The Dryad
Created for Kelli Marie, by Wendy
 

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me and I didn't create them.
Copyright © Wendybyrd
 

 
 
 The sun had set only moments ago. It had slid down the smooth surface of the twilight sky like an egg yolk sliding off one of Hop Sing’s best china plates and landed somewhere behind the tall peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Some light remained though, a soft golden glow that was quickly being swallowed up by the purples and darker blues of night.
Hoss Cartwright dismounted from his horse, Chub in the growing dark and shook his head, as if to shake away the oddly poetic thoughts. He must be gettin’ hungry. It was about suppertime back home and no doubt Hop Sing had prepared something mouthwatering. He was just thinking of his stomach; he was awful hungry.
His stomach rumbled noisily even as he thought this and he patted it with a large hand, reassured. Hoss knew better than to think that he might attempt something so high-falutin’ as poetry. Them words in them books were mighty pretty, but all too often his brother Adam would read one and point out some, whatdoyoucall’em, metaphors? or some, uh, similes? that he simply didn’t see. Better that he stick to workin’ and not thinkin’. With that thought Hoss shrugged off any feelings of sadness or envy that he might have felt and looked behind him for his wayward younger brother.
Sure enough a few seconds later Little Joe came riding up the trail, pulling his green coat closer around his slight body as the air chilled.
“I found more signs of cut trees, Hoss,” he began and practically jumped off his Pinto, “Right near here.”
“Dadburnit!” Hoss frowned off into the distance for a moment. “Pa is gonna bust a gut. He never could hold with no people cutting down Ponderosa trees.”
“Just so long as you tell him and not me, little brother,” Little Joe joked before taking off his hat to scratch his head in confusion. “I sure would like to know who’s doing it though.”
“Yup,” Hoss agreed. His voice was low and determined as he thought about their findings. The first signs of theft had been noticed a few days ago by a ranch hand out checking a fence along the northwest border of the Ponderosa. Young pines, cut down and not even replaced with a sapling as Pa had taught each of his boys to do from the cradle. Hoss still visited the first tree he had planted with Adam, under Pa’s careful guidance. Tweren’t much bigger’n him now. There was no doubt that Pa’s was gonna be hoppin’ mad when him and Little Joe came back with no evidence and news of more trees missin’.
Little Joe was already attempting to build a fire, so Hoss got his gear down and laid out his bedroll. He did the same for Joe before tying both horses’ reins loosely to a branch. He moved quietly and efficiently, born to this sort of work, but his stomach rumbled again, louder, and shattered the quiet of the clearing. Joe laughed, causing Hoss to blush in embarrassment.
“Hope you can be satisfied with plain hardtack and beans, Hoss. I’d hate to see you go for Cochise in a fit of hunger.” Joe flashed a grin, revealing the dimples that the girls in town seemed to love so much. Hoss bore this insult patiently, then waited a moment as if considering it.
“I would never harm a horse, little brother. I’d probably go for your skinny hide instead. Though you wouldn’t be much more than a snack, ain’t enough muscle on you to fill a prairie dog burrow.”
Joe’s smile turned to a scowl. Hoss knew how sensitive little fellars could be and immediately felt sorry. He should have known better than to hurt the boy. He patted Joe’s shoulder and shrugged again.
“Might go for the horse at that, Joe. I’m starvin’ near to death.” He smiled as he spoke, the gap in his teeth amusing Joe as it always did. After a moment Joe returned the manly pat on the back and the peace was restored, to Hoss’ relief. He hated fightin’ with his brothers. He was scared one day he was going to lose his temper and really hurt them. They were so small.
The beans were dutifully dished out, lukewarm—Joe was no Hop Sing—and eaten in silence. It was completely dark now except for the light from the fire and the silver of the moon. Their clearing was quiet and restful and Hoss began to feel the effects of the day’s work. He laid his empty plate aside, took off his hat, and stretched out his on his blankets. The stars were just beginning to appear above him.
He counted over a dozen twinkles in the sky and sighed to himself at the sight. On the other side of the fire Little Joe flopped down noisily and muttered to himself about soft beds and it only being a few hours’ ride back to the ranch. Which was foolish since Joe knew as well as anyone that a few hours’ ride at night without the light of a larger moon might as well be a few days’ ride. A moment later he was quiet and Hoss was left to his thoughts.
 
*****
 Hoss woke with a start and lay still, letting his eyes adjust to the dark. Someone was out there. He looked to Joe, who was regarding him with excitement in his eyes. Dadburnit, Hoss thought and slowly reached for his gun, lying in its holster by his side. Joe did the same as Hoss cautiously lifted his head to look around.
Nothing. There was nothing unusual that he could see. But he could still feel eyes on him, observing. Someone was watching every move they made. From the dark of the forest they would be easy enough to spot, he realized, even by the light of the dying fire. Dadgumit, but if these were the thieves, they were not going to shoot a Cartwright while he was lying in bed! Jaw clenched, Hoss threw off his blankets and stood up, a clear target for anyone who cared to shoot.
“Are you crazy?” Joe squealed. Hoss blushed bright red and was grateful for the dark. He must be crazy, jumpin’ up this way. But he stayed where he was, then told Little Joe to quiet down and to get his gun.
“Now you come on out, whoever’s out there!” he shouted into the trees. Little Joe suddenly sprang up next to him.
 “You’re on Ponderosa land now!” he chimed in, raising his chin so much like Pa that Hoss could only stare in amazement. Silence answered them.
“We ain’t crazy are we, Joe? You feel it too?” Hoss was uncertain now that he hadn’t dreamt it all. Little Joe shook his head. Then Hoss heard it, a soft sound, like a cry. The wind carried it from the shadows and into the clearing towards the two of them. The sound came again, more distinct this time, a wailing that sent chills up his spine. The person seemed lost somehow.
Unexpectedly Hoss remembered Little Joe, just a little baby really, cryin’ over the body of his mama. She’d been so pretty, even when she was just layin’ there. That boy had wept for near on a week, maybe longer. He looked at Joe and briefly saw the child again.
“A woman crying, Hoss. We have to save her.” His young voice cracked, but the light had returned to Joe’s eyes at the thought of a rescue. Hoss nodded, then stepped forward into the darkness, looking around carefully. For several moments he saw nothing at all. Then the vague shapes of trees and bushes stood out, outlined by what little moonlight had filtered through the leaves above. A fresh stump lay directly ahead. He could tell that it was newly cut because sap was pouring from the top like blood from a wound. The light from the moon made it glisten wetly. Hoss froze at the gruesome thought, forgetting about his brother, who crashed into his back with a curse that, had Pa heard it, would have earned Joe a blistered backside.
The cries stopped abruptly as well. There was a sudden motion beyond the dead tree and Hoss raised his pistol, ready for an attack. Something emerged from the darkness for a moment. Something that made both Hoss and Joe nearly drop their guns in shock before it slipped away. For a moment a woman had faced them in the dark. A very beautiful, very naked woman had faced them in the dark of the woods. But it was her face that had arrested Hoss. She’d had tears running down her lovely face.
*****
 The story seemed a lot less believable the second time Pa asked Hoss to repeat it. Pa was standing behind his desk inside the ranch house, where he always went to scold his sons. Briefly Hoss wondered what it would be like to be on the other side of that desk for once. Then his father’s frown brought him back to his present situation. He gulped and shuffled a little before that icy stare. Joe stood at his side but said nothing, so Hoss twisted his hat in his hands and nervously told the story again.
“A woman.” Pa’s voice was loud and his tone clearly said he thought his two youngest sons had lost their minds.
“A naked woman, Pa.” Joe did speak then, grinning from ear to ear. Pa looked at him sternly and the grin vanished quicker n’ a shot of whiskey down a drunk’s gullet. Any other time it would’ve made Hoss laugh, but he was blushing as he remembered the girl’s nudity. Then he’d wished he’d gotten a better look, though he felt guilty for the wishin’. Luckily Adam spoke up from where he was lounging across the room. He was smirking, as always. Sometimes Hoss wondered if he was aware he did it.
“So you didn’t find her or the thieves?” Though the question was natural enough, Hoss couldn’t help but feel they were being criticized. He answered very carefully.
“We looked for hours, Pa, and didn’t find her. We looked again come mornin’ but she’d up and vanished.”
After a moment Pa nodded and Hoss knew this meant he had accepted their explanation and was about to pronounce judgment. Pa did have a way a talkin’ like a preacher sometimes.
“You will go into town today and ask Roy if anyone has reported a missing girl. Then you will tell him what you saw.” Pa sounded softly furious. Hoss nodded. He had planned to do that anyway.
“What exactly did you see?” Adam asked lazily, leaning back with his arms folded across his chest. Hoss turned to face his older brother but Joe jumped in first.
“The prettiest girl, Adam.” Joe moved his hands to form a vague hourglass shape. He whistled, “Her body…”
“But her face, boy,” Adam interjected, silencing Little Joe. “You did get a look at that, didn’t you?”  His tone was mocking and Joe flushed angrily. Hoss spoke up hesitantly.
“She was beautiful, Adam.” His voice was soft. “Her skin was sort of dark, I mean, she seemed to sorta blend in to the trees. She had big eyes too. Sweeter ‘n sugar, with tears in ‘em. Made ‘em shine like stars. I couldn’t breath just lookin’ at her.” Hoss ended abruptly when he noticed his older brother’s arrested expression and the sudden silence that filled the room. “Well I never could stand to see no critter cryin’,” he explained in embarrassment to the floor.
“Aw, Hoss is sweet on her!” Little Joe crowed and laughed at Hoss’ blush. “Just cuz she’s the first girl he’s seen naked!”
“That’s enough, Joseph!” Pa thumped the desk with his fist but he was smiling. Adam however, leaned forward in his chair.
“And what was she doing again?” His voice was gentle.
“She was crying. Over a stump or something.” Joe volunteered to their father, apparently trying to make up for laughter and avoid any possible punishment.
“A stump?” Pa evidently found this incredible. Adam spoke up then, smiling slightly as he did.
“Well maybe you boys found yourself a dryad.”
“A dry what?” Hoss looked at Joe, who was scratching his head in confusion. Then he looked back at Adam and wrinkled his forehead, trying to remember why that word seemed so familiar.
“A dryad. A wood nymph. A sort of, spirit of the trees. They inhabit a tree and they die when it does.” His older brother’s voice was low and all-knowing. Adam had always seemed to Hoss to be the keeper of some great library of rare knowledge which he would share with those he deemed worthy. But it was plumb wonderful to hear him talk sometimes. Both Hoss and Joe leaned forward to hear. Adam sighed, probably at their ignorance, and continued. “In classical myth…in those old Greek stories I used to read to you, remember?”
Hoss nodded, remembering now. Adam had a picture book with those stories in it. One page had a drawing of one of them dryad women. Many times while Adam had been away at school, Hoss had snuck into his brother’s room to trace the tiny black ink outline of her body with his thick fingers. She’d been so perfect, just like the girls that was always chasin’ Joe or Adam. Just like that girl in the forest. He looked back over to Adam, whose brown eyes looked serious.
“Of course, there’s only one way to catch a dryad, but when you do…” Adam’s whisper implied many things.
“How do you catch one, Adam?” Thankfully, Joe asked the question so Hoss didn’t have to.
“Well…”Adam seemed reluctant. “You have to dance naked in the light of three consecutive full moons and rub yourself all over with olive oil and wine. Then she must come to you.” He finished with an almost too-straight face. For a second, Hoss found himself wondering if you danced with the stuff on you, or if you rubbed it on while you danced. He came to his senses when Adam burst out laughing.
Dadburnit, but he was tired of Adam and his stories. He frowned.
“That wasn’t funny, Adam!” Joe bristled like an angry polecat, but even Pa was laughing now. Hoss smiled too, eventually. They were a pair of fools. When the laughter finally quieted down, Pa grew serious again.
“Eat your lunch, Hoss, and then go into town.”
“Yessir.” Hoss forgot about everything else at the mention of food. He turned immediately to seek out Hop Sing. Pa’s voice stopped him as he walked past the table.
“And ask Roy if he’s found out anything new about the people trespassing here and chopping down the trees. We must find them and punish them. Trees are sacred to the land. To abuse that resource recklessly is the highest crime.”
“Yes, Pa.” For a moment, Hoss’ blue eyes were cold and hard, turning his simple agreement into a promise of retribution against the offenders. Then his gentle smile returned, as did the soft light in his eyes. He wrinkled his nose to better smell whatever culinary delight their cook was creating in the kitchen. Then he trotted off eagerly in that direction.
*****
 
 Roy had taken the story of the girl seriously enough, perhaps because Hoss had wisely left out most of the more fantastic details. No women had been reported missin’ though, so Roy assumed she belonged to a native tribe. Hoss didn’t think so, but Roy was the sheriff, and ought to know better than he did after all. There was no news of the thieves. Roy was furious enough about that but he seemed madder that he was supposed to be finding trees. He told Hoss to tell Ben that he had enough to do without asking every man who wandered past his office where he got his wood.
Hoss supposed he had a point at that. They’d have to find the thieves themselves. Still, after he left the sheriff’s office he walked down to the Bucket of Blood and had a few glasses of beer in the back and tried to listen in on what folks was talkin’ about. Mostly the men was flirtin’ with the girls or playin’ poker. After a while Hoss gave up his spying in disgust and laid down a few coins for his drinks. Then a stranger caught his eye.
A real city slicker in a fancy silk vest and a flashy green coat that Little Joe woulda loved to own. Hoss snorted as he watched the man maneuver himself into a poker game and instantly lose quite a bit of money. He coulda been one of them sharps who loses for a while and then wins when nobody thinks he will. He certainly looked the type, losin’ that way but wearin’ them fancy doodads. Hoss should know; he’d lost plenty to those men before. He leaned back to watch with interest and ordered another beer, blushing when the saloon girl smiled at him.
An hour passed before the little fellar began to win, but he started to win big. He got back his earlier losses several times over. The few miners around the table quit the game after that, grumbling to themselves, but Hoss paid them no nevermind. All that was left was the city fellar and an old rancher named Willis, who had property near the Ponderosa. Pa had never liked Willis, so Hoss didn’t bother to drag the fool out of the game, though he reckoned people ought not to be taken advantage of other folks like that. Willis seemed very drunk and very desperate, and now that Hoss was lookin’ closer he could see how dirty his clothes looked. Willis must be havin’ some bad times. Hoss was sorry about that; he didn’t like to see anybody suffer.
Willis’ eyes were glued to the cards on the table before him. The stranger was silent but Hoss knew he’d won again cuz Willis looked ready to cry. He slowly signed a slip of paper, an IOU, Hoss realized. The old cuss was badly off, which was odd since the Ponderosa hadn’t had a bad year. Hoss shrugged and got up when the stranger left. Willis’ head had slipped onto the table and Hoss shook his head. The man had passed out. There was nothin’ for it. Hoss sighed and picked up the older rancher by the back of his shirt, grabbed his hat with his other hand and wished the bartender a goodnight.
He’d drop the old fool off at his ranch and then go home and tell Pa what he’d discovered. For a moment he wondered if it would take too long to reach the Ponderosa from Willis’ property if he took the northwest trail, it ran near Willis’ land. A dryad? He shook off the foolish thought and went to find his horse.
*****
 The next few days passed quietly enough for Hoss. He went about his normal chores and tried to keep his mind off other things he had no right to think about. There were more trees stumps seen in that section of their property despite how Pa sent ranch hands up there to move around and keep their eyes open. The problem was that a clever man could hide on the Ponderosa for several months without bein’ seen, the spread was almost too large. Every day Pa grew more furious and his mood spread to his sons. Joe was gettin’ mighty jittery and Adam looked fit to murder someone. Hoss himself was filled with a strange excitement. He couldn’t sleep. He was angry over the trees, but he couldn’t erase the image of that girl’s tears from his mind. What could make a critter cry so? He never could stand nobody bein’ in pain.
On the third day, when Pa mentioned at supper that he wanted somebody to go up there and start planting new seedlings, Hoss volunteered before Joe or Adam could say anything. Joe snickered, apparently at his eagerness and whispered something about dryads and olive oil under his breath. Hoss frowned at him suspiciously. Joe turned away and winked at Adam, but Hoss saw it and thumped his little brother softly on the back of the head. Not as hard as he coulda hit him, but Joe’s face nearly landed in his mashed potatoes and gravy. He scowled but still looked amused.
“Is tonight a full moon, Pa?” Adam smirked.
“Now Adam, don’t make me smack you a good one too.” Hoss briefly transferred his frown to Adam before he continued eating. Joe burst out laughing and ducked away at Hoss’ offended glare. Adam had stopped smiling.
“La belle dame sans merci hath thee in thrall,” Adam quoted softly, with a worried look at Hoss. He seemed about to add something, but stopped.
Hoss drew his eyebrows together and stuck out his lip in an angry scowl. He might not know what them fancy French words meant, but he knew when he was bein’ made fun of. Maybe he didn’t get around as much as Adam but he didn’t need no keeper. He got up and left the table without even finishing his fried chicken, his favorite. He took a biscuit or two though, of course. No sense in starvin’ yourself.
“I’ll start out tomorrow mornin’, Pa,” he said with as much dignity as someone could have with their hands full of biscuits, ignoring Joe’s derisive hoots of laughter.
“Of course, son.” Pa looked sternly at his still-laughing youngest son. Hoss headed upstairs, his stomach already growling as he thought of the leftover fried chicken.
*****
 Hoss refused to admit that he was looking for her. He kept his eyes on his work, planting a small sapling in the area near each stump, only stopping to eat the roast beef sandwiches Hop Sing had made him for lunch. The work itself consumed him, as it always did. His large clumsy hands that had such trouble doin’ up his shirt buttons were suddenly useful, digging small holes out of the earth and carrying the precious young tree cuttings from the wagon to their new home. He carefully placed each one in the ground and gently packed the soil in around it before moving on to the next one. Each new life made him beam with pleasure.
Sometimes his eyes did stray into the forest surrounding him, and sometimes he found himself straining to hear her should she cry out again, but he told himself he wasn’t out there to look for some dadburn nymph. It was an early summer day and the air was quite warm. Tired and sweaty, he stopped by a small stream to cool off and to get a drink. He had just raised his head from a quick dunking in the icy water when he heard a whisper.
A man talking, carried to him by a change in the wind direction. Quietly, he got up and walked around the small wagon carrying his equipment. The wind picked up the sound of talking again, each word clear and distinct now.
“I’m telling you the Cartwrights can’t catch us here, we need to move quickly.” The man was worried, his voice hushed, but Hoss recognized it immediately. It was that man, Willis. That old cuss, what trouble was he up to? Hoss cautiously followed the sound and moved away from the wagon. Another man answered Willis but his words were unclear. Hoss climbed up a small outcrop of rocks carefully and peered over the top.
Willis was down there sure enough, him and some other man. Behind them in the distance Hoss could see a few young Ponderosas being hauled off by a team of horses and a few men. Some of them were the hands that had volunteered to keep a lookout up here. He frowned fiercely and drew his gun.
“I need more timber.” The other man was saying. Hoss recognized him now; he was an overseer of one of the mining companies in town. “You assured me and the mine’s owners that it would take longer for the Cartwrights to notice the missing trees.” His voice was cold.
“You took too many. You don’t understand how Ben Cartwright feels about those trees. He’ll have our hides,” Willis whimpered.
“No, he’ll have your hide. You’re the one who let us avoid the main roads and use his property as a way into the Ponderosa. Something you will continue to do as long as you’re paid to.” He paused and the old man began to sweat. “How much do you still owe, Mr. Willis?” The danged thief laughed as Willis pleaded one more time for him to stop cutting down the trees. Then the two men rode off after the logs.
Dadburnit! Hoss had to tell Pa. He put his gun back in its holster and began to quickly climb back down. But in his haste he placed his foot on a loose rock. He had nothing to hold on to, and fell to the ground; which was about as hard as one might expect it to be. Oddly enough, the trees were his last thoughts as he slipped into unconsciousness.
*****
 His first thought upon waking was that he was sore all over. His second thought was what Pa was going to say. He groaned and rolled partially on his side so the bright light of the sun wouldn’t press on his eyelids. He was going to be one mess of bruises tomorrow. He grimaced and very slowly pushed himself up and opened his eyes.
That’s when he heard the laughter.
He whipped his head around to find the source and sure enough, there was the girl, standing next to him and gigglin’ like crazy. She was still nekkid too. Hoss moved his gaze to her feet with great reluctance and felt his cheeks turn pink. Her giggles grew louder but he resolutely kept his eyes on her toes, which were a nice dusky brown and covered with dirt from the forest floor. It wouldn’t be proper for him to look at more. Her feet looked very sturdy and callused and Hoss decided she must belong to some Injun tribe, which made him even more determined not to look. He remembered the trouble Little Joe got into with them Paiute girls and he didn’t want to offend nobody. Still, she was mighty pretty and he was glad at least that he had made her smile.
After a few more moments her laughter ceased but Hoss knew she was still starin’ down at him with them melted chocolate eyes. He cleared his throat, which had become very dry.
“Um, Ma’am?” he began and she jumped a little. Hoss raised a hand automatically to soothe her, just as he would a nervous horse. His hand touched her upper leg, just for a second, before he realized where exactly his hand was and snatched it back. He almost wished Joe or Adam were here. They knew how to talk to girls. A sudden noise in the distance startled them both. Most likely it was one of those hands Pa had ridin’ up here. Hoss debated whether he should call to the man or not. The girl made up his mind for him.
She grabbed one of his hands in both of hers and pulled with all her might. Hoss remained where he was; she hadn’t budged him an inch. But her action surprised him and he forgot himself enough to look up into her face. She was panicked, poor critter. Her eyes were wide and she was lookin’ around wildly. Someone must’ve hurt her real bad. He frowned to think of it, his mind full of vengeful, and surprisingly bloodthirsty thoughts. He stood up to his full height and towered over the young woman, who seemed to momentarily forget her alarm to stare at him in amazement. Then she tugged at his hand again and ran into the trees. Without knowing quite why he did, Hoss followed her.
She seemed to sense when Hoss could run no more and stopped in the shade of a grand old oak that was out of place among the tall young pines. She had run through the woods like a deer, swift and strong, and was not out of breath when she sat down beneath the oak. Hoss’ lungs felt like were going to burst and his already sore head was pounding. He reckoned he’d made about as much noise as an angry bull, chargin’ after her like that. He was aware of her watching without blinking as he collapsed on the ground and struggled to breathe.
Very slowly Hoss was able to breathe normally again and began to take more notice of his surroundings. It was cool in the spot she had chosen. The sun couldn’t penetrate the thick canopy overhead, which left the whole area in shadows. A few birds were singing somewhere above them and the ground was carpeted a soft green moss that smelled sweet when you crushed it. He recognized the large stump from the other day at one end of the clearing and figured out roughly where they were. He looked back over to her and grinned and she grinned back, apparently sharing his strange feeling of triumph.
He was tryin’ hard to keep his eyes on her face, though to be honest, tweren’t much of a struggle. Her hair seemed to be all shades of brown and looked softer than a newborn pup’s fur. It framed her smooth face and flushed cheeks to perfection. He wondered if her hair was as soft as her skin had felt. Then he was grateful his face was already red from the runnin’ so she wouldn’t notice any more blushes. She was still smilin’ at him, so he smiled back and tried to talk to her again.
“My name’s Hoss, Ma’am.”
She just stared at him, so he tried again, tapping his chest with one hand.
“Hoss.” Then he gestured to her.
“Hoss,” she repeated in a low voice without the usual laughter his name got. She must not know what it meant. This oddly pleased him.
“What’s your name?” His question went unanswered. The girl just hopped up and walked over to the tiny sapling he’d planted nearby. She lovingly touched the baby tree then skipped back over to the tree and to Hoss, humming to herself.
“You’re happy I planted the tree?” he asked. Apparently she understood his meaning because her face lit up. Hoss stopped breathing for a moment thinking she looked exactly like the girl in the book. “You’re just like one of them dryads ain’tcha?”
She turned to face him then and stepped closer, barely crushing the moss as she did. When she reached him she very gently stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. Then she sank to the ground in front of him and laid on one side so Hoss had no choice but to look at her. She acted like it was no big deal to her to be lyin’ around all nekkid like that, so Hoss desperately tried to pretend the same. He just knew Adam and Joe would die laughin’ if they ever found out about this.
“Ma’am, please…” his voice got higher, “I reckon we ought not to be found like this.” Hoss knew he should be headin’ home right away to tell Pa the news, but for possibly the first time in his life he had no desire to go immediately. The girl ignored his warning and just smiled in a way that suddenly made Hoss aware of just how large he was and how tiny she was by comparison. Dang, but he was thirsty. He sure could use a whiskey. He’d probably break her if he touched her. He gulped at the sudden thought. Not that he was going to touch her! The very thought alarmed him. She’d probably scream if he tried. Such a pretty little thing wouldn’t want an ape like him, she’d want someone with pretty words, like Adam, or with curly hair and dimples, like Joe. He ducked his head and resolved to try to talk to her again.
“Do you have any family hereabouts?”
One of her hands found its way over his boot and up his pant leg. She touched his calf and he jumped.
“Ma’am!” Hoss yelped as her fingers crept towards his knee. She looked confused at his alarm, then hurt as he carefully removed her hand. Her eyes filled with tears again and the sight, lovely as it was, made Hoss feel horrible, like a big clumsy idiot. She sat up quickly and turned away. “Miss,” he said softly and she tensed up. “Dadburnit!” Hoss whispered under his breath, and though he still couldn’t understand why she seemed to want him, he reached out and touched her shoulder. He couldn’t keep the blush from returning to his face.
Quick as a cat she turned around and grabbed his hand, placing it where she wanted it. She looked pleased at his blush and smiled encouragingly. She looked better then fried chicken and chocolate cake, smilin’ like that, so Hoss squeezed his eyes shut and leaned in to kiss her. She apparently liked it, because when he opened them again she was starin’ at him with a look that was mighty invitin’.
He gulped.
*****
 Pa reacted about as well as Hoss thought he would to his late arrival, which was to say that he looked mad enough to spit. The lecture began the moment Hoss set foot inside the house.
“I see some of my sons suddenly feel they have the right to stay out late and worry their father.” Pa’s voice was coldly sarcastic. He stood with his hands on his hips and waited for Hoss to respond.
Hoss knew he should feel guilty. Night had fallen long ago and he was just gettin’ home. Pa had probably been frettin’ since twilight. The problem was he didn’t feel guilty. He just smiled benignly at his father’s rage and stepped around him.
“The trees are all planted, Pa,” was all he said. His father looked taken aback at his lack of reaction.
“And were you planting them in the dark?” If there’d been a desk near him, Hoss reckoned his Pa woulda banged his fist on it. “And where’s your hat?” Pa frowned, as if he hadn’t meant to ask that question. There was no way to answer the first question right anyway, so Hoss just smiled again, then blushed. Absently he reached up to touch his bare head. Where had his hat gone to?
Adam and Little Joe were both watching this confrontation from a safe distance away with interest. Joe was the first to butt in.
“You’re never late, Hoss. What were you doing?” Joe looked confused.
“That’s what I’d like to know!” Pa shouted and even Adam jumped. Hoss blushed again, a fiery red that went all over his face and ears and down to his neck. He tried to look innocent.
“Shucks, Pa. It was a nice day and all, I guess I lost track of time is all.” Hoss ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up in a mousy brown mess.
“He was looking for that girl!” Joe guessed loudly. At his words Hoss tensed up and Adam gave a long sigh.
“Hoss.” Pa’s voice was stern. Hoss couldn’t quite meet his eyes. He didn’t think his face could get any hotter.
“Did you find her, Hoss? Was she all right?” His older brother’s voice was gentle as he asked.
“Was she still naked?” Joe obviously felt that this was the most important information.
“Joseph Francis!” Pa’s voice was the crack of a whip, dampening Little Joe’s enthusiasm. Hoss cleared his throat, trying to think of a lie. It was harder than it should be, but then, he never had been no good at lyin’.
“Well, I…” he began and pulled at his suddenly too-tight collar with a finger. Hoss saw Adam wince just as Joe leapt in the air shouting and pointing to his neck. Pa’s eyes widened. With a nervous feelin’ in his gut Hoss raised a hand to his neck and found the source of his family’s shock. His fingers encountered a sore spot he hadn’t noticed before. A small, roughly oval-shaped bruise that could not have possibly been anything other than what they thought it was. He smiled sheepishly.
“Son, what did you do?” Pa was clearly not happy with Hoss. His brothers moved to stand on either side of him, looking severe.
“I think we know what he did, Pa.” His older brother’s voice was dryer than a desert noon. Little Joe looked faintly ill at the words and stared at Hoss with a strange expression in his eyes. He’d never seen it directed at him before. It was the look Joe got in his eyes whenever Adam got to go on another trip to San Francisco and Joe had to stay home. Hoss puffed out his chest a bit then looked down at Joe and smiled.
Pa seemed at a loss for words. It was a sight rarely seen by any of his sons. Adam seemed to find it very amusing. He was smirking again.
“Hoss…Son…was this, the uh, lost girl?”
“Did you find your dryad, Hoss?”
Hoss frowned at Joe’s sly tone.
“Oh, for god’s sake!” Adam said to no one in particular.
“I’ve been reading that book of Adam’s and that’s apparently what nymphs do,” Joe paused to stare a challenge at Hoss, “with anybody.”
“You watch your mouth, little brother,” was all Hoss said but Little Joe took a quick step back, then blushed and bowed his head. Hoss realized he’d raised his hand in a fist and relaxed his fingers.
“I’m sorry, Hoss.” Joe was contrite. Hoss’ anger instantly melted away. He clapped Joe on the back roughly.
“She took me to her elfin grot, and there she wept and sigh’d full sore, and there I shut her wild, wild eyes, with kisses four,” Adam mumbled to himself. The words startled Pa, who seemed to shake himself and focus back on his middle son.
“You…you planted the trees, son?”
“Yessir.” Hoss was grateful for the subject change. Then he remembered the other events of the day. “I saw them, Pa. I saw the men trespassin’ and draggin’ them trees away.”
“Who?” was Adam’s question.
“Willis, and some fellar from one of the mines and some of the hands you sent up there too, Pa.” His voice was grim.
“And you’re just telling me this now?”
Hoss recognized that tone and jumped to tell his father everything he’d seen and heard, even what color hat that mine fellar had been wearin’.
“What are we going to do?” Adam asked their father when Hoss finished.
“We are going out there tomorrow to catch these thieves red-handed.” Pa nodded as he made his decision. “Son, you can track the men when they leave tomorrow, can’t you?” he asked Hoss.
“Yessir.” Hoss beamed with pride at Pa’s faith in his abilities. Any man trained on the Ponderosa knew how to hide his tracks better than most. Hoss would have his work cut out for him if they didn’t want to be found, which he reckoned they most likely wouldn’t.
“We’ll take some of the remaining hands with us.” It was probably meant as a question, but somehow Adam wasn’t asking. Hoss saw Joe’s hand stray to his left hip, where his gun would be tomorrow. He shared a grin with his little brother. Sometimes a good fight was just what a man needed. He didn’t really wanna hurt nobody though.
Pa cleared his throat. He looked at Hoss and cleared it again. Adam and Joe were both wearing huge smiles. Hoss waited expectantly for the lecture to be continued, but to his surprise his father just blushed redder than a tomato.
“Hoss…son…I,” he stopped. Then despite every speech the boys had ever gotten on proper behavior, ‘specially where girls were concerned, he clapped Hoss quickly on the back and skedaddled out of the room faster than a jackrabbit. Hoss smiled wide and turned to Adam.
“Don’t that beat all? Did you see that, Adam?” He was amazed.
“I sure did, Hoss.” Adam too gave him a manly slap on the back that made Hoss shrug and blush and shuffle his feet. “Little brother,” Adam addressed Joe even as he steered Hoss towards the door and grabbed his gum belt and hat. “Hoss and I are heading into town. Don’t wait up.”
Hoss heard Little Joe calling out in a shrill voice before the door closed behind them.
“Hey! Wait a minute, Adam! Hoss?”
*****
 Despite his late night Hoss was up earlier than the rest of the family, waiting to see when the men left. He had no stomach for any of Hop Sing’s vittles but he’d finished off several cups of coffee by the time those dadburn hands saddled up and rode out. The dark brew didn’t settle his stomach none but it sure eased his achin’ head. Gradually the rest of the family woke up and came downstairs, first Pa, then Little Joe, and then Adam, who looked about as miserable as Hoss had a few hours ago. Hoss grinned at him sympathetically before telling Pa the men had left. Pa nodded and wasted no time in finishing his breakfast and ordering Hoss and his brothers to do the same.
They headed off slowly less than an hour later, Joe, Pa, and Adam with several ranch hands who had worked on the Ponderosa for years following closely behind Hoss. The men had takin’ their dang time, travelin’ toward the northwest border, twistin’ and circlin’ around so many times that anyone other than Hoss woulda lost the trail. Still, he figured they was headin’ up to the same area as before. Which was dang stupid as far as Hoss was concerned. They had to think so many missing trees in the same place would attract attention. He supposed them money-grubbin’ mine folks were too scared to wander too far into the Ponderosa. He grimaced, thinking of Pa’s anger and poor old Mr. Willis.
The three hands stayed together—another fool mistake as they were easier to track that way—and had ridden without haste. They’d been very sure of themselves. Hoss signaled everyone to stop when he felt they were close enough to their prey. Sure enough the harsh sound of a saw was heard clearly once the horses were quieted down.
“There were about ten men yesterday, includin’ Mr. Willis and the city fellar.” Hoss reminded the men who’d gathered around him and Pa in loose circle. He gestured to the hands, “Go ‘round on the sides of ‘em and just come on out with your guns on ‘em when you hear us call out.”
The men rode off, smilin’ at something Hoss didn’t understand. It took Hoss a moment to notice Pa’s amazed stare.
“Sorry, Pa, I didn’t mean to charge in like a dang fool and take over,” he stopped when Pa raised a hand and shook his head.
“You were right, Hoss. It’s a good plan.” His smile matched Adam’s. Joe just looked confused again and muley stubborn. Hoss reckoned he wouldn’t have taken orders from Joe anymore than Joe wanted to take them from him.
“What do we do now, big brother?” Adam asked politely. Hoss cleared his throat.
“Well now, I reckon we go on up there and confront them idiots.”
“Finally!” Little Joe spurred Cochise forward with a little war whoop.
“Joseph!” Pa rode frantically after his youngest, which made Adam chuckle. He and Hoss followed more slowly after them.
“Adam?” Hoss asked quietly after a moment. “Was it true what Joe said about them nymphs?”
“I suppose it was.” Adam answered slowly and glanced at Hoss. “But the books also say that they could be very selective in their choice of…in their choice.”
“Selective?” Hoss whispered as they approached Little Joe and Pa, who were facing the guilty men in the clearing. Everyone had the guns drawn except Willis, who had apparently keeled over in a dead faint.
“Can’t we cut a deal, Cartwright?” The city man’s voice was full laughter. “We are civilized men after all, and you are outnumbered.” He held a tiny pearl-handled pistol in his lily-white hands.
“You have ruthlessly destroyed a precious resource. A tree is a sacred thing, necessary to the land and no civilized man would steal them in the name of profit as you have,” Pa sermonized, “We will never…”
Hoss interrupted, deciding this was not the moment for Pa’s preachin’, as right as he was.
“Come on out, boys!” Hoss called out and a dozen hands materialized out of the trees, their rifles held steady on the thieves and lookin’ more than eager to shoot. “I wouldn’t try nuthin’ if I was you, Mister.” He addressed the fancy man with a toothy grin. The man’s hired men threw down their guns immediately and raised up their hands. With a furious look, the mine manager did the same. The Ponderosa hands dismounted and began tyin’ ‘em up and collectin’ their guns right away. Then Little Joe startin’ laughin’ so hard he had to hold his sides.
“You’re gonna get it now, Hoss!” At his words Hoss remembered clearly what he’d done. He blushed and looked over to Pa quickly. Pa had his hands on his hips and looked madder than a wet hen. He didn’t reckon his Pa would take too kindly to havin’ Hoss interrupt him in front of all those people.
“Eric Cartwright,” he said coldly. Hoss swallowed dryly. “You will be responsible for mucking out the stables for the next two months. Is that clear?”
Hoss nodded miserably and Joe laughed even harder.
“That being said, “ Pa’s voice was unchanged but his eyes were suddenly glowing with fatherly pride, “good job today, son.”
“I second that.” Adam added with a nod, then rode off to inspect the tree the criminals had been cutting down.
“First things first, you boys will help escort these men into Virginia City and have them arrested on charges of trespassing and theft. Then you will ride back here, without stopping anymore on the way, and finish cutting down that tree.” It was clear there would be no arguing against Pa’s decree. Hoss considered himself lucky not to be punished more. Pa could be mighty strict sometimes. Him and Little Joe set off immediately without another word.
*****
 
The matter was settled quicker’n Hoss had expected it to be. Roy was mighty testy at havin’ his jail filled up with men who had stolen trees, but Hoss knew Pa was unlikely to drop the charges. He just smiled good-naturedly during the sheriff’s little rant and thanked him for his time. Then he sought out Joe at the Silver Dollar where he’d run off to, to go home. The rest of the Ponderosa hands had already gone to the saloons in town as their reward for helpin’.
Joe was talkin’ to a familiar lookin’ dance hall girl, leanin’ in and flashin’ his famous grin at her, an untouched glass of beer next to him. Hoss grabbed the glass and drained it in one swallow. Joe finally took his eyes off the girl’s dress to protest, something Hoss ignored. He just threw down a coin and grabbed his little brother’s arm.
“We got to go now, little brother. We got work to do.”
“Aw, but Hoss…” Joe began his usual wheedling, but Hoss had reasons of his own to return to the ranch as soon as possible.
“Evenin’, Ma’am.” He nodded to the girl then nearly jumped when she placed her hand on his arm. He thought her name might be Sally.
“Come on back soon, Hoss.” She smiled invitingly and to Hoss’ happy surprise he didn’t blush. He nodded again.
“I might at that, Ma’am.” He grinned at her before dragging a struggling Little Joe out the door.
With Little Joe protestin’ the whole time, it took a long time to reach the pine and an even longer time to finish chopping it down. The tree fell to the earth with a loud crash that echoed around them for several minutes. Joe took off his hat to wipe his forehead with his sleeve. Even in the cool evening air it had been hard, sweaty work. Hoss tossed him the canteen and wished it was ice-cold beer in there instead of warm water.
“I reckon you can cut a sapling and plant it tomorrow, Hoss,” Joe said when he’d finished drinking and tossed the canteen back. Hoss felt his cheeks grow warm and realized with disgust that his blushes had returned.
“Uh, Joe, I was thinkin’ I could plant it now. You could go on ahead home if you want to.” Hoss tried not to sound too hopeful. Joe looked confused again, then what Hoss really wanted seemed to dawn on him.
“I was wanting to have a talk with Adam anyway.” Joe’s lie was hardly believable as him and Adam could hardly ever talk peaceably, but he was smilin’ as he spoke the words. He got on Cochise and rode towards the trail a few feet. He stopped to stare at Hoss, his face nearly split in two by his huge smile.
“See you later, big brother,” was all he said before galloping off at his usual speed. Hoss watched him go, then approached the fallen pine. After a few minutes he selected a good sized branch and cut it off. Then with the sapling in his arms like a baby he led Chub towards the clearing where he had encountered the girl before.
He entered the little glade quietly, hesitantly, but aside from a sweet smell in the air there was no sign that anyone had been there recently. However, there was a large patch of flattened moss that made Hoss’ ears burn so hot he thought they should be sizzlin’. It was gettin’ dark, but he settled down to wait, hopin’ she would come back.
The sun was minutes away from setting when Hoss became aware that he was bein’ watched as he had before.
“Ma, am?” Hoss whispered, and heard some leaves rustlin’. His heart was near to burstin’ out of his chest to know she had returned. “I brung you a gift.” He called out and laid the cut branch out on the moss.
He saw her before he heard her. She made no noise. She simply dropped from the leaves of the oak tree and waked over to him, regarding him with curious eyes. He felt the need to explain.
“Well, Ma’am, you seem attached to trees, I mean, well, I thought you’d want to plant one yourself.” His stumbling explanation did not change her expression. Only when he pointed to the sapling that she had expressed gratitude for yesterday did she seem to realize what he meant. She smiled happily and threw her arms around him. “Well, you’re mighty welcome, Ma’am.” Hoss had a hard time not struttin’ like a proud rooster. The girl released him and knelt down to pick up the tiny sapling. Hoss wondered if it was his imagination that the branch seemed to come alive at her touch. “I reckon you have to get back to your nymphin’ now then.” Hoss blushed bright red at his foolish words. “Or I reckon you got to get back to your people?”  He glanced at her face as he asked, not exactly sure what he was hopin’ for.
It was dark around them dark around them, suppertime at home. But for once Hoss ignored his growling stomach. He kept his eyes on the girl as she disappeared slowly into the shadows. She reemerged a moment later, holding his hat. Her eyes were half-closed and she was smilin’ like a sly cat.
“Well, dadburnit, Ma’am! I’ve been lookin’ for that!”
Her smile grew wider as she approached him. Her brown arms held out the hat like an offering.
“Hoss,” she said when he took it gingerly and dashed away into the night. Hoss knew the word had been meant as a goodbye when she did not return.
Moments later, he sighed and slowly turned away to mount Chub and ride back home. He was halfway down the trail when his stomach rumbled. Hop Sing had said he was makin’ Salisbury steak and fresh greens for supper tonight. Hoss sniffed the air eagerly. He could almost smell the biscuits and gravy. He was awful hungry at that. He tipped his hat up to look at the stars then he smiled serenely. The tiny gap between his teeth was clearly visible in the light of the rising half moon.

 The End
AN: The poem Adam quotes is La Belle Dame Sans Merci, by Keats.


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