{"id":7421,"date":"2009-10-11T10:49:15","date_gmt":"2009-10-11T14:49:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7421"},"modified":"2026-07-29T13:33:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T17:33:02","slug":"which-brother","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7421","title":{"rendered":"Which Brother? (by southplains)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/span>Which brother is Adam closest to? It’s a question that seems to keep popping up, and when I saw it come up again on a forum thread on another site, Adam told me it was time to set people straight. He’s ready to talk.<\/p>\n

Key words: romance, love \u00a0Rated:<\/span>\u00a0K+ \u00a0WC 2000<\/span><\/p>\n

Which Brother?<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

\u201cWhich brother are you closest to?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

His ears vaguely acknowledged the question, but his mind was otherwise engaged. It took him a moment to remember to answer her. \u201cNeither of them are close. They\u2019re both down at the shore, fishing, trying to impress the girls by outdoing one another,\u201d Adam murmured. And thank God for that, he told himself. All day he\u2019d been hoping for a few moments alone with Marilee without his brothers\u2019 hi-jinks interfering. He pulled in a deep breath, taking in the scent of her hair. Could a woman\u2019s hair have its own scent? He swore Marilee\u2019s did. He leaned closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, silly. I mean, which one are you\u00a0closest<\/em>\u00a0to?\u201d<\/p>\n

He made another half-hearted attempt to concentrate on what she was asking, but found it even more difficult now that he\u2019d caught sight of the wisps of hair that had freed themselves from the loose bun on top of her head. They floated on the light breeze like spun gold, angelic filaments of sunshine-filled air. He reached out a hand to touch the floating wisps, marveling at their softness as they twined about his fingers.<\/p>\n

She laughed and pulled away. \u201cOh, no, you don\u2019t, Adam Cartwright. You won\u2019t distract me, not this time. I\u2019d really like to hear your answer on this.\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned, dragging his gaze from the sundrenched honey of her hair to her expectant face. What was the woman prattling on about? Normally, Marilee Sutton wasn\u2019t the sort of girl to engage in the sort of nonsensical chatter that many young women seemed driven to indulge in. Her conversation usually dwelled on things of import\u2014national affairs, art, politics, that sort of thing. Usually, he was more than happy to sit with her for hours as they spoke of everything under the sun. Her ability to carry on intelligent discussion was one of the things that drew him to her.<\/p>\n

His eyes dropped to the pink fullness of her lips. Right now, though, under the mild warmth of a sunny day, with the aroma of honeysuckle blending with the fragrance that was peculiar only to pretty Marilee, he was drawn to her for reasons that had nothing to do with either her conversational abilities or her intelligence.<\/p>\n

With a single step he closed the space between them and found himself pressing his face gently against her hair. Her gasp and the soft laughter following it didn\u2019t sway his intent; unfortunately, her intent wasn\u2019t swayed, either. She pulled away again, taking his hands and facing him fully.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m serious, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo am I,\u201d he rumbled. He tried again to tug her into his arms, but she was having none of it. Laughing, she extricated herself from him and moved to stand beneath the shade of a huge cottonwood.<\/p>\n

What in blazes? It wasn\u2019t the first time he\u2019d tried to kiss Marilee. On the contrary, he\u2019d kissed her many times over the past several weeks, kissed her hard and deep, and her response each time had given him no question that she welcomed those advances. Now they had a few moments of relative privacy as they walked along the quiet fringes of a Sunday picnic, far enough from the crowd lolling under the pines near the lake\u2019s edge that kisses could be stolen without anyone seeing, and she wanted to waste time playing coy? It wasn\u2019t like her.<\/p>\n

Frowning, he followed her beneath the tree, his male pride beginning to feel a bit stung.<\/p>\n

As was his way, he wasted no time getting to the point. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

She grinned. \u201cNothing. For once, I\u2019m just not letting you get away with not answering my questions. You\u2019re very bad about that, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

That took him aback a bit. \u201cI am?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. You are. For such a forthright man, you have an extremely deft hand at changing the subject when you feel your privacy is in danger of being invaded.\u201d Her face grew serious. \u201cI want to know more about you, Adam. I want to know everything there is to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled, and pulled her to him once more. \u201cAnd I want to know everything there is to know about you. Teach me, Professor Sutton.\u201d And he captured her mouth with his, gratified to hear a small sound of pleasure rise from her throat. As he deepened the kiss, though, she turned her face away and pushed against him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told you, Mr. Cartwright,\u201d she said in mock severity, waving an admonishing finger at him. \u201cThis time I intend to keep you to the subject at hand.\u201d She smiled, but she continued to hold him at bay with one hand pressed against his chest.<\/p>\n

He sighed, and slid down to sit at the base of the cottonwood. \u201cFine,\u201d he said, trying to keep the impatience out of his voice and knowing he wasn\u2019t succeeding. There was no telling when they\u2019d have another chance to be together when her father or brothers\u2014or\u00a0his<\/em>\u00a0brothers, for that matter\u2014weren\u2019t looking. Ah, well. A man could never hope to guess what drove the moods of women.<\/p>\n

She sat down next to him. For a few seconds they sat in companionable silence, the voices and laughter of the other picnickers drifting faintly up the slope to them. Small groups of people relaxed on blankets laid upon the thick, soft sand that lay along this part of the lake\u2019s shore; a few had braved the cold water, petticoats and skirts hitched up, trousers rolled to the knees as they waded with shrieks and laughter. Further out from the water\u2019s edge, Joe and Hoss had made their way out to a mass of large boulders. They sat there now, intent on outfishing one another in what was no doubt another ill-born competition, a small crowd at their backs cheering wildly as they hauled in one fish after another.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo which is it?\u201d Marilee asked after a time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich is what?\u201d<\/p>\n

Marilee blew out a breath. \u201cAre you\u00a0trying<\/em>\u00a0to exasperate me?\u201d<\/p>\n

He eyed her warily. \u201cCan we get back to kissing if I say yes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely not.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sighed again. \u201cThen, no. Of course I\u2019m not trying to exasperate you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019s a relief. You\u2019ll answer the question, then?\u201d<\/p>\n

His brow wrinkled in abject confusion and he wondered if Marilee had perhaps had too much sun today. \u201cWhat question am I supposed to be answering?\u201d<\/p>\n

The sound that rose from her throat this time was nowhere near as appealing as the one he\u2019d heard while they were kissing. In fact, if he didn\u2019t know better, he\u2019d swear she was starting to sound quite annoyed. He jumped when she swatted him with one of her gloves.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re purposely being obtuse,\u201d she snapped.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not purposely being anything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

She sighed. \u201cDon\u2019t you\u00a0want<\/em>\u00a0me to get to know you better, Adam? You\u2019ve been courting me for some time now. I\u2019d like our relationship to become closer. Don\u2019t you want that too?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded. \u201cOh, yes, Miss Sutton, I\u2019d like that very much,\u201d he said huskily. He leaned in close, but one small palm turned him resolutely away from his target once again. He sighed again and leaned back against the tree, rather proud of the way he resisted banging his head in frustration against its rough bark.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it you want to know?\u201d he said finally.<\/p>\n

She smiled. \u201cI want to know which brother you feel closest to. Hoss or Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned to look at her, brows furrowed together. \u201cWhat kind of fool question is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

She frowned. \u201cI don\u2019t consider it a fool question.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it is.\u201d He knew he was being insulting, but she\u2019d seriously annoyed him. \u201cWhy would you want to know something like that, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

Apparently she knew she\u2019d displeased him, for she softened him up by taking his hand in hers and scooting closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome, Adam, I\u2019m curious, that\u2019s all,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cEveryone knows how close the three of you are. People say you\u2019d kill for your brothers, and they for you.\u201d She hesitated, and added in a low voice, \u201cSome say you already have. Killed for one another, I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t answer. Some things didn\u2019t bear talking about, no matter who was doing the asking.<\/p>\n

She continued gamely on. \u201cIt\u2019s just something I\u2019ve been wondering about for awhile now. I watch you with them both, and it\u2019s like I\u2019m witnessing a\u2026I don\u2019t know, an indescribable\u00a0bond<\/em>\u00a0of some kind. Something almost frighteningly strong. As if they are your strength and your weakness at the same time. And you are theirs.\u201d Together, they watched the two men on the rocks in the distance, one figure slim and wiry, the other wide and intimidatingly large. \u201cI watch you sometimes with Hoss, and it\u2019s like you know each other so well. As if you each know what the other is thinking even without words. And I think, \u2018Hoss is closest to him\u2019. And then I see you with Joe, and I see the protectiveness you feel for him, and the way he needs you even when he sometimes pushes you away. I see your frustration when he disagrees with you, and your fear when he is in danger. And I think, \u2018Joe is closest to him\u2019. I can\u2019t seem to figure it out.\u201d She stopped talking, and they sat in heavy silence.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why is it important that you \u2018figure it out\u2019?\u201d he asked finally.<\/p>\n

She shrugged. \u201cAs I said, I want to know everything about you. Finding out which brother you feel closest to just seems like a good way of seeing into your heart, I suppose.\u201d She looked up at him, her expression uncertain. \u201cAre you angry with me for asking?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head and let one corner of his mouth slide up. \u201cI still think it\u2019s a fool question, but no, I\u2019m not angry with you.\u201d He looked out at the lake where the crowd was applauding Hoss\u2019s latest catch. His gaze didn’t stray from the antics out on the lake when he spoke again. \u201cIf you were to ask me which I\u2019d rather part with, my heart or my lungs, what do you think I\u2019d say? Or say you were to ask me whether I\u2019d rather lose my left eye or my right. What should my answer be? Which one do you think I’d have the greatest attachment to?\u201d When she didn\u2019t answer, he turned to face her, and waited.<\/p>\n

She gave him a small smile. \u201cI see what you mean. It\u00a0was<\/em>\u00a0a fool question, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

He winked and smiled back before turning once again to watch his brothers. They were wrestling out on the rocks now, and anyone could see what the result of that was going to be. The two of them would have a long, wet ride back home this afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMmm?\u201d Well, he wasn\u2019t going to loan either of them his jacket. If they were foolish enough to\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got another question.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cautiously, he gave her his attention. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you kiss me?\u201d<\/p>\n

He grinned. \u201cNow\u00a0that<\/em>\u00a0is an intelligent question,\u201d he said, and promptly rewarded her for being such a smart girl.
\nThe End<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Disclaimer:<\/span>\u00a0All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0Which brother is Adam closest to? It’s a question that seems to keep popping up, and when I saw it come up again on a forum thread on another site, Adam told me it was time to set people straight. He’s ready to talk.<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0K+ \u00a0WC 2000<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":5779,"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":[1005,23,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adam-cartwright","category-drama","category-romance","wpcat-1005-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-3-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\/05\/Adam-Stories.jpg?fit=637%2C480&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7421","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\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7421"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7421\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}