Summary: 1863 has arrived, and the Cartwrights face a hard winter. Their faith in God and each other is tested as both Ben and Josie face life-threatening situations and Adam must trust his instincts – and the local Paiute tribe – to save them. And in the end, they will all have to trust one another to endure a visit from some surprise visitors.<\/p>\n
Rating:\u00a0 \u00a0T\u00a0 (39,200 words)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Fervently Do We Pray \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Ponderosa Ranch \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Josie didn\u2019t tell her family back East right away that she planned to stay permanently in Nevada. No one would expect her to return until the war was over, so there was no need to stir the pot just yet. Her parents would accept her decision, but Aunt Rachel probably wouldn\u2019t. She didn\u2019t care one way or the other about Aunt Rachel\u2019s opinion, but she didn\u2019t want Mama to have to bear Rachel\u2019s rage. Uncle Ben and her cousins, however, were overjoyed when she told them at breakfast one morning in early January that she didn\u2019t want to return to Washington when the war was over and asked if she could stay on the Ponderosa. Little Joe let out a whoop that shook the windows, and Hoss grabbed her by the waist and swung her around. Adam grinned so broadly he thought his face would split.<\/p>\n \u201cJosephine, that\u2019s wonderful!\u201d Ben exclaimed. \u201cOf course you can stay! Remember me telling you that I didn\u2019t know how we ever got along without you?\u201d<\/p>\n Josie blushed. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to presume.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t presume anything,\u201d Adam interjected. \u201cBesides, in a couple of months, you\u2019re going to have the prettiest clinic anyone\u2019s ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie grinned. She was so excited over her clinic she thought she might burst, and she prayed every night for the snow to stop so Adam could begin construction.<\/p>\n But the snow continued despite her fervent prayers. By mid-January, it was so deep she didn\u2019t dare try to ride into town for work. She tried walking out to the barn one morning to check on Scout, but halfway there she got stuck in snow up to her waist and had to holler for help. Hoss was more than happy to pull her free, but not before he had a good laugh. Even Pip was unhappy. Every time he came into the house from a brief sojourn outside to relieve himself, his belly and scruffy beard were coated in tiny snowballs.<\/p>\n One morning toward the end of the month, Ben and Hoss stepped onto the porch, looked up at the clear, blue sky and decided they\u2019d have a break in the snowfall, at least until that evening.<\/p>\n \u201cThink I\u2019ll go into town and pick us up a few more groceries,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n \u201cGood idea,\u201d Ben said. \u201cI\u2019m gonna ride up into the high country and check my traps. Probably nothing in them with all this snow, but at least it\u2019ll get me out of the house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be out too late, Pa. I expect it\u2019ll start snowin\u2019 again tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded and went back inside to see if anyone wanted to go with him.<\/p>\n \u201cNo thanks, Pa,\u201d Adam said. \u201cIt\u2019s colder than a polar bear\u2019s nose out there. Besides, I was going to catch up on some of our inventory.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMe either, Pa,\u201d Little Joe said. \u201cI\u2019m just gonna stay inside where it\u2019s nice and warm.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben rolled his eyes and turned toward Josie, who was just emerging from the kitchen. \u201cHow about it, Josie? Want to go for a ride with your old uncle?\u201d<\/p>\n Josie raised a cup of tea and the copy of Les Mis\u00e9rables<\/em> she had swiped from Adam\u2019s room and smiled apologetically. \u201cNo thanks. I\u2019m all set. But you should take Pip with you. He could use a good run.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben glanced at the enormous hound, who had topped out at 160 pounds and was now snoring next to the fire. \u201cWhat do you say, Pip? Wanna go with me?\u201d<\/p>\n The dog\u2019s head snapped up at the sound of his name, and he bounced to his feet and trotted to Ben, where he sat and leaned against his legs. Ben scratched his ears. \u201cAt least someone is excited to go with me,\u201d he muttered. \u201cI\u2019ll be back by suppertime,\u201d he told Adam, Josie, and Little Joe, who all nodded. \u201cCome on, Pip. Let\u2019s go!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben and Pip trudged through the snow to the barn, where Ben saddled up Buck and swung into the saddle. He shivered. Maybe the kids were right about staying in today. The temperature was below freezing, and he was glad he\u2019d brought the scarf Josie had given him for Christmas. By the time he and Pip reached the first of his traps two hours later, he wished he\u2019d stayed home. He was half-frozen, and as he had expected, the traps were empty, and the fresh snow revealed no tracks.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Pip,\u201d he said resignedly. \u201cLet\u2019s go home and have some hot coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n Pip wagged happily but then stiffened and let out a low growl. The hair on his shoulders and the back of his neck bristled and stood straight up.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, boy?\u201d Ben asked. Then he heard it: another growl from the ridge above him, but not a dog\u2019s growl. This was a higher, snarling sound. He snapped his head around and spotted a tawny mountain lion poised to pounce from the ridge. Stomach lurching, he dropped the reins and reached for his rifle just as Buck whinnied frantically and reared up. Ben flew backward off his horse and crashed onto a large rock underneath the snow. Something popped in his left shoulder, and he bellowed in pain even as the wind was knocked from him. Buck whinnied again and tore off.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Ben gasped. His shoulder screamed, and his entire left side felt like he was being stabbed with a dozen knives. He had to have broken some ribs. All he could do was watch his horse run off without him. Another loud snarl from the ridge brought his attention back to the mountain lion, and he pulled his revolver from its holster and fired a shot in that direction. It went wide but was enough to scare the animal off. But recoil from the shot reverberated through his body, and he nearly blacked out from the pain. He bit his lower lip until he tasted blood and fought to remain conscious. If he passed out here in the snow, he was a dead man.<\/p>\n Pip raced over and whined at him. Ben looked up at the hound. \u201cWe\u2019re in trouble, boy,\u201d he gasped between stabs of pain. He couldn\u2019t possibly walk home\u2014he was at least fifteen miles from the house, and he could hardly breathe\u2014but he sure as hell couldn\u2019t stay here on the trail, either, unless he wanted to freeze to death. There were a few small caves less than a mile away. Those would give him the best chance of survival until the boys and Josie could come after him. Grabbing hold of Pip with his right hand, he hauled himself to his feet and bit his lip again as the pain once more threatened to make him pass out. Slowly, he began his long walk through the deep snow to the caves, leaning heavily on Josie\u2019s giant wolfhound for support.<\/p>\n Back at the house, Adam, Josie, and Little Joe passed a pleasant morning. Little Joe coaxed Josie away from her book, and the two of them engaged in several fiercely competitive rounds of checkers. When Adam finished updating the ranch\u2019s inventory, he pulled up a chair and gave so much unsolicited advice to them both that they yelled at him to go away. Hoss returned from town in midafternoon, and he and Adam set about trying to build a house using an entire deck of playing cards. Bored with checkers, Josie and Little Joe sauntered over to the table to annoy Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cCareful now,\u201d Little Joe said as Adam slowly set the last card on top of the delicate structure. \u201cDon\u2019t knock it over.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Josie added. \u201cThat would be terrible, undoing all Hoss\u2019s hard work like that.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam glared at them and resumed placing his card. Just as he let it go and carefully drew away his hand, Josie poked him right under his ribcage. He emitted a sharp \u201cEep!\u201d and jumped. His knees hit the underside of the table, and the card house collapsed, scattering playing cards all over the table and onto the floor. Everyone stared open-mouthed for several moments before Adam and Hoss turned their heads slowly to Josie, who burst out laughing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re gonna get you for that!\u201d Adam shouted.<\/p>\n He and Hoss leapt from their seats and chased Josie around the table and into the living room. She screamed in mock terror as her cousins cornered her behind Ben\u2019s armchair. Adam dived behind the chair and snagged her around the waist.<\/p>\n \u201cQuick, Hoss!\u201d Adam hollered as he tightened his grip on his wriggling cousin. \u201cFill the bathtub!\u201d<\/p>\n Cackling, Hoss thundered up the stairs and started pumping water into the tub as fast as he could.<\/p>\n Josie cackled as Adam flung her over his shoulder and carried her toward the stairs. \u201cNo!\u201d she screamed.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, yes!\u201d Adam said. He mounted the stairs awkwardly as Josie struggled to free herself from his grasp.<\/p>\n \u201cI got the tub filled!\u201d Hoss called as he stepped out of the washroom. He grabbed Josie\u2019s wrists while Adam grabbed her ankles, and the two of them carried her into the washroom and dunked her, fully clothed, into the bathtub.<\/p>\n Josie hysterical laughter evolved into a shriek as she hit the water. \u201cHey!\u201d she sputtered. \u201cThat\u2019s cold!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t gonna waste hot water on someone who wrecked my hard work,\u201d Hoss said, and Adam erupted in laughter.<\/p>\n Josie stuck her tongue out at them and dragged herself out of the frigid tub. She stood dripping on the floor, her sable hair hanging in wet strings all around her face. Still giggling, Adam graciously handed her a towel.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d she said, snatching the towel from him and rubbing her hair. She tried to glare at Adam and Hoss, but she broke out in giggles too. \u201cGuess I deserved that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou sure did,\u201d Adam agreed. \u201cAnd so do you!\u201d He spun around and grabbed Little Joe, who had snuck upstairs to watch the show. Hoss and Josie hopped out of the way as Adam tossed his little brother into the bathtub.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did I do?!\u201d Little Joe shouted as he hauled himself out of the tub, his nostrils flaring. \u201cI didn\u2019t knock down your cards!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, cool off, Joe,\u201d Hoss said, and he pushed his younger brother back into the tub.<\/p>\n ******<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Josie and Little Joe changed into dry clothes and returned to the living room, where they called a truce with Adam and Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cShould probably think about startin\u2019 supper,\u201d Hoss said, looking at the clock on the dining room wall and nudging Little Joe. Hop Sing had taken a few weeks\u2019 vacation, so the Cartwrights had been taking turns cooking, and tonight was Joe\u2019s turn.<\/p>\n \u201cTry not to burn it this time, would you?\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n Little Joe glared at him and stalked off toward the kitchen.<\/p>\n \u201cShouldn\u2019t Uncle Ben have been home by now?\u201d Josie asked. It was only five p.m., but the day was fading fast, and snow had begun to fall again.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure Pa\u2019s all right,\u201d Adam said. \u201cHe probably went out farther than he planned to and holed up in a line shack for the night.\u201d<\/p>\n This sounded reasonable, so Josie put it out of her mind. But just as they cousins were finishing up supper, a horse galloped into the yard and whinnied. Adam rose from his chair, opened the door, and peered out to see who had arrived. It was now fully dark, and the snow was swirling heavily, but he immediately recognized the shape of his father\u2019s buckskin gelding. His chest tightened.<\/p>\n \u201cWho is it, Adam?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Buck. Just Buck, without Pa!\u201d He raced outside with his brothers and Josie hot on his heels.<\/p>\n In the light streaming from the house, Adam examined the horse. The animal wasn\u2019t injured, and Pa\u2019s rifle and saddlebags were undisturbed.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think he got bushwhacked?\u201d Josie asked. Images of Adam dragging a travois through the desert flashed through her mind, and she almost lost her supper.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he did, he got jumped by the world\u2019s worst robber,\u201d Adam said. \u201cAll he was carrying were his rifle and his lunch, and they\u2019re both still here. Besides, a bushwhacker wouldn\u2019t have let Buck come home to alert us. If they could even get past Pip in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPip must still be with him,\u201d Josie said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe better go after him,\u201d Little Joe said and turned toward the barn. Adam grabbed his arm.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t go after him tonight,\u201d he said gently.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not?\u201d Little Joe demanded, his chest heaving. \u201cPa\u2019s lost in the snow somewhere! We have to find him!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI agree with you,\u201d Adam said, \u201cbut we can\u2019t go out there now. You know as well as I do that you can\u2019t track a man in the dark. Besides, this snow is going to turn into a full-on blizzard within the next hour. Riding out now would be suicide, and we\u2019re no good to Pa dead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t just leave him out there! He could die!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe,\u201d Hoss intervened, \u201cAdam\u2019s right. Ain\u2019t no good goin\u2019 out in this storm. Pa\u2019s a tough old bird. I\u2019m sure he\u2019s holed up somewhere safe for the night.\u201d He took hold of Buck\u2019s reins. \u201cNow you three go on inside before you freeze. I\u2019ll take care of Buck.\u201d He led the horse through the swirling snow to the barn, leaving Adam, Josie, and Little Joe with nothing to do but go back inside the house.<\/p>\n Little Joe kicked the sideboard as he reentered the house. Adam and Josie shared a look but said nothing. Joe flung himself onto the settee and dropped his head into his hands. Wordlessly, Adam and Josie started to clean up the supper table. Adam\u2019s stomach churned, but the others would take their cues from him, so best to act normally.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe?\u201d he said. \u201cCould you help us wash the dishes, please?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe\u2019s head snapped up. \u201cThe dishes?\u201d he said incredulously. \u201cOur father\u2019s out there freezing to death, and you\u2019re worried about the damn dishes?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sighed. \u201cLittle Joe, I\u2019m worried, too, but there\u2019s nothing we can do about it right now, so we might as well make productive use of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cProductive use of the time,\u201d Little Joe sneered. He leapt to his feet and marched over to Adam. \u201cWe could be making productive use of the time by looking for him!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJoe, we went through this already,\u201d Josie said. \u201cLook outside! It\u2019s nearly whited out. You wouldn\u2019t be able to see your hand in front of your face, let alone signs of Uncle Ben. You\u2019d just get frostbite\u2014or worse\u2014for your trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d Joe huffed as he stepped into Josie\u2019s face, his nostrils flaring. \u201cTake Adam\u2019s side. You always do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHey, lay off her!\u201d Adam said, stepping between Josie and Little Joe. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to be intolerable, you can go up to your room.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe barked out an unfriendly, mocking laugh. \u201cYou gonna send me to my room, Big Brother?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam puffed out his chest, straightened to his full height, and looked down at Joe. Time to put the pup back in his place. \u201cYeah, I am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d sure like to see you try,\u201d Joe retorted, and he gave Adam a little push.<\/p>\n Adam pointed a warning finger at Little Joe. \u201cNow watch yourself, Joe,\u201d he said coolly.<\/p>\n Josie stepped back and watched the tension mount between Joe and Adam. \u201cCome on, fellas,\u201d she pleaded, but they ignored her. Joe pushed Adam again, and this time, Adam shoved back, sending Little Joe staggering backward. Joe\u2019s green eyes flashed, and he launched himself at Adam. The two men crashed to floor, fists flying.<\/p>\n \u201cStop it!\u201d Josie screamed.<\/p>\n Little Joe landed a hard left on Adam\u2019s jaw, splitting his brother\u2019s bottom lip. Adam responded with a right hook to Joe\u2019s nose, which sent up a spurt of blood. Little Joe fell backward onto the floor, and Josie jumped in.<\/p>\n \u201cI said stop it!\u201d she screeched and wedged herself between them. Adam immediately backed off, but Little Joe was so angry he could hardly see. Not realizing Josie was between him and Adam, he flung his left fist forward again and cracked Josie hard in the right eye.<\/p>\n Josie cried out and fell backward into Adam. They tumbled to the floor, Josie landing in Adam\u2019s lap, her hand clutching her eye. Little Joe stared in horror.<\/p>\n \u201cJosie?\u201d he squeaked.<\/p>\n \u201cJosie!\u201d Adam bellowed. He pulled her hand away from her face so he could see her eye, which was already swelling and turning an ugly shade of purple. His gaze snapped up to Little Joe, who was standing over them, blood dripping from his nose onto the floorboards. \u201cLook what you did,\u201d he snarled, his eyes burning with rage.<\/p>\n He jumped to his feet and was about to tackle Joe, but Josie was faster. She jumped up, too, and threw herself between them again, one arm stretched out in each direction to keep her cousins apart.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an accident!\u201d she shouted, gaze darting back and forth between them, making sure neither was about to charge. \u201cIt was an accident,\u201d she repeated, more softly this time. \u201cAnd it was my fault. Papa always told me never to jump between two fighting dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s chest kept heaving, his fists clenched at his sides, but he didn\u2019t move. Adam hung his head, lip still bleeding.<\/p>\n \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have had to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Little Joe hung his head too. His shoulders relaxed, and his fists uncurled.<\/p>\n Josie lowered her arms and turned to Adam. \u201cGo clean up that hole in your lip.\u201d Adam turned and went outside. That was strange, but right now, she didn\u2019t care. Her eye was throbbing, nearly swollen shut, and she still had to check Joe\u2019s nose. She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at the blood on his face. \u201cIt\u2019s not broken, but I\u2019ll be surprised if you don\u2019t wake up with at least one black eye.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss came in just then and looked at Josie and Joe. \u201cWhy is Adam outside bleeding?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause he\u2019s an idiot,\u201d Josie said. Joe sniggered, and Josie glared at him. \u201cSo is this one.\u201d She glanced over her shoulder at Hoss. \u201cCould you please check Adam\u2019s lip and let me know if he needs stitches?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss turned around and headed back outside.<\/p>\n \u201cJosie, I\u2019m so, so sorry,\u201d Little Joe said as his bleeding finally slowed. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how sorry I am.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not the person you should be apologizing to,\u201d she said, cocking her head in Adam\u2019s direction as he reentered the house. \u201cThis is killing him, too,\u201d she added quietly. \u201cHe just doesn\u2019t show it like you do.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam came over and tapped her shoulder. When she turned around, he pressed a snowball gently to her injured eye. She sat down the settee and held the snow to her eye until it melted and her face was numb from the cold.<\/p>\n Little Joe watched as Adam handed Josie the snow, and a wave of guilt swept over him, not only for hurting Josie, but also for antogonizing Adam. His oldest brother had never done anything but look out for him, and he shouldn\u2019t have taken his anger and fear over their father\u2019s situation out on him. He needed to apologize, but maybe later. Instead, he let Hoss apply some snow to his face to try to control the swelling.<\/p>\n The four cousins sat silently in the living room, everyone but Hoss nursing their wounds, and no one sure what to say. Finally, Adam rose to wash the dishes that had started the fight in the first place. Josie and Hoss followed to help, but Little Joe stayed in the living room, his head throbbing. When they finished the dishes and went back into the living room, Adam announced he was going to bed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe leave at first light,\u201d he said and gazed around the room, his eyes coming to rest on Little Joe. \u201cSo, you all better get to bed too.\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone nodded and went upstairs, Little Joe making sure Hoss and Josie were between him and Adam. Hoss and Little Joe ducked into their bedrooms toward the front of the hall, but Adam escorted Josie to her door at the end. He turned up the hallway lamp and peered at her eye, which fortunately, hadn\u2019t swollen all the way shut.<\/p>\n \u201cThat doesn\u2019t look too bad. You\u2019re gonna have a pretty good shiner for a few days, though.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie stared at him. She didn\u2019t say anything, but Adam could read her face. She was furious. He ducked his head.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said. \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have let him provoke me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou should be apologizing to Joe. He needs your patience right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sighed. \u201cI will tomorrow. It\u2019s probably better if we spend a few hours apart.\u201d He reached his arms out and looked at her hopefully. Josie gave him a half-smile, fell against his chest, and let him wrap his arms around her.<\/p>\n \u201cYou really think Uncle Ben\u2019s all right out there?\u201d she asked softly as she bit back tears.<\/p>\n No, he didn\u2019t. But he sure as hell couldn\u2019t tell Josie that. At least not tonight.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss is right. Pa\u2019s a tough old bird. If anyone can make it out there, it\u2019s him. Besides, he\u2019s got Pip with him, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n Josie nodded, kissed his cheek, and went to bed, leaving Adam standing alone in the hallway. Averting his gaze from his father\u2019s empty bedroom, he turned toward his own room to get ready for bed.<\/p>\n Adam slept badly for only a couple hours before the wind howling outside his bedroom window woke him. He peered out, but the glass was coated in frost and snow. He wouldn\u2019t be getting back to sleep, so he pulled on his dressing gown and slippers and went downstairs, where he threw a couple logs onto the embers in the fireplace and went into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.<\/p>\n On his way back to the living room, he opened the front door and was blown back by a blast of icy wind and snow. As he and Josie had predicted, the snow had evolved into a raging blizzard. He\u2019d made the right decision in not setting out to search for Pa that night. But the thought of his father out there in that storm set his stomach churning again. He hoped he\u2019d encouraged the others by telling them that Pa had probably decided to stay the night in a line shack, but he knew it wasn\u2019t true. Pa never would have stayed out in this weather knowing his family was waiting for him to come home, and he certainly wouldn\u2019t have let Buck run off without him if he wasn\u2019t hurt.<\/p>\n Adam closed the door, collapsed into his father\u2019s armchair, and set his cup on the coffee table. He dropped his head into his hands as images of his father finding him in the desert last summer flashed through his mind. The guilt was almost unbearable. Pa had searched through broiling heat for a week and a half to find him, and here he was, cowering next to the fire while his father was lost in a blizzard.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Pa,\u201d he whispered as he rocked in his seat and clutched his hair. \u201cYou always told me first and foremost to take care of my brothers. I\u2019m just trying to keep them safe.\u201d<\/p>\n A creak from the top of the stairs broke his reverie, and Adam snapped his head up, hoping his eyes weren\u2019t as red as he thought they must be. Little Joe stood at the top of the stairs, his face puffy and swollen. Standing there in his dressing gown and slippers, he looked much younger than his twenty years, and for a moment, all Adam saw was his brother as a little boy of five, begging him not to leave for college.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, sorry,\u201d Joe said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know anyone else was up.\u201d He turned to go back to his room.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay. Come on down.\u201d Their gazes met, and both brothers could see the regret in the other\u2019s eyes. Joe slowly descended the stairs and sat on the settee. Adam went into the kitchen and poured his brother a cup of coffee, which he set on the coffee table in front of Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Joe said, taking a sip.<\/p>\n They sat in an uncomfortable silence for several minutes until they both broke out babbling at once.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou go ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, really.\u201d<\/p>\n Amused smiles began to rise on both of their faces, and Adam held up a hand to silence Little Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry I fought back,\u201d Adam said. \u201cI should have just walked away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, too,\u201d Joe said. \u201cThe whole thing was my fault anyway. I shouldn\u2019t have pushed you in the first place. I just got so\u2026 so\u2026\u201d he trailed off in frustration, not sure how to express what he was feeling.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay. I\u2019m scared, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe looked up, his eyes wide. \u201cYou? Scared? I didn\u2019t think anything scared you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust something happening to someone I love.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnless it\u2019s at your own hand, huh?\u201d Little Joe gave Adam a wry smile.<\/p>\n Adam smiled back and reached over and tousled Joe\u2019s curls. He had always loved his baby brother\u2019s curly hair. It suited Joe\u2019s personality somehow, and he was glad it hadn\u2019t straightened as Joe grew up.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, what d\u2019ya say, Older Brother?\u201d Joe said. \u201cShall we use this time productively?\u201d He went to the gun rack and pulled down four rifles and some cleaning supplies. He handed Adam two of the rifles, and they set about cleaning the guns for the next morning\u2019s expedition.<\/p>\n When Josie and Hoss stumbled downstairs the next morning just before dawn, they found Adam and Little Joe asleep in the living room. Little Joe was stretched out on the settee, and Adam was slumped in Ben\u2019s burgundy armchair. Each of them had a rifle resting in his lap and another on the floor nearby.<\/p>\n Hoss looked at Josie in alarm. \u201cI didn\u2019t hear no shootin\u2019 last night, did you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d she said, not taking her gaze off of Adam and Joe, \u201cbut a body would have been hard-pressed to hear anything at all over that wind.\u201d She walked to the settee and looked at Joe. His face wasn\u2019t quite as bruised up as she\u2019d feared it would be, but his left eye was black. She looked at Adam and saw that his lower lip was purple and swollen. She shook her head and nudged Little Joe awake while Hoss poked Adam, who jumped.<\/p>\n \u201cSaddle up, Older Brother,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cLet\u2019s go find Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n The cousins choked down some cold biscuits from last night and loaded their saddlebags with enough food for several days. They brought two bedrolls apiece to protect against the cold, bundled up in coats, chaps, hats, gloves, and scarves, and set off through the deep snow.<\/p>\n They headed directly to Ben\u2019s trap lines in the high country. The morning was clear and sunny, but it took three hours to ride into the mountains through the snow that had fallen overnight. The blizzard had blown away any tracks Ben might have left yesterday, and it took them several passes just to find the first of his traps buried in the snow.<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Adam said, thinking aloud when Hoss finally spotted the first of the traps. \u201cIf I were Pa and got into trouble around here, where would I go?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s some little caves just about a mile up this trail,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cSome more over that way.\u201d He pointed south.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s where we\u2019ll look, then,\u201d Adam said. \u201cHoss, Joe, check those caves to the south. Josie and I\u2019ll follow this trail. Three shots if you find any signs of a man or a dog. Remember, we\u2019re looking for Pip too. He\u2019ll hear us before Pa will. We meet back here in three hours if no one finds anything. Agreed?\u201d Everyone nodded, and the cousins split up.<\/p>\n Adam and Josie called for Ben and Pip as their horses picked their way up the trail. Josie was shivering. Adam frowned. The temperature was below freezing. None of them could tolerate it for long before they\u2019d have to find shelter.<\/p>\n About a half mile along, they came around a bend, and Josie hollered for Pip again. This time she was rewarded with an answering bark. She would have recognized that deep, resounding voice anywhere. She shot Adam an excited glance.<\/p>\n \u201cPip!\u201d she cried again.<\/p>\n The wolfhound bounded through the snow toward them, barking excitedly, his wagging tail knocking the snow off the bushes around him. Josie slid off Scout and threw her arms wide in greeting. Pip leapt into her open arms, knocking her backward into the snow. He stood over her, tail still wagging furiously, and licked her face. She squealed with laughter.<\/p>\n \u201cCut it out, Pip!\u201d she said, still laughing. \u201cYour drool is going to freeze to my face!\u201d She shoved the massive canine off her and sat up as Adam drew his Remington and fired three shots into the air. \u201cCome on, Pip!\u201d Josie urged the dog as she remounted her Appaloosa. \u201cGo find Ben!\u201d The dog barked once more and bounded off the way he had come, with Adam and Josie following closely behind.<\/p>\n After less than a quarter mile, Pip veered off the trail into the trees. As they rode through the forest, Adam pointed out bent twigs and a broken branch.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone came through here,\u201d he said. His heart lifted. If Pa had made it this far, then maybe\u2026<\/p>\n A few minutes later, they reached a sheer rock wall. Josie thumped her saddle in frustration, thinking Pip had brought them to a dead end, but Adam recognized the area. He jumped off Sport and was stumbled through the waist-deep snow.<\/p>\n \u201cPA!\u201d he hollered. \u201cPa, are you in there?\u201d<\/p>\n Josie saw that he was following Pip into a small opening in the rock face she hadn\u2019t spotted. She jumped down from Scout, grabbed her medical bag off her saddle, and followed Adam and Pip. She was nearly to the cave entrance when Adam turned around, his eyes, the only bit of his face she could see between his scarf and his hat, were wide.<\/p>\n \u201cJosie, he\u2019s in here!\u201d He grabbed Josie\u2019s hand and pulled her the rest of the way through the snow and into the cave.<\/p>\n The cave was shallow, no more than about twenty feet deep, and lying on the floor near the back was Ben Cartwright. Josie\u2019s heart shattered. They were too late. Uncle Ben was curled up in a ball on his right side, and the little bit of his face she could see was a pale blue. She approached slowly, about to confirm the worst, when he blinked twice and looked up at her.<\/p>\n \u201cElizabeth?\u201d he whispered as a look of awe crossed his wan face.<\/p>\n Josie nearly burst into tears. \u201cOh my God, you\u2019re alive!\u201d Behind her, Adam let loose another three shots into the air just outside the cave. Josie dropped to her knees, pushed on Ben\u2019s left shoulder, and rolled him onto his back. He gasped as she put pressure on his injured shoulder, and then he nearly bent double as the sharp intake of breath upset his broken ribs, bringing on the now-familiar stabbing pain through his chest. He screwed his eyes shut against the agony. Adam had made his way back into the cave by then, and he dropped to his knees next to Josie.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d he asked tentatively. Ben\u2019s eyes fluttered at the sound of his eldest son\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam,\u201d Ben breathed, groping around with his good right hand until he found Adam\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cIs he gonna be okay?\u201d Adam asked, his voice thick with anxiety.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Josie said. \u201cIt\u2019s a miracle he\u2019s still alive.\u201d Uncle Ben was in a bad way. He was in the advanced stages of hypothermia, and a quick examination revealed his left shoulder was dislocated and he had broken three ribs on his left side. She spotted his discarded chaps a few feet away and thanked God he had been wearing them to keep his pants dry. He never would have survived the night in wet clothes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat can I do?\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n \u201cBuild a fire. As hot as you can. We have to get him warm.\u201d<\/p>\n She ran out to Scout, grabbed both her bedrolls off her saddle, and took them back into the cave. She unfurled the thick, woolen blankets and laid them over her uncle. Adam took off in search of firewood. If she was going to pop Uncle Ben\u2019s shoulder into place, now was the time. She\u2019d seen onlookers pass out watching this procedure.<\/p>\n \u201cUncle Ben,\u201d she said gently. His eyes fluttered open again. \u201cI have to set your shoulder. I\u2019m really sorry, but this is going to hurt like hell.\u201d Ben nodded feebly and closed his eyes again. Josie sat on the cave floor facing him and putting her foot in his left armpit for leverage, she grabbed his left forearm and yanked. He screamed and sat bolt upright as his shoulder slipped back into place with a faint pop. The quick movement sent the stab of pain through his chest again, and he alternated clutching his side and his left shoulder with his right hand. His gasping slowed as the pain he’d endured in his shoulder for the past twenty-four hours finally receded. He lay back down heavily.<\/p>\n Adam returned with a small bundle of firewood as Josie pulled off Ben\u2019s gloves and boots to check his hands and feet for frostbite. Miraculously, his fingers and toes were all right, though the tips of his ears were bright red. His pulse was also much too weak. They were running out of time.<\/p>\n \u201cHow is he?\u201d Adam asked as he dumped the wood near the mouth of the cave.<\/p>\n \u201cBad. Hurry up with that fire.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stacked the wood just inside the cave entrance so they would still have protection from the bitter wind but the fire wouldn\u2019t smoke them out. He pulled a box of lucifers out of his pocket and got the kindling to catch in short order.<\/p>\n While Adam fussed with the fire, Josie took off her gloves and placed her hands on her uncle\u2019s icy cheeks to warm him up a little.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s too cold, Elizabeth, you shouldn\u2019t be out here,\u201d Ben muttered.<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s head snapped around. \u201cDid he just call you Elizabeth?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Josie said grimly. \u201cThat\u2019s the second time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou do look just like her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, but the confusion is a bad sign. How\u2019s that fire coming?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReady!\u201d Adam dashed to the back of the cave and half-carried-half-dragged his father close to the fire. Ben smiled weakly as the warmth hit him, and Adam moved in close to the flames too. Josie was about to instruct Adam to lay next to his father to help warm him up, but Pip trotted over, lay down at Ben\u2019s side farthest from the fire and snuggled up close.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we just discovered how Pa survived the night,\u201d Adam said in amazement.<\/p>\n \u201cGood boy, Pip!\u201d Josie said. She grabbed the two wool blankets and laid them over both Ben and Pip and tucked them in tightly.<\/p>\n When Hoss and Little Joe arrived a few minutes later, Joe let out a strangled sob and dropped to his knees next to his father.<\/p>\n \u201cPa!\u201d he cried, tears spilling from his green eyes onto his father\u2019s blankets. Ben\u2019s eyes remained closed, and Joe reached out to shake his father\u2019s shoulders, but Adam grabbed him.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s hurt, Joe,\u201d Adam said. \u201cDislocated his shoulder and broke a few ribs. He won\u2019t thank you for shaking him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWill he be ok?\u201d Joe whimpered.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to say,\u201d Josie said. \u201cHypothermia is tricky. Hoss, did you bring any coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded and started brewing a pot. When it was ready, Hoss propped Ben up, and Josie carefully poured some of the hot liquid into his mouth. She managed to get about half the cup into him before he began shivering too violently to swallow any more.<\/p>\n \u201cJosie?\u201d Little Joe asked, his voice trembling almost as hard as Ben\u2019s body.<\/p>\n \u201cBelieve it or not, this is a good sign,\u201d Josie said. \u201cIt means he\u2019s warming up.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss carefully laid his father back down, and Pip snuggled back up to him. Within a few minutes, Ben\u2019s shivering slowed a bit, and he pulled one gloved hand out from under the blankets and scratched Pip\u2019s head.<\/p>\n \u201cGood dog,\u201d he whispered. \u201cGood boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie looked hopefully up at Adam and then back down at her patient. \u201cUncle Ben?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s eyes blinked open slowly, and he gazed up at her.<\/p>\n \u201cElizab- Josie!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere you are.\u201d She smiled down at him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened to your eye?\u201d<\/p>\n All four cousins laughed. In her concern over Uncle Ben, she\u2019d completely forgotten about her own injury.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nothing. Joe and I just had a little collision. It was my fault, really.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben turned his head and squinted his eyes at his youngest son, taking in Joe\u2019s bruised and swollen face. \u201cThat must have been some collision,\u201d he wheezed, clutching his injured ribs.<\/p>\n \u201cTry not to move,\u201d Josie said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got three broken ribs, and I just put your shoulder back into place about an hour ago.\u201d Ben nodded and closed his eyes again.<\/p>\n \u201cWanna go home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll go soon. Finish off this coffee Hoss made, and then we\u2019ll go home.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss and Little Joe helped Ben finish his coffee while Adam pulled Josie aside.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a long ride home. Is it a good idea to make him do it already?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot especially, but it\u2019s better than making him spend another night out here. Can Sport carry you both through this snow? Uncle Ben can\u2019t sit his own horse, and he needs someone to keep him warm.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam thought for a moment. \u201cTwo riders the size of Pa and me might be a bit much for Sport, but Chubb could do it. Hoss can ride Sport home, and Pa and I\u2019ll ride double on Chubb.\u201d<\/p>\n Their plan set, Adam and Josie returned to the cave to prepare Ben for the long ride home. Hoss and Little Joe pulled off his coat, shirt, and thermal top so Josie could bind up his ribs. Ben grimaced and lost what little color he\u2019d regained as Josie cinched the bandages around his chest.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry it has to be so tight,\u201d she said. \u201cI know it\u2019s painful.\u201d She wished she could give him some morphine, but it would make him too groggy for the ride. Instead, she used her scarf to fashion a sling for his left arm to keep his shoulder still. \u201cKeep him as steady as you can on the way home,\u201d she told Adam. \u201cAnd keep him awake.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded. \u201cLet\u2019s go. We can\u2019t wait any longer if we want to make it home before dark.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss carried Ben out of the cave to where Chubb stood waiting. Adam swung up behind the saddle and reached down for Ben as Hoss lifted him up and settled him in the saddle. Josie handed Adam a couple of blankets, which he wrapped around his father\u2019s shoulders. Then he reached his arms around Ben and picked up Chubb\u2019s reins. Hoss, Little Joe, and Josie mounted up as well, and they set off slowly for home.<\/p>\n Adam had to work hard to keep Ben awake on the ride home. Ben leaned back against his son\u2019s chest and tried to nod off. He was feeling cold again\u2014the sensation had faded overnight\u2014and if he could just sleep until they got home, the journey would be so much more tolerable.<\/p>\n \u201cStay awake, Pa,\u201d Adam ordered as his father\u2019s head lolled against his chest for at least the twelfth time.<\/p>\n \u201cSo tired,\u201d Ben muttered.<\/p>\n \u201cI know the feeling,\u201d Adam said, thinking back to his Christmas in Boston. \u201cHey, Pa,\u201d he said brightly, \u201chow about you and I stay home from now on when the weather\u2019s bad? We don\u2019t seem to have much luck outdoors apart from pleasant spring days.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben let out half of a weak chuckle and winced as the motion disturbed his ribs. \u201cGood idea, son,\u201d he gasped. \u201cI\u2019m sure Hoss and Joe won\u2019t mind doing all the work from now on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d Hoss asked, sidling up to Adam and Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, nothing,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n Josie rode closely alongside Chubb so she could keep an eye on Ben. She, too, was worried about how often Adam had to rouse him, but there was little she could do. When they finally reached the house four hours later, Ben was barely conscious, and his pulse was weak again. Hoss pulled him down from Chubb and rushed him inside.<\/p>\n \u201cPut him on the floor next to the fireplace,\u201d Josie said. \u201cIt\u2019s the warmest spot in the house. Joe, go heat some water for tea. Adam, take care of the horses.\u201d The brothers ran off like obedient soldiers. Josie laid several blankets down on the rug in front of the fireplace, and Hoss laid Ben gently on top of them before throwing several logs onto the fire. \u201cPip!\u201d Josie called, and the dog ambled over and lay down next to Ben on his side facing away from the fire. \u201cGet his coat and shirt off him,\u201d Josie ordered Hoss as she darted upstairs. She grabbed all the blankets off her uncle\u2019s bed and dragged them downstairs, where she tucked them tightly around Ben and Pip. She pulled off his hat and checked his ears again. They were still red, but fortunately didn\u2019t seem any worse than they had been in the cave.<\/p>\n Little Joe emerged from the kitchen a few minutes later bearing a kettle of boiling water. Josie dug a small sachet of powdered willow bark from her medical bag and plunked it in the water to steep. When it was ready, Hoss propped Ben up while Josie raised a cup of tea to his lips. He took two sips and turned his head away.<\/p>\n \u201cUgh! Tastes terrible!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSeems to be a common sentiment in this family,\u201d Josie said. \u201cCome on, Uncle Ben, drink it. It\u2019ll warm you up and help with the pain.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben drank the rest while wearing the same wrinkled-nose grimace Adam always made when confronted by willow bark tea. It revived him a bit, so Josie sent Hoss into the kitchen to heat some broth and make sandwiches for everyone. By the time Adam came in from bedding down the horses, there was a tower of sandwiches on a plate on the coffee table next to a large pot of coffee. Ravenous, Adam grabbed a sandwich and crammed half of it in his mouth at once.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s Pa?\u201d he mumbled around the cold roast beef.<\/p>\n Ben glanced up from the floor where Josie was spooning broth into his mouth as Hoss propped him up.<\/p>\n \u201cCold,\u201d he wheezed. \u201cBut still alive.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sat next to Hoss, Josie, and Ben. The warmth from the fire at his back felt heavenly, and he suddenly realized how very tired he was. He could fall over onto the stone hearth and fall asleep right there.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s Joe?\u201d he asked, noticing his little brother was not in the room.<\/p>\n \u201cI sent him upstairs to take a hot bath,\u201d Josie said. \u201cHe\u2019s sore.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat in the world happened to that boy?\u201d Ben asked, remembering the state of his youngest son\u2019s face.<\/p>\n Adam sighed. \u201cHe and I got into it last night. That\u2019s how Josie got hurt. She got between us. Joe didn\u2019t see her, and\u2026\u201d He sighed again.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat were you fighting about?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n Adam sighed a third time. \u201cHe was upset I wouldn\u2019t let him go out looking for you last night. It was already dark and snowing hard when Buck came home, and I was worried we\u2019d all get lost.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben reached out his good hand and squeezed Adam\u2019s arm. \u201cYou did exactly the right thing, son. I\u2019m proud of you.\u201d Adam relaxed under his grip. \u201cNow, Josephine,\u201d he said, turning to his niece, \u201cmay I please sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n Josie smiled and nodded. \u201cI\u2019ll get you a pillow from your room.\u201d Ben was asleep before she returned with the pillow, which she slipped under his head. \u201cSo far, so good,\u201d she said to Adam, Hoss, and Joe, who had just returned downstairs from his bath. \u201cHe\u2019ll probably be feverish for a day or so, but it\u2019s encouraging that he can hold a conversation. So long as he doesn\u2019t develop pneumonia, I think he\u2019ll be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n The brothers nodded, and Adam moved to the settee, where he pulled off his boots. \u201cYou three go to bed. I\u2019ll sit up with Pa in case he needs anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll sit with you,\u201d Josie said. \u201cJust in case.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, me, too,\u201d Little Joe said.<\/p>\n All eyes turned to Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I ain\u2019t goin\u2019 upstairs alone!\u201d he said. \u201cThat hallway\u2019s downright spooky after dark.\u201d<\/p>\n They laughed, and Josie collapsed onto the settee next to Adam. She pulled off her boots and lay down, resting her head in Adam\u2019s lap. Hoss grabbed one of the many blankets that had materialized all over the living room and covered Josie up.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d she said, already drowsy.<\/p>\n Hoss slouched in Ben\u2019s armchair, and Little Joe took the blue armchair, propping his feet up on the coffee table.<\/p>\n \u201cJoseph, get your feet off the table,\u201d Ben muttered from his pallet on the floor.<\/p>\n Joe looked at his siblings in disbelief, but then sighed and lay on the floor between Pip and the coffee table instead. The entire family was asleep within minutes.<\/p>\n Sometime in the night, Adam fell forward onto the floor, where he woke the next morning to find Josie\u2019s hand dangling off the settee and resting on his face. He batted it aside and sat up, smacking his forehead on the edge of the coffee table in the process. His yelp of pain woke Josie, who peered down at him.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing down there, silly?\u201d she asked, her eyes dancing with amusement.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Adam said, rubbing his forehead. \u201cI have no memory of landing here.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie giggled and got up to check on Ben. As she\u2019d expected, he was running a fever, but his pulse and breathing were both strong and steady. She looked at Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile I\u2019m grateful the Cartwrights appear to have a tolerance for extreme weather, I do wish you all would stop testing it out.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam grinned sheepishly. \u201cI\u2019ll make breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n The smell of bacon and eggs cooking woke everyone else. By the time Adam put the food on the table, Ben was sitting up unassisted in impatient anticipation of a hot meal. Rather than making Ben get up to sit at the table, Adam and Hoss delivered loaded plates of food to the living room, where the family had an impromptu picnic on the floor. Adam had even fried up some extra bacon just for Pip, who downed it so quickly Josie was certain he hadn\u2019t bothered to chew. She was pleased, however, when Ben sent Little Joe to refill his plate for him.<\/p>\n After breakfast, Ben related the story of how he had ended up injured in the cave.<\/p>\n \u201cBit strange for a cougar to be out in this weather, ain\u2019t it?\u201d Little Joe asked.<\/p>\n \u201cMust have been hungry,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn any event, he didn\u2019t get lunch that day,\u201d Ben said. \u201cNow if the good doctor has no objections, I\u2019d like to go to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam and Hoss helped Ben upstairs to his bedroom and into bed. Josie and Little Joe followed them with all the blankets Josie had dragged to the living room the night before. As Ben lowered himself stiffly into bed, he caught a glimpse out his window of the sun glinting off the thick coat of fresh snow blanketing the ground outside.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s pretty when you\u2019re not stranded in it,\u201d he grumbled as Little Joe stoked the fire in the bedroom\u2019s small fireplace.<\/p>\n \u201cIt sure is,\u201d Josie mused. Her face lit up as an idea struck her. \u201cHey, Adam! You wanna build a snowman with me?\u201d<\/p>\n The four Cartwright men stared at her incredulously.<\/p>\n \u201cWe spend all day yesterday riding around miserable in that snow, and she wants to go play in it,\u201d Little Joe muttered, shaking his head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo thanks, Josie,\u201d Adam said. \u201cI think I\u2019ll stay in here with Pa and drink coffee. Lots and lots of hot coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie turned a disappointed face to Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cAw, Josie,\u201d he said. \u201cYou know I love buildin\u2019 snowmen, but it\u2019s awfully cold out there, and\u2014\u201d He cut off as Josie poked out her lower lip to look a little bit sadder. \u201cOh, all right. Get your coat on. Let\u2019s go build us a snowman!\u201d<\/p>\n Josie cheered and took off downstairs. Hoss followed a moment later, leaving Adam and Little Joe sitting with Ben in his bedroom.<\/p>\n The snow was wet and heavy\u2014perfect for snowman construction\u2014and Hoss and Josie quickly rolled a base level for their snowman that rose to Hoss\u2019s waist. Several minutes later, Josie had to sit on Hoss\u2019s shoulders to lift the head onto the snowman because it was too high for him to reach alone. Their laughter carried upwards into Ben\u2019s bedroom, where Adam and Little Joe watched through the window.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re having entirely too much fun out there,\u201d Little Joe said.<\/p>\n Adam nodded. \u201cWe should do something about that.\u201d The brothers shot each other wicked grins. \u201cWe\u2019ll be back, Pa!\u201d Adam shouted as he and Little Joe darted from their father\u2019s bedroom and down the hall to the stairs. Pip dithered for a moment, looking back and forth between Ben and the now-empty doorway.<\/p>\n \u201cGo on, boy,\u201d Ben said. \u201cI\u2019m okay.\u201d<\/p>\n Pip yipped happily and followed Adam and Joe down the stairs.<\/p>\n Outside, Josie and Hoss were putting the finishing touches on the largest snowman the Nevada Territory had ever seen; it was more than nine feet tall and wider than Hoss. Josie had brought a carrot from the kitchen, which she stuck to the snowman\u2019s face for a nose, and Hoss poked some branches in the sides for arms. A few rocks they had dug out from under the snow served well as eyes, and they used pebbles to create a smiling mouth. For a finishing touch, Josie swiped Hoss\u2019s tall hat from his head and jumped up and plunked it on the snowman\u2019s head.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d say that\u2019s a pretty good snowman,\u201d Josie said as she admired their work.<\/p>\n \u201cMe, too!\u201d Hoss agreed. \u201cLet\u2019s make him a wife.\u201d<\/p>\n They were just beginning to roll a snowwoman foundation when a wild rebel yell erupted on the porch. Josie and Hoss whirled around to see Little Joe and Adam on the porch, their arms full of snowballs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re under attack, Hoss!\u201d Josie yelled. \u201cGet down!\u201d<\/p>\n Josie and Hoss hit the snow as Adam and Little Joe pelted them with snowballs. Hoss and Josie crawled behind their snowman and started rolling snowballs as quickly as they could. Pip bounded through the snow to them, barking encouragingly. When they had a small pile, Hoss and Josie peeked out from opposite sides of the snowman and hurled snowballs toward the porch. Hoss knocked Adam\u2019s hat off, and Josie caught Little Joe squarely in the rear end when he turned around to grab another snowball. Little Joe responded with a snowball that knocked the nose off the snowman.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got a wounded man, Doc!\u201d Hoss shouted.<\/p>\n Josie gallantly threw herself into the line of fire to grab the carrot and jam it back onto the snowman\u2019s face. Adam and Little Joe took advantage of the opportunity to bombard her with snowballs. She shrieked for help, and Hoss grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back behind the snowman.<\/p>\n The battle raged for a quarter of an hour, both sides keeping up a steady barrage of flying snow, and Pip running back and forth between the two, barking madly. Finally, frustrated by their lack of headway, Little Joe covered Adam while he raced in and stole Josie away from Hoss, slinging her over his shoulder and running back toward the porch.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got your partner!\u201d Adam called in his best outlaw voice. \u201cSurrender, or she gets it!\u201d He and Little Joe both aimed snowballs point-blank at Josie, whose scream of terror ended in uncontrollable giggles.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right!\u201d Hoss hollered back. \u201cAll right, I give up! Just don\u2019t hurt the little lady!\u201d He stepped out from behind the snowman with his hands up, and Adam and Little Joe turned their snowballs on him, both nailing him right in the face. Hoss charged the porch, grabbed Little Joe, and chunked him headfirst into the snow. He turned for Adam, who threw his hands up in surrender.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry! I\u2019m sorry!\u201d he gasped between gales of laughter. \u201cI give up!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss laughed and threw one arm around Adam and one around Josie.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, you two,\u201d Josie said. \u201cLet\u2019s go inside and get warm. I\u2019ll make some hot chocolate.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss tromped back to Little Joe, who was still struggling to free himself from the snow, grabbed the younger man\u2019s feet, and pulled him free. He reclaimed his hat from the snowman and followed his brothers and cousin inside.<\/p>\n Upstairs, Ben heard to the joyful shouts of his sons and niece and couldn\u2019t resist heaving himself out of bed to watch from his window. He tried not to laugh as Adam and Little Joe beaned Hoss with their snowballs\u2014the motion sent stabs of pain through his chest again. But smiling didn\u2019t hurt, so Ben smiled broadly. Despite their fight two nights before, Adam and Little Joe were comrades again, and Ben\u2019s spirits lifted as he watched them work together to defeat Hoss and Josie. \u201cAs long as they have each other, they\u2019ll always be okay,\u201d he thought. Hearing the younger Cartwrights coming back into the house, he hustled as quickly as he could back to bed. He didn\u2019t want to get in trouble for getting up.<\/p>\n When Josie came upstairs a few minutes later to change into dry clothes, her cheeks and nose rosy from the cold, she poked her head into Ben\u2019s room to check on him and found him resting comfortably, right where she had left him. She laid a hand on his forehead and was pleased that his fever hadn\u2019t risen.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s the pain?\u201d she asked. \u201cWould you like an opium pill?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not too bad, as long as I hold still. And those pills make me fuzzy.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie smiled. \u201cWould you like some hot chocolate?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat would be lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie kissed Ben\u2019s forehead and skipped happily out of the room to change her clothes.<\/p>\n Ben smiled again as he watched her go. His shoulder and chest ached horribly, and no matter how many logs the boys threw onto the fire, he was still cold despite his fever, but his family was together and happy. Nothing else mattered.<\/p>\n Josie made Ben stay in bed for the next three days until his fever broke and he could move at least a little without pain. By the beginning of February, he was getting around almost normally. The snow had also stopped, and while it hadn\u2019t yet melted, the roads were passable. Adam took advantage of a free, sunny afternoon in the middle of the month to ride to the Lucky Star Ranch to see if he could enlist Simon\u2019s help in building Josie\u2019s clinic. He hoped the weather would let them start building in about a month, so he wanted to start gathering his labor force. Ross had already agreed to help, of course, but the more men they had, the faster the work would go, and Simon was quickly becoming known in the area as a skilled carpenter.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Adam!\u201d Simon\u2019s younger sister, Rebecca, called as he dismounted and wrapped Sport\u2019s reins around the hitching post. \u201cWhat brings you out this way?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was hoping to talk to your brother.\u201d He stepped onto the porch and doffed his hat. \u201cHe around?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s upstairs. Come on inside, and I\u2019ll fetch him for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca led him into the Crofts\u2019 living room. It was more modest than the Ponderosa\u2019s, but cozy and comfortable with a blue sofa and two squashy armchairs. It all looked inviting, but Adam stood close to the fire to warm up after his long, cold ride. Rebecca brought him a cup of coffee and ran upstairs to get Simon.<\/p>\n She knocked on her brother\u2019s closed bedroom door. Footsteps approached from the other side, and Simon flung open the door. Rebecca could tell by the grumpy expression on his face and the way his dark blond hair was rumpled that he\u2019d been dozing. He\u2019d spent the past two days checking on their winter herds and was enjoying a well-deserved afternoon off.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d he demanded, hoping he could lay back down before his drowsiness wore off.<\/p>\n Rebecca ignored her brother\u2019s grouchiness. \u201cYou have a visitor.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon\u2019s face lit up. Due to the weather, he\u2019d seen Josie only once since the Christmas party, and his heart leapt at the idea that she\u2019d ridden out to see him.<\/p>\n \u201cTell her I\u2019ll be right down!\u201d he said and scurried to his mirror to tamp down his hair.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll tell him,<\/em>\u201d Rebecca replied with a smirk.<\/p>\n \u201cHim?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt ain\u2019t Josie?\u201d Simon couldn\u2019t hide his disappointment.<\/p>\n \u201cRight family, wrong member.\u201d Rebecca paused. \u201cIt\u2019s Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon had been about to pat down his cowlick, and now his hand froze in midair. \u201cAdam?\u201d he echoed weakly. \u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPretty darn. He\u2019s too big to be Little Joe, too small to be Hoss, and too young to be Mr. Cartwright. That leaves Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon went pale and sank onto his bed. \u201cIs he wearing his gun?\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca rolled her eyes. \u201cOf course he\u2019s wearing his gun. He just rode in from the Ponderosa. You\u2019re being awfully rude, you know, keeping him waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, yeah,\u201d Simon replied absently, running his hand through his hair. \u201cI\u2019ll be right down.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebecca tossed her long, honey-colored hair and flounced out of the room. Simon stayed on his bed, agonizing over why Adam Cartwright had ridden all the way out to the Lucky Star to talk to him. He was certain Adam hadn\u2019t seen him kiss Josie at the Christmas party. Had Hoss told? No, Hoss wouldn\u2019t tattle. Adam must be there for another reason, and it was high time he quit being so afraid of Josie\u2019s cousin. Simon was no coward\u2014he\u2019d assisted Hoss and Little Joe in more than one barroom brawl\u2014and he resolved to go downstairs and face Adam like a man. Perhaps he\u2019d even broach a little topic he\u2019d meaning to discuss with Adam and Mr. Cartwright. He rose, set his shoulders, and strode downstairs, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach.<\/p>\n \u201cHi, Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam noticed Simon\u2019s overenthusiastic greeting and smirked at the younger man\u2019s obvious discomfort, but he extended his hand cordially. \u201cHey, Simon. Good to see you. Making it through this winter all right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, all right,\u201d Simon said, shaking Adam\u2019s hand. \u201cYou?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing we haven\u2019t been able to handle.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon refilled Adam\u2019s coffee cup and poured one for himself before they settled into the armchairs. The two men sat for several moments, sipping their coffee and sizing one another up. Finally, Simon broke the silence. \u201cSo, what brings you out here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow would you like to make a little money?\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n Simon\u2019s eyes nearly popped out of his head. Of all the questions he had expected to come out of Adam Cartwright\u2019s mouth, this was certainly not one.<\/p>\n \u201cMoney?\u201d he asked stupidly.<\/p>\n Adam chuckled. \u201cI\u2019m building Josie a small clinic on the Ponderosa, and I thought perhaps you\u2019d like to help. I hope to start next month. I know it\u2019s a busy time of year for ranchers, but I\u2019ll pay you well for your time.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon let out a relieved burst of laughter. \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said in answer to Adam\u2019s mildly offended expression. \u201cI just never expected you to offer me work. I thought you hated me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho says I don\u2019t?\u201d Adam replied, completely straight-faced. \u201cI don\u2019t have to like you to admit you\u2019re a good carpenter.\u201d He let out a small chuckle as he watched the color drain from Simon\u2019s face. Time to be direct and put the poor boy out of his misery. \u201cLook, Simon, I don\u2019t like the idea of you courting Josie any more than you like the idea of Little Joe courting Rebecca, but I don\u2019t think I get a whole lot of say in the matter. Josie seems to have warmed up to you, and she tends to get her way.\u201d<\/p>\n Now Simon chuckled. \u201cShe does,\u201d he agreed with a smile.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, if she\u2019s agreeable, you go right on ahead and court her.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon grinned in relief. \u201cThanks, Adam. Truly, thank you. I know you and Josie are close, and I\u2019ve been meaning to talk to you and Mr. Cartwright about courtin\u2019 her. She\u2019s one heckuva girl.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, she is. Which is why I do want to make one thing incontrovertibly clear.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon swallowed hard. He\u2019d never heard the word \u201cincontrovertibly\u201d before, but he caught Adam\u2019s meaning all the same.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you hurt her,\u201d Adam continued coolly, \u201cand I mean even slightly, or if you get her into any trouble\u201d\u2014here he raised a knowing eyebrow\u2014 \u201cor if she ever comes home with anything less than a smile on her face, I will hunt you down to the ends of the Earth. And when I catch you\u2014and rest assured, I will<\/em> catch you\u2014I will kill you. Very, very slowly. You understand?\u201d<\/p>\n Simon\u2019s eyes went as wide as wagon wheels. \u201cYes,\u201d he squeaked, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat and tried again. \u201cI do understand, and I know how you feel. Little Joe and I have been friends for years, and I still want to strangle him every time I see him put his hands on Rebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, in Little Joe\u2019s case, that probably wouldn\u2019t be a bad idea,\u201d Adam said. He cut Simon a wry smile, and Simon laughed. \u201cNow,\u201d Adam said, \u201cabout this clinic.\u201d He pulled a small sketch out of his pocket and unfolded it on the coffee table, and the two men began to plan.<\/p>\n Winter broke early, much to the relief of everyone in the region. It had been a hard winter, and no one was sorry to see the snow melt. Adam was especially pleased because it meant he could start building Josie\u2019s clinic two weeks earlier than he\u2019d planned. Simon, Ross, and a few men from the mining camps joined him early one morning in the second week of March to clear the ground for the little building. Josie ambled out to watch them begin, and Adam handed her a shovel and let her break the first ground.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Adam,\u201d she said, beaming, as she passed the shovel back to him, \u201cbut I\u2019ll let you boys take it the rest of the way from here.\u201d<\/p>\n The men laughed, and Josie headed into the barn to saddle up Scout. Ben wanted to check his traps again, and Josie opted to go with him this time. After ten days of riding through the desert searching for Adam last summer, she had a different notion of what constituted a \u201clong ride.\u201d Two hours to the alpine country no longer seemed like a big deal. She insisted she was going just to keep Ben company, but they both knew better.<\/p>\n Uncle and niece enjoyed their ride together into the wooded mountains with Pip prancing happily along\u2014sometimes behind them, sometimes off to the side, sometimes way out in front. Ben told Josie stories of his days as a first mate to her and Adam\u2019s grandfather, Abel Stoddard, aboard the merchant vessel Wanderer<\/em>, and Josie was fascinated by his descriptions of such exotic locales as Singapore and Hong Kong.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to see the whole world,\u201d she sighed wistfully as she turned her face up to catch the sun.<\/p>\n Ben smiled and admired the way the sun shone against her black hair that ran in a long braid down her back. She\u2019d been on the Ponderosa for more than a year and a half now, and he regarded her as more of a daughter than a niece. The boys had long ago begun introducing Josie as their sister, and one glance at the resemblance between Josie and Adam was all it took to convince most people this was true.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you shall, my dear,\u201d Ben assured her.<\/p>\n Josie grinned and opened her mouth to say something more, but she was cut short by a loud whinny and galloping hooves coming toward them from around a bend several yards ahead. A small, rider-less red horse charged past, and Ben and Josie had to hold tightly to Buck and Scout to keep them from bolting too.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere in the world did that come from?\u201d Josie shouted as Scout reared up and she barely kept her seat. \u201cWas that one of ours?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Ben said as he grabbed Scout\u2019s bridle to help settle the mare down. \u201cThat horse had a bow and arrows tied to him. It was an Indian pony.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie\u2019s eyes went wide. \u201cOn the Ponderosa?\u201d She\u2019d seen a few Indians who wandered into Virginia City on occasion, but she\u2019d never encountered one on the range. The Paiutes in the area had been fighting with the U.S. Army for almost two years, but they generally avoided the larger ranches. Barons like Ben Cartwright could afford to hire men to patrol the borders if needed, and the local tribes knew the risk of capture was too great.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething must be wrong,\u201d Ben said as the horses steadied themselves. \u201cThe local Paiutes generally respect the Ponderosa\u2019s borders. I better check it out. Stay here, Josephine.\u201d He drew his revolver and turned Buck\u2019s head to continue up the trail in the direction the little red pony had come from.<\/p>\n \u201cNo way,\u201d Josie said, drawing her Colt and clucking at Scout to follow Buck. \u201cIf there\u2019s one thing that\u2019s guaranteed to bring this family trouble, it\u2019s one of us going off alone. Or haven\u2019t you been paying attention?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben whipped his head around and gave her his sternest stare. \u201cNow listen here, young lady\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUncle Ben, with all due respect, are you going to sit here and bless me out, or are we going to find out why there\u2019s an Indian pony running wild across our ranch?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s jaw twitched as he took a deep breath to keep himself from shouting like he would at his sons. \u201cThe pony,\u201d he grumbled at last through clenched teeth.<\/p>\n They made their way cautiously up the trail, guns drawn. Just after they rounded the bend the horse had come from, Pip spotted a dead deer and barked to alert Josie and Ben. It was a young buck, judging by the antlers, and it had two arrows sticking out of its side. Ben jumped down from Buck.<\/p>\n \u201cStill warm,\u201d he said, laying a hand on the creature\u2019s neck. \u201cWhoever shot him couldn\u2019t have gotten far.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie glanced around, fearful, but trying not to show it. \u201cThey\u2019re not allowed to hunt on our land, are they?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey are not,\u201d Ben said firmly as he remounted his horse. \u201cAnd I\u2019m surprised they\u2019ve tried. We\u2019re friendly with Winnemucca\u2019s people, but they know better than to trespass.\u201d<\/p>\n They continued slowly up the trail, both scanning the woods and trail for any sign of the hunter. After a couple hundred yards, Josie held up her hand to stop Ben and Buck.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you hear that?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n Ben strained his ears but heard nothing, so he shook his head. Josie listened intently for several moments.<\/p>\n \u201cThere it is again!\u201d she declared. Ben still heard nothing. Must be getting old, he thought.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you hear?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt sounds like growling.\u201d Josie\u2019s brow furrowed. Pip heard it, too, and bounded up the trail. Josie and Ben kicked their horses and followed him. Just before they rounded the next bend, Pip began barking furiously\u2014a deep, throaty sound he used as a warning to anyone or anything he deemed dangerous.<\/p>\n Josie urged Scout to run faster. As she came around the bend just ahead of Ben, she spotted a massive grizzly bear about to take a swipe at a little Indian boy who was backing up against a rock, dragging his left foot in front of him. The bear roared and raised its gigantic paw for a killing blow, and the little boy screamed in terror. Quick as a flash, Josie holstered her revolver, whipped her rifle out of its scabbard, took aim, and fired.<\/p>\n Her bullet went straight through its skull and into its brain, killing it instantly. The animal fell to one side and lay still. Josie leapt from Scout and approached the bear slowly, keeping her rifle trained on it. Ben had caught up by then, dismounted, and followed Josie to the bear. He admired the clean bullet hole in the animal\u2019s right temple.<\/p>\n \u201cWell done, Josephine!\u201d he said. \u201cWell done, indeed!\u201d<\/p>\n Josie nodded acknowledgement but had no interest in her kill. She turned her attention to the boy, who was still cowering next to the rock.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you okay?\u201d she asked, handing her rifle to Ben and approaching the boy.<\/p>\n The child clearly didn\u2019t understand a word. He pressed himself even tighter against the rock, and a few tears slid down his cheeks.<\/p>\n \u201cPoor thing\u2019s scared to death,\u201d Josie said to Ben.<\/p>\n Ben studied the boy. He couldn\u2019t have been more than nine or ten years old, and he wore only deer-skin breeches to protect against the cold March air. He was so skinny that all his joints protruded sharply through his skin, and his long, black hair hung in limp strings around his face. Ben\u2019s heart broke; he couldn\u2019t see a child of any race without visualizing his sons at the same age. The child shivered, and Ben leaned Josie\u2019s rifle against a tree, removed his brown corduroy coat, and approached the boy slowly, holding the coat in front of him.<\/p>\n \u201cHere, son,\u201d he said gently. \u201cLet\u2019s get you warmed up.\u201d<\/p>\n His black eyes wild with fear, the child leapt to his feet and tried to run away, but he took only two strides before crying out and crashing to the forest floor. Ben and Josie raced to him, and Ben scooped the child up in arms and wrapped his coat around the skinny, shivering body. The child thrashed a few times, but then, apparently exhausted and finally understanding these people meant him no harm, he went limp in Ben\u2019s arms. Ben sat down under a tree so Josie could examine the boy.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s terribly malnourished,\u201d she said, shaking her head.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a hard winter,\u201d Ben replied. \u201cThe Paiutes must be desperate if they sent a boy onto the Ponderosa to hunt.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie\u2019s exam also revealed that the child\u2019s left ankle was badly sprained. He must have been thrown when the grizzly spooked his pony. She dug into Scout\u2019s saddlebags and pulled out a couple bandages, which she wrapped tightly around the ankle to keep it still. The boy whimpered when she pulled the bandages tight, but otherwise stayed silent. Josie could tell he was too worn out from the lack of food to put up much of a fuss.<\/p>\n \u201cHis ankle will be fine in a couple days, but this child needs food,\u201d she said, looking up at Ben, who was cradling the boy tightly against his chest to warm him up.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t take him back to the house,\u201d Ben said. \u201cIf the Paiutes discover we have one of their children, it could cause a misunderstanding. We\u2019ll have to take him back to his people.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie nodded while a flock of butterflies exploded in her stomach. Winnemucca and his people maintained a settlement not too far from the Ponderosa, but she\u2019d never expected to visit it. \u201cShould we go get some men first?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Ben grunted as he rose to his feet, still holding the boy, who was now calmly snuggled up in Ben\u2019s coat, his head resting on Ben\u2019s chest. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to look like we\u2019re invading.\u201d He glanced at Josie and saw the anxiety written on her face. \u201cIt\u2019ll be fine. Winnemucca knows I don\u2019t mean his people any harm.\u201d<\/p>\n She hoped he was right.<\/p>\n They picked their way carefully back to the horses, where Josie sheathed her rifle and dug a scrap of paper and a stubby pencil out of her saddlebag. She jotted a quick note to Adam so he and the others wouldn\u2019t worry if they missed supper and tied the note to Pip\u2019s collar.<\/p>\n \u201cGo home, Pip!\u201d she told the dog. \u201cGo find Adam!\u201d<\/p>\n Pip barked excitedly and shot down the trail toward home.<\/p>\n Josie put the pencil back in her saddlebag and drew out some jerky. She handed it to the boy who eyed it suspiciously for a moment, then snatched it from her hand and crammed the entire wad into his mouth at once. Ben watched the boy eat greedily and sadly shook his head. He handed the child to Josie, mounted Buck, and reached down for the boy and nestled him safely in the front of his saddle. Josie swung onto Scout, and Ben led the way back down the trail.<\/p>\n When they reached the dead deer, Ben reined to a stop. Josie pulled up alongside him, and Ben carefully passed her the little boy, still bundled up in Ben\u2019s coat. Josie worried that Uncle Ben was getting too cold, but she couldn\u2019t deny the boy needed the coat more than her uncle did. She scooted back in her saddle to make room for the child and watched as Ben slid off Buck and stepped over to the dead deer. He yanked the arrows out of the deer\u2019s body and lifted the animal onto Buck\u2019s rump. He tied the deer securely to his horse and swung back into the saddle.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re letting him keep the deer he poached?\u201d Josie asked, curiously, not critically.<\/p>\n Ben sighed. \u201cI hope this doesn\u2019t encourage the Paiutes to come onto our land for hunting, but I can\u2019t let this child starve. Not when I have the power to prevent it.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie smiled at him. There was no doubting her uncle\u2019s kindness.<\/p>\n They rode in silence for several hours as Ben led Josie down the mountain and off the Ponderosa. As the sun began to dip in the late afternoon, Josie noticed her uncle shivering, and she hoped they would reach their destination soon so he could get his coat back. She was so very tired of treating her family for exposure.<\/p>\n The sun was dropping below the horizon when they finally reached the Paiute camp fifteen miles off Ponderosa land. Josie marveled at the little huts that were grouped together to create the Paiute village. She\u2019d expected teepees like she\u2019d seen in books, but the Paiutes didn\u2019t live in skin tents. Instead, there were dozens of circular, wooden-framed huts covered with sagebrush and pine boughs. She was also surprised there weren\u2019t more people milling about. She\u2019d heard that Indian villages were busy, lively places, but this one felt deserted, or, she realized with a shudder, closed-up, like Virginia City had been during the influenza epidemic back in the fall.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething\u2019s wrong,\u201d Ben said grimly, confirming Josie\u2019s suspicions. \u201cWhere is everyone?\u201d<\/p>\n Apart from three spindly women squatting around a small cooking fire, the village appeared abandoned. Josie detected a sharp, bitter odor coming from whatever it was they were boiling. She wrinkled her nose and looked at Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cMesquite beans,\u201d he said. \u201cCattle fodder, mostly. You can eat them in a pinch, but they taste terrible. These people must be pretty bad off.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the women at the fire looked up and called out loudly in Paiute to the rest of the village. The little boy in Josie\u2019s saddle shouted a reply. Two men rushed out of a nearby hut, Josie stiffened as they approached. Her hand drifted instinctively toward her Colt, but Ben barked at her to keep her hands clear of her weapons. One of the men reached up and ripped the boy from Josie\u2019s arms and hustled him into one of the huts. The other motioned for Josie and Ben to dismount. This man was shorter than the other, but his fierce eyes and squared shoulders revealed his leadership position.<\/p>\n \u201cBen Cartwright,\u201d the man said in a gruff voice as Josie and Ben slid stiffly to the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cWinnemucca,\u201d Ben said, nodding to him. He gestured to Josie. \u201cAllow me to introduce my niece, Josephine.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie smiled nervously as the Indian chief nodded to her. Then she pictured what Aunt Rachel\u2019s expression would be if she knew Josie were in an Indian village and had to stifle a laugh.<\/p>\n \u201cThis belongs to the boy,\u201d Ben said, pointing over his shoulder to the deer still strapped to Buck\u2019s rump.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not need your charity,\u201d the chief said, his eyes narrowing. He spoke slowly and deliberately, and Josie was impressed by his English. According to everyone back east, the natives were an ignorant lot who communicated in grunts. She could hardly wait to write to Michaela and Katherine and tell them how misinformed they had all been.<\/p>\n \u201cNot charity at all,\u201d Ben replied cheerfully. \u201cThe boy shot it. My niece and I came across him a bit later and saw he was injured, so we thought we\u2019d bring him\u2014and his prize\u2014home.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie admired her uncle\u2019s masterful omission of whose land the boy was on when he shot the deer. \u201cHis horse got spooked,\u201d she added. \u201cHe hurt his ankle. He should stay off it for a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n The Indian shifted his piercing black eyes from Ben to Josie. He studied her carefully, taking in her long, dark hair, black coat, jeans, and boots. His eyes twinkled with amusement when he saw her Colt strapped to her right hip.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know much of medicine?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cA bit,\u201d Josie answered with a wry smile.<\/p>\n \u201cJosephine is a doctor,\u201d Ben said. \u201cA good one, at that.\u201d<\/p>\n Winnemucca seemed to be considering something for a moment, but apparently decided against it. Instead of speaking whatever was on his mind, he said, \u201cYou will stay and eat with us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not necessary,\u201d Ben replied. \u201cWe should be getting back to the Ponderosa.\u201d Winnemucca was also much thinner than he had been the last time Ben had seen him, and Ben didn\u2019t want to take any food away from these clearly desperate people.<\/p>\n \u201cYou will stay and eat with us,\u201d Winnemucca repeated.<\/p>\n Refusing a second time would insult the Indian chief, so he graciously accepted. Winnemucca turned back toward the village and shouted something in his native language. Three young men\u2014teenagers, by the looks of them\u2014scampered out of another hut and rushed over. Like everyone else in the village, these boys were too thin, their eyes were sunken and hollow. Two of them took Ben\u2019s and Josie\u2019s horses, and the third took the deer off Buck and carried it to the women at the cooking fire. The women chattered excitedly when they saw the fresh meat, and they started butchering it immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cCome, Ben Cartwright,\u201d Winnemucca said. \u201cLet us go inside where it is warm.\u201d Still without his coat, Ben was only too glad to follow the chief into his hut. Josie was apprehensive, but she trusted her uncle and followed along.<\/p>\n The door to the hut was small, and even Josie had to duck to avoid hitting her head on the way in. Once inside, it took her eyes a few moments to adjust to the dim light cast by the small fire in the center of the shelter. Though modest, the fire let off a warm glow, and Josie and Ben sat down gratefully in its warmth. Winnemucca handed them each a rabbit-skin blanket, for which Ben was especially thankful.<\/p>\n \u201cI will get your coat,\u201d the chief said, and he slipped back out of the hut, leaving Ben and Josie to bask in the heat from the fire.<\/p>\n That was when Josie noticed the woman on the pallet at the back of the hut. The woman let out a dry, hacking cough and moaned softly. Josie cast one concerned look at Ben, threw off her blanket, and raced to the back of the hut. The woman\u2014no older than Josie herself\u2014was running a dangerously high fever. Josie tried to wake her, but the young woman was in a stupor and only moaned again when Josie jostled her. Ben hustled over and knelt next to her.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, dear Lord, it\u2019s Sarah,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSarah,\u201d Ben repeated. \u201cWinnemucca\u2019s daughter. She\u2019s a year or two younger than Little Joe. Her Paiute name is \u2018Shell Flower,\u2019 but Winnemucca gave her and her sister Christian names in the hopes it would create some goodwill with the government during negotiations. Hasn\u2019t really worked. What\u2019s wrong with her?\u201d<\/p>\n Josie looked up at Ben, her eyes brimming with the bad news. \u201cIt\u2019s typhus, Uncle Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s eyes went wide. \u201cTyphus?\u201d he echoed as he backed away from the chief\u2019s daughter. \u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n Josie nodded. \u201cIt\u2019s the rash that gives it away. Dull and red, covering everything except the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet.\u201d She turned one of Sarah\u2019s hands toward Ben to show him what she meant.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now we\u2019ve been exposed,\u201d Ben said grimly.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t worry about it. Typhus is like the measles; you only catch it once. But unlike the measles, you often don\u2019t come down with it at all. Just being exposed is usually enough to make you immune. With all the traveling you\u2019ve done around the world, you should be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d Josie waved a hand dismissively, \u201cI was around typhus all the time when I was working in the poorhouses in Philadelphia.\u201d<\/p>\n Relief washed over Ben. They\u2019d gotten lucky during the influenza outbreak, and he didn\u2019t want to tempt fate. \u201cI wonder how many others are ill,\u201d he mused.<\/p>\n \u201cI would guess a lot, by how deserted the village seems. This girl has probably been sick for a week already. They may have had a lot of deaths by now.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan you do anything for her?\u201d<\/p>\n Josie nodded. \u201cI\u2019ve got a bottle of quinine in my saddlebags. I always carry one along with some iodine.\u201d<\/p>\n Winnemucca reentered the hut with Ben\u2019s coat in his hand.<\/p>\n \u201cThe family of the boy is indebted to you,\u201d he said. Then he noticed Ben and Josie leaning over his daughter. He dropped Ben\u2019s coat, crossed the hut in two long strides, and yanked Ben away from the pallet. Frightened, Josie backed away, too. \u201cYou must not touch my daughter!\u201d he snarled.<\/p>\n \u201cI can help her,\u201d Josie said firmly, rising to her feet. \u201cI know what\u2019s wrong. I can help.\u201d Winnemucca cut his black eyes to Josie, who met his gaze and did not blink. The chief\u2019s angry glare slowly evolved into a look of approval as he recognized the courage in this young woman.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can cure her?\u201d he asked, hope creeping into his voice.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t promise that. But I can try.\u201d<\/p>\n Winnemucca stared into Josie\u2019s eyes a few moments longer, then said, \u201cYou may try.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere\u2019s my horse?\u201d<\/p>\n Winnemucca led Josie back to Scout, and Josie dug her quinine out of her saddlebags. She raced back to the hut and gave Sarah a generous dose.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019ll be all right,\u201d she whispered to her insensible patient, more for her own benefit than for Sarah\u2019s. \u201cThis should lower her fever,\u201d Josie explained to Winnemucca. \u201cI just hope it\u2019s not too late.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d Winnemucca said.<\/p>\n \u201cHow many of your people are ill?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n The chief sighed. \u201cAt least thirty. We have already buried seven dead.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben closed his eyes. Thirty people was a fifth of Winnemucca\u2019s band. No wonder their food stores were so low; everyone was either sick or tending to the sick.<\/p>\n Josie handed the bottle of quinine to Winnemucca and explained how much to give each sick person. \u201cI can come back tomorrow with more,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Winnemucca hesitated before accepting the bottle. Ben understood. The Northern Paiutes had been in conflict with the U.S. Army off and on for several years now, and while the Indian war had settled as the Army diverted its resources to the Civil War, there was still much distrust between the Indians and the whites. Winnemucca was loathe to accept gifts, even from the Cartwrights with whom he was on friendly terms. He shook his head and held up a hand.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have our own medicine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this point, what have you got to lose?\u201d Josie asked, thrusting the bottle toward him again.<\/p>\n \u201cYou make a good argument,\u201d the chief said with a small smile as he accepted the bottle. \u201cI will get our food.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie sat down heavily next to Sarah, smoothed the girl\u2019s sweaty black hair, and tried not to think of Margaret. Guessing Josie\u2019s thoughts, Ben sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. Josie leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope I wasn\u2019t too late,\u201d Josie said, gazing down at Sarah.<\/p>\n \u201cYou did what you could. The Lord doesn\u2019t ask us for more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n Winnemucca reappeared with three bowls of steaming venison stew, and Josie and Ben suddenly realized how hungry they were. Neither of them had eaten since breakfast, and they scarfed it down.<\/p>\n When they finished eating, Ben thanked their host for the meal and announced that he and Josie needed to head back to the Ponderosa. Josie cast one last look at Sarah and followed Ben out of the hut.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of my cousins and I will be back tomorrow with more quinine,\u201d she promised Winnemucca. The chief nodded and wished them a safe journey home.<\/p>\n It was nearly midnight by the time Josie and Ben finally returned home, but Adam, Hoss, Little Joe, and Pip were still awake and waiting for them in the living room. Relief washed over their faces as Ben and Josie stepped through the front door. Adam leapt from Ben\u2019s armchair and gathered Josie up in a big hug.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry if we worried you,\u201d Josie said. \u201cWe encountered something we didn\u2019t expect.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho was worried?\u201d Hoss said with a sheepish grin.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got your note,\u201d Adam said, gesturing to Pip. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d Josie and Ben told him about finding the boy and the illness that had gripped the Paiute village. Adam blanched. \u201cTyphus? Do you think we should warn the town?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot unless the townspeople like to visit the Paiutes,\u201d Josie said. \u201cBesides, I\u2019m sure that at least most of the miners have already been exposed to typhus. It tends to sweep through places where people live close together without good sanitation. Papa told me in one of his letters that they\u2019re having a terrible time with it in the Army camps.\u201d An enormous yawn split her jaw, and she announced she was going to bed. Everyone agreed that sounded like a good idea, said their goodnights, and retired to their bedrooms.<\/p>\n Adam rode to the Paiute village with Josie and Pip the next day to deliver three more bottles of quinine. It was Josie\u2019s entire supply, so Little Joe made a simultaneous journey to Virginia City to wire the apothecary in San Francisco for more. It was a shorter ride to the village from the house than from the alpine country, so they made it in about three hours. Winnemucca himself greeted them when they arrived. His eyes widened when he saw the massive wolfhound accompanying the little raven-haired doctor, but even Pip\u2019s presence couldn\u2019t distract from Winnemucca\u2019s happy news.<\/p>\n \u201cMy daughter\u2019s fever has broken,\u201d he said as soon as Josie leapt down from Scout. Josie could tell that he was working hard to contain his excitement. She supposed that running around and shouting for joy was not a very chief-like thing to do.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s wonderful!\u201d she exclaimed. Adam, standing behind her, grinned broadly.<\/p>\n \u201cYour sister has saved my daughter\u2019s life,\u201d Winnemucca told Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cTechnically, she\u2019s my cousin,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n Winnemucca shook his head and studied the pair closely. \u201cYou are of the same spirit. Man may say she is your cousin, but the spirits say otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cBesides,\u201d Winnemucca continued, \u201cshe looks just like you.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie burst out laughing, while Adam shook his head and smiled. \u201cWe do hear that a lot,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n Winnemucca turned to Pip, who was standing close to Josie in a wide-legged stance that wasn\u2019t unfriendly but was undeniably protective. He didn\u2019t growl, but he stared unblinkingly at the Paiute chief. Winnemucca held out a hand to the dog and spoke softly in his native language. Pip sat, wagged his tail, and allowed the Indian chief to scratch him.<\/p>\n \u201cHis name\u2019s Pip,\u201d Josie told the chief.<\/p>\n \u201cThis animal is a warrior,\u201d Winnemucca said approvingly. He whistled sharply, and from around the back of one of the huts came a leggy brown-and-white dog. She was a good deal smaller than Pip\u2014as were most dogs\u2014but she had the pointed ears, bottlebrush tail, and long muzzle of a wolf. She stared up at Adam and Josie, and Adam got the distinct impression that her intelligent yellow eyes could see clear through to his soul.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is Esa,\u201d Winnemucca said and gestured to Josie that she should greet the animal.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s beautiful,\u201d Josie breathed as she scratched the dog\u2019s head. \u201cWhat does her name mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWolf,\u201d Winnemucca quipped with a crooked smile.<\/p>\n \u201cIt suits her,\u201d Adam said, reaching out a hand for Esa to sniff. \u201cIs she full wolf?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbout half. She has been my friend through many adventures, and she is to be treated with respect.\u201d<\/p>\n Pip seemed to agree. He approached Esa slowly, tail wagging, and licked her muzzle in a submissive gesture. Esa nipped playfully at his ear, and before long, the two dogs were racing around the village, barking happily.<\/p>\n Josie, Adam, and Winnemucca smiled and watched the new friends for a few moments before Josie began her medical rounds.<\/p>\n She looked in first on Sarah Winnemucca. The young lady\u2019s fever had, indeed, broken, and she smiled at Josie and grasped her hand.<\/p>\n \u201cYou came to me in a dream last night,\u201d Sarah whispered weakly. \u201cYou told me I would be all right, and you stroked my hair as my mother used to when I was small, so I knew you were telling the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat wasn\u2019t a dream,\u201d Josie said. \u201cThat was real.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDreams are<\/em> real,\u201d Sarah insisted with as much force as her illness-ravaged body could muster. \u201cThey are simply another plane of existence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s an interesting philosophical topic for another day,\u201d Josie said with a smile. \u201cI am glad you are feeling better. I should go check on the others.\u201d She squeezed Sarah\u2019s hand and made a quick round of the thirty other ill Paiutes. Many were beyond human assistance, but she was hopeful that the quinine would help most of them recover.<\/p>\n Before she left, she visited the little boy she and Ben had rescued. His ankle was swollen, but Josie assured him and his mother, for whom Winnemucca translated, that he should be back to normal in a few days.<\/p>\n \u201cOtskai and his family thank you,\u201d Winnemucca said.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that his name?\u201d Josie asked, nodding toward the boy. Winnemucca nodded. \u201cWhat does it mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt means, \u2018One Who Goes Out. Yesterday was not the first time he ran off and got into trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie giggled. \u201cSuits him, then.\u201d Otskai said something to his mother, who laughed, and Josie looked to Winnemucca for another translation.<\/p>\n \u201cHe says we should call you \u2018Padooa Mogo\u2019ne,\u2019\u201d Winnemucca said, looking confused. \u201cIt means \u2018Bear Woman.\u2019 Why would he say that?\u201d<\/p>\n Josie blushed. \u201cI may have shot a grizzly bear that was about to attack him.\u201d She looked down and kicked at the dirt. \u201cIt was nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo this boy, it was everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie whistled for Pip as Winnemucca walked Adam and Josie back to their horses and wished them well.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are indebted to you,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you find yourself in trouble, please call on us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe will,\u201d Josie said. \u201cTake care.\u201d<\/p>\n Pip and Esa appeared from out of the trees a few moments later. Pip carried a dead squirrel, which he dropped at Esa\u2019s feet before slinking over to Josie with his head drooping.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, boy,\u201d Josie said. \u201cMaybe we can visit again sometime.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou are always welcome,\u201d Winnemucca said. Adam and Josie smiled at him and mounted up.<\/p>\n As the pair of them rode out of the village, Adam turned to Josie. \u201cDo you have any idea what an amazing thing you did back there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll I did was hand out some quinine. And I\u2019m afraid it came too late for a lot of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam shook his head. \u201cYou don\u2019t understand. The Army has been fighting those people since the Comstock strike four years ago. There has been nothing but bloodshed between the Indians and the settlers, and you just rode in there and made friends. How did you do it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t do anything any decent person wouldn\u2019t have done,\u201d Josie replied with a shrug of her shoulders. \u201cTo be honest, Winnemucca scares me to death.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think you have anything to worry about from him.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss and Little Joe couldn\u2019t help bragging, and before long, everyone in Virginia City had heard about Josie shooting the grizzly bear and saving Chief Winnemucca\u2019s daughter from typhus. A few townspeople said Josie should have let the savages die, but most were impressed that she had won the favor of the fierce Paiute warrior.<\/p>\n Because of the heavy workload all their ranches required in the springtime, Adam, Simon, and Ross made slow progress on Josie\u2019s clinic throughout the month of March. Adam was frustrated because issues kept arising on the Ponderosa that needed his attention and drew him away from the construction. Their cattle had been unusually prolific despite the hard winter, and they had about a third more calves to brand than they did most years. In addition, the snowstorms had wreaked havoc on fences and line shacks, so they spent more time than usual repairing those. A week and a half after Josie\u2019s visit to the Paiute village, when Adam had hoped he\u2019d be hanging the walls of the clinic, he, Simon, and Ross had only just managed to erect the framework. Josie came home from Dr. Martin\u2019s clinic in Virginia City that Friday to find him scowling at the building\u2019s still-exposed skeleton.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all right, Adam,\u201d Josie said. \u201cI know everyone\u2019s been busy. You\u2019ll get it done, and I\u2019m going to love it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I\u2019m just impatient.\u201d He looked over and smiled at Josie, who smiled back. He narrowed his eyes. Josie looked awfully pale. \u201cYou feeling okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d she said. \u201cJust a little tired. I got into your Wilkie Collins novels last week, and I\u2019ve been staying up too late reading.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled. \u201cI\u2019ve done that more than a few times myself. Especially with Wilkie Collins. Which one are you reading?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe new one, \u2018No Name.\u2019 A little scandalous, but I like it.\u201d She shot Adam a wicked grin, which he returned. \u201cI\u2019m gonna get Scout bedded down. I\u2019ll see you inside.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam watched Josie walk back to her horse and mount up\u2014rather stiffly, he thought. He shrugged it off. She probably was just overtired, like she said. He stared at the unfinished clinic a few moments more to decide where to pick up later that week when Simon and Ross could make it out to the Ponderosa again, and then he trudged back to the house.<\/p>\n Dinner that evening was quieter than usual. Little Joe was camping out on the range with some of the ranch hands so they could get an earlier start the next morning, and Ben, Adam, and Hoss were worn out from their long day. After supper, everyone, including Pip, settled in the living room for a relaxed evening. Ben and Hoss battled on the checkers board while Josie and Adam reclined with novels on opposite ends of the settee.<\/p>\n As much as Josie was enjoying the Collins novel, she had a hard time concentrating on it. Every muscle in her body ached, and her head was beginning to pound as well. And those oil lamps! She\u2019d never noticed how painfully bright they were. She\u2019d definitely been overdoing it lately.<\/p>\n From his end of the sofa, Adam saw Josie blinking a lot and massaging the back of her neck.<\/p>\n \u201cHey,\u201d he said to catch her attention. She turned her head slowly toward him as if the motion hurt. \u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine,\u201d she said with a forced smile. \u201cJust tired. Think I\u2019ll turn in.\u201d She rose from the settee, kissed them all goodnight, and mounted the stairs with slow, deliberate steps, one hand massaging her lower back, just at the waistband of her skirt. Pip followed her a bit more closely than usual.<\/p>\n Adam watched her go. \u201cShe isn\u2019t feeling well,\u201d he said when he heard Josie\u2019s bedroom door close.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t worry,\u201d Ben said, his eyes never leaving the checkers board. \u201cProbably just a cold.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam rapped softly on Josie\u2019s bedroom door before he went to bed about an hour later. When she didn\u2019t answer, he opened the door a crack and peeked in. Pip was curled up on the floor, and Josie was sound asleep in her bed, her black hair fanned out across her pillow. Adam closed the door quietly and went to bed.<\/p>\n When Josie awoke the following morning, the sunlight streaming in her windows stabbed her eyes. She clapped a hand over them and gasped in pain. She\u2019d never felt so awful in her life. Her head pounded so hard it might burst, and every muscle and joint in her body screamed in pain at the slightest movement. She shivered violently despite the heavy quilt covering her, and when she tried to get out of bed, she struck a wall of dizziness that dropped her to the floor. She wanted to call for help, but her head hurt so badly that the mere thought of raising her voice loudly enough to be heard downstairs brought tears to her eyes. She pulled herself up onto all fours and crawled to the door. Just reaching up for the door latch took a herculean effort, and once she had the door open, she had to sit in the doorway for a minute to catch her breath. \u201cThis can\u2019t be possible,\u201d she thought. But the aches in her body and the fever she felt coming on told her otherwise.<\/p>\n Downstairs, Ben, Adam, and Hoss were finishing up breakfast, and Hoss remarked how strange it was that Josie hadn\u2019t joined them yet.<\/p>\n \u201cShe ain\u2019t never the last one down,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s because Little Joe is always late,\u201d Ben replied drily.<\/p>\n The three men were still chuckling when they heard a creak on the staircase landing and turned around. There stood Josie, white as a ghost and clinging to the landing railing for dear life. The Cartwright men sat stunned.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t wish to alarm anyone,\u201d Josie gasped, \u201cbut would one of you be so good as to ride for Dr. Martin?\u201d Then she swooned.<\/p>\n The dining room exploded.<\/p>\n Ben leapt from his seat, raced for the sideboard, and in one swift motion grabbed his coat, hat, and gun. He shouted to Adam and Hoss to take care of Josie as he darted out the door to saddle up Buck and ride pell-mell into town.<\/p>\n At the same time, Hoss, too, leapt from his seat and dashed across the living room to try to catch Josie before she fell down the stairs. But he misjudged his proximity to the coffee table, tripped, and went sprawling, his chin skidding across the wooden floorboards.<\/p>\n Adam saved the day. Crossing the living room in three long strides and leaping neatly over his fallen brother, he bounded up the first flight of stairs and caught Josie just before her head cracked onto the floor of the landing.<\/p>\n \u201cJosie?\u201d he mewled, stroking her cheek. His stomach twisted as he felt the heat radiating from her skin.<\/p>\n Her eyelids fluttered and she stared up at Adam with unfocused eyes. \u201cAdam, I don\u2019t feel good,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cI know, Little Sister.\u201d He hoped he sounded soothing because he was shaking with fear. \u201cDon\u2019t worry. Pa\u2019s gone for Dr. Martin. He\u2019ll get you fixed up in no time.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie nodded and closed her eyes. Hoss had picked himself up and joined Adam and Josie on the landing. He and Adam exchanged a brief glance that spoke volumes, and Adam gathered Josie in his arms and carried her back upstairs and to her bedroom. Hoss threw back the covers on her bed, and Adam laid her down and tucked her in.<\/p>\n \u201cCold,\u201d Josie whimpered.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get another blanket,\u201d Hoss said, and he scooted from the room. He nearly collided with Hop Sing, who had heard the commotion from the kitchen and had come out to investigate. Adam pulled the curtains open a little farther in the hopes that the sunlight coming in the windows would help warm Josie up. As soon as the light hit her, however, she threw one arm weakly across her eyes and began to cry.<\/p>\n \u201cJosie, what is it? What\u2019s wrong?\u201d Adam asked, nearly crying himself.<\/p>\n \u201cIt hurts,\u201d she sobbed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat hurts?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLight!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stood there perplexed, but Hop Sing understood. He dashed to the windows and yanked the curtains closed so vehemently it was a miracle they held fast to the wall.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that better?\u201d Adam asked as he pulled Josie\u2019s armchair alongside the bed and sat down. She nodded weakly.<\/p>\n Hoss returned with another heavy quilt, and he and Adam spread it over her and tucked it in around her.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think it\u2019s influenza?\u201d Adam said as he and Hoss gazed down at Josie who was now only half-conscious.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Hoss answered. \u201cCame on quick like influenza, but she ain\u2019t been around it since the epidemic last year. Who\u2019s she been treatin\u2019 lately?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo one in particular. Just the Paiutes.\u201d He paused. \u201cOh my God. The Paiutes. They had typhus.\u201d He stared fearfully at Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought Josie said she couldn\u2019t catch typhus.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe she was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n There was nothing else to say. They would know nothing for certain until Ben returned with Dr. Martin, so Hop Sing got a bowl of cool water and some rags so they could try to fend off Josie\u2019s rapidly rising fever.<\/p>\n And they waited.<\/p>\n Nearly four hours passed before Ben returned with Josie\u2019s colleague, by which time, despite Adam, Hoss, and Hop Sing\u2019s best efforts, Josie\u2019s fever had risen to the point of delirium. Dr. Martin hustled into the room, took one look at his ailing young prot\u00e9g\u00e9, and said sadly, \u201cOh, Josie.\u201d He ripped open his medical bag and began his examination. Ben, Adam, and Hoss looked on anxiously as Dr. Martin pried open Josie\u2019s eyelids, looked down her throat, and took her pulse. When he finally stepped back from the bed, he looked grim. \u201cBen, could I speak with you, please?\u201d he said. He stepped out of the bedroom, intending for only Ben to follow him, but Adam, Hop Sing, and Hoss trailed closely behind. Dr. Martin sighed and turned to the eldest Cartwright. \u201cIt\u2019s bad, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow bad?\u201d Ben asked, taking a step closer to the doctor.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t typically suspect typhus, but given her recent contact with the disease, that\u2019s got to be what it is,\u201d Dr. Martin said. Hop Sing made small whimpering sound in the back of his throat, but otherwise everyone was startled into silence.<\/p>\n \u201cThat can\u2019t be,\u201d Ben insisted. \u201cShe told me she was immune since she had been exposed during her internship in Philadelphia.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExposure is usually all it takes,\u201d Dr. Martin conceded, \u201cbut not always. In Josie\u2019s case, it doesn\u2019t seem to have been enough.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut she\u2019ll be all right, won\u2019t she?\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n Dr. Martin sighed again. \u201cI\u2019d give Josie as good a chance as anyone. She\u2019s young and strong, but typhus can claim up to half its victims.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you saying?\u201d Ben asked urgently, grabbing the doctor\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m saying there\u2019s a chance she won\u2019t pull through,\u201d Dr. Martin replied, not meeting Ben\u2019s gaze. \u201cI\u2019m saying you should be prepared for the worst. Just in case.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s vision went fuzzy, and he gripped Hoss\u2019s arm. Hoss patted his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t you worry, Older Brother,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cOur Josie\u2019s tougher than an angry grizzly. If anyone can pull through, it\u2019s her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, sure,\u201d Adam said absently, focusing on quelling the nausea that threatened to cost him his breakfast.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to have to quarantine the ranch,\u201d Dr. Martin continued. \u201cNo one in or out. Where\u2019s Little Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s rounding up cattle on the far side of the property,\u201d Ben said. \u201cWe\u2019re not expecting him home for another two days.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe has to stay away until this is over,\u201d Dr. Martin said. He didn\u2019t say as much, but everyone silently added \u201cOne way or the other.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded. \u201cPaul, would you be so good as to send a telegram for me when you get back to town?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n The five men went downstairs, where Ben pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen to compose his telegram. Adam\u2019s stomach lurched when he saw what his father had written:<\/p>\n TO: Hannah Cartwright, Stoddard House, Boston, Massachusetts<\/p>\n FROM: Benjamin Cartwright, Ponderosa Ranch, Nevada Territory<\/p>\n MESSAGE: Josie seriously ill with typhus STOP Recovery uncertain STOP Will keep \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0you advised STOP Love Ben<\/p>\n \u201cPa,\u201d Hoss began, \u201cyou think that\u2019s necessary? You\u2019re gonna give Aunt Hannah a powerful scare.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe has to know, Hoss,\u201d Ben said. \u201cIf Josie doesn\u2019t\u2014 I mean, if she\u2014 \u201d he couldn\u2019t spit out the words. He took a deep breath and tried again. \u201cIf the worst happens, Hannah must be prepared. I\u2019d want to know if it were one of you.\u201d He folded the paper and handed it to Dr. Martin along with a few coins to pay for the transmission. Dr. Martin handed him a brown bottle in return.<\/p>\n \u201cQuinine,\u201d the doctor said. \u201cIt\u2019s the best thing for typhus. It will help control her fever. Hoss knows how much to give her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow long can we expect this to last?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n \u201cTyphus moves slowly. The fever can last up to two weeks. I\u2019m afraid you\u2019re all in for a long journey, whichever way this goes. Stay close to her. Try to control the fever. I\u2019ll be back in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Paul,\u201d Ben said, passing the quinine bottle to Hoss and walking the doctor to the door. He saw the man out and then turned to his pale sons and housekeeper. \u201cYou heard the doctor. We\u2019ll take shifts sitting with her. Hoss, please show everyone how much medicine Josie should get.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss nodded and grabbed a spoon from the kitchen so he could show the others what an appropriate dose looked like. Adam tried to pay attention, but he barely heard a word his brother said. His mind was consumed with thoughts of Josie fighting for her life in her bed upstairs. Images of her as a little girl flashed through his mind in such rapid succession he thought he was going insane. No longer able to stand it, he darted back upstairs and into Josie\u2019s bedroom, where he dropped into the armchair next to her bed. He grabbed a sodden rag from the bowl on the nightstand and began mopping her brow again. She barely stirred at his touch, and Adam blinked back tears.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to make it through this, Josie,\u201d he whispered. \u201cWe need you. I<\/em> need you.\u201d He heard footsteps at the door and looked up to see Ben carrying in the armchair from his own bedroom. He placed it on the opposite side of the bed and sat down. The two men kept a silent vigil through the afternoon and into the evening.<\/p>\n At suppertime, Ben went downstairs to the table, but Adam refused to leave Josie\u2019s side, so Hop Sing brought him a tray along with a bowl of beef broth for Josie. She\u2019d been insensible all day, so Adam had to prop her up while Hop Sing spooned the broth into her mouth. They managed to get most of the it into her, which Adam found encouraging, but no matter what any of them did, they couldn\u2019t lower her raging fever. Even the quinine seemed to have little effect.<\/p>\n After supper, Hoss came in and offered to sit with Josie through the night. Ben accepted and went to bed, but Adam refused to budge. The brothers sat up with their cousin all night long, neither of them leaving her side except once when Hoss left to refill the bowl of water. Hoss tried a few times to make conversation, but Adam was too lost in his own thoughts to chat.<\/p>\n As the first rays of dawn bled over the horizon, Josie\u2019s condition worsened. She was so delirious she now tried to fight off anyone who tried to give her food or water. Tears streamed from Hoss\u2019s eyes as he pinioned Josie\u2019s arms and held her still enough for Adam to pour water into her mouth. An hour later, Ben wandered bleary-eyed into Josie\u2019s bedroom to relieve his sons. Adam still refused to leave, but Ben insisted he go downstairs at least long enough to eat something and help Hoss clean up the breakfast dishes so Hop Sing could help with Josie.<\/p>\n No sooner had Adam and Hoss reached the first floor then there was a sharp knock at the front door. Forgetting about the quarantine, Adam flung the door open to see the cheerful, smiling faces of Simon and Ross. Adam stood confused until he remembered that they were supposed to work on Josie\u2019s clinic that day.<\/p>\n \u201cHey there, Adam!\u201d Simon greeted him brightly. \u201cReady to work?\u201d<\/p>\n Simon hadn\u2019t realized something was wrong, but Ross instantly recognized the dread in his best friend\u2019s bloodshot eyes. He took a step forward.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t be here,\u201d Adam said dully. \u201cWe\u2019re quarantined.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Ross exclaimed.<\/p>\n Simon\u2019s dark eyes widened. \u201cWhere\u2019s Josie?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam caught the younger man\u2019s gaze. \u201cShe\u2019s the one who\u2019s sick.\u201d His voice wavered. \u201cIt\u2019s typhus.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon dropped onto the rocking chair on the porch and cradled his head in his hands. With all the work he\u2019d been doing on the Lucky Star and building Josie\u2019s clinic, he hadn\u2019t had an opportunity to tell her about his conversation with Adam last month and invite her to court. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t I make the time to tell her?\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n Ross glanced at Simon and then back at Adam. He was concerned about Josie, too, but he kept his cool in an emergency. \u201cWhat do you need?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Adam took a deep breath to clear his foggy head. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot to ask, but would you ride out to the southwestern corner of the Ponderosa and tell Little Joe? He\u2019s supposed to come home tomorrow, but Dr. Martin said he has to stay away until\u2026\u201d he searched for the right words, \u201cuntil Josie\u2019s better.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou got it.\u201d Ross nodded and then turned to Simon. \u201cYou\u2019re coming with me, boy,\u201d he said, tapping Simon\u2019s shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I\u2019ll stay here,\u201d Simon said, his head still down.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not gonna sit here and clog up the Cartwrights\u2019 porch. Now get up, and let\u2019s go.\u201d Simon rose reluctantly and followed Ross back to their horses.<\/p>\n Simon paused before mounting up. \u201cYou\u2019ll tell Josie I was here, won\u2019t you, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d Adam said. He didn\u2019t add that in her current state Josie wouldn\u2019t know the difference. He raised a hand in farewell as Ross and Simon galloped away.<\/p>\n Adam returned to the kitchen and choked down a couple pieces of toast before helping Hoss wash the few dishes. Hoss headed to bed, but Adam returned to Josie\u2019s side. Ben turned around when he entered the room.<\/p>\n \u201cSon,\u201d he said gently as Hop Sing mopped Josie\u2019s forehead, \u201cget some sleep. I\u2019ll wake you if anything changes.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam knew he needed to rest so he did not come down ill, too, but he couldn\u2019t stand to leave Josie for more than a few minutes. He considered his options for a moment, then pulled off his boots and lay down on top of the covers next to Josie.<\/p>\n Ben sighed. \u201cThat isn\u2019t what I meant,\u201d he grumbled.<\/p>\n \u201cShould have been more specific,\u201d Adam mumbled drowsily.<\/p>\n Ben shook his head as his son drifted off. They were in for a long haul.<\/p>\n Adam awoke when Dr. Martin arrived about an hour later to examine Josie again. He felt her cheek and shook his head. \u201cHer fever\u2019s really high,\u201d he said, \u201cbut that isn\u2019t unexpected. Has she eaten anything?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben related their success at getting Josie to drink some broth the night before. This seemed to encourage Dr. Martin, who told them to keep it up and that he would be back in two.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t be alarmed if she develops a rash,\u201d he told Ben and Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cEverywhere but the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet,\u201d Ben muttered.<\/p>\n Dr. Martin nodded and said he would see himself out. As soon as he left, Adam lay back down and dozed off again. He slept for only another hour before Josie woke him up.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re dead! They\u2019re all dead!\u201d she screamed, her thrashing arms striking him several times as he shook off his drowsiness. Ben, who was still sitting in the armchair next to the bed, grabbed Josie\u2019s arms to keep her from hurting herself.<\/p>\n \u201cJosephine!\u201d he hollered. \u201cJosie! It\u2019s okay! No one\u2019s dead. Everyone\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie looked at her uncle, but her eyes were glassy and unfocused. Ben\u2019s heart broke. She didn\u2019t recognize him. She did, however, respond to his deep, gruff voice that was so similar to her father\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cPapa?\u201d she said. Then, apparently believing Ben really was his younger brother, she cried \u201cPapa!\u201d and collapsed against his chest. \u201cI\u2019ve missed you so much!\u201d she whimpered between sobs.<\/p>\n Ben wrapped his arms tightly around Josie and looked over her head at Adam with an expression that clearly said, \u201cWhat do I do?\u201d Adam met his gaze and nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all right, Josie,\u201d Ben said soothingly. He kissed her forehead. \u201cPapa\u2019s here. Everything\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie sobbed for a few moments more before accepting a couple sips of water and allowing Ben to lower her back onto her pillows. He rested his hand on her forehead as he had always done to calm his sons and, unbeknownst to him, Jacob had always done to soothe Josie, and she was soon asleep again.<\/p>\n \u201cDid I just do a terrible thing?\u201d he asked Adam without looking up from his niece.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. Look how peacefully she\u2019s sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie slept quietly the rest of the afternoon. A couple hours before supper, Little Joe returned home with Simon in tow. He\u2019d ignored Ross\u2019s warnings to stay away from the house. As soon as he heard the words \u201cJosie is sick,\u201d he kicked Cochise hard and made a beeline for home. Hoss stopped him at the porch before he could go inside.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t come in, Joe,\u201d Hoss said firmly. \u201cI shouldn\u2019t even be standin\u2019 out here talkin\u2019 to you. Now you go stay with Ross or Simon until this clears out.\u201d Then he went back into the house and slammed the door in Joe\u2019s face.<\/p>\n Little Joe screeched and kicked the front door as hard as he could, tears streaming down his face. \u201cShe\u2019s mine, too!\u201d he screamed up at the windows. Simon grabbed him and dragged him away from the house just before he could punch the heavy oak door with his bare fist. Joe twisted to break free, but his friend had too strong of a grip on him. Little Joe sank to his knees in the front yard and sobbed.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019ll be all right,\u201d Simon said, loosening his grip but leaving one arm around Joe\u2019s shoulders. \u201cShe\u2019s got Adam and Hoss and Hop Sing and Mr. Cartwright all taking care of her. She\u2019ll be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want to help,\u201d Joe hiccupped. \u201cI just want to do<\/em> something.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon understood. The helplessness was infuriating. He wracked his brain for an idea. \u201cMaybe there is<\/em> something we can do,\u201d he said thoughtfully.<\/p>\n Joe looked up at him, his eyes full of hope. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe can finish building her clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe\u2019s eyes lit up. \u201cLet\u2019s do it.\u201d<\/p>\n The two young men sprang to their feet and headed to the barn to collect their tools.<\/p>\n Josie\u2019s fever raged for the next several days as she developed the telltale red rash. It began on her chest and spread rapidly across her entire body, except her palms and soles. Adam, Ben, Hoss, and Hop Sing took turns sitting up with her to give her quinine and sponge off her burning forehead. Adam refused to leave her for more than the few moments it took for him to run to the washroom or eat a quick sandwich. He no longer slept through the night, instead catching short stretches of sleep next to Josie every few hours. As the days wore on, it was increasingly difficult to get Josie to take broth and water, and it became clear that she was weakening. By the fifth day, Ben began to debate whether he should send Hannah another telegram.<\/p>\n Word had spread through Virginia City that Dr. Cartwright was seriously ill, and despite the quarantine signs posted on roads into their property, the Cartwrights often had to turn visitors away from the house, though the guests left offerings of food and gifts. Several of the men stuck around to help Simon and Little Joe work on clinic, and by the fifth day when Josie was worsening, Ross, Isaiah Jenkins, Reverend Lovejoy, Margaret\u2019s father, Amos Crawford, and Sheriff Coffee\u2019s deputy Henry were helping to build the roof and lay the floor. On the sixth day, Patience and Sally arrived, and when they were refused admittance to the house, they joined the men building the clinic.<\/p>\n On the eighth day, Dr. Martin returned to check on Josie. Watching patients succumb to disease was never easy, but watching Josie decline was as difficult for Paul Martin as it would have been if she were his own daughter. His heart broke as he turned sad eyes to the family he knew so well and gave them the worst news any doctor ever had to deliver.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, gentlemen. I don\u2019t know that she can pull through. If she makes it through tonight, there\u2019s a chance, but I\u2019m afraid it\u2019s not a very good one. I\u2019m so sorry.\u201d Hoss and Hop Sing both began to cry, and Dr. Martin had to swallow hard to keep from weeping himself.<\/p>\n \u201cThat can\u2019t be,\u201d Ben said, collapsing into the armchair next to Josie\u2019s bed. \u201cThat just can\u2019t be. She\u2019s twenty-two years old\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Adam stood by Josie\u2019s bedside, his chest heaving. \u201cYou\u2019re wrong!\u201d he roared.<\/p>\n \u201cSon,\u201d Ben said, reaching a hand toward Adam, which the younger man batted away.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t touch me!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam,\u201d Dr. Martin said gently, \u201cshe\u2019s been burning up for over a week. She\u2019s not eating. The body can only take so much.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJosie\u2019s can take a bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Martin looked like he wanted to say something more, but Ben shook his head. Casting one last sad look at Adam, Ben led the doctor out of the bedroom and to the front door. Sensing Adam wanted some time alone with Josie, Hoss and Hop Sing followed.<\/p>\n As soon as the door shut behind Hop Sing, Adam sank onto the bed next to Josie and pulled her into his arms. Ignoring the heat radiating from her body, he buried his face in her hair and sobbed.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease, Josie. Please, don\u2019t go. I can\u2019t lose you.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie, who had been fully unconscious for the past two days, didn\u2019t respond, and this only made Adam cry harder. At some point, exhausted by his long vigil, he fell into a fitful sleep, still clinging to his cousin.<\/p>\n Ben found him thus ten minutes later when he returned to Josie\u2019s bedroom. His brown eyes bloodshot from fatigue and sorrow, Ben leaned over and brushed dark locks of hair off both Adam\u2019s and Josie\u2019s foreheads before sinking into the armchair. Out of earthly options, he began to pray.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Lord, please heal our Josie. Please restore her to us. But if it be your will that she join you, please give us the strength to understand that.\u201d He paused for a moment, startled by a sudden rush of fury. \u201cNo,\u201d he seethed. \u201cNo, I will not understand it.\u201d He gazed at his eldest son, holding tightly to Josie as if doing so might keep her in this world. \u201cAnd neither will Adam. This family has buried too many women it loved, and each time, we have accepted it as \u2018your will.\u2019 We will not do that again. You have taken three mothers from my son. You cannot have his sister. You just can\u2019t have her.\u201d He dissolved into tears and buried his face in his arms on the edge of Josie\u2019s bed and sobbed. \u201cJacob, I\u2019m so sorry,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n Ben had no idea how long he sat there crying, but he was interrupted by Hoss\u2019s heavy footsteps charging up the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cPa!\u201d Hoss called. \u201cThere\u2019s Indians here!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s head snapped up. Surely he had misheard.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndians, Pa!\u201d Hoss repeated as he burst into the room, waking Adam. \u201cWinnemucca and a few of his men.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben hopped around Josie\u2019s bed and peered out the window. Sure enough, there in the front yard stood Chief Winnemucca, two of his warriors, and one wizened old man with a gray braid that reached his waist. They had dismounted from their ponies and laid their rifles carefully on the ground to show they meant the Cartwrights no harm. Ben raced downstairs to greet them but stopped short when he reached the porch. Adam, who had leapt out of bed and followed him, nearly slammed into him.<\/p>\n \u201cWinnemucca!\u201d Ben called. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but we have sickness. It\u2019s dangerous for you to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know, Ben Cartwright,\u201d the chief replied, approaching the porch. \u201cYour niece caught the illness assisting my people. We are here to help her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s very kind, but our doctor has been here and said there is nothing else he can do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothing else he<\/em> can do,\u201d Winnemucca said. \u201cI have brought you our medicine man. He helped many of our people who were thought to be beyond hope.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam was flummoxed. If modern science couldn\u2019t help Josie, what did these Indians expect they could do? He looked at Ben and shook his head.<\/p>\n Winnemucca watched the exchange. \u201cAt this point, what do you have to lose?\u201d he asked, echoing Josie\u2019s argument to him when he didn\u2019t want to accept the quinine.<\/p>\n Adam threw his hands in the air. \u201cAll right. Give it a try.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTake us to her,\u201d Winnemucca said.<\/p>\n Ben and Adam led the small contingent into the house and upstairs to Josie\u2019s bedroom. Hoss and Hop Sing stared open-mouthed, and Ben indicated to them that he would explain later.<\/p>\n When they reached Josie\u2019s bedside, the elderly medicine man leaned over, putting his face only inches from Josie\u2019s. He stared at her for several moments and then said something in Paiute to Winnemucca.<\/p>\n \u201cHe can restore her,\u201d Winnemucca said. \u201cWe must take her outside.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam made a moue of protest, but Ben shushed him. Winnemucca gathered Josie in his arms and lifted her easily. Josie groaned softly but was otherwise still. She laid her head against the chief\u2019s bare chest, her white nightgown contrasting sharply with the man\u2019s dark skin. Winnemucca muttered something soothingly to her in Paiute and carried her down the stairs and into the front yard, where his two warriors had already built a small fire. The medicine man spread a blanket on the ground, and Winnemucca laid Josie gently down on it and stepped back, letting the medicine man take over. Ben grabbed Pip\u2019s collar to hold him back.<\/p>\n The group working on the clinic wandered over to stare as Ben Cartwright allowed an Indian to carry his niece out of the house and lay her next to a fire in the middle of his front yard. As the medicine man began humming, then singing, in Paiute, Amos Crawford leaned over to Reverend Lovejoy in rage.<\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t you gonna stop this heathen display?\u201d<\/p>\n Reverend Lovejoy shook his head and grabbed hold of Little Joe\u2019s and Simon\u2019s arms to keep them from rushing to Josie. \u201cThe Lord often chooses unusual messengers. It is not for us to judge. Besides, at this point, I can\u2019t see that it will do Josie any harm.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon watched silently, tears streaming from his brown eyes. Even from this distance he could see how frail and weak Josie had become. Sally took Simon\u2019s hand, and Patience took Little Joe\u2019s, and the four friends stood and watched as the medicine man tended to Josie.<\/p>\n Winnemucca and the two warriors joined the medicine man in his singing, and the raw emotion in their voices brought tears to the eyes of everyone watching. Adam rubbed his eyes roughly with his sleeve as he kept his gaze fixed on Josie. The medicine man passed a smudge stick slowly back and forth a few inches above her body, and the scent of burning sagebrush filled the yard. The Indians gradually sped up the tempo of their singing, and their voices echoed off the house, barn, and bunkhouse. On the medicine man\u2019s sixth or seventh pass with the smudge stick, as the singing reached a frenzied pitch, Josie\u2019s eyes flew open. She arched her back violently and took in a sharp, gasping breath before collapsing back onto the blanket and lying still. Fearing the worst, Adam let out a stifled sob and lurched forward, but Hoss held him back.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s okay,\u201d he reassured his older brother. \u201cLook.\u201d<\/p>\n The medicine man grabbed a small pot of tea from next to the fire and poured it slowly into Josie\u2019s mouth while Winnemucca held up her head. She sputtered and choked at first, but the old man gently rubbed her throat to help her swallow, and she drank the entire pot. When she finished the tea, the medicine man approached the Cartwrights, who were still standing a few paces away, watching in anxious silence. The wrinkled old man paced back and forth in front of Ben, Hoss, and Adam several times, studying each of them carefully. He glanced over his shoulder at Little Joe, who was still restrained by the Reverend Lovejoy near the barn but shook his head and returned his attention to the men in front of him. He paused for a long moment in front of Ben, but then returned to Adam and nodded. He put his hands on Adam\u2019s shoulders, stared into his eyes, and spoke rapidly to him in Paiute. Adam smiled awkwardly. He had no idea what the old man was saying, but it seemed important to pay rapt attention nonetheless.<\/p>\n When the medicine man finished speaking, he turned back toward the fire and gestured to Winnemucca. The chief lifted Josie from the blanket and carried her to Adam. Josie\u2019s eyes were closed, and she was sleeping again. Winnemucca handed her to Adam, who cradled her against his chest. Her condition appeared unchanged from the past several days, and he was relieved that at least the Indian ritual seemed to have done her no harm.<\/p>\n Then Josie sighed and opened her eyes. \u201cHey Cousin-Cousin,\u201d she muttered before closing her eyes, nuzzling against his chest, and falling asleep again.<\/p>\n Adam was so surprised he nearly dropped her. Josie hadn\u2019t had a lucid moment in more than three days. He looked up at Winnemucca with wide, startled eyes.<\/p>\n The chief\u2019s eyes smiled at him with little crinkles at the outside corners. \u201cMy medicine man says that your spirit ties hers to this world,\u201d he said, \u201cas hers has tied yours here in the past.\u201d Adam had a brief vision of launching himself at Peter Kane. \u201cStay close to her, and her fever will break tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam dared not hope, but a little flicker lit his eyes regardless. He thanked Winnemucca and carried Josie back to her bedroom as Ben and Hoss thanked the Paiutes and saw them off. Adam laid Josie in her bed and tucked the covers in around her. Was she sleeping more peacefully than before, or was it just wishful thinking? He couldn\u2019t tell. In any event, he obeyed the medicine man\u2019s orders to stay close. That evening, Hop Sing brought up Adam\u2019s supper on a tray so he didn\u2019t have to leave Josie\u2019s bedside. Ever hopeful, the cook also brought some broth for Josie, though they hadn\u2019t been able to get her to eat anything for more than a day. Ben propped her up while Adam spooned the broth carefully into her mouth, and both men were encouraged when they were able to get nearly half the bowlful into her.<\/p>\n Unable to sleep, Adam sat next to Josie on her bed, stretched out his legs, and leaned against the headboard. He\u2019d tried to keep a little distance between them the past several nights\u2014her fever was so high he hadn\u2019t wanted his body to make her warmer\u2014but tonight, he pulled her into his arms and laid her head on his chest. Somehow, he knew something decisive was going to happen tonight, one way or the other.<\/p>\n He lost track of how long he sat with her. Hoss relieved Ben at some point, but Adam still sat wide awake, stroking Josie\u2019s limp hair. He grew angry as Josie\u2019s fever continued to rage and cursed himself for hoping that Winnemucca had been right about her fever breaking. Around one a.m., Josie\u2019s fever began to rise even further. This was it. They were losing her. His stomach clenched in wrenching knots and tears coursed down his face as he futilely mopped Josie\u2019s brow and hummed \u201cAmazing Grace\u201d to her as he had done when she was a child.<\/p>\n Hoss sat silently in the armchair, his head in his hands, as he prayed more fervently than he had ever prayed in his life. He thought he should wake Pa, but he couldn\u2019t bring himself to admit that Josie was dying.<\/p>\n But shortly before 3 a.m., Josie began to sweat.<\/p>\n At first Adam thought her hair was damp from his frantic mopping of her forehead, but a few minutes later, he realized that her whole body was sweating and dampening her nightgown. By a quarter after three, her perspiration had drenched her entire nightgown and was seeping its way through Adam\u2019s shirt. He finally allowed himself to speak the words he thought he would never get to say.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss!\u201d he barked, interrupting Hoss\u2019s twenty-second round of the Lord\u2019s Prayer. \u201cI think her fever\u2019s breaking!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss\u2019s tear-stained face snapped up and he reached a trembling hand out to graze Josie\u2019s cheek. \u201cI think you\u2019re right,\u201d he said disbelievingly. He leapt from his chair with more agility than a man his size should have possessed and thundered across the hall to Ben\u2019s bedroom.<\/p>\n \u201cPa!\u201d he shouted. \u201cPa, Josie\u2019s fever\u2019s breakin\u2019!\u201d<\/p>\n Ben charged out of his room without bothering to put on his dressing gown or slippers. He dashed to Josie\u2019s bedside and laid his hand on her forehead.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t believe it,\u201d he said. \u201cThe fever\u2019s going down. Get some more water! She\u2019s going to be thirsty.\u201d Hop Sing, who had been alerted by Hoss\u2019s shouting and rushed to Josie\u2019s bedroom, dashed out of the room again and returned in short order with a pitcher full of water in one hand and a glass in the other. He filled the glass and handed it to Adam.<\/p>\n Adam propped Josie up and held the glass to her lips.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Little Sister,\u201d he urged. \u201cDrink some water.\u201d He poured a bit into Josie\u2019s mouth. She swallowed it quickly and groped weakly for the glass.<\/p>\n \u201cMore,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n Adam obliged. Before long, Josie had polished off the entire glass of water. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at him. It took her eyes a moment to focus, but when they did, they were clear for the first time in a week. She smiled wanly.<\/p>\n \u201cHey there, sleepyhead,\u201d Adam said, choking on his tears.<\/p>\n \u201cHey yourself,\u201d Josie whispered back.<\/p>\n Wiping his eyes, Ben sat on the edge of the bed next to Josie and took her hand in both of his.<\/p>\n \u201cHow are you feeling, sweetheart?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Josie turned her head slowly toward him. \u201cLike I\u2019ve been trampled by every steer on the Ponderosa,\u201d she groaned.<\/p>\n The four men laughed until Josie clutched her head and groaned again.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry,\u201d Ben said in a stage whisper as he, his cook, and his two oldest sons stifled their laughter.<\/p>\n \u201cHow long was I out?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost nine days,\u201d Adam said, brushing a sweaty lock of hair off Josie\u2019s cheek.<\/p>\n Josie\u2019s eyes went wide. \u201cHoly smoke,\u201d she whispered. Then a shiver coursed through her body. \u201cI\u2019m cold.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss laid a hand on Josie\u2019s wet nightgown sleeve. \u201cCourse you are. You\u2019re soaked through with sweat. The sheets are, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAdam is, too,\u201d Adam said, looking down at his shirt. It was mottled with large dark patches that clung to his skin.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry,\u201d Josie apologized. Her voice was so weak, but Adam had never heard anything so beautiful.<\/p>\n \u201cNot at all,\u201d he said and kissed her forehead. He extricated himself from behind Josie and laid her gently on her pillows so he could stand up.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, Hoss,\u201d Ben said, \u201cget Josie into a dry nightgown. Hop Sing and I will change these sheets.<\/p>\n Adam and Hoss shared an awkward glance. \u201cUh, P- Pa,\u201d Hoss stammered, blushing deeply.<\/p>\n Ben looked at his middle son impatiently. \u201cI\u2019m sure Josie appreciates your sense of modesty, Hoss, but we have no other options right now. Please just help your cousin.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss sighed but trudged over to Josie\u2019s chest of drawers. After much embarrassing rummaging in which he first extracted a pair of knickers and then a corset, he at last found a clean nightgown. \u201cAll right, you two,\u201d he said to Adam and Josie. \u201cLet\u2019s see if we can all get through this with our dignity intact.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam lifted Josie out of bed and carried her to Hoss on the other side of the room. The two brothers stared at each other, Adam holding Josie, and Hoss holding the dry nightgown. They looked to Josie for advice, but she had closed her eyes again and was dozing in Adam\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n \u201cNow what?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n \u201cUh,\u201d Hoss hesitated, sizing up the situation. His brow wrinkled as he thought hard. At last he said, \u201cOkay, Adam, you stand there and hold Josie up on her feet. Don\u2019t let go, though. We don\u2019t want her takin\u2019 a fall. And I\u2019ll, uh, I\u2019ll swap out her nightgown real quick-like.\u201d Hoss\u2019s face was so dark red by this point that Adam was afraid his brother\u2019s head might burst at the slightest touch, like a rotten tomato.<\/p>\n \u201cOk,\u201d Adam agreed. \u201cReady?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGo!\u201d<\/p>\n When Adam set Josie on her feet, he discovered she was so weak he had to hold onto her more tightly than he\u2019d planned. This complicated matters when Hoss tried to pull her nightgown over her head and got it tangled up in Adam\u2019s arms. After much finagling and a bit of arguing, they succeeded in getting the wet nightgown off Josie and the dry one on without either of the brothers getting much more embarrassed than they already were. Josie, for her part, was still mostly asleep and only muttered a half-hearted, \u201cOh, shut up\u201d when Adam\u2019s and Hoss\u2019s voices grew too loud for her still-throbbing head. Despite his best efforts to avert his eyes, Adam caught sight of Josie\u2019s ribs protruding sharply through her skin, which was still covered in the angry, red rash. He cringed. He didn\u2019t need a reminder of how very close they\u2019d come to losing her.<\/p>\n Ben and Hop Sing finished changing the sheets before Hoss and Adam finished swapping nightgowns, so as soon as Josie was safely ensconced in her dry nightgown, Adam laid her back down in bed and covered her up with the fresh blankets.<\/p>\n \u201cBetter?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cMmhmm,\u201d Josie murmured as she nestled deeper under the covers.<\/p>\n Hop Sing left to heat some broth, and he brought it up a few minutes later. Adam held Josie up so she could drink it, and he thought he might weep for joy when she finished the entire bowl. Though the sun was now rising, Ben sent Hoss to bed\u2014an order he gladly obeyed. No one had gotten much sleep while Josie had been ill, and now that it seemed the worst of the danger had passed, Hoss felt like he could sleep for days.<\/p>\n Ben watched as Adam lowered Josie onto her pillows, rested his hand on her cooling forehead, and smiled. \u201cI suppose there\u2019s no sense in trying to send you out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Still smiling, Adam looked over at his father. \u201cNo. But you and Hop Sing should get some sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben grunted. \u201cYeah. But first I better go downstairs and give everyone the good news.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDidn\u2019t you notice? Half of Virginia City is camped in our front yard.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam crossed to the window and looked out. Sure enough, at least a dozen people, including Little Joe, Simon, Ross, Amos Crawford, Patience Lovejoy, and Sally Cass were wrapped up in bedrolls all over the front yard. A fresh batch of tears rose to his eyes as he took in the sight of their friends and neighbors who had been keeping vigil with them all through that long, terrible night.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve been leaving gifts on the porch, too,\u201d Ben said. \u201cThe downstairs guestroom is full of them.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam marveled again at the generosity of the people of Virginia City. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to have a party to thank everyone once Josie\u2019s feeling better.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a good idea, son.\u201d Ben turned to go.<\/p>\n \u201cPa?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben turned back. \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPa, I\u2026 I, uh\u2026\u201d Few times in his life had Adam Cartwright been at a loss for words, but this morning he was flummoxed.<\/p>\n Ben crossed the room. \u201cIt\u2019s all right, Adam. I don\u2019t know what I would have done, either, if we\u2019d lost her. I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s a loss I could bear.\u201d He pulled Adam into an embrace, and father and son stood there for several long moments, clinging to each other and thanking God that their family was still whole.<\/p>\n When Ben finally stepped back, he patted Adam\u2019s shoulder. \u201cYou get some sleep, too,\u201d he said and left the room.<\/p>\n Adam heard his father go downstairs and open the front door. He didn\u2019t pick up what words Ben said to the small crowd in the yard, but he clearly heard the loud cheer that erupted. He peered out the window once more to see Simon pounce onto Little Joe just as Joe collapsed in a sobbing heap on the ground. Simon tumbled into the dirt and sat there dazed for a moment until Ross helped him up. Sally and Patience had grabbed one another\u2019s hands, spun around in a few fast circles, and then fell, weeping, into each other\u2019s arms. After surveying the whole scene, Adam found he couldn\u2019t tear his eyes away from Simon, who was now running around the yard hugging everyone he could get hold of. Watching the young man\u2019s exhilaration, Adam realized how deeply Simon cared for Josie and for a brief instant thought perhaps he had been too hard on him. Then he glanced down at his sleeping cousin and with a small chuckle thought, \u201cNo, perhaps not.\u201d<\/p>\n He wanted to keep watching the celebration, but a wave a fatigue swept over him, and he decided to give in to it. Smiling, he lay down next to Josie, draped his arm around her shoulders, and slept until noon.<\/p>\n He awoke when Dr. Martin came in. The physician\u2019s eyes welled up as he laid his hand on Josie\u2019s forehead and announced that she was past the worst of the danger.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is, of course, always a small possibility of relapse,\u201d he cautioned the family, \u201cbut I wouldn\u2019t worry yourselves too much. It will take some time for her to regain her strength, but you should see small improvements every day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen will you lift the quarantine?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n \u201cEnd of tomorrow,\u201d Josie said, her voice still hoarse.<\/p>\n Dr. Martin grinned. \u201cThat\u2019s right. So long as your fever doesn\u2019t come back, we\u2019ll lift the quarantine tomorrow evening. It\u2019s good to have you back, Josie,\u201d he said as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Josie said, returning his smile. \u201cIt\u2019s good to be back.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Martin turned to Ben. \u201cFeed her,\u201d he instructed, and then he turned back to Josie. \u201cEat and sleep. That\u2019s your job for the next couple weeks. I\u2019ll check on you tomorrow afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Paul,\u201d Ben said and walked the doctor out.<\/p>\n Instead of plain broth, Hop Sing brought Josie some of his famous chicken dumpling soup, which she was more than happy to eat. She felt stronger after sleeping so well, but she was still too weak to sit up and eat unassisted, so Adam helped her to sit up and steadied her hand while she spooned soup into her mouth. After about half the bowl, however, even this small effort exhausted her, so Adam spoon-fed her the rest of the soup. With her tummy now full of the hot soup, Josie was sleepy again, so she lay down and fell back to sleep.<\/p>\n Ben, Adam, Hoss, and Hop Sing stood and watched her sleep for a few minutes, basking in their good fortune. \u201cWe\u2019re going to have a mob on our hands when we open that front door tomorrow,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n \u201cGood,\u201d Ben said. \u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie spent the next twenty-four hours eating and sleeping, just as Dr. Martin had ordered. Adam continued to stick to her like glue, helping her eat and watching over her while she slept. Dr. Martin returned late the next afternoon and joyfully lifted the quarantine on the house. As he stepped out the front door to return home, Little Joe, Simon, Patience, and Sally charged the porch. Hoss, who had walked the doctor out, used his broad frame to block the door and prevent the gang from rushing to Josie\u2019s room all at once. Four disappointed faces looked up at him.<\/p>\n \u201cJosie\u2019s still awfully weak. She can\u2019t have you all getting her riled up just yet. Joe, you come on in. You three wait out here.\u201d Hoss gestured to Simon, Patience, and Sally. Joe slipped past his brother and sprinted up Josie\u2019s bedroom.<\/p>\n \u201cJosie!\u201d he cried as he burst into the room and slammed into Ben, nearly knocking the older man to the floor. Adam caught Pa\u2019s arm and steadied him before. Ben couldn\u2019t be annoyed. He, too, felt like running through the house, shouting for joy. If only he weren\u2019t so tired.<\/p>\n Josie was propped in a half-seated position in her bed. Her face split into a huge grin when Little Joe stormed her bedroom. Joe drew up short several paces from Josie\u2019s bed. He understood she\u2019d been deathly ill, but he still wasn\u2019t ready for how gaunt and pale she\u2019d become in the ten days since he\u2019d last seen her up close. His stomach clenched, and tears filled both cousins\u2019 eyes as Josie reached her arms out to him. He flew across the room, dropped onto the side of the bed, and hugged her like he would never let go.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Joe,\u201d Josie whispered. \u201cStay out of trouble while I was away?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe laughed through his tears. \u201cMore or less.\u201d He sat back and let Josie relax against her pillows. \u201cWhen Ross and Simon found me and said you were sick, I rushed home, and then I wasn\u2019t allowed in. It was the worst feeling of my whole life.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie perked up a little. \u201cSimon found you? He was here?\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe ran a hand through his hair. \u201cHe\u2019s been here the whole time. I don\u2019t know what I would have done if he hadn\u2019t kept me company.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs he still here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, he\u2019s outside.\u201d Little Joe was getting annoyed with all of Josie\u2019s questions about Simon. He<\/em> was the one who had been shut out of his own house and cut off from his family for the past fortnight.<\/p>\n \u201cPatience and Sally are out there, too,\u201d Ben chimed in. \u201cAlong with most of Virginia City. You\u2019ve had a lot of people pulling for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie\u2019s eyes filled with tears again, and Adam decided she\u2019d had enough visitors for a while. He told Little Joe to let Josie rest and both him and Ben out of the room. He turned to order Hoss out as well, but the bigger man grabbed his arm.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Older Brother,\u201d he said. \u201cYou go on out, too. Lie down in your own bed and get a couple hours\u2019 proper rest before supper. I\u2019ll keep an eye on lil\u2019 ol\u2019 Josie here.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam tried to protest, but Hoss gripped his shoulders and forced him backward out of the room. Digging his heels into the floor did no good; he couldn\u2019t overpower Hoss. Reluctantly, he slunk to his room, pulled off his boots, and stretched out on his bed. He had to admit, it did<\/em> feel good to be back in his own bed. He picked up the book he\u2019d abandoned nearly two weeks ago and began to read. He lasted only a page and a half before he fell asleep, the book splayed open across his chest.<\/p>\n A few minutes later, Hoss poked his head in Adam\u2019s room and smiled when he saw his older brother sleeping. He closed the door quietly and crept down the hallway, cringing when he forgot to sidestep the creaky floorboard. He paused, listening intently for any sound coming from Adam\u2019s room. Hearing none, he continued down the stairs and into the living room. Ben was sitting in his armchair near the fire and talking with Little Joe, who was on the settee. Ben was telling Joe about the past week and a half, while Joe filled him in on the progress that he, Ross, Simon, and the others had made on Josie\u2019s clinic.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019ll have it finished in a couple more days,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s wonderful, Joe!\u201d Ben said. \u201cJosie will be so pleased.\u201d He saw Hoss sneaking through the room toward the front door and looked at him suspiciously. \u201cHoss? What are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I was thinkin\u2019,\u201d Hoss said, \u201cJosie seemed awfully interested in seein\u2019 Simon. Since Adam\u2019s asleep, I thought it might be a good time to bring him in. Just for a few minutes, mind you. I don\u2019t want to tucker Josie out.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben chuckled. \u201cI think that\u2019s a splendid idea.\u201d Unlike his eldest son, Ben had no qualms about Simon\u2019s interest in Josie. The Crofts were a lovely family, and Josie would be hard-pressed to find a finer young man than Simon. \u201cBut only for a few minutes. Josie needs her rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYessir.\u201d Hoss strode to the front door and flung it open. He drew a breath to holler for Simon and then realized the young man was still on the porch, along with Patience and Sally. \u201cOh, hey, Simon,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can come in and see Josie for a minute if you like.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon\u2019s face lit up so brightly Hoss almost went blind.<\/p>\n \u201cWould I!\u201d Simon exclaimed. Hoss grinned and was about to let him in when he saw the deep disappointment etched on Patience\u2019s and Sally\u2019s faces.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry ladies,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t mind stickin\u2019 around, you might be able to come up and see her after supper.\u201d The young women brightened a bit at this, and Hoss caught himself staring at the way Patience\u2019s freckled nose wrinkled when she smiled. She noticed and smiled shyly at him. Embarrassed, Hoss went crimson, sputtered a polite farewell, and ushered Simon inside.<\/p>\n Simon had never been on the second floor of the house, so Hoss led him upstairs and down the hall, issuing a whispered warning about the creaky floorboard outside Adam\u2019s door. He opened Josie\u2019s door a few inches and stuck in his head. Josie was dozing, but she opened her eyes when she heard the door.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Josie,\u201d Hoss said softly. \u201cGot someone here who\u2019s pretty excited to see you.\u201d He stepped aside and let Simon into the room.<\/p>\n \u201cHey there, Josie,\u201d Simon said, suddenly shy.<\/p>\n Josie was both thrilled and horrified. Part of her thought that Simon stepping into her room was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen, but another part panicked because she was wearing nothing but a nightgown, she hadn\u2019t washed her hair in two weeks, and her face was still covered in a blotchy, red rash. After a few brief seconds that felt like an eternity, the first part won out, and she beamed at him.<\/p>\n \u201cSimon!\u201d she exclaimed just before breaking out into a fit of coughing.<\/p>\n Alarmed, Simon ran the last few strides to Josie\u2019s bedside and handed her a glass of water from her nightstand. \u201cAre you all right?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Josie nodded as she sipped her water. \u201cSorry,\u201d she wheezed when the coughing settled. \u201cStupid cough. It can last for a couple weeks after a patient\u2019s fever breaks.\u201d She dropped her head back onto her pillow.<\/p>\n Simon laughed and sat in the armchair next to the bed. \u201cAlways a doctor, even when it\u2019s you who\u2019s sick.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie smirked. \u201cNasty habit of mine.\u201d<\/p>\n Behind them, Hoss slipped out of the room.<\/p>\n \u201cI was so worried about you, Josie,\u201d Simon said as he took her left hand in both of his. \u201cI can\u2019t even begin to-\u201d he broke off as a huge lump caught in his throat.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d Josie said, her hoarse voice still barely louder than a whisper. \u201cI\u2019m all right. Didn\u2019t I tell you we Cartwrights are a tough bunch?\u201d<\/p>\n Simon grinned. \u201cI seem to remember you saying something like that. And I also seem to remember standing under a bit of mistletoe shortly thereafter.\u201d He winked.<\/p>\n Now Josie smiled. \u201cAnd then you nearly died when you thought Adam was behind you.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon laughed. \u201cI\u2019ve never been so glad to see Hoss in my whole life!\u201d Josie giggled, but this elicited more coughing, so Simon handed her another glass of water and waited for her coughing to ease. \u201cFunny you mention Adam, though,\u201d he said, \u201cbecause he and I had a little chat a while back.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie raised one eyebrow, and Simon was momentarily unnerved. It was the same expression Adam made when someone had piqued his interest and he was waiting for them to continue.<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t bore you with all the details,\u201d Simon continued, leaving out the bits where Adam had threatened to kill him, \u201cbut it came down to him being all right with it if I were to court you.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie\u2019s other eyebrow shot up. \u201cAdam said that?\u201d<\/p>\n Simon nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n Simon nodded again.<\/p>\n \u201cMy Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n Simon chuckled. \u201cYes!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow presumptuous of him,\u201d Josie said with as much indignation as her weakened state let her muster. \u201cI don\u2019t need his permission to go courting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe you don\u2019t, but I do. I\u2019d like to live forty or fifty more years, thank you very much.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie giggled. \u201cGood point.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, you\u2019d like to then?\u201d Simon asked quietly, casting his gaze downward and studying the bedspread.<\/p>\n \u201cLike to what?\u201d<\/p>\n Simon rolled his eyes. For such an intelligent woman, Dr. Josephine Cartwright could be awfully thick. \u201cGo courtin\u2019 with me.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie silently cursed herself for her stupidity and was grateful the rash hid how deeply she was blushing. \u201cWell,\u201d she said, recovering her wits, \u201cmaybe in a few weeks. I\u2019ve been a little under the weather.\u201d She smiled coyly, and Simon grinned back.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019m holdin\u2019 you to that, so you rest up.\u201d He kissed her cheek and slipped out of the room.<\/p>\n Josie was too tired for more visitors after supper that evening, but Patience and Sally clearly were not going to leave the Ponderosa until they had seen her. Ben hated to see them sleep in the front yard, so he invited them to spend the night in the downstairs guestroom. Adam had planned to spend one more night with Josie, but when he made his way to her bedroom around nine p.m., he found Little Joe already snuggled up next to her, his bare toes sticking out from under the bedspread. Adam smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right, little buddy,\u201d he whispered. \u201cYou keep an eye on her for me.\u201d He pulled the blankets over Joe\u2019s toes and quietly returned to his own bedroom.<\/p>\n Patience and Sally spent a comfortable, though crowded, night in the Cartwrights\u2019 guestroom, which was still packed with the offerings of the people of Virginia City. After breakfast the next morning, they were finally admitted to Josie\u2019s bedroom, where they both burst into tears at the sight of their friend. Josie\u2019s rash was beginning to fade, but this only revealed how ashen she was. Though she was able to eat a little solid food again, it would take time for her to regain the weight she had lost, so her joints still stuck out sharply from her skin. Ben, Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe watched as the three friends exchanged several rounds of tearful hugs, and they understood how scared Patience and Sally must have been that they were going to lose Josie like they had lost Margaret. The men left the room so the girls could chat for a while, but they were still worried about exhausting Josie, so after ten minutes, Ben and Hoss wandered back upstairs and told Sally and Patience they needed to let Josie rest.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can stick around if you need help with anything, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d Sally offered. \u201cIf you or the boys or Hop Sing needs a rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Sally, but I think we\u2019re all right. Now that Little Joe\u2019s home and Josie no longer needs round-the-clock care, things have settled down considerably,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n \u201cActually,\u201d Josie spoke up, her voice a little stronger than it had been yesterday, \u201cI would really love a bath.\u201d<\/p>\n Patience and Sally brightened.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s take care of that!\u201d Patience said. She unintentionally caught Hoss\u2019s eye, blushed, and turned back toward Josie.<\/p>\n Josie managed to sit up and swing her legs over the side of the bed. Hoss rushed to help, but she waved him away. She stood halfway up, but then was hit by a rush of dizziness and dropped back onto the bed. Ben smiled at the frustration he saw in her eyes. Jacob\u2019s little girl was a fighter.<\/p>\n \u201cIt ain\u2019t worth it, Josie,\u201d Patience said. She stepped around Hoss, swept one arm under Josie\u2019s knees and the other behind her shoulders, and lifted her as easily as if she weighed no more than a pillow.<\/p>\n Hoss\u2019s jaw dropped. Patience was a little taller than Josie and had broader shoulders, but she wasn\u2019t what anyone would call a large girl. He stared as Patience carried Josie from the room, her auburn hair swinging sassily behind her.<\/p>\n Ben was impressed too. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize Patience was so strong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cMe neither,\u201d Hoss said, his blue eyes sparkling like Lake Tahoe at dawn. \u201cBut that\u2019s my kinda gal.\u201d<\/p>\n Across the hall in the washroom, Sally helped Josie out of her nightgown while Patience marveled at the Cartwrights\u2019 indoor plumbing.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is incredible!\u201d she said as she pumped hot water into the bathtub. \u201cDo you think Adam could put one of these in my house?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI bet he could,\u201d Sally said before Josie could even open her mouth. \u201cHe\u2019s real smart.\u201d She smiled dreamily.<\/p>\n \u201cEw, stop that,\u201d Josie said as Patience and Sally helped her into the steaming water. \u201cThat\u2019s my brother you\u2019re getting all moony-eyed over.\u201d She groaned contentedly as the hot water relaxed her aching body.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry,\u201d Sally said. \u201cHe\u2019s just very good-looking is all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course he is,\u201d Josie said, leaning her head against the back of the tub and closing her eyes. \u201cHe\u2019s related to me.\u201d<\/p>\n All three young ladies giggled. \u201cThat explains Little Joe, then, too,\u201d Sally said.<\/p>\n Josie opened one eye and studied Sally in amusement. \u201cWhich one is it, Sally? Adam or Little Joe? You could talk me into letting you have one, but not both.\u201d The girls giggled again. \u201cBesides,\u201d she continued as she closed her eye, \u201cyou\u2019d just be making the same mistake all the other girls do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh?\u201d Sally asked as she handed Patience a bar of soap.<\/p>\n \u201cThey all go straight for either Adam or Joe,\u201d Josie said. \u201cNever stop to realize that Hoss is the real catch.\u201d<\/p>\n Patience squeaked and dropped the soap, which splashed into the tub. Josie fished it out and handed it back to her, gallantly ignoring her friend\u2019s embarrassed blush.<\/p>\n Sally looked askance at Patience but ignored her reaction, too. \u201cGo on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Josie leaned forward against her knees so Patience could scrub her back and said \u201cLittle Joe can\u2019t settle on one thing. He\u2019s like a hummingbird, always flitting around from idea to idea. He\u2019s got a big heart, but he\u2019s entirely ruled by it. He acts solely on emotion without thinking things through. It\u2019ll be years before he settles down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Adam?\u201d Sally asked.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2019s exactly the opposite. He\u2019s smart, sure, but he lives his whole life in his head, always doing the logical, practical thing, even if it makes him unhappy.\u201d She paused to dunk her head. \u201cHe\u2019s not emotionless\u2014he feels things as much as everyone else. He just needs to trust those feelings now and again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, what about Hoss, then?\u201d Patience asked casually as she lathered up Josie\u2019s long hair.<\/p>\n Josie bit back a grin. \u201cHoss is the perfect blend of the other two. He\u2019s got a big heart and loves to laugh, but he\u2019s whip-smart and knows when to listen to his head. And he\u2019s devoted. Any woman who ends up with him will be treated like a queen for the rest of her life.\u201d Josie and Sally surreptitiously shot each other amused smirks as Patience glowed.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s get this soap out of your hair,\u201d Patience said. She grabbed a cup and began rinsing Josie\u2019s hair.<\/p>\n Once Josie was rinsed, Patience and Sally each took an arm and helped her from the bathtub. She shivered as the cool air hit her wet skin, but Sally quickly wrapped her up in a large, fluffy towel. They dried her off, helped her into a pair of drawers, and slipped a fresh nightgown over her head. Then Patience sat her in a chair they had dragged in and began to comb her hair.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to leave it loose to dry,\u201d she said. \u201cIs that okay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure, sure,\u201d Josie said absently. She\u2019d never realized how much energy it took to carry on a conversation, and she felt like she could fall asleep sitting up in the chair, right there in the middle of the washroom.<\/p>\n Sally and Patience realized that Josie was fading, so they hurried up combing her hair and putting her back into bed. Just before Josie drifted off, she clasped their hands in hers.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you for being here for me,\u201d she said sincerely, her hazel eyes welling up.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t mention it,\u201d Sally replied, kissing Josie\u2019s forehead. \u201cWe girls have to stick together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cExactly,\u201d Patience agreed, also bending down to softly graze Josie\u2019s forehead with her lips. Before Patience rose, Josie pulled her in a little closer.<\/p>\n \u201cHoss really likes chocolate cookies,\u201d she whispered into her friend\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would I need to know that?\u201d Patience asked with a wry smile. The two girls giggled, and Patience slipped out of the room behind Sally, leaving Josie to sleep.<\/p>\n Josie spent the next week in bed. The typhus had so weakened her that it was three days before she was even able to walk from her bedroom to the washroom without help. For the most part, the men returned to their springtime work, but one of them was always home in case she needed anything. Hop Sing had returned to his usual chores as well, and the Cartwrights didn\u2019t want to saddle him with Josie\u2019s care too.<\/p>\n Josie didn\u2019t mind so much when Little Joe stayed home with her. He kept out of her hair and popped in only every couple hours or so to see if he could get her anything. The other three, however, were obnoxious. Ben, Hoss, and Adam, especially, hovered over her as if expecting her to break out in a raging fever again at any moment. They were forever poking into her room and feeling her forehead and urging her to drink more water and eat a few more bites of food. Adam spent most of his time at home sitting in the armchair next to Josie\u2019s bed and peering at her over the top of the book he was reading. Every time Josie coughed, reached for her water glass, or even shifted position, he sprang from his chair to \u201chelp.\u201d Josie had a brief chuckle when Adam handed her the old, worn copy of Frankenstein<\/em> to keep her entertained, but this did little to assuage the deep annoyance at her uncle and cousins that was brewing within her. Even on the days Little Joe stayed home, the other three made a beeline for Josie\u2019s room as soon as they came home and fussed over her until she wanted to scream.<\/p>\n By the end of that week, she\u2019d had enough.<\/p>\n Friday was Little Joe\u2019s day to stay home, and he spent most of the day working on the clinic, though he didn\u2019t tell Josie that. Josie used the time alone to hatch a little plan, and when Hop Sing delivered her lunch, she enlisted his help.<\/p>\n That evening, when Ben, Adam, and Hoss returned from finishing the spring roundup and branding, Adam went straight up to Josie\u2019s bedroom as he had done every day. Today, however, a surprise waited for him at the end of the hall. Sitting in a chair in front of Josie\u2019s bedroom door and looking distinctly uncomfortable was their young ranch hand Jimmy.<\/p>\n Adam frowned. \u201cWhat are you doing up here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, hey, Adam,\u201d Jimmy said as he shifted in his seat. \u201cDr. Cartwright asked me to sit out here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOooookay,\u201d Adam said slowly. He hoped Josie\u2019s fever hadn\u2019t returned and addled her brain. He reached for the door latch, but Jimmy threw an arm in front of him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said, his voice breaking like he was about to cry, \u201cbut I can\u2019t let you do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam\u2019s eyebrow shot up so high it nearly hit the ceiling. \u201cExcuse me?\u201d<\/p>\n Jimmy\u2019s face crumpled under Adam\u2019s withering glare. \u201cI can\u2019t let you go in,\u201d he nearly sobbed. \u201cDr. Cartwright said I wasn\u2019t to let anyone in except Hop Sing and Little Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd Dr. Cartwright is paying your salary now, is she?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, but\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s right! So let. Me. In.\u201d Adam said these last four words through gritted teeth as he towered over the smaller man.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Jimmy squeaked.<\/p>\n Adam was about to begin shouting in a very Ben Cartwright-like way when the patriarch himself swept down the hallway. \u201cWhat is going on up here?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cJimmy has decided he doesn\u2019t like working for us very much,\u201d Adam said, seething.<\/p>\n Ben cut his sharp gaze to his young hand, who quailed under his glare. \u201cWell?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDr. Cartwright offered me twenty dollars to sit here and not let anyone but Hop Sing and Little Joe into her room,\u201d he said in a trembling voice.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, she did, did she?\u201d Ben growled. \u201cAnd what\u2019s to stop us from pushing past you and going in anyway?\u201d He and Adam drew themselves up to their full heights and puffed out their chests. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, they created a solid, intimidating wall of Cartwright.<\/p>\n Jimmy reached beneath his chair and withdrew a small brown bottle and a rag. \u201cShe gave me this and told me not to be afraid to use it,\u201d he said forlornly.<\/p>\n Ben exploded in laughter as he recognized Josie\u2019s bottle of chloroform. Adam was still furious, but Ben slapped him on the back and told him to lighten up. \u201cJosie must be feeling better,\u201d Ben said, wiping tears from his eyes.<\/p>\n Pa\u2019s mirth rubbing off on him, Adam smiled, too. \u201cI suppose we have been a little overbearing,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n The lightened mood brought Jimmy no relief. \u201cI\u2019m fired, aren\u2019t I?\u201d he asked miserably.<\/p>\n Ben laid a hand on the young man\u2019s shoulder. \u201cNo, Jimmy, you\u2019re not fired. But the next time Dr. Cartwright tries to hire you, speak to me before agreeing, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n Jimmy nodded. \u201cYes, sir!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood man,\u201d Ben said. \u201cNow go on out to the bunkhouse and get your supper. I promise we\u2019ll leave Dr. Cartwright be.\u201d<\/p>\n Jimmy scampered off, and still laughing, Ben led Adam downstairs to the supper table.<\/p>\n Josie enjoyed her quiet evening, and the following morning, she graciously readmitted Adam, Hoss, and Ben to her room after eliciting promises from each of them that they would stop smothering her. Little Joe bounded into the room just then, pulled Adam aside, and whispered something into his ear. Adam broke into a broad grin, slapped Little Joe on the back, and turned to Josie.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Josie, how would you like to get out of your bedroom for a bit?\u201d<\/p>\n Josie\u2019s face lit up. \u201cWould I! I\u2019m so sick of these four walls I could cry.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled. Josie was still far too thin, but she was regaining a bit of the glow in her cheeks. Walking farther than the washroom and back was still tiring, but Dr. Martin had checked on her a couple days ago and was pleased with her progress, assuring the Cartwrights that Josie\u2019s strength would continue to return, albeit slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can take a month after the fever breaks to make a full recovery from typhus,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Josie was so excited to get out of her bedroom that she didn\u2019t even ask Adam where they were going. She rose slowly from her bed and rested one hand on Pip for support while Hoss helped her into her dressing gown and, oddly, her boots instead of her slippers. She insisted on walking down the hallway unassisted and managed quite well until she had to pause at the top of the stairs to catch her breath.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s enough exertion for one morning,\u201d Adam said and swept her into his arms. Josie started to protest, but she decided she should be grateful to be seeing the first floor again and shut her mouth. Adam set her back on her feet when they reached the sideboard next to the front door and bundled her into her heavy winter coat. April was warming up fast, but he wasn\u2019t about to risk her catching a chill. He took her hand and led her onto the porch, where Josie took her first breath of fresh air in more than three weeks.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever felt anything as good as this sunshine on my face,\u201d she sighed, tilting her head up to catch more of the morning rays. \u201cThanks for bringing me out here.\u201d She started for the rocking chair, thinking she would sit and bask in the sunshine for a little while before going back to bed, but Ben came up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cNo?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope,\u201d Adam said. \u201cWhile you were sick, Little Joe and a few friends were mighty busy. Come on.\u201d He led her off the porch and into the yard, but Josie was out of breath before they were halfway to the barn, so Adam picked her up again and walked past the barn and down the road toward Virginia City.<\/p>\n After a minute or so, she said, \u201cYou know, if you want to go into town, it would be faster to take the horses.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam just smiled and kept walking with Pip, Ben, and Hoss following closely behind. Little Joe was all over the place\u2014one moment bounding along behind them, the next dancing impatiently several paces ahead.<\/p>\n About a quarter mile beyond the barn, they rounded a tree-lined curve in the road, and Josie got her big surprise. There in front of her, set into a little copse of pine trees, stood her completed clinic. It looked just as Adam had sketched it: a simple frame building of about 800 square feet with a wraparound porch. It had four large windows in front, one on each side, and another four in the back. And on the fa\u00e7ade above the front door was a huge new sign declaring \u201cDr. Josephine Cartwright, MD.\u201d Josie took it all in and burst into tears. She turned her face and sobbed into the front of Adam\u2019s tan jacket.<\/p>\n \u201cYou like it?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n Josie nodded. \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful!\u201d she said with a little hiccup that threatened to bring on a round of coughing. She took a deep breath to stifle it and looked back at her new clinic. \u201cI can\u2019t believe you built this so fast.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t,\u201d Adam admitted. \u201cI was quarantined in the house with you. Credit goes to Little Joe, Simon, Ross, and a number of Virginia City\u2019s other good men.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie turned wide eyes to Little Joe, who was suddenly bashful and kicked at a clod of dirt. \u201cHad to do somethin\u2019,\u201d he mumbled. \u201cCouldn\u2019t just stand around waiting. I can\u2019t really take credit either, though. It was Simon\u2019s idea to keep working on it while you were sick.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u201d Josie asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Even when you got real bad, he was so certain you were gonna get better. He said we just had to have it finished by the time you came back around.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her coat. \u201cCan we go inside?\u201d she asked timidly.<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely,\u201d Adam said, setting Josie on her feet and offering her his arm. \u201cI\u2019m afraid there isn\u2019t any furniture yet, but you can start thinking about where you\u2019d like to put things.\u201d<\/p>\n She took his arm and walked slowly toward the clinic and up the two steps onto the porch. When they reached the front door, Adam dug into his pocket, pulled out a shiny brass key, and handed it to her. She inserted the key in the lock and turned it. When she heard the tumbler slide into place, she paused and took a deep breath, then pushed the door open.<\/p>\n Pip shoved rudely past Josie and ran around the building, sniffing. The first thing Josie noticed was the fresh, clean scent of newly milled ponderosa pine. She inhaled deeply and hoped the scent would never fade. The building was divided into four rooms. The entry room would be her office and waiting room. The bare walls were painted a calming shade of pale blue.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve ordered a gold frame for your medical school diploma,\u201d Adam said. \u201cI thought we could hang it up behind your desk.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I get a desk,\u201d Josie said, smiling at the empty room.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got a man working on that,\u201d Adam replied, winking at Little Joe. Simon Croft\u2019s carpentry skills were proving handier than Adam had ever imagined. \u201cHe\u2019ll be making some shelves, too, so you can keep your medical books handy, and a locking cabinet for your supplies.\u201d He pointed to a small ladder set into the back wall behind where Josie\u2019s desk would go. \u201cThat leads up to your loft. It gives you some extra storage space, and we\u2019ll put a cot up there in case you need to sleep out here to tend to a patient.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam led her to a door near the loft ladder and opened it. Josie peered into a small kitchen. It wasn\u2019t extensive\u2014just a few shelves, a sink with a water pump, and a little wood-burning stove\u2014but it would keep the building warm and let her heat water and cook small meals. A door near the stove led outside to the porch, where Little Joe and his helpers had already stacked a pile of firewood.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid it\u2019s not as fancy as the plumbing we have in the house,\u201d Adam said. \u201cBut Hoss has agreed to build you an outhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have?\u201d Hoss asked as he stepped into the kitchen behind Adam and Josie.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, don\u2019t you remember?\u201d Adam said, grinning at him. \u201cYou said there\u2019s nothing you like better than digging holes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat don\u2019t sound like me,\u201d Hoss grumbled, resolving to inconvenience his older brother at his first opportunity.<\/p>\n Adam led the entourage back into the office, showing Josie that off to both the left and right were doors that led into exam rooms. She liked that the office was between them. She could have patients in both rooms without having to worry about either of them overhearing the other\u2019s private conversation. Adam took her hand and led her into one of the exam rooms. It was slightly larger than Josie\u2019s office and had three windows, which would help provide light when she was examining patients and performing procedures. There were no curtains yet on the windows, but Little Joe had installed slatted blinds that she could open and close.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got two exam tables coming,\u201d Adam said, \u201cplus two cots. One for each room in case you need to keep a patient for a few days.\u201d He gestured around the empty room. \u201cAnd if there\u2019s anything else you need, just let me know.\u201d He grinned.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Adam, it\u2019s wonderful!\u201d Josie exclaimed, throwing her arms around him.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you, Joe,\u201d Little Joe muttered in falsetto. \u201cAfter all, you did most of the work.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie giggled, let go of Adam, and wrapped Little Joe up in a big hug. \u201cThank you, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou should also thank Simon, Ross, Reverend Lovejoy, Henry, Isaiah Jenkins, and Amos Crawford,\u201d Joe rattled off as he hugged Josie back. \u201cThey all helped. And Patience and Sally did the painting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will, just as soon as I see them,\u201d Josie promised. Her excitement beginning to die down, she realized how exhausting the little tour had been and she leaned heavily against Joe. He scooped her up in his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, partner,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s get you back to bed.\u201d Adam reached out to take Josie, but Little Joe waved him off and carried her all the way back to the house. She was nearly asleep in his arms by the time they got there, but she was awake enough to protest when he tried to take her upstairs.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so tired of my bedroom,\u201d she said. \u201cLet me lay on the settee for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam looked disapproving, but Little Joe cheerfully acquiesced and set her on the sofa.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll get her a blanket,\u201d Adam said as Little Joe helped Josie out of her coat and boots and Ben kindled a small fire in the fireplace.<\/p>\n When Adam ran upstairs, Ben hollered after him, \u201cWe have blankets down here!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know!\u201d Adam\u2019s reply drifted down the stairs.<\/p>\n Ben furrowed his brow, but when Adam reappeared on the stairs, he understood. Adam was carrying his mother\u2019s quilt that Josie had given him two Christmases ago. He unfolded it and tucked it around her. She smiled.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Adam,\u201d she said. Then, more quietly, \u201cAnd thanks, Aunt Elizabeth.\u201d She nestled under the quilt and fell asleep, still smiling.<\/p>\n Josie awoke a few hours later to the smell of Hop Sing\u2019s famous venison stew, and her mouth instantly began to water. After having little appetite for the first few days after her fever broke, she was now ravenous nearly all the time. Hop Sing brought her a generous serving on a tray, and before digging in, she carefully folded her aunt\u2019s quilt around her feet so she wouldn\u2019t spill any stew on it. It was nice to be downstairs again. She felt more like herself than she had in weeks now that she was back in the center of the home\u2019s activity. She was already halfway through her stew when Ben and the boys came in for lunch, and all four of them lit up at the sight of her sitting up on the settee and stuffing her face. The last of her rash had faded away, and though she was still rather pale, her returning strength was undeniable. She greeted each of them between mouthfuls of stew, then handed her tray to Hop Sing and leaned back against a stack of pillows. She sighed contentedly.<\/p>\n \u201cGood stew?\u201d Hoss asked.<\/p>\n \u201cDelicious. You\u2019ll love it.\u201d<\/p>\n The four men sat eagerly at the table. The one perk to Josie\u2019s having been ill was that Hop Sing was cooking hot lunches. Their midday meal usually consisted of cold sandwiches, but the cook was trying to put some meat back on Josie\u2019s bones, so everyone had been enjoying hearty lunches.<\/p>\n Once lunch was cleared away, Adam brought Frankenstein<\/em> downstairs for Josie to read, and the men returned to their work. Josie passed a pleasant afternoon alternately reading and napping and was proud as a peacock when she managed to get upstairs, use the washroom, and come back down to the settee under her own power. She was worn out again by the time she returned to the living room, but it was a triumph all the same.<\/p>\n She was dozing when the men returned home for supper, but she sat up and greeted them when she heard them come in. They returned the greetings cheerfully, but she noticed that Adam wore a strange expression on his face that was he was trying to conceal. She raised an eyebrow at him, but he shook his head, which Josie knew meant he would tell her later.<\/p>\n When Hop Sing announced that supper was ready, Josie rose slowly from the settee, wrapped her dressing gown more tightly around her body, and joined the family at the table.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Josephine, you don\u2019t have to sit out here with us,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to, Uncle Ben. I\u2019ve missed having supper with you. Besides, I got the impression Adam had news.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sighed. \u201cIn a minute,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Ben blessed the food, and once everyone was served, all eyes turned back to Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cWell?\u201d Ben asked.<\/p>\n Adam half-smiled and half-grimaced as he pulled a small, folded piece of paper out of his jeans pocket. He handed this to his father.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was waiting for me when I went into town this afternoon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Ben\u2019s eyes widened as he read the telegram. \u201cThis is wonderful!\u201d he exclaimed, nearly leaping from his seat.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? WHAT?!\u201d Little Joe demanded.<\/p>\n Ben looked across the table at Josie. \u201cYour mother is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie\u2019s fork hit her plate with a clatter. \u201cMama?\u201d she said, her voice trembling as tears filled her eyes. \u201cMama\u2019s coming?\u201d<\/p>\n Ben smiled. Josie suddenly looked and sounded just like the nine-year-old girl she had been when he first met her. \u201cYes, ma\u2019am. She must have sent this telegram from Panama. It says she\u2019ll arrive on the stagecoach from San Francisco in two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie buried her face in her red-checkered napkin and burst into tears for the second time that day. Adam reached over and rubbed her back while Little Joe let out a whoop of joy.<\/p>\n \u201cHow about that?\u201d Joe hollered. \u201cAunt Hannah back on the Ponderosa!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wonder why she didn\u2019t write to tell me she was planning to visit,\u201d Josie mused as she dried her eyes on her napkin. \u201cAnd why now? It must be miserable crossing Panama this time of year. Autumn would be a much better time for a visit.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben, Adam, and Hoss exchanged uncomfortable glances. \u201cWe-ell,\u201d Ben said slowly, \u201cwe sent her a telegram when you were ill. You were in such a bad way, and we weren\u2019t sure\u2026\u201d he trailed off with an apologetic shrug of his shoulders.<\/p>\n Josie nodded. \u201cThat was the right thing to do. I just can\u2019t believe she\u2019s coming all this way. My goodness, I haven\u2019t seen her in two years.\u201d Her eyes filled up again. Now that she had a chance to think about it, she realized just how badly she had missed her mother.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t believe she\u2019s coming all this way alone,\u201d Hoss said. \u201cThat\u2019s a long way for a lady by herself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, she\u2019s not alone,\u201d Ben reported. \u201cNot according to this telegram at least. She\u2019s bringing your Aunt Rachel.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie slapped her forehead. \u201cThat\u2019s what put that pinched look on your face,\u201d she said to Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cYep,\u201d he confirmed. He caught Josie\u2019s eye, and the two of them stared at each other for a moment before exploding in laughter.<\/p>\n Ben, Hoss, and Little Joe looked at Adam and Josie like they had lost their minds.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d Hoss demanded, a little put out that he had missed the joke.<\/p>\n Adam wiped his streaming eyes on his napkin while he handed Josie a glass of water to curtail the coughing fit her laughter had caused. \u201cAunt Rachel on the Ponderosa,\u201d Adam gasped as he tried to catch his breath. \u201cI can\u2019t even picture it!\u201d He dissolved into giggles again.<\/p>\n Josie, her coughing settled, stuck her nose up in an excellent imitation of Aunt Rachel and mimed holding a parasol. \u201cBenjamin!\u201d she trilled airily. \u201cHowever do you live out here in this heathen wilderness?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam doubled over, his nose nearly landing in his mashed potatoes. \u201cIt\u2019s positively savage!\u201d he sang out in falsetto. \u201cNow, Boston. THAT\u2019S civilization!\u201d<\/p>\n Josie broke out in another coughing fit, and Ben put his foot down. \u201cThat\u2019s quite enough, you two!\u201d Adam bit his lip so hard to choke back his laughter that he tasted blood. \u201cIt\u2019s awfully good of your Aunt Rachel to accompany Hannah all this way, and you will treat her with the respect she deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYessir,\u201d Adam said, his eyes still twinkling.<\/p>\n Josie nodded while she sipped more water and took several deep breaths to quell her coughing.<\/p>\n \u201cAunt Hannah can have my bedroom,\u201d Little Joe offered. \u201cShe\u2019ll like being upstairs near Josie and Adam, and I don\u2019t mind sleeping in the bunkhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben nodded. \u201cThank you, Joseph. We\u2019ll put Rachel in the guestroom down here. We\u2019ll have to get all those gifts out of there, though.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGifts?\u201d Josie croaked, still fighting back her cough.<\/p>\n \u201cTokens from your admirers,\u201d Ben said, smiling. \u201cMost of Virginia City brought you gifts while you were sick. I don\u2019t even know what\u2019s in there; we didn\u2019t have time to go through them. We\u2019ll look at them after supper.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie excitedly finished off the rest of her supper and then returned to the settee to see her gifts as Ben and her boys carried them out of the guestroom. There was a beautiful embroidered throw pillow from Delphine Marquette, a tiny wooden model of Scout carved and painted by Josh Grayson, and an exquisitely detailed sketch of the White House and its North Lawn from Jimmy.<\/p>\n \u201cWould you look at that?\u201d Ben said, examining the drawing. \u201cIt looks like a photograph. I had no idea Jimmy could draw so well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think the boy has missed his calling,\u201d Adam observed, peering at the drawing over his father\u2019s shoulder. \u201cI\u2019ll get you a frame for this if you\u2019d like to hang it in your room,\u201d he said to Josie.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d love that,\u201d Josie said, silently resolving to contact an art school she knew of in St. Louis on Jimmy\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n The rest of the gifts included some of Josie\u2019s favorite sweets, and she was particularly pleased with a bag from Sally\u2019s father, Will, that contained a half a dozen large oranges. Little Joe, who loved oranges, too, eyed them longingly.<\/p>\n Josie gave him a coy smile. \u201cWould you like one?\u201d She held out an orange.<\/p>\n Little Joe hesitated, feeling bad about taking one of Josie\u2019s get-well gifts. But then he caught a whiff of the fruit\u2019s crisp, sweet scent, and the guilt disappeared. He snatched the orange from Josie\u2019s hand and hollered a quick \u201cThanks!\u201d as he tore into the kitchen to get a knife to peel it with.<\/p>\n The other four Cartwrights laughed, which brought on another round of coughing for Josie. Adam noticed how pale she had grown over the past couple hours. They\u2019d probably let her do too much today. He got her another glass of water and sat next to her on the settee until her coughing settled. When the fit faded, she set the glass on the coffee table and, exhausted, leaned heavily against his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, Little Sister,\u201d he said, picking her up. \u201cLet\u2019s get you back to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n Too worn out to protest, Josie nodded and rested her head on Adam\u2019s solid chest while he carried her upstairs to her bedroom. Once there, he helped her out of her green dressing gown and tucked her into bed. Josie immediately closed her eyes, so Adam kissed her forehead and crept toward the door. Just before he stepped through it, he heard Josie stir. He looked over his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cI love my clinic,\u201d she mumbled sleepily. \u201cBut don\u2019t think I don\u2019t see what you did there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry?\u201d<\/p>\n Josie\u2019s eyes fluttered open and she smiled. \u201cYou\u2019ve made it impossible for me to ever leave the Ponderosa. Even if I go off to have my own family, I\u2019ll have to stay close because my clinic is here.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam grinned. \u201cI promise you, that wasn\u2019t my intention, but it does work out in my favor, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a sneaky, sneaky man, Adam Cartwright.\u201d Josie paused. \u201cBut you know I wasn\u2019t planning to ever go far anyway. I just don\u2019t know how I\u2019m going to tell Mama I won\u2019t be coming back to Washington after the war.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t worry about your mother. Aunt Rachel, on the other hand\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Josie groaned. \u201cI\u2019m supposed to be recovering, remember? Don\u2019t say such upsetting things.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSorry,\u201d Adam apologized with a chuckle. \u201cStick close to me, kid. We\u2019ll weather this visit together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks.\u201d Josie yawned and nuzzled deeper into her pillows. \u201cGoodnight, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGoodnight, Josie.\u201d Adam blew out the oil lamp and closed the door quietly behind him. He ambled back downstairs to his father and brothers and plopped on the settee.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, Aunt Rachel\u2019s comin\u2019 along!\u201d Hoss cheered. \u201cThat\u2019s great!\u201d He was the only one who was genuinely happy about the news.<\/p>\n \u201cYep, she sure is,\u201d Adam said glumly.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what your problem is, but I\u2019m excited,\u201d Hoss said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s because you\u2019re the only one she actually likes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNobody dislikes Hoss,\u201d Little Joe said as he crammed the last piece of his orange into his mouth. Joe had met Rachel only briefly when he and Adam had gone east to visit Josie four years ago, but even in that short visit he\u2019d been the target of several of Rachel\u2019s scathing remarks. He wasn\u2019t looking forward to seeing her again any more than the rest of the family was.<\/p>\n Ben nodded in approval at Little Joe\u2019s remark. It was true that Hoss rarely met an enemy. Even as a young boy, he had always looked for the good in everyone. Once, when he was only six years old, another boy, Jeremy Fitch, had been teasing him at school, and after a few self-defense lessons from Ben, Hoss had thrashed the boy soundly. As Jeremy fled, however, Hoss ran after him thinking that now the two of them had had it out, there was no reason they couldn\u2019t be friends. And to this day, they were still close. Maybe if Rachel grew unbearable they could just send her out on a buggy ride with Hoss.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, boys,\u201d he said bracingly. \u201cIt will be fine. Besides, we\u2019re focusing on the wrong thing. Your Aunt Hannah is coming! We\u2019re all going to have a grand time.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam and Joe shared a skeptical glance.<\/p>\n Josie paid the next day for her exertions. She spent the whole day sleeping, waking only for meals. Adam tried not to hover, but seeing her so exhausted again worried him, and he came home a couple hours early that afternoon to sit with her. When he reached her room, he felt her forehead and was relieved to discover she wasn\u2019t feverish. He chastised himself for worrying but pulled up the armchair next to her bed and sat down anyway. Thinking he would read for a while, he grabbed Frankenstein<\/em> off Josie\u2019s night table, but he caught himself staring uncomprehendingly at the opening paragraph. He gazed around the bedroom, taking in the mottled gray walls, the blue lace curtains, and the crimson-and-blue rug. Nearly two years on, Adam was still pleased with his father\u2019s d\u00e9cor choices for Josie\u2019s room.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo years,\u201d Adam thought to himself. It didn\u2019t seem possible that it had been that long since Josie moved in, and yet, in some ways, it felt longer. He gazed out the front window and spotted Simon trotting up on his palomino mare. Adam glanced back down at Josie. \u201cDon\u2019t you be in any hurry to move out,\u201d he whispered before heading downstairs to greet their visitor.<\/p>\n Much to Adam\u2019s delight, Simon reported that Josie\u2019s office desk would be completed in a few days.<\/p>\n \u201cGood man!\u201d Adam said and slapped Simon heartily on the back. He offered Simon some coffee and cookies, which Simon gratefully accepted.<\/p>\n \u201cHow did Josie like the clinic?\u201d Simon asked once they were seated at the kitchen table enjoying their snack.<\/p>\n \u201cShe loved it!\u201d Adam exclaimed. \u201cTruly, Simon, you should have seen her face.\u201d He paused, choosing his next words carefully. \u201cI can\u2019t thank you enough for all your hard work. I couldn\u2019t believe it when Little Joe told me the clinic was nearly finished. And to know you did all that for Josie, well, it means a lot to me.\u201d<\/p>\n An embarrassed smile flitted across Simon\u2019s face. \u201cI\u2019d do anything for Josie,\u201d he muttered into his coffee cup.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Adam said, studying the younger man. \u201cYeah, I think you would.\u201d There was an awkward silence, and Adam cast about for a new topic. \u201cOh! Did you hear the news? No, I guess you couldn\u2019t have since last night. Josie\u2019s mother is coming to visit! She\u2019ll be here in two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon\u2019s face lit up. \u201cThat\u2019s wonderful! Josie must have hit the ceiling when she heard that. She\u2019s told me so much about her mother. I know she misses her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe was pretty excited. And I can\u2019t wait to see my Aunt Hannah again. She was like a mother to me when I was in college.\u201d He smiled fondly at the memories.<\/p>\n \u201cHow long is she staying?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot sure. Several weeks at least, I\u2019d expect. You should come to supper some night while she\u2019s here. I\u2019m sure she\u2019d love to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon beamed. \u201cI\u2019d like that very much.\u201d Then his face grew worried, and he ran a hand through his shaggy blond hair. \u201cIf you don\u2019t think I\u2019m too rough. I mean, she\u2019s a sophisticated Eastern lady, and I\u2019m, well\u2026 I\u2019m just a rancher.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam leaned back in his chair and laughed good-naturedly. \u201cWhat do you think I am?\u201d he said, spreading his arms wide. \u201cTrust me, she\u2019ll like you just fine. Now Aunt Rachel, on the other hand\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Simon\u2019s face darkened at the name.<\/p>\n \u201cI see Josie has already told you about the eldest Stoddard sister,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s told me about all your family back east,\u201d Simon replied cautiously. He didn\u2019t want to damage this new warmth Adam was showing toward him by insulting the man\u2019s family.<\/p>\n Adam laughed again. \u201cBelieve me, the stories are true. Aunt Rachel makes no attempts to hide her disdain for Cartwrights.\u201d He paused thoughtfully. \u201cWell, not all <\/em>Cartwrights. She likes Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone likes Hoss,\u201d Simon said, echoing Little Joe\u2019s sentiment from the previous night. \u201cEspecially Patience Lovejoy,\u201d he snickered.<\/p>\n \u201cNo kidding?\u201d Adam blurted, sitting up straight in his chair. He wasn\u2019t one for idle gossip, but this was interesting news.<\/p>\n \u201cOh yeah,\u201d Simon replied with a wicked grin. \u201cBut please don\u2019t let on that I told you. She\u2019d kill me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou have my solemn word.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo what\u2019s your Aunt Rachel got against Cartwrights?\u201d Simon asked as he reached for another cookie. \u201cBoth her sisters married them.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam sighed. \u201cShe blamed my father for my mother\u2019s death for a long time. And even after more than thirty years, she\u2019s still angry at him for bringing me out here and taking me away from the family.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon was startled by Adam\u2019s honest reply and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Adam was well known as a private man, and Simon felt a bit guilty for getting this personal glimpse into his mind. Adam, too, was surprised by his own admission. In his determination to dislike Simon Croft, he had never realized how easy the young man was to talk to.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a long time to stay mad at someone,\u201d Simon opined.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is. She took it pretty well, though, when we told her I was bringing Josie out here. Maybe she\u2019s mellowing with age.\u201d Adam paused for a moment and then grinned. \u201cBut probably not. Just ignore anything unkind she says to you. That\u2019s what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon chuckled. \u201cI\u2019ll remember that.\u201d He glanced down at his empty coffee cup. \u201cI should be headin\u2019 home soon. Do you think I could look in on Josie before I go?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s been asleep all day,\u201d Adam said. Then, seeing the crestfallen expression on Simon\u2019s face, he added, \u201cBut I don\u2019t think she\u2019d mind if you woke her up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks, Adam!\u201d Simon said with a grin. He leapt from his chair and bolted out of the kitchen and across the living room.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the last door at the end of the hall,\u201d Adam called after him, shaking his head at the young man\u2019s exuberance.<\/p>\n Simon knew very well which room was Josie\u2019s, but he was not about to let on to Adam that he had been in her bedroom before. Something told him that would ruin the progress they\u2019d just made.<\/p>\n Another week passed, and Josie continued to grow stronger. The weather was sunny and mild, and she spent much of her time sitting in the rocking chair on the front porch and soaking up the sunshine. Hop Sing had already begun a flurry of preparations for Hannah\u2019s and Rachel\u2019s impending arrival, and Josie even helped a little, airing out bedding and sweeping floors. She still tired quickly and slept more than usual, but every day she was able to do a bit more than the day before.<\/p>\n One pleasant afternoon, Simon drove up just after lunch in his father\u2019s buckboard with Josie\u2019s new desk strapped down in the back. Josie was napping on the sofa, but Adam had been expecting him and dashed into the yard to check out Simon\u2019s handiwork.<\/p>\n It was a fine desk, made of sturdy walnut that Simon had polished to a deep shine. It had a narrow top drawer for paper and pens, and two drawers on the side for whatever files Josie might want to keep handy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s perfect, Simon!\u201d Adam declared, shaking Simon\u2019s hand. \u201cAbsolutely perfect. Let\u2019s go put it in the clinic.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam and Simon hopped onto the buckboard\u2019s seat, and Simon drove them the short way to the clinic, where they unloaded Josie\u2019s new desk and placed it in her office. They stood there admiring it, and Adam was pleased when Simon told him he would have a matching chair finished in a few days.<\/p>\n They headed back outside, and Simon glanced up at the cloudless blue sky. \u201cSure is a nice day. You think Josie would be up for a short ride?\u201d<\/p>\n Something jumped in Adam\u2019s stomach, but he thought how delighted Josie would be by the idea and forced his insides to settle down. \u201cI expect she would be. She\u2019s napping on the settee, but the fresh air would be good for her.\u201d<\/p>\n They hopped back into the wagon to return to the house. When they got there, Simon charged inside, then hit his brakes and approached the settee softly. Josie was lying on her side, her loose black hair draped over her face like a curtain. Simon reached out gently swept her hair back and tucked it behind her ear.<\/p>\n \u201cGo \u2018way, I\u2019m sleepin\u2019,\u201d Josie mumbled, her lower lip sticking out in a pout.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry,\u201d Simon whispered, his face falling. \u201cI\u2019ll leave you be.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie\u2019s eyes fluttered open at the sound of this familiar, yet unexpected, tenor voice. \u201cSimon,\u201d she said, her face breaking into a wide smile. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry. I thought you were Adam.\u201d She sat up and hugged Simon around the neck.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, sure,\u201d Adam said as he stepped into the house, \u201cSimon gets a hug, but Older Brother gets told to go away.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie giggled and looked over her shoulder at Adam. \u201cWould you like a hug, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam grinned. \u201cNo, it\u2019s all right. I\u2019m gonna have a cookie.\u201d As he headed for the kitchen, he called back, \u201cI\u2019ll have Hop Sing package up a few.. gonna have a cookie. exclaimedncomfortable glances.and the Cartwrights did not want to burden him further by saddling him with You can take them with you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are we going?\u201d Josie asked Simon.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got my buckboard here. Thought maybe you\u2019d like to go for a little ride, if you\u2019re feeling up to it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d love to!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWonderful! Go find yourself some shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie threw off her blanket and ascended the stairs. While Simon was waiting for her to return, Adam reemerged from the kitchen with a small package of cookies. He handed it to Simon and then gripped his arm and stared him directly in the eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cRemember what I said,\u201d Adam warned him.<\/p>\n \u201cI will. Josie\u2019s safe with me, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m holding you to that. But keep a special eye out, too. She\u2019s still recovering, you know, and she won\u2019t tell you if she\u2019s getting tired, so if she looks pale or you can see that her energy is flagging, bring her straight home.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll do that. I\u2019ll have her home by suppertime in any case.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam nodded. \u201cSee that you do.\u201d He released Simon\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n Josie reemerged just then. She had put on a pair of buttoned-up leather shoes and had secured her hair in a loose braid. Adam\u2019s heart soared at the sight of her. For the first time in a month, she looked healthy. Her burgundy skirt and blue shirtwaist hung loosely from her body, but her hair had regained its shine, and her hazel eyes were clear and sparkling. Adam gathered her up in a hug.<\/p>\n \u201cHave fun,\u201d he said, kissing the top of her head. \u201cDon\u2019t keep the young man out too late.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie giggled. \u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d She moved over to the sideboard and grabbed her black jacket and cowboy hat, which she plunked on her head and cocked rakishly over her right eye. \u201cReady?\u201d she asked Simon.<\/p>\n Simon grinned and offered his arm. He led Josie out of the house and to his waiting buckboard, where he helped her up before springing into the seat next to her. Josie waved happily to Adam, Simon clucked to the horses, and they set off.<\/p>\n Adam stood on the porch and watched them go and was nearly knocked over when Pip bolted from the house and took off after the wagon. He laughed briefly, but butterflies flitted about in his stomach. \u201cWatch yourself, Croft,\u201d he muttered before heading back inside.<\/p>\n Josie and Simon laughed when Pip caught up to them. Josie invited the dog to jump into the back of the wagon for a ride, but the wolfhound opted to trot alongside. As they passed the new clinic, Simon asked Josie where she would like to go. \u201cThe lake\u2019s a bit too far, but if there\u2019s another nice spot you know about, just tell me which direction,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Josie thought for a moment. \u201cI know!\u201d she chirped, lighting up. \u201cThere\u2019s a little stream not too far from here with some big, shady trees along the bank. Head west.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon did, and they rolled along quietly, enjoying the sunshine and each other\u2019s silent company. After about twenty minutes, Simon spotted a line of trees up ahead. \u201cIs that it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYep!\u201d Josie replied happily. This was one of her favorite spots on the Ponderosa. It was one of the Cartwrights\u2019 winter pastures, but by this point in the spring, the cattle had been moved out, leaving the expansive green field empty apart from speckles of white, yellow, and purple wildflowers. In the distance, they could see the soaring, snowcapped Sierra Nevada reaching toward the sky. Pip tore off across the meadow, snapping playfully at butterflies he would never be able to catch, and Simon reined the team to a stop near the babbling little stream and unhitched them from the wagon so they could drink and graze.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is<\/em> nice,\u201d he said, looking around. The Lucky Star had some picturesque spots, too, but there was no denying that Ben Cartwright owned the prettiest land in the territory.<\/p>\n \u201cI love this place,\u201d Josie said wistfully. I\u2019ve thought once or twice how nice it would be to have a little house down here, but I don\u2019t think I could bring myself to build on this meadow. It\u2019s the kind of place that should stay open and unspoiled.\u201d She smiled as she gazed toward the mountains.<\/p>\n Simon sidled up to her and hesitatingly laid a hand on her shoulder. He nearly burst with joy when Josie reached up and laid her hand atop his. \u201cYou really love the Ponderosa, don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Josie turned to face him. \u201cI do. Ever since my first visit here.\u201d She gazed back toward the mountains. \u201cNo, even before that. When I was a little girl and Adam would stay with us during breaks from college, he would tell me all about this great ranch and the mountains and fields, and I knew then that this was where I wanted to be. Out here with the fresh air and the enormous sky.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd your cousins,\u201d Simon added.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, them, too, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon chuckled. \u201cCome on. Let\u2019s have some of those cookies.\u201d<\/p>\n He took one of the blankets he had used to cushion Josie\u2019s desk out of the back of the wagon and spread it on the ground underneath a large oak tree on the stream bank. He then grabbed the package of cookies and a canteen from underneath the buckboard\u2019s seat, took them over to the blanket, and sat down, patting the space next to him. Josie tore herself away from the view and joined Simon on the blanket. She removed her hat and tossed it aside before tearing open the package of cookies. She laughed when she saw what flavor they were.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s so funny?\u201d Simon said. \u201cI love<\/em> chocolate cookies!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo does Hoss,\u201d Josie explained. \u201cHe must not know Hop Sing made them or there wouldn\u2019t have been any left for us!\u201d<\/p>\n Simon laughed, too. \u201cThat man sure can eat.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Good thing Patience sure can cook!\u201d They caught each other\u2019s gaze and dissolved into giggles.<\/p>\n \u201cYou noticed, too?\u201d Simon asked.<\/p>\n \u201cHow could I not?\u201d Josie replied, still giggling. \u201cI just hope the two of them figure it out. They would be awfully cute together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot as cute as you and me,\u201d Simon mumbled bashfully, lacing his fingers through Josie\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I think that goes without saying,\u201d Josie said, smiling shyly at him.<\/p>\n Simon took his free hand and titled Josie\u2019s chin upwards a bit, leaned in, and kissed her for the first time since Christmas. This time they didn\u2019t have to worry about interruptions, and Josie let her lips linger on his, memorizing the feel of them. He wrapped his arm around her waist and was pulling her closer to him when his shin struck something solid.<\/p>\n \u201cOw!\u201d he yelped, breaking away from Josie and rubbing his bruised leg. \u201cWhat in the world?\u201d<\/p>\n Josie came over giggling again as she realized what Simon\u2019s leg had hit. She pulled the hem of her skirt up a few inches and unstrapped her Derringer from her ankle. Simon watched with huge eyes as she laid the weapon in the grass next to the blanket.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d she asked innocently when she noticed Simon\u2019s wide-eyed stare.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you wear that all the time?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot all<\/em> the time. I prefer my Colt, but I don\u2019t like wearing it with skirts because I can\u2019t tie the holster to my leg. The Derringer is much more practical if I\u2019m in a dress.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie giggled at Simon\u2019s stricken expression. \u201cDon\u2019t take it personally. I trust you. It\u2019s just a big ranch, and a lot can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon shook his head. \u201cJosie, whatever you do, never stop amazing me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll do my best,\u201d she promised. And then she kissed him again.<\/p>\n They sat together for over an hour, Simon\u2019s arm encircling Josie\u2019s shoulders, and Josie resting her head on his chest, as they ate their cookies and chatted about their plans for the summer and Hannah and Rachel\u2019s upcoming visit. Josie felt like she could sit there forever, but all too soon, Simon was glancing up at the sun and announcing that they had to head back. He hitched the team back up to the wagon while Josie whistled for Pip, who came bounding across the meadow toward them with a dead rabbit in his mouth. He dropped this at Josie\u2019s feet and beamed proudly at her.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Pip, what a good boy, making sure I have something to eat!\u201d Josie gushed as she ruffled the dog\u2019s wiry fur. \u201cYou take such good care of your mama, yes, you do!\u201d Pip barked happily and licked Josie\u2019s face. She giggled, picked up the rabbit, and placed it in the back of the buckboard.<\/p>\n \u201cYou plannin\u2019 on cookin\u2019 that?\u201d Simon asked with one lip curled. Rabbit was good, but he didn\u2019t think he\u2019d want one that Pip had drooled all over.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll give it back to him when we get home. He\u2019ll have forgotten by then that he gave it to me. He won\u2019t eat it if he thinks it\u2019s mine.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon chuckled and shook his head as he helped Josie up into the wagon. He climbed into the seat beside her and headed back toward the house.<\/p>\n Ben, Hoss, and Little Joe had all returned home by the time Simon delivered Josie to the front door, and Ben shouted at Hoss and Joe not to spy on the young couple through the front window. Adam wanted to join his brothers but forced himself to stay planted in the blue armchair, where he was pretending to read.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, Pa, he\u2019s kissin\u2019 her goodbye!\u201d Hoss reported from the window.<\/p>\n Ben glanced across the room at Adam and stifled a snicker as he saw his eldest son\u2019s shoulders tense up.<\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t you gonna do anything about it, Adam?\u201d Little Joe antagonized his brother.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Adam said shortly in a strangled sort of way, as if someone had just punched him in the belly. \u201cNo, it\u2019s fine.\u201d His shoulders crowded his ears. \u201cI\u2019m just gonna go wash up for supper.\u201d He rose from his chair and marched stiffly up the stairs, stomping on each riser a bit harder than was necessary.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, someone\u2019s singin\u2019 a new tune,\u201d Hoss observed as he watched Adam ascend the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cI think someone realized how much Simon cares about Josie,\u201d Ben replied softly. Then he grinned. \u201cAnd I expect that someone also threatened Mr. Croft with severe bodily harm if he broke Josie\u2019s heart.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss and Little Joe swallowed their laughter as Josie and Pip came inside and greeted them with a big smile.<\/p>\n \u201cDid you have a nice time?\u201d Ben asked as he rose to greet Josie.<\/p>\n \u201cWonderful!\u201d Josie sighed and tossed her hat onto the sideboard. \u201cIt was such a beautiful day. I\u2019m so glad Simon coaxed me out of the house.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben smiled as he took in Josie\u2019s sun-kissed cheeks and wide smile. He, too, noticed that she was still a bit on the thin side, but her vigor had returned, and Ben had great faith in Hop Sing\u2019s ability to put the meat back on her bones.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam\u2019s upstairs washing up for supper,\u201d he said. \u201cHop Sing should have everything ready soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSplendid!\u201d Josie crowed, still glowing. She planted a peck on her uncle\u2019s cheek and skipped up the stairs to wash up.<\/p>\n \u201cGee,\u201d Little Joe said as he watched Josie flit upstairs, \u201ckinda makes me<\/em> want to go on a buggy ride.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, me, too,\u201d Hoss agreed, looking thoughtful. \u201cHey, Pa, I\u2019m gonna take one of the buggies to church on Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben raised an eyebrow. \u201cThat\u2019s awfully nice of you to take Little Joe on a ride,\u201d he teased. Adam, who had just returned to the first floor, snickered.<\/p>\n Hoss shot his father and brother an annoyed look. \u201cVery funny. For your information, I happen to have a nice little gal in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood for you, Hoss!\u201d Little Joe praised, slapping his brother on the back. \u201cWho is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNever you mind who. I don\u2019t need you tryin\u2019 to help and ruinin\u2019 my chances with her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho? Me?\u201d Little Joe asked aghast.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, you.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe was about to protest when he was interrupted by Josie reemerging from the second floor. She took in the little standoff between Hoss and Joe, shrugged, and sat down at the table for supper.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, you two,\u201d Ben said, putting an arm around each of his two younger sons. \u201cLet\u2019s eat before Hop Sing gets offended.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss beamed at his father as he followed him to the table, but Little Joe slunk behind, scowling. Rebecca Croft had recently turned her attention to Ross Marquette\u2019s younger brother, Matthew, and it irked Little Joe to no end that Hoss had a romantic interest and he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cCheer up, Joe,\u201d Adam said, observing the black look on his youngest brother\u2019s face. \u201cI\u2019m sure Widow Hawkins would be positively delighted if you asked her to go on a buggy ride with you.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben, Hoss, and Josie erupted into gales of laughter, while Little Joe grabbed a fork and slapped slices of venison onto his plate. He sneered at Adam and apart from asking Josie to please pass the salt, refused to speak for the rest of the meal.<\/p>\n Josie and Hoss both approached church that Sunday with a dose of apprehension. It would be Josie\u2019s first trip into Virginia City since she\u2019d been ill, and she fervently hoped no one would make a fuss over her. Hoss, meanwhile, was aflutter over inviting Patience for a buggy ride and a picnic after the service.<\/p>\n \u201cAsk her before the service starts,\u201d Josie whispered into Hoss\u2019s ear as he hitched up a horse to the two-seater buggy. \u201cThat way you won\u2019t be agonizing over it the whole time.\u201d Hoss nodded, grateful for this bit of advice. He was beginning to realize that when it came to understanding women, Josie was a much more reliable source of information than either of his brothers were\u2014especially Little Joe.<\/p>\n When the Cartwrights rolled into town that morning\u2014Hoss in the buggy and Ben, Adam, Josie, and Little Joe in the four-seater surrey\u2014the townspeople did, to Josie\u2019s dismay, make a huge fuss over the now-healthy Dr. Cartwright. As soon as Adam helped her down from the wagon, she was swarmed by a mob of people hugging her and exclaiming how glad they were that she was well again. Hoss took advantage of everyone\u2019s preoccupation with his cousin to pull Patience aside.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, uh, Patience,\u201d he said, doffing his hat and worrying the brim with his fingers.<\/p>\n Patience smiled at him, her brown eyes dancing with delight. \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss swallowed hard and took a deep breath. \u201cI was wonderin\u2019 if maybe you\u2019d, uh, if you\u2019d like to, uh, take a buggy ride with me after church?\u201d He let out the rest of his breath in one big huff.<\/p>\n Patience beamed even more brightly. \u201cI\u2019d love to!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReally?\u201d Hoss\u2019s eyes nearly popped out of his head.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, really,\u201d Patience giggled. \u201cThat sounds nice.\u201d<\/p>\n Struck speechless, Hoss just grinned at her, which made her giggle again. He shook his head to clear it and managed to find his voice again. \u201cI thought I could get us a picnic lunch from the International House to take along. You like fried chicken?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love fried chicken.\u201d<\/p>\n He grinned again and hustled back to his family, placing his hat confidently back on his head as he went. Adam snickered when he saw the crumpled brim of Hoss\u2019s hat, but he didn\u2019t mention it. Hoss was beaming more brightly than he\u2019d ever seen, and he didn\u2019t want to spoil his younger brother\u2019s good mood. Hoss smirked at Little Joe and then offered Josie his arm, escorting her grandly away from the throng of well-wishers and into the church.<\/p>\n Little Joe pouted all through the church service and glowered as he watched Hoss lead Patience to the buggy afterwards.<\/p>\n \u201cAw, cheer up, Joe,\u201d Josie said as the rest of the family headed home. \u201cYou have the attention of nearly all the young ladies in Virginia City. Let Hoss have this one.\u201d<\/p>\n Sitting in the backseat of the buggy with Josie, Adam bit his lip to keep from laughing and turned his face away from Josie. If he made eye contact with her just then, the two of them would erupt in laughter and infuriate Little Joe. Josie thought the same thing, and looked away from Adam as well, though she reached over and squeezed his hand. She felt a little shudder as his shoulders quaked with his stifled laughter, and she had to bite her lip too.<\/p>\n When they reached the house, Little Joe bolted from the buggy and stalked upstairs to his bedroom, where he sulked the rest of the afternoon. Ben decided to take a ride out to visit a friend, so Adam and Josie settled themselves on the settee with a book apiece to spend a quiet day. Josie had considered riding out to see Simon, but she was still hit by occasion spells of fatigue, and church had worn her out. Much as she wanted to see her beau, staying home with Adam this afternoon sounded like a nicer idea than riding an hour and a half each way to the Lucky Star. And Simon had promised to come by in a day or two anyway.<\/p>\n They sat in companionable silence throughout the afternoon as they enjoyed their books and Josie took the occasional catnap. She was roused from her final snooze of the afternoon by the sound of Hop Sing clanging around in the kitchen as he prepared supper, and she decided to see if she could help.<\/p>\n When she arrived in the kitchen, Josie discovered the cook sniffling and wiping tears from his eyes as he bent over his cutting board near the sink.<\/p>\n \u201cHop Sing!\u201d she exclaimed as she rushed to him. \u201cWhatever is wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n Hop Sing sniffled again and looked up at Josie with red-rimmed eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s this onion,\u201d he said, gesturing to the produce on the cutting board. \u201cI\u2019ve never encountered such potency in a vegetable.\u201d He wiped his eyes with his sleeve.<\/p>\n Josie laughed and took the knife from him. \u201cGo get some fresh air. I\u2019ll finish chopping this for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Hop Sing bowed gratefully to her and escaped out the kitchen door to take several deep gulps of the clean, spring air, which he frantically fanned into his burning eyes with his hand.<\/p>\n Two slices into the onion, Josie realized what Hop Sing had been on about. Her eyes and nose began to run, and before long, she, too, was dabbing at her face with her sleeve. When Adam wandered into the kitchen to see what was keeping her, he found her weeping over the cutting board, just as she had found Hop Sing.<\/p>\n \u201cJosie!\u201d Adam cried. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed at the cutting board. \u201cOnion!\u201d she declared, wiping her eyes again. Adam laughed and sent her outside with Hop Sing while he finished the chopping. By the time he finished, he, too, had streaming red eyes, and he joined Hop Sing and Josie on the porch.<\/p>\n \u201cI never knew it could take three people to conquer a vegetable,\u201d he said as pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and blew his nose.<\/p>\n The three of them laughed and gazed across the yard as they heard a buggy approaching the house. It was Hoss, returning from his afternoon with Patience, and even from a distance, Adam, Hop Sing, and Josie could see the gigantic smile spread across his face.<\/p>\n \u201cThink he had a good time?\u201d Josie asked Adam, nudging him gently in the ribs with her elbow.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d say so,\u201d Adam chuckled. \u201cLittle Joe\u2019s gonna be furious.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss leapt from the buggy before it had rolled to a complete stop. \u201cHey, there!\u201d he hollered to his family. He strode onto the porch and swept Josie up in a big hug and swung her around in a circle. Josie giggled with delight and kissed his cheek.<\/p>\n \u201cHave fun?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n Hoss\u2019s blue eyes sparkled like diamonds. He pulled Josie aside as Adam and Hop Sing headed back into the house, still chuckling. \u201cJosie,\u201d he said earnestly, \u201cI\u2019m gonna marry that little gal.\u201d<\/p>\n Josie\u2019s right eyebrow popped up. \u201cThat was fast!\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss blushed and ducked his head. \u201cI don\u2019t mean right away. I expect we should court a bit first.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s usually a good first step.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut I already spoke with the Reverend, and he said he couldn\u2019t be happier to have a Cartwright courtin\u2019 his little girl.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s wonderful! Hoss, I\u2019m so excited for you. Truly, I am.\u201d She hugged him again and said a silent prayer that everything would work out for him and Patience.<\/p>\n Hannah and Rachel\u2019s stagecoach was arriving that Friday, and the Cartwrights spent the rest of the week in a frenzy to make the house and grounds as clean as possible. Even the barn and bunkhouse got thorough scrubbings, and Ben ordered all the hands to be on their best behavior.<\/p>\n \u201cThere will be no cursing, no fighting, no gambling, and no drinking while my sisters-in-law are here,\u201d he commanded. \u201cYou will address them as \u2018Mrs. Cartwright\u2019 and \u2018Miss Stoddard\u2019 and afford them even more respect than you already afford me. Any man breaking these rules will be summarily dismissed. Is that clear?\u201d<\/p>\n The men nodded. Apart from \u201cno gambling\u201d\u2014Ben tolerated the occasional friendly game of poker\u2014these were no different than the rules Ben Cartwright always expected of his hands, but they understood that it made him feel better to speak them aloud. Some of the older hands had to hide smiles; they\u2019d never seen their boss so nervous. Several of the younger ones, however, were clenched by anxiety at Ben\u2019s stern orders. When Ben dismissed them, Jimmy pulled Adam aside.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam, how do we know which lady\u2019s Mrs. Cartwright and which one\u2019s Miss Stoddard? I don\u2019t want to get them mixed up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s easy. Mrs. Cartwright is the one who smiles.\u201d<\/p>\n Jimmy giggled nervously before he realized Adam wasn\u2019t joking. His face fell as he wondered just what they were all in for.<\/p>\n Josie could hardly sleep Thursday night.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo years,\u201d she whispered into the darkness of her bedroom. She couldn\u2019t believe it had been so long since she\u2019d seen Mama. Their longest separation before this had been measured in weeks.<\/p>\n She lit the oil lamp on her night table and picked up the framed photo of her parents that she kept there next to the photo of herself, Adam, and Little Joe from four years ago. She studied the photo carefully. It had been taken just before the war broke out. Mama was seated and Papa stood behind her with his hand on her shoulder. Mama had her dark hair fashionably piled atop her head and her hands clasped in her lap, and a soft smile played on her lips. She had a few more creases around her eyes than she had when Josie was a little girl, but otherwise, she was unchanged from the woman who had rocked her to sleep as a child. Josie hoped the past two years had not changed her mother, either, and she smiled at the photo.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Mama,\u201d she whispered. \u201cTomorrow can\u2019t get here soon enough.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite their anxiety over the arrival of Aunt Rachel, all five Cartwrights were bouncing off the walls at breakfast Friday morning. There was a lightheartedness in the house that had been missing since Josie had been ill, and everyone was grinning and laughing easily. Even the sun streaming in the dining-room window seemed a bit brighter because Hannah Cartwright was returning to the Ponderosa.<\/p>\n At one point, for no other reason than sheer elation, Adam and Hoss broke out singing an old sea shanty Ben had taught them as boys, and Little Joe grabbed Josie\u2019s hands and danced with her around the living room. Not one to be left out of the fun, Pip chased after them, barking, and for once, Ben didn\u2019t chastise the animal for barking in the house.<\/p>\n When Ben announced just after breakfast that it was time to head into town, the four cousins tried to exit the house all at once and got jammed in the doorway. Josie was toward the front of the pack, and the force from her larger cousins squeezing against her popped her out the door and onto the porch. She grabbed Little Joe\u2019s hand and pulled him free, leaving Adam and Hoss to tumble onto the porch in a heap.<\/p>\n \u201cCome on, you two!\u201d she said, stamping her foot. \u201cQuit fooling around, and let\u2019s go!\u201d She raced Little Joe to the barn before remembering that she\u2019d be riding in the carriage with Ben, so she turned around and sprinted back to the house and sprang neatly into the front seat of the waiting carriage. Still lying on his stomach on the porch, Adam watched Josie\u2019s acrobatics with admiration.<\/p>\n \u201cWonder where she and Joe get it from,\u201d Adam said to Hoss, who was picking himself up. \u201cYou and I were never that springy.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss shrugged and pulled Adam to his feet, and the pair of them ambled over to the buckboard that was also waiting in the yard. Though Ben was driving their fanciest surrey carriage with leather seats and a top to protect its passengers from sun and rain, there were only four seats, so Adam and Hoss would drive the buckboard to carry Rachel\u2019s and Hannah\u2019s luggage, and Little Joe would follow along on horseback. Pip trotted along beside the carriage.<\/p>\n That drive into Virginia City was the longest of Josie\u2019s life. She tried to pass the time by closing her eyes, counting to fifty and then trying to guess which landmark they would be near when she opened her eyes again, but she grew bored with this game after only two rounds. She didn\u2019t realize she was bouncing with excitement until Ben asked her to please sit still because she was making the whole carriage shake.<\/p>\n Adam watched with amusement. He, too, felt the excitement welling up in his chest, but whether from his more reserved personality or the ten years\u2019 extra maturity he had on Josie, he hid it better than she did. But he was excited. Hannah was his closest connection to his own mother, and she was the one person he didn\u2019t mind coddling him. Even knowing he had to put up with Aunt Rachel couldn\u2019t spoil his mood.<\/p>\n They reached town about an hour before the stagecoach was due to arrive, so Little Joe and Hoss headed to the Bucket of Blood for beers. Ben, Adam, and Josie opted to sit outside the stage depot to wait just in case the stage was early. The stagecoach had never been early in Virginia City\u2019s four years of existence, but Adam and Josie were unwilling to take a chance, and Ben decided he may as well join them. It was too early for beer anyway.<\/p>\n Time ticked by slowly, and after forty-five minutes that felt like a lifetime, Hoss and Little Joe returned from the saloon, laughing and joshing around. Little Joe took the last bit of free space on the bench, but Hoss was determined to sit down too. When he shoved his large frame onto Little Joe\u2019s end of the bench, Ben got pushed off the other side onto the wooden sidewalk. The younger Cartwrights dissolved into laughter, despite the scathing glare they received from Ben.<\/p>\n The interminable minutes continued to slog by, and finally, Little Joe\u2019s eagle eyes spotted a cloud of dust rising above the buildings at the edge of town. Everyone leapt to their feet and rushed to the edge of the street, all of them craning their necks to catch the first glimpse of the approaching stage.<\/p>\n \u201cThere it is!\u201d Joe shouted, spotting it first. Adam grabbed the back of Little Joe\u2019s and Josie\u2019s jackets to keep them from charging into the street and the path of the oncoming stage.<\/p>\n The coach rolled to a halt in front of the depot, and Josie beat her entire family to it, even shouldering Hoss out of the way, much to the large man\u2019s surprise. She hopped from foot to foot as a middle-aged man stepped out of the coach and offered his hand to one of the passengers inside. Seconds later, Hannah Cartwright stepped out into the bright Nevada sunshine. The light from behind her cast a halo around her black hair, and Josie thought her mother looked just like an angel.<\/p>\n \u201cMama!\u201d she shrieked and launched herself, sobbing, into her mother\u2019s arms.<\/p>\n Hannah wrapped her arms around her daughter and burst into tears. \u201cOh, my sweet girl,\u201d she whispered into Josie\u2019s sable hair.<\/p>\n \u201cMama, Mama, Mama,\u201d Josie sobbed.<\/p>\n Hannah clung to the daughter she had at one point feared she would never see again. She\u2019d booked her passage to Nevada as soon as she received Ben\u2019s first telegram about Josie\u2019s illness. Though she\u2019d received the good news of Josie\u2019s fever breaking just before she left Boston, she\u2019d spent the entire journey with her stomach in knots as she yearned to reach Josie and cursed herself for ever letting her leave the East. But now, with her daughter back in her arms, her worries melted away. She stepped back and took a good long look at Josie for the first time in two years.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Josie,\u201d she breathed. \u201cLook at you! You\u2019re so strong!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam smiled as Josie blushed at her mother\u2019s compliment. Despite Josie\u2019s recent illness, Hannah\u2019s words were true. Adam hadn\u2019t noticed it before, probably because the transition had been gradual, but Josie certainly was stronger than she had been when she first arrived on the Ponderosa. She\u2019d always been slender, but two years ago she had still had a certain softness about her that was gone now. Two years of lifting patients and riding and shooting with her cousins had hardened her muscles and left her lean and wiry.<\/p>\n Hannah looked up from Josie and saw Adam standing there, smiling at her. \u201cAdam, sweetheart!\u201d she exclaimed and peppered his face with kisses before gathering him up in a warm embrace.<\/p>\n As Hannah turned to greet Hoss, Rachel Stoddard appeared in the doorway of the stagecoach.<\/p>\n She was a formidable presence, standing there in the doorway, towering over the Cartwrights. Josie stifled a snigger as she gazed upon her aunt. Rachel was still dressed for Boston\u2019s high society in a long-sleeved periwinkle gown with such a large hoopskirt that Josie marveled she\u2019d fit inside the stagecoach. Her gray hair was done up in ringlets and perched atop her head was a matching hat trimmed with lace and silk flowers. On her feet she wore delicate black silk slippers. Josie looked down at her own plain shirtwaist, straight skirt, and black boots and shook her head in amusement.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s gonna stick out like a skunk in a perfume shop,\u201d she muttered to Little Joe, who had to bite his lip to keep from snickering aloud.<\/p>\n Ben stepped forward and offered his hand to help Rachel from the stagecoach.<\/p>\n \u201cRachel!\u201d he exclaimed cheerfully and kissed her cheek. \u201cWelcome to Virginia City!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBenjamin,\u201d Rachel replied coolly, nodding at her brother-in-law. She gazed around the small, dusty town and wrinkled her nose. \u201cA bit grand, don\u2019t you think, referring to this hamlet as a \u2018city\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam chuckled and stepped forward to rescue his father. \u201cWe have great aspirations for it, Aunt Rachel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Adam, darling!\u201d Rachel exclaimed. She brushed Ben aside to give Adam a quick, demure hug. \u201cHow are you, my dear? We heard you had a bit of a turn last year, and I was ever so worried about you.\u201d She grabbed his chin and studied his face intently.<\/p>\n Adam blushed. He hadn\u2019t known word of his desert wanderings had reached Boston. \u201cI\u2019m fine, Aunt Rachel,\u201d he assured her, gently pushing her hands away from his face. \u201cJosie patched me right up.\u201d<\/p>\n Rachel seemed to suddenly remember Josie\u2019s presence and the entire reason for having traveled to Virginia City in the first place. \u201cJosephine!\u201d she declared, pushing Adam aside so she could clasp her niece\u2019s hands. \u201cYou poor child, how are you?\u201d<\/p>\n Josie was taken aback by her aunt\u2019s uncharacteristic concern for her wellbeing and shot Adam a startled look. In that brief instant, Rachel spotted the enormous shaggy dog sitting next to Josie and let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed off every building in town. Reflexively, all four Cartwright men drew their pistols and cast about for the source of the danger. But the drawn guns only frightened Rachel more, and she screamed again, setting Pip to barking.<\/p>\n \u201cWOLF!\u201d Rachel shrieked, pointing at the dog and drawing back in terror. \u201cShoot it, Benjamin, shoot it!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, Aunt Rachel,\u201d Hoss said, holstering his gun and taking her arm. \u201cThat ain\u2019t no wolf. That\u2019s just Pip.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPip?\u201d she asked faintly, as if she were considering swooning.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dog!\u201d Josie chirped. She knelt next to Pip and ruffled the fur on his head. \u201cIsn\u2019t he magnificent? Adam got him for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam cowed under Rachel\u2019s withering glare, but Hannah smiled broadly and stepped toward the animal.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy, hello, Pip,\u201d she greeted him. \u201cJosie has told me so much about you in her letters. It\u2019s a pleasure to finally meet you.\u201d Pip ducked his head and offered Hannah his right paw, which she shook regally. \u201cOh, Josie, he\u2019s marvelous!\u201d she gushed and looked at Adam with a smile that spoke volumes.<\/p>\n \u201cWait until you see my horse, Mama!\u201d Josie boasted.<\/p>\n \u201cMerciful heavens!\u201d Rachel gasped, keeping Hoss between herself and Pip. \u201cYou have a horse, too?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou gotta have a horse, ma\u2019am,\u201d Hoss explained. \u201cIt\u2019s a long way to everywhere around here.\u201d<\/p>\n Rachel nodded weakly. \u201cI suppose so,\u201d she muttered, still clutching Hoss\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever you do, don\u2019t mention your gun,\u201d Adam whispered into Josie\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n As Hannah and Rachel greeted the rest of the family, the Cartwrights were joined by half the town, who had heard Rachel screaming and had run out to investigate. After assuring Sheriff Coffee, Dr. Martin, Josh Grayson, Will Cass, Amos Crawford, and Reverend Lovejoy that all was well, Ben spotted an all-too-familiar female figure rushing across the street toward them. He ducked behind Little Joe, but his youngest son was too skinny to conceal his broad frame, and Ben was caught.<\/p>\n \u201cDUCKY!\u201d Widow Hawkins shouted from halfway across the street. \u201cWhat is going on over \u2018ere? Are you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFine, Widow Hawkins, just fine,\u201d Ben assured her as she swept up to him and extended her hand.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, now, Benjamin, \u2018ow many times do I \u2018ave to tell you to please call me Clementine? And \u2018oo\u2019s this?\u201d she asked, turning toward Rachel and Hannah.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, Widow Hawkins,\u201d Ben said, \u201cplease allow me to introduce my sisters-in-law, Hannah Cartwright and Rachel Stoddard.\u201d He gestured to each lady in turn.<\/p>\n The widow beamed at the sisters. \u201cIsn\u2019t that wonderful!\u201d she exclaimed. \u201cI guess you\u2019ve come to visit our good doctor, \u2018aven\u2019t you? I say, it will be so lovely to \u2018ave a pair of refined ladies around, even if it\u2019s only for a bit. One does get so tired of being surrounded by naught but rough men!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI doubt that,\u201d Adam muttered.<\/p>\n Widow Hawkins clasped Rachel\u2019s hand warmly as she eyed the Bostonian woman\u2019s dress enviously. \u201cYou are simply the picture of sophistication. What a sight for these old sore eyes of mine!\u201d<\/p>\n Rachel beamed at both the compliment and the widow\u2019s British accent, Cockney though it was. \u201cThank you,\u201d she replied. \u201cIt\u2019s so wonderful to know there are true ladies in Virginia City after all. I was beginning to despair a little.\u201d She tipped her head in the direction of Josie\u2019s plain outfit and massive dog, who was now drooling on his mistress\u2019s scuffed boot.<\/p>\n The widow laughed in a high, tinkling way wholly unlike her usual rough guffaw. \u201cDon\u2019t you worry, dearie. Clementine will take good care of you while you\u2019re \u2018ere! Now, you must be famished after that \u2018orrid stagecoach ride. Let\u2019s get you over to the \u2018otel and put a proper meal in you!\u201d<\/p>\n Rachel laughed delightedly and took Widow Hawkins\u2019 proffered arm, and the pair of them swept down the street toward the International House, chatting and giggling like two old friends.<\/p>\n The Cartwrights stood aghast, mouths agape, as they watched Rachel and Clementine sashay down the street together as if they had been friends for decades.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, dear God,\u201d Ben whispered as all the color drained from his face.<\/p>\n \u201cHeaven help us,\u201d added Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d Hannah asked. \u201cShe seems lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Joe snorted, and Adam rolled his eyes skyward.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll explain later, Mama,\u201d Josie said. \u201cRight now, we better catch up before the two of them have a chance to start plotting.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben offered Hannah his arm and, with the greatest sense of foreboding he had ever felt in his life, led his family toward the International House and their lunch with Rachel Stoddard and Clementine Hawkins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Summary: 1863 has arrived, and the Cartwrights face a hard winter. Their faith in God and each other is tested as both Ben and Josie face life-threatening situations and Adam must trust his instincts – and the local Paiute tribe – to save them. And in the end, they will all have to trust one another to endure a visit from some surprise visitors.<\/p>\n Rating:\u00a0 \u00a0T\u00a0 (39,200 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8061,"featured_media":375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[7,23,1008],"tags":[1299],"class_list":["post-67019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-u","category-drama","category-family","tag-the-burma-rarity","wpcat-7-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-1008-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/coming-soon-5.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8061"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=67019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67019\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=67019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=67019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=67019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nBook 4 of A HOUSE UNITED series<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nNevada Territory
\n1863<\/strong><\/p>\n
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