts to gain custody.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0K+ \u00a030,600<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":1051,"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],"tags":[15,16],"class_list":["post-4948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","tag-ben","tag-joe","wpcat-23-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1481,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Joe1.png?fit=608%2C570&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":29104,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=29104","url_meta":{"origin":4948,"position":0},"title":"Away in a Manger (by KateP)","author":"KateP","date":"December 21, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 A Christmas surprise on the ranch. 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