Summary:\u00a0 After an extended absence, Adam Cartwright is returning home to the Ponderosa, but an overnight stop in a California town leads to an unforeseeable delay.<\/p>\n
Rating: T\u00a0 Word Count: 17967<\/p>\n
Prelude Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n Prelude #1\u00a0<\/a> <\/p>\n Author’s Note:\u00a0 This story is an expansion of an original story, Prelude,<\/strong> written nearly twenty years ago and posted at Bonanza World, rewritten in 2017 for publication in the Brand library. It includes references to events depicted in “The Flannel Mouth Gun” (Bonanza<\/strong>, season 6, episode 19) written by Leo Gordon and Paul Leslie Piel.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n PART ONE<\/strong><\/p>\n Day was dying in the west. Adam Cartwright shifted in his saddle and watched the sun leaching fiery ribbons onto the hills in its descent from the lowering sky. It had been nearly two years since he\u2019d seen a Nevada sunset, and then he reminded himself he was still in California. Though he had arrived in San Francisco more than a week ago, he hadn\u2019t wired his family. As far as they were concerned, he was still in Boston. He was content to leave it that way for now.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n His departure from the Ponderosa was not precipitated by an explosive argument or bitter disagreement as some might have imagined; instead, it was a weary accumulation of words over time, stacked like stones in a wall. Adam supposed the real problem between them was simply the fact that he and his father were just too much alike. An irresistible force and an immovable object cannot occupy the same space.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m beginning to understand how the world can overcome a man,\u201d he told his father that night. \u201cIt just wears him down until he\u2019s too tired to fight what he can\u2019t change. Pa, I don\u2019t want to be that man.\u201d That was when he realized push had finally come to shove.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As he knew they would, his brothers fought against his leaving at first, but even they eventually accepted the inevitable. At the end he could almost feel the collective sigh of relief, including his own. It had been a long goodbye for all of them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The supreme irony of it all was how much he disliked Boston. He had always dreamed of returning one day, but after so many years the realization of that dream was cold and harsh. The damp winter chill seeped into his bones like a disease, making him ache all over, and sometimes the pain in his back set him off his feet. The sweltering summer wasn\u2019t much better. Once so bright and full of promise to an idealistic young man of twenty, the city now appeared gray and soulless. Boston had changed, and so had he.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n There had been one diversion, pleasant at first but ultimately disappointing. Jane Hadley was a handsome widow, well-read, financially independent and at times, utterly charming. Behind that bewitching smile, he discovered, she was vain, self-centered, demanding, and dismissive. It was just as well, for she would never leave Boston, and he could not stay.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The pale lights of a town dotted the dusky landscape below. With the remains of the day fading over his shoulder, Adam nosed his horse down the hill and past the weathered sign that read <\/span><\/span>Junction <\/i><\/span><\/span>in search of a meal and a bed for the night.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n ~*~<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The saloon had no doubt seen better days, judging from the mishmash of worn-out tables and chairs and the dilapidated piano in the corner, but at least the beer wasn\u2019t too warm. Adam was halfway through a mug when a fight broke out in the corner where two men were playing cards.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t clear who was cheating whom, but epithets were swirling and fists were flying, shattering glass and toppling tables, much to the proprietor\u2019s dismay. Adam watched with mild interest from other end of the bar, away from the fracas. It wasn\u2019t the first time he\u2019d witnessed a poker game gone sour, especially when tempers were fueled by whiskey. The combatants looked to be in their early twenties and pretty evenly matched, though the odds shifted when a solid left hook from one sent the other crashing backward toward the bat wing doors, where he landed near the feet of an imposing man wearing a badge.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Adam did a double take when he saw the sheriff, who bore a striking resemblance to an old acquaintance.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAll right, that\u2019s enough,\u201d said the sheriff, hoisting the man up from the floor. \u201cParty\u2019s over.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo, it ain\u2019t!\u201d said the other man, drawing his gun. \u201cNot \u2018til I get my money!\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The sheriff frowned. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to do that, son.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYeah, well maybe I do.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThink again,\u201d said Adam, pressing a barrel of cold steel into his back. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The man grudgingly surrendered his weapon, still complaining about the money.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI reckon that\u2019s house money now, considering the damages,\u201d said the sheriff. \u201cDid you count it yet, Pete?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The proprietor rifled through a handful of bills and coins he had picked up among the debris. \u201cLooks twenty-six and two bits.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell now, that\u2019s hardly worth riskin\u2019 your life over, is it? Once you\u2019ve sobered up I think you\u2019ll see things my way.\u201d The sheriff directed his attention to Adam. \u201cMuch obliged, Mr\u2026?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cCartwright. Adam Cartwright.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEzra Tatum.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Tatum. It had to be more than a coincidence. \u201cYou must be Ira\u2019s brother.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Ezra smiled. \u201cThat\u2019s right. You a friend?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes, though I haven\u2019t seen him since he left Virginia City a few years ago.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou gonna be in town for a while?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAt least for the night.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHad your supper?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe caf\u00e9 down the street serves a pretty good steak. Let me get these boys settled over at the jail and I\u2019ll go with you. Then we\u2019ll see about gettin\u2019 you a room.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Lottie\u2019s Cafe stood in cheerful contrast to the dingy saloon. Crisp gingham curtains adorned the windows and the walls appeared freshly painted. The mouth-watering aromas reminded Adam that he hadn\u2019t eaten anything but jerky since breakfast.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n An attractive blonde in an apron greeted them with a smile as they took their seats. \u201cHello, Ez. You\u2019re a little late, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAw, I had to tend to a little scuffle in the saloon.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTrouble?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNot really, just a bad hand and some hard feelin\u2019s, mostly. They\u2019ll sleep it off tonight. Lottie, this is Adam Cartwright. He\u2019s a friend of Ira\u2019s.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Her blue eyes crinkled as her smile deepened. \u201cLottie Simpson. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Cartwright. Any friend of the Tatums is certainly welcome.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cCall me Adam. Mr. Cartwright is my father.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell, Adam, what\u2019s your pleasure? I already know what he wants. Steak and potatoes all right with you?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt sounds more than all right to me.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cComin\u2019 right up. I\u2019ll get your coffee.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Adam watched her turn toward the kitchen, and as she passed Ezra, she placed a light hand on his shoulder. It was a small gesture but not insignificant, if he was any judge. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The sheriff leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands in front of him. \u201cYou\u2019re a long way from Virginia City, aren\u2019t you? What\u2019s your story, if you don\u2019t mind my askin\u2019.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t mind. I\u2019ve been away for a while, in Boston. Just arrived in San Francisco a few days ago.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOn your way home?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEventually.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Ezra looked him over. \u201cNot ready to get back to ranching?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I mentioned anything about ranching.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t have to. I\u2019ve heard of the Pondorosa. Ira mentioned it once or twice.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u201d He didn\u2019t even want to think about the ranch, and he welcomed the opportunity to change the subject. \u201cHow is Ira? Last I heard he was headed somewhere north.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Ezra\u2019s expression grew somber. \u201cHe\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry to hear that. How did it happen?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHeart attack, a couple of years ago, up in Wyoming.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat was he doing up there?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe signed on with a cattle company\u2014just sorta drifted after he lost his wife.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Adam sighed, remembering Cynthie Tatum\u2019s senseless murder. The intended victim was Ira, and he was never quite the same afterwards. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe was a good man. I guess I don\u2019t have to tell you how much you look like him.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Ezra chuckled. \u201cNo, I\u2019ve heard that all my life. People used to think we were twins. Ira was only fifteen months older, and we were about the same size by the time we were in school.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Lottie returned with their coffee. \u201cHow\u2019s Tom doing?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTolerable, better than the last time I saw him.\u201d said Ezra. \u201cHe won\u2019t be using that leg for a while, though, and the doc told Louise it might never be right. Tom\u2019s my deputy,\u201d he explained to Adam. \u201cBull hooked him, pretty bad.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Lottie shuddered. \u201cIt was awful. He\u2019s lucky to be breathing.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The steaks arrived a moment later, generous, sizzling cuts slathered with butter and braised onions with roasted potatoes mounded on the side, and a plate of impossibly high biscuits. Conversation was momentarily halted as the two men tucked in to their meals. Somehow Adam managed to find room for peach cobbler at the end.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLottie, that was a terrific meal,\u201d her told he as she refilled his coffee. \u201cI could eat here every day.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n She smiled. \u201cI\u2019d like that. How long will you be staying?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell, actually I\u2019m just passing through.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOh.\u201d Her smile faded, and she sounded disappointed. \u201cI guess I misunderstood. I thought maybe you were here to help Ezra.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Ezra raised an eyebrow at her. \u201cNow Lottie, why would you think that?\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n She turned toward him, the coffee pot in one hand and the other on her hip, and frowned. \u201cWell, now I don\u2019t know. I suppose I thought maybe you had decided to take someone\u2019s advice for a change, but I see I was wrong. Excuse me.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Ezra scratched his neck and watched her walk away before meeting Adam\u2019s eyes. \u201cSorry about that.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo need to apologize. What did she mean?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAw, she just thinks I\u2019m spread a little too thin on the job with Tom bein\u2019 down. You know how women are.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe worries about you.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but nothin\u2019 much happens around here these days beyond an occasional dust-up in the saloon. And again, I appreciate your help there.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m sure you could have probably talked that young fella out of his gun eventually, but I was gettin\u2019 kinda hungry so I figured I\u2019d help things along.\u201d Adam smiled. \u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting a meal like this though. I think those were just about the best biscuits I\u2019ve ever eaten.\u201d He spoke loud enough for Lottie to hear from the next table.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYeah, they\u2019re almost as good as the ones at the boarding house,\u201d said Ezra, grinning as she approached.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m not too proud to admit it. It\u2019s Amy\u2019s recipe, but no one makes them like she does, as someone likes to remind me.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI just like teasin\u2019 you, you know that.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A soft smile played on her lips as she shook her head at him. \u201cHow many meals do you need for the jail tonight?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cJust two.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201c
\nPrelude #2 – Junction<\/a><\/p>\n
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