{"id":7423,"date":"2009-10-11T10:51:57","date_gmt":"2009-10-11T14:51:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7423"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:22:17","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:22:17","slug":"aim-true","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7423","title":{"rendered":"Aim True (by southplains)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/span>A man doesn\u2019t always hit what he\u2019s aiming for\u2014even when he\u2019s a Cartwright. Sometimes all he can do is hold his breath, squeeze the trigger, and just do the best he can.<\/p>\n

Key words: SJS, SAS, jail, posse, running from the law, trail, shot, hurt, Joe gets hurt, Adam gets hurt, Adam is arrested<\/p>\n

Rated:<\/span>\u00a0T \u00a0WC 22,600<\/span><\/p>\n

Aim True<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

He climbed the steps of the scaffold, his hands tied behind his back,<\/strong> his pace slow but steady. The shouts and catcalls from the crowd increased in volume as he climbed, but he showed no reaction to the noise around him. His features remained composed and quiet even as he stopped to stand with the long shadow of the hangman\u2019s noose falling like a brand across his face.<\/p>\n

A shiver ran up the back of Joe\u2019s neck as he watched him.\u00a0Only Adam could manage to look cool and collected in a situation like this.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Inside the dim interior of the livery stable, Joe kept his face pressed tight against the rough plank door, its narrowly cracked opening giving him a constricted view of Adam.<\/p>\n

It was hard to breathe. The heat lay heavy on the street outside; inside the quiet livery with its stagnant air it was even worse. Moisture prickled across Joe\u2019s upper lip, at odds with his dry mouth. The smell of aged wood, musty hay and stale manure mingled with the sour scent of his fear, and his stomach gave an uneasy spasm. He swallowed again, still entirely unsure if he could really do this\u2014just stand and watch as his brother moved inexorably toward his death. Horror and indignant rage for Adam wrapped itself around him in tight, strangling tendrils; his body trembled with the urge to step out into the open.<\/p>\n

He would\u2019ve given anything to be able to let Adam know he wasn\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head slightly as he kept his eyes on his brother. Helplessness made him want to pound his fist in fury against the door. Instead, he carefully scanned the crowd. Surely there was something he could say to the judge and the sheriff, some way he could convince them to stop the hanging. To allow things to progress like this was just crazy\u2014but no, there was no sense in more talk. He\u2019d already tried, and it hadn\u2019t helped a thing.<\/p>\n

Besides, he\u2019d promised Adam. Adam had told him to…<\/p>\n

\u201cTo hell with what Adam said,\u201d he muttered, and his hand went slowly to the door. He pushed it open an inch, then two\u2026.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t jump the gun, Joe.<\/em>\u00a0A cautionary phrase Hoss had murmured to him hundreds of times throughout his life whispered its way through his head. Joe bit his lip; an instant later he let his hand fall away from the door.<\/p>\n

He wished Hoss was with him right now, bracing him up with quiet, solid dependability, telling him what they should and shouldn\u2019t do. Telling him not to jump the gun. Holding him under a tight rein and keeping him from doing something foolhardy.<\/p>\n

Or Pa. Especially Pa. Pa would know what to do to save Adam. If he was here he\u2019d know what to do to get Adam released and the whole mess cleared up. They\u2019d all be back home in no time.<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head again, the need for his father\u2019s guidance an almost physical ache in his chest. Well, Pa wasn\u2019t here, and neither was Hoss. He had only his own instincts to turn to, and those had never been inclined to persuade him to sit tight and wait.<\/p>\n

Why just sit here and wait? Wouldn\u2019t it be less painful to run at it head on?
\nAgain his hand drifted back to the door\u2019s edge, his mind filled with half-baked thoughts of shooting the first person who tried to put a rope around Adam\u2019s neck. It was a long shot, he knew, but if he moved fast enough\u2026<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t jump the gun, Joe.<\/em><\/p>\n

He groaned with frustration and dropped his hand, cursing softly.<\/p>\n

Outside, Adam still looked remarkably unperturbed. Joe couldn\u2019t help but wonder how he managed to do it. And then a long-ago observation from Hoss chose that moment to rise to the surface of Joe\u2019s turbulent thoughts, startling him with its appearance.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam\u2019s like a duck when he gets in a tight spot.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

A duck. Of all the crazy things\u2026. At the time, he had looked incredulously at Hoss for having said such a ridiculous thing and Hoss had shrugged and grinned and explained, \u201cYou know. All calm and collected on the surface but always paddlin\u2019 like the dickens underneath.\u201d They had both giggled and guffawed over the description, but Joe had to admit it described Adam\u2019s approach to trouble pretty darn well.<\/p>\n

Joe had no doubt his oldest brother was \u201cpaddling\u201d right now\u2014his shrewd mind leaping from one possibility to the next at a speed that belied his outwardly still appearance. Even with the sure knowledge that escape was impossible, anybody watching would think Adam wasn\u2019t the least bit worried that his life would be ending in a matter of moments. He looked like he was carved out of stone. Only someone close to him\u2014someone like a brother\u2014would ever notice the tiny tic in his right cheek that revealed the true nature of the emotions roiling beneath the surface. But no matter how quick Adam\u2019s mind was, it wasn\u2019t going to get him out of the fix he was in.<\/p>\n

No doubt about it. Their time\u2014Adam\u2019s time\u2014had run out.<\/p>\n

The panic that had been dogging Joe all day burgeoned and began to crawl up into his throat; his mind groped for stability, for anything to center itself upon, and it landed once more on the dubious haven of Hoss\u2019s inane description of their oldest brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam\u2019s like a duck.\u201d Like an absurd, manic litany, Joe whispered the words out loud. He pictured how Adam would react to such an unflattering portrayal. The thought of Adam\u2019s predictable expression, one of annoyance mixed with bafflement, stuck in Joe\u2019s head and brought a wild, off-kilter chuckle out of his throat. The strangled laughter bewildered him with its inappropriately timed appearance even as he stifled it, the sound dying in what sounded dismayingly like a sob. It was the sort of laugh that burst forth of its own volition, like that time he’d been trapped between Pa and Adam in a church pew one Sunday when the Widow Hawkins had sailed in with a new hat perched on her head. Decked out with a large fake purple bird, the thing had struck him as so funny that, to his horror, he couldn\u2019t hold back a choked giggle. It had earned him a hard jab in the ribs from Adam and an even harder glare from Pa. That laugh, like this one, had contained a note of panic; Joe recognized this one, though, for the true terror-filled sound it was, even as the growing knot in his chest effectively helped to shut it off.<\/p>\n

He was in real danger of doing something stupid; he recognized all the signs\u2014the jumpiness, the tingling at the back of his neck, the twitching of the fingers. But he couldn\u2019t afford stupidity or recklessness. Not now, not today. He made himself breathe, slow and deep. He kept on doing it even when it didn\u2019t seem to be doing much for his nerves.<\/p>\n

He swallowed past the knot that kept forming in his throat now that he’d managed to subdue that perplexing burst of laughter, which, on some level, he recognized as a defense against the pain reflecting itself off his brother; knowing what Adam was going through was a hot, sharp ache that ate at Joe\u2019s insides. He wanted so very badly to get away from it, to turn away from the sight of his brother standing so still up on that platform, and he felt like a coward for wanting to escape when his brother couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Which was, of course, precisely the reason he himself was just as trapped as if the noose had been around his own neck.<\/p>\n

Again the urge swelled within him to move out into the open and free Adam using any means necessary; his palms itched with the need to jump free of the dark livery. Blood pounded loudly in his temples. No. He couldn\u2019t give in to it. Coming out of hiding now wouldn\u2019t help Adam any at all, not in the long run, and it might even make things worse.<\/p>\n

Yeah, it would definitely make matters worse. He imagined Adam\u2019s face if he were to catch sight of him now, the expression he\u2019d wear as the hopeless, sick realization dawned that not only was he going to die, but that his kid brother was going to be witness to it. That Little Joe Cartwright would watch as Adam Cartwright had his neck snapped at the end of a rope or worse, slowly choked to death as his body spun in the air.<\/p>\n

Joe swayed on his feet, and hurriedly blinked the image away. No, Adam didn\u2019t want him to see that, which was why he had ordered him to ride to Salt Flats to find their pa and Hoss. He had to hurry, Adam said, and get them back here. Never mind that both he and Adam knew there wasn\u2019t enough time for him to get to Salt Flats and back before it was all over and done with. Adam had wanted Joe out of the way. Joe knew what he\u2019d been thinking\u2014having Joe present at the hanging would only intensify an unimaginable horror for both of them and wouldn\u2019t help anyone, least of all Adam.<\/p>\n

But just to see some semblance of peace draw across his brother\u2019s face, Joe had lied and promised that he\u2019d ride to Salt Flats just as he\u2019d been asked to do. As far as Adam knew, Joe had left a day and a half ago.<\/p>\n

After all, Joe had promised him.<\/p>\n

And that burned in Joe\u2019s gullet like a hot poker\u2014the fact that the last thing he\u2019d said to Adam had been a lie.<\/p>\n

It couldn\u2019t end like this\u2014it couldn\u2019t. Again, all his instincts screamed at him to end this nightmare, to stop it now, in any way he could manage.<\/p>\n

But he didn\u2019t. Instead, he stiffened his jaw and dug his boots into the dirt, preparing himself for what was to follow. For once, Joe Cartwright would hold himself in check if it killed him. In the shadowy confines of the livery stable, he continued to watch the proceedings, and he did as his brother on the scaffold did; he stood still and waited, and tried to remember to breathe.<\/p>\n

It was to be a sunset hanging. \u201cBetter for the celebratin\u2019 afterwards,\u201d Joe had heard one of Millican\u2019s fine citizens declare. Hangings were cause for large amounts of gawking in almost any town, but Millican, a small, shabby community situated at the crossroads between nowhere and the edge of the earth, was apparently shorter on sources of amusement than other places and placed an exceptionally high value on the entertainment potential of a good stringing-up. The dirt streets had been bustling all afternoon as people from outlying areas arrived early so as not to miss the show. The town\u2019s one saloon had done a booming business all day long in anticipation of the main event; if there was a single occupant of this whole, stinking town that wasn\u2019t drunk or well on his way to it, Joe hadn\u2019t seen them. From store merchants still wearing their counter aprons to businessmen in suits to cowboys in chaps, they were all here, and all, it seemed, were anxious to see justice executed on the gallows. Copious amounts of liquor fed their enthusiasm. It was a party for them.<\/p>\n

Joe straightened as he saw Judge Quimby approach the gallows. At least the judge wasn\u2019t drunk, or if he was, he hid it well.<\/p>\n

Joe quivered, the strain of controlling himself growing ever more powerful. Quimby was the man who had condemned Adam to die. Since he was here, apparently he saw it as part of his duties to be present as the sentence was carried out. Or maybe he simply thought of it as entertainment, just as the rest of the town did.<\/p>\n

The judge gave a nod to Sheriff Colvin, and the sheriff obediently climbed the steps up to the platform, his slightly unsteady gait revealing his own imbibing of the spirits that were flowing so freely in town. He approached the hangman and murmured a couple of quiet words to him; the hangman in turn handed the sheriff a dark hood. Colvin stepped in front of Adam and moved to drop the hood over his head, but Adam declined it with a short sideways jerk of his chin. The sound of the crowd dropped to a murmur.<\/p>\n

The sheriff dropped the hand holding the hood to hang at his side. \u201cIt\u2019s procedure, son,\u201d he said, not unkindly. \u201cYou sure you don\u2019t want it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stared at him, and then looked out at the crowd before finally halting his gaze upon the judge. \u201cIf this town is bound and determined to hang an innocent man, they\u2019re damned well going to look him in the face while they do it,\u201d Adam said. His voice was quiet, but as always it had that distinctive resonance to it that caused it to carry, full and deep, out into the crowd. At the sound of it, Joe\u2019s jaw clenched so hard it hurt.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s last denial fell on hard ears. Judge Quimby\u2019s face remained impassive.<\/p>\n

Sheriff Colvin looked slightly pained, but he shrugged. \u201cHave it your way, boy,\u201d he said quietly. He nodded at the hangman, who dropped the noose over Adam\u2019s head and pulled at the knot until the rope was settled snugly about his throat.<\/p>\n

The bile rose in Joe\u2019s own throat as he watched Adam\u2019s eyes sweep shut for only an instant, his lashes and several days\u2019 worth of whisker growth providing a dark contrast to his paling complexion. Then Adam raised his chin and opened his eyes again. They were hard and clear, reflecting the colors of sun glinting off old dust. He put his shoulders back and stood as tall as Joe had ever seen him.<\/p>\n

Joe shuddered as he kept his eyes on his brother, and it seemed as though the crowd held its breath along with him as a hush fell over the street\u2014and suddenly, Joe couldn\u2019t breathe. Tears shimmered across his vision. Panicked, he dashed them away with the back of his hand even as the nausea that had been threatening him for the last few minutes climbed thicker in his throat.<\/p>\n

The hangman grasped the handle that would spring the trapdoor of the gallows into motion, and Joe stiffened, bracing himself against the inevitable.<\/p>\n

But it was impossible to prepare completely for something that Joe knew he\u2019d see in his mind\u2019s eye for the rest of his life. When the trapdoor fell open with a deafening bang and Adam dropped like a stone, Joe was certain his own heart would never beat again.<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

Forty-two hours earlier<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, son, you\u2019re beginning to make a real nuisance of yourself,\u201d Sheriff Colvin growled. \u201cI don\u2019t have anything against you sticking around until after the hanging to claim your brother\u2019s body and see that he\u2019s taken care of, but I\u2019m telling you right now\u2014if you don\u2019t settle down, you\u2019re likely to find yourself in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSheriff, all I\u2019m asking you to do is to delay carrying out the sentence until we can get some decent representation for my brother.\u201d With an effort, Joe clamped down on his temper as he leaned across the desk toward the sheriff.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too late for that. \u2018Sides, he had a lawyer, and the two of you fired him,\u201d Sheriff Colvin sniffed. \u201cSeems to me you shouldn\u2019t ought to have been so picky.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat sorry excuse for a\u2014look, we decided we didn\u2019t have need of Mr. Breeley\u2019s services because he insisted that Adam plead guilty. This whole thing has been rushed through like nobody\u2019s business, and you know it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell you what I know, Mr. Cartwright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judge Quimby\u2019s voice rumbled unexpectedly from the door, and Joe whirled around to face him. The man stood in the doorway and scowled at him from under heavy eyebrows. \u201cI know that a trial took place\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cThat trial was a farce. In two days\u2019 time, a jury was selected, a show was put on, and a man was condemned with no evidence.\u201d The anger building inside Joe made him shake. That blame could be placed like this with no evidence\u2026<\/p>\n

The judge\u2019s mouth tightened. \u201cAs I was saying, a trial took place, two eye witnesses were heard, and now that trial is over. Furthermore, the jury was unanimous in finding your brother guilty.\u201d He walked forward steadily until he was standing eye to eye with Joe. \u201cUnless you want me to start suspecting that you had something to do with that murder, too, I would suggest that you stop badgering the sheriff, not to mention all the good citizens of this town with your incessant questioning. Keep going in this manner and you might well find yourself up on that gallows alongside your brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes narrowed at the direct confrontation. \u201cAre you threatening me, Judge?\u201d he said softly. \u201cMurdering one man isn\u2019t enough for you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDelivering justice and committing murder are two different things,\u201d Quimby barked. \u201cI\u2019m on one end, and your brother\u2019s on the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have any\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHarold\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Startled into silence, they all turned at the sound of the hesitant female voice at the door. The judge\u2019s wife stood there, basket on her arm, obviously ready to do her good works of delivering meals to the prisoner in question, just as she\u2019d done yesterday.<\/p>\n

The judge stepped forward and took the basket. \u201cThank you, Jessica. I\u2019ll be home in a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was an obvious dismissal, but the woman didn\u2019t obey it. \u201cI\u2026I brought an extra blanket,\u201d she said hesitantly. \u201cIt\u2019s outside in the buggy. It can get cold in those cells at night, and I thought\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe meal\u2019s quite enough, Jessica.\u201d The judge\u2019s voice was firm. He set the basket on the sheriff\u2019s desk, took his wife\u2019s elbow and guided her toward the door.<\/p>\n

At the last moment she held back, looking over her shoulder at Joe. Her eyes were large and sympathetic.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartwright, I\u2019m sorry about your brother. Truly I am,\u201d she said. \u201cPlease don\u2019t blame my husband for this. He\u2019s a good man\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019ll be all, Jessica. Get on home now,\u201d the judge said, and his voice brooked no opposition. The woman hesitated, gave Joe another imploring glance, and then allowed herself to be let out.<\/p>\n

Joe snorted softly as the door shut behind her. \u201cA good man,\u201d he said. \u201cTell me, Judge, how did you explain to your wife your rush to wrap up the court proceedings? What sort of lie did you come up with\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCartwright, what I tell my wife is none of your concern. All you need to know is what I tell you. This town is pretty upset over Amy Holder\u2019s murder. She was a sweet girl, and well liked around here. I don\u2019t imagine it would bother the townsfolk much if they were able to take out all that anger on two men instead of one. They don\u2019t have much call to like or trust Adam Cartwright\u2019s brother. Do yourself a favor and get out of Millican. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMore threats?\u201d Joe could hear the anger rising in his voice, but he couldn\u2019t stop it.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe!\u201d Adam\u2019s voice echoed through the door at the back of the sheriff\u2019s office where the cells were located.<\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t move, but stood staring at the judge.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I need to talk to you.\u201d Adam\u2019s voice, low-pitched but urgent, restrained Joe\u2019s urge to tell Judge Quimby exactly what he could do with himself, his town, his sham of a court and his thinly-veiled threats.<\/p>\n

Instead, with Adam calling his name yet again, he turned his back on the judge and stiffly addressed Sheriff Colvin. \u201cYou don\u2019t mind if I go talk to my brother again, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Colvin shrugged. \u201cSuit yourself.\u201d He eyed Joe warily. \u201cBut if you get any funny ideas, boy, you need to remember that I\u2019ve got the keys to that cell.\u201d He patted his trouser pocket.<\/p>\n

Joe resisted the urge to drive a fist into the sheriff\u2019s jaw, snatch the keys, and make a run for Adam\u2019s cell. But he knew neither of them would make it out of the building, much less the town, alive. So he only asked, \u201cCan you at least let me into the cell with him?\u201d He\u2019d made the request before, but it didn\u2019t hurt to try again.<\/p>\n

But the sheriff\u2019s answer was the same. \u201c\u2019fraid not, son. Against policy.\u201d He called after Joe, \u201cDon\u2019t forget, I\u2019ve got the keys, so no funny business. It won\u2019t get you nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Joe rounded the corner into the part of the building partitioned off for cells, he noticed again how short on light it was. A low-burning lantern sat on a small table in the outer corridor that ran the length of the three cells, but other than that, any illumination came from the one small, high window in each cell.<\/p>\n

He quickly moved to the only occupied cell. Adam stood next to the bars, waiting for him.<\/p>\n

Adam looked exasperated, and he spoke before Joe could say anything. \u201cJoe, stop antagonizing the judge. It\u2019s not going to help anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAntagonizing\u2014Adam, didn\u2019t you hear what he said?\u201d Joe spat. \u201cHe\u2019s as good as told me I\u2019ll be arrested if I don\u2019t get out of town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard exactly what he said. Look, Joe, he\u2019s not a man to be reckoned with. Not now, not here, not on his terms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA man like that doesn\u2019t scare me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he should. He holds all the dice here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

Adam shook his head. \u201cDon\u2019t push it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, I\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t\u2026push\u2026it,\u201d Adam hammered out, and his voice was sharp.<\/p>\n

Joe stared at him. \u201cDon\u2019t push it? Adam, are you crazy? My God, they\u2019re going to hang you, don\u2019t you understand that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Instant shame slammed into him as Adam\u2019s somber eyes met his. Of course his brother understood what was happening, better than anyone else. Joe dropped his head. \u201cSorry,\u201d he mumbled. Then he sighed heavily. \u201cI\u2019ll keep asking questions. There\u2019s got to be somebody around that knows something about what really happened. I\u2019ll go\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

Adam interrupted him. \u201cYou\u2019ve done everything you can, Joe. Now I want you to go to Salt Flats and get Pa and Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI already told you, there\u2019s no need for me to go get them,\u201d Joe argued. \u201cThe telegram was sent as soon as you were arrested. They\u2019ll be here any time now, probably by tonight, even. And if they missed the message, I sent one to Sheriff Coffee, too. He\u2019ll probably beat Pa and Hoss here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam gave a jerky nod and looked down at the floor without saying a word, and Joe felt cold hopelessness rolling off his brother in waves. He silently cursed the sheriff\u2019s refusal to allow him to enter the cell, and he grabbed hold of the cell bars himself in an effort to get as close to Adam as he could.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam, listen to me. Pa is going to get here in time, and he\u2019ll know what to do. You\u2019ve gotta believe that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam lifted his eyes and looked at him then, and a tiny smile quivered at the corners of his mouth. \u201cSure he will,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cI know that.\u201d But the tone of his voice said he was having serious doubts, and Joe found himself ill-equipped to reassure him; he was having a hard time convincing even himself. He\u2019d sent the telegrams, all right, but hadn\u2019t received an answer in return. He wondered if Pa and Hoss had been headed back to the Ponderosa by the time the message had arrived in Salt Flats. If so, by the time a message was sent home\u2026it would be too late. As for Sheriff Coffee\u2026maybe he had lit out in this direction so fast that he had forgotten to send a return telegram. Yes, that was it. It had to be. What other reason could there be for the lack of communication?<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe lifted his gaze. Adam had moved closer and was standing pressed against the other side of the bars, his face inches from Joe\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want you to promise me you\u2019ll leave for Salt Flats. Today. Now. I want you to get Pa,\u201d Adam repeated, and his voice was very quiet, very controlled.<\/p>\n

First the judge telling him to get out of Millican, and now Adam. \u201cWe won\u2019t make it back in time,\u201d Joe whispered, and he knew he wasn\u2019t saying anything Adam didn\u2019t already know.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want you to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe gave a tiny shake of his head, realizing the true motive his brother had for wanting him out of town. \u201cNo. You can\u2019t tell me to do that.\u201d His legs felt suddenly weak, as if his knees might buckle on him. He leaned harder on the bars. \u201cI won\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wanted Adam to get angry, to yell at him. He could fight against that. But the softness in Adam\u2019s entreaty left him off-balance and defenseless.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, I\u2019m asking you for this one thing. I want you to ride out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe turned his face away, already shaking his head again.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Against his will, Joe\u2019s gaze was dragged back to his brother\u2019s face. They stood there, face to face, hands wrapped white-knuckled around the same bars.<\/p>\n

Joe searched his brother\u2019s eyes. In the half-light of the dank jail cell, they were the color of whiskey and doom. \u201cYou can\u2019t give up, Adam,\u201d Joe whispered.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s lips tightened. He looked away, then back. \u201cI\u2019m not giving up. But we\u2019re caught here, Joe. We need Pa\u2019s help, and we need it now. You\u2019ve got to get him.\u201d He pinned Joe\u2019s gaze with his own, and then his voice hardened with older-brother authority. \u201cI don\u2019t have time to argue with you. Now you promise me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stared at him, and then let his hands fall from the bars. He backed away from the cell.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s eyes widened and he gripped the bars more tightly. \u201cJoe\u2014Little Joe, you listen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe took another step back, then another.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe? Promise. Now.\u201d Adam\u2019s voice had taken on a note of alarm. \u201cDo you hear me, boy? Promise me!\u201d<\/p>\n

No! He wouldn\u2019t leave him\u2014he couldn\u2019t. It wasn\u2019t right that Adam should ask such a thing of him. But he looked up slowly, and Adam\u2019s trembling hands on those bars dragged the words from his throat, his voice cracking on them. \u201cI\u2014I promise.\u201d And then he whirled around and headed for the door without looking at Adam.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stopped, and then slowly turned his head. \u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTell Pa\u2026\u201d Adam swallowed and took a breath, and he turned to look up at the tiny window spilling its trickle of sunlight onto the floor. \u201cTell Pa\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe waited, but Adam said nothing more. Joe could see his jaw muscles working as he struggled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell him,\u201d Joe choked out. And then he spun around and was gone.
\n**********<\/p>\n

It was odd, but Adam felt himself grow calmer the moment Little Joe left the jail. His own death was looking more and more unavoidable, but at least now he knew Joe was safe. Something wasn\u2019t right in this town; when officials were so jaw-droppingly quick to hand down and carry out condemnations for reasons known only to them, it was only a matter of time before someone like his youngest brother found himself in deep water, and one of them in trouble was enough.<\/p>\n

In his terse statements regarding Joe\u2019s tenuous stature in the town, Judge Quimby had made some dangerous implications very clear, and now Adam found himself actually fearing the man for his brother\u2019s sake. It looked as though getting the charges dropped against him wasn\u2019t going to happen no matter what they tried; getting Joe free and clear of the town of Millican was about the only thing they still had control over as far as Adam could see.<\/p>\n

He sighed, watching a small mouse run the length of one wall. Realizing that he still held the bars in a tight grip, he made himself let go; he turned and looked up at the tiny window filtering light into the cell. Moving beneath it, he stood still and imagined that he could hear Cochise\u2019s hooves beating out a pattern on the sand, drawing further and further away. It wasn\u2019t only getting Joe out of Judge Quimby\u2019s reach that was important. Knowing that Joe wouldn\u2019t be out in front of the gallows tomorrow evening\u2014that was vital as well. Adam had witnessed his share of hangings, and they were brutal, ugly events that, in his opinion, lowered the hierarchy of mankind in the general scheme of things, even though he\u2019d be the first to admit that they were often a necessary evil. The visions left after witnessing them were hard, perhaps impossible, to get rid of. To see such a thing happen to a family member would be a permanent nightmare for any man to live with, and for Joe, a man whose emotions ran high at the best of times\u2026. Adam shook his head. He had serious doubts that someone like his kid brother could even survive such a thing without it permanently damaging him.<\/p>\n

And of course the chances of Joe trying something reckless and extreme to break him out of jail grew higher with each passing hour. Yes, there was always that. No doubt about it; it was much better for everyone, especially Joe, to get him clear of Millican.<\/p>\n

Adam eased himself down on the hard bunk, lying back and folding his arms under his head. The kid had scared him\u2014the way he had looked through those bars at him, his young face lined with the stark shadows of the bars crossing it, his expression hopeful and frightened at the same time. For a moment he\u2019d thought Joe was going to flat out refuse to do as he was asked. When the boy had drawn back and looked like he was getting ready to bolt, Adam had been fighting panic, wondering how he\u2019d ever talk him into leaving.<\/p>\n

But Joe had backed down, thank God. For once, he\u2019d backed down.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell Pa\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell him.\u201d<\/p>\n

With those words, Joe had promised to do as he was asked, and the relief flooding into Adam at that moment had threatened to send the sting of tears that his fear hadn\u2019t been able to force.<\/p>\n

\u201dWatch over your brother, Adam.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>It had been the last thing Pa had said to him before the four Cartwrights had split off into two different directions to tend to business that the ranch demanded, Joe and Adam to San Francisco to tie up some loose ends regarding a railhead contract, and Hoss and Pa to Salt Flats to deliver some cattle. The routine directive from Pa had been given quietly in order to prevent the kid from hearing and getting his ire up, but it really hadn\u2019t been necessary to give it at all. Watching over Joe was as habitual a task for Adam as oiling his gun, one of those things he simply accepted because it had to be done, and he would do it even without Pa reminding him. He knew it, and Pa knew it, and yet the reminder was always there whenever they all parted ways, as customary a part of their family conversation as their hailed goodbyes. Had it instead been Hoss and Joe going their own way, the same instruction would\u2019ve been given to Hoss, who didn\u2019t need to be reminded any more than Adam did.<\/p>\n

Adam stared up at the cracked, stained ceiling.<\/p>\n

\u201dWatch over your brother, Adam.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He\u2019d done that. Now he\u2019d managed to convince Joe to ride out of Millican, and in doing so, he\u2019d performed his duty one last time. He liked to think he\u2019d done it well for the most part, even if it was a lapse in that responsibility that had landed them here in Millican in the first place. If that momentary failure had resulted in Joe\u2019s life ending as well as his own, well, then he\u2019d have gone to his grave carrying a self-loathing that even death couldn\u2019t diminish\u2026.<\/p>\n

Adam heaved another sigh, the sound loud against the cold cell wall next to him. \u201cI\u2019m such a fraud,\u201d he whispered, and one corner of his mouth rose in a sardonic facade of a smile. Alone in this dim, dank room he could admit that it hadn\u2019t been a totally selfless gesture, his making Joe leave. It wasn\u2019t only for Joe\u2019s wellbeing, and it wasn\u2019t only to keep him from having to watch his brother hang, and it wasn\u2019t just to keep Joe from getting himself shot or jailed himself.<\/p>\n

The truth was, the thought of leaving this earth with Joe\u2019s horrified face being the last thing he\u2019d see made his stomach pitch. A fleeting image of the scene burned through his mind. Hurriedly, he blinked it away, but it was too late; the plate of jail food Adam had eaten earlier began to congeal into a hard mass in the pit of his belly.<\/p>\n

He rolled onto his side and stared at the wall, where moisture condensing on the rough plaster marred scribbled scratchings from former prisoners. His last words to Joe echoed through his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell Pa\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

So much to say to his father. How could he ever have hoped to send a message to him that would convey it all? The love he had for him, the respect and pride\u2026the regret he had now for leaving too soon by way of an unjust hangman\u2019s noose.<\/p>\n

Leaving too soon\u2026Adam smiled again. There\u2019d been times, lots of them recently, when he\u2019d toyed with the idea of leaving for other places, other dreams\u2026and yet right now home was the only place he wanted to be. He felt a sharp, stabbing grief that he\u2019d never again set foot on the Ponderosa. In this moment, he found it surprisingly difficult to remember why he\u2019d ever thought about leaving.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell Pa\u2026 Tell Pa\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cTell Pa to watch over my brothers,\u201d Adam whispered out loud even though there was no one in the room to hear, and then he shut his eyes and tried to escape into sleep.<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

The hanging<\/em><\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t difficult to ignore the shouts of the onlookers. With disjointed, loose thoughts clanging about in his head, he was barely even aware of the noise.<\/p>\n

He couldn\u2019t stop the shudder that rippled across him as the noose settled about his throat. The rough hemp rasped across the skin of his neck, and he felt as though he couldn\u2019t draw in air, even though the rope wasn\u2019t tight enough to choke him. That would come when the trap door opened beneath his feet. Black fear obliterated his senses, and he shut his eyes, and in that instant he felt a selfish regret at sending Joe away.<\/p>\n

He scanned the crowd, half hoping and half fearing that he\u2019d find Joe there. He wanted to be thankful that the kid had done what he\u2019d been told, and yet all he felt was a rush of terrified abandonment.<\/p>\n

God help me, I don\u2019t want to do this alone.<\/em><\/p>\n

Almost instantly he berated himself. His life was ending. Joe\u2019s life shouldn\u2019t be ruined by having to witness it. He should be glad that his brother had followed his orders. And he was, damn it. He was glad. He\u2019d fought to protect that boy all his life. It would be wrong to deny him that protection now.<\/p>\n

And yet, the thought of doing this with none of his family near\u2026<\/p>\n

He bit his lip and pulled in a steadying breath. The town of Millican was not going to do this to him. They were going to take his life, but he would not give them his dignity. With renewed resolve, he opened his eyes and looked out toward the dying sun, straightened to his full height and pulled back his shoulders before sending out a silent prayer.<\/p>\n

But when the sheriff grabbed the handle that would drop the floor from under him, he couldn\u2019t help it; he winced and closed his eyes again just as the sheriff pushed the handle forward. The sound the trapdoor made when it fell open was louder than he\u2019d expected, almost like a rifle shot. He dropped through the air\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026and landed hard in the dirt beneath the gallows, sprawled face-down and choking on a mouthful of dirt and a gutful of shock, his head seeming to explode with the force of the fall.<\/p>\n

For an instant he thought something had gone awry and that he hadn\u2019t been hung at all. But then\u2026well, he couldn\u2019t breathe, so he must be dead\u2026<\/p>\n

He started crawling on his knees anyway, scooting out from underneath the gallows\u2019 framework. There were several sharp retorts as gunshots echoed through the street. Screams and angry shouts came from all directions. More gunshots.<\/p>\n

Blind with terror and confusion and badly hampered by the fact that his hands were tied behind him, he tried desperately to put some distance between himself and the gallows, scraping his knees raw in his effort to do so. Unable to get his balance, he stumbled forward, getting another mouthful of dirt as his jaw plowed a furrow in the street. He struggled back up onto his knees. And then he stopped, blinking, because Joe\u2019s face was in front of him. The kid looked scared out of his wits, but he was definitely there.<\/p>\n

The fall had rattled Adam\u2019s brains and knocked the wind right out of him. He managed to rasp out his brother\u2019s name, but since there was still no air in his lungs to put behind his voice, his \u201cJoe?\u201d wasn\u2019t loud enough for anyone to hear.<\/p>\n

What the hell had just happened? Late sunlight glinted on a knife blade in Joe\u2019s hand; it flashed downward, and Adam felt the ropes binding his wrists give way. Still trying to pull in air and making a pitiful attempt to get on his feet, he had no time to process anything, but he didn\u2019t miss the rifle Joe flung to the ground, nor the double-barreled shotgun he was now waving haphazardly at the crowd.<\/p>\n

Oh, God, kid, what have you done?<\/em><\/p>\n

The crowd surged toward them as Joe reached down with his free hand and jerked him upright without looking at him. When a man raised a gun and pointed it at them, Joe didn\u2019t hesitate; he pulled the trigger, emptying one of the barrels of the shotgun into the man\u2019s leg. Adam flinched as the man roared in pain and fell back.<\/p>\n

\u201cStay back, every one of you! I\u2019ll kill any man that tries to stop us, I swear to God.\u201d Even in his disoriented state, a frisson of alarm shot up the back of Adam\u2019s neck at the cold deadliness in his kid brother\u2019s voice. He tried to turn and look at him, but Joe was pulling him along even as he swung the barrel of the shotgun back and forth, and Adam had to concentrate in order to stay upright and moving.<\/p>\n

Around them, the milling crowd nervously eyed the gun in Joe\u2019s hand. The barrels had been sawed short, turning it into a weapon that would certainly hit a body without requiring much aim. It was enough to keep everyone at bay as Joe pulled Adam back toward an alley.<\/p>\n

The fact that he really wasn\u2019t dead was still slowly dawning on Adam, along with the knowledge that he was as yet unable to get a decent breath of air. Stumbling alongside Joe, he reached up with one hand and clawed at the noose still drawn tight around his neck, finally managing to loosen it enough to wedge a couple of fingers underneath, enough to drag in a tiny bit more air, filled as it was with the dust of their escape. He caught a glimpse of the short length of rope still attached to the noose, noting the clean break at its free end. As he staggered down the narrow alley, Joe shoving and pushing at him, the loud boom of the trapdoor opening came back to him, and some of the events of the last few minutes finally began to congeal into some modicum of reason.<\/p>\n

He shot the rope. He shot me down.<\/em><\/p>\n

Not with that shotgun, though. Where had Joe gotten that thing, anyway? Their own weapons had been confiscated when he\u2019d been arrested, \u201cas a safety precaution\u201d as Judge Quimby had put it. But the shotgun wouldn\u2019t have enabled him to shoot accurately enough to hit that rope. Joe had to have found a rifle somewhere\u2014<\/p>\n

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

They had emerged from the alley, and he suddenly realized that it wasn\u2019t the first time Joe had shouted his name. The hammers banging away at the inside of his skull made his thinking ridiculously fuzzy. The dizziness was overwhelming. Stupid to be trying to figure things out now, anyway, and he knew it, but it was a part of him that he couldn\u2019t always turn off. Right now his mind was careening around like a steer that had gotten into a patch of loco weed. He rubbed one hand over his face as if to wipe away the uncharacteristic sluggishness of his thinking and tried to concentrate on doing what he needed to do.<\/p>\n

Only\u2026what was it that he needed to do? God, his head hurt. He couldn\u2019t see straight, couldn\u2019t think straight\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam!\u201d Joe was screaming his name again, and this time he threw in some well-placed oaths for good measure. \u201cFor the love of\u2014Adam, get on the horse!\u201d<\/p>\n

A horse? There was a horse? Adam spun around and sure enough, he almost fell into the side of a large dun gelding standing next to a smaller black horse. He put his hands out against the animal\u2019s side to keep from crumpling beneath it. Beside him, Joe faced the alley\u2019s opening, shotgun held at the ready.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s heart beat wildly in his chest in time with the thumping in his head. He reached for the horn and began to clamber up onto the dun, but fell back. He immediately made another attempt, again unsuccessful. He was reaching for the horn yet again when he heard a shout, then another blast from the shotgun, and then another curse from Joe. The shotgun clattered against the ground as Joe threw it aside.<\/p>\n

Adam struggled to balance as his brother dipped his shoulder and shoved it against his backside, heaving upwards and more or less throwing him into the saddle. Leaning forward with the horn digging into his belly, Adam scrabbled for the reins as Joe flung himself onto the back of the other horse.<\/p>\n

\u201cRide!\u201d Joe roared at him. It was an unnecessary order; Adam knew his wits were still scattered, but his thinking didn\u2019t have to be all that clear to know that they had to move fast or die, and his heels were already digging hard into his horse\u2019s flanks. They burst past a group of men trying to cut them off, and more gunshots rang out. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Joe had drawn his pistol to shoot a warning shot back\u2014Adam didn\u2019t even want to question how he\u2019d managed to get the gun back.<\/p>\n

As Adam urged his horse forward his lungs finally started to catch up with the rest of him, and larger, more normal breaths of air at last began to wheeze back into his chest. He lay low over the dun\u2019s neck and tugged again at the still-present noose, trying to loosen it further; the presence of the thing scared the daylights out of him. Despite the fact that they had other immediate dangers that were infinitely more troubling, he desperately wanted to be rid of it. The rough fibers kept the knot tight and abraded his fingers as he fumbled with the rope.<\/p>\n

Then something slammed hard into his thigh, and he forgot about the noose, swaying in the saddle with the force of the blow. The world tilted on end, and he was on the verge of falling when Joe shot up beside him, grabbing him by the arm and balancing him in the saddle.<\/p>\n

Joe was shouting at him, and it took him a moment to make sense of the words. \u201cI\u2019ve got you, Adam. Just hold on. Grab onto that horn and don\u2019t let go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another unnecessary order\u2014after all, what choice did he have?<\/p>\n

More shots buffeted his ears and his aching head, fighting for attention among the relentless pounding of their horses\u2019 hooves. Every few seconds he heard a sound like the buzz of angry bees as the bullets whizzed close by, and he hunched lower over the saddle, wishing he had a gun. His thigh felt as though someone were holding a hot branding iron to it; he didn\u2019t dare look to see how bad it was.<\/p>\n

Instead, he turned his head to the other side to look at Joe riding beside him.<\/p>\n

The kid grinned back at him.<\/p>\n

Grinned. Adam didn\u2019t know whether to grin back or curse.<\/p>\n

Then Joe jerked slightly and the grin vanished even as he emitted a short grunt as if someone had punched him hard in the belly, and Adam did curse.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you hit?\u201d<\/p>\n

But Joe was hard at work reloading his pistol. Within seconds he was once more firing at their pursuers, several of whom had managed to mount nearby horses to give chase.<\/p>\n

Adam shouted at him again. \u201cYou\u2019re hit?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head. \u201cJust a crease,\u201d he shouted back. \u201cShut up and ride!\u201d<\/p>\n

And then, astonishingly, the town of Millican began to fall behind them.<\/p>\n

Dear God, they were fugitives. A fool\u2019s ride, that\u2019s what they were on. There was no way they could possibly get out of this thing alive. What had Joe gotten them into? Now they were both going to die. Adam\u2019s emotions were in turmoil; he\u2019d gone from wanting to kiss his brother to wanting to thrash him.<\/p>\n

Too bad he didn\u2019t feel quite steady enough to do either. The sun was fast disappearing over the horizon, and the sky seemed to be darkening at an alarmingly fast rate. Too late, Adam realized it wasn\u2019t just the sky, it was everything. He was about to pass out.<\/p>\n

He managed to look over at Joe still riding beside him. Joe gave him a funny look back, and in a split-second movement, shoved his pistol back into his holster.<\/p>\n

The last thing Adam saw was Joe\u2019s hand reaching for him\u2026<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

\u201cEasy\u2026easy\u2026come on, now, I\u2019ve got you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s soft murmurings drifted up to him. He shook himself and blinked, and realized that his surroundings had changed. It was night\u2014real night, not just unnatural darkness brought on by the loss of consciousness\u2014and everything was quiet. His horse stood still, hide lathered and head hanging low. And he was slipping from the saddle again\u2014no, Joe was on the ground, tugging at him, trying to pull him off the horse.<\/p>\n

Adam stiffened. His leg was on fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome on, turn loose of the horn, Adam.\u201d Joe pried his fingers loose from the saddle horn and pulled at him again. \u201cI\u2019ve got you,\u201d he repeated, but when Adam did as he asked, he immediately felt Joe stagger beneath his weight.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got me\u2014the hell you do,\u201d Adam muttered, and braced for a fall.<\/p>\n

Somehow, though, Joe managed to lower him to the ground without dropping him.<\/p>\n

Adam lay flat on his back, panting from the pain in his thigh. \u201cDid I ever tell you that you\u2019re stronger than you look?\u201d he managed to gasp.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re forgetting that time I carried your carcass half a mile with Cochise himself shooting at us,\u201d Joe said, but his joke didn\u2019t hide the worry in his eyes as they skimmed over Adam\u2019s face. \u201cDon\u2019t go anywhere,\u201d he said, and gave Adam\u2019s arm an easy nudge before rising. He went to the saddlebag still hanging on his horse and rummaged around in it.<\/p>\n

Adam raised a skeptical brow and fought to get his breathing under control. To steady his nerves, he grasped at the Cochise attack story Joe had mentioned. \u201cAnd when exactly did you carry me half a mile? It was more like twenty yards.\u201d He was appalled at how shaky and hoarse his voice sounded.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore like fifty yards,\u201d Joe retorted. \u201cAt the very least. And I was shooting back at Cochise at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite waves of dizziness and the pain in his leg, Adam had to grin at the playfully defensive tone that had crept into Joe\u2019s bragging. The Cochise account was a tale the youngest Cartwright loved to tell to anyone who would listen, and the fact that it was true didn\u2019t stop his brothers from teasing him about it every time the subject came up. It might be an odd moment to be talking about it, but it was proof of how desperate they were to get their minds off the tight corner they found themselves jammed into.<\/p>\n

He noticed that Joe had buttoned his jacket up, and he wondered at that. Adam wasn\u2019t cold at all. No doubt the desert night would soon be chilly, but for now there was still a hint of warmth rising up from the sand. He saw that there was an extra coat rolled up at the back of his saddle\u2014darn, but the boy had thought this thing through, at least somewhat\u2014but he felt no need to put it on yet. Was his wound making him fevered? He shook his head. No, stupid thought. He wasn\u2019t sure how long they had been riding, but it certainly hadn\u2019t been so long that fever had had time to develop.<\/p>\n

He eyed his kid brother with interest, glad to have something to puzzle out to take his mind off his leg. Maybe Joe had more weapons hidden away under that buttoned-up jacket. He wanted to laugh at the absurd thought, but the fact was that Joe had sure somehow come up with enough guns when it counted. Adam made a mental note to ask later how he\u2019d managed to get them. Adam was fairly certain that Judge Quimby would\u2019ve ordered the townspeople not to sell him anything more dangerous than a pea-shooter, and he knew he would never have agreed to give Joe his guns back until after the hanging.<\/p>\n

Despite feeling pretty darn wobbly, Adam had to smile at Joe\u2019s no-doubt questionable ingenuity. Immediately another wave of pain wiped the smile from his face. Something\u00a0had<\/em>\u00a0to be done about this leg. He had to take a couple of breaths before he was sure he could speak without his voice breaking. \u201cWhile you\u2019re thinking about how you held off the entire Apache nation single handedly, you might want to give me a hand in looking at this leg wound.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having found the items he wanted in the saddlebag, Joe turned toward him, hefting a knife in his hand. \u201cWe\u2019ll get to that. First things first, brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam eyed his brother warily as he squatted on his haunches next to him and began to bring the knife blade close to Adam\u2019s face. \u201cFirst things first? What things?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat thing around your neck, that\u2019s what.\u201d<\/p>\n

The noose. It was still\u00a0there?<\/em>\u00a0Dear God, yes, it was. And his throat hurt. He just hadn\u2019t noticed it before because the pain in his confounded leg had been overriding everything else. He raised his hand and laid his fingers gingerly against the rope grating across his windpipe.<\/p>\n

Joe placed the knife against the rope and started to saw, and Adam grabbed his wrist.<\/p>\n

\u201cSlow down, boy. It\u2019d be a real shame if you saved my neck only to accidentally cut it now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe gave him a wounded look. \u201cI won\u2019t slip. Let\u2019s just get it off, huh? It\u2019s giving me the jitters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGiving you the jitters?\u201d Adam huffed, but he let Joe wave his hand away and obediently sat still as the knife sliced through the rope. He heaved a sigh of relief as the noose fell away from his neck, and then started in surprise when Joe snatched the thing up and, with more force than was necessary, hurled it as far away as he could.<\/p>\n

Adam stared at him. Joe stood there with his back to him, breathing hard, his cavalier attitude abruptly vanished. In the set of his spine and the tremble in his muscles, Adam could see that Joe\u2019s self control had slipped and he was fighting hard to regain it.<\/p>\n

And it was in that moment, even flat on his back with a bullet in his leg, that Adam was back in the familiar role of protector. It was almost a relief, for it was something he knew how to do, and it made him feel that the world hadn\u2019t been turned quite as topsy-turvy as it had seemed earlier that day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Little Joe,\u201d he said softly. \u201cIt\u2019s over.\u201d It was a far sight from over, of course, since that mob from town was sure to be close on their heels.<\/p>\n

It was only because of Joe\u2019s obstinacy that he wasn\u2019t dangling from the end of a rope right now. Alive or not, the whole thing had already cost them both plenty. Here he was with a bullet in his leg, and they were both fugitives from the law. And now it wasn\u2019t only his own life at stake; if they were caught, there was no doubt in his mind that Joe would die alongside him. The posse would have no compunction about cutting them down together.<\/p>\n

He stared at his brother\u2019s back and wondered how they were possibly going to get out of the mess they were in. Joe gave a shuddering sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could\u2019ve missed,\u201d Joe whispered, and still he remained turned away from Adam.<\/p>\n

Adam frowned. \u201cMissed?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I shot at the rope. I had to wait until it was stretched tight so that it would break clean, and I\u2026I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Ah. So that\u2019s what his little brother was all ramrod stiff over. The fear that, just this once, he might not have been as unerring in his shooting as he liked to claim. Adam smiled slightly and finished Joe\u2019s sentence. \u201cAnd your aim was true,\u201d he said, purposely making his tone matter-of-fact despite the fact that his mind was recoiling over what could\u2019ve easily gone wrong.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could\u2019ve missed,\u201d Joe said again.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you didn\u2019t.\u201d He repeated himself, more slowly this time. \u201cJoe, your aim was true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t answer. Instead, he dropped his head and stalked off to retrieve the noose he had flung out into the darkness. They didn\u2019t want to leave any more traces of their passage than necessary, after all. If circumstances had been different, and if he hadn\u2019t been hurting so darn much, Adam would\u2019ve laughed at the sound of his brother muttering curses at himself under his breath when, hampered by the dark, moonless night, he couldn\u2019t find the betraying piece of rope.<\/p>\n

But Adam\u00a0was<\/em>\u00a0hurting. A lot. Laughter seemed like too much effort to even think about.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s triumphant \u201cgot it\u201d sounded a minute later. Adam turned his face toward Joe as the boy\u2019s black silhouette eased up out of the dark, and he watched as Joe dug a shallow hole and dropped the noose into it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe sure ain\u2019t carryin\u2019 it with us,\u201d Joe muttered, and scraped dirt over it with his boot, tamping it down until he was satisfied\u2014but something about the way he was moving caught Adam\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n

There was something odd in Joe\u2019s stance, something totally unrelated to the fear and self-doubt he had displayed a few minutes ago. It was an actual physical rigidity, stiffness in his movements. Adam squinted, trying to better make him out in the heavy darkness. Nothing was readily apparent, but Adam\u2019s doubts had been raised. When Joe returned to his side, Adam didn\u2019t wait before hitting him with his suspicions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you hurt?\u201d he asked flatly, and knew he was on the right track when Joe\u2019s eyes flickered away before he shook his head no, and when Adam caught the passing glint of pain in them he mentally kicked himself for having missed it before. He thought about that wild flight out of Millican.<\/p>\n

A sound like angry bees as bullets whizzed close by, and a grunt from Joe, as if someone had hit him.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Ah, yes. The pit of Adam\u2019s stomach sank, and he sighed. \u201cThat \u2018crease\u2019 you said you had,\u201d he stated. \u201cHow bad is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shrugged. \u201cIt\u2019ll keep \u2018till we get to the next town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWere you planning on hiding it until then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hadn\u2019t planned on keeping it secret. I just haven\u2019t had a chance to stop and fill you in on all the details.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, fill me in now. \u201cLet\u2019s see it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I told you, it can wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll decide if it can wait or not. Now let\u2019s see it.\u201d Adam beckoned him with an impatient finger, but Joe\u2019s expression only became more mulish.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ain\u2019t bad. Just a shallow nick, in and back out. Barely a scratch.\u201d He jerked his chin in the direction of Adam\u2019s leg. \u201cWhich is more than we can say for your leg. We don\u2019t get that bullet out, you won\u2019t be able to sit a horse tomorrow. And if you can\u2019t ride, we\u2019re finished.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam felt his mouth tighten. He wasn\u2019t used to conceding an argument so easily, but Joe had a point. The pain in his leg was bad, but it was only going to get worse if they didn\u2019t do something about it soon. And he knew they couldn\u2019t afford for him to slow them down any more.<\/p>\n

It was enough to sway his decision. \u201cFine. We\u2019ll get the lead out of my leg, and then we\u2019ll bandage you up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFine,\u201d Joe muttered. He was already heading for the horses to retrieve what he needed from the saddlebags.<\/p>\n

\u201cFine!\u201d If Little Brother was feeling peevish, well, so was he. He rubbed at the raw soreness encircling his throat\u2026and smiled a wicked smile. \u201cYou were right, though\u2014you\u00a0could<\/em>\u00a0have fired a split second sooner. Yeah, the rope had to be tight, but don\u2019t you think you overdid it just a bit? Gettin\u2019 just a tad slow on the trigger, aren\u2019t you, Brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe swung his head around to stare open-mouthed at him, and Adam grinned slyly when Joe half-heartedly chucked a clod of earth in his direction.<\/p>\n

The memory of Joe\u2019s dumbfounded expression gave Adam something to smile about a few minutes later when his little brother started to carve into his thigh. When Joe had to go deeper than expected, though, Adam\u2019s sense of humor was pretty much buried along with the knife blade. He gritted his teeth and held his own for as long as he could, for Joe\u2019s sake as much as his own.<\/p>\n

But then, just as Joe whispered, \u201cI feel it; almost there,\u201d Adam felt himself sliding into oblivion for the second time that day.<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

When he came to, he was on his horse, riding through the darkest desert night he\u2019d ever seen, his head bobbing along in time to the horse\u2019s steps. He lifted his head slightly and blinked, trying to clear the fuzz out of his brain.<\/p>\n

He became aware of warmth at his back and realized that someone rode with him, holding onto him from behind. Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam. Adam, you awake?\u201d<\/p>\n

He opened his mouth to answer. Had to stop, swallow, and try again.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d Finally he managed to rasp it out, but it sounded pathetic, even to his own ears.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoin\u2019 okay?\u201d Joe sounded pathetic, too. Scared to death, as a matter of fact. Worried sick. It made Adam pull himself upright, away from the comforting warmth of his little brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cFine as frog hair.\u201d Still sounded pretty puny. Joe\u2019s sigh of relief tickled the back of his neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was beginnin\u2019 to think I was gonna have to hold you like a baby the whole night through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Surprised, Adam glanced down. Sure enough, his brother\u2019s arms circled round him to hold onto the reins.<\/p>\n

He sat up straighter, and brushed the arms aside, taking the reins into his own hands. \u201cYeah, well, I can get along without the nursemaidin\u2019 now, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood. My arms are ready to fall out of their sockets, they\u2019re so numb from holding onto your dead weight. Hoss ain\u2019t the only one needin\u2019 to lay off the flapjacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery funny. Just how did you manage to get me back up in the saddle?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t remember?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam rolled his eyes even though he knew Joe couldn\u2019t see them. \u201cIf I remembered, I wouldn\u2019t be asking, would I?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe tsked. \u201cMite grouchy, ain\u2019t ya? Well, that\u2019s probably a good sign. Hey, since you\u2019re not needin\u2019 a nursemaid anymore, you think you could go ahead and stop the horse now? I\u2019m kind of uncomfortable riding back here behind you. Think I\u2019d feel better in my own saddle if it\u2019s all the same to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam pulled up and Joe slid off. He untied the second horse\u2019s lead rope, and through the dark, Adam watched him mount\u2014not his usual swinging leap up into the saddle, nor even a springy step into the stirrup. No, this was a slow, ragged, jerking haul up into the saddle, and when he finally made it up, he sat stiffly. Not at all like his rambunctious kid brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn<\/em>\u00a0it.\u201d<\/p>\n

His sudden curse made Joe stiffen further. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong? You hurtin\u2019 pretty bad?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Yes. I mean, I just realized. I passed out, and we never got to you. I never checked your wound. I didn\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo need,\u201d Joe broke in. \u201cI bandaged it up myself. Had all day long to do it, since you refused to wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n

All day long. \u201cWhat?<\/em>\u00a0Do you mean to tell me we\u2019re on the second night out? We wasted a whole day back there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shrugged and clucked to the horses to move on. He sidled his horse up beside Adam. \u201cWell, it wasn\u2019t my idea. Like I said, you wouldn\u2019t wake up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam ran a hand hard over his eyes and nose. Half a night and a whole day of sitting around waiting for the posse to catch up to them. \u201cJoe, they\u2019ve got to be getting close.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got that right. I caught sight of \u2018em, or at least the dust they were raising, late this evening. And yeah, you\u2019re right\u2014they\u2019re gettin\u2019 way too close for comfort. That\u2019s why we\u2019re riding in the dark, trying to make up some lost time.\u201d Joe hesitated. \u201cSomething tells me they\u2019ll string us up right where we stand if they catch us,\u201d he said, and Adam nodded at the unnecessary observation.<\/p>\n

They couldn\u2019t run at a gallop at night, not without risk of breaking a horse\u2019s leg, and that was a risk they couldn\u2019t afford. So they plodded along, and Adam thought the slower pace was likely all that kept him going. His leg protested with every step his horse took. The bullet was out, which was a definite improvement, but still the limb was hot and achy and it hurt like the blazes\u2014a definite hindrance to his endurance and mobility.<\/p>\n

The night stretched on. Both of them were exhausted and uncomfortable, and conversation was sparse. Finally they stopped speaking altogether as they concentrated on simply moving forward beneath silent stars.<\/p>\n

Hours passed. More to take his mind off his leg than any real hunger, Adam chewed the last of the jerky Joe had handed him. He\u2019d had a couple of apples in his saddlebag as well, and although the pain of his wound kept him from wanting to eat, Joe had insisted.<\/p>\n

Dutifully swallowing the jerky down, Adam sighed and patted the dun\u2019s neck. A good horse. He\u2019d certainly helped to pull his rider out of a really sticky situation. He was\u2014<\/p>\n

Adam frowned. \u201cJoe? What happened to Cochise and Sport?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was riding directly in front of him, a few feet ahead. He didn\u2019t answer. His head bobbed slightly in time to his mount\u2019s gait, and Adam wondered if he was sleeping in the saddle.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe? Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe gave a tiny jump and turned his head, blinking his eyes as if trying to figure out where he was. \u201cYou say somethin\u2019, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u00a0had<\/em>\u00a0been asleep. The kid could sleep anywhere. With his good leg, Adam nudged his horse up to ride next to his brother. \u201cI asked you what happened to Cochise and Sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s eyes were cloudy under the moonlight, and he frowned as if trying to remember. \u201cLeft Cochise with a horse trader on th\u2019 other side of Millican. He sold me these two. Sport\u2026\u201d He frowned again. \u201cSport\u2019s still in th\u2019 livery back in town. Sheriff was watchin\u2019 too close\u2026he would\u2019ve noticed\u2026somebody would\u2019ve noticed if our horses\u2019d been saddled and waitin\u2019 outside\u2026\u201d His slurred voice drifted off and his head nodded forward again.<\/p>\n

Adam stared at him, squinting in an attempt to make out his features in the dark. Something felt wrong. He knew Joe was tired, but\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s stop. I want to take a look at that \u2018scratch\u2019 of yours.\u201d His order was ignored. He sighed at the back of Joe\u2019s drooping head. \u201cJoe\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

The bullet-torn muscle in his thigh chose that moment to seize up in a spasm that sucked Adam\u2019s breath away. An involuntary cry was ripped from his throat, and he dropped the reins to grab hold of his leg with both hands.<\/p>\n

The yelp was loud enough to rouse Joe. He jerked his head up. \u201cAdam? You okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam gritted his teeth; the pain held him in a vise. \u201cIt\u2019s the leg,\u201d he managed to grunt out. \u201cThe muscle\u2014it\u2019s cramping up or something, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe scowled. \u201cIt\u2019s the riding. It\u2019s too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam winced and tried massaging the leg on the parts where it didn\u2019t hurt to touch. \u201cI\u2019ll be all right. It\u2019ll ease up in a minute. It just needs\u2014\u201c and then another spasm, stronger than the first, tore a harsh curse from his lips, and he bent over double, rubbing one hand along the edge of the wound in a desperate attempt to ease the pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it,\u201d he heard Joe mutter, and the next thing he knew Joe was at his side. \u201cCome on, let\u2019s get you down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam hurt too badly to argue. Maybe if he could just straighten the leg for a few minutes\u2026<\/p>\n

He looked down into Joe\u2019s face, and again the notion struck him that all wasn\u2019t right. His kid brother\u2019s eyes were dull and slightly unfocused, and although Adam tried to tell himself that it was the starlight playing tricks, somehow he knew it wasn\u2019t true. Well, he was darn sure going to check the wound himself this time, no matter what Joe said. But it would have to wait for a few minutes until the pain in his leg subsided enough to allow him to think more clearly. Right now it was all he could focus on\u2026.<\/p>\n

He leaned down into Joe\u2019s upstretched arms, helping as much as he could by holding onto the horn until the last moment. He hesitated, then held his breath and let go\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026and then howled in pain as Joe crumpled beneath him and sent them both sprawling.<\/p>\n

He immediately grabbed for his leg, rocking back and forth in instinctive reaction to the pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cHellfire, Joe, if you couldn\u2019t hold me, why didn\u2019t you just say so?\u201d he hissed when he could get his breath back, but at the same time he cursed himself for having leaned too hard on his injured brother.<\/p>\n

Joe lay flopped belly down in the dirt a few feet away, his face turned away. Adam threw him a dark look and rolled his eyes. It was obvious Joe had been hurting a lot more than he had been letting on.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s leg clamored relentlessly for attention. Well, hell. It was bleeding again. No surprise there. He bit his lip and pulled at the bandage in an attempt to tighten it, but couldn\u2019t get enough leverage to do it himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe. Scrape yourself off the ground and get over here. I need you to help me with this. All our dancing around has made the bandage come loose. Let\u2019s redo it and then it\u2019s your turn. No argument out of you, either. Joe? Joe! Come on, boy, we don\u2019t have all night\u2014\u201c The words died in his throat as he realized his brother hadn\u2019t so much as moved. \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lying on his belly in the dirt, he leaned over and stretched out, ignoring the ember-hot pain rippling across his thigh. He placed the palm of his hand against Joe\u2019s back\u2014and cursed again.<\/p>\n

The back of the kid\u2019s jacket was damp. Adam pulled his hand back and held it up in front of his face. Under the dim starlight, he could make out the dark wetness covering his palm and fingers even though he hadn\u2019t been able to see it against the dark green of Joe\u2019s jacket.<\/p>\n

Terror grew in a cold lump in his gut as he ignored his shrieking thigh muscle and pulled himself up into a sitting position. He winced as he struggled to ease his brother over onto his back. His worst fears were realized as his eyes swept the length of the Joe\u2019s body, taking note of the large dark stain spreading across one side of Joe\u2019s jacket. Panting with alarm and fright and pain, Adam leaned forward and fumbled with the buttons of the coat.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou fool kid. You fool, fool kid.\u201d Apparently Joe\u2019s buttoned-up jacket had been a ploy to hide the extent of his injury. Stupid, senseless, boneheaded thing to do. \u201cNo. I\u2019m the senseless one,\u201d he muttered out loud. \u201cI should\u2019ve known\u2026\u201d He cursed again.<\/p>\n

The jacket finally came open, and Adam wasted no time with unbuttoning Joe\u2019s shirt, but instead yanked it free of his trousers and pushed it up out of the way. He saw immediately that Joe had made an earlier attempt to slow the bleeding; just as he\u2019d said, he\u2019d bandaged it, but it was a clumsy affair, a loose bandage fashioned from a piece of horse blanket wrapped around his torso. The piece of blanket was long past having any useful absorbency left; he pushed that up out of the way, too. As soon as he did, fresh blood slowly welled up, but he couldn\u2019t tell where it was coming from. He tried to recall Joe\u2019s words.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a nick\u2026barely a scratch.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Where was the entry wound?<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn it.\u201d He reached up and flung his hat from his head in an effort to gain more light. Joe\u2019s abdomen was dully shining, dark and wet. Wherever the actual wound was, the mess of blood was disguising it. Adam put out a shaking hand and smoothed it across his brother\u2019s belly as he felt for a clue, and he prayed that he would find none in the place where he first began to search. A belly wound\u2026\u00a0No, no, no\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

But his fingers skimmed along smooth skin made slick and tacky with blood, and he felt his breath come a little easier. A shot in the gut would\u2019ve almost certainly meant the end for his brother, but as Adam moved his hand along, hope began to grow that such a wound wasn\u2019t the case.<\/p>\n

He crept his hand out to Joe\u2019s right side, and the blood easing his way grew less sticky and more fluid. And then\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s it,\u201d he whispered. A hole, a bit bigger than his forefinger was round, sitting just below his brother\u2019s ribcage. He moved his hand around to Joe\u2019s back; sure enough, there was a slightly smaller hole low on his side.<\/p>\n

Well, at least Joe had been forthright about that much. If it had been an inch further to the right, it wouldn\u2019t have gotten him at all. And yet, the bleeding was heavy.<\/p>\n

He frowned. All that dark blood, covering Joe\u2019s belly, soaking into his shirt, seeping into the sand, coating his own fingers\u2026 How much blood had Joe lost? How much blood\u00a0could<\/em>\u00a0a man lose before he died? He could make some educated guesses, but he was no doctor. He really had no idea. He\u2019d seen men lying on saloon floors bleed more than he\u2019d ever thought possible and still live, and yet he\u2019d seen others pass quietly away after bleeding very little from what at first seemed to be a minor injury.<\/p>\n

Whether or not anything inside had been damaged\u2014well, that was something Adam had no way of knowing. All he could do was try to fix what he\u00a0could<\/em>\u00a0see. And that was the bleeding\u2014a lot of it.<\/p>\n

Joe groaned, and Adam pushed himself up to lean over him, watching as the green eyes fluttered and then fixed hazily on him. Adam put one hand on the wound on Joe\u2019s back and the other against the exit wound on his torso. He leaned in hard to add pressure to both.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you with me?\u201d Adam asked softly, and Joe gave a tiny nod.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m with you,\u201d he whispered, and then he grimaced. \u201cI\u2019m not kiddin\u2019 about laying off the flapjacks. You\u2019ve gained some weight since that time I lugged you away from Cochise, you know that?\u201d His words were slurred even worse than before, and his voice was fluttery and weak, and Adam\u2019s stomach pitched at hearing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s more likely that you\u2019ve lost some muscle,\u201d Adam teased, smiling to hide his fear. \u201cDarn it, Joe, what were you thinking?\u201d he asked softly. \u201cDidn\u2019t you know how bad you were bleeding? Why didn\u2019t you let me check this earlier?\u201d He wanted to shout at Joe for his foolishness; it was with effort that his voice came out low and gentle.<\/p>\n

Joe sighed and shrugged. \u201cI swear, it really didn\u2019t seem to be too bad at first. \u2018Sides, what would you have been able to do if you\u2019d known about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Not much. That was the truth. It had been all Adam could do to stay in the saddle this far, and that had only been with Joe\u2019s help. He clamped his mouth shut, furious that Joe hadn\u2019t paid attention to his own limitations for once. More than that, he was frustrated by his own limitations, and to add insult to injury, he found himself unable to come up with a good argument for his kid brother\u2019s twisted logic.<\/p>\n

He shook it all out of his head. \u201cWell, now that I do know about it, we\u2019re going to have to figure out what to do. We\u2019ve got to get the bleeding stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, that appeared to be easier said than done. The blood kept flowing despite his attempts to put pressure on the wound. He leaned hard on it, ignoring the pained grunts from his brother.<\/p>\n

His efforts appeared to do no good.<\/p>\n

His eyes roved over Joe\u2019s face as he pushed, wishing again that he could see better. The kid had been lucky to make it as far as he had. Adam wondered if he even realized how bad off he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know they\u2019ll catch up to us if we don\u2019t move,\u201d Joe murmured. \u201cMaybe we could ride out, find a place to hide, and take care of this when the sun comes up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam caught the whiff of fear that threaded through his voice. Whether it was fear of being caught, or of all the blood he was losing, Adam didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t have the time to try to find out, even if he\u2019d been inclined. He felt the blood slipping between his fingers and shook his head, the rhythm of his heart beginning to take on speed. There would be no sunup for Joe, not if they couldn\u2019t get this stopped. He abandoned the effort to apply pressure, and yanked off the coat he had donned earlier in the night, wadding it up and pushing it under the boy\u2019s back. He took Joe\u2019s hands and placed them on the entry wound.<\/p>\n

\u201cPress down hard, Joe. Just lie there and don\u2019t move.\u201d Adam struggled to get to his feet\u2014and made it, though he was unable to suppress a growl of pain as he managed to force himself upright.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not\u2026doing that\u2026leg any good.\u201d Joe\u2019s voice had grown weaker, and the sound of it made Adam whirl his head around to look at him, fear making his heart slam against his chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you pass out on me, Little Joe, you hear me? You keep your eyes open and concentrate. You stay awake, understand?\u201d Outside, it was barked as an order; inside, it was a plea. He didn\u2019t want Joe drifting off again\u2014he feared he might not get him back.<\/p>\n

Sure enough, a big-brother order seemed to work. Joe gave him a jerky nod, and Adam lurched back over to the horses. He had an idea, something he\u2019d heard from an Army doctor once\u2026. Inside Joe\u2019s saddlebag he found the knife, a leather pouch full of extra ammunition, and a packet of matches. He grabbed the items and staggered back to his brother, dropping the supplies before turning away again.<\/p>\n

He felt Joe\u2019s eyes on him as he hopped and hobbled around the surrounding area collecting pieces of dead wood, and he wondered when Joe would realize what had to happen. Adam found himself dreading the moment comprehension would come to him.<\/p>\n

It took several minutes to get a campfire going, and Joe watched in silence. He still said nothing as Adam used the knife to pry the caps off two bullets, carefully pouring the gunpowder from them into a small square of cloth ripped from his shirt. He laid the gunpowder beside Joe, and then placed the knife in the fire, situating it so that the blade was buried in the red embers.<\/p>\n

He went back to Joe then, sprawling beside him with his bad leg stretched out in front of him as he pressed hard on Joe\u2019s exit wound, his stomach threatening mutiny at the thought of what he had to do.<\/p>\n

After several minutes, the crackling sound of the campfire\u2019s flames told him the time had come. He raised his head to find Joe\u2019s eyes directly on his.<\/p>\n

He blew out a breath and forced himself to look Joe in the face. \u201cThis, um\u2026 This is\u2026\u201d He cleared his throat and straightened. \u201cI\u2019m not going to lie to you, Joe. This is gonna be rough. It\u2019s going to\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s gonna hurt like everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam stared at him and gave a slow nod. The kid was lucid enough to know exactly what was going on. \u201cYeah. Like everything.\u201d Uncomfortable holding his brother\u2019s gaze, he dropped his head, only to be struck by the sight of Joe\u2019s blood-covered fingers pressed against the wound in his side. He glanced away, and pinned his stare on the knife heating up in the fire.<\/p>\n

He wished he knew the best way to prepare them both for what was coming. Joe would want to know what he was facing. \u201cYou got an idea of what we have to do here?\u201d he said finally.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got an idea,\u201d Joe whispered. \u201cBut tell me anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so Adam delivered the facts, crisp and hard. He didn\u2019t soften them, both because he didn\u2019t know how and because Joe deserved the truth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe heat and the combustion of the gunpowder will cauterize the vessels and stop the bleeding. It still might become infected, but we\u2019ll deal with that if it happens. The bleeding is what we\u2019re up against right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe responded to his cool explanation by doing what Joe did best. He joked. \u201cMaybe\u2026maybe your leg needs the same treatment.\u201d A weak joke, but a stab at lightening the mood, all the same.<\/p>\n

Too bad it didn\u2019t quite do the trick.<\/p>\n

Adam looked up in time to catch his brother\u2019s weak grin. He forced a smile back. \u201cCould be. Tell you what; let\u2019s get you through this and then we\u2019ll see what we can do about my bum leg.\u201d<\/p>\n

His wound wasn\u2019t ready for the last-resort treatment of cauterization with gunpowder and they both knew it; it was bleeding, but slowly, not enough to kill him\u2014not yet, anyway. Still, if Adam could\u2019ve swapped places with Joe, he\u2019d have done it in a heartbeat. It would be easier to take.<\/p>\n

He honestly would\u2019ve preferred the noose to being put in this position.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s lying in the dirt bleeding to death for you. Because of you.<\/em><\/p>\n

Guilt began to build like thunderheads in his mind. Strong flames of doubt were beginning to take hold within him, and he was having trouble shaking free of them.<\/p>\n

He should\u2019ve turned back, should\u2019ve turned himself in, should\u2019ve refused to run in the first place. Running from the law\u2014how many times had he done his best to talk desperate men out of doing that? And yet he\u2019d allowed himself to fall in behind his impulsive youngest brother and done exactly what he\u2019d always preached against. And look where it had got them. A bullet in each of them and Joe bleeding to death in the desert.<\/p>\n

But at least you\u2019re alive.<\/em>\u00a0The contradictory thought insisted on prodding him, and he had to admit they\u2019d had no other choice but to run. Had they?<\/p>\n

Minutes passed along with Adam\u2019s dark thoughts, and they both waited, the only sound Joe\u2019s shallow, rapid breathing and the crackling of the fire. Adam could feel his brother watching him, but he couldn\u2019t bring himself to look back at him. He was afraid he wouldn\u2019t be able to hide his own fear, and Joe didn\u2019t need that. Not now.<\/p>\n

When it was time, Adam scooted over to the fire. He touched a finger to the knife handle where it was propped against a log. It was hot, but not untouchable, so he picked it up with a trembling hand and turned it slowly in front of his face. The blade glowed red in the darkness, like the lanterns in the windows of the lowlier brothels on D Street in Virginia City, and because of its coming purpose, to Adam it exuded an essence just as vile.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let it\u2026cool off.\u201d Joe\u2019s voice was barely audible, but he didn\u2019t drop his gaze from Adam\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

Adam had no choice\u2014he stopped thinking.<\/p>\n

He moved back over to Joe. Carefully, he held the knife with one hand while he picked up the cloth with the gunpowder in the other.<\/p>\n

\u201cMove your hands away, Joe,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n

Joe hesitated, and then did as he was told. \u201cGunpowder first, right?\u201d His voice was whispery soft with fear and weakness, and Adam had to swallow before he could answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight, gunpowder first. It\u2019s gonna sting pretty good, but we need to get it down into the wound to help seal up as many vessels as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. Okay.\u201d Joe\u2019s breath was coming hard, and perspiration shimmered across his forehead despite the night chill. For the first time, he dropped his eyes from Adam\u2019s, clenched his jaw and nodded. \u201cDo it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam didn\u2019t wait. The words had barely left Joe\u2019s lips before Adam was pouring the small mound of gunpowder into the wound. Joe\u2019s body spasmed and shuddered, but the only sound he made was a tiny strained whimper. As the sting of the powder slowly released him, he held still again and then nodded, heaving huge breaths. \u201cOkay. Okay. That wasn\u2019t so bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam wasn\u2019t sure which of them Joe was trying to convince with that lie.<\/p>\n

Even in the cold night air, sweat had popped out on Adam\u2019s forehead. Holding the red-hot knife out to one side, he wiped away the moisture trickling into his eyes with his free hand. Then he handed a small stick to Joe. \u201cBite down hard,\u201d he said, and he tried to control the tremors that were moving through his own body.<\/p>\n

He leaned close, trying but not succeeding in stilling the shaking of his hand, and he regretted his earlier decision to try to keep Joe awake. Unconsciousness for his brother would be a blessing for both of them right now. He could feel the heat radiating off the steel, and he wanted to fling the thing away from him with the same passion with which Joe had attacked the noose after cutting it away.<\/p>\n

Get on with it.<\/em><\/p>\n

He snapped the order silently to himself and took a deep breath. Leaning over his brother, he was aware that Joe was holding his breath and clenching his fists at his sides, but again Adam didn\u2019t dare look at his face. Instead, he lowered the knife blade close to the hole in Joe\u2019s side, where gunpowder mixed with blood to make a thick, dark paste. He sprinkled more dry powder on top of it.<\/p>\n

He edged the blade near Joe\u2019s skin\u2026but his hand wouldn\u2019t obey his head. Instead it hovered, trembling, scant inches over his brother\u2019s body. He gritted his teeth and struggled.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn it.\u201d Again he strained to force himself to do what he had to, his entire body now shaking. \u201cDamn<\/em>\u00a0it.\u201d Abruptly he sat back, groaning in despair, his head falling back, his face tilted up toward the stars. Damn Judge Quimby, damn whoever had really murdered that poor girl, damn the whole stinking, rotten town of Millican for putting the two of them here.<\/p>\n

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

Slowly, Adam lowered his head to look at his brother. Joe had spit the stick out of his mouth, and the fear in his face as he regarded Adam was tempered with so much trust that it made Adam\u2019s stomach jump. He had seen Joe look at him that way before. Many times over the years, in fact. That trust, that open expectancy\u2026<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s mind went back to that awful time after the shooting accident at Montpelier Gorge a couple of years before. The bullet had been lodged deep under Joe\u2019s collarbone, and all conventional wisdom said it had to come out. When he had told Joe what had to be done, Joe had nodded and never said a word. He had simply lain looking up at Adam, a wad of cloth in his mouth to bite down on, trusting his oldest brother to do what he had to do, and it was only when the knife bit into his skin that he had closed his eyes.<\/p>\n

When that surgery had been finished, Adam had walked out behind the barn and doubled over to retch again and again until he had hardly been able to stand. Nobody had ever known about that, nor had they known about the nightmares that had plagued him for months afterwards. He was a man of control even in his sleep, it seemed, for no cries from him ever awakened his family at night. Instead, when visions of his gun sending a bullet into his brother haunted his dreams, his own raspy breathing had wakened him before he could call out. When his sleep was invaded by the sight of his own hand parting his brother\u2019s flesh to remove the bullet, he had jerked himself awake each time with his jaw clenched shut, sweat-drenched sheets clutched in closed fists. Each time, he had lain there in his darkened room, awake until morning, battling against scenes from the dreams that insisted on floating through his memory. The odd thing was, for the longest time those scenes had played out in his head even during his waking hours. It was if he couldn\u2019t escape them no matter what he did. It had been a long time before those dark visions stopped tormenting him.<\/p>\n

But here he was, feeling like that again; like he was in one of those god-awful dreams, the ones that stuck with you even when you were awake.<\/p>\n

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

He met Joe\u2019s eyes. Joe held his gaze even as he reached up and grasped Adam\u2019s hand. The weakness in his grip shook Adam, but the trust in his eyes shook him more. One corner of Joe\u2019s lips slid up in a tiny almost-smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cAim true, brother,\u201d Joe said softly. \u201cThat\u2019s all you have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam swallowed hard, the knot in his throat working up and down, and he nodded. \u201cAim true,\u201d he whispered, and this time when Joe bit down on the stick, he was ready\u2014his aim was quick and steady and hard. He pressed the hot blade firmly against the wound, and when his kid brother was unable to clamp down on his screams, Adam\u2019s own howls of enraged pain mingled with them to reverberate out across the surrounding desert.<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

He awoke abruptly, wrenching himself free of the abyss of his dreams. For a few seconds he lay blinking at the early dawn sky paling above him, trying to get his bearings, and then memories of the night washed over him.<\/p>\n

Joe.<\/p>\n

Immediately he jerked his head up, comprehension and cold fear swooping in on him as he looked around for his brother, and heady relief took its place at the realization that Joe lay sleeping next to him, pale but breathing with slow, steady breaths. The sand next to him was still stained dark with the dealings of the night before.<\/p>\n

Adam let his head fall back to earth and let his eyes close.<\/p>\n

Dear God.<\/p>\n

After a few minutes he slowly shifted his cold, stiff body into a sitting position. Pain shot up and down his leg. He leaned over and rubbed absently at the mangled thigh muscle, and through the tattered, blood-stiffened fabric, heat rose up to meet the palm of his hand; the unnatural warmth caused unease to wrap itself around him. Flitting back and forth like a bird trapped in a cage, his mind once again crossed and double crossed over the limited possibilities open to the two of them, and he groaned softly; the sound came out as a muted growl of frustrated desperation.<\/p>\n

Joe stirred beside him, instantly drawing his attention. The boy\u2019s brow furrowed as he mumbled something in his sleep, but he didn\u2019t wake. As Adam watched, the lines of worry and pain in Joe\u2019s forehead smoothed out, leaving his young face looking remarkably peaceful as he slept on.<\/p>\n

The sun was a hot, thin line of fire peeking over the horizon, rapidly dissipating the night\u2019s chill, and the sight of it nagged at Adam, reminding him that they needed to move. He should hurry and rouse Joe; if they were going to have any hope of staying ahead of the posse, they had to mount and ride hard. He leaned forward, knowing he should nudge him awake.<\/p>\n

But he looked at that dark-stained sand and shuddered. It had been a night from Hell itself. Would Joe even be able to ride? It didn\u2019t matter; he\u2019d have to try. He looked at his kid brother\u2019s pale face, so surprisingly serene in sleep, and he found he couldn\u2019t deny him a few more minutes escape from a day that was bound to only go downhill.<\/p>\n

Unless Pa came.<\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s lips tightened. But Pa wasn\u2019t coming. Adam knew that, somehow, and sitting here with only himself to talk to, he saw no reason to lie about it. Something had gone wrong. Somehow their messages to Virginia City had gotten crossed, miswired, something\u2014he didn\u2019t know exactly what had happened to the frantic telegrams Joe had sent, but he knew if his father had gotten word, he\u2019d have been in Millican already, having ridden Buck into the ground if necessary to get there in time\u2014<\/p>\n

His thoughts swung abruptly toward the animals under his own care, and guilt flushed through him as he turned his gaze onto the two horses. They stood quietly, heads down, in the scraggly brush where, last night, he had haphazardly tied them just before stumbling back to where Joe lay. Then he\u2019d let his protesting leg crumple beneath him, and he\u2019d been almost instantly asleep where he fell, his last coherent act the edging of his body up against that of his brother\u2019s in an attempt at mutual warmth. He\u2019d been too exhausted and in too much pain to do more than that. Even their bedrolls had remained in place behind the saddles.<\/p>\n

The comfort of the horses had suffered as much as that of Joe and himself. He\u2019d managed to slip the bits from the poor creatures\u2019 mouths, rebuckling the bridles to serve as halters, but that had been it. The animals had remained under saddle all night, cinches tight, blankets stiff and sodden and cold with the perspiration of their efforts. No water, no feed.<\/p>\n

A curse passed through Adam\u2019s own dry lips, and he struggled to his feet. He couldn\u2019t do much now about the uncomfortable night the horses had passed, but they had to have water at the very least. Without it, they\u2019d soon be worthless as a means of escape.<\/p>\n

More unease drifted through him at the light weight of the canteen he picked up, but he pushed it aside and bent stiffly to gather his hat off the ground. Joe had packed four canteens; hopefully the other three still held more water than this one did. He\u2019d have to check into that later, although he had no idea what he could do about it anyway.<\/p>\n

He poured a little into his hat and held it out to the horses; they immediately raised their heads and let out gentle snorts as they stretched their necks toward the offering.<\/p>\n

\u201cEasy, fellas,\u201d Adam murmured, holding tight to the hat so their enthusiastic snuffling at the bottom of it and their shoving at each other didn\u2019t knock it right out of his hands. \u201cI\u2019ll give you more later,\u201d he promised.<\/p>\n

He looked back at Joe; the kid still slept. Again the anxious voice inside him told him to get the boy up and moving so they could be off, but he shook his head and put it off once more. Let him sleep. It could well be the last chance at rest they\u2019d get all day, and besides, the horses needed at least a little something in their bellies after having worked so hard, especially since they\u2019d be asked to do it all again today.<\/p>\n

Adam took the coil of rope looped around one of the saddle horns and cut a couple of short lengths from it; he looped a piece around the pasterns of each horse\u2019s front legs, effectively hobbling them and preventing them from running away while still allowing them movement to graze a bit.<\/p>\n

Not that there was much to graze on here. Dry, sparse grass next to the shallow rock outcropping where they\u2019d landed last night; nothing but sand in the direction they\u2019d been heading. Adam gave the animals a slap on their haunches to send them hunting for their meager breakfast; then he stood quiet, studying the landscape with grim thoughtfulness and wondered if they should change course.<\/p>\n

A muffled whimper came from Joe\u2019s direction, and Adam hurried over as best his injured leg would allow, only to find the kid in the midst of an uneasy dream.<\/p>\n

No surprise there, what with all that had happened.<\/p>\n

Adam eased himself to the ground, being careful not to strain his leg. He sat next to his brother and watched him just as he had done so often in the warm, protected darkness of the bedrooms of the Ponderosa. Adam couldn\u2019t count the times he had sat on the edge of Joe\u2019s bed and watched him war with enemies invisible to the rest of them. It seemed the youngest Cartwright sought trouble even in his sleep.<\/p>\n

But this morning the shadowy threats that sometimes peopled Joe\u2019s sleeping moments were merciful; they retreated quickly and allowed him to ease once more into tranquil, quiet rest.<\/p>\n

He looked young lying there. Adam regarded him thoughtfully. That run from Millican had been a desperate plan, even for Joe, and it was one he, Adam, definitely would\u2019ve rejected. If he\u2019d been consulted at all, that is. Being a fugitive from the law was a position he\u2019d been in before. He didn\u2019t like it. And he\u2019d have sworn he\u2019d never let himself be pushed into it again, regardless of the circumstances.<\/p>\n

But here he was. Here they both were, in sorry shape with no help in sight, two tired horses, and a posse on their heels. Looking out to the horizon, he saw no answers.<\/p>\n

He grimaced and shook his head.<\/p>\n

Dark brown curls licked at the collar of Joe\u2019s shirt, and the sight of them made Adam feel guilty all over again as portions of Pa\u2019s instructions came back to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll have some time to kill once you\u2019re in San Francisco; all you should have to do is have Robert Fanning sign the papers, but the man is a stickler. He always likes to go over those contracts with a fine-toothed comb before he signs, so you might as well resign yourself to waiting. And while you wait, you get yourself a haircut, Joseph. When you get back, I want to see the son I raised, not some\u2014\u201c<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2014some riverboat gambler,\u201d Joe broke in, rolling his eyes. \u201cI know, Pa, I know. But it hasn\u2019t even been that long since I got it cut\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA haircut, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t it wait until I get back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it can not. If that hair of yours covers any more of your face, I won\u2019t be able to recognize you. A haircut, as soon as you get to town. Adam, you see to it, you hear?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam had grinned and promised over Joe\u2019s moping complaints and Hoss\u2019s cheerful guffaws. And so they had parted ways, he and Joe headed one direction, Hoss and Pa in another.<\/p>\n

Once in San Francisco, though, Joe had found a hundred reasons to put off visiting a barber. He had been having too fine a time seeing the sights, and truth be told, so had Adam. Once the business with the contract was taken care of, they had celebrated by spending their last night in town in one of the most finely appointed saloons Adam had ever seen. They\u2019d both had too much to drink, and the next morning they\u2019d started for home more than a little worse for the wear.<\/p>\n

Head pounding, mouth full of cotton, Adam had been licking his wounds and riding along behind Joe when he\u2019d looked up and caught sight of those wisps of dark hair waving back at him from beneath Joe\u2019s hat.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn it, Joe!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cW-what? Look, I already told you I was sorry for telling that saloon girl you were married\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, not\u2014it\u2019s your hair, damn it! Look, I promised Pa you\u2019d get it cut, and that was two weeks ago. If he thought you looked like a riverboat gambler then\u2014Lord, do you know what he\u2019s going to say? Why couldn\u2019t you have just gotten it done the first three times I said something about it?\u201d He\u2019d thrown up a hand to fend off Joe\u2019s excuses. \u201cNo, forget it\u2014I don\u2019t want to hear it. We\u2019ll make a stop in the town over the next pass and find a barber there. It\u2019s not even that far out of the way, and it\u2019ll be worth it if it keeps me out of hot water over your blasted hair.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next town over\u2019s Millican, ain\u2019t it? Millican ain\u2019t even got a decent saloon, much less a barber. Come on, Adam, be reasonable\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll get it cut as soon as we reach Virginia City.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I\u2019m not inclined to duck those long looks I\u2019m bound to get from Pa if he gets a glimpse of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m telling you, as soon as we reach Virginia City\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Pete\u2019s sakes, it\u2019s just hair!\u201d Joe had shouted.<\/p>\n

And then Adam had shouted back, his growing irritation making him ignore his drinking-induced headache. \u201cThen why are you always so all-fired stubborn about getting it cut? You\u2019d think you were holding onto it for a reason, like you believe it gives you some sort of strength or power or something. Just stop being such a kid about it, will you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Tired and hung-over, he\u2019d yelled that last part louder and rougher than he\u2019d intended, and had instantly regretted his loss of temper at the sight of the hurt look his brother shot him.<\/p>\n

But there had been no more arguments about the haircut as they\u2019d swerved slightly left of their course so as to encounter Millican, and Adam had held out a peace offering as they rode into town late in the afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, how about a beer first? I\u2019ll buy. Then you can get that mop of yours cut back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe had grinned. \u201cHair of the dog that bit us? Big brother, that\u2019s the best idea you\u2019ve had all day.\u201d He\u2019d cheerfully given his promise that he\u2019d see the barber immediately afterwards, and Adam had felt better about the entire incident.<\/p>\n

But they\u2019d never made it out of the saloon. The sheriff had walked in, sat down at their table and started asking questions about a girl neither of them had ever laid eyes on. The next thing they knew, Adam had been behind bars. A hurried trial, the word of two witnesses, and his hanging was scheduled. It had all been done with dizzying speed.<\/p>\n

For the hundredth time, he wondered at the reasons behind the hurry of it all. Was it just because the judge fancied himself such a staunch pillar of justice that he saw no reason to delay its completion?<\/p>\n

Or was it something else?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re thinkin\u2019 awful hard for this early in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s voice, thick and rusty, jolted him out of his thoughts. Green eyes, weary and hazed with pain, blinked at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorning, nothin\u2019,\u201d Adam murmured, pressing the back of his hand against Joe\u2019s forehead. A little warm. The fact that the kid was still here was proof, though, that the cauterization had done its job as far as the bleeding went. \u201cIt\u2019s halfway to noon.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t, but it was what he always greeted his youngest brother with as he stumbled down the stairs each morning, boots in hand, shirttails out, and face bleary with sleep.\u00a0\u201c\u2019bout time you got yourself up. It\u2019s halfway to noon.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>It usually got him at least a glare and sometimes a boot thrown at his head, but not this morning.<\/p>\n

Joe eyed the sun as it began its climb into the sky and said reproachfully, \u201cWe should\u2019ve been on the move by now. Why didn\u2019t you wake me?\u201d He struggled to sit up.<\/p>\n

Adam put a hand against his chest to hold him in place. \u201cI didn\u2019t wake you because you used half your blood last night to water cactus. Now hold on. Let\u2019s make sure you\u2019re up to riding. A few minutes one way or another isn\u2019t going to make that much difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I\u2019m up to riding,\u201d Joe snapped. \u201cIt\u2019s hanging I think I\u2019d have trouble with.\u201d He pushed Adam\u2019s restraining hand aside and struggled into a sitting position. Adam noticed he didn\u2019t reject the help he offered to get him to his feet, however. Nor did he fail to notice the sheen of perspiration that appeared on Joe\u2019s pale forehead. Joe, none too solid on his feet, didn\u2019t shake off Adam\u2019s steadying hand on his shoulder, either.<\/p>\n

\u201cHurting?\u201d Adam asked, expecting a dark look for asking something so ridiculous.<\/p>\n

But Joe\u2019s husky reply was simple and direct. \u201cLike all get-out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam found himself wishing he\u2019d gotten the boy\u2019s standard, \u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d to his question. No such luck on this weary morning. \u201cI need to check your wounds,\u201d he said, but Joe was having none of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe posse\u2019s bound to be climbing up our backs,\u201d Joe said. \u201cWe\u2019ve gotta get out of here. Where\u2019re the horses?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHobbled and grazing on what little grass there is on the other side of those rocks. We\u2019ll go get them just as soon as we check out your side. Pull your shirt up, and don\u2019t make me ask again.\u201d<\/p>\n

His tone must\u2019ve been hard enough. Although Joe\u2019s jaw clenched and he thrust out his chin in obstinate rebellion, he ceased arguing and jerked his shirttail up. He stood still, gaze moving along the horizon, while Adam inspected him.<\/p>\n

Despite telling himself he was prepared, Adam\u2019s own body jerked when he caught sight of the entry wound. Red, angry, puckered flesh glared back at him from Joe\u2019s side, the outline of a knife blade standing out in stark detail over it all. The exit wound was a copy of it. His stomach lurched\u2014not at the sight of the wound, for he\u2019d seen his share of ugly injuries and he\u2019d known this would be one\u2014but at the knowledge that it was his hand that had done this. He watched the involuntary quivers and twinges of Joe\u2019s muscles as they reacted to the pain of it all, and he suddenly wished for nothing more than to be able to wade into a saloon brawl at that very moment, to be able to swing and hit with his fists and take out his fury on whatever drunken miner or cowboy might offer him a reason.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t do it, so don\u2019t go kicking yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Startled, Adam looked up, surprised at the quiet empathy he heard in his brother\u2019s voice. It shook him; he was used to Hoss knowing exactly what he was thinking, but having Joe read his mind was something that didn\u2019t happen so often. Joe was still studying the horizon, ostensibly watching for the posse.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Joe.\u201d It was all he could think of to say.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s gaze met him head on. \u201cFor saving me? Too late for second thoughts, brother.\u201d He flashed a grin at Adam, a smile wide and open despite the sickly color of his skin. Adam found himself giving a slow smile back. Sometimes the effect his kid brother had on him confounded him. How could that same grin be an irritant one day and a gift another?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cauterization worked, at least,\u201d Adam offered. \u201cThat\u2019s the main thing. Those bullet holes are sealed shut tight as a banker\u2019s pockets. No sign of bleeding.\u201d Not on the outside anyway. If there was any on the inside\u2026<\/p>\n

Adam refused to think about it. There was nothing they\u2019d be able to do in such a case. He looked up and caught Joe frowning off into the distance.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you hear that?\u201d Joe whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d But as soon as he said it, he\u00a0did<\/em>\u00a0hear it. A sound like rolling thunder, very faint. His eyes met Joe\u2019s, and then, alarm overriding pain, they both scrambled for the horses.<\/p>\n

The posse was coming.<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

Looking back, Joe felt like they\u2019d made a pretty good go of it. He and Adam had managed to catch the horses and, after a couple of awkward tries, got each other mounted, though he\u2019d wondered for a moment if Adam might pass out from the pain his leg was giving him.<\/p>\n

And they rode. Despite the sickening dizziness whirling around in his head and the blood he saw oozing from beneath the bandana tied around Adam\u2019s thigh, they rode. They rode like nobody\u2019s business, lying low over their horses\u2019 necks, flying hell bent for leather across desert terrain and then into low foothills stubbled with scrub oak. They rode like there was no tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Only it quickly became apparent that there really was no tomorrow.<\/p>\n

The speed at which the posse moved made one thing clear: apparently they had taken so long to catch up because they had stopped somewhere to acquire fresh horses, and it had been a smart move on their part. It wasn\u2019t long before they were close behind and firing shots that weren\u2019t far off the mark.<\/p>\n

Wincing as his horse\u2019s mane slapped at his face, Joe shot a questioning look over at Adam. Adam shook his head. He didn\u2019t need to explain his thoughts; Joe knew. They had no choice but to keep going. If a bullet found their backs, so be it. It was either that or be strung up from one of the scrub oaks they were flying past.<\/p>\n

The scenery had been going blurry on Joe since the beginning, and when it worsened he knew it wasn\u2019t just from the speed they were traveling. He was having a tough time telling up from down, and although he clamped hard onto the saddle horn with one hand, he wasn\u2019t surprised when he found himself sailing through the air to land hard in the dirt.<\/p>\n

Wildly, he looked around for Adam, and found him. Adam was looking back, hauling on his horse\u2019s bit to stop.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo!\u201d Joe put everything he had into screaming that word, and knew all the while that it wouldn\u2019t do him a bit of good.<\/p>\n

Sure enough, Adam was already wheeling the horse back around and galloping back toward him. He skidded the horse to a stop and piled off. His leg didn\u2019t hold up under the strain. Down he went, his face contorting with pain, but then he was up again. On one good leg he hopped and lurched toward Joe, grabbing him by the arm just as Joe clambered to his feet.<\/p>\n

Leaning on one another, they headed in the direction of a small cluster of boulders. Reaching the scant shelter, they threw themselves to the ground and began to return fire.<\/p>\n

Joe knew in his heart it was useless. There were too many men in the posse, and this small scattering of rocks was too slight a refuge. Yet it was still a shock when a warning shot kicked up sand, and a cold voice came from behind them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s over, boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

Even from a distance, Millican was an ugly little town, Adam thought as they topped a low rise and watched the outline of the community\u2019s ramshackle buildings shimmer into view off in the distance, dancing like across a sun-heated horizon like ghosts.<\/p>\n

He shifted his weight in the saddle yet again. It didn\u2019t seem right that a man riding to his death should be so physically miserable, he thought ruefully. His leg felt as though someone was pounding an iron spike into it, and he was, by turns, either freezing or sweating profusely. Fever had him in a sure grip, not that it mattered. Sheriff Colvin had already told him that as soon as they reached Millican, the hanging would take place as planned.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s fate was less certain.<\/p>\n

Or maybe not. \u201cHe\u2019ll get a trial, same as you did,\u201d Sheriff Colvin shrugged.<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s failure to respond to that remark was a good sign of how peaked he felt. Adam narrowed his eyes on the kid as they rode. Pale as desert sand, he sat hunched dejectedly on his horse, hands tied, as Adam\u2019s were, to the saddle horn in front of him. A fine pair they were. Both of them together weren\u2019t fit to fight off a good-sized kitten.<\/p>\n

Adam nudged his horse closer. \u201cHang on, boy,\u201d he told Joe quietly. \u201cIt\u2019ll all work out. We\u2019ll get out of this yet, you\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe rewarded his lie by mustering up a half-smile. \u201cSure we will.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was as if they had shifted places from those few days Adam had been locked up in Millican. Now Joe had given up, and the hopelessness written across his face tore at Adam\u2019s gut. He found himself offering comfort that he didn\u2019t dare truly hope for.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa will come,\u201d he said. \u201cThose messages have to have reached him by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why isn\u2019t he here?\u201d Joe\u2019s tone was wretched. His eyes pleaded with Adam to give him a reason, and Adam was at a loss to come up with one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he admitted softly.<\/p>\n

Joe turned his face away then, and Adam was struck again by the sight of dark chestnut hair lapping at Joe\u2019s collar. The curls seemed to wave accusingly at him.\u00a0Your fault, your fault, your fault.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry I harangued you over getting your hair cut,\u201d Adam blurted.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u201d Startled Joe looked back at him, confusion fluttering across his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour hair. If I hadn\u2019t insisting on stopping so you could get your hair cut, none of this would\u2019ve happened. We\u2019d never have been in Millican.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe stared incredulously at him. Then he started to chuckle but immediately broke it off, wincing. \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t have been in Millican if I\u2019d gotten it cut back in San Francisco like I was supposed to, either,\u201d he said. He shook his head. \u201cYou\u2019re amazing, you know that? You\u2019ll grab onto the flimsiest excuse to be able to pin the blame on yourself. It\u2019s like it\u2019s a matter of pride with you or something. Why do you do that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t do that,\u201d Adam snapped. He managed to hold up under Joe\u2019s steady gaze for a full five seconds before he sighed. Somehow it just didn\u2019t seem like a time for false fronts and denials. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I guess I just like for everything to have a reason behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe nodded, looking thoughtful. \u201cA reason.\u201d He glanced cautiously at the men riding ahead and behind them, his gaze lingering on the judge. \u201cAdam, the way Quimby was in such an all-fired hurry to have your hanging over and done with\u2026he\u2019s protecting someone, isn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA logical conclusion, I\u2019d say,\u201d Adam said grimly. \u201cEither that, or he committed the murder himself.\u201d He shifted in the saddle, trying again without success to ease the pain in his leg, and he turned his face away to look straight ahead. \u201cJoe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they\u2026when they do the hanging, it\u2019d be best for both of us if you aren\u2019t around. They\u2019ll most likely have you in a cell by then anyway. Just stay away from the window, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

Several beats of silence followed before Adam had the guts to look over at his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you hear me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe didn\u2019t take his eyes off his horse\u2019s ears. \u201cI heard you.\u201d His voice was flat, and Adam couldn\u2019t hear anything in it to indicate what his true intentions were.<\/p>\n

He started to insist that Joe do what he asked, but in the end, he didn\u2019t have the heart. The moisture that he caught shining in Joe\u2019s green eyes didn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n

Ah, hell. How had it come to this?<\/p>\n

He felt icy cold inside, and he knew it had nothing to do with the fever raging within him.<\/p>\n

They drew closer; townspeople could be seen gathering in the middle of the town\u2019s main thoroughfare, near the stark skeleton of the gallows. Shouts and insults drifted toward them, growing louder as they approached.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019d you expect?\u201d Sheriff Colvin shrugged. \u201cNot only did you kill one of their own, you cheated them out of a day\u2019s entertainment.\u201d He had the good grace to look slightly ashamed. But then he frowned pointedly at Joe. \u201cThe fact that you actually shot some of them while you were hightailin\u2019 it out of here ain\u2019t helpin\u2019 their tempers none. You can blame yourself for that one.\u201d<\/p>\n

As they rode into town, Millican\u2019s disgruntled inhabitants surged toward them. Alarm prickled at the back of Adam\u2019s neck, not for himself, as his fate was surely sealed, but for his brother.<\/p>\n

\u201cHang \u2018em both side by side!\u201d a man shouted, and loud agreement rose up. Within seconds the mob had engulfed the horses despite Sheriff Colvin\u2019s shouts to stay back. The noise and the crowding had the horses whinnying in fear.<\/p>\n

Struggling to control his nervous horse without the aid of his hands, Adam looked back at Joe. Joe\u2019s horse was skittering around in circles, hampering the horde\u2019s attempts to reach up and drag him out of the saddle.<\/p>\n

\u201cSheriff! You\u2019ve got to get him into a cell!\u201d Adam shouted at Colvin, even as someone grabbed his wrist. Manhandled down from his horse, his throat seized up from the pain in his leg, now made more intense by the rough treatment.<\/p>\n

Colvin, looking shaken, was shouting and firing his gun into the air, but it was having no effect on the frenzied throng. A few of the posse members tried to regain some control, but most were intent only on getting out of the way before they were unseated. Jerked loose from the saddle, Adam found himself hoisted into the air and moved along over the heads of the crowd like a floating log hurtling down a raging river. He heard Joe scream his name once, twice, and though he twisted his body around in his captors\u2019 hands, he couldn\u2019t find him.<\/p>\n

But he found Judge Quimby. The judge had managed to get his own mount out of the midst of the roiling pack, and he now sat stiffly, watching everything with a peculiar, frozen expression.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuimby!\u201d Adam screamed. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to stop it. My brother is guilty of helping a prisoner escape, and maybe some assault charges, but he\u2019s killed no one.\u201d Adam strained to make his voice heard. \u201cYou can\u2019t let them hang him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judge Quimby looked at him, but didn\u2019t move. He remained sitting on his horse, seemingly aloof from the goings on. His stiff face, though, looked oddly sorrowful. As Adam was carried past him, he mouthed a silent \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d leaving Adam to twist his head around to stare at him. The judge looked away.<\/p>\n

The mob poured down the street, and Adam was taken with them. The judge was no longer within view. Again Adam fought to locate Joe\u2019s whereabouts, but the crowd was too thick. He shouted his brother\u2019s name, but his voice was swallowed by the deafening noise.<\/p>\n

Ahead of him, the gallows loomed, a new rope hanging from its crossbeam. Someone carried a ladder up, and a second rope was added beside the first. He was propelled, stumbling, up the steps, and a noose was dropped around his neck, the rough hemp grinding against the still-tender bruises on his throat from his earlier meeting with Millican\u2019s hangman.<\/p>\n

No official hangman, now, though. He saw Sheriff Colvin several yards away, now on foot and shouting, but with his gun nowhere in sight. Everything was happening in a rush, and Adam couldn\u2019t help thinking it was almost less painful this way. Get it over with. Still he had to know what had happened to Joe\u2026.<\/p>\n

As if his thoughts had conjured him up, Joe appeared next to him, limp and lifeless and held up by a couple of jeering cowhands. He was breathing but unconscious, apparently having fought his way into oblivion.<\/p>\n

Thank God he wasn\u2019t awake. Hopefully he\u2019d never feel a thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut the rope around his neck. Open the trapdoor and we\u2019ll just push him off,\u201d one of the men ordered another.<\/p>\n

Adam turned his face away, frustration and grief and bitter hate closing off his throat as effectively as the noose would soon do. He closed his eyes. A roaring sounded in his head; he prayed to God it would muffle the sound of his brother\u2019s neck snapping.<\/p>\n

Amid the raucous din, a loud pop suddenly rent the air, and Adam\u2019s heart and body spasmed.<\/p>\n

Then he realized that what he\u2019d heard had been a nearby gunshot. More raucous celebrating from the mob, he thought bleakly. Why couldn\u2019t they just get it over with?<\/p>\n

\u201cJust end it,\u201d he whispered the plea to anyone who might hear, God or man.<\/p>\n

But another shot came, and another. He realized suddenly that the loud shouts from the crowd had died down.<\/p>\n

\u201cCut them down.\u201d<\/p>\n

The deep, booming voice made his breath catch. The rhythm of his heart stumbled, hesitated, and then moved into a wild gallop. He opened his eyes.<\/p>\n

There, in front of the gallows, was his father. He sat tall and stiff on Buck\u2019s back, eyes dark and flashing, brows lowered in anger. Even from here on the gallows he looked tall as a church steeple, chest heaving, shoulders back and spread wide like the wings of an avenging angel. He held his gun, level and steady, aimed at the men on the gallows with his sons. He looked as though he could spout fire if he so chose.<\/p>\n

And he wasn\u2019t alone. Hoss flanked him on one side, gun aimed, finger on the trigger, with no sign of the gentle nature that normally made up his disposition. His face was hard, angry, brittle-looking.<\/p>\n

Roy Coffee was on Pa\u2019s other side, his gun also at the ready. Behind them sat a host of grim-faced Ponderosa ranch hands, all armed. Roy gave a curt nod to the men holding Joe. \u201cI\u2019d do as he says, boys. If somebody was to slip and accidentally hang these two, I can promise you that several of you will find yourselves slapped with murder charges\u2014that is, if the men I brought with me don\u2019t get trigger-happy and shoot you first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angry murmurings stirred through the crowd. \u201cIt ain\u2019t murder to hang a convicted killer, Sheriff,\u201d someone shouted. Adam recognized the man as one of the witnesses who\u2019d sworn he\u2019d seen Adam shoot the girl. \u201cThis one killed an innocent girl in cold blood. The other one here ain\u2019t no better; shot up the town and helped his killer brother escape.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStop, Mr. Everly. Just stop.\u201d A woman\u2019s voice, weary but firm rang out. Mrs. Quimby stood at the front of the crowd. She looked up at her husband. \u201cIt\u2019s gone too far, Harold. No more lies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJessica, what are you doing?\u201d For the first time since they\u2019d been overrun by the townspeople of Millican, the judge sprang to life. He hurriedly dismounted and moved to catch his wife by the arm. He looked around, the color leaving his face. \u201cShe\u2019s upset by all the brutality. She doesn\u2019t know what she\u2019s saying.\u201d He caught sight of someone. \u201cMr. Jansen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jansen stepped forward. Adam stared at him. He had been the other witness in the sham of a trial Quimby had presided over. \u201cShall I escort your wife down to Doc\u2019s office, Judge?\u201d Jensen asked helpfully. \u201cMaybe he can give her something to settle her nerves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The judge nodded hurriedly. \u201cThank you, Mr. Jansen. I\u2019d appreciate it.\u201d He started to usher his wife toward the man.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Quimby jerked her arm from her husband\u2019s hold. \u201cNo! It\u2019s over, Harold, can\u2019t you see that? When you took off after these boys, I decided I just couldn\u2019t live with it. I knew you had made sure those messages never got to Virginia City, so I sent one of my own. That\u2019s why Mr. Cartwright and the sheriff are here.\u201d She looked up at Adam, and her voice grew faint. \u201cI am so\u2026very sorry. I knew it was wrong, but Harold convinced me\u2026\u201d Her face crumpled, and she covered her eyes with her gloved hands.<\/p>\n

Quimby looked as though he might argue. Then he looked at the anxious faces of his two chief witnesses\u2014and suddenly it was as if something broke inside him. He visibly sagged, hanging his head and drawing his wife into an embrace. \u201cIt\u2019s all right,\u201d he said softly against her hair. \u201cThis is all my fault, not yours.\u201d<\/p>\n

More murmurings and whispers from the crowd, but now all eyes were on the judge and his wife.<\/p>\n

Only then did Pa look at Adam. The fire was gone from his eyes, replaced with relief and fear and uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you all right, son?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he would be.<\/p>\n

He looked at Judge Quimby. \u201cYou killed her, then?\u201d he asked quietly. \u201cYou killed Amy Holder, and paid off the witnesses?\u201d<\/p>\n

The judge nodded, his eyes glazed as if he didn\u2019t quite know where he was. \u201cJansen and Everly owed me\u2026a great deal of money. I told them I\u2019d forgive the debt if they would\u2026. Yes. I killed her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mrs. Quimby raised a hand and turned his face so that she could look into his eyes. \u201cHarold. The truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJessica\u2026\u201d A tear ran down his cheek as she shook her head.<\/p>\n

Quimby stared at her, then turned slowly and stared out over the crowd, resignation dulling his eyes. \u201cMiss Holder and I had\u2026inappropriate dealings with one another,\u201d he said hoarsely. \u201cShe threatened blackmail\u2026said she\u2019d tell everyone\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I couldn\u2019t let her do that to my husband.\u201d Mrs. Quimby\u2019s tears were now flowing freely. She looked up at Adam. \u201cShe said she was going to spread the news all over town unless he gave her money, more money than he was able to get. But Harold didn\u2019t kill Amy,\u201d she said, her voice soft. \u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

He felt as though he was waking up from a long nightmare. Someone was lifting the noose from his head, and then suddenly Hoss was up on the gallows beside him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou all right?\u201d Hoss asked him, even as he reached for Joe.<\/p>\n

He nodded, watching as Hoss shoved at the two dumbfounded men still holding onto Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI oughta snap you two in half,\u201d Hoss growled at them, taking Joe\u2019s dead weight in his arms. \u201cI might still do it, come to think of it.\u201d The men blinked and backed away.<\/p>\n

Pa hurried up the gallows steps. He grabbed Adam by the arm, and Adam was glad of it, because his knees felt like butter. He wanted to hang onto him for dear life, but there was Joe, still silent and unresponsive, to think about. Along with his father, Adam peered over Hoss\u2019s shoulder as the subdued townsfolk of Millican began to drift away.<\/p>\n

\u201cOut cold,\u201d Hoss said gruffly, \u201cbut he seems to be okay. Must\u2019ve taken a good hit to the noggin\u2019.\u201d He laid one thick finger gently against a bruise beginning to darken along the boy\u2019s jawline.<\/p>\n

A blow to the head might be what kept Joe dead to the world at the moment, but it wasn\u2019t what had brought him to this condition. \u201cYou haven\u2019t looked him over good enough yet,\u201d Adam said grimly, watching Pa take Joe from Hoss. \u201cHe\u2019s\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0okay.\u201d He sounded petulant and younger than his age, even to his own ears. He thought of that hellish night out on the desert, and he shivered. Over the top of Joe\u2019s head, Pa looked sharply at him, and he knew his father saw things in his eyes that others might miss.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatch over your brother, Adam.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

He wondered suddenly if his father had put too much faith in him. He looked at his kid brother cradled in Pa\u2019s arms, at the too-long curls, damp with sweat, framing a paper-white face, and at the limp body that he, Adam, had done a terrible thing to, and he felt a nagging sense of failure. He\u2019d done what he had to, and he knew nobody, not Pa, not Joe, would ever blame him for what had gone wrong.<\/p>\n

But he couldn\u2019t help blaming himself. Somewhere, somehow, he should\u2019ve been able to figure out how to turn the tide of things before they had gone so wrong. Both his and Joe\u2019s lives had come within a whisker\u2019s breadth of ending because he hadn\u2019t been able to figure out what to do to get them out of it. For the rest of his life, Joe\u2019s body would bear the marks of his oldest brother\u2019s failure.<\/p>\n

He knew feeling this way was ridiculous. Knew it. But he couldn\u2019t stop it.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll grab onto the flimsiest excuse to be able to pin the blame on yourself. It\u2019s like it\u2019s a matter of pride with you or something. Why do you do that?<\/em><\/p>\n

His head throbbed. He put a hand to his brow. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa,\u201d he heard himself say. \u201cI couldn\u2019t keep him safe. I couldn\u2019t keep us safe.\u201d\u00a0I failed you.\u00a0<\/em>The proof of his father\u2019s misplaced confidence was hidden beneath the youngest Cartwright\u2019s shirt in patches of marred flesh. That would come to light soon enough. Adam could visualize the pain in Pa\u2019s face when he laid eyes on it, the slight wince he\u2019d give and then try to hide, the tightening of his jawline.<\/p>\n

The hurt look he\u2019d give Adam when he inevitably asked,\u00a0\u201cHow did this happen?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I failed you, Pa. Failed Joe. Failed myself.<\/p>\n

Adam swayed. Something was wrong with him. Pa was saying something, reaching for him with one hand while holding onto Joe with the other. He couldn\u2019t hear his father\u2019s voice over the drum banging in his head, but he could still see him\u2014that kind, strong face that had been at the center of his world all his life. The face of someone he relied on; the face of someone that relied on\u00a0him.<\/em>\u00a0He saw his name form on Pa\u2019s lips even as he faded back into a silvery haze\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u2026and the last thing he knew was the firm cushion of Hoss\u2019s big arms as they caught him.<\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

Because of Adam\u2019s condition, they were forced to stay in Millican, and the wait seemed interminable. Joe wanted out. He knew it was one town he\u2019d never ride into again, not for love or money.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if your younger son was fit enough to ride,\u201d the town\u2019s doctor told Ben, sliding a stern look at Joe that left no question as to his thoughts on the idea, \u201cyour oldest boy is in absolutely no condition to travel, not even in the back of a wagon. You\u2019ll likely kill him if you try it.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the looks of Adam\u2019s leg, Joe knew the doctor told the truth. It was swollen and streaked with a myriad of colors, and even after surgery the poison of the wound had spread to make Adam desperately ill. He regained consciousness off and on, but most of the time he remained in a deep, unnatural sleep. It was what he needed to heal, Hoss said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Cartwright\u2026\u201d the doctor said hesitantly, \u201cI need to inform you\u2026there is a chance we might have to remove the limb\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAmputation?\u201d Pa asked hoarsely, shock spreading through his features.<\/p>\n

Joe felt the blood drain from his face. He didn\u2019t even realize that he had moved, but suddenly he found himself slamming the stunned doctor into the wall, the man\u2019s collar clutched tightly in his fist.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou fix it, you hear me?\u201d he gritted out.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, stop!\u201d<\/p>\n

His fury blinding, Joe shook his father\u2019s hands off and continued to shout into the doctor\u2019s red, flustered face. \u201cYou fix this. This dung heap you call a town has taken all it\u2019s gonna take from my brother and me. I\u2019ll be damned if you\u2019re going to take his leg, too. Do you hear me?\u201d Hoss and Pa shouted at him, but he ignored them. He continued to shove the gasping doctor hard into the wall until his father wrenched him away.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph! That is\u00a0enough!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Ben gripped Joe hard by the shoulders, scowling into his face until he was certain he could trust him enough to release him.<\/p>\n

Joe stood, chest heaving, while Pa lifted his hands in apology to the doctor.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease excuse my son\u2019s behavior,\u201d he said, shooting another hard look at Joe. \u201cI\u2019m afraid he\u2019s\u2026not quite himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fright left the doctor\u2019s eyes to be replaced by reproach. He straightened, one hand rubbing his throat, and nodded curtly. \u201cAs you say, Mr. Cartwright, he\u2019s had a difficult time of it. I\u2019m willing to excuse his actions.\u201d He moved toward the door, keeping a wary eye on Joe. \u201cI\u2019ll do what I can, but I can\u2019t make any promises I can\u2019t keep,\u201d said coolly. With that, he departed.<\/p>\n

Silence reigned in the small hotel room where they had taken shelter since the doctor had deemed Adam well enough to be moved from his offices. Joe felt Pa\u2019s and Hoss\u2019s eyes on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he mumbled finally. \u201cIt\u2019s just\u2026if Adam loses his leg, it\u2019s because of me. Because I was the one that made us run. If I hadn\u2019t done that\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you hadn\u2019t done that, I\u2019d be dead right now.\u201d Adam\u2019s low, hoarse voice had all their heads whipping around. He shook his head and gave a weak chuckle. \u201cI swear, Joe, you\u2019ll grasp at any excuse to be able to pin the blame on yourself. Why? Is it a matter of pride with you or something?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe\u2019s mouth opened, but no sound came out. Instead, it was Pa\u2019s voice that offered an answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a matter of pride, son,\u201d he said, smiling and dropping a gentle hand onto the back of Adam\u2019s head. \u201cIt\u2019s a matter of love and responsibility for one another. It\u2019s natural for us to want to shoulder each other\u2019s troubles. But I don\u2019t have to explain that to you, do I?\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe watched something move through Adam\u2019s eyes. He was watching Pa with something like gratitude, Joe thought, or maybe relief, but there was a definite shift in his bearing\u2014an intangible lightening of both mood and body that somehow took some of the pressure off Joe\u2019s own chest. Then he turned his eyes on Joe, and in their amber depths Joe saw a myriad of things that he was unable to categorize. A resigned sorrow, perhaps\u2014no, it was more like a fierce regret. But the guilt\u2026the guilt was gone.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d seen it in Adam\u2019s face, that guilt, the morning he\u2019d woken up after almost bleeding to death. He\u2019d seen it and hadn\u2019t known how to take it away. Hadn\u2019t known what to say to make it right. He\u2019d been trembling from the pain in his side; had he been alone, he might\u2019ve fallen back onto the sand and let the posse come to take him. It had been that bad.<\/p>\n

But he\u2019d hidden the pain. Had never tried harder in his life to hide it. Bit down on it and swallowed it. Somehow he knew that however much pain he was in, it hurt Adam more.<\/p>\n

He began to grow nervous under Adam\u2019s steady appraisal. Sometimes he swore his oldest brother could see inside him.<\/p>\n

Then Adam smiled. \u201cYou look good, kid,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n

Joe felt a tentative smile of his own spreading across his face. And suddenly he knew Adam would be all right. All of them would be. Whatever came, they\u2019d meet it head on, do what had to be done, and come out stronger for it, because his family wasn\u2019t the sort to crumble under adversity.<\/p>\n

Pa had taught them to always\u2026aim steady, aim true.<\/p>\n

The 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
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

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

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

Summary: \u00a0A man doesn\u2019t always hit what he\u2019s aiming for\u2014even when he\u2019s a Cartwright. Sometimes all he can do is hold his breath, squeeze the trigger, and just do the best he can.<\/p>\n

Key words: SJS, SAS, jail, posse, running from the law, trail, shot, hurt, Joe gets hurt, Adam gets hurt, Adam is arrested<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0T \u00a0WC 22,600<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":4495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[14,16],"class_list":["post-7423","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":3800,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Pdvd_014.jpg?fit=720%2C576&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13143,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13143","url_meta":{"origin":7423,"position":0},"title":"The Shooting (by the Tahoe Ladies)","author":"Tahoe Ladies","date":"July 12, 2002","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 There's a robbery and hostages.\u00a0 Decisions to be made and the consequences to suffer. Rating:\u00a0 T\u00a0 (870 words)","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\/Hossb.jpg?fit=444%2C339&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16264,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=16264","url_meta":{"origin":7423,"position":1},"title":"Becoming A Man (by Christy)","author":"Christy","date":"March 9, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0\u00a0When the Cartwright brothers have to face their worst nightmare, Little Joe decides to take matters in to his own hands. Will he survive to show his family he really is the man his father raised? Rating\u00a0 G\u00a0 (10,520 words)","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\/02\/ben3.jpg?fit=320%2C240&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":40802,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=40802","url_meta":{"origin":7423,"position":2},"title":"Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch (A Bonanza Really Short Story) by JC","author":"JC","date":"December 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Cartwright brothers \u2013 you know them, you love them, but let\u2019s face it \u2013 after all these years things have gotten pretty predictable around the Ponderosa. It\u2019s the same old story in a nutshell... Rating: G WC: 563","rel":"","context":"In "Family"","block_context":{"text":"Family","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1008"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/The-Saga-of-Annie-O-Toole.jpg?fit=600%2C472&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/The-Saga-of-Annie-O-Toole.jpg?fit=600%2C472&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/The-Saga-of-Annie-O-Toole.jpg?fit=600%2C472&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15658,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15658","url_meta":{"origin":7423,"position":3},"title":"In the Mind’s Eye (by Hart4Ben)","author":"Hart4Ben","date":"January 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0A farce on Bonanza FanFic with a twist. Rating: K+\u00a0 Word Count: 1099","rel":"","context":"In "Humor"","block_context":{"text":"Humor","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12313,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12313","url_meta":{"origin":7423,"position":4},"title":"The Last Laugh (by DebbieB)","author":"DebbieB","date":"June 1, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 Those who laugh last, laugh the hardest.\u00a0 Thus, Joe proves this statement to be true, but at what cost? 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