Summary: The only one not captured, Joe must figure out how to rescue his brothers from a gang of outlaws who invade their home.
\nWord count: 9,647
\nRated: T
\nThis was written in response to 2025 1st quarter Chaps and Spurs.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cJOSEPH!\u201d Hoss heard Adam bellow and knew that he was about to be caught in the quarrel whether or not he wanted to be. Sure enough, not a minute later, Adam entered the barn and looked around.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhere is he.\u201d Less a question and more of a demand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe left.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHis saddle is still here. Now where. Is. He.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe left Adam. Took his pony and lit out bareback. What did you two get into about this time?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat boy is so irresponsible! I tell him that he\u2019s in charge of getting all the horses broken for the army. We have just 2 weeks left to get it done, but when I get down from the north pasture, he\u2019s here goofing off instead of working the horses! And when-\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDid you ask him about the horses?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDid you ask him how many horses his crew had left to break?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat does it matter how many are left? He should be down there working them every day so we make that contract!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAdam, it seems to me that the two of you are jist too similar.\u201d Hoss shook his head and walked away from his irate older brother.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Left inside the barn alone, Adam bristled at the last comment. Too similar? How was his youngest brother at all similar to him? He was responsible, dependable, and always punctual. Joe was\u2026. None of those things. Adam scoffed and followed Hoss out of the barn only to walk over to his still tacked horse and remount to go finish the job that he had assigned to the youngest Cartwright.<\/span><\/p>\n ******<\/span><\/p>\n Joe didn\u2019t go far before slowing Cochise. He could ride just fine with no tack, but it wasn\u2019t the wisest thing to go tearing about the countryside without even a bridle. He let his pinto choose the course and his tempo and soon found that the horse had taken them to a small glade surrounded and shaded by sugar pines. A stream flowed through on the edge of the clearing and the banks were lined by tender shoots that Cochise nibbled on energetically. Joe slid down from the back of his horse and slowly walked through the clearing. He enjoyed the peaceful feeling it gave him, just being alone with his horse in the tranquil meadow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He thought back and shook his head. Adam hadn\u2019t even asked him how the army contract was progressing, just laid into him about being lazy and irresponsible. He kicked a rock across the ground and watched the ripples as it landed in the stream. He had been so proud of himself, finishing breaking the whole string not just a few days early, but a full two weeks ahead of schedule. He\u2019d hurried back to the house in the hopes of being there when Adam got back down from moving the cattle in the north pasture. Joe had envisioned telling his oldest brother his accomplishment, but before he even had time to greet him, Adam had criticized him rather harshly about being a lag-about and having no personal responsibility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Met with anger, Joe had responded in kind before storming back out of the house and leaving. He sat down and watched Cochise slowly graze his way across the clearing. Maybe Adam was right, though. Just because he had done this one task right, he could have gone and found something else to do instead of just going back to the house. There were always strays that needed to be brought back to the main herd, and one of the eastern waterholes needed to be cleared out soon. Joe sighed. Yeah, of course older brother was right again. Joe was lazy and irresponsible. Cochise\u2019s ears pricked up and he walked over to Joe when he saw the human stand up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cCome on Cooch. Might as well go make myself useful.\u201d Joe grasped the pinto\u2019s mane and swung up onto his back. He turned Cochise in the direction of the waterhole and the horse took up an easy lope.<\/span><\/p>\n ******<\/span><\/p>\n Adam had ridden down to the corrals and was stunned to see that not only all the horses were broken, they were all standing nicely in tack and accepting riders. He tied Sport on the rail and walked over to speak with one of the ranch hands.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHey Mr. Adam!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHey Troy. Is this the whole string? I wouldn\u2019t think that all of them would be broken yet with still two weeks to go.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYeah, this\u2019s all of \u2018em. Boy, your kid brother sure knows his horses. He got over half of them done just by hisself in the time the other four of us together did the same amount!\u201d Troy laughed at remembering the looks on the faces of two of the new hires when they realized what Joe, 15 years their junior, had accomplished. Joe was almost 20 now, but he still looked all of 16 and Walt and Chet had been taken completely by surprise when he was able to gentle even the cantankerous piebald mare that had given every other hand a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re two weeks early.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYep! Joe said if we got them all broke early, we\u2019d have time to work with them more before turning them over to the army. He wanted to make sure there weren\u2019t no problems with any of \u2018em.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Adam nodded, and he realized he owed Joe not only an apology, but also some respect. \u201cListen, if you see Joe, tell him I want to talk to him, ok?\u201d Troy nodded before watching Adam remount Sport and ride off.<\/span><\/p>\n ******<\/span><\/p>\n Joe had spent the last few hours of daylight cleaning out the waterhole. He knew he wasn\u2019t doing it the smartest way, but he also knew that going back to the house to get the proper equipment and thereby possibly running into his oldest brother just wasn\u2019t an option. So he made do and eventually got everything pulled out and the windmill repaired as best he could. There were still two sails on the mill that were loose, but Joe figured he could come back tomorrow and fix them properly. He looked down at himself and grimaced at how caked in mud he was. He glanced up at the sky and watched the start of some clouds trickle their way across the waning half <\/span>moon. <\/b>Joe sighed again. He was already late for supper, might as well take a bath when he got home. It wouldn\u2019t make a difference in his timing. Adam was sure to yell at him again for being late; he might as well be clean and comfortable while getting shouted at.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sure enough, Adam was upset that Joe had missed supper. \u201cHoss, I was all set to apologize to him. I know I was wrong about earlier. But then he goes and runs off for 5 hours, misses dinner, and now it\u2019s dark. He\u2019d better not have gone to town and gotten in trouble in the saloon again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n They both turned when they heard hoofbeats in the yard. \u201cDo me a favor, Adam.\u201d Hoss waited until he had his older brother\u2019s attention. \u201cDon\u2019t just start yellin\u2019 at him agin. At least ask him where he\u2019s bin.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Adam glared at Hoss and raised one eyebrow. \u201cDo you know where he went?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo I don\u2019t, but I\u2019m willin\u2019 ta give him the benefit of the doubt. And you should too. He ain\u2019t a kid no more Adam. He\u2019s been pullin\u2019 his weight around here for a good few years now. You know he\u2019s a good worker. And if you was willin\u2019 to listen more, maybe you\u2019d find that the two of ya would get on better.\u201d Hoss looked Adam in the eye until he was sure his message had been received. Then he nodded once and left the room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Adam leaned against their father\u2019s desk and waited for his youngest brother. He heard the barn door then footsteps, but instead of the front door opening, he heard the door to the bathhouse creak open and closed. He decided a peace offering was in order and walked up to Joe\u2019s room to get a change of clothes. He knocked once on the bathhouse door and entered the room when he heard Joe call out to him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBrought you a change of clothes. Figured if you came in here instead of wanting supper, you must be a mess.\u201d He put the shirt and pants next to the towel Joe had set out for himself and eyed the muddy clothes in a pile on the ground.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Adam.\u201d Joe watched his oldest brother warily. After a moment, he decided that there was no lecture forthcoming and he relaxed into the hot water.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cListen, Joe-\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to fight with you, Adam. I\u2019ll finish with the waterhole tomorrow, but it\u2019s dark now and I am sore. It\u2019s back in usable condition though, just need to fix a couple of the sails.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou went to clear out that waterhole all by yourself? That\u2019s normally a two man job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell not much was actually broken; it just needed a little help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cStill though. Thanks for being on top of that.\u201d Hearing that, Joe opened his eyes and looked sharply at his older brother. Those were the kindest words he had gotten from the other man in almost two weeks.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd I went down and talked to Troy to see how the horses were coming.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Joe didn\u2019t reply, but his eyes narrowed as he waited to see what new criticism would be forthcoming.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me earlier that you had finished the whole string?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you ask me instead of yelling?\u201d Joe glared up at his brother before going back to scrubbing the mud off of himself. \u201cI came back to the house to specifically tell you that we had finished breaking them two weeks early. I thought you\u2019d be happy about it, maybe even proud of my crew. But instead of \u2018good job, Joe, I knew you could do it\u2019 or \u2018wow, you really are worth having around the ranch\u2019 I got \u2018you are lazy and irresponsible.\u2019 I don\u2019t know what you want from me, Adam. I try my best you know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Adam crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, not happy with how his brother was talking to him, but knowing that he deserved it. \u201cYou\u2019re right, Joe. I\u2019m sorry. I know you\u2019ve really been working hard, and especially while Pa is gone, you\u2019ve taken up a lot of the slack around here. You know, Hoss gave me a tongue lashing earlier. He said the problem is that we are too similar.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Joe laughed at that. \u201cToo similar? It\u2019s like Hoss hasn\u2019t met us let alone lived with us for almost two decades.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo, I think he had a point. We may have a different way of doing things, but in the end we both just want what\u2019s best for the family and the ranch, right? I always thought that I was the dependable one, but maybe I was just refusing to believe you have grown up. I\u2019m sorry for earlier, Joe. I\u2019ll try to remember in the future to ask instead of assuming.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Adam.\u201d Joe started to say something else when sudden shots and shouting in the yard startled both men.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGet dressed and stay out of sight. You may be fully grown, but I don\u2019t want you in danger.\u201d Adam flashed a quick smile at his youngest brother before opening the door a crack and sliding out into the dark. He made his way quickly across to the open door of the main house, drawing his sidearm and pressing himself against the wall beside the door to peer in. He had recognized Hoss\u2019s shout and worried that it was quiet inside the house now. Adam could see where Hoss had been overpowered, gagged, and tied to one of the chairs. His brother was conscious, bleeding from his arm, and very angry. Adam could hear people moving about and the floor creaking above them. With how quickly Hoss had been overwhelmed, Adam figured there must be at least four people now inside the house. He turned to go around the house and try to sneak in upstairs to surprise the intruders. Adam never saw the fist before it struck him.<\/span><\/p>\n Joe got out of the bath and dressed quickly. He had left his revolver in the barn and knew that is why Adam had told him to stay out of sight. Unarmed, Joe wouldn\u2019t be much help going up against an unknown number of enemies. He peered out of the bathhouse door and finding the area empty, dashed across the yard to the open window that sat above the desk in the study. He raised up slowly until he could just see over the sill. Hoss and Adam sat both tied up and Hoss gagged with a bandana. Both were conscious, but Hoss had obviously been shot in the arm, and Adam was sporting quite the black eye. Two intruders stood over his brothers in a threatening manner but with their backs to the window and Joe wondered how many more there were. Adam\u2019s eye flicked past him and his mouth formed a tight line. Joe ducked down before either of the men turned and saw him. He sat there for a moment wondering what he should do and then he heard his brother speak.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you even want from us?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t want nuthin\u2019 until we got in here. Now I think we\u2019ll take our time, maybe have some food, and a night in a soft bed. You just sit there and keep looking purdy.\u201d The taller of the two men laughed at his partner\u2019s antics. \u201cYeah, by now Billy shoulda had time to patch up that bullet hole in Ike\u2019s shoulder. How bout you and Chuck go rustle up some grub for the rest of us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Adam had seen Joe duck down. He thought quickly on how to get information to his little brother without giving away his location.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou planning on staying here for awhile? Gonna keep us tied up the whole time?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll stay as long as we please, and yeah, you\u2019ll be staying right there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAre you looking for money? Horses? What?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll take what we want of both of those, sure. And if you don\u2019t give us any trouble, we\u2019ll even leave you alive. But try and get away; you\u2019ll be sorry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell if that\u2019s the case, then you should know that there’s at least ten ranch hands gonna be back between tomorrow night and the next. Given that there are only five of you, that doesn\u2019t give you very good odds.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere are seven of us, friend. Two others still out in the barn.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Outside the window, Joe jerked his head around. He was in full view of the barn. He could sneak over and take out the two men who were in there; reduce the numbers by a full third. But then the five inside the house would suspect trouble and would come looking for him. As of right now, they had no idea that he was out here.\u00a0 Joe glanced at the barn doors. They were still closed, and he moved quickly away from the wall and around the corner.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He crouched down behind the shrubbery there and waited. It was only a minute or so more when the door opened and two men walked from the barn to the main house. Joe breathed a silent sigh of relief that his brother had gotten the information to him. He wondered if Adam knew he had most likely just saved his life. He sat there for a moment longer thinking of the situation. Pa was gone to San Francisco and not due back for two more weeks. Hop Sing had gone into Virginia City and combined business with pleasure and was staying the night after an evening of <\/span>revelry<\/b> at his uncle\u2019s place to celebrate the Harvest <\/span>Moon<\/b> festival*. He had gone after dropping a list at the mercantile and would be back sometime tomorrow with the supplies. Adam had lied to the men inside. With the round up done, their temp workers had moved on and there were only the three ranch hands in Joe\u2019s crew that would be coming back tomorrow night after having the next day off. Two more would be back the following week.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The wind was picking up and Joe felt the temperature drop. He rolled his eyes. Of course now would be the time for it to start raining too. Sure enough, the sky opened up and the rain came down in torrents. Joe sprinted across the yard and into the barn, pulling the door closed behind himself and scurrying up the ladder to the hay loft. He cracked open the hay door enough to see the main house and watched as lamps were lit in rooms upstairs.<\/span><\/p>\n Joe ran a hand through his hair and wiped the rain off his face. He sat down in the soft hay and thought about what he could do. At least neither of his brothers was seriously injured, because there was no way he was getting them help tonight. He thought about what the intruders had said. It sounded like they hadn\u2019t intended to end up here. They were probably trying to evade the law, had ended up here by mistake, and decided to take advantage of the situation. Joe racked his brain trying to remember if he had gotten word of any group of outlaws in the area, but he couldn\u2019t recall any that would fit this description. Joe shivered then climbed back down the ladder to haul a horse blanket back up with him to stay warm during the night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ******<\/span><\/p>\n He woke up a few hours later from a blast of wind and rain in his face. Sputtering and wiping the water off his face, Joe looked out from the hayloft and saw all the lights had been extinguished in the house. He debated going back to sleep, but realized this might be his only chance to leave undetected. He lowered himself out of the hayloft and saddled Cochise. Unfortunately, his slicker was in the house and no one had left a spare in the barn.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell, Cochise, a little water never hurt anyone.\u201d He mounted his pinto and set out into the rain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n By the time he got to Virginia City, it was just starting to get light out. The wind had died down and the rain had let up to a slight drizzle. He pulled Cochise to a halt outside the sheriff\u2019s office and looked in dismay at the sign on the door denoting that Roy and Clem were to be gone for the next week. He stood there for a moment wondering what to do before heading over to the telegraph office in the hopes that his friend there would know where the lawmen had gone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSorry Joe, all I know is that they\u2019re after the Carver Gang. Got word from up in Fernley that they needed some help after their bank was held up. Shot their sheriff on their way out of town, so their deputy telegraphed here for Roy\u2019s help. They left day before yesterday.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cCarver gang? I don\u2019t suppose there\u2019s way to get word to Sheriff Coffee, is there?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI can wire Fernley generally, but there\u2019s no telling how far they\u2019ve gotten. Why? What\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Joe just shook his head and left the telegraph office. He had to get to Hop Sing\u2019s uncle\u2019s place before the cook left to return to the Ponderosa. Joe tied Cochise to the hitching post and jogged up to the door, raising his left hand to knock and drawing up short when the door swung open instead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHop Ju! Has Hop Sing left here yet?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes, he leave when sun rose. Say he get to Ponderosa before Cartrights want breakfast.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen the sun rose! I can still catch him! Thanks, Hop Ju!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Joe swung onto his pinto and kicked him to a gallop, tearing out of town down the muddy street to intercept Hop Sing before he arrived at the ranch and landed himself in the middle of the trouble. Joe bent low over Cochise\u2019s neck when the rain picked up again. He shivered and wondered how much longer he could stay out in the wet and cold before he started to feel the effects of exposure. As long as he kept moving, though, he should be fine. His thoughts jolted back to the present when Cochise slipped and went sideways. Joe attempted to jump from the saddle, but felt his boot catch on the stirrup and yank his ankle at a rough angle. He didn\u2019t gain the distance from the falling horse that he had intended, and he felt the pinto\u2019s hoof connect with his body and as he tumbled into the mud. The horse regained his footing, rolled his eyes, and ran as fast as he could away from the human who flailed on the ground. Joe shouted and fought his way to his feet, grimacing when he tried to take a deep breath. It was no use. Cochise was fleeing in a panic. Joe watched his mount disappear into the distance. He fell back to his knees. He wouldn\u2019t reach Hop Sing in time to warn his friend.<\/span><\/p>\n ******\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hop Sing grumbled to himself as the wagon got stuck in the mud again. He had thought to leave at sunup to make it back to the ranch for breakfast, but at the rate the wheels kept getting stuck, he would be lucky to make it before lunch. The pair of blue roans tugged in their harnesses as Hop Sing encouraged them to pull first left then right to loosen the hold the mud had on the wheels. With a loud sucking noise, the wheels pulled free and the wagon jolted forward, back on track. He snapped the traces and the team returned to a trot. Hop Sing heard a horse approaching him from the rear and turned to see a lone pinto that he recognized immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n Cochise had slowed from his panicking bolt, and had fallen into a lazy trot in the direction of his home. He pricked his ears up and whinnied when he recognized his stablemates, the roan team. Hop Sing scrambled off the buckboard and snagged the pinto\u2019s trailing reins. He looked behind but could see no sign of the man who rode this horse. Hop Sing stroked the pinto\u2019s neck then tied him to the buckboard and turned the team back in the direction of town.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n *****<\/span><\/p>\n Joe crumpled to the ground again. It was slow going. And by now he was pretty sure he had at least twisted, maybe sprained his ankle along with having a few broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. At least Cochise hadn\u2019t fallen on top of him. It could have been worse. He panted for a moment, just trying to build up some energy before stumbling to his feet again. He ran his left hand down his face to clear the rain from his eyes and looked around when he heard the tell-tale creek of wagon wheels. He squinted through the haze and blinked twice.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe! What you doing here? Why horse come find Hop Sing all alone?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Joe felt relief wash through his body and nearly crashed back to the ground at the sudden adrenaline drop. \u201cHe tossed me. Thank god you didn\u2019t make it back to the ranch yet. Help me up there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Hop Sing helped Joe as best he could onto the seat of the buckboard. Joe groaned when the wagon started moving again and he pressed his good arm into his side. He unbuttoned his jacket and threaded the arm with the dislocated shoulder through the opening to form a make-shift sling. He filled Hop Sing in as best as he could as to what was going on. He told him of Adam and Hoss being held captured, of the sheriff and deputy not being available, and how there were no ranch hands around for the next few days. Hop Sing listened and nodded along, understanding that it was up to him and an injured Joe to rescue the others and thwart the intruders.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing, I don\u2019t feel all that good.\u201d Joe had started to feel lightheaded and not well at all. He made the decision to slowly slide off the seat of the wagon onto the floorboards and lean against the seat to prevent falling off the wagon as his vision blurred and his heart raced. Joe had the passing thought that he really should be lying down in the back of the wagon instead of trying to sit upright. Then the weather, anxiety, stress, and pain caught up with him and he passed out, slumped against the side of Hop Sing\u2019s right leg.<\/span><\/p>\n The small Chinese man glanced down at Little Joe, worried about the young man, but not sure what the full extent of the injuries were. Joe had glossed over what had happened when he fell from his horse, and all Hop Sing could tell for certain was that his right shoulder was out of socket. He could guess at a few other things, and could also tell Joe had been in the storm without any rain gear for far too long. But there was nothing he could do about that now. He concentrated on getting them both back to the ranch.<\/span><\/p>\n *****<\/span><\/p>\n For the remainder of the ride, Joe had floated between unconsciousness and waking, not quite fully in either camp. He felt the wagon stop moving and roused himself, forcing his eyes open and focusing his bleary gaze onto Hop Sing.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMake it back to ranch house. Just around next corner. What Little Joe plan to do?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat do I\u2026? Well, there are seven of them. And two of us. If we can get to Adam and Hoss, that would make four of us. Guess our best bet is to pick them off one at a time\u2026.\u201d Joe blinked hard a few times as he woke up more. He hadn\u2019t fully fallen asleep, but the rest had done him some good. \u201cOn the other hand, I had originally thought to get Sheriff Coffee. Maybe we can get people from one of the neighboring ranches to help. How\u2019s this: leave me here, I\u2019ll hide in the barn and keep an eye on what goes on. You go see who you can round up over at the Double K and the MacPherson homestead. When you got some men rounded up, come back here.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLittle Joe hurt. Hop Sing not want to leave alone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be fine, Hop Sing. I\u2019m just a little sore.\u201d Joe tried to smile, but he was sure it came out more of a grimace. He climbed gingerly down from the wagon and waved to Hop Sing as he turned the team to go to the neighboring ranches for help. Joe took as deep a breath as he could before walking slowly in the direction of the barn. He\u2019d be out of sight from the house the whole way, as the road came up behind the barn before curving around it. He used that to his advantage and crept in the side door of the building. Luckily no one was in the barn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Joe thought for a bit before pulling a saddle bag down from the tack wall and filling it with grain until it weighed about 15 pounds. He slung it over his good shoulder and slowly and carefully climbed the ladder to the loft. Once there, he sat down and tied the bag around the wrist of his bad arm, wincing each time he jostled the injured joint. He lay down on his stomach and let his arm with the dislocated shoulder dangle straight down over the edge of the loft. The weighed down bags pulled his arm down steadily. It took him a few minutes to relax, but slowly his muscles got the message to release their tension. After roughly ten minutes, Joe felt the pain in his shoulder dissipate when with a slight pop, the joint slid back into position. He breathed a sigh of relief and sat up to untie the saddle bag and set it aside. He carefully raised his right hand to cross his chest and touch the opposite shoulder, testing to make sure the joint had relocated correctly. He knew he\u2019d have to be considerate of his shoulder, but at least he had the use of both hands again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He heard voices outside the barn and moved quickly and quietly to the hay door, lying down flat and looking out over the edge. Three men were walking his way and discussing something among themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI say we take it and leave. Ike\u2019s running a fever from the bullet, sure, but he can sit a horse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell it\u2019s not up to you. By now, there\u2019s lawmen crawling all over the place for us. And they\u2019ll think we done just that. Not no one\u2019s gonna think we stayed less than 60 miles from where we shot that sheriff and robbed the bank. The last place they\u2019ll check is right under their noses. And when they do finally think to, we\u2019ll be gone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but you heard what that guy said. They\u2019ve got ten people coming back in the next few days. What\u2019ll we do about that? Takin\u2019 on 10 men ain\u2019t no <\/span>picnic.<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t no way he was tellin\u2019 the truth. I bet you they\u2019ve got only a couple coming back. Maybe no one at all.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Joe stayed silent as the three men walked into the barn. He didn\u2019t dare move to watch what they were doing. He hardly dared to breathe as he continued to listen to them move around below him. He heard scuffling like the table was being moved then a grunt like someone was putting effort into a movement. Presently he heard the clinking of coins and the rustling of paper.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s 250 grand on the nose.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One of the men whistled. \u201cI ain\u2019t never held that much money at once.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd you won\u2019t hold this neither. It stays right here. Outta sight until we leave. Then once we get back to the Perch, we\u2019ll split it like we normally do.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Joe heard the shuffling and thumping again then the three men left the barn. He waited until out the hay door he saw them enter the main house. Then he moved quickly down the loft ladder and started searching the barn for their stash. He found it hidden beneath some saddle blankets. Joe opened one of the bags and removed $8,000 in bearer bonds. He tied the bag back up, purposely using a different knot and replaced it under the saddle blankets, leaving them obviously askew and showing the edge of one of the bank bags.\u00a0 He took the bearer bonds back to the loft and tucked them under the hay. He grinned to himself. The seeds of doubt had been planted. Now all he had to do was sit back and watch them grow.<\/span><\/p>\n It was only five minutes after Joe had retaken his place in the hayloft when he saw the front door open again. One of the same men walked out with a different partner this time. They made their way back to the barn, and Joe could hear them arguing the whole way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI said one of you was supposed to stay out here and guard it!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cGuard against who? There\u2019s no one else around here, and even if someone came by, they wouldn\u2019t know where to look?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat don\u2019t matter. I don\u2019t want this left alone again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The men walked into the barn and the shorter of the two sat down in a chair and drew his revolver to clean it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the deal with this? You got mush for brains?\u201d The taller man who seemed to be the leader gestured at the visible bank bag.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHarve, it weren\u2019t that way! We left it covered!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell it ain\u2019t covered now. D\u2019ya think I wouldn\u2019t notice if you helped yerself to some?\u201d Harve yanked the knot open and counted the money. He turned snarling to face the shorter man when he counted out only 242 thousand. \u201cWhere\u2019s the rest of it? What\u2019d ya do with it, Billy?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Billy\u2019s eyes widened and he stood, backing slowly away from the crazed fire he saw in the gang leader\u2019s eyes. \u201cNothin, Harve, I swear! It were all there when I counted it earlier. Now, Chuck and Mitchell were out here too, you know. They saw me count out the full 250 grand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Harve paused and his eyes narrowed. \u201cThat\u2019s true. Or maybe yer all in it together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOr maybe one of them did somethin\u2019 without me noticing. It\u2019s weren\u2019t me Harve, I swear to ya! I\u2019ve always followed ya. Why would I turn on ya now?<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe aint got no <\/span>debts<\/b> to eachother. Just cause we\u2019ve traveled together for three years now doesn\u2019t mean you won\u2019t go stab me in the back if it suits ya.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHarve, please!\u201d But the gang leader wasn\u2019t to be swayed. With no remorse in his eyes, he deftly pulled his sidearm and shot the shorter man, watching the body fall where he stood. Watching it happen, Joe\u2019s eyes widened but he didn\u2019t make a sound. Harve left the body where it lay and he walked back to the house. Joe scrambled down the ladder and scurried over to the bank bags, removing five more bearer bonds and dashed back to the loft. He made it back up before the house door opened again and another man came out, obviously having been sent by Harve to guard the stash.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n ******\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Inside the house still tied but now back to back with each other, Adam and Hoss heard the single report of a revolver. Adam felt his brother flinch and knew he was thinking the same thing he was. Had Joe been discovered?<\/span><\/p>\n Harve stormed back into the house and let everyone know how unhappy he was with Billy. He glared at the other members of his gang and dared them to speak. No one did, so he ordered Steve out to the barn for guard duty.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll be switching the guard in five hours! There\u2019d better be the same amount as there is now!\u201d Harve slammed the door behind the other man and stalked into the kitchen to find something to eat. Chuck was upstairs with Ike who was still running a fever from the bullet in his shoulder. The other men milled about, looted things from the house, or slept.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Adam and Hoss were left alone in the main room with just one man who paid them no attention as he tried to bust open the safe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAdam.\u201d Hoss whispered to his older brother. \u201cYou don\u2019t suppose\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo. You heard him. He shot one of his own gang.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHoss heard the front door slam and sighed. He debated avoiding the storm that was about to whirl its way into the barn, but decided to try one more time to defuse the situation. He straightened up and set the horse\u2019s foot back down before turning as the barn door opened and his younger brother strode in. He could see right away that Joe was in a terrible mood, no doubt having gotten into it with their older brother yet again. Joe stopped and glared at Hoss before continuing to his own horse and leading Cochise out of the stall. He didn\u2019t bother with tacking up, just looped the lead around the horse\u2019s neck, tied the end onto the nosepiece of the halter, vaulted onto the pinto\u2019s back and lit out.<\/span><\/p>\n