{"id":7124,"date":"2003-08-07T13:40:58","date_gmt":"2003-08-07T17:40:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7124"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:07:46","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:07:46","slug":"a-winters-tale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7124","title":{"rendered":"A Winter’s Tale aka The Storm (by Rona)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/span>Caught in a storm together, Adam and Joe reminisce.<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 K+ (2,100 words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Winter’s Tale<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll come looking for us, you know,\u201d Adam said, his tone quite neutral.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t need to tell me,\u201d Joe remarked, irritably. \u201cI just hope they have the sense to stay indoors till this storm is over.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just saying, you don\u2019t need to bite my head off,\u201d said Adam. \u201cI wasn\u2019t getting at you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Joe replied, abashed. \u201cBut it\u2019s my fault we\u2019re stuck here, and it\u2019ll be my fault if Pa and Hoss come looking for us in this weather.\u201d He looked at the line shack where he and Adam were holed up as the blizzard howled outside.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t start the martyr routine,\u201d Adam said, rolling his eyes. Joe laughed, which Adam considered a good sign. \u201cHow does your foot feel?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSore,\u201d Joe admitted, knowing that Adam would pester him until he told the truth. His oldest brother was the only one who wouldn\u2019t accept \u2018fine\u2019 at face value.<\/p>\n

Rising from where he was sitting near the stove, Adam drew back the blanket and looked at Joe\u2019s swollen and bruised ankle. \u201cI wish we had some bandages for it,\u201d he commented. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s broken, but you\u2019ve sprained it pretty badly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ruffling Joe\u2019s hair, he smiled slightly at Joe\u2019s glum face. \u201cNever mind,\u201d he said, \u201cIt was a good snowball fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

A smile tugged at the corner of Joe\u2019s mouth. \u201cIt was,\u201d he said, even though he had lost. \u201cPity Hoss wasn\u2019t there to join us.\u201d<\/p>\n

A short silence fell, broken only by the howling of the wind, and the sound of snow scouring against the walls of the shack. The small building was cold, even with the stove giving out a good heat. Both men still wore their thick outside jackets, as well as having blankets tucked round them. Joe had the only cot, and Adam sat in a rickety rocking chair.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou ever been in a storm like this, Adam?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n

Shivering, Adam sat down on the edge of the cot. \u201cOnly once,\u201d he said, \u201cand I hope I never am again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me about it,\u201d Joe requested. Adam could see the cold and pain were taking a toll on Joe. The fall he\u2019d taken had sprained his ankle, and frightened the horses into running off, and it hadn\u2019t been easy for him to limp through the deep snow to the shack. There hadn\u2019t been a word of complaint from him, though. \u201cAdam?\u201d Joe prompted.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would have been our second or third year here,\u201d Adam said, looking back. \u201cI don\u2019t know how old I was. Eight or nine, maybe. Perhaps 10. Certainly no older. I had been out doing the barn chores, and when I finished, I decided I\u2019d go off and play. I seemed to have been working forever, and I hadn\u2019t had the chance to build a snowman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou used to build great snowmen,\u201d Joe commented. \u201cRemember the year we made a whole lot of them all across the yard?\u201d
\n\u201cSure do,\u201d Adam said, grinning. \u201cI sure remember the talking to I got, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA \u2018necessary\u2019 little talking to?\u201d Joe questioned, his eyes alight with mischief. He loved when Adam shared bits and pieces of his past with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo question,\u201d Adam remembered. This was the boys\u2019 euphemism for a spanking. \u201cI only did it for you, you little wretch.\u201d He remembered all too clearly the charming little boy who had persuaded him to people the yard with snowmen. He had conveniently forgotten that he had still been young enough to enjoy the process, too.<\/p>\n

That charming little boy grinned back at him now, even though Joe was a man grown and in his 20\u2019s. Joe often seemed to revert to childhood when he was hurt, although his charm was always there. Joe\u2019s twinkling green eyes, and quicksilver temperament were uniquely his own, and Adam could rarely admit, even to himself, how much he loved his youngest brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo on with the story,\u201d Joe urged. His ankle throbbed all the time, and he was cold and tired, but he knew that he was in good hands. Adam would take care of him. He\u2019d been doing it since Joe was born. At times, Joe could cheerfully push Adam down a flight of stairs for treating him like a child, but he adored his oldest brother, even though they often got along like cat and dog.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Adam said, patting his brother\u2019s shoulder, \u201cI went off down to where the breaking corral is now. Still within sight of the house \u2013 just \u2013 but far enough away to make it seem like an adventure. The snow was really deep down there, you know how it gets, and the drifts were taller than I was. It seemed terribly exciting. I started to build a snowman, and lost track of the time.\u201d Adam gazed vaguely at the black square of window, seeing in his mind\u2019s eye that little boy, playing in the snow.<\/p>\n

He was silent for a moment, until an impatient movement from Joe brought him back to the present. Rising, he went to check on the water he was heating for coffee. Finding it ready, he made the coffee, still talking. \u201cA storm came in, just like this one today. I had my back to the mountains, and I was so intent, playing in the drifts, that I didn\u2019t notice that it was getting darker. Then, suddenly, it hit, and I was lost in the swirling snow.\u201d<\/p>\n

He handed Joe a cup, and his brother sat up, his eyes dark and intent, fixed on Adam\u2019s face. They had all been caught in storms like that, but not as children, and seldom far from home. Joe could easily imagine the fear that the young Adam had felt when he realised he was lost. \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d Joe asked. He wrapped his cold hands round the warm tin cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cPanicked, initially,\u201d Adam admitted. Joe\u2019s eyes widened. Adam laughed. \u201cJoe, I was a kid! Kids don\u2019t think logically.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh!\u201d Joe grunted. \u201cI thought you always thought logically. That\u2019s what you claimed!\u201d<\/p>\n

Grinning, Adam said, \u201cWell, not that day! I was terrified. I almost peed in my pants, trying to work out how I was gonna get home!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou!\u201d laughed Joe, his eyes sparkling. \u201cI thought I was the only one who\u2019d felt like that!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe we\u2019re more alike than you think,\u201d Adam retorted, but it felt good to show Joe that he was just flesh and blood, not the invincible being Joe often seemed to think that he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what happened?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, after bawling and crying, I went back to stand by my snowman. I wasn\u2019t any less lost, I just felt better. And I remembered which way the snowman had been facing. I thought I ought to try and walk home, but the wind was almost blowing me over, so I stayed where I was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWise move!\u201d Joe agreed. \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Pa came looking for me,\u201d Adam said, quietly. \u201cHe had tied several ropes together, so he wouldn\u2019t get lost, and he came looking for me. I saw the glow of the lantern, and yelled myself hoarse. How he heard me, I\u2019ll never know, but there he was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI bet he was mad,\u201d Joe commented. He was feeling a little warmer, now the coffee was inside him. He snuggled down under the blankets again. The pain was making him sleepy, but he wanted to hear the end of the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not mad,\u201d Adam answered. \u201cHe caught me up in his arms, and carried me home, following that rope. He never said a word, until we were safe inside, and I was warm and dry. Then he told me that I had frightened him to death, and I was never, ever to do that again. He explained that I would have died out there in the cold, all for the sake of a snowman.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was silence again. Joe was thinking of the times he had done foolish things, and Pa hadn\u2019t scolded him, or snacked him, he had just explained, quite quietly, that he, Pa, had been scared, and why Joe shouldn\u2019t ever do those things again. Those were the warnings that stuck in Joe\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas it like the time I got stuck on the ice on the lake, and Pa came out for me?\u201d he asked, soberly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, exactly like that,\u201d Adam agreed. \u201cHoss was just a tot, but I remember him crying, and Pa saying not to be scared, that I was safe, but he must never go out in the snow without telling someone exactly where he was going.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess we weren\u2019t too smart out there this afternoon,\u201d Joe commented.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe not,\u201d Adam said, slowly. \u201cBut we can\u2019t be sober and responsible all the time. We\u2019ve got to have some fun. What happened was just an accident. They happen to people all the time, Joe. Lord, you should know that!\u201d Adam laughed at the look on Joe\u2019s face. \u201cAnd we were prepared, should anything happen. We won\u2019t freeze to death, and we won\u2019t starve.\u201d<\/p>\n

The wind moaned round the shack, and the men within felt their eyelids drooping. It wasn\u2019t long before they both fell asleep. It was a cold and uncomfortable night for them both, and Adam roused several times to put more wood on the stove. Joe, as was his want, slept through the night.<\/p>\n

Morning came bright and sunny. The blizzard had blown itself out during the night. Joe was eager to be on their way, but as Adam pointed out, they didn\u2019t have a horse between them, and Joe would not be getting his boot back on in a hurry. Even just putting a couple of socks over the injured foot had Joe green at the gills. So they ate some breakfast, and drank some coffee.<\/p>\n

Around about mid-morning, they heard shouts outside, and Adam pulled open the door, to see Ben and Hoss, leading spare horses, coming up to the shack.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you both all right?\u201d Ben asked, taking Adam into his arms.<\/p>\n

Quickly, Adam explained, and before long, Hoss was putting Joe onto a horse, and wrapping a blanket round him. It was bitterly cold, despite the sunshine. It took them a few hours to ride home, and then they huddled round the big fireplace in the great room, while Ben tended to Joe\u2019s ankle.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood thing you didn\u2019t come out in that storm, Pa,\u201d Joe said, relaxing in the warmth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought about it, Joe,\u201d Ben admitted. \u201cIt scared me to think of you boys alone in that weather.\u201d He sighed, and Joe, looking at his father closely, saw how tired he was. \u201cBut it would have been foolish going out looking for you. I knew that you were together, and would look after each other. I didn\u2019t want to get lost in that storm, and there are always enough tales of people lost in the snow without me becoming one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou went looking for Adam in a bad storm,\u201d Joe said, puzzled.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a child, Joe, and I knew he wouldn\u2019t have gone that far from home,\u201d Ben explained, sitting down beside him. \u201cAnd I had a rope tied to the barn, and round my waist, so that I didn\u2019t get lost. I couldn\u2019t do that this time, could I?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, of course not,\u201d Joe said. \u201cI\u2019m glad you were safe and warm here, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad you were safe and mostly warm where you were,\u201d Ben agreed.<\/p>\n

They sat cosily by the fire, but the long days in the cold had taken their toll on all of them, and Joe was the first to start yawning. Soon, he had infected all of them. Ben and Hoss helped him upstairs to bed, and Adam looked in to say goodnight.<\/p>\n

\u201cSay, Adam,\u201d Joe called, \u201cI guess we\u2019ve got us a tale to tell our kids, haven\u2019t we? A real winter\u2019s tale.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood night, Joe,\u201d Adam said. \u201cAnd yes, we\u2019ve got a tale to tell our kids \u2013 about snowball fights and a storm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t forget the heroic rescue,\u201d Hoss interjected. \u201cI gotta be in on this, too!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBed!\u201d Ben said, sternly, but he couldn\u2019t help laughing as he imagined the tale being told to his grandchildren, in Joe\u2019s inimitable style, embellished no doubt, beyond recognition.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood night, Pa,\u201d Joe said. \u201cAnd don\u2019t worry, you\u2019ll be in the winter\u2019s tale, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust as long as you two didn\u2019t become someone else\u2019s tale, I don\u2019t mind,\u201d Ben said.<\/p>\n

The End<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0Caught in a storm together, Adam and Joe reminisce.<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 K+ (2,100 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":3725,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23],"tags":[14,16],"class_list":["post-7124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","tag-adam-cartwright","tag-joe","wpcat-23-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1854,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/POEMS.jpg?fit=878%2C760&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7552,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7552","url_meta":{"origin":7124,"position":0},"title":"Foolish Questions (by Storm)","author":"storm","date":"July 9, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0Here is another way in which Adam and Storm could have met. In this one, Adam finds out that sometimes the answers are more important than the questions. Rated: \u00a0MA (45,990 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Alternate Universe"","block_context":{"text":"Alternate Universe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Adam-traurig.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Adam-traurig.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Adam-traurig.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Adam-traurig.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24673,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=24673","url_meta":{"origin":7124,"position":1},"title":"Blue Dress Enchantment (by BettyHT)","author":"BettyHT","date":"October 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"SUMMARY:\u00a0 Trying to find shelter from a storm, the Cartwright brothers find another type of excitement at Smoky Joe's Saloon that almost snares one of them forever. Rating = T\u00a0 Word Count = 3288","rel":"","context":"In "Action\/Adventure"","block_context":{"text":"Action\/Adventure","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/blue-dress-enchantment.png?fit=600%2C573&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/blue-dress-enchantment.png?fit=600%2C573&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/blue-dress-enchantment.png?fit=600%2C573&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7654,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7654","url_meta":{"origin":7124,"position":2},"title":"Storms and Anchors (by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"May 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0Little Joe needs an anchor in the storm. \u00a0 Rated:\u00a0K+\u00a0 Word count:\u00a01097","rel":"","context":"In "Adam \/ Joe"","block_context":{"text":"Adam \/ Joe","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1091"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/lightning.jpg?fit=200%2C252&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":36426,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=36426","url_meta":{"origin":7124,"position":3},"title":"The Hayloft (by BettyHT)","author":"BettyHT","date":"February 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 In this prequel, Ben tries for a romantic interlude, but the weather and hay fever conspire against him. Rating: PG\u00a0 Word Count: 1,619","rel":"","context":"In "Ben Cartwright"","block_context":{"text":"Ben Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1004"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/TheHayloft.png?fit=380%2C374&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7668,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7668","url_meta":{"origin":7124,"position":4},"title":"Stampede (by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"May 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0A cattle drive, a stampede, and one guilty Cartwright make for a simple little tale. \u00a0 Rated:\u00a0K+\u00a0 Word count:\u00a0 1211","rel":"","context":"In "Action\/Adventure"","block_context":{"text":"Action\/Adventure","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/cattle-drive.jpg?fit=357%2C267&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4842,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=4842","url_meta":{"origin":7124,"position":5},"title":"This Won’t Work (by Storm)","author":"storm","date":"August 2, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0\u00a0This is a little story of what happens when Adam falls for one of Joe's schemes Rated: T \u00a0WC \u00a02900","rel":"","context":"In "Drama"","block_context":{"text":"Drama","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Pdvd_014.jpg?fit=720%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Pdvd_014.jpg?fit=720%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Pdvd_014.jpg?fit=720%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Pdvd_014.jpg?fit=720%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7124","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\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7124\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}