{"id":64080,"date":"2026-05-03T09:38:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T13:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=64080"},"modified":"2026-05-03T09:38:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T13:38:29","slug":"a-visitor-from-san-francisco-by-tavia-42","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=64080","title":{"rendered":"A Visitor from San Francisco (by Tavia 42)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: <\/em>After a few too many heartbreaks, Joe promises himself he\u2019s done with serious romances. No one really believes him, and his resolve is tested when a pretty stranger’s carriage breaks down on the Ponderosa. Will a romance finally end well, or will it just mean yet another heartbreak?\u00a0 Set at the end of Season 3, first in a planned AU series.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rating: G | Word Count: 60,221<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Part One<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

At first, Joe Cartwright couldn\u2019t see anyone by the broken-down carriage.\u00a0 It was plain enough that it was<\/em> broken-down, the way one corner was tilting, and it had been for long enough that the black horse in the traces was eating the grass at its feet.\u00a0 No one was sitting in the carriage, but he could hear muttering from the side that was out of sight.<\/p>\n

In his probably too-extensive experience with this kind of thing, lone horsemen could be trouble.\u00a0 Anyone driving a carriage that had clearly come from the livery stable in Virginia City was much less likely to be a threat, and also had none of the signs of, say, a renegade bank robber.\u00a0 He pulled up Cochise, swung down from the saddle, and walked around the wagon to see who was stranded on the Ponderosa this time.<\/p>\n

He had to smile, reflecting that he had<\/em> been out looking for strays.\u00a0 The four-legged kind, but the two-legged type turned up a lot around here too.<\/p>\n

\u201cRun into trouble there?\u201d he asked as he rounded the corner of the wagon.<\/p>\n

He had only a brief impression of a dark-haired woman in a green dress bending over a carriage wheel before the picture changed.\u00a0 She straightened up, reached for something on the seat of the carriage, and the next thing he knew he was facing the pointed-end of a closed parasol.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you and what do you want?\u201d she demanded, blue eyes glaring at him \u2013 because Joe Cartwright wasn\u2019t going to fail to notice the color of a pretty young woman\u2019s eyes, even under circumstances like this.<\/p>\n

He automatically raised his hands, though he also had to swallow a laugh looking at the parasol.\u00a0 He looked at her face again and concluded from her expression that if he laughed, she would definitely<\/em> jab him.\u00a0 \u201cI saw the carriage and stopped to see if anyone needed help.\u201d He tried a smile.\u00a0 \u201cJust being friendly, not meaning any harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neither the parasol nor her expression budged.\u00a0 \u201cYou say<\/em> that, but how do I know you\u2019re not an outlaw or a\u2014a cattle rustler?\u201d\u00a0 There was a slightly triumphant note in that last phrase, as though she was pleased to have come up with it.\u00a0 That, and the style of her clothes, made him think she was from some city somewhere.\u00a0 He\u2019d already guessed she wasn\u2019t from around here.\u00a0 He knew about all the pretty young women local to Virginia City.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it wouldn\u2019t do me much good to rustle any cattle from this area,\u201d Joe said, trying to pitch his voice reasonable.\u00a0 \u201cMy family already owns all the cattle you\u2019re likely to run into.\u201d<\/p>\n

The abrupt change in her demeanor was striking.\u00a0 She lowered the parasol, her shoulders relaxed, and the hostile stare turned into one of thoughtful interest.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re one of the Cartwrights?\u201d<\/p>\n

He tipped his head in acknowledgement and lowered his hands.\u00a0 \u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her gaze scanned over him.\u00a0 \u201cNot big enough to be Hoss, so\u2014Adam or Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyebrows rose, but he nodded, and gave his hat a quick tug.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 How\u2019d you know all our names?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shrugged, glanced away.\u00a0 \u201cEveryone knows about the Cartwrights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sometimes that seemed to be true and sometimes, usually at inconvenient moments when someone wanted to more seriously accuse him of being an outlaw, it didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomehow I thought you\u2019d be shorter,\u201d she continued.\u00a0 \u201cI mean\u2014don\u2019t they call you Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but that makes more sense when you see my brother Hoss,\u201d Joe said automatically.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s so big, everyone<\/em> seems little.\u201d\u00a0 And while this was a familiar enough conversational route, it wasn\u2019t getting him<\/em> any answers.\u00a0 \u201cBut here you know all about my family, and I still don\u2019t know your name or what you\u2019re doing here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her cheeks flushed pink.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m not usually this ill-mannered.\u201d\u00a0 She extended a hand.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m Elizabeth Montgomery, from San Francisco.\u00a0 I was just out for a drive.\u201d<\/p>\n

He took her hand, fingers closing briefly around hers before she let go.\u00a0 \u201cPleased to meet you, Elizabeth Montgomery from San Francisco.\u00a0 But I am duty-bound to warn you that you\u2019re technically trespassing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d she said, and arched an eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s the penalty for trespassing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026that depends.\u00a0 Were you planning on strip-mining a couple of valleys, seizing a hostage, or\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He paused, grinned.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026rustling a few hundred head of cattle?\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed, the sound ringing out through the clear air.\u00a0 \u201cI can\u2019t prove I wasn\u2019t, but hopefully you\u2019ll take my word for it that I only wanted a drive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou seem trustworthy. \u00a0I think we can let it slide,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cAfter all, you\u2019re taking my word for it that I\u2019m not an outlaw.\u00a0 Maybe I was involved in that bank robbery they had over in Placerville.\u201d<\/p>\n

It actually wasn\u2019t impossible.\u00a0 Law enforcement in Placerville had telegraphed Sheriff Coffee that the bank robbers might have fled this direction; Joe was mostly out looking for strays, but he was also supposed to be keeping an eye out for anyone acting suspicious, or sneaking across the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Stranded with a broken-down carriage seemed like the opposite of sneaking.<\/p>\n

She tipped her head, considering him.\u00a0 \u201cSomehow I don\u2019t picture a Cartwright robbing a bank.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014only with the best of motives,\u201d Joe said, remembering a certain escapade of his and Hoss\u2019s.\u00a0 More than a year, and Pa still wasn\u2019t laughing about that yet.\u00a0 \u201cWelcome to the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Need some help with that carriage wheel?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDesperately,\u201d she said, stepping aside as he approached.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat were you planning to do before I came along?\u201d he asked, crouching down to inspect the wheel.\u00a0 Looked like it had hit a bad rut in the road, judging by the mud splashed all over it \u2013 and over the hem of her dress, he noticed when he glanced over from this lower vantage point \u2013 and while the horse had managed to haul it out of the mud, one of the spokes had been damaged.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly?\u00a0 I was probably about to kick the wheel, which wouldn\u2019t help.\u00a0 And then I guess I would have waited a while to see if anyone came by, and if they didn\u2019t\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI imagine I would have had to ride the horse back into town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe glanced at the horse as he straightened up from the wheel \u2013 the animal seemed calm enough but also didn\u2019t have a saddle, and he wondered how that would have gone.\u00a0 Probably best all around that he\u2019d ridden this way this afternoon.\u00a0 \u201cWhat were you going to do if an outlaw showed up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHit him with the parasol, obviously,\u201d she said, straight-faced.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously,\u201d he agreed, and just for fun, he picked up the parasol she\u2019d set down on the carriage seat. \u00a0\u201cYou know, if you really want to fight someone with this, you have to hold it properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I see.\u00a0 You\u2019re an expert on the art of parasol fighting?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou might be surprised,\u201d Joe said, settling into a fencing stance.\u00a0 He tried a few thrusts, a feint and a lunge.\u00a0 \u201cA little unwieldy, but well-balanced.\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed again, and applauded.\u00a0 \u201cFinest fencing with a parasol I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

He offered a bow, and tossed the parasol back onto the seat.\u00a0 He nudged the broken wheel with one boot. \u00a0\u201cThis doesn\u2019t actually look too bad.\u00a0 I think I can rig something together to hold it for at least a few miles.\u201d<\/p>\n

She sagged back against the side of the carriage.\u00a0 \u201cYou, sir, are a life-saver.\u00a0 Far preferable to an outlaw or a cattle-rustler.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA low bar, but thanks,\u201d he joked. \u00a0\u201cNow let me see if I can find something to brace this wheel with.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wouldn\u2019t be the easiest repair job, without many tools at hand, but he thought he could do something.\u00a0 As he worked on it, he asked, \u201cSo what brings you out this way anyway?\u00a0 There are plenty of places to break down closer to San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m visiting Virginia City about a job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d\u00a0 Joe tried to eye her surreptitiously while continuing his work on the wheel.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t that many jobs for women in Virginia City, apart from the obvious.\u00a0 And there were plenty more saloons in San Francisco than around here.\u00a0 \u201cA particular job?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have an appointment to meet with Bill Raleigh at The Territorial Enterprise<\/em>,\u201d was the unexpected reply.\u00a0 Joe tried not<\/em> to look surprised, but she must\u2019ve seen something on his face because she raised her eyebrows and added, \u201cRight now I work at The Morning Call<\/em> in San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

The name was familiar, and offered a welcome way to shift the conversation.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know Sam Clemens?\u00a0 You know, the writer \u2013 Mark Twain.\u201d\u00a0 Sam had still been working at The Morning Call<\/em> the last Joe heard.<\/p>\n

She smiled.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Clemens recommended I talk to Mr. Raleigh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe snapped his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cHey, I bet that\u2019s how you knew our names \u2013 ol\u2019 Sam likes to tell stories about us.\u201d\u00a0 Which\u2026was a little worrying, now that he thought about it.\u00a0 \u201cBut you know, you can\u2019t believe everything Sam says.\u00a0 He loves a tall tale, Sam does.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone knows that,\u201d she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.\u00a0 She glanced away as she added, \u201cAnd I suppose I\u2019ve heard him mention you, now and then.\u201d<\/p>\n

And who knew what stories Sam was telling?\u00a0 Maybe this hadn\u2019t been the smartest direction to take the conversation after all.\u00a0 Steer back another way\u2026\u00a0 \u201cSo are you a writer like Sam?\u201d<\/p>\n

For some reason that made her smile again.\u00a0 \u201cNot exactly.\u00a0 I\u2019d like<\/em> to be, but\u2014there\u2019s not much opportunity, with so many newspaper writers in San Francisco.\u00a0 So I do proofreading and make coffee and\u2014that sort of thing.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I came to Virginia City.\u00a0 I heard The<\/em> Territorial Enterprise<\/em> needed writers, so I took leave from my job and came out here.\u00a0 I\u2019m supposed to meet with the editor tomorrow morning but the stage actually ran on time and I arrived earlier today.\u00a0 So\u2026I thought I\u2019d take a drive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you couldn\u2019t have picked a prettier place to break a wheel.\u201d \u00a0Joe stood up from the newly-secured wheel, dusting his hands off on his gray pants.\u00a0 \u201cThis\u2019ll probably hold for a while, but I don\u2019t know if it\u2019ll get you all the way back to town.\u00a0 Better come on back to the house with me instead.\u00a0 It\u2019s closer, and we can do a better job on it there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014no, I couldn\u2019t put you out like that,\u201d she protested.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s my own fault I\u2019m here, I can take my chances getting back to town\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s no trouble.\u201d\u00a0 It was easier than going with her all the way to town \u2013 and he wasn\u2019t about to let her go off on her own with a rigged-together wheel.\u00a0 \u201cAnd we have to extend hospitality to a friend of Sam Clemens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not\u2014really friends, we just work together\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBesides, I\u2019d never sleep at night wondering if you broke down again and a cattle rustler found you this time.\u00a0 Not that I don\u2019t think you could fend him off with your parasol, but better not test it, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed at that, as he had meant her to, and finally said, \u201cWell\u2014I suppose\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood!\u201d he said firmly, because he definitely wasn\u2019t going to leave her alone out here.\u00a0 The wheel could break, or one of those bank robbers really could show up.\u00a0 He offered her a hand to step up into the carriage.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d drive, but I don\u2019t want to put more weight on that wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can manage it.\u201d\u00a0 She settled her skirts as she picked up the reins again.\u00a0 \u201cThank you very much for everything, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh no,\u201d he corrected, \u201cthat\u2019s my father.\u00a0 They just call me Little Joe.\u00a0 Sam must\u2019ve told you that<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey mostly call me Liza.\u201d\u00a0 Then her mouth curved into a smile again.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you seem tall to me \u2013 Joe.\u201d\u00a0 And then she was flicking the reins, the horse was beginning to move, and he had to head over to Cochise wondering just what, if anything, he ought to make of that.<\/p>\n

Probably nothing, though it was a nice thing to have a pretty girl tell him.\u00a0 But whether she meant anything much or not, that was no reason for him<\/em> to start trying to build anything on top of it.\u00a0 A year ago, a remark like that would have had him plotting picnics and moonlit walks, and next thing he knew he\u2019d be building up a whole life with a woman\u2026only it always came crashing down around him again, one way or another.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing serious anymore,\u201d he reminded Cochise as he swung up into the saddle, to follow Liza\u2019s carriage.\u00a0 He\u2019d had enough heartbreaks already.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Like Liza had told Joe, everyone at The Morning Call<\/em>, and probably large portions of San Francisco, knew that Sam Clemens loved to tell tall tales.\u00a0 So when she went up to Virginia City, Liza hadn\u2019t really<\/em> expected Lake Tahoe and the Ponderosa to be the fairest picture the whole earth affords, or for Little Joe Cartwright to be so charming that he could coax the birds right out of the pine trees.\u00a0 But the Ponderosa was<\/em> stunning, and there was\u2026something<\/em> about Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 Maybe she was going to find out that Hoss Cartwright really was eight feet tall and could lift a grown steer with his bare hands.<\/p>\n

She had been too embarrassed to admit it to Joe, but when she took the carriage from the livery stable out this way, she had known very well that she was trespassing on the Ponderosa.\u00a0 As big as the place was, she hadn\u2019t imagined anyone would even notice, and after all of Mr. Clemens\u2019 stories, it had been irresistible to come out here and see it.<\/p>\n

She definitely<\/em> hadn\u2019t expected to encounter any Cartwrights.<\/p>\n

The carriage wobbled slightly after its repair job, but she didn\u2019t like to mention it to Joe \u2013 and she couldn\u2019t seem to think of him as Little <\/em>Joe now that she\u2019d actually met him.\u00a0 It seemed at once too familiar and too inaccurate.\u00a0 He was slim, but not proverbially small.\u00a0 She knew it had been forward, commenting on his height; it had slipped out in the moment.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t usually so at ease talking to people, so apt to speak without thinking much too hard about it first. \u00a0Maybe it was the influence of all of Sam\u2019s stories; she felt like she already knew him.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t actually, of course, and she wouldn\u2019t have blamed him now as they continued on if he had ridden up ahead \u2013 or behind, or ranged around.\u00a0 But instead he brought his horse in beside the carriage, matching speed and talking to her as they went.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t think he was trying<\/em> to be charming, as most of the conversation covered perfectly banal details of their respective life histories, or involved pointing out the features of the landscape, something he took an evident pride in.\u00a0 But the man did have something<\/em>.<\/p>\n

She knew she wasn\u2019t the first woman to think so.\u00a0 The<\/em> Morning Call<\/em> regularly mined other newspapers for news items in different locales, including The Territorial Enterprise<\/em>.\u00a0 The Virginia City newspaper reported now and then on the newsworthy doings of the family that owned the largest spread in Nevada.\u00a0 That included at least three items announcing the engagement of Little Joe Cartwright, to three different women, none of which had been followed by wedding announcements.<\/p>\n

But asking about that<\/em> would be much more forward than commenting on his height.\u00a0 So she changed the subject aloud, in order to change the subject in her head.\u00a0 \u201cYou have a very handsome horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t a brilliant conversational gambit, but she\u2019d encountered enough cowboys in San Francisco to know that they would always talk about their horses.\u00a0 \u201cThis is Cochise,\u201d Joe said, giving the horse\u2019s neck a pat.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t see a lot of paints in these parts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Somehow that didn\u2019t surprise her, that he\u2019d have a horse that would stand out in a crowd \u2013 or did she mean a herd?\u00a0 She tried not to watch him too obviously as he rode beside her, but he made a striking picture, on his boldly marked black and white horse, wearing his green jacket.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t spent long in Virginia City yet, but it had mostly seemed full of blacks and browns and dusty tans, on the men and the horses.\u00a0 And here was Joe Cartwright in his defiant splash of green, as though he belonged much more to the pine trees than to the dusty city streets.<\/p>\n

None of this was anything she was going to say out loud, so it was lucky he was still focused on his horse.\u00a0 \u201cCochise here was a gift to my father from Chief Winnemucca of the Paiute Nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The resulting stories, about encounters with Paiutes and Shoshones, about militia rides and hostage situations and helping a Shoshone woman who was expecting a baby, were very entertaining and rather improbable, if less obviously embellished than Mr. Clemens\u2019 stories.\u00a0 And they lasted all the way until the road took a turn through a stand of trees and came to a big ranch house and accompanying barn.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere it is,\u201d Joe said cheerfully and quite casually.<\/p>\n

Liza hoped her expression looked as calm and casual as his.\u00a0 She suspected that she might not have tried as hard to decline his invitation of hospitality if she hadn\u2019t wanted to see the ranch house of the Ponderosa as much as she did.\u00a0 After all of Mr. Clemens\u2019 stories, after the bits of detail in the Enterprise<\/em>, she was far more curious than she cared to admit.<\/p>\n

The only person in sight was a large man splitting wood near the front porch, work he halted as they came into the yard.<\/p>\n

She might have guessed a ranch hand would be doing that sort of job, but it didn\u2019t fit with the familiar tone when he called, \u201cHey, Little Joe, somebody forget to tell me we were expecting company?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, big brother, this was more unplanned,\u201d Joe said, swinging down from his horse and coming over to offer her a hand down from the carriage.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t as though she couldn\u2019t get down herself.\u00a0 But she also wasn\u2019t going to refuse him.\u00a0 She took his hand to step down, and let go once her feet were on the ground.<\/p>\n

The big man had approached by now, offering a warm smile and saying, \u201cHowdy, ma\u2019am, I\u2019m\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, wait,\u201d Joe interrupted.\u00a0 \u201cLiza likes to guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liza glanced between the two men, between Joe\u2019s grin and his brother\u2019s quizzical expression, and wondered how exactly it was that she apparently now had an inside joke with Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, he has to be Hoss, right?\u201d\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t eight feet tall, but he was definitely well over six, and about twice as broad as Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you believe me,\u201d Joe asked, \u201cif I told you this is Adam, and Hoss is even bigger?\u201d<\/p>\n

Liza found that his grin was infectious.\u00a0 \u201cIt would certainly explain your nickname, but no, I don\u2019t think I would.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2014it really did have to be Hoss\u2014guffawed, a laugh big enough to fit his frame.\u00a0 \u201cYou probably shouldn\u2019t believe much this two-headed brother of mine says, especially when he\u2019s talking to a pretty gal like you.\u00a0 I am<\/em> Hoss, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 Pleased to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Liza Montgomery,\u201d she said, extending a hand.\u00a0 The big man\u2019s grip was surprisingly gentle, probably deliberately so.\u00a0 \u201cMy carriage broke down a few miles from here, and your, ah, two-headed brother very kindly rescued me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe knows Sam Clemens,\u201d Joe tossed over his shoulder as he led his horse over to the small corral next to the barn, \u201cso any stories I<\/em> tell are basically Gospel truth compared to what she\u2019s been hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 face split in a grin.\u00a0 \u201cYeah?\u00a0 How is ol\u2019 Sam?\u00a0 Still peddling his tall tales?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the time,\u201d Liza said, and tried to not too obviously study the man\u2019s thickly-muscled arms.\u00a0 \u201cCan you really lift a steer with your bare hands?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell now, that depends on the size of the steer, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n

She would have liked to pursue that question, but Joe was already coming back, saying, \u201cLiza\u2019s carriage wheel broke out on the west pastures.\u00a0 Think we can do something about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect so,\u201d Hoss said, and crouched down to look at the damaged wheel.\u00a0 \u201cPretty good work patching it together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I thought it would get us here, but not as far as town,\u201d Joe said, crouching next to his brother. \u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ll need to replace it to get any farther.\u00a0 Think we\u2019ve got any wheels the right size in the barn?\u201d<\/p>\n

The steer story seemed increasingly plausible when they set to work on the wheel, Hoss single-handedly holding up one corner of the carriage while Joe worked to get the old wheel off and a new one, rustled up from the barn, put in its place.<\/p>\n

Liza sat down on a bench set against the barn wall to watch and to wonder how exactly she had ended up here.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright knelt down to study the ashes of a campfire, and tried to decide if the itch of unease he was feeling was based on anything real, or mere paranoia.\u00a0 Deputy Clem Foster had ridden out yesterday evening, asking them to keep an eye out for any strangers, or any signs that the bank robbers who\u2019d hit Placerville the day before yesterday were trying to escape across the Ponderosa.\u00a0 The Cartwrights had offered to join a posse, but the sheriff and Clem thought they\u2019d be more help keeping a watch out on their own land.\u00a0 No one had a clear enough direction on where the bank robbers might have fled, and gathering everyone together into a posse would only mean covering less territory. \u00a0Ben wasn\u2019t certain one nearly washed-out campsite was going to provide any useful directions either.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t think the traces of the fire were more than a couple days old, but it was hard to be certain.\u00a0 It had rained during the night, disturbing the area.\u00a0 The way the dirt was lying, half-obscuring the burnt kindling, might indicate that someone had tried to hide the traces, or it might have only been the rain shifting loose earth.<\/p>\n

Ben straightened up, brushing ashes off his hands, and surveyed the immediate area.\u00a0 If someone had wanted to camp out of sight, this was a likely spot for it, a depression between boulders.\u00a0 But it also might have been someone innocently looking for a sheltered spot.<\/p>\n

He knew none of his boys had been out this way, and none of the ranch hands should have had any reason to be camping here either.\u00a0 So some stranger had<\/em> been here \u2013 but with a ranch the size of the Ponderosa, they got travelers cutting across all the time.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t something he liked, but it happened.<\/p>\n

There was just nothing definite to say that whoever had been here had ties to the robbers \u2013 but nothing to say that they hadn\u2019t either.\u00a0 If there was a trail to follow he would have done it, but the rain had obscured any trace of it, and the area was too rocky for easy tracking under the best of circumstances.\u00a0 The only thing he could guess was that it hadn\u2019t been more than one or two riders; a bigger group would be more likely to have left clearer signs still visible.<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head and headed back to his horse.\u00a0 He\u2019d have to report word to Roy Coffee, and let the sheriff decide if it was anything worth exploring.\u00a0 It was a nasty business, that robbery \u2013 more than a hundred-thousand dollars stolen, and a bank teller and a customer left dead.\u00a0 It had been a large gang, five or six by reports, and with that many desperate men potentially riding around the countryside\u2026well, it only made it harder to be sure if this really was something to pay attention to, or if he was only jumping to the worst conclusions.<\/p>\n

Once he was up on Buck, Ben looked over the landscape one more time, just in case.\u00a0 But he saw only rocks and pine trees.\u00a0 Whoever had been here, innocent or guilty, they were long gone.\u00a0 Which was better than having them lurking behind a tree and shooting at him, but they\u2019d taken any answers with them.<\/p>\n

Ben turned his horse towards home.\u00a0 He\u2019d see what anyone else had found, if anything, and then ride on to Virginia City to report what little they could.\u00a0 And he\u2019d keep his eyes open while he rode, just in case.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Hoss grinned as he held up the carriage for Little Joe to work on the wheel.\u00a0 Sure, he could have found something to brace it with instead, but when a pretty girl was asking if he could pick up steers, clearly he was going to take the option that showed off a bit.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that big a carriage anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold it steady, will ya?\u201d Joe said, wrestling with the old wheel.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is<\/em> steady.\u00a0 You just ain\u2019t tugging at the right angle,\u201d Hoss countered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re sure there\u2019s nothing I can do to help?\u201d Liza asked, from where she was sitting by the barn.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can do it,\u201d Hoss and Joe both said in near-unison.<\/p>\n

Then Joe winked in her direction and said, \u201cYou can keep an eye out for cattle rustlers.\u201d<\/p>\n

And she<\/em> made an expression of amused exasperation that Hoss would have sworn would need much longer time around Little Joe to get that perfect.\u00a0 \u201cYou do think you\u2019re funny, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, I am<\/em> funny!\u201d Joe protested.\u00a0 \u201cRight, big brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe-ell\u2026\u201d Hoss said with a broad shrug.<\/p>\n

Little Joe glared at him, plainly wanting to swat him except his hands were full with the carriage wheel.\u00a0 But then Liza laughed and that made Joe smile, and that<\/em> got Hoss to thinking.<\/p>\n

The whole family teased Joe about how quickly and enthusiastically he could fall in love, and about his remarkable ability to dust off a broken heart and try again.\u00a0 For a few years, nothing much had seemed to slow him down when it came to romantic pursuits.<\/p>\n

But something had shifted finally.\u00a0 Laura White\u2019s death had hit him hard \u2013 Joe had been so ready, with the house and everything, and losing her had been a rough time.\u00a0 And things had been a little strange ever since.\u00a0 Joe\u2019d taken Caroline Partridge on one carriage ride \u2013 and then stood her up the next time they planned to go riding.\u00a0 The only gal he\u2019d kissed recently, far as Hoss knew, was that one from New Orleans who already had a fianc\u00e9; that hadn\u2019t been much like Joe, to chase an engaged woman, or to go after one where there was definitely no future.\u00a0 But now here he was riding in with a nice gal he\u2019d gallantly rescued \u2013 well, that seemed more like the old Little Joe.<\/p>\n

No way to know this quick how this might turn out, of course.\u00a0 But at least she wasn\u2019t twenty years older than Joe, and she hadn\u2019t given any sign so far that she thought she was a witch who could turn herself into a fish.\u00a0 That put her ahead of some of the gals Little Joe had chased after before.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou visiting Virginia City, Miss Liza?\u201d Hoss asked, figuring he might do some fishing himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust Liza,\u201d she corrected.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I\u2019m not\u2014entirely sure about my plans yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLiza wants to work for The Territorial Enterprise<\/em>,\u201d Joe contributed.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know there were women in newspapers.\u201d<\/p>\n

He meant it innocently enough, but her resulting smile looked forced.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a few of us.\u00a0 And I suppose I\u2019ll have to see what the editor of the Enterprise<\/em> thinks of the idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019d be grand,\u201d Hoss said heartily, and tried to think what else he could ask her about.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t get the chance just then because hoofbeats interrupted the conversation, and a moment later Adam rode into the yard.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, what are you doing back already?\u201d Adam asked even as he swung down from his horse.\u00a0 \u201cI thought you were rounding up strays.\u00a0 And we told the sheriff we\u2019d check that western area.\u00a0 What are you both doing messing around with that carriage?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou might say I just found one stray, older brother,\u201d Little Joe said, with a meaningful head tilt in Liza\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean one<\/em>?\u00a0 What are you doing back here if\u2014oh.\u201d\u00a0 Adam\u2019s long stride had apparently just taken him to a point where he could see past the carriage to what Joe was getting at.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you just call me a stray<\/em>?\u201d Liza asked, arms crossed.<\/p>\n

Joe got his gut-punched look and stammered, \u201cOh\u2014no, I didn\u2019t mean\u2014that is\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what we always call people we bring home who needed help,\u201d Hoss said swiftly.\u00a0 \u201cSort of a family joke.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis comes up a lot?\u201d Liza asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d be surprised,\u201d Adam said dryly.\u00a0 He approached Liza, who stood up as he got closer.\u00a0 \u201cI apologize for how I rode in.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t see you there.\u00a0 I\u2019m\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, wait!\u201d Hoss and Joe chorused together, Hoss enjoying being in the joke this time.<\/p>\n

Adam looked at them both like they were crazy, and Liza laughed and said, \u201cJust by process of elimination he has to be Adam, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Joe agreed, \u201cbut he seems to think he\u2019s Pa sometimes, the way he talks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone has to keep you two in line,\u201d Adam shot back, then turned to Liza with a smile again.\u00a0 \u201cAdam Cartwright, as you correctly guessed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cElizabeth Montgomery,\u201d she returned, and Hoss could see Adam clock the name, just before she amended, \u201cLiza, mostly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome to the Ponderosa, Liza.\u00a0 I hope these brothers of mine haven\u2019t given you too poor an impression of the family so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled at him, but Hoss thought there was something a mite different in the smile, and he wondered how seriously she was taking the teasing.\u00a0 \u201cNot at all.\u00a0 They\u2019ve been very charming and helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm,\u201d Adam said with a rueful look. \u00a0\u201cI can guess who\u2019s been charming and who\u2019s been helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the contrary, I wouldn\u2019t assign either quality exclusively.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss exchanged a glance with Joe, who shrugged.\u00a0 Apparently she could talk just about as fancy as oldest brother when she wanted to.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow unexpectedly broad-ranging of them,\u201d Adam said, which was definitely him showing off.\u00a0 \u201cLet me take my horse into the barn and then perhaps I can be of some help as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

All gazes followed Adam as he led Sport through the barn doors.\u00a0 Or actually\u2014Hoss glanced over at Joe to check, and yep, little brother was watching Liza watch Adam.\u00a0 He had to grin again.\u00a0 Could be possibilities here.<\/p>\n

He glanced back at the barn and thought that maybe, just in case he was the only one seeing the possibilities\u2026\u00a0 \u201cHey, Joe, how about finding something to brace this ol\u2019 carriage with?\u00a0 I want to talk to Adam for a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, sure,\u201d Joe said, still half-distracted, but hunted up a block of wood to set under the corner.<\/p>\n

Relieved of the burden, Hoss headed into the barn, to find Adam taking Sport\u2019s saddle off.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Adam,\u201d he began, then hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cEr\u2014everything all right out in the east pasture?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, everything\u2019s fine.\u00a0 No problem with the cattle and no sign of bank robbers,\u201d Adam said, heaving the saddle onto the nearby stall railing, and squinted at him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

So he<\/em> was obvious to Adam, at least.\u00a0 \u201cI jest wanted to say\u2014don\u2019t knock Little Joe too much in front of Liza, alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did I say?\u201d Adam protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that bit about\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a rhetorical question,\u201d Adam interrupted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, I know.\u00a0 It\u2019s just that I think Joe might be taking a little shine to her, and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen does Joe not<\/em> take a shine to every pretty woman in sight?\u201d Adam asked, rolling his eyes.<\/p>\n

Hoss shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cThe last few months \u2013 or didn\u2019t you notice?\u201d<\/p>\n

Yanking on Sport\u2019s blanket, Adam paused for a beat before saying more quietly, \u201cYeah, I noticed.\u00a0 But a few months isn\u2019t very long.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs for Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI know.\u00a0 All right, I\u2019ll be polite.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d Hoss said and beamed at him.\u00a0 \u201cHey, maybe this\u2019ll be a good \u2018un.\u00a0 Maybe the name\u2019s a good sign, right?\u201d\u00a0 After all, Adam\u2019s mother had been an Elizabeth too.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a name, Hoss,\u201d Adam said, shaking his head, but smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI guess we\u2019ll see though.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

According to Sam Clemens, Adam was the educated Cartwright, intellectually brilliant \u2013 and able to throw a mean right hook as well.\u00a0 It seemed he hadn\u2019t liked an article Sam wrote.\u00a0 So far, the tall tales about the Cartwrights hadn\u2019t been nearly as tall as Liza had assumed but\u2014well, she\u2019d have to see a little more of the oldest brother to decide about that one.<\/p>\n

Something about him had unsettled her, though.\u00a0 He was as polite and smooth-talking as his brothers, but somehow it still\u2014hadn\u2019t felt as easy, as it did with Joe and Hoss.\u00a0 Like there was a lot more going on behind Adam\u2019s eyes, and she couldn\u2019t begin to guess what.<\/p>\n

As the barn door closed behind Hoss, she tried to put the black-clad Adam out of her mind and turned back to Joe.\u00a0 \u201cSo you bring home strays often?\u201d<\/p>\n

He rolled the new wheel up beside the carriage axle, and remarked, \u201cWe just try to help out where we can, when someone needs it.\u00a0 We\u2019ll have the carriage right as rain by supper.\u201d\u00a0 Then, snapping his fingers as though the idea had just struck him, he added, \u201cYou know, it\u2019s a long drive back to Virginia City.\u00a0 You ought to stay for supper before you go.\u201d<\/p>\n

It would be so easy to agree.\u00a0 He said it charmingly and she wanted to say yes (of course<\/em> she wanted to say yes), but she had started thinking about what she was saying again \u2013 and she didn\u2019t want to look too eager.\u00a0 \u201cDo you always invite strays for supper?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we think they might be hungry,\u201d Joe said without missing a beat.\u00a0 \u201c\u2019course, it might be getting dark by the time supper\u2019s over,\u201d he added meditatively.<\/p>\n

Was he rescinding the invitation?\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u00a0 Then maybe\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess I\u2019ll just have to escort you back to Virginia City after supper,\u201d he said, with a grin that looked as though it had won him a great many arguments.<\/p>\n

Maybe especially with women.\u00a0 All those engagement announcements swam back into her mind and made Liza hesitate.\u00a0 \u201cI could never impose on you like that\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it wouldn\u2019t be,\u201d Joe protested.\u00a0 \u201cGives me an ironclad reason to convince my pa that I need to be in Virginia City on a Friday night.\u00a0 If we play the cards right, we can probably convince him Hoss needs to come too.\u00a0 You\u2019d be doing us both a favor, really.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two<\/em> men escorting her home had rather a different color on it than just one charming, oft-engaged young man doing the job.\u00a0 Less exciting, perhaps, but much simpler.\u00a0 Less implied expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d she agreed.\u00a0 \u201cSupper it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood!\u201d Joe said and left the wheel leaning against the carriage to come over and take her arm.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, we\u2019ll go let Hop Sing \u2013 that\u2019s our cook \u2013 know to put another plate on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the carriage?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss and Adam\u2019ll finish it,\u201d Joe said dismissively.<\/p>\n

\u201cShouldn\u2019t you help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, youngest brother\u2019s privilege,\u201d he said easily, and winked.\u00a0 \u201c\u2019sides, if I don\u2019t slack off work now and then, what would they have to feel superior about?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Joe knew that yelling was a very probable consequence of telling Hop Sing that they had an unexpected guest.\u00a0 He was never worried personally by Hop Sing yelling, but he\u2019d only narrowly convinced Liza to stay.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t need Hop Sing to scare her off.<\/p>\n

So he brought her inside, then very deliberately led her over to the settee.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you sit here while I talk to Hop Sing?\u201d<\/p>\n

She was looking around the room with wide eyes.\u00a0 It was always a toss-up whether someone was going to be impressed by the inside of the house.\u00a0 Sometimes it came down to their background, and he would have guessed that Liza, being from San Francisco, would have been more accustomed to houses much grander than this.\u00a0 Though he didn\u2019t actually know much about her background.<\/p>\n

She sank onto the red and white settee readily enough.\u00a0 \u201cThis is\u2014quite the grand house,\u201d she said with a smile, looking up at the high roof beams.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, brother Adam designed it and Pa built it out of some pines he chopped down just up the hill.\u00a0 All before my time, though.\u201d\u00a0 He winked.\u00a0 \u201cYou wait here.\u00a0 And don\u2019t worry if you hear some yelling.\u00a0 That\u2019s just Hop Sing\u2019s way.\u00a0 As long as no pots come flying at my head, he isn\u2019t really upset.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow will I know from here if he\u2019s throwing pots?\u201d Liza asked, a sparkle of amusement in her eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll hear the thud when I fall over, of course.\u00a0 Hop Sing has good aim.\u00a0 But really, it\u2019ll all be fine.\u00a0 Just give me a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe hurried on into the kitchen, where Hop Sing was chopping an absolute mountain of carrots.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Hop Sing,\u201d Joe said, halting just in front of the big central island where the carrots were piled, \u201cwe\u2019re going to have company for supper.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then came the expected explosion.\u00a0 \u201cExtra people for supper?\u00a0 Why no notice?\u00a0 Little Joe think Hop Sing have nothing else to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was last-minute, and just one person.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure you have\u2026plenty<\/em> of food,\u201d Joe said, eyeing the carrots.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot proper food for company!\u00a0 Only making pot roast, carrots, potatoes!\u00a0 Not company supper!\u201d<\/p>\n

Time for some blatant flattery.\u00a0 \u201cNo, no, that sounds great!\u00a0 Everyone knows you make the best pot roast, Hop Sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing grimaced, but it wasn\u2019t a really serious<\/em> grimace.\u00a0 \u201cNo try sweet talk Hop Sing.\u00a0 Save for pretty girls.\u00a0 Hop Sing have reputation, not happy about last-minute guest.\u201d\u00a0 He waved his knife around in punctuation, which looked<\/em> dramatic but also meant everything was all right.\u00a0 It was when he waved a ladle that you had to watch out, because he might actually whack a person with that<\/em>.\u00a0 Joe knew perfectly well that Hop Sing wasn\u2019t going to stick a knife in him, however much he might thrust it about in the air.<\/p>\n

\u201cHop Sing,\u201d Joe said with all the sincerity he could find, \u201cyour reputation couldn\u2019t possibly suffer as a result of serving your pot roast.\u00a0 Impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cook fixed him with a glare.\u00a0 \u201cBut dessert!\u00a0 What about dessert?\u00a0 How Hop Sing find time to bake pie now?\u00a0 Answer that!\u201d<\/p>\n

Liza\u2019s voice broke in.\u00a0 \u201cCan I help somehow?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe and Hop Sing both swung around to look at her, standing in the passageway out to the dining room.\u00a0 Hop Sing, Joe noticed out of the corner of his eye, set his knife down at once, next to the carrots.\u00a0 Maybe he should have brought Liza in to begin with, if he wanted a calmer reaction.\u00a0 Hop Sing always presented his own brand of charm when they had female guests.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know it\u2019s all my fault for disrupting your supper plans,\u201d Liza continued, looking far more worried by the idea than was really warranted.\u00a0 \u201cSo if I can do anything\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, guests not asked to work,\u201d Hop Sing said quickly, and glared at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing know proper manners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe knew that was directed at him.\u00a0 \u201cOh, sorry \u2013 Hop Sing, this is Miss Elizabeth Montgomery.\u00a0 Liza, this is our cook, Hop Sing.\u00a0 The best<\/em> cook in Nevada.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot just Nevada,\u201d Hop Sing said with a scowl.\u00a0 So much for that<\/em> flattery attempt.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight, of course.\u00a0 So we should just leave him to it,\u201d Joe said, moving across the kitchen and trying to usher Liza out.\u00a0 She meant well, but nothing got Hop Sing going like someone else messing around in his kitchen.\u00a0 Best not to risk it unless the cook was out of town.\u00a0 Preferably at least a day\u2019s stagecoach ride away.<\/p>\n

Liza didn\u2019t seem to want to be ushered.\u00a0 \u201cBut I really would<\/em> like to help if I can.\u00a0 Joe helped me when my carriage wheel broke, and now Hoss and Adam are fixing the carriage.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t there something I could do?\u00a0 Maybe chop some carrots, so you can do the more important things?\u201d<\/p>\n

And that, wonder of wonders, seemed to work.\u00a0 Joe looked back and forth between Liza and Hop Sing, and the cook was actually softening.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell \u2013 only if Missy Liza very sure about wanting to,\u201d Hop Sing said slowly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd must listen to Hop Sing about how to chop!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d Liza said, nodding.\u00a0 \u201cHowever you want them chopped.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSliced,\u201d Hop Sing instructed, reaching into a cupboard and handing her an apron.\u00a0 \u201cNot diced.\u00a0 Sliced<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSliced,\u201d Liza agreed, and tied the apron around her waist.<\/p>\n

Joe was so busy gawking at this unexpected turn that he almost didn\u2019t catch the apron Hop Sing threw at him.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe peel apples for pie, since Hop Sing making last-minute pie now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014sure,\u201d Joe said, and pulled two stools over to the center island.\u00a0 If he was going to get pressed into kitchen duty, he was at least going to sit next to the pretty guest while he did it.<\/p>\n

Liza started tackling the alarmingly high pile of carrots, Joe set into the basket of apples Hop Sing presented him, and Hop Sing began the clearly more complicated business of mixing pastry.\u00a0 And as Joe peeled ribbons of apple skin, he wondered how he could get Liza to say more about herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiza works in newspapers in San Francisco,\u201d Joe informed Hop Sing.\u00a0 \u201cLike Sam Clemens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMissy Liza write stories like Mr. Clemens?\u201d Hop Sing asked.\u00a0 \u201cThat one about jumping frogs \u2013 very funny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t publish stories,\u201d Liza said, \u201cbut \u2013 maybe some day.\u00a0 For now I work at The Morning Call<\/em>, doing a little bit of everything else.\u00a0 My father was in newspapers too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMissy Liza live with parents?\u201d Hop Sing asked, stirring his bowl of flour and water and \u2013 Joe didn\u2019t know what else, pastry stuff.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Liza said, gaze on the carrot she was slicing.\u00a0 \u201cMy parents died two years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth of them?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a fever that swept through the neighborhood.\u00a0 We all had it.\u00a0 I got better, and\u2026\u201d\u00a0 She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cAnyway, I\u2019m on my own now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Joe said quietly, and Hop Sing reached out and lightly touched her shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all right, really,\u201d she said, summoning up a smile.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to\u2014bring such a tragic note to the afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t,\u201d Joe said, then after a moment added, \u201cMy mother died when I was five.\u00a0 She fell from her horse.\u201d \u00a0That had been horrible enough. \u00a0He couldn\u2019t imagine losing his father at the same time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat must have been terrible.\u00a0 I suppose I was lucky that I was grown, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hop Sing shook his head, spoon moving rapidly around in the bowl.\u00a0 \u201cNo good time to lose parent.\u00a0 Very sad, when Missy Marie die.\u00a0 Very bad days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWere you working for the Cartwrights already then?\u201d Liza asked, and Joe wondered if it was an attempt to move off of their mutual sad stories.<\/p>\n

The cook nodded vigorously.\u00a0 \u201cHop Sing here, very long time.\u00a0 Longer than this one,\u201d he said, gesturing to Joe with a batter-smeared spoon.\u00a0 \u201cVery good<\/em> day, when Mr. Cartwright bring Missy Marie home.\u00a0 And many very funny<\/em> days, when this one small.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyebrows shot up towards his hair because now suddenly they were in other dangerous territory.\u00a0 \u201cWe don\u2019t need to talk about\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike time Little Joe try to grow horse plants,\u201d Hop Sing continued serenely on.<\/p>\n

\u201cHorse plants?\u201d Liza repeated, also ignoring his protest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that good a story,\u201d Joe muttered, but clearly no one was listening to him.<\/p>\n

And he had to admit, it was<\/em> pretty funny from the vantage point of almost twenty years on.\u00a0 Adam and Hoss had told him that pintos-as-in-ponies grew from pintos-as-in-beans.\u00a0 And that sorrels came from sorrel leaves, and bays from bay leaves.\u00a0 And of course chestnuts from chestnuts.\u00a0 So he, young and trusting, had naturally started his own horse garden out in a corner behind the house, and diligently watered it every day for more than a week before his mother finally caught wind of what was going on, and very carefully explained a few things about life.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Hop Sing catch Little Joe, many days even after that<\/em>, checking on corner of garden,\u201d Hop Sing said with a wide smile.\u00a0 \u201cJust in case any horse poke nose out of dirt!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat can I say, I\u2019m an optimist,\u201d Joe said, grinning in spite of himself while Liza giggled.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I really<\/em> had hopes for those pinto beans!\u201d<\/p>\n

One story turned into others and, perhaps trying to be fair, Hop Sing told ones about Adam and Hoss too.\u00a0\u00a0 They got into some more recent ones, and when Joe started explaining about the time they\u2019d all helped one of their ranch hands woo Joe\u2019s old school teacher, Liza laughed so hard she had to stop slicing carrots to catch her breath, and Joe found out that he liked making her laugh.<\/p>\n

Lucky thing he\u2019d ridden out the direction he had today.<\/p>\n

Though it didn\u2019t feel so lucky when Pa walked into the kitchen, asking as he entered, \u201cJoseph, I was just told by Adam and Hoss that you<\/em> can explain why they\u2019re out there fixing a carriage wheel instead of the chores they were supposed to do today.\u201d\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t exactly<\/em> a question, but\u2014it was a question.<\/p>\n

Joe held up a half-peeled apple defensively.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m helping Hop Sing,\u201d he said quickly, answering the unspoken question \u2013 of why he<\/em> wasn\u2019t outside instead of Hoss and Adam.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a totally accurate answer, but it sounded good, and he jumped quickly onto the second half of the explanation, indicating Liza.\u00a0 \u201cAnd this is Elizabeth Montgomery.\u00a0 It\u2019s her carriage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe livery stables\u2019, actually,\u201d Liza said, traces of laughter still lurking in her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYou must be Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh.\u00a0 Yes,\u201d Ben said, modifying his tone and expression as he took her in, putting on his gracious host smile.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s a pleasure to meet you.\u00a0 I take it you\u2019re staying for supper?\u201d\u00a0 He glanced at Hop Sing, as though checking for objections, but the cook was gathering sliced carrots into a big bowl.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer carriage did<\/em> break down nearby, so it\u2019s the least we can do,\u201d Joe jumped in.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd everyone has been very kind helping me,\u201d Liza said.\u00a0 \u201cBut of course I don\u2019t want to impose\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

There she went again, worrying about that, but Joe knew he could rely on his father for this one.\u00a0 No strays got turned away for supper at the Ponderosa, not even ones that seemed a lot more apt to cause trouble than a polite, well-dressed young woman who was a victim of nothing more complicated than a carriage accident.\u00a0 \u201cNo, no,\u201d Ben said at once, \u201cwe\u2019re always happy to have company.\u00a0 And it\u2019ll do these bachelor sons of mine good to have a woman at the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014if you\u2019re sure,\u201d Liza said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave to at least stay to eat carrots,\u201d Hop Sing commented.\u00a0 \u201cMissy Liza good at slicing them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d she said with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not good at much in cooking, I\u2019m afraid, but at least I can slice carrots.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s settled then,\u201d Pa concluded, rubbing his hands together, then continued, \u201cI\u2019m afraid I\u2019ll have to miss supper though \u2013 I need to ride into Virginia City to talk to the sheriff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyebrows shot up, wondering if he\u2019d missed something exciting.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t see any bank robbers, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, nothing that definite.\u00a0 Just an unexplained campsite from the last day or two.\u00a0 Probably nothing, but could be something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unexpectedly, Hop Sing spoke up with the next question.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Cartwright have trail to follow?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Pa said slowly, probably wondering where this was going, \u201cthe rain last night washed out any traces.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen not urgent information,\u201d Hop Sing decreed.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Cartwright eat supper, then go.\u00a0 Not good for hungry man ride into town.\u00a0 Hop Sing making pie.\u00a0 Eat pot roast and pie, then go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa frowned, but it was the frown that meant he was about to give in.\u00a0 Joe knew what it looked like when Pa was digging in instead, and this wasn\u2019t that.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe I ought to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll settled, everyone join for eating, now everyone out of Hop Sing kitchen so supper can be finished!\u201d\u00a0 Hop Sing picked up a dish towel to flap at all of them.\u00a0 \u201cOut, out!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe got off the stool quickly enough to take Liza\u2019s arm as she slid down from her own stool \u2013 Pa might\u2019ve felt obliged to be polite and got in the way \u2013 and they all moved towards the dining room.<\/p>\n

Joe was already thinking through how this new information was going to adjust his own evening plans \u2013 riding into town with Pa was not the same as riding in with Hoss \u2013 but he also had another question that had been waiting.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019d you know that would work?\u201d he asked in a low voice, leaning in towards Liza.\u00a0 \u201cOffering to help Hop Sing with the unimportant stuff?\u201d<\/p>\n

She wrinkled her nose, looking puzzled, and shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t trying to make anything work.\u00a0 It just seemed polite.\u00a0 And I really don\u2019t<\/em> know how to do more complicated cooking than slicing carrots.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Liza found something extraordinary about supper at the Ponderosa \u2013 namely, how ordinary<\/em> it all seemed.\u00a0 How comfortable they all were, and how comfortable the supper felt, so that every few minutes she had to remind herself where she was, and how unlikely it was that she had ended up there.<\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright himself pulled out her chair to sit down.\u00a0 Somehow she ended up next to Hoss, across the table from Joe and Adam.\u00a0 She was careful to compliment the food as soon as it arrived, which was not hard to do when everything tasted excellent.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarrots are sliced real nice too,\u201d Joe said with a wink as he scooped some onto his plate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure the apples were beautifully peeled for the pie,\u201d Liza returned, smiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care what shape anything is, I just want \u2018em passed over here,\u201d Hoss said, reaching for the bowl.\u00a0 \u201cAnd why are we talking about apple peels?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour brother Joseph assisted Hop Sing with the apple peeling this afternoon,\u201d Ben clarified from the head of the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cNice work to be doing, while we<\/em> fixed a carriage wheel,\u201d Adam said dryly.<\/p>\n

Joe gave him a wide-eyed and innocent stare, and said, \u201cApples don\u2019t peel themselves, older brother.\u00a0 Someone<\/em> had to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCarriage wheels don\u2019t fix themselves either,\u201d Hoss remarked, \u201cbut we\u2019ve got it nice and sorted for you now, Miss Liza.\u201d<\/p>\n

She still felt as though she was putting them to far too much trouble, but there were only so many times she could say that before it would start to sound rude in itself.\u00a0 So she just settled for saying, \u201cThank you so much.\u00a0 You\u2019ve all been very kind.\u00a0 And it\u2019s just Liza.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u00a0 Just Liza,\u201d Hoss agreed, picking up his fork to dig into the mountain of food on his plate.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t sure why the informality felt important, except \u2013 they were so comfortable in this place, so comfortable with each other, and if they could dispense with polite formality with her too, then she could pretend that she belonged here too.\u00a0 Just for one evening.\u00a0 At home, she kept to herself mostly, or had casual friendships with the people she worked with, and she had concluded that that was best.<\/p>\n

She had had to move out of the neighborhood she had grown up in when her parents died, and she\u2019d left everyone she knew behind in the process.\u00a0 She kept meaning to go back and visit, but somehow \u2013 that felt more daunting than coming all the way to Virginia City. \u00a0And forming a new community, new connections \u2013 that was most daunting of all, so much that she had decided maybe it wasn\u2019t strictly necessary.\u00a0 Maybe it was better, to just let all that go for now, to not face the awkwardness and the rejections and the uncertainties of forming new connections, when they\u2019d just eventually lead to loss anyway.<\/p>\n

So it had been a long time since she had sat down at a table with a family, to eat supper.\u00a0 And this, tonight \u2013 well, she had fallen into this all unintentionally.\u00a0 And it wasn\u2019t going to last, it wasn\u2019t really real<\/em>, so it wasn\u2019t so risky.\u00a0 It was only for one night, that was all.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, by the time we finish that pie,\u201d Joe said, directing his gaze at his father, \u201cit\u2019s going to be pretty dark out there.\u00a0 I thought Hoss and me had better escort Liza back to town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou did?\u201d Hoss said, looking blank, then started just as though he\u2019d been kicked under the table.\u00a0 \u201cOh\u2014yeah, that makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter all, there might be cattle rustlers around,\u201d Joe said, grinning across the table at Liza.\u00a0 She felt a little awkward, but\u2014he treated it like such a delightful joke that it managed to feel more funny than embarrassing, on balance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would cattle rustlers care about her?\u201d Adam asked.\u00a0 \u201cShe doesn\u2019t have any cattle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCattle rustlers are unpredictable,\u201d Joe said, undaunted.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd driving a carriage in the dark can be unpredictable also,\u201d Ben intervened.\u00a0 \u201cOf course Liza should have an escort back to Virginia City.\u00a0 But I need to go into town to talk to the sheriff anyway\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I was thinking about that too, Pa,\u201d Joe said, so swiftly that it was clear he\u2019d been ready for the comment.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you know, there\u2019s no reason Hoss and me can\u2019t tell Roy about that campsite for you.\u00a0 You told us where it was, so we can let him know.\u00a0 You\u2019ve already been riding all day.\u00a0 Buck must be tired.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have other horses,\u201d Ben said dryly.<\/p>\n

Joe looked like he was prepared with another argument, but before he could get it out, Adam spoke up.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t you have to go into town tomorrow morning too, to visit the bank, Pa?\u00a0 Why not let Joe do the ride tonight, if he\u2019s so fired-up about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, I\u2019m just trying to be helpful,\u201d Joe said, with that wide-eyed innocent look that couldn\u2019t be fooling anyone around the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm.\u00a0 You make a good point, Adam,\u201d Ben said.\u00a0 \u201cAll right then.\u00a0 Very thoughtful of you, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

And there was something so perfectly deadpan and serious about the way he said it that Liza felt sure he saw right through Joe\u2019s efforts to get into town on Friday night after all.<\/p>\n

It must be nice, to have people who knew you so well.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss wasn\u2019t a mite surprised that Little Joe volunteered right quick to be the one to drive in the carriage with Liza back to Virginia City.\u00a0 Sure, Joe made some polite remark asking if Hoss\u2019d rather drive than ride, but he had that look<\/em> in his eye, the one that meant Hoss better know the right answer and then give it.\u00a0 And Hoss did<\/em> know, because obviously when Joe had a shot at riding in a carriage with a pretty gal, there was only one thing he wanted his big brother to do \u2013 stay out of the way. \u00a0He was half-tempted to say he\u2019d be more than happy to drive, just to be contrary and to tease Joe, but it wouldn\u2019t be profitable in the long run.<\/p>\n

So they tied Cochise with a lead rope at the back of the carriage and Hoss got on Chub and they headed for Virginia City, and the only part that surprised Hoss was why he was along at all.\u00a0 Though he could guess it might be to persuade Pa that this was all just a fine, generous deed for a stranger in need.\u00a0 As if Pa<\/em> couldn\u2019t see through that too.<\/p>\n

Hoss would\u2019ve been willing to ride on up ahead and let the two of them alone, only Liza kept flinging questions his way, keeping him in the conversation.\u00a0 Which seemed right considerate of her, and though it was hard to tell by moonlight, Joe didn\u2019t seem too put out either.<\/p>\n

Still, Hoss didn\u2019t push his luck, carefully not<\/em> getting off Chub fast enough at the livery stable to help Liza down.\u00a0 He let Joe do that, with all the flourishes.\u00a0 He also let Joe make a big fuss at the livery stable owner about the state of his carriages, and then take Liza\u2019s arm to walk her across the street to the hotel.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you again for all your help,\u201d Liza said once they were all standing on the front porch of the hotel.\u00a0 \u201cBoth of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLeast we could do for a new arrival in town,\u201d Joe said, pulling his hat brim down in the way that Hoss knew he thought made him look debonair \u2013 a word he only knew because Joe talked about being it.\u00a0 \u201cBesides, it meant Hoss and me can spend Friday night in Virginia City.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThough we were real happy to give you an escort anyway,\u201d Hoss put in, because he didn\u2019t quite see what Joe was trying to do, making out like he wasn\u2019t really trying to help her.\u00a0 Obviously<\/em> he was trying to help her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I hope you enjoy your evening,\u201d Liza said, glancing between them.\u00a0 \u201cAnd\u2014I really did have a lovely time at the Ponderosa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, you come out and see us again after you\u2019ve got that job with The Territorial Enterprise<\/em>,\u201d Joe said.\u00a0 \u201cTell us all about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t say she would \u2013 though she didn\u2019t say she wouldn\u2019t.\u00a0 She just smiled and said good-night, and disappeared inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cThought you would\u2019ve tried to get in a kiss there,\u201d Hoss remarked as they thumped down the steps from the hotel porch.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat, with you looming over us?\u201d Joe said, but it seemed sort of more like habit than like he was actually annoyed.\u00a0 He straightened his hat, expression preoccupied.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou<\/em> were the one who said I should come,\u201d Hoss pointed out.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I know.\u00a0 And it\u2019s not like that anyway.\u00a0 I don\u2019t kiss every<\/em> girl who comes along, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which was technically true but so blatantly false to this situation that Hoss snorted with laughter.\u00a0 \u201cLittle Joe, when you rescue a gal and bring her back to the Ponderosa, and then spend all afternoon laughing with her, it seems pretty obvious where things are going.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing happening here,\u201d Joe protested.\u00a0 \u201cSometimes I bring a girl home and don\u2019t romance her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d Hoss said, and leaned on the hitching rail outside the hotel, the better to cock his hat and cast a skeptical look at his indignant little brother.\u00a0 \u201cName one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrudy Coombs,\u201d Joe said promptly.<\/p>\n

Danged if he didn\u2019t have a point there.\u00a0 But that had also been in just the last couple months, when Joe had been dodging off any serious romance, and not to mention\u2026\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t she have a fianc\u00e9 before you ever met her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not the point!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh-huh.\u00a0 All right, I\u2019ll give you that one, but try and name a second.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe glowered at him.\u00a0 \u201cThis is ridiculous, and we\u2019re supposed to be talking to the sheriff for Pa.\u201d\u00a0 He stomped off down the street, and Hoss followed along, chuckling.<\/p>\n

They found Sheriff Coffee at his desk, which was snowed over with papers.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t take long to tell him about the campsite Pa had found, considering there wasn\u2019t much to be said about it.<\/p>\n

Roy shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, thanks, boys.\u00a0 I\u2019ll add it to the information I\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThink it might mean anything, Roy?\u201d Hoss asked, leaning forward in the chair he\u2019d taken in front of Roy\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cMight be, and then again might not.\u201d\u00a0 Roy made a broad gesture to the spread of papers.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got notes on a dozen things that might<\/em> mean something, and nothing definite to say that those robbers are within a hundred miles of here.\u00a0 The sheriff over in Placerville thought they were heading this way, but he lost the trail and no one knows where to pick it up.\u00a0 All I can really do is watch out for any strangers in town, or any strange happenings.\u00a0 You haven\u2019t spotted anyone out your way who didn\u2019t belong?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope, no strangers,\u201d Little Joe said, leaning so far back in his chair that it was a wonder he wasn\u2019t tipping over backwards.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, just Liza.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sheriff\u2019s eyebrows rose.\u00a0 \u201cWho\u2019s Liza?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014just a girl whose carriage broke down on the Ponderosa,\u201d Joe said off-handedly.\u00a0 \u201cHoss and me escorted her back to the hotel before we came over here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh.\u201d\u00a0 Roy looked uncommonly thoughtful.\u00a0 \u201cYou know why she was on the Ponderosa?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe went for a drive.\u00a0 It\u2019s a pretty place, you know.\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s chair thumped back onto the floor and he stood up.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll let you know if we see any desperate characters around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Roy said, still looking thoughtful.\u00a0 \u201cYou do that, if you don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing, Roy,\u201d Hoss said, following Joe to the door.\u00a0 Hoss glanced back as they stepped out, and the sheriff was making notes on one of his papers as they left.\u00a0 He nudged Joe once they were out on the board sidewalk.\u00a0 \u201cHey, Little Joe, did Roy seem sort of interested in Liza?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would he be?\u00a0 He\u2019s looking for bank robbers,\u201d Joe said, and poked Hoss in the arm.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I brought Willow Hoad home and didn\u2019t romance her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cDoesn\u2019t count.\u00a0 You shot her father and she tried to kill you with an axe.\u00a0 You didn\u2019t have any option there, and you still<\/em> got all hung up on how cute she was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe gave an expressive eyeroll and just said, \u201cSo are we getting a beer or not?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss grinned.\u00a0 \u201cIf you say so, little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

And with that, they made straight for the Silver Dollar, Joe leading the way.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t seem to be too lively around town yet, but the night was still young.\u00a0 Inside the saloon, there was music playing and a healthy-sized crowd, but still room for both of them to stand at the bar and order a couple of beers.<\/p>\n

Once the beers arrived, Joe drank his down with barely a pause for breath.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou that thirsty?\u201d Hoss joked.<\/p>\n

Joe shrugged, set his near-empty mug down with a thunk, and said, \u201cCome on, let\u2019s get back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nearly choked on his own swallow of beer.\u00a0 \u201cWhat, already?\u00a0 This<\/em> was your big Friday night in town?\u00a0 A stop at the sheriff\u2019s and one very fast drink?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a lot to do in the morning.\u201d\u00a0 He gave Hoss\u2019 shoulder a push.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, drink your drink and let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head, but took another swallow and set the mug down.\u00a0 \u201cWhy\u2019d we even come in here if you\u2019re in such a rush to leave?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe looked at him like he was missing the obvious.\u00a0 \u201cI told Liza we were going to go to the saloon.\u00a0 Now if she asks, we went to the saloon, we had some beers\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRoughly\u2014and then we went home after that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh-huh.\u00a0 And why\u2019d you tell Liza we were going to the saloon?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause she was obviously going to feel she had to refuse an escort unless I could give her an excuse for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh-huh.\u00a0 And you\u2019re going to be so all-fired busy in the morning because\u2026you\u2019re real excited about that fence Pa wants us to fix?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Little Joe rubbed the back of his neck as they walked back out through the swinging saloon doors.\u00a0 \u201cPa needs to come into town for a trip to the bank tomorrow, right?\u00a0 I thought maybe I could offer to save him the ride.\u00a0 Again.\u00a0 And then I could sort of check up on how things went with that interview Liza has tomorrow at the newspaper office.\u00a0 Just to be friendly, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just to be friendly.\u00a0 Sure.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Pa ain\u2019t going to agree to you riding out here again if you don\u2019t get home at a decent hour tonight,\u201d Hoss concluded.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight,\u201d Little Joe said, swinging up into Cochise\u2019s saddle.\u00a0 \u201cAnd then poor Pa\u2019ll have to make the long, dusty ride himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 When it came to making time with pretty girls, Joe was endlessly creative and determined.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re a good son, Little Joe,\u201d he said solemnly, \u201csaving Pa all that trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, big brother,\u201d Joe said with a grin.<\/p>\n

And, Hoss reflected, he was probably a good brother too, for not knocking Little Joe\u2019s head off for dragging him along for all this nonsense.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Liza smoothed her skirts, glad she hadn\u2019t worn her best dress to go riding yesterday, the way the hem had ended up in the mud. \u00a0She pushed open the door of The Territorial Enterprise<\/em> office, hoping she looked more confident than she felt.\u00a0 The office inside was small, and felt familiar even though she\u2019d never been here.\u00a0 The thump of the press, the desks and the papers and the trays of type, the smell of ink \u2013 she had grown up in her father\u2019s newspaper office, when he had a newspaper, and she spent more waking time now at the office of The Morning Call<\/em> than she did in her room at her boarding house.<\/p>\n

The only man in the room was bending over a tray of type, and called without looking up, \u201cBe right with you, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n

So she waited, a few steps in from the door, because it wouldn\u2019t do any good to interrupt him and maybe cause trouble with his type.\u00a0 She held herself carefully still even though her heart was hammering with nerves and uncertainties.<\/p>\n

It had been so easy<\/em> with the Cartwrights.\u00a0 If things felt half as easy with Mr. Raleigh, then \u2013 well, she\u2019d probably have a job at the end of this.<\/p>\n

After what felt like an interminable length of time but was probably two minutes, the man finally moved away from his tray of type, wiping his hands as he came over to greet her.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m Bill Raleigh, ma\u2019am, what can I do for you?\u00a0 A little printing project, perhaps?\u00a0 Invitations for a wedding or a party?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, no,\u201d Liza said, valiantly holding onto her smile.\u00a0 \u201cI have an appointment with you.\u00a0 About a job.\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyebrows drew together in a puzzled frown.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think so, ma\u2019am.\u00a0 I certainly don\u2019t have a job opening for\u2014well, for a lovely young woman such as yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was a compliment, she supposed, and yet already it was clear that this was not<\/em> going to be as easy as supper on the Ponderosa.\u00a0 \u201cI sent you a telegram,\u201d Liza said, and reached into her bag for the folded paper within.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I have a letter of introduction from Sam Clemens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know Sam, of course,\u201d Raleigh said, nodding slowly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I did<\/em> have a recent telegram.\u00a0 From an E. Montgomery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Liza said past the lump in her throat.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s me.\u00a0 Elizabeth Montgomery.\u201d\u00a0 What had<\/em> she told the telegraph operator?\u00a0 Hadn\u2019t she said the full name?\u00a0 Was it a standard practice to shorten it?\u00a0 Always looking to save a few letters\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cMa\u2019am, I do apologize for the confusion,\u201d Raleigh said, not unpleasantly, then continued with the damning sentence, \u201cbut I\u2019m afraid a newspaper office is no place for a lady.
\nLiza gritted her teeth and strove to remain pleasant.\u00a0 \u201cAs I telegraphed you, I\u2019ve been working for The Morning Call<\/em> already.\u00a0 I assure you, I\u2019m entirely comfortable within a newspaper office.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, perhaps in San Francisco where they have a larger staff, it makes sense to employ a wider variety of people,\u201d Raleigh said, as though imparting select wisdom.\u00a0 \u201cBut as you see, we have a much smaller office here.\u00a0 My only opening is for a writer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am<\/em> a writer,\u201d Liza said quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u00a0 And what have you written?\u00a0 A bit of poetry, perhaps?\u00a0 Some light romances, maybe?\u00a0 That\u2019s not what we\u2019re looking for here.\u201d<\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t what she had written \u2013 but she had nothing published to prove otherwise.\u00a0 She thought of insisting that he read Mr. Clemens\u2019 letter, but it was hard to believe it could matter.\u00a0 She had read the letter herself, of course, and while it was professional and complimentary and said nice things about her reliability and the neatness of her typesetting, it was not such a glowing epistle as to overcome a stone wall like this.\u00a0 It was not untrue, what she\u2019d told Joe.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t friends<\/em> with Sam Clemens.\u00a0 They worked together, and he had been very professionally polite to write her a polite, professional letter.\u00a0 And no more than that.<\/p>\n

\u201cVirginia City is a mining town, you see,\u201d Raleigh continued. \u00a0\u201cOur journalists have to be prepared to write about the rough side of life.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry you\u2019ve made the trip all the way here, but I\u2019m afraid there\u2019s no place on my staff for one of the\u2014more delicate sex.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was tempting to fling something at his head and ask how delicate that<\/em> made her seem \u2013 but while it might be fleetingly satisfying, it wasn\u2019t going to get her a job.\u00a0 But then, it didn\u2019t appear that anything was going to do that<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see,\u201d she said, after a moment to gather her composure.\u00a0 \u201cThank you very much for your time.\u201d\u00a0 And then she pushed open the door to step back outside \u2013 and to go inquire at the stage office about the next stage back to San Francisco, because there was plainly nothing more to be done in Virginia City.\u00a0 The future she had hoped she might be able to have here had been wiped away, in a single conversation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ben Cartwright finished his business at the bank and stepped out onto the wooden sidewalk outside, surveying the bustling Virginia City street.\u00a0 Little Joe had argued hard for the chance to handle this errand, but Ben had known his youngest son long enough to see straight through that.\u00a0 The boy had his attention fixed on one thing this morning, and it wasn\u2019t the bank business.<\/p>\n

Besides, he wanted to stop in and see Roy Coffee too, just in case he could provide any more information about that mysterious campsite \u2013 and he wanted to hear if the sheriff had learned anything else.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t like this business of bank robbers possibly lurking behind every tree.<\/p>\n

Roy greeted him warmly when he got to the sheriff\u2019s office, gesturing him to a chair across from the desk.\u00a0 \u201cGlad you came in this morning, Ben, I was wanting to talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout the campsite I ran across?\u201d Ben asked, settling into the chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not that.\u00a0 I think the boys told me anything there is to know there.\u201d\u00a0 Roy leaned forward across his desk, expression intent.\u00a0 \u201cBut about this girl you had over for supper last night \u2013 Liza Montgomery.\u00a0 How well do you know her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLiza?\u201d Ben said in surprise.\u00a0 What could the sheriff possibly want to know about her?\u00a0 \u201cNot well at all, I suppose.\u00a0 She just happened to have her carriage break down not too far from the house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that\u2019s what Little Joe said.\u00a0 Anything strange about that carriage breaking?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot especially.\u00a0 Joe tells me the wheel got caught in some mud and a spoke cracked.\u00a0 With the rain we\u2019ve had lately, there\u2019s plenty of mud around.\u00a0 You might want to have a word with Lafe over at the livery about the carriages he\u2019s renting out, but that\u2019s nothing to do with Liza.\u00a0 What are you driving at anyway, Roy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy leaned back in his chair again, fingers tapping against the chair arm.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just this, Ben.\u00a0 I\u2019ve done a little checking this morning, and that young woman\u2019s a stranger in town \u2013 no one knows her or can identify her.\u00a0 She arrived yesterday on the east-bound stage, coming through Placerville.\u00a0 Putting her in just about the right time and place for that bank robbery.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a moment Ben stared at Roy in blank amazement, then broke into laughter.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not seriously suggesting that she might be part of the gang that robbed the bank?\u00a0 You\u2019re that hard up for suspects?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am<\/em> serious, Ben,\u201d Roy protested.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t been spreading it too far, but it so happens the sheriff in Placerville wired that one of that gang was<\/em> a woman.\u00a0 And your Liza just about fits the description.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was enough to somber Ben up quickly.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s not our Liza; we just had her to supper once.\u00a0 And what kind of description?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell \u2013 age, hair color.\u00a0 No one got a good look \u2013 at least not anyone alive to report on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not much to go on, Roy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, Ben, but tell me this \u2013 why did a woman who\u2019d been riding on a stage for at least a couple days arrive in town and, instead of resting at the hotel, she rents a carriage to go riding on private property?\u00a0 What was so all-fired important that she had to be on the Ponderosa to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there was anything, she wanted a drive\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOr maybe that gang of robbers split on their way out of Placerville, and she was going to meet whoever was camping on your land.\u00a0 Her carriage breaks down, Little Joe comes along, she turns on the charm for a polite young man so no one suspects anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben grimaced.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s possible, Roy, but \u2013 she\u2019s in Virginia City for a job interview with The Territorial Enterprise<\/em>, it\u2019s not like she\u2019s here for no reason\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I looked into that too.\u00a0 Bill Raleigh was expecting someone, but he wasn\u2019t expecting a woman.\u00a0 Maybe she overheard something on the stage ride, saw an opportunity.\u00a0 It\u2019s a pretty far-fetched story as it is, don\u2019t you think?\u00a0 A woman wanting to work in the newspaper around here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Ben said slowly, \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any particular reason a woman couldn\u2019t want to write for the newspaper.\u00a0 And she knows Sam Clemens, that shows you something\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe says<\/em> she knows Sam Clemens, but it happens he\u2019s a pretty well-known person around these parts, writing the way he does.\u00a0 Anybody might\u2019ve picked up his name to use for a little more color for their cover story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Ben said, raising his hands, palms out.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no proof she is who she says she is.\u00a0 But there\u2019s also<\/em> nothing saying that she\u2019s a bank robber.\u201d\u00a0 He wanted to believe it was pure common sense bringing him down on this side of the argument.\u00a0 The truth was, he didn\u2019t<\/em> know Liza, or anything definite about her.\u00a0 But\u2026while he\u2019d lived enough years to lose a great many illusions, he still didn\u2019t want to believe that a polite young woman who could trade jokes with his youngest son was also a cold-blooded bank robber and killer.<\/p>\n

Roy slumped a little, shoulders dropping.\u00a0 \u201cI know it\u2019s not proof, Ben.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t got proof of anything<\/em>.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got all sorts of possibilities and absolutely nothing to be sure of.\u00a0 What I\u2019d really like to do is keep an eye on this Miss Montgomery for a few days, see if she tips a hand to any more indications.\u00a0 But she went to the stage office not an hour ago, asking about the afternoon stage to San Francisco.\u00a0 So now I\u2019ve got to decide if I need to go have a polite word telling her I don\u2019t want her leaving town.\u00a0 And if I do that, it\u2019ll put her on alert if she is<\/em> up to something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben had been under the impression she was planning to stay in Virginia City, but \u2013 \u201cThings must not have worked out with Raleigh at the newspaper.\u201d\u00a0 And, on seeing Roy\u2019s look, he added, \u201cOr she\u2019s a bank robber trying to make a fast escape, I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you see the dilemma I\u2019m in, Ben?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I think so.\u201d\u00a0 Ben rubbed his chin, thinking.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about this, Roy?\u00a0 What if I invite her out to the Ponderosa, to stay with us for a while?\u00a0 She\u2019d still be in the area, we can keep an eye on her, and in the meantime, you see if anything more turns up.\u00a0 Telegraph to San Francisco to check on her story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy frowned, brows furrowing.\u00a0 \u201cWell, now\u2026I can\u2019t ask you to take that kind of responsibility, Ben\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you let me worry about that,\u201d Ben said, waving down the objection.\u00a0 \u201cOdds are she\u2019s just a nice young woman and we\u2019ll have a pleasant house guest for a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe, maybe,\u201d Roy allowed.\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019d make sure your safe is locked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head, rising to his feet.\u00a0 \u201cFine, and we\u2019ll lock our bedroom doors too, in case she wants to murder us in our sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou joke, Ben,\u201d Roy said, jabbing with one finger, \u201cbut this is a serious business!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be careful,\u201d Ben promised, \u201cnow let me go find the girl before she disappears on us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben set off down the street from the sheriff\u2019s office, scanning the busy main thoroughfare.\u00a0 Plenty of pedestrians, plenty of horses, plenty of carriages \u2013 it could be tricky, finding one woman in all of this, but he headed towards the stage depot as a first stop.\u00a0 No sign of her there, so he crisscrossed over to the hotel, and there he had better luck.\u00a0 He spotted Liza sitting on a bench, on the hotel\u2019s front porch.\u00a0 Roy would be pleased she hadn\u2019t vanished.<\/p>\n

He walked towards Liza, a slight frown crossing his face as he came closer.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t know the young woman well, but he thought he recognized something of her expression.\u00a0 Adam and Little Joe had both been known to wear similar ones; middle son Hoss was the one less prone to brooding.<\/p>\n

Ben still pitched his voice with hearty good cheer as he said, \u201cGood morning, Liza,\u201d stopping in front of her.<\/p>\n

She looked up, and a smile replaced her troubled expression.\u00a0 \u201cOh, good morning, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d she said, starting to rise to her feet.<\/p>\n

He waved her back down, sitting himself on the opposite end of the bench.\u00a0 \u201cI see my boys got you back to town all right last night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u00a0 They were quite\u2014splendid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how was your interview with the Enterprise<\/em>?\u201d he asked, even though the information he\u2019d had from the sheriff made the answer seem clear enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cBill Raleigh is hard up for writers, but he\u2019s not that<\/em> hard up,\u201d she said, a bitter tone on the words.\u00a0 If this was all just a cover story for a bank robber, she was putting a good bit of acting into it.<\/p>\n

\u201cRaleigh didn\u2019t like your work?\u201d<\/p>\n

Liza rolled her eyes.\u00a0 \u201cHe didn\u2019t like my skirts<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sighed, brows drawing together.\u00a0 He had half-expected this result when he heard about her business the previous day.\u00a0 He had married three women who all had their own very definite ideas about what they could and couldn\u2019t do, and he\u2019d learned there was no value in making assumptions in that regard.\u00a0 Not all men had had the benefit of such enlightenment.<\/p>\n

She echoed the sigh.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose it was rather absurd to come all this way.\u00a0 I just thought\u2014I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 That sometimes you have<\/em> to do an absurd thing, when you\u2019re trying to achieve something wild and improbable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like building a ranch out of a wilderness, perhaps, or a thriving town out of a rough and tumble mining settlement.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, Liza, I\u2019ve known Bill Raleigh of the Enterprise<\/em> a long time,\u201d Ben said slowly.\u00a0 Because if she was what she said she was, maybe he could do her a good turn.\u00a0 And if she wasn\u2019t, maybe he could learn something.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if I have a word with him and\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she interrupted.\u00a0 \u201cI thank you, I really do, but\u2014I want him to hire me because he believes I can do the job, not because he doesn\u2019t want to offend you.\u201d<\/p>\n

A perfectly reasonable answer for an independent young woman \u2013 or for a bank robber who couldn\u2019t actually hold the job if she got it.\u00a0 \u201cWell, I can understand that,\u201d he said diplomatically.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you planning to do now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPack up and go back to San Francisco,\u201d she said, staring meditatively out at the busy street.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s not much for me to do here.\u201d<\/p>\n

So Roy\u2019d been right about that much, about her intentions to leave town.\u00a0 And the sheriff wasn\u2019t the only one who wouldn\u2019t like this plan.\u00a0 Little Joe had had that look in his eye\u2026\u00a0 Ben didn\u2019t often play matchmaker for his sons; they found their way into enough romantic entanglements without any assistance.\u00a0 Trying to help Roy here might complicate that situation in certain ways, but, well, he had already told Roy he\u2019d help.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a longer vacation from your job at The Morning Call<\/em>, don\u2019t you?\u201d he said, and then plunged into the key question.\u00a0 \u201cWhy not come back to the Ponderosa with me?\u00a0 There\u2019s plenty more of the ranch we could show you.\u00a0 It\u2019s a very big place.\u201d<\/p>\n

She blinked, bit her lower lip.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u00a0 That\u2019s very kind of you, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a big ranch house too, with extra guest bedrooms.\u00a0 We like having company.\u00a0 You\u2019d be welcome to stay as long as you like.\u201d<\/p>\n

A half-smile crossed her face.\u00a0 \u201cIs that what strays usually do?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was his turn to be surprised.\u00a0 \u201cStrays?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe and Hoss told me that\u2019s what you all call people you bring home who needed help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh.\u00a0 Well.\u201d\u00a0 Ben chuckled.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose we do, but not usually to their faces.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure they didn\u2019t mean any disrespect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0 She still hadn\u2019t actually given an answer to the invitation, and she still looked uncertain. \u00a0Which seemed to undercut Roy\u2019s theory that she\u2019d been trying to get onto the Ponderosa for sinister reasons; unless it was only that the situation had changed. \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s\u2014I don\u2019t mean to be a reluctant guest and I\u2019m not ungrateful for everything you\u2019ve all done and offered\u2014it\u2019s just the opposite, really.\u00a0 I\u2019m used to having to work much harder for a lot less.\u201d<\/p>\n

They hadn\u2019t gone too deep into her history the previous night, and Ben wondered what stories were behind those words.\u00a0 He gave her his warmest smile.\u00a0 \u201cOn the Ponderosa, we don\u2019t believe hospitality is something that needs to be earned.\u00a0 We\u2019ve certainly given it to a few people who didn\u2019t particularly deserve it.\u201d\u00a0 And if that was the case here too \u2013 well, they\u2019d navigate that if they came to it.<\/p>\n

She smiled back, and finally nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAll right.\u00a0 Then I would be very glad to accept your hospitality.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

It had been a very quiet morning since they\u2019d started in on the fence mending, mostly because Little Joe hadn\u2019t had two words to say together since Pa had turned him down on running the bank errand.\u00a0 Hoss didn\u2019t mind.\u00a0 Nothing wrong with a little quiet on a pretty morning, punctuated by some pounding of fence posts.<\/p>\n

He heard the hoofbeats before he could see anyone coming, and looked up in time to spot Buck\u2019s big tan shape round a stand of trees a little in the distance.\u00a0 \u201cPa\u2019s coming back from town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe just grunted and didn\u2019t look up from the post he was positioning.<\/p>\n

And then a second horse came around the trees, following Buck, this one pulling a carriage.\u00a0 Hoss didn\u2019t recognize the horse or the carriage, but the woman riding in it was easy enough to identify.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Pa brought company home,\u201d he said, pushing his hat back with one hand and giving Joe\u2019s arm a nudge.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d Joe said disinterestedly, and then finally looked.\u00a0 \u201cOh,\u201d he said, and the change that came over him was funny in how abrupt it was.\u00a0 Suddenly he was standing an inch taller and all smiles.<\/p>\n

\u201cNice work on the fence, boys,\u201d Ben said, reining Buck in as they approached.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, we aim to please,\u201d Joe said, grinning with all his teeth showing.<\/p>\n

Liza drew the carriage to a halt next to Buck.\u00a0 \u201cGood morning, Hoss\u2014Joe.\u201d\u00a0 And Hoss wasn\u2019t blind \u2013 sure, she said his name first, but she smiled different when she got to Joe.\u00a0 Hoss had to try not to smirk himself.<\/p>\n

Joe turned his smile on her.\u00a0 \u201cGood morning.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t expect to see you today,\u201d he said, just as though he hadn\u2019t been angling hard for exactly that.\u00a0 \u201cHow\u2019d the interview at the newspaper go?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her smile slipped.\u00a0 \u201cNot well.\u00a0 But\u2014\u201d\u00a0 And she seemed to be actively drawing the smile back up now.\u00a0 \u201cYour father very graciously offered me hospitality for a few days.\u00a0 So I don\u2019t suppose I\u2019ll head back to San Francisco just yet after all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry about the interview,\u201d Hoss offered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, definitely,\u201d Joe chimed in.\u00a0 \u201cAnd didn\u2019t I tell you we\u2019re always happy to have company?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you did,\u201d she said, though her smile still seemed to take too much effort.<\/p>\n

Oh well.\u00a0 Unless Hoss badly misunderstood little brother, Joe\u2019d be spending how ever long she was here trying to get that smile back again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Liza resisted her impulse to look back over her shoulder at Joe as she and Ben continued on toward the house.\u00a0 Not that there was any particular reason to think he\u2019d be watching.\u00a0 Or Hoss either.\u00a0 But it would be awkward if they were.\u00a0 So she concentrated very carefully on the scenery Ben was pointing out, even though Joe had pointed out some of the same scenery yesterday, only she didn\u2019t like to mention that.<\/p>\n

At the house, Ben carried her red trunk inside, and she resisted her other impulse to protest that it was too much trouble.\u00a0 She was pretty certain that suggesting he wait for Hoss to carry it in wouldn\u2019t be well-received.<\/p>\n

Inside, Ben took a couple of steps towards the stairs, then appeared to change his mind.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe the downstairs guest bedroom would be best,\u201d he said, and then seemingly half to himself, \u201cThat\u2019s more removed from the others.\u201d\u00a0 Then he glanced at her and added, \u201cIt\u2019s quieter that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour upstairs is loud at night?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you wouldn\u2019t believe how Hoss can snore,\u201d Ben said with a smile, and carried her trunk through the door just off the dining room.<\/p>\n

She still found it a little odd that a room directly off the main living area would be quieter \u2013 but it was hardly important.\u00a0 And maybe he just didn\u2019t want to lug her trunk up the stairs after all.<\/p>\n

Liza followed Ben, into a room nicer than the hotel had been, with a big bed and an oil painting of a sailing ship on the wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll let you get settled in,\u201d Ben said, retreating, \u201cand let Hop Sing know we have a guest.\u201d \u00a0He closed the door behind him.<\/p>\n

Liza sank onto the bed, feeling that the morning had been something of a whirlwind.\u00a0 Was this what always happened, when the Cartwrights started getting involved?\u00a0 Things just\u2014happened?\u00a0 She had thought her only options today were either securing a job with the Territorial Enterprise<\/em>, or going directly back to San Francisco.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t expected to end up a houseguest of the Cartwrights.<\/p>\n

And she certainly hadn\u2019t expected this to happen when she\u2019d driven her rented carriage out onto the Ponderosa, just wanting to see the setting of so many of Sam Clemens\u2019 stories.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t expected the Cartwrights to be so\u2014much.\u00a0 Everything Sam said they were and more.<\/p>\n

Maybe Ben knew what he was saying about this room being quiet, because she couldn\u2019t hear anything from the kitchen.\u00a0 She half-expected a lot of yelling and carrying-on, similar to what she\u2019d heard the previous day when Joe announced she was coming to supper.\u00a0 But perhaps Ben rated more politeness, or maybe chopping a mountain of carrots bought some tolerance.<\/p>\n

She took a deep breath, and got up off of the bed.\u00a0 She supposed she ought to unpack her bag.\u00a0 Comb her hair.\u00a0 She peeked into the mirror on one wall and thought that at least there was no need to change her dress.\u00a0 She\u2019d worn her best one for her interview on purpose.\u00a0 Not that it had helped.<\/p>\n

She shuffled through her things, ran a comb through her hair and twisted it up again with pins, and then she wasn\u2019t altogether sure what to do next.<\/p>\n

She ventured out of the guest room, looked around but didn\u2019t see Ben anywhere.\u00a0 Maybe still in the kitchen, or tending whatever other business he had needed to do today before he\u2019d taken it upon himself to rescue her from her gloom back in Virginia City.\u00a0 He probably assumed she\u2019d be resting, but she didn\u2019t feel any desire to take a nap, or to lie down on the bed and stare at the ceiling.<\/p>\n

There were bookshelves in Ben\u2019s office, so she wandered that way.\u00a0 She wouldn\u2019t go poking about in his desk, of course, but surely a bookcase was considered open \u2013 even if it was literally closed in a glass cabinet.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t see a lock, though.<\/p>\n

Liza had one hand on the cabinet door when she heard Ben\u2019s voice behind her.\u00a0 \u201cLooking for something?\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked back, startled, and said, \u201cOh, just a book to read.\u00a0 If that\u2019s all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Standing near the big grandfather clock, he was looking at her with an oddly intent expression, which quickly smoothed away into a smile.\u00a0 \u201cOf course.\u00a0 Feel free to read whatever you\u2019d like.\u201d\u00a0 He crossed over into the office portion of the room, and closed a lower-level cabinet she hadn\u2019t even noticed was partially open.\u00a0 Just before it swung shut, she glimpsed what looked like a strongbox inside.<\/p>\n

Well, it wasn\u2019t like she\u2019d been planning to rob the Cartwrights, so it didn\u2019t really matter where they were keeping their money.\u00a0 She turned her attention back to the bookcase, and looked over the thick volumes within.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam\u2019s the scholar in the family,\u201d Ben remarked, leaning on the edge of his desk, \u201cso he has far more books upstairs.\u00a0 Anything in particular you like?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA bit of everything.\u201d\u00a0 There hadn\u2019t been a lot of spare money for books in the past several years, so she\u2019d grown accustomed to reading whatever came her way.\u00a0 She spotted a copy of Pickwick Papers<\/em> by Charles Dickens on a middle shelf and seized that with some relief.\u00a0 She would have looked longer, but she had the awkward feeling that Ben wanted to get to his desk and she was in his way.\u00a0 \u201cThis is fine,\u201d she said quickly, raising the volume in illustration.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my favorites,\u201d he said with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cIf there\u2019s anything else you need\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh no, I\u2019ll just go sit out on the porch.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure you\u2019re very busy already.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot at all,\u201d he responded, but she guessed that was just being polite, and took herself and the Dickens volume out the front door.<\/p>\n

There was a rocker on the front porch, so she sat down there to read \u2013 and to see what the whirlwind did next.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Liza was still sitting on the front porch with Pickwick Papers<\/em> when Joe and Hoss walked into the yard an hour or so later, back from their fence work.\u00a0 She was almost sure she saw Joe\u2019s gaze flick her way for an instant then away again as the two brothers walked over to the water pump near the barn.\u00a0 She was not too far away to observe that Joe had his shirt open, except for the last button.<\/p>\n

Hoss pumped a stream of water, drank from the ladle, then handed it over to his brother.\u00a0 Joe had a drink\u2014then dumped another ladleful of water right over his head, splashing down onto his shirt and chest.<\/p>\n

Liza felt her cheeks warm, and very carefully looked down at her book again.<\/p>\n

He had to know<\/em>, didn\u2019t he?\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t not<\/em> be doing it deliberately, right?<\/p>\n

She snuck another glance, in time to see Joe shake his head, dark curls and water droplets flying.<\/p>\n

Yes, he definitely knew.\u00a0 While he didn\u2019t seem arrogant exactly, Joe Cartwright also did not strike her as a man who was unaware of his own charms.<\/p>\n

And what was she supposed to do now?\u00a0 Fan her cheeks and go into maidenly flusters at the sight?<\/p>\n

Maybe that\u2019s what those other girls had done, the ones he\u2019d been engaged to.\u00a0 She wished the Enterprise<\/em>, or Sam Clemens, had had the story on why exactly none of those engagements had ever got as far as a wedding.\u00a0 Maybe Sam did know, but she\u2019d never asked.<\/p>\n

Joe and Hoss were heading towards the house now, towards the house and her.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know how to flirt and she knew she\u2019d feel ridiculous if she tried and\u2014and anyway, none of this felt real<\/em>.\u00a0 It was too deliberate, too intentionally provoking, like a routine he\u2019d probably done many times before.\u00a0 So he needn\u2019t think she was going to go into a swoon just because his tan shirt was clinging to his chest and arms and outlining every muscle\u2026<\/p>\n

She carefully closed her book and stood up, smiling as naturally as she could in response to their apparently casual greetings.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re just in time for lunch,\u201d she remarked.\u00a0 \u201cBetter change your shirt if you don\u2019t want to drip everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then she turned around, just catching Joe\u2019s rather nonplussed expression and Hoss\u2019 stifled chuckle, and walked into the house with a great show of calmness and unconcern.\u00a0 And if he had been expecting something else \u2013 well, she didn\u2019t know how to play games like this, and she wasn\u2019t going to try.\u00a0 She liked it better when he was real.\u00a0 He was more charming, somehow, when he wasn\u2019t so obviously trying<\/em> to be charming.<\/p>\n

Besides, it was safest to not let herself even go in that direction.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t see why Joe Cartwright, Ponderosa heir and very eligible young bachelor, would be interested in her<\/em>, beyond any kind of casual way he was probably interested in a very many women.<\/p>\n

So it was all for the best\u2014she resisted the impulse to look back over her shoulder and sneak another peek\u2014because a man who looked like that and could be as charming as even Sam Clemens claimed\u2014well, if she started down that path, she didn\u2019t see how she was going to resist traveling much too far.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe stared after Liza\u2019s retreating back, feeling a bit at sea.\u00a0 It was not the reaction he had been hoping for and also, she was right, he was going to drip all over the floor and Hop Sing was going to yell at him about it which was also<\/em> not going to give the impression he would want\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t really think that would work, did you?\u201d Hoss rumbled.<\/p>\n

Joe glared at his brother.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat,\u201d Hoss said, gesturing at Joe\u2019s wet hair and shirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was hot<\/em>,\u201d Joe snapped.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s hot work, fixing fences!\u201d<\/p>\n

And she could have at least giggled, or something.\u00a0 Something<\/em> to give a fellow a sense of being appreciated a bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou really should change,\u201d Hoss commented.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, I know,\u201d Joe muttered, wringing out the tail of his shirt onto the porch\u2019s wood slats.\u00a0 If he was quick, maybe he wouldn\u2019t drip too much \u2013 only he probably had to go past Liza, since she\u2019d just gone inside \u2013 it was enough to almost feel that he\u2019d be better off climbing the trellis outside his bedroom window, only that was the sort of thing best done by moonlight when the odds of someone catching him were a lot lower.\u00a0 It would be just his luck to be halfway up and have Pa or Adam walk around the corner.<\/p>\n

Nothing for it but to go inside.\u00a0 Hoss was already across the threshold, and Joe ran one hand over his wet curls and followed.\u00a0 He only needed to get across the room, up the stairs\u2014<\/p>\n

He was just past the entryway when he saw Liza come around the corner from the kitchen.\u00a0 Carrying a dish towel.<\/p>\n

She smiled and tossed it at him, his left hand automatically coming up to catch it.\u00a0 \u201cThought that might help keep Hop Sing from having to clean the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Joe managed.\u00a0 Smile like this was a joke they were in together \u2013 and then make a fast retreat.<\/p>\n

He got upstairs without leaving too much in the way of puddles, and pulled off his wet shirt once he was safely behind his bedroom door.\u00a0 He rubbed the towel over his wet hair, and glared at his own reflection in his mirror.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo more of this nonsense, you hear?\u201d he told himself \u2013 in a low voice, mindful of Hoss changing shirts in his bedroom next door.\u00a0 \u201cSure, we got up to all sorts of shenanigans at sixteen.\u00a0 And that\u2019s fine, that\u2019s being sixteen.\u00a0 But if you wouldn\u2019t go ride into hostile Indian territory to invite their princess to a dance now, don\u2019t go doing other stupid things either.\u201d<\/p>\n

It had been an impulse of the moment, a lapse in his personal conviction that Liza was a very nice girl he was not romantically interested in.\u00a0 Certainly not seriously<\/em>.<\/p>\n

All right, he\u2019d never entirely believed he had no romantic interests at all, whatever he might insist to Hoss (who obviously didn\u2019t believe it either).\u00a0 But he was so tired<\/em> of getting his heart broken.\u00a0 His romantic history for more than three years now had been heartbreak after heartbreak after heartbreak. \u00a0Laura\u2019s death had just about undone him, and he\u2019d promised himself that was enough.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t going to wildly fling himself into more pain, over and over and over.<\/p>\n

It was why he\u2019d stood up Caroline Partridge, rather than take her out riding.\u00a0 She was an attractive, entirely suitable girl, a neighbor he was bound to keep on seeing \u2013 bad idea.\u00a0 Not a safe one to romance.\u00a0 And it was why he\u2019d been perfectly willing to kiss Michele Dubois, who was only visiting and had a fianc\u00e9 besides.\u00a0 Beautiful girl, moonlit night, opportunity for a little fun but definitely nothing serious.\u00a0 Safe.<\/p>\n

He ran a comb through his damp curls, trying to decide where to categorize Liza.\u00a0 Yesterday she had been planning to stay in Virginia City, was friendly and unattached and pretty.\u00a0 Terrible idea, off-limits.<\/p>\n

But<\/em>\u2026that interview she had, it had gone badly.\u00a0 And he was sorry about that, but as he pulled one of his many tan shirts out of his wardrobe, it occurred to him that it also changed things.\u00a0 Because she\u2019d be going back to San Francisco soon.\u00a0 Much too soon for anything really serious<\/em> to happen.<\/p>\n

Not that he\u2019d ever needed more than a day or two in the past, but \u2013 still, putting an end date right from the start, that made everything nice and clear-cut and simple, right?\u00a0 A little flirtation until she left town would mean nobody had to get too emotionally tangled up, and nobody got hurt.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want to go breaking her heart either, but based on her recent lack of reaction, there was no sign that she was likely to get too invested either.\u00a0 Or that even a flirtation was necessarily an option.\u00a0 But he could still angle to see what might happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t look too bad at least, you have that going for you,\u201d he remarked, studying himself in the mirror.\u00a0 Then he smoothed his hair down one more time and pronounced himself fit for decent company again.<\/p>\n

He made it downstairs after everyone else but still just in time for lunch.\u00a0 Hoss, mercifully, did not comment on his still-damp hair, and when Liza smiled at him, laughter lurking in her eyes, it felt a little more like it really was some sort of shared joke.<\/p>\n

Lunch went along fine, and most of the way through the meal he found a good opportunity to lob the very casual suggestion across the table, \u201cSay, Liza, maybe I could give you a tour this afternoon of a few spots you missed on your last carriage ride.\u00a0 Be on hand in case a wheel breaks too.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled, but before she could say anything Pa broke in from the head of the table with, \u201cDon\u2019t you have a fence to finish mending, young man?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was remarkable how Pa could throw young man<\/em> at the end of a sentence and turn a simple question into a reprimand.\u00a0 \u201cHoss and I are almost done with that anyway,\u201d Joe said, and turned to look at Hoss, intending to convey with a gaze that now would be a great<\/em> moment for Hoss to jump in and volunteer to handle the rest of it.\u00a0 After all, what was a big brother for?<\/p>\n

But Hoss was poking his roast with a guilty expression and said, \u201cGuess I didn\u2019t mention it, Little Joe \u2013 while you were upstairs I told Pa I needed to stay around here this afternoon.\u00a0 Chub threw a shoe and I want to get him reshod before I need him.\u00a0 You know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Joe said sourly.\u00a0 Sometimes it was downright unprofitable having a family.\u00a0 Deep down, and not even that deep, he knew he wouldn\u2019t really trade them for anything, but there were moments<\/em>\u2026\u00a0 If Adam chimed in right now to offer to give Liza a tour himself, Joe might throw a plate at him.<\/p>\n

But Adam kept his gaze on his own plate and his thoughts to himself, and instead Liza, predictably enough, said, \u201cI really wouldn\u2019t want to inconvenience any of you.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be fine on my own.\u00a0 Maybe take a walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, that wouldn\u2019t be very hospitable of us,\u201d Hoss said, smiling in that bashful way he got.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you come out to the barn with me?\u00a0 I\u2019ll introduce you to the horses.\u00a0 If you like horses, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t a given, considering she lived in San Francisco.\u00a0 Not that no one rode horses, but there was a lot more walking and riding of carriages, which was different, even when there were horses involved.<\/p>\n

But Liza\u2019s eyes brightened and she said, \u201cI love horses.\u00a0 I had one when I was younger, and I used to ride out in the Presidio.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we\u2019ve got some of the nicest horses around,\u201d Hoss said, and winked at her.\u00a0 \u201cYou come out with me and meet them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t love this plan either, but\u2026there was nothing to say that wouldn\u2019t make him look ridiculous.\u00a0 And maybe, if he was quick enough with that fence, he could get back in time to help Hoss reshod Chub.\u00a0 Yeah.\u00a0 Hot work, that, heating up metal and everything.\u00a0 The kind of work a person might want to take their shirt off for, for instance.\u00a0 Not that he was going to play any silly games, just\u2026yeah.\u00a0 Might be worth trying to get back early today.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

As everyone finished up eating, Little Joe shot off to his fence work with surprising alacrity, and Hoss took Liza out to the barn, leaving Ben and Adam the last ones at the table.\u00a0 Ben could see that his oldest son was regarding him with a thoughtful expression.\u00a0 There was always a lot going on behind those dark eyes.<\/p>\n

Ben cleared his throat.\u00a0 Sometimes, you had to take the direct approach.\u00a0 \u201cSomething on your mind, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam leaned back in his chair, expression unchanged.\u00a0 \u201cJust trying to work something out.\u00a0 First I thought you were trying to play matchmaker, inviting Liza here, but then you sent Joe out to the fence work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shifted uncomfortably, because he wasn\u2019t certain he was being entirely fair to his youngest son.\u00a0 Not about the fence, that was just making sure Little Joe behaved responsibly.\u00a0 \u201cFences have to be built, and Hoss needs to take care of his horse.\u00a0 And I don\u2019t<\/em> play matchmaker.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not usually,\u201d Adam acknowledged.\u00a0 \u201cSo why did<\/em> you invite Liza out here?\u00a0 She seems a nice enough young woman, but if you weren\u2019t trying to put her in Joe\u2019s path, why not just let her go on her way back to San Francisco?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2026is more complicated than I would like.\u201d\u00a0 He sketched out his conversation with Sheriff Coffee, which had led them to this result.<\/p>\n

Adam lifted one skeptical eyebrow.\u00a0 \u201cYou think the woman is a bank robber, so you invited her home?\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that taking charity a bit far?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI<\/em> don\u2019t think she\u2019s a bank robber, Roy does!\u201d Ben protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy Coffee the sheriff, whose job it is to catch bank robbers\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Roy doesn\u2019t really think she is either,\u201d Ben amended, \u201che just\u2014thinks it\u2019s possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we don\u2019t have any evidence that she isn\u2019t<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben frowned at that.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t approach it from that angle.\u00a0 We have no evidence that she is<\/em>, and until events unfold otherwise, she is here simply as a guest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I see you\u2019ve locked up the guns,\u201d Adam said, nodding towards the rifles by the stairs, chain snaking through their triggers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no point in being reckless,\u201d Ben admitted.<\/p>\n

Adam lifted one finger.\u00a0 \u201cNext question \u2013 what are you going to tell Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

And this was where Ben felt more conflicted.\u00a0 Obviously Joe needed to know the situation.\u00a0 That was clear.\u00a0 And yet\u2026\u00a0 Little Joe had been devastated by Laura White\u2019s death.\u00a0 And now he had some of that old gleam and spark back in his eyes.\u00a0 Whether anything came of it in the long-run was a different question, but in the short-term, Ben didn\u2019t like to throw an obstacle into something that was doing his son good.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be good if it turned out she really was<\/em> a bank robber, but \u2013 somehow he still couldn\u2019t find that a likely possibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll have to find the right moment,\u201d he said finally, \u201cto let Joe know too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam nodded slowly, as though he understood much more than had been said.\u00a0 Perhaps he did.\u00a0 That oldest son of his was insightful.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t wait too long, Pa.\u00a0 Given a couple of days, Joe\u2019s liable to propose to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben wanted to deny that, but \u2013 Little Joe had certainly moved at that speed in the past.\u00a0 For that matter, he himself hadn\u2019t moved much slower, when he\u2019d met Joe\u2019s mother.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll keep that in mind,\u201d he said finally, and resolved to talk to Joe\u2026soon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Out in the barn, Liza didn\u2019t admit to Hoss that his horse Chub was much bigger<\/em> than the pony she had had all those years ago.\u00a0 She was bigger now too, but that didn\u2019t seem to make much difference.\u00a0 Somehow it helped more that Hoss was so big \u2013 when he stood next to Chub, the black horse didn\u2019t seem quite<\/em> so large.<\/p>\n

Or maybe it was just that it didn\u2019t matter as much when Hoss slung an arm over the horse\u2019s neck and said, \u201cOl\u2019 Chub here\u2019s friends with everybody.\u00a0 Aren\u2019t you, pal?\u201d<\/p>\n

She thought like horse, like rider<\/em> but didn\u2019t say it out loud.\u00a0 Though Hoss might not have minded.\u00a0 She was occupied anyway offering up the apple Hoss had suggested she bring from the bowl in the living room inside.\u00a0 Chub took it with a great slobbering of lips and began crunching.<\/p>\n

Beverley used to make a mess of her hand too, in just the same situation.\u00a0 She had been devastated when the little brown pony had to be sold.\u00a0 That was when she was eleven, the first big dividing line in her life, when her father\u2019s newspaper folded.\u00a0 The house was sold, her horse was sold, and life turned altogether upside down.\u00a0 They had rebuilt a life, in a new neighborhood, with new people.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t had a horse since then though.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s black and white paint stuck his head out of the stall next to Chub\u2019s and gave a nicker that sounded downright indignant.<\/p>\n

Hoss laughed.\u00a0 \u201cSee, you can\u2019t give Chub an apple without sharing all around.\u00a0 Cochise here won\u2019t stand for it.\u00a0 That\u2019s Joe\u2019s horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve met,\u201d Liza said, fishing in her pocket with her dry hand for the second apple she\u2019d brought, then offering it up to the paint.\u00a0 The second big dividing line of her life, of course, was when her parents died.\u00a0 A far worse turning of the world.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t sure she had<\/em> entirely rebuilt since then, even if it might not look too bad from the outside.\u00a0 She was living in a new neighborhood again, but she hadn\u2019t done as well at connecting with new people this time around.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah, Joe was riding Cochise yesterday when your carriage broke down.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t know he introduced you two.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, not exactly.\u00a0 But he did tell me about your father buying Cochise from Chief Winnemucca.\u201d\u00a0 The horse took the apple much more delicately, nipping it lightly from her palm.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe loves that story.\u00a0 Thinks it makes Cochise extra special.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you\u2019re just special all on your own, aren\u2019t you?\u201d Liza crooned to the horse, who tossed his head in apparent agreement.<\/p>\n

Like horse, like rider.<\/p>\n

She had hoped that this<\/em> might be the next dividing line in her life, finally a good one.\u00a0 That she\u2019d be able to make her way in a new place, with a proper job she could be proud of.\u00a0 But Bill Raleigh hadn\u2019t seen things her way.\u00a0 So in a few days or a week, she\u2019d be going back to San Francisco, back to the same life she\u2019d had for the last two years.\u00a0 And that was fine.\u00a0 Really fine.<\/p>\n

But at least she could enjoy being here while she was here.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa and Adam are out on their horses,\u201d Hoss said, nodding at two of the empty stalls, \u201cbut Sport \u2013 that\u2019s Adam\u2019s horse \u2013 doesn\u2019t like apples anyway.\u00a0 More particular, that one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like horse, like rider, but she definitely wasn\u2019t going to say that<\/em> out loud.\u00a0 Anyway, she didn\u2019t really know Adam.\u00a0 He\u2019d been perfectly pleasant, just more aloof.\u00a0 Probably there were women who found that sort of thing attractive, like a challenge to overcome.\u00a0 Abigail Jones, for instance, based on the story Joe had told yesterday.\u00a0 For herself, she thought that would be exhausting, if you had to always wonder what a man was thinking.<\/p>\n

Which didn\u2019t explain why she was spending an increasing amount of time wondering what Joe was thinking, specifically about her.\u00a0 She glanced at Hoss out of the corner of her eye.\u00a0 Was there any way to ask\u2026\u00a0 No.\u00a0 That would be utterly ridiculous.\u00a0 Joe was friendly and charming and looked very distracting in a wet shirt, but trying to get an idea from his brother about whether he liked<\/em> her was as silly as blushing and fluttering because he\u2019d dumped water over his head.\u00a0 Sillier, even.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d better take care of Chub\u2019s shoe,\u201d Hoss said, moving over to an anvil on the other side of the barn, and stirring up the coals in the brazier next to it.\u00a0 \u201cYou ever seen a horse shod before?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, best not get too close.\u00a0 Chub\u2019s real calm, but the fire can get hot,\u201d Hoss said, taking off his tan vest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be careful,\u201d Liza promised, and sat down on a bale of hay in front of Cochise\u2019s stall.\u00a0 The horse briefly nosed her hair, breath hot, then retreated again.\u00a0 At least Joe\u2019s horse seemed to like her.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take Hoss long to get Chub reshod.\u00a0 He led the big horse out of the stall with a firm admonishment that he wasn\u2019t going to stand for any nonsense, and apparently Chub believed him.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t cause any trouble, and Hoss was plainly very familiar with the work he was doing.<\/p>\n

When it was all done, Hoss wiped his hands off on a rag and remarked, \u201cI ain\u2019t seen him that cooperative in a long while.\u00a0 Must be showing off for a lady.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust him, or both of you?\u201d Liza asked impulsively.<\/p>\n

Hoss grinned and ducked his head, which didn\u2019t make him seem small.\u00a0 \u201cAw, I\u2019m just doing work here, that\u2019s all.\u00a0 Tell you what though, if you don\u2019t mind climbing up to the hayloft, I\u2019ve got something else I can show you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mind.\u201d\u00a0 It had been a long time since she\u2019d climbed into a hayloft too \u2013 not since the days of Beverley and watching horses be reshod.\u00a0 But her boots only had low heels and she thought she could manage a ladder, even in these skirts.<\/p>\n

If she was still planning to stay in Virginia City, she\u2019d buy a split skirt and proper boots for riding.\u00a0 Maybe, if the Enterprise<\/em> had paid enough, she could have bought a horse.\u00a0 Or at least rented one from the livery stable occasionally.\u00a0 The Cartwrights would probably have loaned her a horse, for that matter.<\/p>\n

But she wasn\u2019t staying, so it was no good thinking about it.<\/p>\n

It was a good sturdy ladder up to the loft, her boots worked fine, and she was halfway up before it occurred to her that there were some men who would have definite ideas<\/em> when they invited a woman up to a hayloft.<\/p>\n

But this was Hoss, rendering the notion ridiculous.\u00a0 She\u2019d only known him since yesterday, but she still felt quite safe going up to a hayloft with him, with no expectations that he<\/em> had expectations.\u00a0 Hoss would probably blush kissing a girl on the cheek.<\/p>\n

Joe, on the other hand\u2026\u00a0 No, it was no good carrying on thinking about that <\/em>either.<\/p>\n

She glanced back and saw that Hoss was studiously standing back from the ladder and looking the other direction besides, as though getting any glimpse at all of her petticoats as she climbed would be unconscionable.\u00a0 She smiled, and kept climbing.<\/p>\n

The hayloft was high enough to stand very nearly straight, and the ladder went all the way up to the ceiling, making it easy enough to step off with dignity preserved.\u00a0 She backed away across the hay-strewn boards to make space for Hoss \u2013 who couldn\u2019t stand straight up here, but seemed comfortable enough with the hunched posture required.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay quiet and walk slow along this way,\u201d he said in a low voice, waving one hand as he led her towards the bigger mounds of hay farther from the edge.<\/p>\n

She was intrigued now, and followed along behind him.\u00a0 As they came around a big mound of hay, Hoss crouched down and pointed.\u00a0 Liza became aware of a rustling in the hay just before she got into position to see what was causing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh Hoss, they\u2019re adorable<\/em>,\u201d she breathed, easing down to her knees to look more closely at the kittens curled up among the hay.<\/p>\n

It appeared they had interrupted naptime, because the kittens blinked sleepily and then popped up and converged on Hoss, clearly an old friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey there, little guys,\u201d Hoss laughed, scratching furry heads.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re lucky there\u2019s three of them up here.\u00a0 And it\u2019s lucky you came to visit when you did.\u00a0 These fellows are just about big enough to wander off soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s their mother?\u201d Liza asked, clasping her hands in her lap because she wanted to pet a kitten so much but wasn\u2019t sure she should.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t want to scare them, and didn\u2019t know if they liked people besides Hoss.\u00a0 Surely everybody liked Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, out hunting, I expect,\u201d Hoss said easily.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s leaving \u2018em alone more now.\u00a0 There were six, but these are the last three that haven\u2019t struck out on their own yet.\u00a0 Here, this little one looks ready to be acquainted.\u201d<\/p>\n

And with that she found a ball of black fur deposited in her lap.\u00a0 \u201cHello, you,\u201d she said softly, and lightly touched the soft kitten fur.<\/p>\n

The kitten was black all through, except for one white paw, and blinked up at her with vivid blue eyes.\u00a0 He delicately sniffed her fingers, then began exploring the folds of her skirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly one in the bunch with black fur,\u201d Hoss said meditatively.\u00a0 \u201cIt ain\u2019t always good for cats, being black like that.\u00a0 Some people don\u2019t like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean the bad luck idea?\u00a0 But that\u2019s such nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, I<\/em> know that.\u00a0 But I worry about him if he wanders too far.\u00a0 He\u2019s the smallest one of all his brothers and sisters too.\u00a0 Maybe that\u2019s why he gets into the most trouble.\u00a0 Got to prove something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much trouble can a kitten get into?\u201d Liza asked, fingering the little cat\u2019s tail until he turned around and batted at her hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you\u2019d be surprised,\u201d Hoss said, and launched into a tale about the different improbable places he kept finding the cat in the barn \u2013 including sitting on Chub\u2019s head once.\u00a0 \u201cChub didn\u2019t mind, luckily, but I sure wish I\u2019d seen how that kitten got up there.\u00a0 Think he might\u2019ve dropped down, and that must\u2019ve been a trick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll that but he doesn\u2019t leave the barn?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLikes home, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

She could understand that.\u00a0 If you had the right home, one you really belonged in \u2013 why would you ever leave?<\/p>\n

The black kitten stayed with Liza, while the other two climbed all over Hoss, right up until she said, with regret, \u201cWe really should be going, shouldn\u2019t we?\u00a0 You must have other things to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, this and that,\u201d Hoss said, lifting one kitten down from his shoulder and shooing the other off his leg.\u00a0 \u201cGuess we ought to head down at that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was lovely to meet you, little one,\u201d Liza said, picking up the furry, squirming black kitten and kissing it between the ears.\u00a0 Then she set it back down on the hay, where it sat and looked up at her quizzically, ears twitching.\u00a0 She got to her feet, brushing hay off of her skirt, and made her way to the ladder.<\/p>\n

It was a little trickier climbing down in her skirts than it had been going up, but she managed it.\u00a0 She was looking out towards the open barn doors, brushing yet more hay off of her sleeves, when she heard a thump and rustle of straw behind her.\u00a0 She turned around, but Hoss was still halfway down the ladder \u2013 and would have made a much larger thump if he fell anyway.\u00a0 There was a feed trough full of loose hay nearby, and the hay was shifting.\u00a0 A second later, a little black head popped up, the kitten shook himself, and then scrambled out of the hay.\u00a0 He leaped down from the trough and trotted up to rub his head against her ankle.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goodness,\u201d Liza said a bit blankly.\u00a0 It was a long<\/em> drop down for someone this small.\u00a0 \u201cHoss was right about you being a daredevil.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess he wasn\u2019t done saying good-bye,\u201d Hoss remarked, dropping off the last rung of the ladder \u2013 and it was<\/em> a much louder thump.<\/p>\n

\u201cI promise to visit again tomorrow,\u201d Liza said, bending down to scratch the kitten\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

She started for the door, and the kitten followed right along.\u00a0 She expected he\u2019d stopped at the barn door, but as she crossed into the front yard he stayed right beside her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, look at that,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cI think he\u2019s done found a reason to leave the barn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is very sweet, but shouldn\u2019t you go back home?\u201d Liza said, trying to scoot the kitten back towards the barn with one hand.\u00a0 He twisted right around and came back to sit on her foot.<\/p>\n

Hoss leaned against the nearby corral railing, looking pleased.\u00a0 \u201cLooks like he\u2019s decided where he belongs.\u00a0 You\u2019d better keep him, if you want him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I want\u2014but I\u2014\u201d\u00a0 Liza looked down uncertainly at the kitten who was looking up at her, with an uncannily similar pleased expression.\u00a0 She did<\/em> want him.\u00a0 She had had no ideas an hour ago about adopting a pet, but she had always liked cats and this one was looking at her with such an absolutely winsome expression\u2026\u00a0 But it couldn\u2019t really be that simple, could it?\u00a0 \u201cHow could I ever get him back to San Francisco?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, that\u2019s easy.\u00a0 I\u2019ll help you rig up a basket for him.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen people carry chickens on the stagecoach.\u00a0 One little kitten\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy boarding house does<\/em> allow pets,\u201d Liza said slowly.\u00a0 \u201cBut \u2013 wouldn\u2019t he be better off here?\u00a0 Not in the city with, I don\u2019t know, dogs and carts and lots of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cWe have coyotes and wildcats here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also outlaws and cattle rustlers, Liza thought but didn\u2019t say aloud.\u00a0 She would have, if it had been Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably all a balance,\u201d Hoss continued, \u201cand he\u2019s clearly decided who<\/em> he wants to be with.\u00a0 You\u2019ll take care of him fine.\u201d\u00a0 He scooped up the kitten, who looked even smaller in his big hands, and deposited him into Liza\u2019s arms.\u00a0 \u201cIf you want him, he\u2019s yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who could resist a furry armful of happy kitten?\u00a0 \u201cI\u2014thank you<\/em>, Hoss, that\u2019s really\u2014the sweetest thing\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

He got that bashful look again.\u00a0 \u201cAw, weren\u2019t really me.\u00a0 It was mostly the kitten\u2019s idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he had brought her to meet the kittens to begin with \u2013 because he was the kind of person who knew and cared when there were kittens in his barn \u2013 and had smoothed out every difficulty and somehow made it all seem like a quite easy while also a momentous thing to trust her to take care of this little animal\u2026\u00a0 She smiled at him as the kitten rubbed his head against her chin.\u00a0 \u201cIt was you too.\u00a0 Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Liza was still cuddling that kitten and smiling at Hoss when Little Joe came trotting around the corner of the barn.\u00a0 Hoss lifted a hand in greeting, surprised \u2013 and not surprised \u2013 to see Joe back so quick.\u00a0 \u201cH\u2019lo, little brother,\u201d he called.\u00a0 \u201cYou finish that fence already?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, there wasn\u2019t that much left,\u201d Joe said, which was somewhat true.\u00a0 He must\u2019ve worked right quick to get it done this soon though.\u00a0 He came over and joined them by the corral \u2013 but didn\u2019t reach for the water pump this time.<\/p>\n

Liza turned to smile at Joe, and Hoss was struck that, as shiny as she\u2019d smiled at him<\/em> over that kitten, she got even shinier as soon as Joe turned up.\u00a0 \u201cHello, Joe.\u00a0 Look, Hoss gave me a kitten.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe smiled back at her, but it didn\u2019t get as far as his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u00a0 Wasn\u2019t that nice of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cThe kitten decided he wanted to adopt her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you introduced us,\u201d Liza said, and glanced at Joe again.\u00a0 \u201cHoss showed me the hayloft\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hayloft, huh?\u201d\u00a0 Joe\u2019s eyebrows scrunched together.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2014and the kittens living up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u00a0 Right.\u00a0 Sure,\u201d Joe said, and his expression smoothed out again.<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head.\u00a0 As if he would have had any other ideas about a hayloft!\u00a0 Especially with a gal who was so clearly sparking another direction entirely.\u00a0 The things little brother thought sometimes.\u00a0 \u201cAnyway, it seemed to be love at first sight with this little guy,\u201d Hoss said, reaching out to give the kitten a scritch between the ears.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat.\u00a0 That\u2019s great.\u201d\u00a0 Joe shoved his hands into his pockets.\u00a0 \u201cSo, you take care of Chub yet?\u00a0 Thought I might help with that, if you needed help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe, volunteering for chores?\u00a0 He definitely had some angle going, so it was probably safest all around that Hoss could say, \u201cNo, all done with that.\u00a0 Chub\u2019s all set for the next time we need to ride off in a hurry.\u00a0 Plenty of other work to be doing around here though.\u00a0 Need some firewood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight, yeah,\u201d Joe said, running a hand over his curls.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to take this one inside,\u201d Liza said, cradling the kitten, \u201cand see if Hop Sing can help me figure out what he needs.\u00a0 Thanks again, Hoss.\u00a0 It was really sweet of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHappy to help, any time,\u201d Hoss said, sincerely and<\/em> because it would probably annoy Joe.<\/p>\n

They both watched Liza walk away towards the kitchen, and Hoss watched Little Joe\u2019s face change as she turned away.\u00a0 He\u2019d been smiling as long as she was looking, even if there\u2019d been something a little off in the smile, but now his expression soured.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomethin\u2019 eatin\u2019 you, Little Joe?\u201d Hoss asked innocently.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Joe said immediately.\u00a0 He leaned back against the corral rail, kicked against the post.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss grinned, watching Joe watch Liza until she disappeared through the kitchen door.\u00a0 He leaned his elbows on the corral railing.\u00a0 \u201cLiza\u2019s a real nice gal, ain\u2019t she?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d Joe said in a low voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cReal pretty, too.\u00a0 You do think she\u2019s pretty, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s it matter if I do?\u201d Joe muttered, heel hitting the corral post hard enough to shake the whole thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems to me it might matter a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

That finally got Joe to turn, to glare fiercely at Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t see how, when you\u2019re off giving her kittens!\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss threw back his head in a roaring laugh at that.\u00a0 \u201cAw, come on, Little Joe\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t come on<\/em> me, big brother, I don\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou really don\u2019t see it, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSee what?\u201d Joe snapped.<\/p>\n

Hoss laid one big hand on Joe\u2019s shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cLittle brother, that woman lights up like a sunrise when she looks at you.\u00a0 I was just being friendly-like, and the fact is, I had to give her a kitten to get her to smile anything like the way she does when you<\/em> just say hello.\u00a0 I think she likes me fine, but she ain\u2019t lighting up about me<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 And for that matter, he<\/em> wasn\u2019t lighting up about her<\/em>, even if she was a real nice gal.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s gaze strayed back to the closed kitchen door.\u00a0 \u201cWe haven\u2019t \u2013 you know, there isn\u2019t anything \u2013 it wouldn\u2019t be serious,<\/em> with her going back to San Francisco and all, but \u2013 you really think so?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh.\u00a0 You know, maybe I\u2019ll go see if she needs help with that kitten.\u00a0 Help talk Hop Sing around about some food\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like a real good idea, Little Joe,\u201d Hoss said, his brother already heading towards the house.<\/p>\n

Hoss shook his head, grinning, and went to pick up the ax to chop some firewood.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t like Joe to have a lot of doubts when it came to women.\u00a0 Might be a good thing for him, chasing after one he wasn\u2019t too sure of.\u00a0 And as for whatever that was about nothing being serious \u2013 yeah, he\u2019d known Joe a lot of years, and nobody could fall into serious<\/em> faster or easier than little brother.\u00a0 Just give him a couple of days.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe tried very hard to keep his mind on the checker board in front of him.\u00a0 He and Hoss had done this a thousand times or more \u2013 Joe sitting on the big coffee table, one knee drawn up and checkerboard on the table by his foot, Hoss sitting on the couch and bending over the board.\u00a0 Adam was sitting on the other end of the couch, immersed in some big thick book, and their father was over at his desk, shuffling through paperwork and occasionally muttering something under his breath.<\/p>\n

All perfectly normal, all a very ordinary Saturday evening at home for the family.<\/p>\n

Every bit of his distraction, the reason he couldn\u2019t keep his mind or his gaze on the game, was curled up in the big red armchair by the fire.\u00a0 It would probably be bad enough if she was just sitting there, but she was sitting there with her new black kitten and a length of ribbon, and using the one to tease the other, and it was just about the most adorable thing he\u2019d ever seen and he didn\u2019t mean the kitten\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe, you ain\u2019t paying attention to this game,\u201d Hoss said, bringing Joe\u2019s gaze sharply back as his brother clinked his red checker, jumping over three black ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, Hoss,\u201d Joe said, running a hand over his curly hair and using the gesture as cover to sneak another glance towards Liza.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t very good cover.\u00a0 Liza looked up just then, her gaze meeting his.\u00a0 She smiled at him, blue eyes alight, and he thought he could see what Hoss meant, that maybe she did<\/em> look at him a bit differently.<\/p>\n

Joe swallowed, dragged his attention back to Hoss and the checkers.\u00a0 \u201cRematch?\u201d he managed.<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 eyebrows rose.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u00a0 Can\u2019t let you just\u2014walk away with a win.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he needed something to hold him in place, to keep him from doing anything rash.<\/p>\n

He had been down this road too many times to have any doubts about what he was feeling.\u00a0 He knew all the signs.\u00a0 And every instinct was telling him to go ask Liza if she\u2019d like to take a walk, and if that went well to try kissing her in the moonlight, and if that<\/em> went well\u2026he might find himself hurtling towards something serious after all, and he\u2019d promised himself he wasn\u2019t going that way again.<\/p>\n

Checkers.\u00a0 Much better if he just stayed right here and played checkers.<\/p>\n

And maybe tomorrow, see if she\u2019d be interested in a picnic.\u00a0 Picnics weren\u2019t serious, not like moonlight walks.\u00a0 Picnics were only a bit of fun.\u00a0 Not that he hadn\u2019t ever fallen in love in the middle of the day, but still.\u00a0 Just a picnic.\u00a0 See what happened then.\u00a0 And right now, he could deal with tonight.<\/p>\n

Though he didn\u2019t seem to be dealing with it very well, since Hoss won the next game of checkers too.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou all right, little brother?\u201d Hoss asked, frowning at him.\u00a0 \u201cYou didn\u2019t even cheat that game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t cheat at checkers!\u00a0 You just use that as an excuse whenever you lose.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMethink you doth protest too much,\u201d Adam murmured from the depths of his book, which was exactly the sort of nonsense oldest brother liked to spout.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t make you right just because you can quote Shakespeare,\u201d Joe said acidly. \u00a0Any time methink<\/em> came out, Shakespeare was a safe bet. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve read Shakespeare too, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam cocked an eyebrow at him, and remarked, \u201cYou don\u2019t exactly capture the breadth of the Bard when you only peruse the romantic parts.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2014was both true and<\/em> a plain example of Adam wielding big words to show off.\u00a0 He\u2019d been doing that more since Liza arrived, which Joe didn\u2019t know how to interpret\u2014but he didn\u2019t like it.\u00a0 He glanced at Liza again now\u2014and she was looking amused, but he wasn\u2019t sure how to interpret that<\/em> either.\u00a0 Which of them was she amused by, and was it a good sort of amusement or\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, never mind,\u201d he said, before somebody started mentioning exactly who he had been reading the romantic parts of Shakespeare with.\u00a0 You never talked about the past girls you\u2019d liked in front of the current one you liked; that was just good sense.\u00a0 \u201cDid you decide on a name for that kitten yet?\u201d he asked, in a probably transparent effort to change the subject.<\/p>\n

She smiled at him and, maybe as a mercy, went along with the subject change.\u00a0 \u201cI decided to call him Bront\u00eb, after my favorite author.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe would have liked to say something very intelligent about that, except he had no idea who Bront\u00eb was, or what he might have written.\u00a0 \u201cOh.\u00a0 Well\u2014seems like a nice name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have guessed you as an admirer of Wuthering Heights<\/em>,\u201d Adam remarked, in much the tone he\u2019d used to comment on Shakespeare\u2019s romantic poetry \u2013 that it was all slightly ridiculous.\u00a0 And of course<\/em> Adam had to know more about this subject, and Joe was about ready to knock the checkerboard over to disrupt the conversation again, when\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not,\u201d Liza said, and there was a new, slightly false sweetness to her tone.\u00a0 \u201cEmily Bront\u00eb wrote Wuthering Heights<\/em>, but I admire Charlotte <\/em>Bront\u00eb, the author of Jane Eyre<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAren\u2019t they essentially the same?\u201d Adam said, tone dismissive.\u00a0 \u201cSentimentalist Gothic novels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liza\u2019s eyebrows rose.\u00a0 \u201cI take it you are not an admirer of Gothic literature?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam closed his book, so this was getting serious.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re not going to claim that Jane Eyre<\/em> is Shakespeare, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Liza returned cooly, \u201cbut not everything needs to be Shakespeare.\u00a0 Nothing except Shakespeare, in fact.\u00a0 Jane Eyre<\/em> is Bront\u00eb, and that seems like quite enough.\u00a0 And it is not<\/em> the same as Wuthering Heights<\/em>, apart from on a very superficial level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe and Hoss exchanged a glance.\u00a0 Joe had lost track of the references they were making several remarks back, but he could<\/em> tell that she was disagreeing with oldest brother on an intellectual topic.\u00a0 That<\/em> didn\u2019t happen much.<\/p>\n

Not that Adam gave any sign of conceding the fight.\u00a0 \u201cAren\u2019t they both romantic tales set on a moor, inside a large, spooky house, centered around a romance with a brooding hero?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I said,\u201d Liza said, tone only growing more frosty, \u201con a superficial<\/em> level.\u00a0 If one wishes to confuse setting and genre with the real substance of a story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t mention the similarity of the hero.\u00a0 Do you have a fondness for the tall, dark and brooding sort?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss and Joe hadn\u2019t even been pretending they weren\u2019t sitting back and watching the show by this point, but this sudden turn had Joe newly alert.\u00a0 Because that didn\u2019t exactly<\/em> sound like it was about literature anymore \u2013 and it was pretty obvious who around here was the tall, dark and brooding sort<\/em>.\u00a0 Not him.\u00a0 Dark, kind of, and brooding now and then though it wasn\u2019t his most natural state, and tall\u2026well, not judging by the rest of his family.\u00a0 Maybe he should intervene after all\u2014<\/p>\n

But Liza smiled, a rather brilliant smile that didn\u2019t seem entirely sincere around the edges, though maybe he was kidding himself that he could read her smiles that well after this short a time, and said, \u201cNo, not really, despite the attractions of Mr. Rochester.\u00a0 But I always had a preference for Mr. Tilney over Mr. Darcy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe had no idea who any of those people were and could only hope they were fictional.\u00a0 It was some consolation that Adam seemed thrown too.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t quite follow\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJane Austen,\u201d Liza said, tone gone sweet again.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Darcy is tall, dark and brooding, while Mr. Tilney is far more charming.\u00a0 And admits to a weakness for Gothic novels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nearly jumped in to mention that he personally enjoyed dime novels, but managed to catch himself in time.\u00a0 It would only make him look ridiculous \u2013 but if she preferred charm to brooding, that was a good sign, right?\u00a0 Speaking of styles.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut tell me,\u201d Liza continued, gaze still on Adam, \u201cif you don\u2019t enjoy Austen either, what do<\/em> you read?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam smiled with slightly too many teeth.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve been admiring the works of the Transcendentalists lately.\u201d<\/p>\n

If he thought the big word in there was going to win him a point, it didn\u2019t.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t even blink, and just said, \u201cOh?\u00a0 Emerson or Thoreau?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been venturing through Walden <\/em>recently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Something in her face softened a fraction.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve always felt that when Thoreau is good, he\u2019s very good, but when he\u2019s boring, he\u2019s very<\/em> boring.\u201d<\/p>\n

And unexpectedly, Adam laughed.\u00a0 An actual laugh, not his sardonic one.\u00a0 \u201cHe is, though, isn\u2019t he?\u00a0 Discussing the changing depths of the pond\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInterminable,\u201d Liza agreed, a new sparkle in her eye.\u00a0 \u201cBut then he comes out with something like If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined\u2014<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2014he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours<\/em>,\u201d Adam finished, and Joe started to get uncomfortable again.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t want them to fight, but they didn\u2019t have to get along too<\/em> well either.<\/p>\n

He probably would have thrown himself into the conversation then, with uncertain results, but he was saved by the sudden bustling arrival of Hop Sing with a tray of coffee.\u00a0 Joe guessed the cook had been waiting for an opportune moment \u2013 he was clever that way \u2013 and emerged from the kitchen when the situation was less tense.\u00a0 It broke up the previous discussion, as everyone maneuvered coffee cups and lumps of sugar, and as Pa, who must have been listening for the last five minutes at least, came to join them.\u00a0 Joe contrived to sit on the arm of Liza\u2019s chair and Adam started talking to Pa and that seemed to be the end of whatever had been happening between Adam and Liza.<\/p>\n

And mostly, as Joe thought it over, he thought it had been all right.\u00a0 Adam wasn\u2019t going to win any points with a woman by insulting her favorite book.\u00a0 And Joe was rather pleased by the idea of a woman who could hold her own in an argument with Adam about intellectual topics.\u00a0 That could be a lot of fun to watch, the way oldest brother always thought he knew everything.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Liza wondered the next morning if the Cartwrights were holding council somewhere out of her sight to determine who was in charge of hospitality each day.\u00a0 She really wouldn\u2019t have blamed them if they decided they had done their duty by now and left her to her own devices for the day.\u00a0 But that seemed not to be the Cartwright way, because the moment she mentioned at breakfast that she might take a walk, Joe promptly volunteered to escort her.<\/p>\n

And it wasn\u2019t like she minded<\/em> that.<\/p>\n

Once Joe was involved in the plan, bringing a great deal of energy and enthusiasm to the whole thing, her intended casual stroll swiftly gained a specific destination and also the addition of a picnic basket wheedled out of Hop Sing.<\/p>\n

The weather was perfect as they walked, cool but without a chill, and the scenery was all that Sam Clemens could have promised, with the green pines and the glimpses of blue lake between them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs the Ponderosa always this beautiful?\u201d she asked, looking up at pine branches above as they ambled along the trail.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we like her,\u201d Joe said with a grin.\u00a0 \u201cBut she may be putting on her best for a special visitor.\u201d<\/p>\n

She thought of saying she wasn\u2019t that special, but he\u2019d probably feel obligated to disagree and \u2013 that would just be fishing, really.\u00a0 So instead she said, \u201cSo were you assigned to look after the stray today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I volunteered.\u00a0 Even offered to arm wrestle Hoss for the privilege.\u201d<\/p>\n

She couldn\u2019t imagine that<\/em> contest ending in any but the one way, and not a way that would end up where they were.\u00a0 \u201cAnd \u2013 he threw the match?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe laughed.\u00a0 \u201cWell, we didn\u2019t actually<\/em> arm wrestle, but yeah, he would have thrown it if we had.\u00a0 He\u2019s very reliable that way.\u00a0 Although you could<\/em> have pretended to believe I could take him.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was probably the flirty thing to do, the thing that the women who knew how to properly react when Joe Cartwright started dumping water over his head would have done.\u00a0 But she lifted her eyebrows and pointed out, \u201cI\u2019ve seen him lift up a carriage, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFair,\u201d Joe acknowledged.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll have you know, though, I once beat every man in the Bucket of Blood Saloon at arm-wrestling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d Liza said, and hoped it didn\u2019t sound too skeptical.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t that she didn\u2019t believe Joe was strong \u2013 he worked on a ranch after all, that had to involve a lot of physical labor \u2013 but surely a lot of men in Virginia City were strong, and Joe was hardly the biggest of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally,\u201d Joe said, and grinned wider.\u00a0 \u201cHoss and Adam paid \u2018em all off to let me win.\u00a0 They think I don\u2019t know, but I figured it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

That made her laugh, and he did too, and it was friendly enough and mutual enough that she even felt comfortable saying, \u201cI\u2019m surprised you admit to all that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cWe all know what we\u2019re good at in the family.\u00a0 Adam\u2019s the smart one and Hoss is the strong one.\u00a0 Me, I\u2019m good with horses, I\u2019m a quick draw, and most people think I\u2019m charming.\u201d\u00a0 He said that<\/em> with a grin too.<\/p>\n

She could just imagine what people<\/em> found him charming.\u00a0 And she couldn\u2019t claim any kind of immunity either.<\/p>\n

They walked on, talking easily, until they reached an outcropping of rocks, stretching down to the shore, and on the opposite side of the trail a green, flower-dotted meadow with a stand of pine trees in the center.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a good place for thinking,\u201d Joe said, pointing at one of the big rocks, and then swung around to point at the meadow.\u00a0 \u201cAnd that\u2019s a very nice spot for a picnic.\u201d<\/p>\n

So they spread out the blanket and investigated the basket Joe had been carrying and even if it was a little early for lunch it seemed only natural to at least try<\/em> Hop Sing\u2019s very excellent biscuits and chicken and slices of cold apple pie.\u00a0 And somewhere after they\u2019d been through the picnic basket and Joe was sprawled out on his back on the blanket, hat over his face, and Liza was sitting braiding strands of long meadow grass together, Joe said idly, \u201cSo tell me more about this Bront\u00eb you like.\u00a0 Charlotte, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

His tone was lazy and friendly but she still felt her cheeks going hot.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know what had gotten into her the previous evening.\u00a0 Well, she knew that Adam had irritated her.\u00a0 But still, she was a guest<\/em> \u2013 she should have been more circumspect.\u00a0 Even if they had ended up in mutual agreement around Thoreau.\u00a0 \u201cI really \u2013 shouldn\u2019t have said all that last night\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe tipped his hat farther back to squint up at her.\u00a0 \u201cWhy not?\u00a0 You don\u2019t actually like Bront\u00eb?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, of course I do, but I shouldn\u2019t have argued with Adam about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe snorted.\u00a0 \u201cYou think I<\/em> mind if you tell my oldest brother he doesn\u2019t actually know everything in the world?\u00a0 Do him good to have someone argue with him sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI doubt he agrees with that sentiment,\u201d she muttered.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s feeling very fond of me this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, being quiet\u2019s just Adam\u2019s way,\u201d Joe said, shifting to prop up on one elbow, turned towards her.\u00a0 \u201cGets all in his own head sometimes.\u00a0 And it\u2019s not like his opinion is the only one that counts anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh?\u201d Liza said, and was he looking at her more intently suddenly\u2026?<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d Joe said softly, and then grinned.\u00a0 \u201cHoss likes you plenty.\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed, not expecting that direction.\u00a0 \u201cI have a feeling Hoss likes most people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, but do you think he gives kittens to everyone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the kitten\u2019s idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you think Hoss couldn\u2019t persuade a kitten if he wanted to?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I like Hoss very much too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMm-hmm,\u201d Joe said in tones of agreement, and then that intent look was back in his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cThough I<\/em> must be something of an idiot, sitting in a beautiful meadow on a beautiful day with a beautiful girl, talking about my brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liza didn\u2019t miss the compliment in the middle of that, and it wasn\u2019t as though she didn\u2019t like it, but \u2013 he\u2019d shifted into what was plainly Joe Cartwright\u2019s famous charm, and that made it feel less real than it might have.\u00a0 She liked it better when he just talked<\/em> to her.\u00a0 \u201cDo you talk to all the pretty girls about your brothers?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly the ones I really like,\u201d he said swiftly, and that<\/em> was unmistakably a compliment too, but he was still being charming\u2026and he probably did say it to all the girls, after all.<\/p>\n

Somewhere along the way she\u2019d leaned in closer towards him, and now she straightened up again.\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t you want to hear about Charlotte Bront\u00eb?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was only the barest pause suggesting that Joe had had to make a shift in direction for this new topic.\u00a0 He sat up, looking towards her with his expression attentive.\u00a0 \u201cSure.\u00a0 Tell me about Charlotte Bront\u00eb.\u00a0 Why\u2019s she your favorite author?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026it is <\/em>Gothic literature like Adam said, but I like that about it.\u00a0 It\u2019s so different, so far away.\u00a0 And the heroine, Jane Eyre, she\u2019s all alone in the world, making her own way, and I find that\u2014admirable.\u201d\u00a0 Comforting, actually, a story about a woman who was<\/em> managing, for good or ill, on her own, even if it was only fiction.\u00a0 But how could she explain that to Joe Cartwright, of the Ponderosa Cartwrights, with his ranch and his family always all around him?\u00a0 It had to be entirely unrelatable for him.\u00a0 \u201cAnd Bront\u00eb\u2019s writing is beautiful.\u00a0 Even if it isn\u2019t Shakespeare.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard somewhere that not everything has to be Shakespeare,\u201d Joe remarked, glint of humor in his eyes now.<\/p>\n

That made her laugh again, and somehow the shared laughter made her want to confess more.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s a lot I like about Bront\u00eb, but it\u2019s also \u2013 that she\u2019s a woman.\u00a0 There aren\u2019t that many women authors, and even fewer that get any respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe snapped his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s the one who wrote that book about slavery \u2013 you know \u2013 what was the name?\u201d<\/p>\n

She did know \u2013 or at least, she could guess what was the<\/em> book about slavery.\u00a0 \u201cHarriet Beecher Stowe.\u00a0 Uncle Tom\u2019s Cabin<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight, that one,\u201d Joe said, then his eyebrows scrunched to a more embarrassed tilt.\u00a0 \u201cAdam read it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course he did.\u00a0 \u201cSo Stowe\u2019s one, and there\u2019s Mary Shelley and Jane Austen \u2013 and I probably ought to like Stowe best because she\u2019s one of the few Americans but, I don\u2019t know \u2013 I like Bront\u00eb.\u00a0 And I like knowing about women authors because \u2013 I\u2019m working in newspapers, or trying to at least, but I\u2019d like to write books.\u201d<\/p>\n

To his credit, he didn\u2019t appear to find this idea the slightest bit surprising, and he didn\u2019t sound dismissive either when he said, \u201cDo you want to write a Gothic novel?\u00a0 Like Bront\u00eb?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t aspire to be Bront\u00eb \u2013 though I did have a phase of writing Gothic stories a few years ago.\u00a0 But I think I\u2019d rather write something more like what I actually know about.\u00a0 Sort of like Sam Clemens does.\u00a0 Not about the same things he does, I mean, but \u2013 from life, you know.\u201d\u00a0 And now she felt quite sure she had said entirely too much, and took a stab at changing the subject.\u00a0 \u201cWhat about you, have you always wanted to be a rancher?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was always pretty inescapable,\u201d Joe said, eyes going distant, as though he was thinking it through, \u201cbut I don\u2019t mind that.\u00a0 It\u2019s probably the only life I ever really wanted to have, even as a kid.\u00a0 Well \u2013 except for when I wanted to be one of King Arthur\u2019s knights.\u201d<\/p>\n

She could see that.\u00a0 Gallant men on horseback, dramatic fights and fair maidens.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite, though,\u201d Joe continued, voice warming, \u201cI had this big old book of stories, it\u2019s probably still around my room somewhere, was Robin Hood.\u00a0 Hoss and I used to play at it out in the woods.\u00a0 He was Little John, of course, and I was Robin Hood, and I was convinced Adam would be a great Sheriff of Nottingham, but he was a lot older so I couldn\u2019t really get him on board\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The picture of Adam playing the sheriff in a child\u2019s game was funny enough, but it was a different thought that made her suddenly giggle.<\/p>\n

Joe scratched the back of his neck.\u00a0 \u201cIt was just a kid\u2019s game\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I wasn\u2019t \u2013 it sounds wonderful,\u201d she said hurriedly, because she hadn\u2019t meant to embarrass him, \u201cbut it just occurred to me \u2013 you still wear green.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh.\u201d\u00a0 Joe looked down at the sleeves of his green jacket.\u00a0 \u201cI never thought about that, but I did<\/em> have sort of a feeling about the jacket.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd<\/em> you rescue travelers when they get lost in your forest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not about Sherwood Forest, though, that\u2019s just Ponderosa hospitality.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it why you know how to fence with a parasol?\u00a0 Because of Robin Hood and King Arthur?\u201d\u00a0 Swordfights were much more common in that sort of story than they were out here on the Western frontier.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the record, I can fence with an actual foil, not just with a parasol.\u00a0 And I learned to fence because my father taught me.\u00a0 But, and you\u2019ll love this, you know how he<\/em> learned?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head.<\/p>\n

Joe grinned, a triumphant expression.\u00a0 \u201cMy mother<\/em> taught him.\u00a0 According to Pa, she could outfence and outride just about anyone, man or woman.\u00a0 And if she could do that, I don\u2019t figure there\u2019s any reason you can\u2019t write a great novel either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liza ducked her head, cheeks warm, and impulsively thought that as long as she was blushing already she might as well dive all the way in.\u00a0 \u201cYou know one of the things I liked about you, right from the start?\u201d<\/p>\n

She could see Joe\u2019s grin out of the corner of her eye, even though she didn\u2019t quite dare to make eye contact.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re going to tell me, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

She drew in a breath.\u00a0 \u201cWhen I told you I worked with Sam Clemens, you asked if I was a writer like him.\u00a0 You took it for granted that I could be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, that\u2019s funny,\u201d Joe said, voice softening.\u00a0 \u201cBecause I liked the way you smiled when I said that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Somewhere along the way she seemed to have leaned in closer towards him again, and he had certainly angled towards her, and so it wasn\u2019t very far at all to tip just a little bit closer.\u00a0 She closed her eyes and a breath later he was kissing her, warm and soft and sweet.\u00a0 And if the thought crossed her mind that there was probably a reason he was very, very good at this, in the heady spell of the moment it was easy enough to dismiss.<\/p>\n

When they broke apart, he smiled at her, green eyes alight, and it was a real smile, not one of his charming grins that seemed so much more deliberate.\u00a0 He drew in a slow breath and said, \u201cYou know, I was beginning to wonder if you liked me at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her cheeks had never really stopped blushing, so why not go ahead and say, \u201cYou\u2019re a very easy man to like.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat so?\u201d\u00a0 And some of the charming look was glinting in his eye now, plainly fishing for further confirmation and compliments.<\/p>\n

Which might be why she leaned back and said, \u201cI only met you two days ago.\u00a0 How quickly do you usually find out if a girl likes you?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged, didn\u2019t answer the question, said instead, \u201cYou\u2019ll be going back to San Francisco before too long, so it\u2019s best not to waste too much time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right.\u00a0 Right, she was going back to San Francisco.\u00a0 She knew it and he knew it and she was<\/em> pretty certain that a lot of girls had liked Joe Cartwright before and he knew that too.\u00a0 And all of that put a different color on things.\u00a0 She reclaimed the braid of meadow grass she\u2019d dropped into her lap some while ago, studied it as she said, \u201cI am<\/em> going back so \u2013 so it\u2019s not like there could be anything, you know, long-term\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, yeah,\u201d he said slowly, \u201cbut not everything in life has to last forever.\u00a0 Or be serious.\u00a0 Some things can just be \u2013 all about enjoying the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Well.\u00a0 As long as they understood each other.\u00a0 As long as they both knew that she wasn\u2019t going to join that list of girls he\u2019d been engaged to \u2013 not that she thought charming, wealthy, very eligible Joe Cartwright was about to propose to her<\/em> \u2013 but as long as he knew that she knew that \u2013 that was better somehow, wasn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

He was still looking at her intently, a smile lurking around the corners of his mouth.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, I was<\/em> enjoying the moment,\u201d Joe murmured, and tugged her closer again.<\/p>\n

It was all too irresistible, because after all, he was<\/em> very good at kissing, and it was a beautiful day in a beautiful place and Joe Cartwright really was charming enough to draw the birds out of the trees, especially when he wasn\u2019t actually trying to be charming \u2013 and what could be the harm in a few kisses?\u00a0 He was the heir to the Ponderosa and she was going back to San Francisco; they existed in separate worlds, so why not enjoy the time for as long as she was here?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss could hear Joe whistling to the accompaniment of wood chopping as he rode into the front yard.\u00a0 Grinning, he left Chub at the hitching rail and strolled over to where Joe was swinging an axe near the porch, splitting firewood.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou seem in a good mood, little brother,\u201d Hoss said, sitting on a planter edge and crossing his arms.\u00a0 \u201cHave a nice picnic?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe grinned back, swinging the axe up to rest on his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cExcellent picnic.\u00a0 One of the all-time great picnics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss beamed in comfortable vindication.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019d I tell you?\u00a0 Lights up like a sunrise.\u00a0 And you think you\u2019re the only one who knows anything about women.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shrugged broadly.\u00a0 \u201cGuess you\u2019ve learned something<\/em> over the years,\u201d which was as much concession as Hoss might have hoped for.\u00a0 More, even \u2013 little brother really was in a good mood.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo when do I need to get my blue suit dusted off for the wedding?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHang on there,\u201d Joe said, holding up a hand.\u00a0 \u201cIt was just a picnic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Hoss said, and winked.\u00a0 Because he\u2019d seen Joe move plenty fast before.\u00a0 \u201cBut when it\u2019s a real good<\/em> picnic\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe\u2019s brow furrowed slightly, and he leaned down to reposition a chunk of wood for splitting.\u00a0 \u201cIt was a nice picnic, but \u2013 it\u2019s not like that.\u00a0 We\u2019re not serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss felt his own forehead wrinkling, because this was not what he\u2019d been expecting.\u00a0 \u201cYou told her that?\u201d\u00a0 He didn\u2019t claim to know everything about women, but that<\/em> didn\u2019t seem like the most romantic of things to say.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, she<\/em> told me<\/em> that.\u00a0 And that\u2019s fine, that\u2019s good,\u201d Little Joe said quickly, before Hoss could get a word in.\u00a0 \u201cSeeing as how she\u2019s going back to San Francisco and everything.\u00a0 So we\u2019re just \u2013 enjoying the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure.\u00a0 Sure, little brother,\u201d Hoss said slowly.\u00a0 Because he\u2019d seen how the two of them looked at each other, and not serious<\/em> was not what he was reading there.\u00a0 \u201cAs long as you know what you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that brought back the classic Joe Cartwright grin.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t I always?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Hoss said at once, because no older brother could let that<\/em> one go by.\u00a0 \u201cBut reckon we\u2019ll just have to see this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Ben had seen Little Joe fall for a woman many times \u2013 more times than was entirely comfortable, even \u2013 and it was obvious enough at supper that something had shifted between Joe and Liza.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t anything they said or did, just in the way they smiled at each other.\u00a0 And Ben had to sigh inwardly and acknowledge that Adam had been right \u2013 there\u2019d really been no time to waste in explaining the situation to Joe.\u00a0 He\u2019d told himself there was no real opportunity the evening before, but he\u2019d have to make the chance tonight.<\/p>\n

Things did align themselves a little better at least, when Liza retired to the guest room downstairs, and Joe and Hoss thumped up the stairs together.\u00a0 Ben steeled himself, and followed them up, catching a long, meaningful glance from Adam as he passed the blue armchair where his oldest son was sitting with a book.<\/p>\n

By the time he got upstairs, Little Joe was sitting on the edge of his bed and Hoss was leaning in the doorway, the two of them having one of their endless, meaningless wrangles about nothing in particular.<\/p>\n

Ben cleared his throat and stepped past Hoss into the room.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph, I\u2019d like to have a word with you \u2013 and with you too, Hoss,\u201d he added, when his middle son started to move back from the doorway.\u00a0 Because while it was a more pressing issue with Joe, they both needed to know.<\/p>\n

\u201cYessir,\u201d Hoss said, and dropped into the big chair in one corner of the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on, Pa?\u201d Joe asked, eyebrows tilting into their quizzical angle.<\/p>\n

Ben took a deep breath, leaning back against Joe\u2019s desk.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s about Liza.\u00a0 There\u2019s something I really should have mentioned yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a nice girl, Pa,\u201d Joe said, tone already defensive, eyes narrowing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, of course,\u201d he said automatically, then amended, \u201cor at least, she certainly seems to be.\u201d\u00a0 Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Adam had come upstairs too, was propping up the doorway now.\u00a0 \u201cYou see, I had a conversation with Roy in town yesterday\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

When Ben got to the end of recounting that conversation, and the results of it, Joe laughed.\u00a0 But he stopped fast when no one joined him.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa, that\u2019s ridiculous,\u201d he said, gaze darting between family members.\u00a0 \u201cHoss, tell him it\u2019s ridiculous.\u00a0 Pa, you know<\/em> it\u2019s ridiculous!\u00a0 You know she\u2019s not a bank robber!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben had known this wasn\u2019t going to go well.\u00a0 Would it have gone any better yesterday?\u00a0 Probably not.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not that I think she is<\/em>, it\u2019s only that we have to allow for the possibility.\u00a0 Based on what Roy said\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not possible,\u201d Joe insisted, \u201cshe can\u2019t<\/em> be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d Adam spoke up from the doorway.\u00a0 \u201cYou and Hoss robbed a bank once.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben winced, and Joe scowled at his older brother.\u00a0 \u201cThat was different<\/em>.\u00a0 We had good intentions, and we brought the money back.\u00a0 No one\u2019s saying the robbery in Placerville was anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

No, all the reports were that it was a professional gang and a particularly ruthless and bloody robbery, with two left dead on the bank\u2019s floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cBased on the description of the female robber,\u201d Ben began, \u201cand Liza\u2019s admission that she was in Placerville\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not proof of anything<\/em>,\u201d Joe protested.<\/p>\n

\u201cI agree,\u201d Ben said, letting some sternness creep into his voice, \u201cwhich is why Roy is attempting to find out more.\u00a0 And until we know more, we simply need to be cautious.\u201d\u00a0 Though even as he said it, he knew that was not a virtue his youngest son tended to embrace.<\/p>\n

\u201cTry to look at this reasonably, Joe,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cHow much do you actually know about this woman?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEnough,\u201d Joe said, glaring at Adam.\u00a0 \u201cWe all<\/em> know enough to know she didn\u2019t murder anyone.\u00a0 Come on, Hoss, you tell them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss had been sitting through the discussion without speaking, a frown on his face.\u00a0 Now he shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cThe kittens liked her.\u00a0 And the horses too.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think she murdered anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben found himself oddly reassured.\u00a0 He trusted his middle son\u2019s judgement about people.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t proof, of course.\u00a0 But it was something.<\/p>\n

Adam, though, shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cKittens like everyone, and horses like people who give them apples.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not true, Adam,\u201d Hoss disagreed, \u201canimals know things.\u00a0 They\u2019ve got a sense of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s disapproving expression didn\u2019t budge.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s not proof either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we would all be better off if we had some,\u201d Ben intervened, \u201cwhich is why I intend to talk to Roy again when I go into town for supplies tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go with you,\u201d Joe said, \u201cI want to talk to Roy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben hesitated, then said, \u201cNo, you have work to do here.\u00a0 Hoss will come with me.\u201d\u00a0 While part of him wanted to keep Joe away from Liza, mostly he knew that was a futile exercise.\u00a0 And it would be much better if they avoided Joe creating a scene with the sheriff \u2013 though getting locked up might be the only effective way to keep him away from Liza.<\/p>\n

He expected Joe to argue, but maybe he was weighing his own perceived benefits in staying home.\u00a0 Or maybe he just had a different question on his mind.\u00a0 \u201cSo what are we telling Liza about all of this?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben didn\u2019t like this either, but there was only one answer here.\u00a0 \u201cNothing.\u00a0 She doesn\u2019t need to know any of this.\u00a0 Not right now, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s frown deepened.\u00a0 \u201cDoesn\u2019t that mean we\u2019re lying to her about why she\u2019s here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo \u2013 she\u2019s here because I invited her, and she\u2019s a guest.\u00a0 That\u2019s true, until we have some reason to feel it isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd in the meantime, you\u2019re watching to see if she reveals herself as a bank robber!\u201d<\/p>\n

That was putting it in the worst possible way, but\u2026\u00a0 \u201cThis is a legal matter, Joseph.\u00a0 Roy has asked that we not reveal his concerns to Liza, because, yes, it does seem more possible to learn something if she remains unaware.\u00a0 We need to respect the sheriff\u2019s views.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sighed, eyebrows scrunched up.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, but I don\u2019t like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNoted,\u201d Ben said dryly, and then a worse idea occurred to him.\u00a0 \u201cJoseph\u2026you haven\u2019t proposed to this woman, have you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shifted into indignation with lightning speed.\u00a0 \u201cPa, I took her on one<\/em> picnic!\u201d he protested, just as adamantly as though he hadn\u2019t moved with similar haste in the past.\u00a0 \u201cAnd it\u2019s not like that anyway, I just like her, that\u2019s all, and\u2014we\u2019re not serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben didn\u2019t miss Hoss\u2019 eyeroll at that, so apparently he didn\u2019t believe his brother either.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see,\u201d was all he said out loud, and even though there were any number of other things he could<\/em> say, he left it at that.<\/p>\n

Ben had a firm policy of never commenting unfavorably on any of his sons\u2019 romantic interests, if it could possibly be avoided.\u00a0 Open disapproval had back-fired spectacularly in the case of Little Joe\u2019s romance with Julia Bulette, and he had been following this altered policy ever since.\u00a0 He still believed that Joe would have left the Ponderosa with Tirza, if he’d dared to breathe a word against the woman who believed she was a witch, capable of turning into a fish, who had bitten Joe\u2019s hand hard enough to draw blood on her first day at the ranch.\u00a0 Instead Ben had called her a fine young woman and given his approval, which had taken the rebellious winds out of Joe\u2019s sails, and he hadn\u2019t pursued Tirza when she left.\u00a0 Thankfully.\u00a0 All in all, Ben saw no reason to divert from policy now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I think we all understand everything,\u201d he said finally, and when no one responded, he took that as agreement.\u00a0 Acknowledgement, anyway.\u00a0 And there didn\u2019t seem to be much else to say.\u00a0 \u201cGood-night, boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murmured responses, and Adam moved out of the doorway so Ben could leave.\u00a0 Hoss didn\u2019t seem to be getting up from the chair, so maybe he and Joe were going to keep talking.\u00a0 Maybe level-headed Hoss was going to calm his younger brother down.\u00a0 Sometimes that worked.\u00a0 Not always \u2013 but sometimes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Liza had the uncomfortable feeling the next morning that Joe wasn\u2019t meeting her gaze at the breakfast table.\u00a0 They were sitting next to each other, not across, so maybe it was only angles and chance.\u00a0 Still, while his manner seemed mostly normal \u2013 as much as she could judge \u2013 he consistently wasn\u2019t looking her way.\u00a0 Maybe he had regrets about the previous day.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t seemed to yesterday evening, but\u2026something could have changed.<\/p>\n

She<\/em> hadn\u2019t been regretting anything, up until now.\u00a0 It probably wasn\u2019t the wisest or most reasonable course to be kissing Joe Cartwright, when she was a guest, when she was going back to San Francisco, when they\u2019d both agreed nothing could really come of it.\u00a0 But she\u2019d been practical and restrained and reasonable for years<\/em>.\u00a0 And it had all been too much fun to be sorry about it.\u00a0 Up until now, at least.<\/p>\n

Ben and Hoss ate breakfast quickly, then departed for town.\u00a0 Adam was swiftly behind them, though he didn\u2019t mention where he was going.\u00a0 So it ended up just the two of them at the table, Joe poking at his eggs, and Liza wondering what she was going to do about this.\u00a0 Or with the day, for that matter.<\/p>\n

She could<\/em> excuse herself, retreat, go find Bront\u00eb because at least the kitten liked her, maybe go outside for a walk until Joe left for whatever business he needed to do today.\u00a0 That was, maybe, the restrained course, and certainly the option that avoided any awkwardness.\u00a0 Or any fun or excitement.<\/p>\n

She studied Joe out of the corner of her eye, and decided that restraint was not the route she was taking.\u00a0 Not while she was here<\/em>, on the Ponderosa.\u00a0 \u201cIs something bothering you?\u201d she asked into the silence that had grown up since Adam had departed.<\/p>\n

Joe flinched, fork clattering against his plate.\u00a0 \u201cNot\u2014really.\u00a0 No,\u201d he said, and he was turning towards her now but still not meeting her gaze directly.<\/p>\n

So something was definitely bothering him.\u00a0 She tightened her grip on her napkin, took a deep breath.\u00a0 \u201cIf this is about yesterday\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d he said quickly, finally looking her in the face, and there was a clear-eyed sincerity in his expression that was unexpectedly reassuring.\u00a0 \u201cOf course not.\u00a0 I just \u2013 had something on my mind.\u201d\u00a0 He set his fork down, summoned up a smile.\u00a0 \u201cSo what are your plans for the day?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t really have any.\u00a0 But that\u2019s all right, I\u2019m sure I can amuse myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

He rubbed the back of his neck.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just riding fence today \u2013 it\u2019s not very exciting, but the scenery\u2019s pretty.\u00a0 If you\u2019d like to come out for a ride\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to entertain me,\u201d Liza said, wishing she hadn\u2019t been quite so transparent about being unengaged for the day.\u00a0 He probably felt obligated now, and he had his own work to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might not be that entertaining,\u201d he said, and then the charming grin was surfacing, the glint back in his eye.\u00a0 \u201cBut it\u2019s better if I get to have a pretty girl riding along with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

At least she recognized this Joe Cartwright, rather than the distracted, brooding one.\u00a0 \u201cIs riding fence more or less interesting than looking for strays?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cProbably less.\u00a0 You never know who you might meet, looking for strays,\u201d he said and winked.\u00a0 Then the grin faded, a more serious look coming into his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, the other day \u2013 and today too, actually \u2013 besides the ranch work \u2013 well, Sheriff Coffee over in Virginia City, he asked us all to keep an eye out for anything strange.\u00a0 He thinks those bank robbers from Placerville might have broke this way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean I might have actually run into an outlaw when I was out riding?\u201d\u00a0 She had meant it half-joking when she started the sentence, but it seemed less funny the more she thought about it.\u00a0 She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know that the parasol would have helped much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou seemed pretty serious with it,\u201d Joe offered.\u00a0 \u201cBut yeah, they seem to be a nasty group.\u201d\u00a0 He rubbed the back of his neck.\u00a0 \u201cYou must\u2019ve been passing through Placerville about the same time as the robbery, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was earlier in the day.\u00a0 Everyone was buzzing about it when the stage went through, but we weren\u2019t there for more than a few minutes to change horses and drivers.\u201d\u00a0 It hadn\u2019t felt unsafe in the town, but the thought now that the outlaws might have gone the same direction, might have happened across her alone with her broken-down carriage \u2013 it gave her the shivers, even though nothing had happened.\u00a0 Nothing bad, anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake any passengers on in Placerville?\u201d<\/p>\n

This seemed an odd question, but she shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cNo, everyone rode through.\u00a0 Why, did you think the bank robbers might have escaped by stage?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Joe said slowly, and then the grin resurfaced.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I don\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0 He pushed his plate away and stood up.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve got to get to those fences, but it really is<\/em> a good way to see more of the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Come on and keep me company?\u201d<\/p>\n

This time the offer felt \u2013 less like a duty, and also less like a transparent effort to be charming.\u00a0 It felt real.\u00a0 \u201cAll right,\u201d she agreed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll help you look out for bank robbers too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was counting on it,\u201d he said, taking her hand as she stood up too.\u00a0 Then he tugged her closer and kissed her.\u00a0 And he didn\u2019t kiss like a man who had any regrets about the idea.<\/p>\n

She studied his face after they broke apart, and whatever had been haunting his eyes seemed to have faded.\u00a0 Maybe it was a mistake to bring it up again, but\u2026\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re sure nothing was wrong this morning?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust something on my mind,\u201d he said easily, tugging her arm through his as they headed towards the door.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll tell you about it \u2013 some time.\u201d<\/p>\n

And she supposed that, and the fact that it didn\u2019t seem to be weighing on him anymore, was enough.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

The streets of Virginia City were busy for a Monday morning when Ben and Hoss drove the wagon into town.\u00a0 The way the town was growing, though, it was hardly surprising.\u00a0 Ben had to smile, remembering the days when it was only a rough and tumble mining settlement, and he\u2019d gained a lot of gray hair trying to think how to keep his boys \u2013 especially that rascal of a Little Joe \u2013 safely at home.<\/p>\n

Maybe he should have brought Joe today after all \u2013 good opportunity for a talk, that road into town.\u00a0 But no, best to keep Joe away from the sheriff for now, to avoid any unfortunate incidents.\u00a0 And it had been a nice peaceful drive with Hoss.\u00a0 Besides, his middle son was always a good choice when a trip to town involved a stop at the general store and the loading of heavy supplies.<\/p>\n

The general store was as busy as anywhere else, though George behind the counter waved a harried hand in their direction as they came in.\u00a0 \u201cBe with you in a minute, Ben!\u201d he called over the heads of several other customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo rush,\u201d Ben said, leaning up against a shelf to wait.\u00a0 He spent enough money here that he could probably get waited on first if he wanted to, but that wouldn\u2019t be right or neighborly.\u00a0 They\u2019d have time enough to stop in the sheriff\u2019s office once they were done here.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, I\u2019m going to go see what candy they\u2019ve got in stock,\u201d Hoss said, turning towards the big glass jars near the window.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot too much, Hoss,\u201d Ben said, one of those hold-over things from when his boys were young.\u00a0 He could remind himself all he liked that they were grown men now, but comments would<\/em> slip out.<\/p>\n

Luckily, Hoss always took that easier than Adam or Little Joe did.\u00a0 He just grinned and said, \u201cYou know I\u2019m still growing, Pa.\u00a0 Got to keep up my strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben laughed \u2013 and after all, he\u2019d lay odds that Hoss would give away most of the candy to kids on the street before they got out of town anyway.<\/p>\n

There were still at least four people in front of Ben, and Hoss had filled up most of a bag with various inedible-looking sugar concoctions, when the door swung open again and this time admitted Bill Raleigh of The Territorial Enterprise<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorning, Ben,\u201d Bill said, tipping his hat in acknowledgement as he surveyed the crowd.\u00a0 \u201cLooks like we\u2019re in for a wait, eh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHope you didn\u2019t have a breaking news story to rush to,\u201d Ben joked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, I think I can spare the time,\u201d Bill said.\u00a0 \u201cAt least until I hear gunshots or screams outside, and then I might need to change plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know,\u201d Ben said slowly, \u201cyou ought to have more staff to do that sort of work for you.\u201d\u00a0 Perhaps there was an opportunity here.\u00a0 Bill was the man Liza said she had come to Virginia City to see.\u00a0 If she was an innocent woman looking for a job, maybe he could do her a good turn.\u00a0 And if she was a bank robber \u2013 well, maybe there was something useful to be learned.<\/p>\n

This kind of double-think was getting increasingly uncomfortable.\u00a0 If they could just settle the question, he\u2019d feel easier.<\/p>\n

\u201cI probably should,\u201d Bill said with a shrug, \u201cbut it\u2019s still an uphill battle convincing promising writers they want to be here and not San Francisco.\u00a0 Or New York or Boston.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMm-hmm,\u201d Ben murmured, and very carefully, very casually, said, \u201cYou know, we have a guest out at the Ponderosa right now.\u00a0 Think you met her.\u00a0 Liza Montgomery, from San Francisco?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lady writer?\u201d Bill said, eyebrows rising.\u00a0 \u201cDidn\u2019t know you knew her, but that explains why she was in town.\u00a0 I thought it must\u2019ve been one of ol\u2019 Sam Clemens\u2019 jokes, sending her to see me, but I couldn\u2019t figure her coming all this way just for a joke.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, no, we met her after she came to town,\u201d Ben clarified.\u00a0 \u201cAnd \u2013 you didn\u2019t know her before either?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, never met her.\u00a0 I saw Sam in San Francisco not too many months ago, met a few of the staff he\u2019s working with at The Morning Call<\/em>, but not her.\u201d\u00a0 He shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t know what Sam was thinking, sending her all this way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe he thought she could do the job,\u201d Ben pointed out, caught between annoyance at the man\u2019s dismissive tone, and frustration that Bill couldn\u2019t just identify her and resolve all this uncertainty.\u00a0 But maybe Roy would know more, when they talked to him.<\/p>\n

Bill smiled, but it was an amused smile.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure she\u2019s a lovely young woman, Ben.\u00a0 And maybe in San Francisco or Boston there\u2019d be a place on staff for a woman, to write about, oh, fashion and household tips and so on.\u00a0 But you know the kind of newspaper I\u2019m printing, and the kind of reporters I need.\u00a0 Suppose there were<\/em> gunshots and screams out on the street right now.\u00a0 How could I send a delicate young woman out to cover a story like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve known more than one woman who could handle a crisis,\u201d Ben said quietly, \u201cand many who\u2019ve had no choice about facing them.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Bill Raleigh was only warming to his subject.\u00a0 \u201cVirginia City\u2019s growing, yes, but we\u2019re still a mining town, Ben, a frontier town.\u00a0 I can\u2019t have a woman writing about mine accidents and shootings and hangings.\u00a0 You know where I\u2019m going after this?\u00a0 There was a cave-in out near the Ophir Mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnybody hurt?\u201d Ben asked with new concern.\u00a0 The Ponderosa sold timber to Holloway, the owner of the Ophir Mine, so he felt some personal connection \u2013 and of course, any disaster was a cause for sympathy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not sure yet.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t the proper mine, it was those abandoned diggings nearby, but they\u2019ve got some men hunting through the rubble.\u00a0 Suppose they do<\/em> pull a body out from among the rocks \u2013 I can\u2019t send a woman to cover that, can I?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Bill, I suppose you can\u2019t,\u201d Ben said heavily, \u201cif you believe<\/em> you can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a thinking man, Bill seemed to entirely miss any of the deeper philosophy in the words.\u00a0 \u201cOf course, Ben, only sensible.\u201d\u00a0 His gaze grew more thoughtful, but when he spoke it was on a new aspect of the question.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, it\u2019s funny you talking to me about Miss Montgomery.\u00a0 The sheriff was around asking about her too.\u00a0 That\u2019s a lot of attention for one ordinary young woman to be getting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I don\u2019t think I\u2019d say that,\u201d Ben said, as heartily as he could.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t going to do anyone any good for the editor of the newspaper to latch onto the idea that Liza might be a bank robber.\u00a0 \u201cYou know Roy likes to keep up with strangers in town.\u00a0 And those boys of mine always have an instinct for when a pretty young woman enters the district.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bill chuckled, as hoped.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose that\u2019s<\/em> true enough.\u201d\u00a0 And then he looked back at the store counter and said, \u201cYou know, all I needed was some tobacco, and this line\u2019s not even moving \u2013 maybe I\u2019ll come back later after all.\u201d\u00a0 After that he made such a rapid exit that Ben had to wonder if he really had thrown the man off track \u2013 or if maybe he hadn\u2019t entirely missed some of the earlier tension in the conversation.<\/p>\n

Hoss, who Ben would have said was entirely absorbed by the candy display, came strolling up just as Bill exited.\u00a0 He was grinning as he nudged Ben\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cRemind me again, Pa, what\u2019s your thoughts on meddling in other people\u2019s business?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben scowled.\u00a0 \u201cNever mind.\u00a0 And I wasn\u2019t meddling<\/em>, I was only discussing the subject.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t expect Bill to give her the job just because I made a point to him about giving women a fair opportunity.\u201d\u00a0 And he\u2019d been hoping to learn something useful, but that hadn\u2019t panned out.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Pa.\u00a0 Suppose it would be a good thing, though, if Mr. Raleigh did<\/em> change his mind, and give her the job, and Liza decided to stay around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it probably would be,\u201d he said meditatively.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t say it aloud to Hoss, but \u2013 there was no telling who<\/em> Little Joe might fall in love with next, if this didn\u2019t work out with Liza.\u00a0 Besides, he wanted his boys to be happy.\u00a0 That was the most important thing, in the end.\u00a0 And then he remembered the complication.\u00a0 \u201cIf she\u2019s not a bank robber, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 face screwed up.\u00a0 \u201cAw, Pa, you don\u2019t really<\/em> think she is.\u00a0 Do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben sighed.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 But Roy had concerns\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose robbers are probably in Mexico by now,\u201d Hoss said cheerfully, \u201cand Roy\u2019ll calm down, and it\u2019ll all be just fine.\u00a0 And even if Liza doesn\u2019t<\/em> wind up with a job, I don\u2019t expect Little Joe is going to let her leave town without giving her a real good reason to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Probably true.\u00a0 And probably a very fine thing \u2013 assuming she wasn\u2019t a bank robber.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Once the crowd cleared at the general store, and they\u2019d made their purchases and Hoss had heaved the lot of them into the wagon, he and Pa headed over to see the sheriff.\u00a0 They barely caught Roy, as he was just putting on his coat to go out when they came in the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope we\u2019re not keeping you from something,\u201d Pa said, but Roy shook his head and moved over to his desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing that won\u2019t wait, Ben.\u00a0 I just wanted to see what the situation was out at this cave-in near the Ophir mine,\u201d Roy said, sitting down at his desk again.<\/p>\n

Hoss claimed one of the chairs near the desk, while Pa stayed standing.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t surprise Hoss \u2013 Pa\u2019d been getting more and more antsy as they got closer to this conversation.\u00a0 It was really bothering him, whether Liza might be some kind of criminal.\u00a0 Not Hoss.\u00a0 He figured she wasn\u2019t, and that was all there was to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cA mine cave-in doesn\u2019t seem much like a legal matter,\u201d Pa said, \u201cunless you think it was deliberate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, Ben, lately it feels like everything<\/em> could be a legal matter.\u00a0 I don\u2019t mind telling you, those Placerville robbers have got me that jumpy\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Roy sighed, leaned back in his chair.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just checking anything unusual, and hoping some sort of answer\u2019s going to turn up from somewhere.\u00a0 And Holloway was in here complaining about trespassers in his mine just yesterday \u2013 now that there\u2019s a cave-in nearby, well, I just don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about Liza?\u201d Hoss spoke up, because while he sympathized with Roy\u2019s feelings, none of this had a whole lot to do with them, or with calming Pa down about their houseguest.\u00a0 \u201cDid you find any answers about her?\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy shuffled through his papers, produced a telegraph message.\u00a0 \u201cWell now, I telegraphed to The Morning Call<\/em> \u2013 but all they would do was confirm that an Elizabeth Montgomery works for them, which doesn\u2019t tell us whether this woman is really her, or if she ought to be in Virginia City.\u00a0 I expect I could get more out of Sam Clemens, but he\u2019s out of town on some newspaper assignment and can\u2019t be reached.\u00a0 Bill Raleigh never met her before, can\u2019t confirm her identity either.\u00a0 I talked to the stage driver who confirmed she was a passenger coming out of Placerville, but they changed drivers there and he can\u2019t say if she was on the stage before Placerville.\u00a0 Every other passenger went on past Virginia City and scattered somewhere between here and Colorado.\u00a0 The driver for the previous leg is out driving, can\u2019t get in touch with him either.\u201d\u00a0 Roy shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cI tell you, it all adds up to a whole lot of dead ends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we\u2019ve got nothing to tell us who she is,\u201d Pa said, slapping his hat against his thigh, like he did when he was frustrated.<\/p>\n

\u201cExcept Liza,\u201d Hoss interjected.\u00a0 \u201cWe have Liza<\/em>, and she sure don\u2019t seem like a bank robber to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou<\/em> don\u2019t seem like a bank robber either,\u201d Roy snapped, \u201cbut I\u2019ve still got a wanted poster somewhere in my files\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s try to keep to the matter at hand,\u201d Pa interrupted, though he didn\u2019t sound quite<\/em> as upset about that particular story as he had, say, last month or the month before.\u00a0 Maybe Joe\u2019d be able to get that wanted poster out of his drawer before long.\u00a0 \u201cThe Placerville bank robbers\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMight be here, might be hundreds of miles away,\u201d Roy said, scowling.\u00a0 \u201cDid you ever find out who was camping on your property?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Pa admitted, \u201cwe only confirmed it wasn\u2019t any of our people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it could be robbers, could just be someone drifting through.\u00a0 Meaning I\u2019d better check on that cave-in, and anything else strange, and<\/em> keep watching every stranger, not just your Liza.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot our<\/em> Liza,\u201d Pa contradicted.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, kind of,\u201d Hoss said, and when they both looked at him, he shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, since she\u2019s staying with us.\u201d\u00a0 And because Little Joe had been looking at her a particular way.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat can we do to help, Roy?\u201d Pa asked, apparently dismissing the question of who belonged to who.<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably not much,\u201d the sheriff said.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s up to you if you want to continue to host the young woman at your house, under the circumstances\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ain\u2019t going to just pitch her out!\u201d Hoss protested, genuinely disturbed by the idea.\u00a0 It was a little bit about Liza, but also about general principles.\u00a0 They couldn\u2019t go throwing a guest out of the house just for happening to ride a stage through a town where there\u2019d been a bank robbery.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is <\/em>a stranger, Hoss\u2014\u201d Roy began.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems to me a stranger\u2019s just somebody we ain\u2019t got to know yet, Roy,\u201d Hoss said, frowning deeply.\u00a0 \u201cVirginia City ain\u2019t even been here more than a handful o\u2019 years, so we all had to come here as strangers some time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy sighed but gave a grudging nod, and Hoss felt Pa\u2019s hand grip his shoulder, saying without words that he approved of what had been said.\u00a0 So that meant that for now, Liza would be staying.\u00a0 Little Joe\u2019d be happy about that \u2013 even if he was<\/em> keeping up this nonsense about not being serious.\u00a0 As if Hoss couldn\u2019t tell when little brother was falling in love; he\u2019d sure done it enough times by now.<\/p>\n

Part Two<\/em><\/p>\n

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

Liza looked out over the distant treetops and Joe watched her looking, both sitting on a blanket spread on a bluff.\u00a0 The sky was a perfect crystal blue, the valley was full of green pines, and he didn\u2019t think he\u2019d ever seen a prettier day.\u00a0 And the company made it all the better.<\/p>\n

It had been almost two weeks since their first picnic \u2013 and a mighty fine almost two weeks it had been too.\u00a0 He\u2019d been pretty fired up at Pa about that bank robber business, but Pa and Hoss had come back from their trip to town with no new information and a renewed determination that hospitality was the only proper response in the circumstances \u2013 and the subject of the bank robbery had been quietly buried ever since.\u00a0 Joe hadn\u2019t been into Virginia City since to hear what Roy thought about it all, and he didn\u2019t care.\u00a0 It just wasn\u2019t important.<\/p>\n

Not as important as enjoying however long Liza was going to be here.\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t quite wanted to ask, about exactly how long a leave she\u2019d taken from her job.\u00a0 A few weeks?\u00a0 A month?\u00a0 Long enough that she hadn\u2019t left yet.\u00a0 Long enough that he\u2019d taken her out on more than one picnic by now, and today they\u2019d gone on a carriage ride, a longer trip to a bluff overlooking one of the best views on the ranch.\u00a0 All part of being hospitable, after all.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s it like?\u201d Liza asked after a few quiet moments, voice soft.\u00a0 She waved a hand out at the view.\u00a0 \u201cTo own something like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t own it.\u00a0 My father does.\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned her head, half-smiled as though he was making meaningless distinctions.\u00a0 \u201cBut it\u2019s still yours<\/em>, in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a way.\u201d\u00a0 He squinted out at the distance, at all that land at their feet.\u00a0 \u201cA ranch like this, we own it, sure, but it\u2019s also a responsibility.\u00a0 A kind of\u2014trust with the land.\u00a0 Pa always taught us, the most important thing is family, but after that it\u2019s taking care of the land.\u201d\u00a0 He ran a hand through his hair.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m probably not saying this right.\u00a0 Adam would know the right words to use \u2013 he\u2019s the philosopher.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t do that,\u201d she said, voice gentler than the words themselves.\u00a0 \u201cJust because Adam is something, that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t be it too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess\u2014we all sort of fall into roles, in our family.\u201d\u00a0 Adam was the smart one.\u00a0 Hoss was the strong one, and had the biggest heart.\u00a0 And he\u2014was the young, impetuous one, as much as he tried to prove he could be more than that.<\/p>\n

She shrugged, looking back at the view.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t think Adam\u2019s any smarter than you are.\u00a0 And you said it fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

He tried telling himself that she was flattering him, but she hadn\u2019t said it like flattery.\u00a0 She had said it like it was true.<\/p>\n

He was still looking for words when she continued, \u201cI wasn\u2019t really talking about owning<\/em> the land anyway.\u00a0 Your father owns it, but\u2014you belong to it.\u00a0 That\u2019s closer to what I meant.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think I\u2019d care about owning something like this, so big and grand and\u2014sacred<\/em>, if I could belong to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

That<\/em> was closer to what he had meant too, that was how it was his, even if he hadn\u2019t found the right way to say it.<\/p>\n

And it was possible that she could<\/em> belong to the Ponderosa, the same way he did.\u00a0 Sometimes the best part of all this was being able to offer it to someone else.<\/p>\n

It was on the tip of his tongue, because she was beautiful and she laughed at his jokes and she listened when he talked and she understood about the land\u2014<\/p>\n

But he remembered just in time that they weren\u2019t supposed to be serious.\u00a0 That she<\/em> had said they weren\u2019t serious.\u00a0 Nothing long-term, because she was going back to San Francisco.\u00a0 And he had promised himself that he was going to be less impulsive, not jump in too fast and too recklessly and get his heart shattered over and over\u2026<\/p>\n

So he swallowed the offer he could have made, but it was hard to completely change direction that fast and so he found himself still skirting around the topic.\u00a0 \u201cPa always said, when one of us got married, Hoss or Adam or me, he\u2019d give us a piece of the land.\u00a0 Let us make our own way on it.\u00a0 Hasn\u2019t happened yet, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d gotten close, more times than either of his brothers.\u00a0 He\u2019d thought about marrying\u2026well, a lot of times, but he\u2019d gotten serious enough to talk about it with eight women.\u00a0 Seemed like a big number, to still be on his own.<\/p>\n

Liza\u2019s glance cut over towards him, without quite turning her head.\u00a0 \u201cIs that what you\u2019d want to do?\u00a0 If you got married?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t got as far as making actual plans with all of those women, but he\u2019d had some ideas a few times.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t have a clue what he would have done with Julia, and hadn\u2019t known at the time \u2013 probably some wild idea about moving to New Orleans.\u00a0 He and Amy would have taken the Truckee Strip and he\u2019d had the house all ready for Laura.\u00a0 He had wanted a piece of land when he was romancing Tirza, and Melinda surely would have wanted a big, grand house \u2013 but she also wanted Adam<\/em>, so that never would have worked out.\u00a0 He\u2019d got all the way to the altar with Tessa, but somehow not figured out a lot of other plans before she, luckily, left him standing there.<\/p>\n

Maybe one advantage of the sheer size of the Ponderosa was that he could keep picking out new places.\u00a0 And he\u2019d been pretty good at letting go and moving on to new dreams.\u00a0 Until he\u2019d finally decided that he\u2019d had enough of dreams falling apart.<\/p>\n

But if, just supposing, that he was going to think about it now \u2013 what did he want now<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I do want my own ranch anymore,\u201d he said, surprised by his own realization.\u00a0 \u201cI did<\/em>.\u00a0 When I was eighteen, the only thing I wanted to do was prove I was grown-up and independent.\u00a0 Which probably mostly proved how young I was.\u201d\u00a0 It was only three years ago, but it felt like a long<\/em> three years.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s\u2014what I was saying, about family and the trust with the land.\u00a0 That feels more important now.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was watching him, head tilted, that intent, listening gaze again.\u00a0 \u201cThen what would you want?\u00a0 If you got married now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy own house.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t ask a wife to move in with my father and brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems reasonable, even as nice as they are,\u201d she said with a half-smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I don\u2019t think I\u2019d want a piece of land of my own, not a whole ranch, anyway.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t want to cut up the Ponderosa, and\u2014I\u2019d still be neighbors to my family, but that\u2019s not the same, is it?\u00a0 I\u2019d rather keep doing what I\u2019m doing, working with Pa and everyone.\u00a0 Building up the family ranch, instead of breaking it into pieces and trying to make some kind of point by doing it all by myself.\u201d\u00a0 He ran a hand over his face, wondering if this all sounded ridiculous.\u00a0 \u201cThat probably doesn\u2019t sound very ambitious, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I think it is<\/em> ambitious,\u201d she interrupted.\u00a0 \u201cBut a family ambition, instead of a solitary one.\u00a0 It sounds perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled at him then, and he had to look away, to look very carefully at the distant trees and hills instead, and fight down the instinct telling him that she<\/em> was perfect for this dream and he should tell her that.<\/p>\n

They weren\u2019t supposed to be serious.\u00a0 And anyway \u2013 she wasn\u2019t going anywhere yet.\u00a0 He could at least\u2026wait and see what happened.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Liza found herself wanting to hold onto each day, each moment as it went by, because they were all so terribly fleeting.\u00a0 She wanted to clutch onto the moment when she was sitting looking out at the mountains and the trees, talking to Joe Cartwright about dreams.\u00a0 A little house somewhere in the pines, just down the road from Ben Cartwright\u2019s ranch house, nestled within the sprawling Ponderosa.\u00a0 She could almost see it.\u00a0 And maybe it was in his future, somewhere.<\/p>\n

But not in hers.\u00a0 And the afternoon wore on, and the moments passed, and they drove back to the ranch house for supper, and she wanted to hold onto that moment too, sitting around the table with Hop Sing\u2019s good food and the Cartwrights\u2019 good conversation.\u00a0 Because this wouldn\u2019t last either.<\/p>\n

Very quickly everyone was standing up from the table, moving towards the sitting area, Hop Sing was bustling around with coffee, and Hoss was asking her if she\u2019d like to try her hand at a game of checkers, instead of watching him and Joe play.<\/p>\n

She hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cYou know, I\u2019ve never actually played checkers,\u201d she admitted.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve never played checkers?\u201d Hoss and Joe chorused together.<\/p>\n

Ben glanced over from the red leather chair, over his coffee cup.\u00a0 \u201cNot everyone likes checkers, boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI might,\u201d Liza said, \u201cit\u2019s just that my father preferred chess.\u201d\u00a0 Which, she was suddenly afraid, made her sound rather pretentious.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, well, if you can play chess, you can definitely play checkers,\u201d Joe said, steering her over towards the settee with one hand on the small of her back.\u00a0 Hoss was already laying out a checkerboard on the big low table, and plunking down on the edge.<\/p>\n

Liza sat down in the corner of the settee, smoothing out her skirts.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t all that good at chess,\u201d she said, eyeing the red and black squares of the board.\u00a0 She\u2019d never been able to think far enough ahead for the game.\u00a0 She could look at the board as it was, but she couldn\u2019t anticipate enough moves out, to properly weigh her choices.<\/p>\n

And if that didn\u2019t tally with her larger thoughts\u2026\u00a0 When she\u2019d accepted the invitation to stay here, she had never anticipated staying this long.\u00a0 She had a month\u2019s leave from her work, the reward for never having taken a single day away before \u2013 and for not having a role important enough that anything would grind to a halt without her \u2013 but still, she had not expected this long sojourn on the Ponderosa.\u00a0 She had thought she would have a new job with The Territorial Enterprise<\/em>, give notice to The Morning Call<\/em> without ever using that long stretch of time.\u00a0 And when the job hadn\u2019t worked out, she had thought she would go back home immediately.\u00a0 When Ben had invited her to stay with his family, well, she had thought even Cartwright hospitality wouldn\u2019t extend more than a few days.<\/p>\n

But now it had been nearly two weeks, and no one had made so much as a hint that she ought to be moving on.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t dare bring the subject up herself, in case that was the trigger that brought this whole interlude to a close.<\/p>\n

\u201cCheckers is real simple compared to chess,\u201d Hoss said, \u201cyou just want to jump the other person\u2019s pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did gather that much,\u201d Liza said with a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry, I\u2019ll help,\u201d Joe said, sitting next to her and leaning towards the board.\u00a0 \u201cJust for your first game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019 amiable face scrunched into a frown.\u00a0 \u201cBetter not trust him, though \u2013 he cheats.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t<\/em>,\u201d Joe protested.\u00a0 \u201cNot at checkers, not at poker \u2013 I don\u2019t cheat at anything, and he\u2019s just casting dark aspersions on the family name with all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss snorted.\u00a0 \u201cHe cheats.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why do you keep playing?\u201d Liza asked, even though she had a suspicion.\u00a0 Mainly, that winning wasn\u2019t the point here, that the game was just about as much fun, at least to Hoss, whether Joe won or lost.\u00a0 Or maybe this back and forth was the real game, running alongside the checkers.<\/p>\n

Hoss shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cWhat else are we going to do of an evening?\u00a0 Especially during winter when we get snowed in for a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could read a book,\u201d Adam spoke up from the blue armchair, his own book already open.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do,\u201d Joe countered, \u201cyou just don\u2019t think dime novels and Robin Hood count.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you line up the checker pieces,\u201d Hoss intervened, before that<\/em> got more heated.\u00a0 \u201cYou want red or black?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes it matter?\u201d Liza asked.<\/p>\n

Hoss shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cNot really.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam plays checkers too,\u201d Joe said in a loud stage whisper, \u201che just pretends<\/em> he spends all his time doing intellectual things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRed,\u201d Liza said firmly.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I like to pretend I raised my boys to have some manners,\u201d Ben remarked to no one in particular, \u201cespecially around guests.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though he said it lightly, the last word sent a little chill through Liza.\u00a0 Because that\u2019s what she was.\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t part of the family.\u00a0 She was a guest, and though he surely meant it kindly, all she could feel was that it meant she didn\u2019t actually belong<\/em> here.<\/p>\n

She tried to concentrate on the checkerboard, nodding as Hoss and Joe laid out the pieces and explained the rules \u2013 much simpler than chess, it was true.<\/p>\n

Joe leaned in against her as the game commenced, his arm warm where it pressed against hers, and though his focus seemed to be the checkerboard, she found him very, very distracting, sitting there beside her.<\/p>\n

In theory, she supposed, she could go back to San Francisco and then, eventually, in a year or two, come back and visit the Cartwrights again.\u00a0 Write a letter, perhaps, expressing a desire to visit the area, and she felt nearly sure Ben would invite her to stay with them.\u00a0 And he would still be the gracious host, and she could still talk about Thoreau or whatever they were reading then with Adam, and Hoss would still be willing to play checkers with her.<\/p>\n

But Joe \u2013 well, whatever this precarious, fleeting thing that was happening between them was \u2013 that surely wasn\u2019t going to come back again.\u00a0 Charming Joe Cartwright would definitely be on to the next girl \u2013 and the next and the next \u2013 or maybe even have finally followed a new engagement announcement up with a wedding announcement at last, and built his house among the pines down the road.<\/p>\n

So she wouldn\u2019t be coming back to visit in a year or two.\u00a0 This interlude, this particular magic, was only for right now.\u00a0 So she ought to concentrate on enjoying it for now.<\/p>\n

She focused on the checkerboard, and nodded to Joe\u2019s advice, and halfway through the game Bront\u00eb came and hopped up into her lap as though the moment had needed just one more element to be cozier and complete \u2013 but she still probably wasn\u2019t concentrating that<\/em> well, since she lost the game.\u00a0 Or it was only that Hoss was the more experienced player.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was real<\/em> good for a first try,\u201d Hoss said encouragingly, visibly more bothered by her loss than she felt.\u00a0 \u201cFigure it was a practice run, like, that\u2019s the best way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really all right, Hoss,\u201d she said with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cOf course you\u2019re the better player.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be more aggressive in your play,\u201d Joe decreed.\u00a0 \u201cHoss is cautious and methodical; he doesn\u2019t react quick enough if you try something really unexpected.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou play and show me,\u201d Liza suggested, and when his face looked like he was going to try to politely refuse, added, \u201cI\u2019ll play the winner.\u201d<\/p>\n

That seemed to satisfy honor and hospitality all around.\u00a0 The way Liza and Joe were sitting they hardly had to shift the checkerboard more than a few inches to commence the next game.\u00a0 Hoss was evidently on a lucky streak tonight, because whatever Joe\u2019s theories might be, his big brother was dominating the board.\u00a0 Liza stroked Bront\u00eb and watched with amusement as Joe\u2019s explanations about how this was all fine, all part of the strategy, grew increasingly long \u2013 and then dropped off entirely as he got further cornered on the board.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou planning to make a move, little brother?\u201d Hoss asked at last, after Joe had been studying the pieces for a very long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t rush me,\u201d Joe snapped, glaring down at his dwindling checkers.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could just concede,\u201d Hoss suggested, tapping a checker already removed from play against the top of the table.<\/p>\n

Maybe that was the signal.\u00a0 Or maybe the cat had just grown bored with the humans sitting around the board for so long.\u00a0 Liza felt Bront\u00eb shift, then suddenly the kitten surged up out of her lap, leaping onto the table on top of the board.\u00a0 One of his back paws pushed down a corner that was extending over the edge of the table \u2013 and then everything turned into a mad scramble of kitten and checkers and board.\u00a0 Hoss tried to grab for either the cat or the checkers, Bront\u00eb scrambled up right over his shoulders and leaped away, Hoss lost his balance and went tumbling off the table, hitting the ground with a thud, and checkers, of course, flew everywhere.<\/p>\n

Liza pressed a hand over her mouth.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m so sorry\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Because it was her cat, and she should have \u2013 done something\u2026<\/p>\n

And then Joe leaned back on the settee and let out a high-pitched cackle she never would have predicted, dissolving into laughter that was impossibly infectious.\u00a0 She tried to resist \u2013 at least, until Hoss started laughing too, and even Ben and Adam joined in, until the room fairly rang.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe,\u201d Hoss said, once the laughter had started to subside slightly, \u201cyou been teaching that cat tricks?\u201d<\/p>\n

And that set everyone off again.<\/p>\n

It would be a lot easier, really, to think about moving on, if they\u2019d all stop being so wonderful<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Joe had one eye on the young horse he was leading around the corral, getting it used to a bridle, and one eye on Liza, sitting on the corral rail where it met up with the barn, holding a book.\u00a0 He fancied she had one eye on her book and one on him too.\u00a0 But for all that, he managed to notice when Danny Kidd rode into the yard.\u00a0 Danny lifted a hand in greeting, then swung down from his horse and came over to the corral.<\/p>\n

\u201cSheriff Coffee\u2019s riding in, Joe,\u201d Danny announced, leaning his elbows on the corral railing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is?\u201d Joe said as the horse suddenly jerked on the bridle.\u00a0 Probably picking up Joe\u2019s new unease.\u00a0 \u201cEasy there,\u201d he said, as soothingly as he could, reached out to stroke the horse\u2019s nose, and looked at Liza out of the corner of his eye.\u00a0 She<\/em> didn\u2019t look anything more than mildly interested.<\/p>\n

And why would she be?\u00a0 She wasn\u2019t <\/em>a bank robber.\u00a0 He was so sure of that, he\u2019d put the idea almost entirely out of his mind \u2013 right up until they had the sheriff riding in.\u00a0 And that could cause trouble, because who knew what Roy was going to have in his<\/em> head?<\/p>\n

\u201cDanny, have you met Liza?\u201d he asked, falling back on those manners Pa had always been trying to teach him. \u00a0Danny had been out riding herd in the north quarter recently, so he didn\u2019t think their paths had crossed yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u00a0 Ma\u2019am,\u201d Danny said, giving his black hat a tug.<\/p>\n

\u201cNice to meet you,\u201d Liza said, closing her book.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy hasn\u2019t been out here for a couple weeks at least.\u00a0 Is he here socially or officially?\u201d Joe asked, trying to fish for something to tell him how much trouble might be coming.<\/p>\n

Danny shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t ask.\u00a0 I just saw him heading this way and came in to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe wasn\u2019t all that surprised that Danny hadn\u2019t talked to the sheriff.\u00a0 He had ridden in at a pretty good trot too, if not fast enough to look like he was fleeing.\u00a0 He was less uncomfortable with lawmen than he had been when he first came to the Ponderosa, fresh out of prison and on parole for a year.\u00a0 There were a couple months still left on that year, though Joe hoped Danny would stay around and continue as a ranch hand even once he didn\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I guess Roy\u2019ll tell us what he wants when he gets here,\u201d Joe said, stroking a hand down the horse\u2019s nose.\u00a0 Maybe it would calm one of them. \u00a0\u201cNo posse or anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope, he was riding alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right.\u201d\u00a0 That was a good sign, though maybe Roy just didn\u2019t figure he needed a posse to arrest one young woman.\u00a0 Joe gave the horse\u2019s neck a pat and tugged the bridle off.\u00a0 Enough of that for now, and the horse would probably be calmer left alone.\u00a0 \u201cWhy don\u2019t you go inside and let Pa know the sheriff is coming?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Danny loped off towards the house, and Joe boosted himself up to sit on the railing next to Liza.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan of few words?\u201d she remarked, watching as Danny let himself into the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, sometimes.\u00a0 And women make him nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid I do something?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, it\u2019s just how he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not a foreign species, you know,\u201d she said, voice growing tart.<\/p>\n

Maybe not, but women certainly could be mysterious and fascinating creatures \u2013 though it wasn\u2019t a mystery what kind of reception he\u2019d get if he said<\/em> that right now.\u00a0 \u201cOf course not,\u201d he agreed glibly, and then lifted a hand as Sheriff Coffee rode around the corner of the barn.\u00a0 Judging by the speed of his<\/em> horse, he might be here on official business, but it wasn\u2019t particularly urgent.\u00a0 That helped some.<\/p>\n

The sheriff dismounted too, leaving his horse next to Danny\u2019s, and walked over towards Joe and Liza.\u00a0 Obeying an instinct he didn\u2019t try to understand, Joe reached out and laced his fingers through Liza\u2019s.\u00a0 She glanced at him, curling her fingers around his.\u00a0 Felt good that way.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfternoon, Little Joe,\u201d Roy said as he approached, and Joe could tell the sheriff was looking at their joined hands.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t let go.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you must be Miss Montgomery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I am,\u201d Liza said, looking puzzled.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy likes to keep track of anybody coming into town,\u201d Joe said hurriedly.\u00a0 Especially when there\u2019d been a bank robbery, especially when that anybody<\/em> had gone right through the right town on the right day \u2013 but as long as no one said<\/em> that\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to keep track of the Cartwrights too,\u201d Roy said with a smile, \u201cwith the amount of trouble Ben\u2019s boys get into.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t sound<\/em> like a man who was here to arrest anyone.\u00a0 Probably best to just ask his business, but before Joe could get there, Pa came out from the house to greet the sheriff too.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood to see you, Roy,\u201d Ben said heartily, clapping him on the shoulder.\u00a0 If he was uneasy about this, he was hiding it well.\u00a0 \u201cHere about any trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat right there, that\u2019s the problem with being a sheriff,\u201d Roy complained.\u00a0 \u201cYou ride out on a nice day to see friends, and right away they ask you if you\u2019re here about trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYou know you\u2019re always welcome on a purely social call too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019s real kind of you,\u201d Roy acknowledged, \u201cbut it happens I am<\/em> here about some trouble.\u00a0 Not big trouble, mind, just something I wanted to mention.\u201d<\/p>\n

Could he just get on with the point?\u00a0 \u201cIs it about outlaws or cattle rustlers?\u201d Joe asked, a desperate attempt at humor to relieve his own tension \u2013 and it did make him grin when Liza rolled her eyes at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Roy said slowly, eyeing him as though he wasn\u2019t making sense, \u201cit\u2019s about bank robbers.\u201d\u00a0 Which only confirmed Joe\u2019s worst fears \u2013 but then Roy\u2019s next words sent the whole thing a new direction again.\u00a0 \u201cSpecifically, about that cave-in near the Ophir mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyebrows scrunched together.\u00a0 What could that<\/em> possibly have to do with anything?<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought that was determined to be an accident,\u201d Pa said, brow furrowing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it was,\u201d Roy agreed.\u00a0 \u201cNo sign of interference, dynamite or the like, thought to just be a natural event.\u00a0 But Holloway was worried, it being so close to his mine \u2013 you know how conscientious he\u2019s gotten about safety these last few years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d Pa said, nodding.\u00a0 \u201cHe buys our timber to brace his mines.\u00a0 In fact, that contract\u2019s about due to be re-signed this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Holloway wanted the caved-in area properly analyzed,\u201d Roy continued, \u201cto make sure it wouldn\u2019t indicate some sort of problem in his nearest tunnel.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know the details, Ben, I ain\u2019t a mining man.\u00a0 But the point is, he kept a few men digging over there, and early this morning they pulled out a body.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe felt an uneasy prickle run down his spine, something just this side of a shudder.\u00a0 This was mining country, and cave-ins were a fact of life, but it was a terrible way to go \u2013 under a mountain of rock, cut off from the sky and the air.\u00a0 Ranching had its challenges and its risks, but at least it didn\u2019t have that<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny idea who it was, Roy?\u201d Pa asked quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what worries me, Ben,\u201d Roy said.\u00a0 \u201cThe man was carrying a bank draft from the bank that was robbed in Placerville.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know what he was doing in that cave, but two weeks ago he robbed a bank.\u00a0 And that means at least one of those robbers did<\/em> come this way like we thought they might\u2019ve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Almost involuntarily, Joe looked over at Liza, looking for \u2013 he didn\u2019t know what exactly.\u00a0 She was frowning, a worried look on her face.\u00a0 When she noticed him glancing her way her hand tightened around his, and she shifted over an inch so their shoulders bumped.\u00a0 So she was uneasy, but anybody would<\/em> be, at news there could be a gang of bank robbers in the area.\u00a0 He<\/em> was uneasy.\u00a0 Judging by their faces, Pa and Roy were too.\u00a0 That was all natural enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think the rest of the gang is under that cave-in too?\u201d Joe spoke up.\u00a0 That would wrap up the whole business, wouldn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

Roy shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019ve just about got it cleared, and there\u2019s no sign of anything but the one body.\u00a0 And no sign of the money either.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo they could be in the area,\u201d Pa said heavily, \u201cor they could have fled to Mexico two weeks ago.\u00a0 Just like we always thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Ben, only now we know they were<\/em> out this direction,\u201d Roy said.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s why I wanted to let you and the other ranchers around know.\u00a0 I think there\u2019s a good chance that fire you found the other day was one or more of the outlaws passing through your land, on the way to where one of them ended up.\u00a0 It all means we need to stay alert on this thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that why you\u2019ve been keeping track of everyone coming into town?\u201d Liza asked, and Joe had to hope that she couldn\u2019t feel what, to him, was the very obviously increased tension in the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I always keep track of strangers, ma\u2019am,\u201d Roy said, pushing his hat back and smiling genially.\u00a0 Which just said to Joe that he still suspected Liza, if he was evading the question like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cRoy, why don\u2019t you come into the house for some coffee?\u201d Pa interjected, putting a hand on the sheriff\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe-ell, I really ought to ride on to a few more ranches,\u201d Roy said, but in the tone that meant he could be persuaded.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a long ride from town.\u00a0 I think you\u2019ve earned a cup of coffee,\u201d Pa said, steering the unresisting Roy towards the house \u2013 and away from Liza and Joe.\u00a0 He glanced back as he went.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d better get that horse back in the barn, Joseph.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sir,\u201d Joe said, left to wonder how deliberately Pa was moving Roy away from Liza.\u00a0 This whole business was ridiculous; clearly<\/em> she wasn\u2019t a bank robber.\u00a0 Pa and the sheriff were going in the front door now, and once it shut \u2013 Joe had never been one to resist reckless impulses, so suddenly he found himself asking, \u201cYou didn\u2019t rob that bank, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her expression was quizzical as she looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat, because I went through Placerville on the right day?\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019d worked that out fast.\u00a0 \u201cSure.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled, and it was so clear she thought it was a joke, on her face and in the light way she asked, \u201cIf I was<\/em> a bank robber, would you turn me in?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Joe said slowly \u2013 and wasn\u2019t treating the whole thing as a joke a denial of its own kind?\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure Pa would say that was the right thing to do.\u00a0 Go in of your own free will, get a fair trial, pay your debt to society.\u00a0 All those things.\u201d<\/p>\n

She cocked an eyebrow at him.\u00a0 \u201cSo that\u2019s a yes?\u201d<\/p>\n

He was in all kinds of trouble if she really was a bank robber.\u00a0 \u201cNo, that\u2019s what Pa<\/em> would say to do.\u201d\u00a0 He grinned at her.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d probably offer to run away to Mexico with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed, sliding down from the corral rail.\u00a0 \u201cI might take you up on it.\u00a0 If I was a bank robber.\u201d<\/p>\n

He dropped down off the railing himself before she got more than a step or two, plenty quick enough to catch her and kiss her.\u00a0 She leaned into him, hands sliding up over his shoulders.\u00a0 Kissing her made his head spin, in the best possible way, and he didn\u2019t stop to think before breathing, \u201cWant to run away to Mexico?\u201d<\/p>\n

She pulled back just an inch or two, far enough for him to see her smile as she said, \u201cBut I\u2019m not a bank robber.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right.\u00a0 Like he thought.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t think they were talking about anything real.\u00a0 And they weren\u2019t, not really, and he didn\u2019t even want to whisk her off to Mexico anyway, he just wanted to keep her here<\/em>\u2026and he wasn\u2019t exactly sure when he\u2019d started thinking that<\/em>.<\/p>\n

They weren\u2019t supposed to be anything serious \u2013 but he was having trouble at the moment remembering why.\u00a0 Because\u2026she was going back to San Francisco.\u00a0 Right.\u00a0 And he\u2019d sworn off serious things, things that might get his heart broken, because\u2026that had seemed like a good idea at the time.<\/p>\n

For an instant he seriously considered throwing all caution to the wind, saying something real<\/em>, something that wasn\u2019t a joke about running away to Mexico \u2013 but the couple of inches between them were just enough to let him get a hold of his thoughts again.\u00a0 She<\/em> had said they were nothing serious.\u00a0 And if things had started to change between them \u2013 well, if <\/em>he was going to start changing the rules, if he was going to do something wild like, say, proposing \u2013 it wasn\u2019t going to be in the middle of the front yard, when Pa and the sheriff might wander out at any moment.<\/p>\n

So instead he said, \u201cHow about coming with me to the Thursday night dance tomorrow?\u00a0 It\u2019s not that grand but there\u2019s music and, you know, dancing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably why they call it a dance,\u201d Liza said gravely, laughter lurking in her eyes.<\/p>\n

It was very hard to get much of a sentence together when her eyes looked like that, so he just fell back on, \u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes the rest of your family go?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hesitated, because he hadn\u2019t exactly meant it as a family expedition.\u00a0 But they probably would<\/em> go.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, usually.\u201d<\/p>\n

And for some reason that made her laugh.\u00a0 \u201cCartwrights do like moving in a pack, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sometimes in ways that were profoundly irritating.\u00a0 Sometimes in ways that meant the world.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s not the point though, you and I<\/em> should go.\u00a0 It\u2019s not like I was planning to dance with Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed again, and he liked that<\/em> laugh, because he\u2019d taken aim and successfully brought it out.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d definitely come to a dance to watch that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cThe way he clomps around in those boots?\u00a0 Any woman who dances with him has more courage than I<\/em> do to attempt it.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Liza couldn\u2019t help wondering what it would be like to run away to Mexico with Joe Cartwright.\u00a0 She watched him as he went back over to the corral, picking up the horse\u2019s lead rope to bring it into the barn.<\/p>\n

He glanced back at her.\u00a0 \u201cWant to come with me while I take the horse in?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure.\u201d\u00a0 Something in the diffidence of the request made it more appealing.\u00a0 Like he didn\u2019t expect it to be<\/em> appealing, exactly, but he was offering \u2013 and that was better than if he was sure he was bestowing a grand gift.<\/p>\n

But it was a real offer, while obviously<\/em> he hadn\u2019t been serious about Mexico.\u00a0 And she knew that she didn\u2019t actually want<\/em> to go to Mexico.\u00a0 If they did, it would probably be terrible.\u00a0 As far as she knew, neither of them spoke Spanish, and also they\u2019d get caught in the middle of the war that was currently raging down there, and it would be like Joe to idealistically throw in with Juarez\u2019s beleaguered army, and it would all be terrible<\/em>.<\/p>\n

And yet.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t altogether shake the idea that if she were to run off anywhere with Joe, whatever else happened, they\u2019d have a lot of fun together.\u00a0 There would be a lot of laughter.<\/p>\n

There would be a lot of kissing too, and\u2026\u00a0 And she ducked her head and quickened her steps through the barn door, hoping the shadows inside would be enough to hide her flushed cheeks.<\/p>\n

Joe was clearly never going to go anywhere, and she didn\u2019t actually want him to.\u00a0 She\u2019d only been here a couple of weeks, and yet she\u2019d never seen a family that held together as closely as the Cartwrights did.\u00a0 They moved through the world as a pack, and who would Joe be if he was separated from that, or from this place that was so much a part of the family too?\u00a0 She would never want that for him.<\/p>\n

If she had agreed to go to Mexico, he would have laughed, and she would have laughed, and they would have both known it was only a silly idea, just a joke from a charming man who liked to laugh.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t making any serious offer \u2013 not any offer more significant than going to a dance, and that was plenty.\u00a0 That was more than enough, for an acquaintanceship of a mere two weeks, when she was going back to San Francisco, when they both knew nothing could ever be serious between them.<\/p>\n

Dancing with Joe Cartwright would probably be a lot of fun too, with a far lower chance of heartbreak or disaster than running away to Mexico together.\u00a0 So, on balance, it was best all around.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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

Joe pulled the brim of his hat down against the sun, kicked his heel against the hitching post, and sighed.\u00a0 Thursday afternoon, and nothing interesting going on in Virginia City.\u00a0 The evening\u2019s dance was still hours away, and right now \u2013 nothing was happening out there on the dusty street in front of him, which still made it marginally less boring than the conversation Adam was having in the bank behind him.\u00a0 Joe had tried.\u00a0 He\u2019d gone in with Adam, he\u2019d hung around for a while, even listened for a little bit while Adam and the bank manager discussed theories of investment, and finally gone back outside in disgust.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you reckon?\u201d he asked Cochise, standing at the rail next to him.\u00a0 \u201cThink Adam\u2019ll be out before nightfall?\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d better be.\u00a0 They needed to get back to the Ponderosa to get ready for the dance\u2026which would then require coming all the way back to town again.<\/p>\n

He was sure there had been a better way to manage today, but Pa and Adam had insisted on him going along for the business part of things.<\/p>\n

Cochise nickered at him, in a sympathetic way, and nosed at his shirt.<\/p>\n

Joe rubbed between the horse\u2019s ears.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, pal, no apples today.\u00a0 But tell you what, if Adam\u2019s not out in five more minutes, we\u2019ll go over to \u2013 well, I\u2019ll<\/em> go over to the saloon for a beer, and see if I can bring you out a cup of coffee too.\u00a0 Serve brother Adam right if he comes out and can\u2019t find me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs if I wouldn\u2019t look in the saloon first anyway,\u201d Adam\u2019s dry voice remarked from behind him.<\/p>\n

Joe twisted to look over his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t eavesdrop on a private conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith your horse<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCochise is a good listener,\u201d Joe said staunchly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd anyway, you wouldn\u2019t have known which saloon to check.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Silver Dollar?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sighed again.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, all right, it would have been the Silver Dollar.\u201d\u00a0 It was possible he was getting too predictable.\u00a0 But the Silver Dollar had the best beer in town and<\/em> Cochise\u2019s favorite coffee, with a slightly lower likelihood of ending up in a brawl than at the Bucket of Blood.\u00a0 That last one was not always a point in its favor, but today he didn\u2019t have the time or inclination for a good, invigorating fight.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, let\u2019s go sign off on that renewed timber contract for the Ophir Mine,\u201d Adam said, starting down the sidewalk, just as though he<\/em> wasn\u2019t the one who\u2019d taken far longer than strictly necessary in the bank.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still don\u2019t see why you even needed me today,\u201d Joe said, trotting to catch up.\u00a0 At least Adam was moving faster finally.<\/p>\n

\u201cWeren\u2019t you all afire to get into town just a couple weeks ago?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but things were different<\/em> then,\u201d Joe said, and if Adam couldn\u2019t see for himself how things were different, he wasn\u2019t going to bother explaining.\u00a0 Though from the way older brother was smirking, he knew perfectly well that it had everything to do with whether Liza was in town or not.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s better to put two signatures on the contract,\u201d Adam said serenely.\u00a0 \u201cIt always shows more respect, when we send at least two Cartwrights to confirm an agreement.\u00a0 And this timber agreement with Mr. Holloway has been one of our best for the last few years\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, I know, ever since you and the Dutchman came up with that new bracing design for the mines.\u00a0 Mr. Holloway won\u2019t even care that I\u2019m there \u2013 you\u2019ve been his favorite person ever since then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt still shows respect,\u201d Adam said, and pushed open the door of the mining office.\u00a0 \u201cCome on \u2013 in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know<\/em>,\u201d Joe muttered.<\/p>\n

Inside the mining building, the secretary showed them in to Mr. Holloway\u2019s office, who came around his desk to shake their hands and gesture them to the two chairs in front of the desk.\u00a0 Joe sank down and tried not to stare at the clock, calculating how long they were likely to be sitting here and how soon he could get back home.<\/p>\n

After a minute or two of general pleasantries, Adam said, \u201cWe\u2019re here of course about renewing that timber contract you have with the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Seems to be that time of year again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFunny how fast it goes around,\u201d Mr. Holloway said, but seemed slightly uneasy.\u00a0 \u201cAbout that contract \u2013 well, the truth is, I don\u2019t think I can renew it right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe saw Adam stiffen, and didn\u2019t feel any too easy himself.\u00a0 The Ponderosa always had a number of different revenue streams (it\u2019s not like he didn\u2019t pay any<\/em> attention to financial matters), but this was a good one.\u00a0 \u201cSomething you\u2019re not satisfied with about the terms?\u201d Adam asked.\u00a0 \u201cOr the service provided?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, nothing like that,\u201d Mr. Holloway assured them, maybe too heartily.\u00a0 \u201cI know you\u2019ve always given me a fair price, and your timber has always been top quality.\u00a0 And on time too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I don\u2019t understand the problem,\u201d Adam said, edge in his voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014let me level with you.\u00a0 Privately, you understand,\u201d Mr. Holloway said, leaning forward.\u00a0 \u201cAs a business partner I can only say that I can\u2019t commit, but I like to think of the Cartwrights as friends.\u00a0 And as a friend \u2013 the truth of the matter is that I\u2019m selling my mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyebrows shot up, and Adam seemed equally surprised.\u00a0 \u201cReally?\u00a0 I never thought of you selling out, Mr. Holloway,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I never thought so either.\u00a0 But I\u2019ve been reevaluating my priorities for a few years, and now Helene is marrying that fine young fellow she met back East.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s time we pulled up stakes and started fresh somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, is Helene getting married?\u201d Joe said, genuinely pleased.\u00a0 Holloway\u2019s daughter had had her share of tragedy, and it was always nice to hear good news about someone you liked.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s great!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI do appreciate that the whole thing leaves you in the lurch on the timber contract though,\u201d Mr. Holloway said with a frown.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll certainly recommend continuing with Ponderosa timber, but transacting a new contract will be up to the new owners.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand how the business works,\u201d Adam said with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps we can talk to the incoming owners?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot just yet,\u201d Mr. Holloway said, leaning back in his chair.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re still in final negotiations and want to keep everything quiet.\u00a0 But it should be public in a few more days.\u00a0 It\u2019s all been moving very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat will be some big news for Virginia City,\u201d Adam said.\u00a0 \u201cLet us know when everything is settled, and we\u2019ll be glad to talk to the new owners as soon as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

The general pleasantries continued a little longer, but Joe\u2019s attention had snagged on that one phrase of Adam\u2019s \u2013 big news<\/em>.\u00a0 It would<\/em> be big news, the kind of news Bill Raleigh over at The Territorial Enterprise<\/em> would devote a large story to.\u00a0 Holloway\u2019s mine was one of the major ones in town, employing a lot of people and impacting even more.\u00a0 But right now, Raleigh didn\u2019t know the news existed yet.<\/p>\n

Raleigh would want this news if he knew about it, and Liza wanted to work for the Enterprise<\/em>.\u00a0 If Liza worked for the Enterprise<\/em>, she wouldn\u2019t go back to San Francisco, and that, Joe was realizing with sudden clarity, was something he<\/em> wanted.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t mean have to mean he\u2019d wind up with his heart broken.\u00a0 It could just mean \u2013 well, it had been a good couple of weeks.\u00a0 A very<\/em> good couple of weeks.\u00a0 And if, maybe, that could just stretch on a while longer\u2026no one had to do anything rash like running off to Mexico or proposing marriage or anything like that<\/em>.\u00a0 He had to keep reminding himself that they weren\u2019t serious.\u00a0 But he could do that.\u00a0 Against all previous experience, surely he could be not serious<\/em> if he chose to be.<\/p>\n

And so there had to be some way to put together all these pieces, Holloway\u2019s mine sale and Bill Raleigh\u2019s news story and Liza\u2019s job, to get everyone what they wanted.\u00a0 He just had to think it through.<\/p>\n

But more pressingly, he needed to get back to the Ponderosa so he could get his hair combed and his shirt changed and pick up Liza for tonight\u2019s dance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Liza sank gratefully down onto the bale of hay lining the wall of the dance hall.\u00a0 Virginia City dances were \u2013 energetic, to say the least.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re sure you don\u2019t want to dance this next one?\u201d Joe asked, still standing above her, smile at its most winning.<\/p>\n

She waved a hand at him.\u00a0 \u201cJust let me catch my breath for a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh sure, sorry,\u201d he said, and perched on the edge of the hay bale next to her.\u00a0 He leaned in closer, still smiling.\u00a0 \u201cI just enjoy dancing with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

She smiled but shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cI was terrible out there, and you know it.\u00a0 They don\u2019t do these dances in San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

She had to hope that was actually true.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t go to dances in San Francisco.\u00a0 It was entirely possible Joe had been to more than she had.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t contradict her though, or try to argue about her abilities, and instead just said, \u201cI still enjoy dancing with you.\u00a0 Tell you what, let me see if I can fight off the hordes at the punch bowl \u2013 I\u2019ll be right back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he was off, weaving through the crowd, and Liza leaned back on her hands, letting out a slow breath.\u00a0 She was having\u2014fun, yes.\u00a0 She liked dancing with Joe too.\u00a0 But this was also all much more\u2014difficult, somehow, than the past couple weeks at the Ponderosa had been.\u00a0 There were so many people here, a great thronging crowd, and while she knew the population of Virginia City was a fraction that of San Francisco, it didn\u2019t feel like it tonight.<\/p>\n

Everyone<\/em> knew the Cartwrights.\u00a0 Ben, Adam and Hoss had all been swallowed up by the crowd \u2013 though as tall as they all were, it wasn\u2019t that hard to spot them if she tried \u2013 while Joe had stuck by her as loyally as she could wish.\u00a0 But even so, it was impossible not to see the way so many people in the room had a claim on him and the rest of his family \u2013 friendship and history and the ties of neighbors.\u00a0 It was a huge web of people that she wasn\u2019t part of.\u00a0 She\u2019d been introduced to what felt like dozens of people and she was sure she didn\u2019t remember a single name.<\/p>\n

Not knowing the dances was the least of it.<\/p>\n

If she had thought any of the comfort and ease she\u2019d been feeling recently was about her<\/em>, tonight seemed to be proving definitively that it had much more to do with the Cartwrights and their skill at hospitality.<\/p>\n

If she had stayed in Virginia City, if she had got that job at The Territorial Enterprise<\/em> after all, she supposed she would have had time to learn the dances, and the names too.\u00a0 She wondered if she would have been able to do it.\u00a0 As big a city as San Francisco was, she\u2019d been living in a circumscribed way within it.\u00a0 It felt<\/em> like she encountered a vast amount of people, passing them on the street or in connection with the newspaper, but those encounters weren\u2019t the same as this<\/em>, all these people who actually knew each other.<\/p>\n

Her musings were interrupted by the arrival of two women in a rustle of silk dresses who emerged out of the crowd to stand arm in arm in front of her.\u00a0 One had red hair and the other was blonde, but both were dressed more elegantly than most in the room, both were around Liza\u2019s own age, and both were very pretty.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello,\u201d the redhead said, flashing a brilliant smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re the Cartwrights\u2019 new friend, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014yes,\u201d Liza said, not sure she would have introduced herself that way \u2013 but she supposed it was true.<\/p>\n

She started to rise to her feet, but the blonde quickly said, \u201cOh, don\u2019t get up.\u00a0 That Little Joe will dance a girl off her feet if you let him.\u00a0 We<\/em> know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then they were sitting down, one on either side of her, hardly giving Liza time to work out why the words were giving her warning bells.\u00a0 Of course everyone around here knew the Cartwrights\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Jennifer,\u201d the redhead said, smiling brightly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd that\u2019s Ellie.\u00a0 You are?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cElizabeth.\u00a0 I\u2019m\u2014visiting from San Francisco.\u201d\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know exactly why she provided that detail, or why it felt vaguely like reaching for some sort of defense.\u00a0 Some way to claim that she had<\/em> a place in the world, even if she felt decidedly out of that place at the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, how delightful!\u201d Jennifer said.\u00a0 \u201cI do<\/em> love San Francisco.\u00a0 So much more exciting than this dull old place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems lively enough tonight,\u201d Liza observed.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, this,\u201d Jennifer said dismissively.\u00a0 \u201cIt hardly compares to a proper dance in San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo<\/em> true,\u201d Ellie said with a sigh.<\/p>\n

For just a moment, Liza entertained the idea that there might be some commonality between them \u2013 that she might feel vaguely envious of the other women\u2019s comfortable belonging here, in this place, while they envied her belonging in San Francisco.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t go to dances there, but they didn\u2019t need to know that.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long are you staying in Virginia City?\u201d Jennifer asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not\u2014entirely sure yet,\u201d Liza said.\u00a0 The Cartwrights hadn\u2019t brought the subject up in days, and these two women had brought it up immediately.\u00a0 \u201cProbably another week or so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, well, that might<\/em> be all right then,\u201d Jennifer said, exchanging a significant glance with Ellie.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see, we thought we ought to warn you,\u201d Ellie said, putting a hand on Liza\u2019s arm.\u00a0 \u201cJust a friendly word between girls, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWarn me?\u201d Liza echoed, feeling she\u2019d missed a significant turn in the conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, that Little Joe\u2026\u201d Ellie said, casting her gaze heavenwards, and Liza realized she hadn\u2019t really liked the way Ellie had said that Little Joe<\/em> the first time either.\u00a0 \u201cHe is so<\/em> charming. And handsome, obviously. \u00a0But you\u2019ve got to watch out for that one, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s true,\u201d Jennifer chimed in.\u00a0 \u201cEvery time you turn around, he\u2019s moved onto another girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s very sweet, of course, when he wants to be,\u201d Ellie continued, \u201cbut\u2014so unsteady.\u00a0 I don\u2019t even know<\/em> how many girls he\u2019s been serious about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can call it serious,\u201d Jennifer said, and they both laughed.\u00a0 \u201cLovely to dance with, but\u2014best not to set your heart on him, you see.\u00a0 He\u2019s been chasing every girl in town for years, and he hasn\u2019t married one of them yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou being a stranger in town, we just thought it was our duty to tell you.\u00a0 Just so you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI see,\u201d Liza said quietly.\u00a0 None of this should matter.\u00a0 None of this was important.\u00a0 She already knew<\/em> that Joe chased a lot of girls and, more importantly, that she and Joe, whatever they were, weren\u2019t serious.<\/p>\n

It was also possible the women were lying.\u00a0 Maybe about Joe, and she did<\/em> think they were lying about wanting to help her.\u00a0 There was far too much overdone sweetness in the words to believe their concern was genuine.<\/p>\n

But the substance of what they were saying\u2014well.\u00a0 She had seen more than one engagement announcement in the Enterprise<\/em>, hadn\u2019t she?\u00a0 And Sam Clemens told a very similar story, about Little Joe Cartwright who charmed all the girls.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t put too much stock in Sam\u2019s tales as a rule, but so far he had been more right than wrong about the Cartwrights in other ways.<\/p>\n

And it was just too easy to believe that a man as handsome and charming as Joe Cartwright could chase \u2013 and catch \u2013 any girl he chose.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut don\u2019t let us spoil your fun, of course,\u201d Jennifer said warmly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you being from San Francisco, you\u2019re probably used to this sort of thing.\u00a0 People are so much more\u2014open-minded<\/em> in San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Liza could try to come up with a response to that, a rather pointed throat-clearing brought all their attentions to where Joe had walked up, and was now standing with two cups of punch.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood evening \u2013 Jennifer, Ellie.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled, but there was something strained in the smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood evening, Little Joe,\u201d the two girls said in near-unison.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were just having the loveliest<\/em> chat with Elizabeth here,\u201d Jennifer said, and rose to her feet.\u00a0 \u201cBut we\u2019ll leave you two alone.\u00a0 Don\u2019t tire her out too<\/em> much on the dance floor, Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both women swept away, disappearing into the crowd, and Joe sat down again next to Liza, extending one cup of punch.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d she said automatically, taking the drink.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything\u2026all right there?\u201d Joe asked uncertainly.<\/p>\n

\u201cMm-hmm,\u201d she said, and sipped the punch to avoid meeting his eyes.\u00a0 Very sweet.\u00a0 Probably good for a few sips, but not the sort of thing you\u2019d want to drink for very long.\u00a0 Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Joe was looking at her with worry around his eyes.\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t reassuring.\u00a0 \u201cI was just talking with a couple of your friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

He grimaced.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019d call them friends exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat would you call them?\u201d she asked quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2014I mean\u2014we\u2019ve all known each other for a long time.\u00a0 Ellie, her father owns the bank, and Jennifer\u2019s father owns a big silver mine.\u00a0 So their fathers do a lot of business with my father.\u201d<\/p>\n

That explained how nice both their dresses were.\u00a0 It also meant they were two eminently eligible young women for the youngest son of the area\u2019s wealthiest rancher.\u00a0 Much more appropriate than an orphan newspaperwoman who was just passing through town.<\/p>\n

She wondered if he was going to leave it at the comment on doing business, but after a moment he sighed and said, \u201cI did escort both of them\u2014I mean, each of them, separately<\/em>\u2014to a couple of picnics and dances, that sort of thing.\u00a0 But it was a long time ago, and\u2014it was nothing serious, either one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course it wasn\u2019t.\u00a0 Though she wondered if he had kissed either of them.<\/p>\n

He must have.\u00a0 If he had escorted them to dances and picnics.<\/p>\n

Didn\u2019t she know what happened, when Joe Cartwright took a girl on a picnic?<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 She told herself very firmly that it didn\u2019t matter <\/em>if Joe Cartwright chased every woman around, because she hadn\u2019t been expecting anything serious anyway.\u00a0 They had both been very clear on that, no one deceiving anyone else.<\/p>\n

And if, for just a little bit there, it had started to feel serious, or like it could become serious, when they\u2019d been sitting with what felt like the whole world at their feet and he\u2019d talked about what he\u2019d like to do, what kind of life he\u2019d like to build if he was married, and if she had, only to herself, imagined sharing that life \u2013 well, it had only been for a little bit, after all.<\/p>\n

And it all made perfect sense, really, that Joe might flirt with her because he flirted with every girl.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t thought there was anything terribly special about her, that would interest a man like him.<\/p>\n

When she finally looked up from her punch, it was to find Joe still looking at her intently, eyebrows still scrunched at a worried tilt.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re sure everything\u2019s all right?\u201d he asked quietly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d she said, and smiled widely.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s dance again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re sure,\u201d he said, but he looked relieved, glad to drop the subject and return to the dance floor.<\/p>\n

It was much easier, just dancing.\u00a0 Much easier, not letting anything be too serious, not letting anything matter very much.\u00a0 Much safer, all around.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jennifer Beale and Ellie McClure \u2013 of all the people Joe didn\u2019t need talking to Liza.\u00a0 Too bad Seth and Sara weren\u2019t at the dance tonight.\u00a0 They would have said nice things about him, but no, it had to be Jennifer and Ellie.\u00a0 There had been a time when he\u2019d been pretty sweet on both of them \u2013 each of them, rather, separately<\/em>, at different times \u2013 but that had been almost two years ago and things had been uneasy ever since.<\/p>\n

He might be feeling more comfortable right now if those different times had been a little farther apart.<\/p>\n

As he led Liza back to the dance floor, his gaze was caught by Jennifer again, who smiled sweetly and waggled her fingers at him.\u00a0 He managed some kind of smile back and looked hurriedly away.<\/p>\n

Although he was clear in his own conscience that he\u2019d always been a gentleman, to these girls and to any other girls it might be a relevant question with, he was also uncomfortably aware that Jennifer Beale and Ellie McClure didn\u2019t appear to agree with that assessment.\u00a0 They\u2019d always been polite to his face, sometimes with an over the top politeness that felt almost like an insult in its insincerity.\u00a0 And people talked to each other enough around here that he\u2019d picked up the rumor that they weren\u2019t so polite about him when he wasn\u2019t around.<\/p>\n

He still couldn\u2019t see how any of it was his fault.\u00a0 Ellie had thrown him<\/em> over for Sam Bryant.\u00a0 There hadn\u2019t even been anything serious between him and Ellie, but the rumors said she hadn\u2019t liked how quickly he\u2019d moved on to Connie McKee.<\/p>\n

Now, Connie \u2013 he had been very sure at the time that he was<\/em> serious about her.\u00a0 Looking back, though, it was hard not to wonder how much he\u2019d been trying to prove something, after Ellie had rejected him.\u00a0 If Connie hadn\u2019t slapped him the first time he kissed her, would he have felt so determined to prove he could win her over?<\/p>\n

Either way, it had stung when Connie went back East, enough that he\u2019d been looking around for another romance to plunge into (it had been a bad habit for a while there).\u00a0 When the carnival came to town, he\u2019d invited Jennifer, even though he\u2019d always thought before that she was more trouble than he wanted to tangle with.\u00a0 Sure enough, she\u2019d snuck away at the carnival, ended up held hostage, and he\u2019d spent the rest of the night trying to find her while being accused of murder.\u00a0 He\u2019d been willing to let that go, but the very next week he took her to a dance, she\u2019d slipped out halfway through, and it took all night to figure out she\u2019d snuck into the saloon, where she was having a grand time.\u00a0 After that<\/em>, he\u2019d just stopped inviting her places.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t like escorting her twice was some kind of commitment \u2013 but she seemed to feel he\u2019d broken some sort of faith with her.<\/p>\n

Or maybe she hadn\u2019t liked it when he\u2019d moved straight on to courting Carrie McClane.<\/p>\n

That had been a hectic few months, no question about that, at least\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you thinking about?\u201d Liza asked, bringing Joe abruptly back to the present.\u00a0 \u201cYou looked far away.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d been thinking about\u2014the other girls he\u2019d courted, but if he said that out loud\u2014well, that would definitely go very badly.\u00a0 \u201cJust how lucky I am to be here with you,\u201d he said quickly, and there was some truth in that.\u00a0 Because wasn\u2019t that the conclusion of the whole thing?\u00a0 That all in all, with the perspective of hindsight, he was lucky things hadn\u2019t<\/em> gone on with Ellie or Jennifer, or maybe even with Connie or Carrie.<\/p>\n

Liza smiled, but he wasn\u2019t sure she believed him.\u00a0 And he wished he knew what Jennifer and Ellie had been saying to her.\u00a0 Just not quite enough to risk asking.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

The dance went on past midnight, very late for people who got up as early as ranchers did, if the Cartwrights were typical, at least.\u00a0 Liza was tired by the end, but still didn\u2019t entirely want the night to end.\u00a0 Something about the dance \u2013 no, she knew exactly what, it was that conversation with Jennifer and Ellie \u2013 had made it starkly clear to her that the days were slipping past, that experiences were going by, and that she only had a finite quantity of them.\u00a0 This was not a new life, this was an interlude, an enjoyable adventure that would end when she went back to San Francisco and her proper life.\u00a0 Tonight, she found herself longing nostalgically for this moment before it had even gone by.<\/p>\n

The Cartwrights, three out of four, had come to the dance on horseback.\u00a0 Joe had driven her in the buggy, and they returned home in the same way.\u00a0 The world looked different in the moonlight, with great dark shadows of fields and looming trees to either side of the pale ribbon of road.\u00a0 It was beautiful and yet melancholy too, stirring up a longing for home and hearth even when she didn\u2019t know what home would look like.\u00a0 Not exactly her room back at her boarding house.\u00a0 More an ideal<\/em> of home than anything real.<\/p>\n

Liza leaned back in her seat, glanced at Joe, shadowed beneath the carriage\u2019s top.\u00a0 The others had ridden up ahead \u2013 because they were faster on horseback or because the Cartwrights knew how to get out of each other\u2019s way when one of them was courting.\u00a0 Probably this had happened many times, Joe driving a girl home from a dance, and this week it just happened to be her.<\/p>\n

They had been riding in silence for a few minutes, a peaceful silence after all the noise and crowds of the dance, but perhaps he sensed her look because he glanced her way too.\u00a0 There was enough moonlight to see his smile.\u00a0 \u201cHave a nice time tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Liza said, because it was true, it had been a whirlwind of an evening, so different from anything she\u2019d experienced before, but she\u2019d liked it.\u00a0 \u201cYou know how to show a girl a good time,\u201d she said, and then tacked on a hopefully not too<\/em> artificial laugh at the end, a way to say she didn\u2019t mean anything by it \u2013 although maybe she did.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t seem to take anything from it, considering he only said, \u201cThey hold a dance just about every Thursday \u2013 weather permitting and not so much during the height of harvest time.\u00a0 We can\u2019t go every week, but we go a lot.\u00a0 Probably will next week.\u00a0 We could dance again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liza looked out at a low, dark field on the right, stretching into the distance covered in shadow, and felt that rising melancholy again.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll probably be back in San Francisco by next week,\u201d she said, managing to keep her voice even.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout that,\u201d Joe said, a more serious note entering his voice, \u201cI had an idea.\u00a0 The trouble is that Bill Raleigh didn\u2019t believe you could be a journalist, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he saw that I was a woman and that was the end of it.\u201d\u00a0 Liza could hear the bitterness in her voice.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t entirely blame Bill Raleigh \u2013 she knew it was an unusual thing, for a woman to be in newspapers.\u00a0 But it was exhausting to always be judged by who she was, not by what she could do \u2013 and not even by who she was inside<\/em>, but only the outer form.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight, and that was unfair,\u201d Joe said, nodding.\u00a0 \u201cBut what if you could prove to him what you can do?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t wait to listen to my experience.\u201d\u00a0 Not that that would be proof<\/em> exactly.\u00a0 She had worked for The Morning Call<\/em> for two years now, but not writing, not officially.\u00a0 But she knew all the ins and outs of the newspaper business, had edited to the point of rewriting any number of stories, and she had been writing for herself for years \u2013 unpublished, though.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if you could bring him a big story, though?\u00a0 Show up with the article all written, so he has to pay attention?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a pretty enough idea, but there were a lot of gaps in it.\u00a0 \u201cIs your family about to do something newsworthy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe grinned, like a man about to flourish a handful of aces.\u00a0 \u201cNo, but I\u2019ve got a tip on something.\u00a0 Andrew Holloway is planning to sell his mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

She wished she knew why that was meant to be important.\u00a0 This was the Comstock, after all.\u00a0 There were mines everywhere.\u00a0 \u201cIs that\u2014exciting?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis mine\u2019s just about the biggest one in Virginia City!\u00a0 And nobody ever thought he\u2019d sell \u2013 one of those that lives and breathes his work, you know.\u00a0 But his daughter Helene is engaged to some fellow back East, and since she\u2019s going back he\u2019s decided to pull up stakes and go too.\u00a0 Only it\u2019s not public knowledge yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen how do you<\/em> know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw him in town this afternoon with Adam \u2013 we sell timber to the Holloways, and Adam\u2019s pretty good friends with Mr. Holloway.\u00a0 If you and me go see him, I bet we could convince him to let you bring the story to the newspaper.\u00a0 Or we convince Helene, and she\u2019ll convince her father.\u00a0 That angle works too.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Joe did seem like a man who knew all the angles \u2013 and all the women in Virginia City.\u00a0 There was no way to comment on that without sounding petty and ridiculous though, because it was<\/em> petty and ridiculous.\u00a0 Jennifer and Ellie just had her wound up about this, and it wasn\u2019t what mattered here, he was talking about a professional opportunity\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice Helene\u2019s getting married,\u201d Joe continued.\u00a0 \u201cShe had a fianc\u00e9 who died in a mine accident a few years back \u2013 really sad thing.\u00a0 But apparently she\u2019s been writing with this fellow she knew when she was back East at school, and he came out to visit a few months ago, and now they\u2019re making wedding plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is<\/em> nice,\u201d Liza murmured, even more glad she hadn\u2019t<\/em> said something about Joe and Helene \u2013 because apparently there was no Joe and Helene.\u00a0 Those women at the dance had gotten her paranoid.\u00a0 And anyway, that wasn\u2019t the important part in this conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWriting an article, that might work,\u201d she said cautiously, trying to picture how it might play out, how it might end up.\u00a0 \u00a0It was hard to focus on that<\/em>, though, when the man next to her loomed so much larger.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u201d she asked, and realized that didn\u2019t make any sense even to her.\u00a0 \u201cI mean \u2013 I appreciate you\u2019re trying to help me with this, but why?\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyebrows rose as though surprised \u2013 she was getting skilled at reading Joe\u2019s eyebrows.\u00a0 \u201cThen you don\u2019t have to go back to San Francisco.\u00a0 You can stay in town, right, if you get the job?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the original plan,\u201d she said, but it had receded when Bill Raleigh had turned her down.<\/p>\n

She had never thought she was someone who would forget about her own goals just because she met a nice boy.\u00a0 But \u2013 that wasn\u2019t really what was happening here.\u00a0 It was only that she\u2019d thought her original plan was impossible, so she\u2019d set it aside.\u00a0 Decided to enjoy her time in Virginia City another way, and go back to looking at important things, life plan sort of things, when this interlude was over.<\/p>\n

That, she realized, was what was disconcerting about this plan.\u00a0 This was supposed to be an interlude<\/em>.\u00a0 Even before Jennifer and Ellie had descended on her, to give her assurances that charming Joe Cartwright really was as charming to all the girls as she had supposed he must be, to make clear that he was a casual romantic, it had been impossible for anything between them to last for long.\u00a0 Every kiss, every picnic, every dance, brought with it the awareness that it was all going to end.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t really matter that they weren\u2019t serious, that Joe wasn\u2019t serious about her, because they couldn\u2019t be.\u00a0 Not when she was leaving.\u00a0 They had said<\/em> that, from the beginning.<\/p>\n

And now \u2013 he was proposing a way for her to not<\/em> leave.\u00a0 Did that change anything?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to stay, right?\u201d Joe asked, eyebrows scrunching together again.\u00a0 \u201cIf you get the job at the Enterprise<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

If she got the job.\u00a0 And married women didn\u2019t generally have<\/em> jobs \u2013 there were exceptions, of course, but very few.\u00a0 So perhaps this didn\u2019t change things after all.\u00a0 Not that anyone was thinking about marriage anyway, of course \u2013 that would be ridiculous after a mere couple of weeks.\u00a0 So perhaps she was reading too many intentions into all of this.\u00a0 Maybe he was just trying to help her, with no personal motives in mind at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I get the job, of course,\u201d she said, smiling widely and making her voice light.\u00a0 They still didn\u2019t have<\/em> to think of serious things.\u00a0 It was still quite a longshot, that she might get the job anyway.\u00a0 She could still just enjoy a casual interlude, and when it ran its course, as it surely would, one way or another \u2013 well, she could deal with that then.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re very kind,\u201d she continued, \u201cto do so much to help a stray.\u201d<\/p>\n

He grinned, reached up to tug his hat down to a more dashing angle.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s the Cartwright way, ma\u2019am.\u201d\u00a0 Then he flicked the reins, driving the horses a little faster, and they continued on across the Ponderosa through the moonlight.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Hoss scratched his head, frowning at Joe, and tried to decide if this was one of those times little brother was off on a tear and needed to be stopped for his own good. \u00a0Little Joe had had something on his mind when they got back from the dance last night, and early this morning he\u2019d popped into Hoss\u2019 bedroom and erupted with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cExplain it to me again,\u201d Hoss said. \u00a0\u201cSlowly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sighed, loudly.\u00a0 \u201cI need you to come with me to the Holloways\u2019 mine, to talk to Mr. Holloway and get him to talk to Liza about selling his mine.\u00a0 Then she can write a story for the Enterprise<\/em>, get a job, and stay in Virginia City.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yeah, that was basically what Joe had said the first time too.\u00a0 Hoss shook his head, and resumed buttoning his shirt.\u00a0 \u201cLittle brother, ain\u2019t there a more direct way to keep her around?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe frowned at him.\u00a0 \u201cThe whole family hassles me about proposing too fast, and now you\u2019re trying to push me into it!\u201d<\/p>\n

And surely if he didn\u2019t have it somewhere<\/em> in his mind, he wouldn\u2019t have figured out what Hoss meant that quick.\u00a0 \u201cWell, ain\u2019t you sweet on her?\u201d Hoss asked. \u00a0\u201cAnd she sure seems to like you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to take my time, all right?\u201d Joe said, which didn\u2019t contradict anything, as he thumped down to sit on Hoss\u2019 big bed, arms crossed.\u00a0 \u201cAnd anyway \u2013 she wants this.\u00a0 She wants<\/em> the job.\u00a0 So maybe I can help her get the job, and then she has another reason to be in town and\u2026it just would be better that way, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why is it better for me<\/em> to come along?\u201d Hoss asked, tugging his vest out from under Joe.<\/p>\n

Little Joe rolled his eyes as though this should all be perfectly evident.\u00a0 \u201cBecause if you come, Liza\u2019s a friend of the family we\u2019re introducing to Mr. Holloway, also a friend of the family, and we get the weight of the family\u2019s recommendation behind the whole business.\u00a0 If I show up there with Liza alone, I\u2019m obviously trying to get a favor for the girl I\u2019m courting, and nobody takes it seriously.\u00a0 You see?\u201d<\/p>\n

Sort of.\u00a0 \u201cWell\u2014I guess so, Little Joe.\u00a0 If you say so,\u201d Hoss said, still doubtful, but he\u2019d known all along he\u2019d probably end up in this spot in the end.\u00a0 Sometimes he pulled Joe out of a mess he was charging into, but most of the time Little Joe dragged him right along into the mess.\u00a0 It always turned out interesting, at least.\u00a0 And while he still didn\u2019t entirely see a value in all of the strategy Joe was trying to employ here, he also didn\u2019t see a way this was going to get them into trouble.\u00a0 So that was something.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood!\u201d Joe said, hopping up and clapping him on the back.\u00a0 \u201cNow you can help me explain to Pa why we need to visit Mr. Holloway this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe was very sure Mr. Holloway would take them more seriously if Hoss came along. \u00a0Holloway\u2019d probably take them even more seriously if Adam<\/em> came along, but \u2013 Adam would ask a lot of questions about why they were doing this, and then he\u2019d want to take the whole business over, and next thing Joe knew, either the whole thing would be completely different or else it would still be his idea except Adam would somehow get the credit for it, and \u2013 no, better to rope Hoss along instead.\u00a0 And then the two of them would look like serious citizens of the town, instead of him looking like the same old idea they all had of Little Joe Cartwright, always up to schemes to chase a girl.<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t fool Pa, of course, but they almost never managed to fool Pa.\u00a0 They explained it all at breakfast and Pa looked between Joe and Hoss and Liza, and nodded gravely and said that yes, of course, that all made perfect sense, just the way they were explaining it.\u00a0 And his eyes twinkled and he exchanged a glance with Adam while Adam had one of his sardonic smiles on, and Pa obviously<\/em> knew that Joe was doing all this because he was sweet on Liza.\u00a0 But the exchange of glances might have gotten past Liza at least, and Pa did<\/em> agree they could have the morning for the plan.\u00a0 So he\u2019d take that.<\/p>\n

They all rode out to the Holloway mine, Liza riding one of their extra horses.\u00a0 And it was a beautiful day, and a beautiful ride across the green meadows and through the pines, at least until they got closer to the mining country, and riding along with his big brother and a beautiful girl \u2013 well, Joe wouldn\u2019t have minded if it had been a lot longer ride.\u00a0 But maybe if this all went well, they could do more of this in the future too.<\/p>\n

Liza looked nervous as they dismounted outside the mine, in front of Holloway\u2019s building near the mine entrance.\u00a0 The place was quiet today, apparently no work going on, which was surprising for a Friday.\u00a0 The only people in sight were three men playing cards a little ways off.\u00a0 They were dressed more like cattlemen than miners, but maybe they were waiting for Holloway or the new owners.\u00a0 And those were the ones to focus on \u2013 Holloway, and the plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis\u2019ll be great,\u201d Joe told Liza, flashing her his best grin.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n

She bit her lower lip in a distinctly distracting way.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re sure Mr. Holloway is going to be willing to talk to us?\u201d<\/p>\n

Not exactly sure<\/em>, but he wasn\u2019t about to admit doubts now.\u00a0 Besides, momentum was everything with a plan like this.\u00a0 Keep charging ahead, and deal with the obstacles if they came, never before.\u00a0 \u201cOf course,\u201d he said, keeping the grin solid and sure.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re old friends, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Adam<\/em> is,\u201d Hoss muttered, which was no way for an ally to be talking.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole family works with Holloway,\u201d Joe said, elbowing Hoss.\u00a0 It was true too \u2013 hadn\u2019t Joe got the timber cut for Adam\u2019s new mining support scheme, after Hoss and Adam said it was impossible?\u00a0 Everybody always forgot that part of the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, can\u2019t hurt to try, right?\u201d Liza said, summoning up a smile from somewhere, and he liked that about her too.\u00a0 It took some nerve, to run along with one of his<\/em> unlikely schemes.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, you\u2019ll see,\u201d he said, taking her arm and leading the way to the front door, with Hoss stumping along behind.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Liza still didn\u2019t really understand why Joe was doing all this, and that worried her more than whether it was going to work.\u00a0 After all, surely any friend of the Cartwrights would at least be polite about turning them down.\u00a0 Even Bill Raleigh had been polite<\/em>, if dismissive and generally ignorant too.\u00a0 So nothing could go too badly wrong here.\u00a0 She just\u2014wished she knew why<\/em> Joe even had this idea, and was dragging his whole family along for it.<\/p>\n

The Cartwrights helped people.\u00a0 That was plainly what they did, practically a family motto, if they went in for such things.\u00a0 Maybe none of this was any different than fixing a broken wagon and bringing a stray home for supper.<\/p>\n

Just because he\u2019d kissed her a few times, and danced with her at a party\u2026\u00a0 Well, if she could believe Ellie and Jennifer and Sam Clemens, that was what Little Joe Cartwright did<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Joe pushed the door of the ramshackle wooden building open, ushering her into the dim-lit interior.\u00a0 Inside, two men and a woman in a long blue dress were standing at a heavy table, looking over some graphs.\u00a0 The room was crowded with chairs and charts covering the walls, apart from the wall with the fireplace, currently unlit.\u00a0 The tallest, a balding man, was the first to speak, looking up with a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Little Joe, Hoss \u2013 what brings you out this way?\u00a0 Like I said to Adam, it\u2019ll be a while still before any decisions can be made about those timber contracts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, Mr. Holloway,\u201d Joe said, and he was smiling too, the affable, friendly Joe Cartwright smile she was getting to recognize.\u00a0 \u201cBut we\u2019re here on some other business.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think you\u2019ve met our friend, Miss Elizabeth Montgomery?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you do, ma\u2019am?\u201d Holloway said, nodding, and his voice was polite, his smile was polite, but of course he had no idea at all about why they were here or why he was being introduced to her.\u00a0 He nodded to the other two people in the room.\u00a0 \u201cAnd these are my\u2014business associates, Mr. Smith and Miss West.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone murmured something that was also polite, but Liza was focusing on that tiny little pause before identifying the others as business associates.\u00a0 Like Holloway still wasn\u2019t sure about discussing the sale of the mine \u2013 because surely that\u2019s who they had to be, the new owners.\u00a0 Holloway hadn\u2019t mentioned before that one was a woman, but there was no reason a woman couldn\u2019t invest in a mine. Holloway\u2019s reluctance couldn\u2019t be a good sign for this unlikely scheme.<\/p>\n

The men made various polite remarks, while Liza had the feeling the woman was watching her.\u00a0 They were of a similar age, the other woman dressed in an elegant way, dark hair swept up, and Liza felt suddenly that her perfectly neat riding outfit looked dusty and unkempt.<\/p>\n

As soon as enough formalities had been said, Joe cut to the heart of things, with a level of directness that perhaps was part of that Cartwright confidence.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m guessing you two are the new owners of the mine?\u201d he said, looking at Mr. Smith and Miss West.<\/p>\n

Their eyes widened and their glances darted between Holloway and Joe.\u00a0 \u201cThat is not exactly public knowledge yet,\u201d Miss West said, jaw tight with tension.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry, the Cartwrights are good friends and business partners,\u201d Holloway said quickly, and his gaze landed on Liza.\u00a0 \u201cVery trustworthy and discreet, and I\u2019m sure their friends are too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs it happens,\u201d Joe jumped back in, \u201cwe did<\/em> want to talk to you about when you decide to make the mine\u2019s sale public.\u00a0 You see, Liza here is a newspaperwoman.\u201d<\/p>\n

Holloway just looked a bit blank.\u00a0 Smith and West looked at each other again, and Smith\u2019s lip curled as he repeated, \u201cA newspaperwoman<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone was always, endlessly surprised by her profession.\u00a0 Some, like Hoss, had no rancor behind that surprise.\u00a0 And then there were the ones who thought the idea was impossible, ridiculous, or even offensive somehow.\u00a0 She would have thought a man who was willing to buy a mine with a female partner would be more broad-minded, but apparently not.<\/p>\n

Liza could tell already there wasn\u2019t much point to continuing to pursue this, but Joe had gone to all this trouble so far\u2026\u00a0 She put on her politest smile.\u00a0 \u201cI work for The Morning Call<\/em> in San Francisco, but I\u2019m considering a position with The Territorial Enterprise<\/em>.\u00a0 An interview with the three of you about the sale of the mine would be a very interesting subject to our readers.\u00a0 And I\u2019m sure it could only be beneficial to your business interests as well.\u201d\u00a0 A silver mine wasn\u2019t exactly like a general store, but surely even a mine could benefit from publicity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have no comment,\u201d Smith said abruptly, \u201cfor a newspaper<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Funny, even that got a very similar tone of disdain.\u00a0 Maybe he didn\u2019t like any reporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, wait a minute,\u201d Holloway intervened, \u201cI don\u2019t see as there\u2019d be any harm.\u00a0 This is all going to be public knowledge by tomorrow anyway.\u00a0 Sooner, even, as soon as I take the bank draft over to the bank.\u00a0 We were just about to do one last tour of the place, but why not share a few details after that?\u201d<\/p>\n

He seemed oblivious to the dark expressions on both Smith\u2019s and West\u2019s faces, but after all, he was a wealthy man, the owner of a prosperous mine.\u00a0 He probably had to worry a lot less than most people about how everyone around him was reacting to him.<\/p>\n

And Joe was either equally unaware or just pretending to be because this was leaning the direction he wanted.\u00a0 \u201cSee, that\u2019d be fine!\u00a0 Wouldn\u2019t that be fine, Liza?\u00a0 Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss blinked like he was surprised to be drawn into this conversation at all and just said, \u201cUh, sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure that would be fine timing for an interview,\u201d Liza murmured, even though she could see how Smith and West were looking at her \u2013 at all of them \u2013 and come to think of it, they were<\/em> strangely averse to the whole idea.\u00a0 If Holloway was right about the situation, why not<\/em> talk to the newspapers now?\u00a0 They didn\u2019t know that she was here in a very unofficial capacity.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe we could come along on the tour,\u201d Joe suggested, and it didn\u2019t surprise her at all that he was a man who was more than happy to try for something new when he didn\u2019t even have the first thing secure.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019d provide some nice background detail for the article.\u00a0 A little color, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s and West\u2019s frowns grew even deeper.\u00a0 West spoke up again, voice nearly a hiss of disapproval and suspicion.\u00a0 \u201cIs that why you\u2019re really<\/em> here?\u00a0 To get into the mine?\u201d<\/p>\n

This one finally seemed to stymie Joe, who looked at Liza and then at Hoss with an expression of confusion.\u00a0 Hoss just shrugged, and Liza did her best to pick this thing up again.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re here for exactly the reason we told you.\u00a0 I was hoping to write an article on the sale of the mine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou might at least have come up with a more likely story,\u201d Smith spat, \u201cthan a woman<\/em> reporter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHere now,\u201d Holloway said, face creased as though he\u2019d at last picked up on his business partners\u2019 hostility.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s no call to be uncivil here.\u00a0 Let\u2019s let them see the mine.\u00a0 There\u2019s no harm in that; we\u2019ve already suspended work for today.\u00a0 And of course I\u2019ve told you about how safe my timbering is.\u00a0 We\u2019ll do a little tour, answer a few questions, and then I\u2019ll be on my way to the bank and the mine will be yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liza didn\u2019t like the look on Smith\u2019s and West\u2019s faces as they looked at each other.\u00a0 In fact, she hated it.\u00a0 They were exchanging a glance, deciding something, and something<\/em> was wrong here.\u00a0 This wasn\u2019t how two new mine owners should act, this was all awry somehow.\u00a0 \u201cWe can just go,\u201d she said hurriedly.\u00a0 \u201cWe could talk to you later, after you go to the bank\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Smith said, and suddenly his gun was in his hand, drawn from the holster she\u2019d barely even noticed.\u00a0 Everyone around here wore one, after all.\u00a0 \u201cI think we\u2019re in too deep now.\u00a0 You two, take those gun belts off nice and slow.\u201d<\/p>\n

That last was directed at Joe and Hoss, who already had their hands in the air.\u00a0 Liza, heart beating painfully, realized her own hands were up too.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t remember moving.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the devil is going on here?\u201d Holloway demanded.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t wearing a gun, some detached part of Liza\u2019s mind noted.\u00a0 \u201cThese are friends!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they<\/em> aren\u2019t,\u201d Joe said, easing his gun belt off.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s the real story?\u00a0 Buying the mine is some kind of scam?\u00a0 I don\u2019t see how you can steal a mine, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not the mine,\u201d West snapped, drawing a small gun out of her skirt pocket, \u201cit\u2019s what\u2019s in<\/em> the mine!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA load of silver ore\u2019s pretty hard to walk off with too,\u201d Hoss rumbled.\u00a0 He had his gun belt off, but glancing at Hoss still made Liza feel just the tiniest fraction better.\u00a0 After all, a man who could lift a steer with his bare hands had to be pretty dangerous in a fight, even unarmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have to explain anything to you,\u201d Smith said, and then to West, \u201cGo get the other boys in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre Smith and West even your real names?\u201d Liza asked, some kind of nervous energy spilling into words \u2013 and she really did wonder.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re sort of \u2013 bland.\u201d\u00a0 The kind of names someone in the west might come up with, on the spot to come up with a name.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you looking for in the mine anyway?\u201d Joe asked.\u00a0 \u201cWhat would be in Holloway\u2019s mine that anybody would be trying to find?\u201d<\/p>\n

Out of the corner of her eye, Liza could see Hoss edging just a little closer to Smith and his gun, sliding a foot over, an inch at a time.\u00a0 Maybe that\u2019s why Joe was talking, trying to create a distraction.<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t the sheriff say there were trespassers in the mine recently?\u201d Liza threw in, with no idea how she\u2019d managed to remember that in the moment.\u00a0 But focusing on the puzzle, the why<\/em> of it all, was less frightening than focusing on the gun Smith was still pointing in their general direction.\u00a0 No one had ever pointed a gun at her before.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, that\u2019s right,\u201d Joe said, snapping his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cWas that you two?\u00a0 And then you pretended to buy the mine to get inside?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you always talk this much?\u201d Smith growled.<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty much, yeah,\u201d Joe said, flashing up a grin.\u00a0 \u201cMost folks find it charming.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they had papers, identification,\u201d Holloway said, looking thunder-struck by the entire turn of events.\u00a0 \u201cThe bank draft!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cForged, obviously,\u201d Smith said, glaring at him.\u00a0 \u201cAll of it.\u00a0 We just needed to get in here somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then West \u2013 or whatever her real name was \u2013 was back, the three cardplayers from outside coming with her, and they looked bigger and more ominous than they had outside.\u00a0 Especially since they\u2019d drawn their guns too.<\/p>\n

The room was beginning to seem very crowded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s going on, boss?\u201d one of the men from outside asked, a hard-faced fellow with a dingy blue bandana.\u00a0 \u201cThought we were just about done here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis lot came in and started asking too many questions,\u201d Smith said, gesturing at Liza, Joe and Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cGot a lot of suspicions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAwfully big gang for conmen,\u201d Joe mused, still sounding merely interested and curious about this whole situation.\u00a0 Liza didn\u2019t quite see how Hoss was going to jump anyone with this many guns out now, but maybe Joe just couldn\u2019t help himself when it came to talking.\u00a0 \u201cBut that bank that was held up in Placerville a while back \u2013 that<\/em> was a big gang, they said.\u00a0 At least five, six men, and one woman too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019s he know all that?\u201d Blue Bandana demanded.\u00a0 \u201cYou told him we robbed the bank?\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith groaned.\u00a0 \u201cNo, you idiot, but now you did!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy aren\u2019t you all the way to Mexico with the money by now?\u201d\u00a0 Joe snapped his fingers, eyes lighting up.\u00a0 \u201cOr is that it?\u00a0 The money<\/em> wound up in the mine somehow?\u00a0 But how would money you stole end up in Holloway\u2019s mine?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur dirty double-crossing partner hid it there,\u201d Blue Bandana growled.\u00a0 \u201cRight before getting himself caught in a cave-in!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStop telling him things!\u201d Smith ordered.<\/p>\n

The sheriff had mentioned that too, the cave-in near the mine, the one he couldn\u2019t explain\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you know the money\u2019s not with him in the cave-in?\u201d Joe asked, turning his back on Smith entirely to address Blue Bandana.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re never going to find it if it\u2019s under\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Liza barely stifled a scream as Smith smashed his gun over the back of Joe\u2019s head.\u00a0 Joe crumpled down to the ground, silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou talk too much,\u201d Smith informed the very still, very quiet Joe.<\/p>\n

Liza wanted to fling herself after him, to check how bad this was, to make sure that he wasn\u2019t \u2013 that he didn\u2019t \u2013 but Hoss\u2019 big hand was on her shoulder now and he murmured, \u201cEasy, no sudden moves or they might get twitchy.\u201d<\/p>\n

So she gritted her teeth and stared at Joe and willed him to open his eyes again while Smith made his plans, while a couple of the men tied up her and Hoss and Joe too \u2013 so they thought he was alive, but had they really even checked? \u2013 and made plans for Holloway to give them one final tour of the mine.\u00a0 Then she and Hoss were herded into another room and Joe was tossed in after them \u2013 that was bad, they shouldn\u2019t be moving him if he had a head injury \u2013 and the door was locked behind them, leaving them in the darkened room to wait.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Considering they were locked up with their hands tied and hostile forces outside, Liza\u2019s level of relief was still profound when Joe lifted his head almost as soon as the door clanged shut.\u00a0 A conscious Joe was so much better than an unconscious one, even under the circumstances.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot how I expected the day to go,\u201d Joe muttered, wriggling around in an apparent effort to sit up.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t move too fast,\u201d Liza cautioned.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that bad,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t even out for more than a second or two. \u00a0I just thought they might not tie me up if they thought I was down.\u201d\u00a0 His grimace was eloquent.\u00a0 \u201cSo much for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe\u2019s got a hard head,\u201d Hoss contributed.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry.\u201d<\/p>\n

She liked<\/em> Hoss, but at the moment Liza didn\u2019t have patience for meaningless reassurances.\u00a0 \u201cDo you<\/em> know the signs of a concussion?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss blinked at her.\u00a0 \u201cWell\u2014no, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, do you have a ringing in your ears?\u00a0 Blurred vision?\u201d<\/p>\n

He squinted at her, but said, \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think so.\u00a0 Not great light in here \u2013 right?\u00a0 That\u2019s not me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s pretty dim,\u201d Liza acknowledged.\u00a0 \u201cAny nausea?\u00a0 Headache?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy head hurts but, I mean, I got hit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd about that,\u201d Liza said, feeling finally that she could be a little irritated too, since he really didn\u2019t seem to be badly hurt, \u201cwhat were you thinking turning your back on him?\u00a0 Don\u2019t turn your back on hostile people!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well, I didn\u2019t think he\u2019d actually hit me,\u201d Joe said, as though this was some kind of justification.\u00a0 He even offered up a smile, if not quite as broad as his usual ones.\u00a0 \u201cSo what do you think, doctor \u2013 am I going to live?\u201d<\/p>\n

Liza sighed.\u00a0 \u201cFrom this, yes.\u00a0 You seem to be all right.\u00a0 Certainly not confused or disoriented.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, how\u2019d you know all that?\u201d Hoss spoke up.\u00a0 \u201cAbout the blurred vision and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liza shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cMy father worked in newspapers but my mother was a nurse before she married him.\u00a0 She stopped working properly, but she still helped people sometimes \u2013 volunteering at the hospital, or neighbors liked to come to her because they knew she could help.\u00a0 I picked up some things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSay, that could be real useful,\u201d Hoss said, sounding impressed.\u00a0 \u201cYou gotta teach us more of that later.\u00a0 Little Joe gets hit on the head a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t,\u201d Joe protested.\u00a0 \u201cI mean, not a lot<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, is it because you keep turning your back on people?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we focus here?\u201d Joe said through gritted teeth.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s try and get our hands free.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think we can?\u201d Liza asked doubtfully.\u00a0 Her own ropes felt tight and solid.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re ranchers,\u201d Hoss said, \u201cand our father used to be a sailor.\u00a0 We\u2019re pretty good with knots.\u00a0 Hey, Joe, what do you think \u2013 we try to get Liza untied?\u00a0 They might not have tied her as tight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I\u2019m a woman?\u201d Liza said dryly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, they don\u2019t seem like the most enlightened group,\u201d Joe contributed.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, let\u2019s start there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYou try, Little Joe, you\u2019ve got more sensitive hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what they tell me,\u201d Joe said with a grin and then, in case she might have somehow missed the suggestive quality to the words, suddenly winced and added, \u201cOh, uh \u2013 sorry, Liza.\u00a0 It\u2019s the concussion talking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one you probably don\u2019t have?\u201d she said, but shifted to turn her back towards Joe so he could try to reach the ropes on her wrists.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere, lemme watch,\u201d Hoss said, moving into position too.\u00a0 \u201cMight be able to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou two are very calm about all of this,\u201d Liza observed, as Joe started tugging on her ropes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it\u2019s not our first time in a situation like this,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis<\/em> has happened to you before?\u00a0 Joe gets hit over the head and you both get tied up at gunpoint and locked up by people who probably want to kill you?\u201d\u00a0 She managed to get the whole sentence out without her voice wavering, though it was a near thing on those last few words.<\/p>\n

\u201cDunno if it\u2019s been that exactly<\/em>, but yeah, pretty close,\u201d Hoss acknowledged.<\/p>\n

Behind her, Liza felt Joe\u2019s hand curl around hers, tighten for a moment, then go back to the ropes.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019ll be all right, honey,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve gotten out of worse than this.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded even though he couldn\u2019t see it, but it was a moment before she trusted her voice again.\u00a0 \u201cYou know,\u201d she said finally, \u201cSam Clemens told a lot of stories about your family.\u00a0 I should have believed more of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOl\u2019 Sam probably doesn\u2019t even know the half of it,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cHow many times do<\/em> you reckon we\u2019ve been in a spot like this, Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho keeps count?\u201d Joe said casually, still tugging on the ropes.\u00a0 The ropes were scratching and pinching the skin on her wrists, but she didn\u2019t say anything.\u00a0 \u201cHey, remember that time we got captured by Vince Dagen and his boys?\u00a0 You<\/em> got hit over the head that time, big brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but it wasn\u2019t because I turned my back on anybody.\u00a0 Try that loop a little above your thumb\u2014yeah, that one.\u00a0 Anyway, I was fighting one of \u2018em, and another one came up behind me.\u00a0 That\u2019s different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, you do get your share of hits to the head too.\u00a0 Maybe there\u2019s a pattern here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liza knew what they were doing.\u00a0 They were talking to try to keep her calm, and she appreciated it, although\u2014she wasn\u2019t sure it was the most<\/em> reassuring topic they could have picked.<\/p>\n

Or maybe it was.\u00a0 After all, they were both still alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to do that,\u201d she said aloud, careful to keep her voice even.\u00a0 \u201cYou don\u2019t have to talk to keep me from going into hysterics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss made vague noises of protest she didn\u2019t believe and Joe said, \u201cWhat?\u00a0 We\u2019re just talking.\u00a0 Hey, do you reckon Adam gets himself captured more often than we do?\u00a0 Seems like there\u2019s always somebody holding him hostage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe, but I\u2019d have to add it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCount later, I think I got something,\u201d Joe said suddenly, and Liza felt it too \u2013 the ropes weren\u2019t untied, but they were looser.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me try,\u201d she said, and wriggled and twisted her hands.\u00a0 \u201cI think I can get\u2014one hand\u2026\u201d\u00a0 The rope scraped painfully over her hand, and felt like it took several layers of skin with it, but that was inconsequential compared to the result.\u00a0 Once she had one hand free, the ropes slid easily off of the other.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere, let me get yours,\u201d she said, turning towards Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, try to untie Hoss,\u201d Joe said, jerking his head towards his brother.\u00a0 \u201cJust in case we don\u2019t have time for both of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right, because Hoss was bigger and stronger and hadn\u2019t just been hit over the head.\u00a0 She moved over to Hoss, who held his hands out behind him.\u00a0 She studied the knots, trying to see the pattern, while also thinking this was part of what was special about these two, about this family.\u00a0 They knew each other\u2019s different strengths, and they weren\u2019t reluctant to rely on them.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t<\/em> an expert on knots, but she could see what she was doing and had her hands free, and that made it comparatively easy to get the ropes loose.\u00a0 She freed Hoss, and he was working on Joe\u2019s hands, when they heard voices from the next room.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re back from the mine tour,\u201d Liza said, automatically dropping down to a whisper.<\/p>\n

Hoss grimaced, and gave up on the knots.\u00a0 Instead he got his fingers under the ropes and yanked \u2013 which, somewhat astonishingly, actually worked, the ropes coming apart in his hands.<\/p>\n

Liza had already moved to the door, pressing her ear to the crack, trying to hear the words outside.\u00a0 Joe stepped silently up to join her, leaning against the door too, standing close enough that it would have been distracting if the circumstances had been different.\u00a0 But she was just beginning to be able to make out words.<\/p>\n

\u201cBig Jim must\u2019ve figured we were on his tail \u2013 he didn\u2019t waste any time hiding the saddlebags.\u00a0 Once we finally got to the right part of the mine, they were just sitting there in a corner.\u201d<\/p>\n

So they\u2019d found the missing money.\u00a0 Was that good or bad?\u00a0 They\u2019d have no further reason to linger in the area \u2013 and what did that mean for their hostages?\u00a0 For that matter, what had happened to Holloway, down in the mine with them?<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d a second voice said, \u201cnow let\u2019s get out of here.\u00a0 Get the horses and go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but who carries the money?\u201d\u00a0 That was at least the third person talking \u2013 how many were out there?\u00a0 All five?\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not having one of you run off with it like Big Jim did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have time<\/em> for that right now.\u00a0 We\u2019ll divide it up outside of town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about the Cartwrights?\u00a0 Somebody probably knows they came here.\u201d<\/p>\n

True, Ben and Adam did \u2013 but how soon would they be concerned enough to come looking?\u00a0 Probably not for hours.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo let\u2019s dump \u2018em down in the mine where we tied up Holloway.\u00a0 Nobody\u2019ll find \u2018em down there.\u00a0 We could make certain of it, even.\u00a0 There\u2019s plenty of dynamite around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bad, bad, that was so bad \u2013 they were going to die blown up at the bottom of a silver mine, no one was ever even going to know what happened \u2013 Liza felt her breath hitch and she concentrated very carefully on looking at Joe Cartwright\u2019s face, just a few inches away.\u00a0 His eyebrows were scrunched together at a concerned angle, but he didn\u2019t look scared or panicked.\u00a0 And that helped.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but who takes the Cartwrights down there?\u201d one of the voices \u2013 it was so hard to distinguish them like this \u2013 demanded.\u00a0 \u201cI ain\u2019t going down into the mine while you sit up here with the money!\u201d<\/p>\n

How long were they going to argue?\u00a0 Not long enough for Ben Cartwright to get worried enough to come after his sons.\u00a0 Not that<\/em> long.\u00a0 And Joe must have thought so too, because he was looking at Hoss and holding up three fingers.\u00a0 Hoss gave a nod, then politely but firmly took Liza\u2019s arm and drew her away from the door.\u00a0 If they had a plan, she wasn\u2019t going to object.\u00a0 Once she was a few steps away, Joe nodded, then folded down his fingers one at a time.<\/p>\n

On the last one, Hoss smashed into the door with one big shoulder, the whole door crashing off its hinges in a shower of splinters.\u00a0 Hoss kept the momentum going to charge straight into the room beyond, Joe right behind him, both of them whooping with enough noise for a half-dozen men.<\/p>\n

Liza stopped in the doorway, wanting to see but not wanting to get in the way.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know how to fight, and besides, she didn\u2019t have even a parasol to fight with.<\/p>\n

Hoss and Joe had the advantage of surprise and they did<\/em> know how to fight, that was obvious immediately \u2013 but the bandits were armed, and had numbers on their side.<\/p>\n

Hoss grabbed the two nearest at once, smashing them into each other, while Joe tackled a third.\u00a0 All five were here, and though maybe they were reluctant to fire their guns in a room this crowded with their own allies \u2013 at least, no one did<\/em> start firing immediately \u2013 this was still bad numbers.\u00a0 There had to be something<\/em> she could do.<\/p>\n

The Cartwrights were flinging chairs around now and someone had knocked over the big table, papers flying everywhere.\u00a0 And Liza\u2019s gaze landed on the fireplace.\u00a0 And the tools next to it.\u00a0 At least it was something<\/em>.<\/p>\n

She started that way, but made only a few steps before rough hands seized her upper arms from behind \u2013 she should have got her back against the wall, especially after scolding Joe for turning his back on people \u2013 and Smith\u2019s voice announced, \u201cStand down, I have your pretty friend here.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019d do it, too.\u00a0 She knew the Cartwrights well enough to be sure of that, that Joe and Hoss were going to surrender if Smith was holding onto her, and then\u2014they were all going to die.\u00a0 They were going to be dragged down to the bottom of a mine to die.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t know how to fight.\u00a0 But instinct or desperation drove her elbow back, hard.\u00a0 Luck or the element of surprise was with her, because his grip on her arm was poor enough that she could get at least a little range, enough to send her elbow into the midsection of the man grabbing her.\u00a0 His next words were swallowed in a choking gasp.\u00a0 His fingers tightened on her arms though, so she started kicking backwards instead, grateful for the hard heels of her boots.<\/p>\n

She connected with his legs, at least twice, and he cursed, shoving her away from him \u2013 which must have been equally untrained instinct, considering he\u2019d been trying to take her captive.\u00a0 She was off-balance, one foot already raised to keep kicking his shins, but since she wanted to get away from him she didn\u2019t try to stop the momentum of his shove, just let herself tumble away and had to hope she wasn\u2019t going to need Hoss or Joe to remember the signs of a concussion.<\/p>\n

She landed in a sprawled heap in front of the fireplace, banging her hip and one elbow against the ground \u2013 definitely going to bruise, but at least she hadn\u2019t hit her head.\u00a0 And this was<\/em> the direction she\u2019d been trying to go to begin with.\u00a0 She pushed up from the ground, gaze focusing on the metal stand next to the fireplace, and the collection of tools inside it.<\/p>\n

Liza could also see Smith already coming towards her again, face twisted in rage.\u00a0 She scrambled up to her knees, reaching for the tools, fingers closing around one of the handles.\u00a0 She yanked, knocking the whole thing over and spilling the other tools in a clatter and crash of metal \u2013 but she had the poker in her hand, in time to make a wild swing and hit Smith in the knee.\u00a0 More cursing, and this time he fell back, clutching his leg, giving her enough breathing space to stand up and look around.<\/p>\n

Hoss was squaring off with two opponents but seemed to have the situation under control.\u00a0 Joe had evidently just knocked back one man with a punch, if she could judge by positions, but that one would be coming again in a moment, and he had a friend coming with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u201d she called, hoping she was helping and not just distracting him.<\/p>\n

He glanced her direction, and she threw the poker across the room.<\/p>\n

A smile lit his face as he caught it out of the air, and then\u2014well, he might have been fooling around with her parasol, but he really did know what he was doing with something a lot more like a fencing foil.\u00a0 He thrust and jabbed and she could swear he was having fun<\/em> despite the peril of the situation.<\/p>\n

Liza scanned the room, looking for other threats, and saw Miss West coming from another doorway, drawing her gun as she did.\u00a0 Liza had been about to grab the long tongs from the spilled tools, but now she caught up the empty coal scuttle instead, a heavy copper vessel, and heaved it as best she could towards the other woman.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d been aiming for the gun but hit Miss West in the arm, which worked just as well since she dropped the gun, which skidded off into the chaos around Hoss.<\/p>\n

Liza grabbed up the tongs, because she felt better with something in her hand, and started towards Miss West.\u00a0 She\u2019d barely made a step before the pile of men around Hoss gave a big surge and Hoss was standing up in the middle of them, assailants falling back \u2013 and in another moment Joe was jumping in to help, his own opponents down \u2013 and a moment after that it all seemed to be over.<\/p>\n

Groaning outlaws were lying all around, Hoss had got a pistol off of one of them and had it aimed at Smith, West leaned up against the wall, holding her arm and glaring at everyone, and Joe was clapping his brother on the back as they both grinned at each other.<\/p>\n

The Cartwright boys had, after all, been through this before.\u00a0 They were good at this.<\/p>\n

Liza thought that thought quite calmly and intelligently, just before her knees gave out and she sat down rather abruptly in front of the fireplace, still holding onto the tongs, and had to concentrate on taking some deep breaths.<\/p>\n

She hadn\u2019t had any time to be scared for a few minutes \u2013 or had it been even less time than that? \u2013 but it had all caught up to her suddenly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d better tie up anybody who looks conscious,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cSee any rope?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, over there,\u201d Joe said, and she wasn\u2019t looking at him but she could guess he was looking at her because he suddenly asked, \u201cHey, Liza, are you all right?\u201d\u00a0 A moment after that he was lightly touching her shoulder.<\/p>\n

\u201cFine.\u00a0 I\u2019m fine,\u201d she managed, and noticed she was still gripping the tongs very tightly.\u00a0 Maybe she\u2019d just\u2014hang onto them for the moment.\u00a0 Joe was still holding the poker, she saw when she looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cI just\u2014need to catch my breath.\u00a0 Go\u2014tie people up.\u201d\u00a0 She waved vaguely with her free hand.<\/p>\n

He leaned down and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.\u00a0 \u201cAll right.\u00a0 You were brilliant, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n

The endearment should have meant something but somehow it\u2014didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Not really.\u00a0 It was said in the wrong tone, and it was all about the thrill and the excitement, not about affection.\u00a0 Like he might have used it for any<\/em> girl just then, in this moment and this mood.\u00a0 It was all just part of the Joe Cartwright charm.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d called her \u2018honey\u2019 earlier \u2013 but that had been when he\u2019d been trying to talk her down from the hysterics she wasn\u2019t having.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t mean anything.\u00a0 Even while she was in the middle of trying to recover herself from the terror of the fight, she was also<\/em> very clear that none of this, with Joe, meant anything<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He had taken only a step away when the door to outside burst open, crashing against the adjoining wall.\u00a0 Joe stepped back in front of her, lifting the poker \u2013 but he would have done that for anyone too, he was like that.\u00a0 It was only an instant anyway before he was relaxing again, lowering the poker, though Liza had to shift sideways to look past his legs and see why\u2014to see Sheriff Coffee and Ben Cartwright standing in the open doorway, guns drawn.\u00a0 Adam was a dark shape just behind them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, everyone get your hands\u2014\u201d Ben began, then broke off as his gaze swept around the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cHiya, Pa,\u201d Joe said, lifting the poker again but this time in salute.\u00a0 \u201cRoy.\u00a0 We\u2019ve got it under control.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I see,\u201d Ben said, shoulders relaxing as he lowered his gun.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood to see you though, Pa,\u201d Hoss contributed.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you too, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd here I thought we might be needed,\u201d Adam said dryly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Any day that involved Pa and Adam coming to the rescue only to find him already in command of the situation was a good day in Joe Cartwright\u2019s book.\u00a0 Having it happen in front of Liza, well, that made it even better.\u00a0 And the sheriff wasn\u2019t a bad bonus either.\u00a0 Nice to have the local authority see him being all competent and capable.<\/p>\n

Imagine if they\u2019d come in a few minutes earlier, while they were all still locked up and he had his hands tied \u2013 no, that would have been terrible.<\/em>\u00a0 But as it was, even factoring in the hit on the head, rope burns, and general indignities of being taken hostage, on balance he was still coming out ahead for the day.\u00a0 Especially since it should now be abundantly obvious that Liza really wasn\u2019t a bank robber \u2013 like he\u2019d been saying all along.<\/p>\n

Though he still had questions.\u00a0 \u201cWhat brought you all out here anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa, of course, had his own questions.\u00a0 \u201cIs everyone all right?\u00a0 Hoss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, no trouble, Pa,\u201d Hoss rumbled, busy tying up Miss West\u2019s hands, interrupting his own apologies to her for the necessity.\u00a0 Which was just like Hoss.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d\u00a0 And of course Pa had to come and grab his arm and inspect him.\u00a0 \u201cWhat happened to your head?\u201d\u00a0 How could Pa even see<\/em> anything wrong?\u00a0 Any evidence ought to be under his hair!<\/p>\n

\u201cI got hit, it\u2019s fine,\u201d Joe said, trying to shrug Pa off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think he has a concussion,\u201d Liza spoke up.\u00a0 She was still sitting on the hearth, but her voice sounded steady enough.\u00a0 \u201cI checked.\u201d\u00a0 She looked up at him with narrowed eyes.\u00a0 \u201cStill no blurred vision?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine<\/em>,\u201d Joe insisted, and appealed to the other authority figure in the room.\u00a0 \u201cRoy, why are you all here?\u00a0 How\u2019d you know there was a problem?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we weren\u2019t exactly sure at that,\u201d Sheriff Coffee said, fingering the butt of his gun in its holster, and inspecting the nearest outlaw.\u00a0 \u201cBut I was<\/em> checking up on these two who wanted to buy Holloway\u2019s mine \u2013 just a standard practice, you know, I like to get ahead of trouble when I can.\u00a0 And I didn\u2019t like the telegram that finally came back a couple hours ago.\u00a0 Seemed no one they claimed as references had ever heard of them.\u00a0 And you know how I\u2019ve been looking for that Placerville robbery gang.\u00a0 Some of the descriptions seemed to match.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Pa and I happened to be visiting the sheriff\u2019s office when the telegram came in,\u201d Adam contributed, \u201cand knew that you were all out here visiting Holloway.\u00a0 It seemed inevitable that if something shady was going on, you would have fallen into the middle of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe rolled his eyes, but he wasn\u2019t really that annoyed \u2013 though clearly if they had<\/em> all still been tied up when help arrived, Adam never would have let him forget it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, let\u2019s round this lot up,\u201d Roy said, taking on his authoritative sheriff tone.\u00a0 \u201cGoing to be crowded at the jail tonight.\u00a0 Ma\u2019am, if you\u2019ll come with me, please.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy took Miss West by the arm while Pa and Adam and Hoss all started pulling outlaws to their feet and herding them out the door, and Smith tried to make some kind of defense directed at Roy, who definitely didn\u2019t look to be believing him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe money from the Placerville bank is over in those saddlebags,\u201d Joe volunteered, pointing.\u00a0 \u201cAnd somebody better go down in the mine and find out where they left Holloway.\u00a0 They said they had him tied up down there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat so?\u201d Roy said, face creasing into a sterner expression.\u00a0 \u201cAll right, Mr. Smith, once the rest are in the care of my deputy outside, you and I are taking a long walk into a dark pit.\u00a0 If I don\u2019t find Holloway safe and well at the end of it, it\u2019s going to go very badly for you.\u00a0 Ben, can you help Clem with all these ones up here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, Roy, we\u2019ve got it under control,\u201d Pa said easily, hustling another outlaw to the door.<\/p>\n

And everything did<\/em> seem under control, so that meant Joe could let his family deal with things and turn a different direction \u2013 namely, sitting down on the hearth next to Liza.\u00a0 \u201cHey,\u201d he said quietly, and nudged her arm.\u00a0 \u201cYou sure you\u2019re all right, honey?\u201d<\/p>\n

No tears or other signs of hysterics, which was more than could be said of some women he\u2019d seen in similar situations \u2013 or men, for that matter \u2013 but she was<\/em> still sitting on the hearth, still holding onto the fire tongs.\u00a0 Though he had almost forgotten that he was holding the poker too.\u00a0 She smiled, even if it looked a little wobbly around the edges.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m good.\u00a0 I<\/em> didn\u2019t get hit over the head.\u201d<\/p>\n

And if she could tease him, she probably was<\/em> all right, or nearly.\u00a0 \u201cI know, I know,\u201d he said, grinning.\u00a0 \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have turned my back on him.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you shouldn\u2019t have,\u201d Liza agreed, relieved to hear her voice come out steady and easy.\u00a0 She was feeling \u2013 mostly all right, and teasing back and forth with Joe was making it better too.\u00a0 She should<\/em> be all right, everything was fine now.\u00a0 Good had triumphed, the outlaws were under arrest, no one had even been badly hurt.<\/p>\n

But it could<\/em> have been so much worse.\u00a0 \u201cThank you,\u201d she found herself saying.\u00a0 \u201cFor \u2013 I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 For getting us out of that.\u00a0 You and Hoss seem to be \u2013 very good at this sort of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t all Hoss and me,\u201d Joe said with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cYou handled the situation really well too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liza\u2019s mouth twisted into a smile that was half-grimace, because she wasn\u2019t altogether sure that was true.\u00a0 She\u2019d done something, but left by herself she would have ended up at the bottom of the mine for sure.\u00a0 And also she\u2019d heard too many half-compliments in her life to trust this one.\u00a0 \u201cReally well for a woman?\u00a0 Just because I didn\u2019t go into hysterics?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not for a woman<\/em>,\u201d Joe said in exaggerated mimicry.\u00a0 \u201cFor anyone.\u00a0 And I never thought you were the hysterical type anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

The words were good, but even better was the way he was looking at her \u2013 and it wasn\u2019t with the trademark charm this time, it was something softer and more real.<\/p>\n

He was just leaning in towards her and she was tilting her head towards him and then Hoss was in the doorway again saying, \u201cHey, Little Joe, Liza, ain\u2019t you coming?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sighed, and it made the corners of Liza\u2019s mouth twitch because it was only a sigh and yet it so clearly, clearly<\/em> conveyed the message that sometimes big brothers were really not worth the trouble they brought with them.<\/p>\n

But he leaned in and kissed her anyway, quicker than she might have liked under other circumstances but still enough to take her breath away.\u00a0 Then he dropped the poker next to the fireplace, stood up and extended his hand towards her.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, we\u2019re coming, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liza finally let go of the tongs to take Joe\u2019s hand and let him help her to her feet.<\/p>\n

Outside, the outlaws were all up on their horses, with their hands tied, and Adam, Ben and a man with a deputy\u2019s badge holding rifles on them just to make sure they didn\u2019t get any ideas.\u00a0 They seemed to be a pretty cowed lot, though.<\/p>\n

More interesting, in a way, was the other new arrival \u2013 Bill Raleigh, of The Territorial Enterprise<\/em>.\u00a0 He was on horseback too, writing rapidly in a small notebook.<\/p>\n

Liza felt Joe\u2019s hand tighten around hers as he called, \u201cHey, Bill, what brought you out this way?\u201d\u00a0 It did seem as though the mine was a strangely busy place suddenly, for somewhere relatively out of the way.<\/p>\n

Raleigh lifted his pencil in salute and said, \u201cHello, Little Joe.\u00a0 I saw your father and the sheriff go tearing down the street past the Enterprise<\/em> office.\u00a0 I\u2019ve covered news in this town long enough to know that if there\u2019s a Cartwright riding fast, especially alongside the sheriff, there\u2019s bound to be a story at the end of the ride.\u201d\u00a0 He tapped the pencil against the open notebook in his other hand.\u00a0 \u201cSure enough, capturing the Placerville robbers\u2019ll make a real nice headline.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Joe said, expression sour, and Liza could see him watching his plan dissipate on the breeze.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all right,\u201d she said softly.\u00a0 \u201cReally.\u201d\u00a0 It had been a long-shot at best, and she hadn\u2019t given it much thought anyway since events had cascaded in their new direction.\u00a0 She could have been dead today, and she wasn\u2019t; the relief of that made it harder to feel too<\/em> disappointed by the collapse of a plan to earn a job she was probably never going to get anyway.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyebrows were scrunching again.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe he\u2019d like an eyewitness account\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d\u00a0 A story about her time as a hostage was not going to create the kind of reputation she needed for a serious job with a man who wasn\u2019t taking her seriously to begin with.\u00a0 Especially not when he could just get a few quotes and write his own story.<\/p>\n

Joe sighed, a different sigh than the one about Hoss.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, honey, I really thought it might work.\u201d<\/p>\n

She squeezed his hand.\u00a0 \u201cI appreciate it anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

And as they headed to the horses, she was a little disappointed about the lack of a job prospect \u2013 though mostly she\u2019d made her peace with that days ago \u2013 and thinking more on the unexpected development that Joe was apparently still calling her honey<\/em>, even when their lives weren\u2019t in danger and she wasn\u2019t under threat of hysterics.<\/p>\n

She told herself that it was probably just the next stage.\u00a0 She mounted up onto her horse and assured herself that it was obviously part of the Joe Cartwright romantic playbook.\u00a0 Probably right before he moved on.\u00a0 And she should<\/em> be far more interested in her job prospects, or lack of them, and on figuring out what exactly she was going to be doing next.\u00a0 Those were the important matters.\u00a0 Not this.\u00a0 Definitely not this.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the whole, Hoss was feeling pretty well satisfied as they got the outlaws turned towards Virginia City and started off down the road.\u00a0 This was the funny thing about Little Joe\u2019s plans.\u00a0 They nearly always went sideways somewhere in the middle, but came up all right by the end anyway.\u00a0 Maybe not Joe\u2019s original<\/em> plan, seeing as Bill Raleigh had got himself a story all by himself without any help from Liza \u2013 but they\u2019d come through it all right, the Placerville outlaws had been captured, and Sheriff Coffee had emerged from the mine with a dusty but otherwise unharmed Holloway.\u00a0 So that was good all around.<\/p>\n

And if Hoss was any judge of his brother\u2019s underlying motivations, he wasn\u2019t doing too bad on his real<\/em> goal here.\u00a0 Not based on the way Joe and Liza\u2019d been sitting up close together in there when he went in to find them, or the way Joe\u2019d wound up kissing her.<\/p>\n

Hoss still didn\u2019t see why Joe couldn\u2019t just ask<\/em> her to stay, instead of coming up with an excuse for it, but sometimes little brother preferred to complicate things.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure you\u2019re all right, son?\u201d Pa asked as they rode on, steering Buck over towards Hoss.\u00a0 He glanced over at Joe.\u00a0 \u201cBoth of you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss was used to Pa checking with him about Little Joe \u2013 just part of being an older brother, after all, and he knew good and well Pa really was worried about both of them.\u00a0 Joe was just the less likely to admit anything.\u00a0 \u201cYeah, we\u2019re good, Pa,\u201d he said easily.\u00a0 \u201cYou know nothing much sticks to me, and Joe\u2019s been hit harder than that before.\u00a0 Anyway, there weren\u2019t that many of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy, riding nearby, shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re incredibly lucky, with odds like they were.\u00a0 But I ought to know by now not to underestimate two Cartwrights working together.<\/p>\n

Pa chuckled and the sheriff laughed too and everyone but the outlaws was in a pretty fine mood as they rode back into town.\u00a0 Even Holloway was looking happy, so relieved to be alive that he didn\u2019t seem to mind too much needing new buyers for his mine.<\/p>\n

When they got home again, Hop Sing did a proper rant on the foolishness of getting themselves into a situation like that, and then made fried chicken for supper.\u00a0 And both of those things were Hop Sing\u2019s way of saying he was glad that they\u2019d come through the bad business and got home safe again.<\/p>\n

Hop Sing\u2019s fried chicken dinner was a reason for good cheer just in itself, and supper was a pretty cheerful affair too.\u00a0 At least, at first.\u00a0 Lots of talking, lots of laughter, but somehow as things went on, Hoss thought Liza got quieter, thoughts she wasn\u2019t saying lurking somewhere behind her eyes.<\/p>\n

He managed to give her a nudge as they moved from the table into the sitting area for pie.\u00a0 \u201cYou feeling poorly or anything?\u201d he asked in a low voice, not wanting to catch everyone\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n

She gave him a half-smile and said, \u201cJust tired,\u201d but he didn\u2019t think it was true.\u00a0 Well, it had been a long day, especially if she\u2019d never been held hostage before.<\/p>\n

And then Joe was perching on the arm of Liza\u2019s chair, the big red one, and that black cat came leaping up into her lap and pie got served and the conversation kept going around and so Hoss didn\u2019t ask her again how she was.<\/p>\n

But he also thought that Joe was getting almost too<\/em> high-spirited as the evening wound down, the kind of high spirits you put up when you\u2019re trying not to think about something else.\u00a0 Hoss watched, and made a private bet with himself that Joe\u2019d go out to talk to Cochise tonight.\u00a0 It was just something he\u2019d noticed, even though they never talked about it.\u00a0 After some sort of crisis, after somebody\u2019d got hurt or captured or a friend got killed, Joe usually went out to the barn some time that night.<\/p>\n

Hoss didn\u2019t know <\/em>that Little Joe was talking to Cochise out there, seeing as he\u2019d never followed him.\u00a0 But the way Joe was with that horse \u2013 yeah, it was the only thing that made sense.\u00a0 Everybody needed some way to deal with it, when tough things happened.\u00a0 For himself, Hoss liked long rides, breathing in the pine air and remembering all the beauty in the world.\u00a0 Adam brooded and looked for answers in books.\u00a0 Pa seemed to be all right as long as he could get his boys back home safe, and if he had some other way he was dealing, well, he kept it pretty tight to himself.\u00a0 And Joe went out to the barn in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n

Nobody could be sunnier than Hoss\u2019 little brother, nobody popped back up easier and faster, but that was probably just because he\u2019d found his way to deal with the darker things.<\/p>\n

Hoss might go take a ride tomorrow himself.\u00a0 But for tonight, fried chicken, apple pie and family seemed like a mighty good cure for any worries too.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Joe stepped inside the shadowy great room some time after midnight, the space lit only by moonlight and the faint embers of the fire, and closed the front door behind him with barely a click.\u00a0 Good so far.\u00a0 But then his very first step on the wooden floor seemed almost to echo in the quiet space.\u00a0 He winced, considered, then put out one hand to the sideboard to steady himself while he tried to ease his boots off.\u00a0 He got the first one off, but he probably should have set it down instead of trying to hold it in the same hand he was using to get the second boot off \u2013 and next thing he knew it was slipping out of his fingers to tumble onto the floor with a thud.\u00a0 He winced again.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t that<\/em> loud, probably not loud enough to carry up to the second floor \u2013 but the first-floor guest room was a lot closer, and it was only a moment before the door opened and Liza appeared in it, wrapped in a robe, with her closed parasol gripped in one hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry,\u201d Joe said in a low voice, still mindful of the rest of the family upstairs, and held up his hands, boot in one.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s just me.\u00a0 I was trying not to wake anyone up.\u201d<\/p>\n

She relaxed, half-smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI wasn\u2019t asleep.\u201d\u00a0 She glanced down at the parasol in her hand, shook her head, and set it on the chair next to the door.\u00a0 \u201cWhat were you doing down here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI went out to the barn.\u00a0 Wanted to check on Cochise,\u201d Joe said, bending down to pick up his fallen boot, and lined both of them up by the sideboard.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t un<\/em>true, even if he did tend to feel an especial need to check on Cochise after a day that had involved things like outlaws and hostage situations and fights that might have ended up with everyone shot or blown up at the bottom of a silver mine.<\/p>\n

She moved a few steps closer.\u00a0 \u201cIs everything all right?\u00a0 With Cochise?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014yeah, sure, he\u2019s fine,\u201d Joe said, a little unsteadily because his horse hadn\u2019t really needed checking\u2014and because she was lovely, standing there in a purple robe, hint of a white nightgown below it, hair all tumbled around her shoulders.\u00a0 Almost as lovely as she\u2019d been this afternoon, throwing him a poker across the room in the middle of a fight.\u00a0 He cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you doing awake?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shrugged, and he realized the shadows in her eyes weren\u2019t all the product of the darkness of the room.\u00a0 \u201cI couldn\u2019t sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d he said softly, gaze fixed on her face, \u201cme neither.\u201d<\/p>\n

If she had turned back to the bedroom, that would have been it.\u00a0 But she didn\u2019t move and neither did he and after a long moment he tipped his head towards the settee and said, \u201cMaybe\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded once, and they moved around to the other side of the furniture.\u00a0 He sat down first, so she could decide where she wanted to be\u2014but she sat down right next to him, resting her head on his shoulder, so he wrapped an arm around her, leaning back.\u00a0 She felt good there, and he wasn\u2019t sorry to be here, even if he was sorry about the reason for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy couldn\u2019t you sleep?\u201d he asked, though he had a pretty good guess.\u00a0 Maybe he was wrong.\u00a0 Maybe she was awake thinking about him.<\/p>\n

She sighed, rubbed her cheek against his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI just\u2014keep thinking about today.\u201d\u00a0 Yeah, that was more what he\u2019d figured.\u00a0 She\u2019d been quieter, the longer the evening went on, and all his efforts to keep things lively and light hadn\u2019t changed that.\u00a0 \u201cIt all keeps\u2014playing over in my head, things I barely even noticed when they were happening because it was all so fast and I had other things I was concentrating on, but now\u2014how do you do it?\u00a0 How do you stay so calm in the moment, when someone wants to kill you and might really do it, and then when it\u2019s all over just\u2014go on like nothing happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

He thought about it, because he knew he needed a real answer here, not a joke or bravado or something calculated to make himself look courageous and unconcerned.\u00a0 He\u2019d said all of those things at other times, sometimes to other women, but this one was really<\/em> asking.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be fair to give her less than the truth \u2013 and anything that was<\/em> less than the truth was only going to push her away.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not actually that simple,\u201d Joe said slowly.\u00a0 \u201cIt mattered that Hoss was there today.\u00a0 I never can feel that anything really bad is going to happen when I\u2019ve got big brother there to watch my back.\u00a0 And I know, that\u2019s no excuse for turning<\/em> my back.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was rewarded for that with a giggle, if a faint one.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut Hoss has been pulling me out of scrapes for as long as I can remember, so\u2014there\u2019s that.\u00a0 I know we probably looked pretty relaxed in there, but\u2014it wasn\u2019t all true.\u00a0 Some of it\u2019s practice.\u00a0 If you get panicky you can\u2019t think straight or do anything, so we\u2019ve learned to push it down.\u00a0 And we probably pushed it down even more for each other, you know.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to worry him and he doesn\u2019t want to worry me.\u00a0 But it all comes back around eventually, after everything\u2019s over.\u00a0 That\u2019s just normal, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

He drew in a breath, stroked his fingers through her hair.\u00a0 He might be about to say too much, but she was quiet, listening and\u2014she was easy to talk to.\u00a0 \u201cCochise didn\u2019t need me tonight, out in the barn.\u00a0 I<\/em> needed him<\/em>.\u00a0 There\u2019s something\u2014steadying, about horses.\u00a0 I\u2019ve ridden away from a lot of dangerous situations, and sometimes after we get home again, it helps to go out and talk to my horse.\u00a0 Remind myself everything\u2019s all right now.\u00a0 That whatever threat was happening is all over, because we\u2019re back home and we\u2019re all right.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere wasn\u2019t much time to think today \u2013 it all happened pretty fast, really \u2013 but that\u2019s what I think about, in a bad situation, if there\u2019s time to think.\u00a0 I think about getting home again.\u00a0 I tell myself that the bad part\u2019s not going to last forever.\u00a0 And when it\u2019s all over, I\u2019m going home to put Cochise in the stable and come in here to sit at the table with Pa and Hoss and Adam, and we\u2019ll eat one of Hop Sing\u2019s fried chicken dinners, and sit around the fire in the evening, and\u2014and everything\u2019ll be the way it\u2019s supposed to be.\u00a0 Thinking about all that, remembering that \u2013 it helps.\u201d<\/p>\n

He almost said something else \u2013 he could<\/em> say something else.\u00a0 That he was realizing how much he\u2019d like her to be in that picture too.\u00a0 That when he imagined how it should be, how life was supposed to look, he wanted her there too.<\/p>\n

But maybe that would be saying too much, especially now, when she was shook up from the day.<\/p>\n

Though she didn\u2019t exactly look<\/em> shook up, when she lifted her head from his shoulder to smile at him.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re a very lucky man, Joe Cartwright,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you figure that?\u201d he asked, gaze fixed on the curve of her smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have something so wonderful to think about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her face was only a few inches from his and it would be the easiest thing in the world to lean in and kiss her.\u00a0 He had kissed her before and he wanted to now but he knew it would mean more, here in the shadows and the intimacies of the night, than it had out among the pines and the sun, or earlier with Hoss looming from across the room.\u00a0 There would be no pretending that it wasn\u2019t serious, that it didn\u2019t matter, that it was all just a bit of fun \u2013 and if he kissed her now, he also knew he was going to go all the way over the edge and ask her to stay, ask her to marry him, to be there at the center of the picture.<\/p>\n

Why exactly had<\/em> he ever thought he had a choice about ending up in this place eventually?\u00a0 And why had he thought that it was a place he didn\u2019t want to go?<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t move, all but holding his breath, and if she leaned in even the tiniest bit\u2014but instead she looked away, dropping her head on his shoulder again, and the moment had passed.\u00a0 Not the feeling.\u00a0 That, he suspected, was here to stay.\u00a0 But the moment for doing anything about it had slipped away.<\/p>\n

If he was smart, he\u2019d go upstairs to bed, right now.\u00a0 But she still felt warm and right beside him, and he tightened his arm around her, rested his cheek against the top of her head, and stayed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hoss was the first one to the stairs the next morning, automatically glancing down into the room below.\u00a0 He stopped with one foot on the top step.<\/p>\n

Adam bumped into him from behind, started to ask, \u201cWhat are you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShh,\u201d Hoss hushed him, waving at him with one hand.\u00a0 \u201cLook down there,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 \u201cAin\u2019t that just about the cutest thing you ever saw?\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Joe was asleep on the settee, still in his clothes, one leg dangling down to rest one socked foot on the floor.\u00a0 And Liza was curled up between him and the back of the couch, wrapped in a purple robe, asleep with her head on his chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cPity,\u201d Adam drawled, \u201cI don\u2019t think we can dump water on Joe without hitting Liza too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss grimaced at him.\u00a0 \u201cNow don\u2019t go down there and embarrass \u2018em.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you plan to get breakfast, then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh.\u00a0 Huh.\u201d\u00a0 That was<\/em> a problem.\u00a0 \u201cWell\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Pa\u2019s hand closed on Hoss\u2019 shoulder, and he could see him grab Adam with the other.\u00a0 He pulled them back away from the stairs.\u00a0 \u201cYou boys come back around the corner and start making some noise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2014right, Pa, good idea,\u201d Hoss said, nodding.<\/p>\n

There followed an unlikely amount of banging of doors and loud discussion about the prospects for breakfast, and by the time they were hitting the stairs again Little Joe was sitting up, running a hand over his face.\u00a0 Liza was nowhere in sight, the guest bedroom door firmly closed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorning, Little Joe,\u201d Ben said heartily as they all descended into the great room.\u00a0 \u201cGet up early today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI, um\u2026\u201d\u00a0 Joe looked down at his wrinkled clothes, and Hoss could all but see him trying to decide if he could carry off agreeing with that.\u00a0 He must have decided against it.\u00a0 \u201cI went out to check on the horses, and I must\u2019ve\u2026fallen asleep out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLiza up yet?\u201d Adam asked, tone entirely too innocent.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo\u2026\u201d Joe said, gaze going to the guest bedroom door.\u00a0 \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss smirked, and headed for the table.\u00a0 Hop Sing, who must have been waiting in the kitchen, was already bringing out a platter of bacon.\u00a0 And that made everything right in the world.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Liza sat in the guest bedroom, holding her head in her hands.\u00a0 She should be getting dressed, she should be going out to eat breakfast and make pleasant conversation and compliment Hop Sing on his breakfast.<\/p>\n

Instead she was sitting in here, asking herself \u2013 just what<\/em> was she doing?\u00a0 What could she possibly<\/em> have been thinking?<\/p>\n

There had been nothing casual, nothing light and fun and easy, about sitting on a couch with Joe Cartwright in the middle of the night, talking about fears and family.\u00a0 There was nothing unimportant and meaningless about falling asleep<\/em> with him.<\/p>\n

It had been perfect.\u00a0 It had felt so, so perfect.<\/p>\n

But now it was morning, and she had to get a grip on herself.\u00a0 She had to be sensible<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t serious.\u00a0 She had been telling herself that day after day, and somehow hadn\u2019t noticed the increasing amount of desperation in the words.<\/p>\n

But he was Little Joe Cartwright, who charmed every girl in town, and just because he was currently charming her \u2013 the only saving grace in it all was that it wasn\u2019t serious.\u00a0 Because of course this was all going to end.\u00a0 And she was only going to get out alive from that ending if it wasn\u2019t serious.<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t been serious about Ellie or Jennifer.\u00a0 Two beautiful girls who were the daughters of prominent families in town, friends with his family \u2013 perfect matches, in other words.\u00a0 If he wasn\u2019t going to be serious about them<\/em>, it was rank folly and egotism to imagine he could ever be serious about her<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t married those girls he\u2019d been engaged to, the ones who had been mentioned in the Enterprise<\/em>.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t know just what had happened, but he wasn\u2019t married.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow, or next week, he was going to move on.\u00a0 He was going to catch sight of some other pretty girl, and that would be that.\u00a0 And she couldn\u2019t even blame him because they weren\u2019t serious<\/em>.<\/p>\n

She pressed a hand against her chest, and wondered how the idea could hurt so much, when she had always known it would turn out this way eventually.\u00a0 She would deal with it, somehow, when it came.\u00a0 Surely she could handle knowing that he had moved on.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t sure she could handle watching it though.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t want to be at some future dance, watching while Joe swung some other girl around the floor.<\/p>\n

She could have some sympathy for Ellie and Jennifer \u2013 if they hadn\u2019t been quite<\/em> so transparently malicious.<\/p>\n

But if she didn\u2019t want to watch Joe turn his charm towards some other girl\u2014then she had to leave.\u00a0 Quickly.\u00a0 Before she fell altogether in love with him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Getting caught asleep on the settee wasn\u2019t the best<\/em> way to start the morning \u2013 but Joe was in too good a mood to care much about that.\u00a0 He dashed upstairs to change clothes, got back down while the bacon was still hot, and was already at the table when Liza emerged from the guest bedroom.\u00a0 She was dressed too, hair pinned up, looking so much the proper young woman again that he could almost believe he\u2019d dreamed up the soft-edged familiarity of the night before.\u00a0 Except her parasol was still sitting on the chair where she\u2019d left it.<\/p>\n

Neither of them made reference to the previous night \u2013 what were they going to say, with the whole family gathered around the breakfast table?\u00a0 But Joe couldn\u2019t even find it in him to resent that either.\u00a0 Liza was sitting next to him and his family was gathered around to talk and laugh over flapjacks, and the sun was shining and the birds seemed extra loud and everything was exactly the way it was supposed to be.<\/p>\n

And he\u2019d been down this road enough to know that the sun probably wasn\u2019t extra bright and the birds were probably doing their usual bird things, and everything he felt had much more to do with the girl sitting next to him than anything else \u2013 and there was nothing at all wrong with that<\/em> either.<\/p>\n

They were getting down to the last of the pancakes and Joe was angling for a way to convince Pa that he should take Liza out on a picnic today when there was a knock at the front door.\u00a0 Joe jumped up to his feet to answer it before Pa could tell him to \u2013 because he was full of energy today despite the uneven sleep of the night before, and because, more importantly, he didn\u2019t want to look like a child being reminded by his father to go do a chore.<\/p>\n

He pulled open the front door to find Roy Coffee on the other side \u2013 and even though a visit from the sheriff didn\u2019t often bring good news, he was feeling too good this morning to expect any trouble.\u00a0 \u201cGood morning, Roy!\u00a0 You\u2019re just in time for flapjacks, if Hoss hasn\u2019t snagged the last few.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re still on the platter,\u201d Hoss spoke up from the table.\u00a0 \u201cI only ate a dozen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, thank you kindly,\u201d Roy said, following Joe towards the dining room.\u00a0 \u201cBut maybe just a cup of coffee.\u00a0 I only wanted to stop by to give you the latest update on those bank robbers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo troubles, are there?\u201d Pa asked from the head of the table.<\/p>\n

Joe dropped back into his seat next to Liza, while Roy took the empty seat at the foot, accepting a cup of coffee from the ever-efficient Hop Sing.\u00a0 \u201cNo, everything\u2019s going along just fine,\u201d Roy said.\u00a0 \u201cI telegraphed the sheriff over in Placerville, and he\u2019s coming personally to escort them back for trial.\u00a0 So they\u2019ll be off our hands soon enough.\u00a0 But I wanted to let you know especially that the bank put up a thousand-dollar reward for that gang.\u00a0 Seems to me that Hoss, Little Joe and Miss Liza here are the rightful claimants on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA thousand dollars?\u201d Hoss said, and whistled.\u00a0 \u201cEven split three ways, that\u2019d pay for the new saddle I was wanting \u2013 and a real fine night on the town\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd fill in your bank account nicely,\u201d Pa cut in.<\/p>\n

Hoss grinned.\u00a0 \u201cOh sure, Pa, that too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile Joe was thinking that a few hundred dollars would go a long way towards building a house somewhere down the road, supposing he wanted to do that \u2013 or to buy a wedding ring\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI certainly didn\u2019t expect I\u2019d be giving you reward money for those bank robbers,\u201d Roy remarked, looking across the table at Liza.\u00a0 \u201cNot when I half-believed you were one of them!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s fork, aiming for a last bite of pancake, skidded across his plate with a clatter.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou thought I<\/em> was a bank robber?\u201d Liza said confusedly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I had word that one of that gang was a woman,\u201d Roy explained, \u201cand you did pass through Placerville on the right day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh \u2013 yes, I remember, you mentioned that you keep track of any strangers coming into town,\u201d Liza said, and Joe told himself that was fine, perfectly fine, she could understand the sheriff doing his job.<\/p>\n

But why take chances?\u00a0 \u201cYou know, why don\u2019t we go for a walk?\u201d he said, starting to rise from the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I do appreciate it, Ben,\u201d Roy went blithely on, \u201cyou inviting Miss Liza to stay here to prevent her from leaving town while I was still trying to find those robbers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sank back into his chair and put one hand over his face.\u00a0 This was not going to be fine.\u00a0 Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that everyone else, including Liza, was looking at Pa now, who was trying and failing to look at ease.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t exactly like that, Roy,\u201d Pa said, smile straining.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou remember, Ben,\u201d the sheriff insisted, \u201cI told you I was going to have to ask Miss Montgomery to stay in town, and you offered to invite her out to the ranch so I wouldn\u2019t need to reveal my suspicions \u2013 which turned out to be unfounded, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou invited me here,\u201d Liza said slowly, \u201cbecause you thought I was a bank robber<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never really thought that,\u201d Pa said, in tones meant to be reassuring.\u00a0 \u201cWe were aware of the possibility, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you were being hospitable<\/em>,\u201d Liza said, voice rising, \u201cshowing me around, letting me stay on here, but you were all just \u2013 keeping watch on me for the sheriff<\/em>?\u00a0 I suppose if I\u2019d tried to leave, you would have had me arrested to prevent it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it wasn\u2019t like that,\u201d Joe tried.<\/p>\n

He heartily wished he\u2019d kept his mouth shut when she turned his way and demanded, \u201cDid you know?\u00a0 About all of this?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hesitated.\u00a0 \u201cWell\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She flung her napkin down on the table.\u00a0 \u201cOf course you did.\u00a0 You all<\/em> did.\u00a0 Of course every Cartwright knew, why would I ever<\/em> think otherwise?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re making more of this than it is,\u201d Adam spoke up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really didn\u2019t<\/em> think you were a bank robber,\u201d Hoss threw in.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe situation was complicated,\u201d was Pa\u2019s offering.<\/p>\n

None of it helped.\u00a0 Liza shoved away from the table, standing up.\u00a0 \u201cExcuse me.\u00a0 I suppose I can roam freely now, since you know I didn\u2019t murder anyone in Placerville.\u00a0 I won\u2019t bother mentioning the smuggling ring I run in San Francisco!\u201d<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t wait for further replies, just slammed out the front door, leaving silence behind her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Pa said after a moment, \u201cthat went worse than we might have hoped.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am sorry, Ben,\u201d Roy said worriedly \u2013 now<\/em> he got worried; he could have picked up on something sooner!\u00a0 \u201cI seem to have muddled things here, but I didn\u2019t expect\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s all right, Roy,\u201d Pa said, waving a hand at him.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s our mess.\u00a0 We \u2013 I<\/em> should have known it was going to create problems, inviting a guest while you suspected her of something.\u00a0 I\u2019ll go talk to her\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll<\/em> go talk to her,\u201d Joe said, standing up, because hadn\u2019t everyone else said enough?\u00a0 His defiance wavered, though, when Pa looked at him, so he added, \u201cLet me do it, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

He got a nod from the head of the table, and then he was out the door too.<\/p>\n

He caught up to her where the front yard was merging into the road, and wondered where she was planning to go.\u00a0 \u201cLiza, honey\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGo away,\u201d she said without breaking stride or turning around.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019d let me explain\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Then she whirled around, glaring at him, and said, \u201cIf you give me the Joe Cartwright charm right now, I swear I\u2019ll slap you!\u201d<\/p>\n

He backed up a step, hands lifted in the universal gesture of surrender.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be the first time he\u2019d been slapped by a girl, but it also wouldn\u2019t help anything.\u00a0 \u201cRight.\u00a0 Sure.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have to talk.\u00a0 If you\u2019d rather brood, there\u2019s a great rock for brooding down that way \u2013 you remember, from that first picnic we took?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you kiss me that day so that I\u2019d reveal where I\u2019d hidden the stolen money?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course not,\u201d he protested.\u00a0 \u201cPa didn\u2019t even tell me about the whole thing until that evening.\u00a0 And I didn\u2019t need that<\/em> as a reason to kiss you.\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019d had so many better reasons.<\/p>\n

She stared at him for a long moment, face tight and shoulders tense, until finally she let out a breath, turned, and started walking again.\u00a0 In the right direction for the big rock.<\/p>\n

He waited a beat, then followed.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t look at him, but she didn\u2019t tell him to go away again either.<\/p>\n

They walked in silence, and he studied the stiff set of her back, considered the pain that had been in her eyes, and tried to work out how he was going to fix this.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Liza wondered how much Joe had calculated on the big rock as a destination.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t had any idea where she was going herself, so it seemed as good a place to walk to as any.\u00a0 But it was a long walk, and while she started out in a fine fury, by the time they got there, walking without a word between them, the first intensity had burned off.<\/p>\n

She halted staring at the big flat rock, then finally stepped up onto it \u2013 she could feel<\/em> Joe hovering behind her but she didn\u2019t give him so much as a glance to suggest she\u2019d like help \u2013 and sat down.\u00a0 She had intended to tell him to leave again once they got here, but now that they were actually here<\/em>\u2026\u00a0 She sighed.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

He still didn\u2019t say anything, just sat down next to her \u2013 and the rock was big enough to do that without even crowding.<\/p>\n

She felt so stupid<\/em>.\u00a0 Of course there was a reason for these past couple weeks, of course the Cartwrights had some hidden motive for inviting her here, for being so warm and welcoming.\u00a0 She had told herself all along that that was just how they were \u2013 and she still believed that, underneath the hurt feelings \u2013 but some part of her had believed that maybe, after all, some of it really did have to do with her<\/em>.\u00a0 Because they liked her.\u00a0 Not because they thought she could be a criminal.<\/p>\n

The rock was a good spot for brooding.\u00a0 The clouds scudded by overhead and the blue lake stretched out towards the horizon before them and the breeze rustled through the pines in the meadow behind them, where they\u2019d had that first picnic\u2026when apparently Joe hadn\u2019t known yet, that she might be a bank robber.<\/p>\n

That did help some.<\/p>\n

She sighed, rubbed the heel of her hand against her forehead, kept her gaze firmly fixed on the expanse of water, and said, \u201cAll right.\u00a0 Go ahead and explain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one actually thought you were a bank robber,\u201d Joe said at once.\u00a0 \u201cI told<\/em> Pa you weren\u2019t, as soon as he brought the idea up.\u00a0 Hoss did too.\u00a0 And Pa didn\u2019t really think you were either, he just said Roy<\/em> said it was possible.\u00a0 We should have told you about the whole thing, but Roy asked us not to and Pa wanted to respect that.\u00a0 He\u2019s really big on respecting the law, you know, and Roy\u2019s a good friend too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course.\u201d\u00a0 Obviously their loyalty was to their friend, to the sheriff, not to the stranger woman who\u2019d landed here by accident.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t blame<\/em> them for that.\u00a0 \u201cYou had something on your mind, that one day at breakfast\u2026\u201d\u00a0 He had even been talking about the bank robbery.\u00a0 How had she not seen it?<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah \u2013 that was the morning after Pa told me all of this.\u00a0 But by the time I talked to you for a couple of minutes it was so obviously ridiculous \u2013 well, I pretty much stopped thinking about it after that.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded slowly.\u00a0 That should help.\u00a0 Surely all of that should help.\u00a0 And yet\u2026\u00a0 She already had her hands on her knees and now she laced her fingers together, tightly.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t look at him as she said, \u201cIt wasn\u2019t so much the idea that any of you thought I was a bank robber that I didn\u2019t like.\u00a0 It was\u2026I really thought your father invited me here because of me<\/em>.\u00a0 That you all wanted me here because of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

His voice softened.\u00a0 \u201cHey \u2013 Liza, honey \u2013 of course we did.\u00a0 We do<\/em>.\u00a0 Pa would\u2019ve invited you to stay even if he\u2019d never talked to Roy.\u00a0 And if he didn\u2019t, I<\/em> would have.\u00a0 You know that, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

She finally peeked at him.\u00a0 His green eyes had softened too, expression intent.\u00a0 \u201cI guess so.\u00a0 Yes.\u201d\u00a0 Maybe there was some truth in it, at least.\u00a0 She sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI should apologize to your father, for slamming out like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe won\u2019t hold it against you.\u201d\u00a0 He half-smiled.\u00a0 \u201cPlenty of strays have done a lot worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being one of the Cartwrights\u2019 long parade of rescued strays was better than being a suspected bank robber.\u00a0 And it was all anyone had ever promised to begin with \u2013 that they were being kind to her because they were kind people.<\/p>\n

He was still looking at her, and she could feel herself slipping under the spell of those green eyes and that slight smile and \u2013 and she remembered with a shock as sudden as a splash of cold lake water all her resolutions of the morning, everything that had been overwhelmed by this new upset about the bank robbery.<\/p>\n

She never should have let him follow her out to a secluded spot by the lake.\u00a0 It might be a good spot for brooding, but it was undeniably romantic too.<\/p>\n

So maybe she was a rescued stray, but she was about as rescued as she was ever going to be, and the flat fact of the matter was that if she let this go on any longer \u2013 Joe Cartwright was very much his own kind of danger, much more complicated and far more earth-shaking than a broken carriage wheel or even a vague accusation of bank robbery.\u00a0 Maybe even more than the bank robbers themselves.<\/p>\n

Joe was leaning in towards her with a particular look on his face and she knew he was about to kiss her and \u2013 she turned her head away, looked fixedly out at the lake, and said, rather abruptly for all that she tried to sound casual, \u201cI was thinking I should really be going home soon.\u00a0 Not because of all this business this morning, just \u2013 I was already thinking it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Out of the corner of her eye she could see him sit back, frowning.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean go back to San Francisco?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, of course.\u00a0 That\u2019s where I live.\u201d\u00a0 These words came out a bit acid, because she was picturing her little boarding house room, the back alley her window faced on.\u00a0 It would seem very small and close, after these great sweeping mountains and meadows.\u00a0 And lonely, too, which was funny, when the city was so much more crowded than these empty expanses.<\/p>\n

\u201cListen,\u201d Joe said, \u201cjust because it didn\u2019t work out getting a story about Holloway\u2019s mine, that doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t try something else.\u00a0 Let me think a bit\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, it was never going to work,\u201d she said softly.\u00a0 \u201cI appreciate that you tried, but\u2014Raleigh doesn\u2019t want to hire me.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t believe I can do the job, and no news story is going to change his mind.\u00a0 I\u2019m better off in San Francisco.\u00a0 There are more newspapers, more opportunities.\u00a0 And I do<\/em> have a job there, one that\u2019s still expecting me back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t respond at once, and as the silent moment stretched longer, Liza dared to look at him.\u00a0 His gaze was on the lake, still frowning.<\/p>\n

She drew in a careful breath.\u00a0 \u201cI suppose I should\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t have to go, you know,\u201d he said, turning again to face her, eyes narrowing.\u00a0 \u201cEven if you don\u2019t get that job.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was always the plan, the reason I came here.\u00a0 Without the job \u2013 I have to go home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t go back to San Francisco,\u201d Joe said, voice roughened with emotion, leaning in closer again.\u00a0 \u201cStay here.\u00a0 With me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She had to look away again, because she already half-knew what he was saying, but he couldn\u2019t\u2014really mean\u2014\u00a0 She managed a laugh but it sounded forced and false.\u00a0 \u201cSurely strays don\u2019t stay forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou<\/em> could.\u201d\u00a0 He seized her hands, fingers wrapping around hers and she had to look back at him, at the sudden intensity burning in his green eyes.\u00a0 \u201cI love you.\u00a0 Stay here\u2014and marry me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everything inside of her froze, suspended on a cliff\u2019s edge and she didn\u2019t know what to think or to feel.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t expected\u2014this.\u00a0 She hadn\u2019t thought this<\/em> was even a possibility, but if she said yes\u2014she could have all of it.\u00a0 The Ponderosa, this family, and\u2014Joe.<\/p>\n

She wanted this, wanted it so much that it made her dizzy, and she knew she wasn\u2019t on the edge of falling in love with him, she was over the cliff and plummeting down and\u2014and surely her metaphor was wrong, it ought to be like flying, not like falling and falling and\u2014<\/p>\n

But what if this didn\u2019t actually change anything?<\/p>\n

And with that thought, she crashed to the ground.<\/p>\n

Because\u2014he had known her two weeks<\/em> and he was proposing marriage.\u00a0 How could two weeks possibly be long enough to know a person, to decide to marry them?<\/p>\n

They had said all along that they weren\u2019t serious.\u00a0 He had half-suspected her of bank robbery for most of that time too, even if he said he didn\u2019t believe it.<\/p>\n

A marriage proposal didn\u2019t suddenly make<\/em> a relationship serious.\u00a0 In the right moment, in the right circumstances\u2014didn\u2019t it just show that the man proposing didn\u2019t take any of this seriously enough?<\/p>\n

And that made so much more sense.\u00a0 It made so much more sense to believe that Joe Cartwright, who chased all the girls and had multiple broken engagements behind him, proposed too quickly, too easily, and was sure to regret it later.\u00a0 That made more sense than believing she was the one girl he really wanted to marry.<\/p>\n

A broken engagement would be even worse than ending everything now.\u00a0 Or if, somehow, they did<\/em> make it to the altar, and then he regretted it farther on\u2014that would be the worst thing of all.\u00a0 That would be horrible for him, for her, for his entire family.<\/p>\n

So that meant there was only one thing she could reasonably say, only one possible answer.\u00a0 And even though it felt like tearing her own heart out, she said it.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe was not accustomed to hearing no<\/em>.\u00a0 From his family, sometimes, but he could usually charm his own way with most other people, and he especially didn\u2019t hear a lot of no\u2019s<\/em> from women.\u00a0 Sure, he\u2019d had plenty of relationships that had ended up there, but they didn\u2019t usually start with flat no\u2019s<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014I don\u2019t understand,\u201d he said blankly.\u00a0 \u201cI thought we\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She pulled her hands away and he wanted to hold on but didn\u2019t.\u00a0 She looked out at the lake, and her voice didn\u2019t sound exactly right as she said, \u201cIt\u2019s been\u2014lovely, but we were never serious<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know \u2013 at first, but \u2013 things changed<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 For him, anyway.\u00a0 It had changed for him.<\/p>\n

And it wasn\u2019t like he\u2019d ever really not<\/em> been serious.\u00a0 Hoss hadn\u2019t believed that for a second.<\/p>\n

She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cHow many women have you been serious about before?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t been expecting that one, but maybe\u2014Jennifer and Ellie had talked to her back at the dance, and of course\u2014\u00a0 \u201cIt isn\u2019t like that\u2014you\u2019re different.\u201d<\/p>\n

She half-smiled.\u00a0 \u201cAnd how many women have you told that<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not important, this is about you, and us\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow many women have you proposed to?\u201d<\/p>\n

He knew that number.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t need to stop and count for that number, but he also had a bad, bad feeling that eight<\/em> was not a number that was going to prove his commitment to her.\u00a0 \u201cNone of this matters now\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s that many,\u201d she said softly.<\/p>\n

He was losing this\u2014argument?\u00a0 How had a proposal turned into an argument<\/em>?\u00a0 \u201cLiza, I want to marry you.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter what girls I knew before I even met you!\u201d<\/p>\n

She was shaking her head.\u00a0 \u201cHow can you want to marry me?\u00a0 It\u2019s been a couple of weeks!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u00a0 Two weeks<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 How often had he ever waited that <\/em>long before?\u00a0 \u201cI know what I feel \u2013 when it\u2019s right, you know<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut how many times have you known<\/em> before, and been wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

There was no answer to that.\u00a0 Because the real problem here was not what he<\/em> knew \u2013 clearly it was what she<\/em> felt.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if,\u201d he said slowly, dragging his hands through his hair, \u201cwe just wipe out the last ten minutes?\u00a0 What if all I suggest is that you\u2014stay for another week?\u00a0 See what happens?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll just drive each other mad that way,\u201d she whispered.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019ll just be wondering all the time if I\u2019ve changed my mind and I won\u2019t be able to move without wondering what it makes you think and\u2014\u201d\u00a0 She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I have a job and a room I\u2019m renting and \u2013 I have a life<\/em> in San Francisco, one I need to get back to you.\u00a0 I can\u2019t just\u2014drop everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wouldn\u2019t she, though?\u00a0 Drop everything, if<\/em> she really wanted to?\u00a0 If this actually mattered to her?<\/p>\n

\u201cRight,\u201d he said, the word stiff and sharp.\u00a0 \u201cOf course.\u00a0 I expect you\u2019ll need to \u2013 make travel arrangements.\u00a0 The stage runs every afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded, gaze on her hands.\u00a0 \u201cThen it\u2019s probably best if we go back to the house.\u00a0 If I pack up now, there should be time to make the stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure,\u201d he said hollowly, even though he hadn\u2019t really been suggesting she should take the stage this<\/em> afternoon.\u00a0 Maybe it was better though, if she was in that much of a rush to go.\u00a0 \u201cWouldn\u2019t want to keep you from your life any longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

They walked back to the house in silence.\u00a0 They hadn\u2019t talked walking the other way either, but this was even worse.\u00a0 It seemed like a mark of how badly everything had turned out that even charming Joe Cartwright no longer had anything to say.\u00a0 Liza snuck glances at him, and he wasn\u2019t looking at her.\u00a0 Just looking straight ahead, jaw tight and gaze set on the path in front of them.<\/p>\n

Maybe she was<\/em> making a mistake.\u00a0 After all \u2013 if he didn\u2019t really care, then he wouldn\u2019t care about being turned down, right?<\/p>\n

But that didn\u2019t really follow.\u00a0 Of course he wouldn\u2019t like to be told no.\u00a0 How many women could possibly have told him<\/em> no?\u00a0 And \u2013 it wasn\u2019t that she thought he didn\u2019t care at all about her.\u00a0 It was just \u2013 it couldn\u2019t<\/em> be enough for a marriage, for a commitment for a lifetime.\u00a0 Not this fast.\u00a0 Not this easily.<\/p>\n

Not her<\/em>.\u00a0 Not when he could choose any woman he wanted \u2013 and apparently had, many times before.<\/p>\n

He halted when they came to the front yard of the ranch house, and without looking at her he finally spoke.\u00a0 \u201cI think I\u2019ll stop in the barn for a minute.\u201d\u00a0 His voice was cool and impersonal and distant, as distant as the expression on his face.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019d like to check on my horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then, at last, his gaze flicked to her face, just for an instant and away again, and something in that distant expression cracked a tiny bit.\u00a0 And in what was probably going to be the last moment of shared understanding she ever had with Joe Cartwright, Liza knew<\/em> that he was thinking about the previous night, about telling her that he liked to visit Cochise after some crisis was done, that it meant that everything was all right again \u2013 and he knew she<\/em> was thinking of it, and he didn\u2019t like that, her knowing.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d she said, nodding, and made herself turn away.\u00a0 She almost wavered.\u00a0 Because \u2013 because if he cared enough to need to go talk to his horse \u2013 and the memory of the previous night was suddenly vivid in her mind \u2013 and if he said anything else, right now \u2013<\/p>\n

But no.\u00a0 After a few seconds there was only the sound of his boots retreating towards the barn.\u00a0 So she took a deep breath, and continued on into the house.<\/p>\n

She had already noted that the sheriff\u2019s horse was gone from the yard.\u00a0 Inside, she saw Hoss walking across the great room, an apple from the bowl on the table in one hand.\u00a0 He stopped by the settee, looked at her in surprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Liza.\u00a0 That was pretty quick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Had it been?\u00a0 It didn\u2019t feel like it.\u00a0 It had been long enough to upend everything.<\/p>\n

No.\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t true.\u00a0 It had only confirmed everything, made real what she\u2019d decided earlier in the morning.\u00a0 She and Joe were always going to end eventually.\u00a0 All she could do was get out as quickly as possible, before it got even worse.\u00a0 And she hadn\u2019t been early enough to get out bloodlessly anyway.<\/p>\n

There was the scrape of a chair over the floor and she turned her head to see Ben standing up from his desk.\u00a0 \u201cAbout earlier,\u201d he said, coming around to the front of the desk, \u201cI do want to apologize\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s all right, really,\u201d she said hurriedly, because all of them being kind<\/em> wasn\u2019t going to help.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry \u2013 I overreacted.\u00a0 Joe\u2014\u201d\u00a0 She swallowed.\u00a0 \u201cHe, um, explained things.\u00a0 And \u2013 it\u2019s all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben frowned, face still concerned.\u00a0 \u201cAll the same, I don\u2019t like the idea that we were being dishonest with a guest, or that you feel we somehow misled you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally<\/em> it\u2019s all right,\u201d she said, a little desperately.\u00a0 It would be so much easier if they\u2019d all be terrible, lying and deceiving her.\u00a0 That would make it far easier to leave.\u00a0 \u201cJoe explained it, and \u2013 and then we got to talking a little more and \u2013 I decided it\u2019s time I went back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss\u2019s face screwed up in confusion.\u00a0 \u201cYou mean San Francisco?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, San Francisco<\/em>.\u00a0 Where I live<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t fair to be irritated with Hoss about this, but \u2013 in San Francisco, they thought their city was the most important place in the world.\u00a0 All the Cartwrights plainly viewed it as some distant satellite in the universe centered around the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t like to think,\u201d Ben said slowly, \u201cthat the events with the sheriff this morning made you feel you had to go\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s not that.\u00a0 I was already thinking I should be getting home.\u00a0 I should try to catch the afternoon stage, so I\u2019d better pack things up \u2013 get a basket for Bront\u00eb.\u201d<\/p>\n

She wondered suddenly if Hoss was going to take the kitten back.\u00a0 If leaving so abruptly like this \u2013 and especially if he worked out what had happened with Joe \u2013 somehow negated her right to take anything with her.<\/p>\n

But no, Hoss was too kind for that.\u00a0 He just nodded and said, \u201cWe\u2019ll miss you around here.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that made the ache she was already feeling even worse.\u00a0 She\u2019d been focusing on Joe, on how much she was going to miss him, how much worse that would get if she stayed any longer \u2013 but she\u2019d miss Hoss too.\u00a0 The whole family.\u00a0 The whole ranch, even.\u00a0 \u201cThank you,\u201d she murmured, and fled for the guest bedroom.<\/p>\n

She was only at the door when Hoss asked, \u201cWhat became of Joe anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

She stopped with her hand on the doorknob.\u00a0 \u201cHe wanted to check on his horse.\u201d\u00a0 And did Hoss and Ben know<\/em>, what that meant?<\/p>\n

All Hoss said was, \u201cRight.\u00a0 Thanks,\u201d but then he was heading towards the door, towards the barn.\u00a0 So he probably did know, and surely that was good, if he was going to go talk to Joe.\u00a0 Because he<\/em> could still do that.<\/p>\n

Liza squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then pushed open the bedroom door and went inside to begin packing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe was standing in the shadowy barn, face pressed against the side of Cochise\u2019s warm neck, when he heard the unmistakable clomp of Hoss\u2019 big boots in the yard. \u00a0Joe straightened up quick, grabbed for the brush hanging from a hook on the wall nearby, and started running it over Cochise\u2019s side.\u00a0 The horse turned his head and nickered at him, as if to say that he<\/em> wasn\u2019t fooled.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe?\u00a0 You in here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, just taking care of Cochise,\u201d Joe said, managing a steady voice, keeping his gaze fixed on his horse\u2019s familiar black and white pattern.\u00a0 He could probably draw it from memory, if he could draw.<\/p>\n

The clomp of boots drew closer, and Joe could tell by the creak of the wood when Hoss leaned on the stall divider.\u00a0 \u201cLiza just came in the house and said she\u2019s going back to San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

No easing into the subject \u2013 but at least he<\/em> wouldn\u2019t have to bring it up.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, what are you gonna do about it, little brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe squeezed his eyes shut, opened them again, and continued brushing Cochise with renewed force.\u00a0 \u201cNothing,\u201d he said savagely.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not doing anything about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was blank confusion in Hoss\u2019 voice.\u00a0 \u201cBut\u2014I thought you two\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe turned me down, all right?\u201d Joe all but snarled, finally turning to face Hoss, even though big brother would surely be able to see how red his eyes were.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t mean anything.\u00a0 He cried easy.\u00a0 \u201cI asked her to marry me and she turned me down.\u00a0 But that\u2019s all right, it doesn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 Little Joe, he\u2019s always falling in love, always bouncing right back and trying again.\u00a0 That\u2019s the family joke, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss had his worried squint on, and it didn\u2019t make Joe feel any better.\u00a0 \u201cHey, you know nobody ever meant\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s true, right?\u00a0 There\u2019s been so many women.\u00a0 And when they leave me or pick someone else or die, I just get right back up and keep on smiling and fall in love all over again.\u201d\u00a0 He hadn\u2019t managed all of that<\/em> with a steady voice, but what did it matter now?\u00a0 He just charged on ahead.\u00a0 \u201cAnd this one, now, this<\/em> one got a hold of the idea that I\u2019ve chased an awful lot of women.\u00a0 So when I proposed to her, when I told her that I loved her<\/em>\u2014she didn\u2019t believe me.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t believe I could mean it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss scratched at the back of his neck.\u00a0 \u201cWell \u2013 you did say at first that you weren\u2019t serious, but I never thought\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Because Hoss had understood, all along, better than he did himself.\u00a0 But Liza \u2013 she didn\u2019t understand.\u00a0 \u201cBut she did <\/em>think I meant it. \u00a0And she didn\u2019t believe me today, that anything had changed.\u201d\u00a0 And the really damning thing\u2026.\u00a0 \u201cAnd if she<\/em> doesn\u2019t think we were anything serious, then we weren\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hoss grimaced.\u00a0 \u201cYou want me to talk to her?\u00a0 Try to explain\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo<\/em>!\u201d Joe flared up.\u00a0 \u201cIf there\u2019s one area of my life where I don\u2019t<\/em> need my big brother to shove himself in, it\u2019s this<\/em> one!\u201d<\/p>\n

Cochise nickered at him, a disapproving sound this time, and Joe felt a warm nose press up against his back.\u00a0 His shoulders slumped, and he turned far enough to fit an arm around Cochise\u2019s head, to scratch between the horse\u2019s ears.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, Cooch,\u201d he whispered.\u00a0 Then he cleared his throat and said, \u201cSorry, Hoss.\u00a0 I shouldn\u2019t have\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, that\u2019s all right,\u201d Hoss said.\u00a0 \u201cNobody thinks too clearly when a romance has gone sour.\u00a0 I knocked you across a saloon once, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

Yeah, when it came out that Helen Layton was just after the Cartwright money.\u00a0 Joe was pretty sure big brother still felt bad about doing it.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s all right too.\u201d\u00a0 He ran a hand over his face.\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s not like Helen,\u201d he said softly, and wondered if it would be any easier if Liza was. \u00a0Or if she had turned out to be a bank robber after all. \u00a0\u201cI mean\u2014it\u2019s not like it wasn\u2019t real.\u00a0 It just\u2014wasn\u2019t what I thought it was.\u201d\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t what he had wanted it to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI dunno, it really seemed like\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d\u00a0 Seemed that way to him too.\u00a0 Joe shook his head, and turned to reach for the blanket folded over the side of the stall.\u00a0 He flung it over Cochise\u2019s back, so that he had his own back to Hoss again when he said, \u201cShe wants to take the afternoon stage.\u00a0 Can\u2014you drive her to Virginia City?\u00a0 I\u2019ve got\u2014things I need to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mostly, an overpowering need to get out of here<\/em>, to find a trail and just ride and ride and ride.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, little brother,\u201d Hoss said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cI can take her to the stage.\u00a0 If you\u2019re sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe had seen other women off before, other women he\u2019d flirted with or liked a lot or even loved.\u00a0 He\u2019d watched them choose not him<\/em>, for one reason or another, watched them ride out of his life and disappear into the distance.\u00a0 He\u2019d sat at more than his fair share of deathbeds too, and said those good-byes.<\/p>\n

He had really tried not to put himself into that position again.\u00a0 As if that was ever really going to work.<\/p>\n

And now, he was tired<\/em>.\u00a0 He was so tired of all of it, so tired of losing people.\u00a0 And he couldn\u2019t bring himself to watch this one go.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure,\u201d he said, heaving his saddle up onto Cochise\u2019s back, and swiped a hand across his eyes.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When Liza was ready to leave, Hoss, Ben and Adam were all there to say good-bye and wish her well.\u00a0 The farewells were gracious, appropriate to the hospitality of the Ponderosa.\u00a0 Even Hop Sing emerged from his kitchen to press a bundle of food on her for the trip.\u00a0 The only awkward moment was when Hoss tried to explain that Joe had somewhere else to be, something else important he had to do.\u00a0 And the entire lack of reaction from Ben and Adam made it clear that someone, either Hoss or Joe, had filled them in too.<\/p>\n

No one suggested that she come back and visit again, but that was only to be expected.\u00a0 She had already known that she wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Hoss drove her to Virginia City, keeping up a steadily pleasant, meaningless conversation along the way.\u00a0 Liza didn\u2019t say much, just let the words wash over her.\u00a0 It was lucky that Hoss was so nice.\u00a0 That the whole family was.\u00a0 That was lucky.\u00a0 Except for the part where it gave her even more to regret leaving.<\/p>\n

But she couldn\u2019t<\/em> marry a man after two weeks.\u00a0 Especially not one who would surely be on to another woman by next week, or the week after.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t have spent too long missing any of those other girls, the ones he\u2019d been engaged to before.\u00a0 The sheer numbers involved \u2013 he must have been moving quickly.<\/p>\n

They arrived in Virginia City just ahead of the afternoon stage.\u00a0 There was no last-minute crisis, no incident at the final moment that forced a different path.\u00a0 No man on a black and white paint thundered down the street for one final word.\u00a0 Liza bought her stage ticket, and Hoss very kindly helped her with her bags when the coach arrived.<\/p>\n

Once her trunk was loaded, there didn\u2019t seem to be anything to do but wait awkwardly by the coach with the cat basket until the driver was ready to go.\u00a0 Maybe it would be better to just get in, wait inside, but somehow\u2014Liza found herself reluctant to take that final step.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss?\u201d she said suddenly, because this was her last chance.\u00a0 \u201cJoe didn\u2019t really have something important to do this afternoon, did he?\u201d<\/p>\n

The big man shifted awkwardly.\u00a0 \u201cWell\u2014he might\u2019ve<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded, looked down at her hands.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s all right.\u00a0 I understand.\u201d\u00a0 She hesitated, then in a very small voice said, \u201cWould you tell him\u2014that I\u2019ll miss him?\u201d\u00a0 She would, too, so much that it scared her.\u00a0 But it had<\/em> to be better to miss him when he wasn\u2019t there than to lose him while he still was.<\/p>\n

Hoss only looked more uncomfortable.\u00a0 \u201cI dunno if that\u2019s a good idea.\u00a0 Might sort of\u2014make the might\u2019ve been\u2019s even worse, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d she said softly, because what right did she have to make any decisions at all for Joe?\u00a0 His brother ought to know what was best for him.\u00a0 From some unlikely place she managed to dredge up a smile.\u00a0 \u201cWell, at least I can tell you that I\u2019ll miss you<\/em> too.\u201d\u00a0 Differently, but she would<\/em> miss Hoss.\u00a0 It had been\u2014so up and down and intense with Joe, while his brother had been as steady as a rock, unfailingly warm and kind and welcoming.<\/p>\n

\u201cAw, you don\u2019t have to say that,\u201d Hoss said, smile bashful.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s been real nice having you around too.\u00a0 I\u2019m sorry it didn\u2019t\u2014turn out better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe too,\u201d Liza whispered, and then she had<\/em> to get into the stagecoach, because she was going to start crying in another minute.<\/p>\n

She climbed inside, stowed the cat basket with Bront\u00eb inside under the seat, alongside Hop Sing\u2019s bundle of sandwiches.\u00a0 She took the seat by the window, not because she wanted to look out but because she wanted the corner to lean against.<\/p>\n

Two other passengers boarded, and then the driver was climbing up to his seat in the front, tugging the reins and starting the horses off.<\/p>\n

Liza closed her eyes as the stagecoach lurched into motion, beginning its journey back towards everything she\u2019d ever known before.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t want to watch the pine trees fade in the distance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t dismount from Cochise as he waited, high up on the bluff overlooking the stage route out of Virginia City.\u00a0 His timing was good, and it was only a few minutes before the stagecoach came into view.\u00a0 From here he couldn\u2019t see anyone inside the coach, but he hadn\u2019t expected that.\u00a0 He could<\/em> see, even at this distance, Liza\u2019s red leather trunk, in among the other baggage strapped to the stage\u2019s roof.<\/p>\n

So that was that.<\/p>\n

He watched as the stage rumbled past on the road below, watched as it continued on down the trail.\u00a0 Watched until it disappeared around a fold of hillside.<\/p>\n

Joe swiped the back of his hand across his burning eyes and didn\u2019t bother telling himself that had anything to do with the dust.<\/p>\n

She was hardly the first woman to leave him.\u00a0 Might be she wouldn\u2019t be the last.\u00a0 He knew that, but it didn\u2019t seem to weigh much right now.<\/p>\n

She had thought two weeks wasn\u2019t long enough, and he could almost wish it had been shorter.\u00a0 Maybe then he wouldn\u2019t feel as badly about it.\u00a0 He wouldn\u2019t have been able to see so clearly how much she just \u2013 fit<\/em>.\u00a0 A pretty girl who laughed at his jokes, who liked Hoss and stood up to Adam, who appreciated the Ponderosa enough to make Pa happy and who kept her head in a crisis\u2026\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t going to find another one like that in a hurry.\u00a0 He\u2019d done enough looking to know that<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He drew in a long, slow breath, pulled his hat down lower over his eyes.\u00a0 He\u2019d ride away from here \u2013 take a good, long<\/em> ride.\u00a0 Then he\u2019d go back home.\u00a0 He\u2019d put Cochise in the stable and go inside the house.\u00a0 He\u2019d sit at the table with Pa and Hoss and Adam, and maybe they\u2019d eat one of Hop Sing\u2019s fried chicken dinners.\u00a0 Then they\u2019d sit around the fire in the evening, and everything would be\u2014the way it was supposed to be.<\/p>\n

And this feeling, it wouldn\u2019t last forever.\u00a0 It would all be all right.\u00a0 Eventually.<\/p>\n

He patted Cochise on the neck, dug his heels into the horse\u2019s sides.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Cooch.\u00a0 Let\u2019s ride.\u201d<\/p>\n

End<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As noted at the top, this is the first in a planned AU series – nothing has really happened that’s AU yet, but the story will continue in future installments!<\/em><\/p>\n

For those who enjoy knowing episode references, Sam Clemens\/Mark Twain met the Cartwrights in the Season 1 episode, \u201cEnter Mark Twain.\u201d\u00a0 Joe and Hoss robbed a bank (with the best of motives) in \u201cThe Bank Run.\u201d\u00a0 Adam tells a story about paying off men in the saloon to let Joe win at arm-wrestling in \u201cThe Gamble.\u201d\u00a0 The Holloways and their mine appeared in \u201cThe Philip Diedesheimer Story.\u201d Danny Kidd befriended Joe in \u201cThe Friendship,\u201d a title that surely makes you think he\u2019d keep coming back into the show, but of course he didn\u2019t.\u00a0 Vince Dagen captured Hoss and Joe during \u201cBreed of Violence.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: Joe\u2019s many<\/strong> past romances\u2026Ellie McClure (\u201cThe Showdown\u201d), Connie McKee (\u201cDenver McKee\u201d), Jennifer Beale (\u201cThe Abduction\u201d) and Carrie McClane (\u201cThe Last Viking\u201d) all appear in rapid succession near the beginning of Season 2.\u00a0 Little Joe was having a hectic few months on the romance front. His more serious romances referenced include Julia Bulette (\u201cThe Julia Bulette Story\u201d), Amy Bishop (\u201cThe Truckee Strip\u201d) and Laura White (\u201cThe Storm\u201d), all victims of the Curse of the Cartwrights, dying swiftly after a proposal. \u00a0Melinda Banning\u2019s mother threw her at Joe in \u201cThe Lady from Baltimore\u201d and Tessa\u2019s father did the same in \u201cBullet for a Bride\u201d \u2013 which is actually set later than this story, in Season 5, but I\u2019ve moved it earlier. \u00a0Caroline Partridge appeared in \u201cThe Guilty,\u201d and though we don\u2019t actually see Joe stand her up to go riding at the end of the episode, we don\u2019t see him arrive either.\u00a0 Michele Dubois appeared in \u201cThe Dowry.\u201d Part of the goal here was to explain why Joe seems to be involved in casual flirtations with Caroline and Michele soon after the really heart-wrenching loss of Laura White.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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

Summary: After a few too many heartbreaks, Joe promises himself he\u2019s done with serious romances. No one really believes him, and his resolve is tested when a pretty stranger’s carriage breaks down on the Ponderosa. Will a romance finally end well, or will it just mean yet another heartbreak?
\nRating: G | Word Count: 60,221<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12522,"featured_media":64120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_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":""},"categories":[23,4,1007,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","category-humor","category-joe-cartwright","category-romance","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-4-id","wpcat-1007-id","wpcat-3-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":96,"today_views":95},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/S03.12_Frenchman-3.png?fit=1591%2C1188&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9748,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=9748","url_meta":{"origin":64080,"position":0},"title":"Shadow Enemy (by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"September 20, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 After leaving the Ponderosa, Adam has an enlightening \u00a0encounter with someone from the past. rating:\u00a0PG\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 word\u00a0 count: 1,999\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0warning: mention of corporal punishment","rel":"","context":"In "Adam \/ Joe"","block_context":{"text":"Adam \/ Joe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1091"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Untitled5.jpg?fit=275%2C342&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14327,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=14327","url_meta":{"origin":64080,"position":1},"title":"Oh, Ducky! 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