A Promise Kept
by
Janice Sagraves
This is for my mother who
gave me the title and has read and enjoyed all my stories.
ONE
The tow-headed nine-year-old
swiped at the tall grass with a dead stick and enjoyed his
+++++
Adam Cartwright was at his
father’s sturdy mahogany desk poring over a correspondence from business
associates in
“Hey, Adam, you in here?”
Adam was annoyed by the
intrusion, to say the least, and it showed in his dark hazel eyes. “Yes, Joe, but I’m busy right now,” he said
as he took the pen from its holder and dipped into the well.
“Well, I think you’ll be
interested in what I found on my way back from fence mendin’,” Joe said as he
stepped around and looked at his brother.
“Unless it’s an extra six hundred
head of cattle we didn’t know about that we can afford to sell cheap, I doubt
it.” He sensed that Joe was still
standing there, and when he looked up he couldn’t miss the sparkle in his
little brother’s warm green eyes. “Joe,
why’re you grinnin’ like a mule eatin’ saw briers?” He shook his head; he’d been around Hoss too
long.
Joe glanced mischievously
toward the front door as if looking at someone.
Adam’s mouth drew down. “Joe, what are…?”
But the sentence went uncompleted
as Lee Haymes came to stand next to Joe, hat in hand.
“Lee!” Adam bounded from the green leather chair and
came around the desk, his hand shooting out.
“Lee Haymes. Well, you’re surely
the last person I ever expected to see here.
It’s been what now, three months?” he said as he pumped the man’s hand.
“Close to it,” Lee said as
his eyes roved around the room.
“Well, it’s good to see
you. And how’s that family of yours?”
A devious grin turned Lee’s
mouth, and he glanced at Joe. “You mean,
how’s Kip? Both he and his mother are
fine, and he still talks about you. He
keeps wantin’ to know when Stretch is gonna come see ‘im.”
“I’ve been wanting to, but
things have been rather busy and after…”
“Yeah, I know,” Lee said.
“But what brings you all this
way? I seriously doubt it’s just a
social call.”
“You wait’ll you hear,” Joe
said, his bright eyes dancing even more.
One would have been hard
pressed or downright stupid to miss Adam’s quizzical expression.
“I’ve come to collect on that
offer you and Joe made me for the cattle.
I know September’s a bit late, but
I thought I’d go ahead and get ‘em settled on the range.”
“That’s a good idea,” Adam
said approvingly. “And come spring you
should have a good crop of calves.”
“Uh-uh,” Joe said, about to
bust, and gave the man a nudge with his elbow.
“Tell ‘im the rest of it, Lee.”
“I shot that bull, Adam,” Lee
said, his eyebrows drawn down.
“You shot…?” Adam started as
his jaw fell. “I knew you got awfully mad
at ‘im and even threatened to, but I never thought…”
“He charged Kip,” Lee said as
his fingers tightened on the brim of his battered hat.
A cool breath ran through
Adam’s teeth and caught in his throat as he seized Lee’s arm. “He wasn’t hurt, was he?”
“Nah, just got the wits
scared out of ‘im and a few bruises and scrapes when he fell, but he wasn’t
really hurt. And all the rest of the day
until he fell asleep that night that’s all he talked about. For a week he just about drove us crazy with
how I did for him what you did for Joe.”
“That boy,” Adam said with a
shake of his head. “I sure have missed
him. And Becky? Beautiful as ever, I suppose?”
“Go on, Lee, tell it all,”
Joe said with a wide grin and nudged the man’s arm again.
“Well, after nine years we
didn’t think…”
Joe grabbed his brother’s
arm, and his fingers dug into the flesh.
“Becky’s gonna have a baby, Adam!
A baby! Isn’t that great?”
“It sure is, Joe. How far along is she?”
“It’s started to show some
through…” Lee started as he gestured to
his chest, but the words died as a rosy blush covered his face, and he ducked
his head.
“Never mind,” Adam said with
a furtive smirk and a wink at Joe. “You
can tell us everything at supper tonight.
And it’ll give you a chance to meet Pa and Hoss.”
“I do wantta meet ‘em, but I thought I’d stay at a hotel in town.”
“You absolutely will
not. You opened your home to me when I
had nowhere to go, and this gives me the chance to return it. We’ve got plenty of room, and it won’t cost
you a thing. And wait’ll you taste Hop
Sing’s cooking,” Adam said and steered his friend toward the settee. “Now let’s sit down and catch up until the
rest of the family gets home.
By-the-way, how does Kip feel about the baby?”
“Oh, he’s all excited. He hopes it’s a boy,” Lee said as he sat
down, “so he can have a little brother, and it’ll be like with you and
Joe. And he can look after ‘im and save
‘im from charging bulls and drowning in the stream.”
“I didn’t almost drown,” Joe said
as if wounded and parked himself in Adam’s favorite blue chair. “I just thought it was a nice day for a
swim.” He giggled.
Adam watched his friend while
he and Joe exchanged some words and laughed.
He was content to just sit there and let his mind reel back to the time
he spent with this man and his family.
If not for Lee Haymes, Adam Cartwright would be lying cold in his grave
right now with his father and brothers not knowing where he rested instead of
enjoying life. And whatever this man
wanted or needed, the price would never be too high.
+++++
There was no roast pork left
on the platter, or little else, for that matter. Between five men and with one of them being
Hoss Cartwright it wasn’t surprising.
Hop Sing had gone back into his lair and left a large chocolate cake on
the table.
“That was the first beef we’d
eaten in a long time, and I don’t know where Kip put away what he ate,” Lee
said.
“I learned a long time ago
that filling a growing boy is nearly impossible,” Ben Cartwright said as he
served him a slice.
“So what did you do with the
rest of the meat?” Adam asked as his father handed him his dessert. “I know you couldn’t eat it all before it
went bad.”
“After what little bit I
dried for jerky I took it into town and what I didn’t give to the Banning’s I
sold to Tabler’s. In spite of his bad
temper, he made for some pretty good eatin’.
Fork tender, he was.”
“Well, if his disposition’d
had anything to do with it he would’ve been tough as whang leather,” Joe said
with a painful smirk as he rubbed his shoulder.
“And that brings us to why
he’s here,” Adam said. “Before me and
Joe left we told Lee that whenever he got ready for it to come up here and we’d
fix ‘im up with first rate breedin’ stock.
Paid in full.”
“Why I think that’s a
splendid idea,” Ben said robustly as he passed a slice to Joe. “How many head were you thinking on, Mr.
Haymes?”
“I thought fifteen would make
a good start.”
Ben took a piece for himself
and gave the rest of the cake to Hoss.
“How does a hundred sound? If
your range’ll take them, and it’ll give you a better start. You’re bound to lose some on the way and more
through the winter.”
“I have the range, but…”
“And of course you’ll need a
bull,” Ben went on, “so tomorrow we’ll go pick him out.”
“Oh, no, Mr. Cartwright, I
couldn’t possibly…”
“I think that’s a great idea,
Pa,” Joe chimed in and stuffed a bite of cake into his mouth.
“Then it’s all settled,” Adam
said triumphantly. “You’re now the proud
owner of one hundred head of prime Ponderosa cattle and one bull. And I think we should drink to it.” He lifted his water goblet. “To Lee Haymes and the Triple H, soon to be
four H’s.”
“Looks like you’re gonna
havta change your brand before you even get it on the cows,” Hoss said with a
snigger and raised his glass.
“Yeah, it looks like,” Lee
said and held up his glass.
They drank the toast and
settled down to some serious eating and working out the details of the drive
ahead of them. And Lee’s eyes kept
darting to Hoss as he wound in the cake.
+++++
As promised, after breakfast
the next morning Lee was taken by the Cartwrights to pick out a suitable bull
that would become the head of his new herd.
He’d never been on a spread like the Ponderosa or met anyone quite like
this father and his four sons. As he
watched from outside the fence a bull, the likes of which he’d never seen, was
brought out. He was well-muscled and
sturdy and his dark red coat glistened in the morning light like new copper.
“His name’s Strawberry, but
not because of his color, he likes to eat ‘em,” Ben said as he rested his hands
on the top rail of the fence.
“You’re, kiddin’?” Lee said
with a skeptical scowl.
“Nope,” Hoss said.
“So what do you think?” Ben
asked as his eyes went from the animal to Lee. “Is he suitable?”
“Suitable? I’ve never seen such a bull,” Lee said with
awe. But as he looked around
disappointment cast over his face. “But
I can’t take him.”
“All right,” Ben said
strongly, “if he’s not good enough we’ll just keep looking until we find one
that is.”
“Oh, no, that’s not it; he’s
the finest bull I’ve ever seen.”
“Then what’s wrong with him?”
Joe asked, puzzled.
“Not one thing. I have no doubt he’s your best, but I can’t
let you just give ‘im to me. And along with
one hundred head of cattle, well I just can’t let…”
“Mr. Haymes,” Ben said as he
put a firm hand on the man’s shoulder, “if not for you my oldest son would be
dead.” Ben’s eyes darted lovingly to
Adam. “And nothing I can ever do will be
enough or too much, so let me give you this bull or any one that you want. Now if you aren’t satisfied with him we’ll
get you another one.”
Lee looked at each one of
them then turned back to the magnificent animal being offered to him. How could he want more? He knew that this was the best of the best,
and he didn’t need to look any further.
He’d shown an act of compassion and mercy and it was being returned to
him. To turn Ben Cartwright down would
be to throw it back in his face, and, besides, he really did need the
stock. His amber eyes danced as he
looked at this grateful father and nodded.
“I’ll make sure he gets a good home, Mr. Cartwright,” he said as he held
out his hand.
A handshake sealed the deal
and Strawberry became the beginning of a new start for Lee Haymes and his
family.
TWO
It had been decided that
night that they would head out the next day.
And while the trip from the Ponderosa to Bantree only took three days –
sometimes four – they figured on longer this time. So, early that crisp Wednesday morning Ben
Cartwright, his three sons, Lee Haymes, Hop Sing driving the wagon, six men,
one hundred head of cattle, one bull and a thirty-five-horse remuda started
out.
It wasn’t quite
The hooves of the animals and
the wheels of the wagon churned up dust that plumed from the ground. Adam was riding drag with Lee Haymes and Wes
Fulmer for the first day out. He’d
thought it would be a good time for him and Lee to talk since Ben – as trail
boss – was up front with the wagon. Joe
and Hoss had point and Chris McCutcheon and Ray Styles were riding swing and
Earl Deevers and Grant Aikman had flank.
Dave Sandridge trailed along off to the left with the remuda.
Sport and the roan Lee was
riding ambled on as the cattle plodded along in no real hurry. Adam took the canteen from where it hung
around the horn and pulled the bandana down and took a good swig. “I hate riding drag.” he said and another
took a drink. “But I thought it’d be a
good opportunity for us to talk some more.”
He re-stopped the canteen and hung it back then pulled the bandana back
up to keep the dust at bay.
“This is my first drive,” Lee
said through the kerchief tied over his own face as he shifted his butt in the
saddle. “We came from
“No, I don’t guess there is. But what made you decide to come out
here? Granted, it’s beautiful country,
but I hear they have some pretty nice in
“Back there I was workin’ for
my father, and I was never in love with clerkin’ in a store. I know there’s not a thing wrong with it, but
I had a wife and baby to take care of and the pay wasn’t much. That’s why I still lived with my folks.” Lee grinned beneath the mask as he caught
Adam’s look and it betrayed itself in his eyes.
“I know, I’m not makin’ as much now as I was then. But we can grow our own food, and the Good
Lord gives us abundant game and water and plenty growin’ out wild. And I want much more than city life for my
children.”
“Sounds like Pa,” Adam said
with a hidden grin. “He wanted his to
put down roots where they could spread out.
Where God’s Own Beauty surrounded them and they could share in his
dream. But sometimes I think I’d like
something a bit more civilized. I’ve
been shot and shot at, had run-ins with Indians and rustlers and others that’d
like to do me harm, and I’ve almost been hung for something I didn’t do. And to cap it all off I was beaten and left
for dead and didn’t even know who I was.”
He laid a hand on Lee’s shoulder.
“And maybe someday I will go,
but for right now getting your cattle to your range is the priority. Now let’s spread out a little before Pa comes
back here and tells us to.” He slapped
Lee on the arm and brought the chestnut around and put some space between them.
+++++
They’d made good time – better
than they’d expected, trail herding cattle – and they stopped for the night
near a stream that ran through trees in places.
Ben had decided that they would come this way rather than go along the
main road. Even though the other way was
closer to the Haymes’ place, this route afforded a better source of water, and
that was a valuable commodity on a cattle drive, even a short one.
Adam hadn’t been able to miss
the fact that his little brother had grown sullen and pensive and pretty much
kept away from everybody. Joe sat with
his back against the trunk of an oak as his brother approached with two tin
plates and cups.
“Hop Sing’s really outdone
himself tonight,” Adam said as he reached his brother his food and coffee, but
when Joe didn’t acknowledge it he put them on a flat rock. “Chicken hash, and for dessert dried apple
cobbler.”
But Joe hardly seemed to
notice as his brother sat down next to him, bending his long legs up in front
of him. His eyes were directed out
across the water and into the land and hills that lay beyond. Adam dug in and the grub was hot and
rejuvenating, but his steady gaze never left Joe. He’d seen something troubled in the young
man’s face when he first sat down, but he had no way of knowing what was
bringing about this unrest.
“Talk to me, Joe.” But Adam got the impression that he wasn’t
even heard. “Joe,” he said as he gouged
his brother with the handle of his spoon. “Talk to me, buddy.”
Buddy. Did he have to call him that? Joe felt all the grief from three months ago
churn up into his throat. He’d thought
he was well over that, but this was proving him wrong. The pain was as fresh as it had been that day
not long enough ago. He felt his
brother’s fingers on his arm and heard the rich baritone say his name.
After several seconds Joe
finally looked around at him, and the sadness in his deep emerald eyes nearly
choked Adam. He could sense the pain
lurking in their depths and it stifled his appetite. He’d seen his brother distressed before, but
never like this. “Tell me what’s
wrong. You know I’m always ready to
listen.”
“I’ve been here before,” Joe
said as he looked back across the stream.
“Of course you have, we all
have. And it’s the same place it’s
always been.”
“Not for me. I nooned here when I…” He crossed his arms over his chest and his
fingers dug into the soft green fabric of his jacket. “This is where I stopped that first day when
I was on my way to Bantree when you… when we thought you were… dead.”
Now the implication of the
thing hit Adam like a blunt object. His
brother was remembering one of the most heartbreaking times in the history of
the family. June had been a nightmare
that it seemed there was no waking from, and it had very nearly destroyed them
all. He couldn’t imagine what it had
been like for his father and brothers, but now he was seeing a part of it. He put his plate on the rock and took a firm
hold on Joe’s arm. “What we lived
through was something terrible that no human being should have to. It tried to swallow us all, but you’ve got to
get past it, Joe.”
Those haunted green eyes came
around again. “Have you?”
Adam hadn’t thought that much
about it, in fact, he’d tried not to think about it at all. He’d returned home to those who loved him and
with their help had picked up the pieces of the shattered man that was Adam
Cartwright. But now the whole thing was
being forced back on him. When he’d
first seen Lee three days ago, he’d been careful to let his mind stay on the
time he’d spent with him and his family, but now his thoughts were on the
darker aspects of what had happened. And
now he was looking into the anguish-ridden face of someone else who had been
affected. Even though it was gut
wrenching to see his little brother this way, at least he didn’t feel so alone,
as he sometimes did.
“I thought I had, but I guess
I was only fooling myself. You don’t get
over a thing like that so quickly. I
know that I wasn’t the only one that almost died, and I know that I never want to
be the cause of such pain for my family ever again.”
“No,” Joe said sharply and
his eyes were like razors. “No, you
don’t blame yourself for that. And
remember that if we didn’t care for you so much we wouldn’t’ve been hurt so bad. So don’t you dare take the blame, and if you
ever do I’m just gonna havta haul off and hit you.” A sardonic grin crooked the corners of his
mouth.
Adam could see some of the
angst melt away and felt his own go with it.
A smile or a grin pasted onto his little brother’s lips always had a way
of easing the anguish. He took Joe’s
plate from the rock and handed it to him.
“Here. Now eat before I havta
take a switch to you.”
“All right,
Adam poked him again and
started back in on his own food and realized that it tasted even better than it
had before. Joe and Hoss had a way of
doing that for him, and he was glad to have that part of his life restored to
him. He watched as his brother ate, but
he couldn’t miss the hint of a dark something still skulking behind the emerald
façade. Something that he knew would
always be there, something that – through no fault of his own – he’d put
there.
+++++
Ben awoke with a start,
though he couldn’t really be sure what had awakened him. He had an uneasy feeling that he usually
attributed to when a son was in trouble.
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and they went straight to his eldest
son’s bedroll, but Adam wasn’t there.
Then his eyes traced to where Joe was, and his youngest was thrashing
about with his brothers hovering around him.
Lee Haymes and all but the two men riding night watch were nearby, one
eye on the boss’ son and the other on the herd.
“Joe,” Ben said as he
crouched next to Adam, and he couldn’t miss the cautionary look he got from his
oldest son.
“Joe, wake up,” Adam said
soothingly and placed a gentle hand against his shoulder. “It’s all over, and I’m right here.”
“No, I can’t go through this
again! Please, leave ‘im alone! Don’t hurt ‘im!”
Adam continued to say his
little brother’s name, and his fingers tightened.
“Adam!”
“I’m right here, buddy.” Joe’s left hand shot out and Adam instantly
caught it in a steel grip. “Joe, I’m
here. Nobody’s hurt me, and I’m not
going anywhere.”
Joe’s eyes were suddenly wide
open and it was obvious that whatever he’d been dreaming continued to stalk
him. He looked right at Adam, who still
held his hand, and his body went limp.
“It’s all right now,” Adam
said with a side glance at their father.
“He just had to get it out of his system. Didn’t you, Joe?”
“Yeah, Pa,” Joe said with a
tired grin and swiped at his sweaty hair.
“I guess it’s just been a long day, and I’m tired. You all can go on back to bed. I’ll be all right.”
”You sure, son?”
“Yeah, Pa, I’m sure,” he said
as he gave his father’s arm a slap with his free hand. “You too, Hoss. I’ll be all right now. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t done this
before.”
Ben smiled and gave his son a
reassuring pat then got to his feet. Joe
was right that he had indeed done this before, but this was the first time
since Adam had gotten back and it concerned him. “All right, boys, let get back to bed, we’ve
got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
“Is he all right?” Lee asked
as his eyes darted to Joe.
“He will be. This is nothing new with him. Joe’s a bit more high-strung than the rest of
us and what he can’t work out through the day sometimes comes at him when he
goes to sleep. Now you’d better turn in,
Mr. Haymes. And don’t worry, he’ll be
fine.”
Lee remembered when he’d seen
another Cartwright son go through the same thing, but he wasn’t going to say
anything. Those had been of a more
violent nature, one in particular. He
rubbed his jaw at the memory. “Good
night, Mr. Cartwright.”
“Good night, Mr. Haymes.”
Ben watched as the men
returned to their bedrolls, then turned back to his sons. Hoss had already gone back to bed and Adam
continued holding his little brother’s hand.
His boys had always been close and – except for one time last year when
Reagan Miller had caused a rift between Adam and Hoss – nothing had ever
worried him that they would drift apart.
Adam had always been fatherly to his two younger siblings and Ben was
glad for the return of that nurturing presence.
Finally, Joe was asleep
again, and Adam felt like it was all right to leave him. He watched his little brother and remembered
how he’d been comforted by Joe those nights in the Haymes’ barn and it felt
good to be able to return some of it.
“Good night, Joe,” he whispered and relinquished his hold on the
treasured hand.
“He’ll be all right now,”
Adam said as he came to his father and glanced back at Joe. “I suspected this was coming. This place holds some bad memories for him.”
“So that’s why he was so
quiet all evening.”
Adam nodded. “He just needed to work ‘em off is all. Like I did with the headstone.”
The vision of Adam wailing
away at the piece of rock with a sledge hammer until he collapsed in Hoss’ arms
from exhaustion roared back at him. His
sons had been through a lot as of late, and he’d thought they were pretty well
over it, as much as anyone could be, but this filled him with doubt. And if Joe was keeping things hidden what
about Adam and Hoss?
“He’ll probably sleep through
the rest of the night, and I suggest we turn in and try to do the same.”
“What about you, son? Is there anything you’d like to talk about?”
“I’m all right, Pa,
honestly. A man doesn’t go through what
I did and come out unmarked on the other side, but I think I’m over the worst
of it. But if I don’t get some more sleep
I’m gonna be a grouchy headed old bear.”
He shook his head. “I’ve got to
spend more time away from Hoss. Good
night,
“Good night, son.” Ben watched as he got bedded down and felt a
nagging grow in the back of his head. It
had been there for some time, but tonight had only augmented it. Adam had changed, in some ways subtle and in
others not subtle at all, though he was still the same old Adam for the most
part. He’d developed a more fun loving
nature, yet the sparks could still light those dark eyes, and the innate
stubbornness remained, and that temper still lay dormant beneath the surface
waiting to be aroused. “Are you, son?” he whispered in his
head. “Are you really, or do you only
think you are?”
THREE
Joe’s breakfast had all the
flavor of sawdust. His head thumped and
the smallest sound seemed to rattle around inside his skull like marbles and
make it worse.
“Mornin’, Joe,” Chris
McCutcheon said merrily as he plopped down on the ground next to him and
ruffled his thick caramel-colored hair.
“It’s gonna be another nice day, looks like. And I’m hungry as a bitch wolf.”
“Look, if you wantta be
cheerful can’t you go someplace else and do it?
I’ve got a head the size of Hop Sing’s wagon.”
“I’m not surprised after the
night you had. You scared me out of a
year’s growin’.”
Joe shot him a cutting
look.
“All right, if it’ll make you
feel better I’ll just set right here and eat quiet.”
“Thank you, I’d like
that.” Joe took a bite of biscuit and it
went down in a lump.
“Mornin’ you two,” Hoss said
brightly. “Mind if’n I join you?”
Joe just groaned and hung his
head. “No, go right ahead. There’s plenty of room for everybody. Why don’t you go get Chubb and Dunny? And you can bring Sport and Buck along for
good measure. And how about the whole
remuda?”
“What’s the matter with you
this mornin’?” Hoss said as he sat next to Chris. “You act like you don’t wantta be bothered.”
“Now you’re getting the right
idea,” Joe said with a sarcastic sneer.
“I came over here for some peace and quiet and suddenly the whole camp’s
here.”
“Ah, Joe, it ain’t no sucha
thing. It’s just me ‘n Chris.”
“Fine, then you can have it
all to yourself. I’ll just go someplace
else not so crowded.” Joe bounded to his
feet, but as he did he ran square into Adam, knocking his cup from his
hand. His plate was pushed up against
his chest, and he wound up wearing its contents. Adam just looked at the mess, and his eyes
slowly rose to his little brother’s face.
“In a hurry, Joe?”
With only a grunt and no
words of explanation Joe threw his plate down and stomped off.
“He’s touchy as a mother bear
this mornin’. He still bothered about
last night?” Hoss said as he wound in a bite of fried egg.
“It’s this place, but he’ll be
all right when we get moving again.”
Adam looked down at himself as he pulled his plate away and most of the
food fell into the dirt. “I guess I’d
better go load up again.”
Adam’s long legs wound him
back to the wagon where Ben was filling his own plate. The coffee brown eyes couldn’t miss the look
on his son’s face and some of the food still clinging to his coat. One eyebrow rose as he took a biscuit. “Joe?”
“How’d you guess? But don’t worry it was an accident this
time.”
“Are you sure he’s all
right? He’s not usually like this after
one of his nightmares.”
“It’s not the nightmare it’s
here. It’s the bad memories locked up in
it from when he came to Bantree back in June.
But like I told Hoss, he’ll be all right when we get going again. He won’t have time to think about it.”
“I hope you’re right. I don’t like to see my son’s this way, but if
you’re sure…”
“I’m sure,
Ben agreed, but he watched
Adam for a few seconds before turning.
He was still disturbed about this one and now Joe had been added to the
mix. Adam glanced up at him and smiled
as he poured himself another cup of coffee.
Ben couldn’t understand why his disquiet had settled in so heavily this
drive, but something that hadn’t explained itself bothered him, and he knew it
had to do with his sons.
+++++
The bright morning had turned
into an overcast afternoon, and with the swallowing of the sun the air had
become nippier, and coats provided welcome warmth. The wind that blew and riffled in the trees
and grass had a sound to it that every man who’d ever driven cattle knew
well. And that sound could fill one with
a dread that few others things could because it portended a drover’s worst
nightmare: stampede. That little nicety
of trail herding could happen at any time, but a thunder storm could trigger
one and drown or electrocute a man at the same time.
As Adam had said, once they were
underway again Joe’s unrest and snappishness seemed to evaporate, but just in
case, Adam rode drag again but this time with his little brother. The dust was as bad as it had been the day
before and while bandanas kept it out of mouths and noses the eyes were at its
mercy and it chafed and irritated. It
filmed every inch of a man and his horse and closed in on everything like a
brown fog.
As they moved Adam had
gradually edged Lee Haymes’ big dapple closer to the little paint, and the
action wasn’t lost on Joe. He knew
exactly what his brother was doing and it made him grin inwardly. Once was the time when it would have rankled
to have Adam hanging around him like an overprotective shadow and trying to be
discreet about it. But since that day
when Lee Haymes’ bull had come close to turning him into a pincushion and Adam
had put himself between the charging beast and his little brother, things had
changed. Even then the need to shield
his family had been strong, though he hadn’t been aware of it, and that day Joe
had counted his blessings that he was there.
“So do how do things look up
ahead from your side?” rang Adam’s clear voice as the gray came alongside
Cochise.
“Fine. But I don’t care for the looks of that sky,”
Joe said as his eyes darted up.
“Yeah, I know. And it’s more like rain every minute that
passes. But maybe it won’t do more than
give us all a good wetting.”
Joe gave him a skeptical
frown. “I wish I had your confidence.”
“It’s not confidence, Joe,
it’s hope, strong, fervent hope. I’ve
seen too many herds stirred up by too many thunderstorms to want to see another
one. And, besides, I’m getting too old
for this.”
“Old? You?
Never,” Joe said with a chuckle.
“Now me, on the other hand.”
“Not in anybody’s wildest
dreams,” Adam said, and his eyes sparkled like a child’s on Christmas
morning. “In that respect you’re too
much like Hoss, and there’s one that’ll never grow up. Now I’m gonna get back into position, and if
you need anything or if anything looks outta kilter you just give me a signal.”
“What kind of signal?” Joe
asked teasingly.
“You’ll think of something,
you’re a clever boy.” Adam flashed a
toothy grin that had – in recent weeks – become more common and slapped Joe on
the arm. He wheeled his horse and cantered
off to the other side.
Joe giggled and shook his
head. He was glad that Stretch had
decided to stick around, if only in bits and pieces. He put a facet to Adam that made him an
absolute joy to be around, and brought out a kind of playfulness that the
family had always known lay sequestered beneath the surface and came out all
too infrequently and with restraint when it did. “Boy,” Joe said with mock disgust under his
breath. “I’ll show ‘im.” He gave Cochise his knees, and they moved to
the outer fringe of the herd.
+++++
The sky had lightened only
slightly but it was enough to build hopes that the rain would hold off until
they reached their destination. A wolf
howled off in the distance and it didn’t do a whole lot to calm men or cattle. The horse’s ears were pricked and their eyes
were wide and alert and nostrils flared and sniffing. All anyone needed was a pack of hungry wolves
prowling around looking for a meal and stirring things up. They would have to keep on their guard,
especially after dark, which wasn’t that far away.
They would be stopping before
too long and Hop Sing would get things fired up for supper. It was always a guessing game among the men –
the brothers included – as to what the little cook would present them with. Adam had always seemed to have the uncanny
knack of getting it, though many of them, most especially Hoss and Joe, figured
that he got inside information. And when
asked how he knew he’d only wink craftily and say that he had his ways. But nobody really cared as long as it was hot
and filling since, by the end of the day, they were hungrier than any wolf.
The cattle ambled on
aimlessly and the men had to fight against fatigue and boredom. After staring at the rump end of a cow or the
back of a horse’s head for hours on end it was bound that both would set
in. And when a man lost the edge he knew
that he could easily lose his life.
When Adam wasn’t talking to
someone he recited poetry or sang under his breath or worked on mathematical or
engineering problems. His family had
always known that his mind was the more complex of the Cartwrights and what
interested him bored his brothers to tears.
Joe liked dime novels while Adam preferred Shakespeare, and Hoss built
houses of cards while Adam did architectural drawings for the real thing,
including their home. So for Adam, a
cattle drive gave him the chance to sharpen and hone his intellect when he
found himself alone and not otherwise engaged.
By the time they made camp
things had gotten even chillier. The sky
had become even darker than before, though the more hopeful ones attributed it
to the fact that the day was coming to a close while the rest saw it for what
it was.
Adam sat on a large rock
eating Hop Sing’s current fare, rabbit stew and cornbread. His eyes were directed ahead at nothing in
particular as his spoon automatically went from plate to mouth. So deep into his musings was he that he
wasn’t aware that his father was watching him from back by the wagon. Ben’s own spoon carried on the same
repetitive motions as his son’s, and his eyes never left his eldest.
“Somethin’ wrong, Pa? Pa?”
Ben’s head jerked around, and
he found himself looking into Hoss’ uneasy blue eyes, and his fingers clenched
on his father’s arm. “What, son?”
“Is somethin’ wrong? Your mind was miles off.”
“No, nothing’s wrong. I was just watching your brother,” Ben said
and looked back at Adam.
“You know, sometimes it’s
like I don’t even know ‘im no more. Joe
says it’s this Stretch feller, and I havta kinda admit that I like ‘im, but it
just ain’t Adam. An’ sometimes I catch
‘im just lookin’ off like he is now.
It’s almost like he’s someplace else….
Well, I’m gonna go settle myself down an’ eat. You can join me if’n you want to.”
“No, son, you go on,” Ben
said, but his eyes never left Adam, and he was only mildly aware when Hoss
left. “You’re right, Hoss, he is
someplace else, and I wish I knew where.”
+++++
The new moon had been three
nights earlier so it was still plenty dark and the furious shadowy clouds only
made it more so. It was cold and men
huddled in their bedrolls while the first two on watch tried holding their
eyelids apart. Adam and Wes volunteered. They went to the makeshift rope corral and
got a night horse. Adam chose a
sprightly bronze-colored mare named Nugget and Wes saddled up a big bay called
Cyclone for his speed.
The cattle were bedded down,
and Adam’s soft baritone floated on the air as he sang in French a Creole ditty
that he’d learned from Marie when he was a teenager. His warm voice not only soothed the cattle
but also had the same effect on the men rolled up in their blankets. It had gotten dark as pitch, and he relied
on his pony’s eyesight – sharper than that of a day horse – to get around. It was black enough that a man could get lost
if he had a mind to. Lost. Sometimes Adam thought it would be nice to
lose himself someplace where no one knew him or knew where he was, but after
the experience that his family had just come through he couldn’t do that to
them. Still, he’d like to just be able
to get away. In recent weeks his usually
unsettled nature had become more restless, and he couldn’t really explain why. When he was a boy he’d gotten used to always
being on the move as they made their way toward their new home. And even after they had settled on what would
become the Ponderosa, there still had been plenty to do and explore. But now he was thirty-four, and he knew the
vast spread like the back of his hand.
He took his hat off and ruffled
his heavy black hair and looked into the beckoning void beyond as his own voice
filled his ears. It would be so easy to
simply ride away and disappear into the night.
“Nah, that’d be foolish,” he
thought between verses. The wounds were
still healing, and he felt this would pass, but he wasn’t sure and that
bothered him. “Maybe someday,” he
muttered as he finished the song.
FOUR
The next morning was as bleak
and quarrelsome as it had been the day before, and even those hopefuls from the
previous evening didn’t need any convincing.
Everybody could see what was coming, unless it changed its mind, as it
was want to do out here. But knowing
their luck this would not be the case this time.
The smell of bacon wafted
around them and made bellies grumble as they realized they were empty. Mingled in with it was the aroma of strong
coffee and wood smoke.
Adam poured some of the black
brew into a cup and took a bracing slug.
Maybe it would take some of the chill out of his bones from sleeping on
the cold, hard ground. He scratched his
head then smoothed his hair back and tried rolling some of the stiffness from
his shoulders.
Hop Sing bustled around the
side of the wagon with a sack of flour as Adam leaned close to the sizzling
skillet and sniffed. “That sure does
smell good. It about ready.”
“It be leady when I say it
leady, now you go away. Boy just get
underfoot. Now shoo.”
Adam snickered and grinned
wickedly then went to the campfire and sat down on one of the logs that had
been pulled around it. He wrapped his
hands around the cup and let it warm them as he watched the last efforts of the
dying flames.
“Don’t move, Adam,” Lee’s
tense voice sounded behind him. “There’s
a rattler on the log next to you.”
Adam gulped hard and froze
solid and slowly let his eyes go down to his left, moving his head as little as
possible. Sure enough, there it was
coiled no more than a few inches from his hip, warming itself in front of the
fire. His heart raced and his breathing
was trying to catch it. “All right, now
what? If I move I’m bit, if I don’t I’m
bit as soon as it gets around to it.”
Lee eased around in front of
him – his gaze locked on the impending threat to his friend.
“Mornin’, Adam, Lee,” Hoss
said robustly as he came toward them.
“Not so loud,” Adam
chastised, still not moving, and his eyes never leaving the snake.
Hoss’ brow pulled into a
frown. “What’s the matter with…?” But the words died as soon as he saw what was
going on.
“Hey, what’s goin’ on? You three look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Joe
said brightly.
“Joe,” Hoss hissed through
gritted teeth.
“What did I do?” Then he saw the peril his brother was in, and
his hand went instinctively to his gun.
“If you do, Joe, you’d better
hit it, because if you don’t, and I’m bit,” Adam warned, “when I’m able I’ll
shoot you. And I won’t miss.”
“No, Joe,” Hoss said as he
seized his little brother’s arm. “Lee,
git me one o’ them pieces of wood outta the fire.”
Lee took a kerchief from his
coat pocket and wrapped around the end of one of large sticks protruding from
the flames. He handed it to Hoss, who
held it close to the reptile. Gradually,
its coils started to loosen and breaths were held as it began moving toward the
greater warmth. Still, Adam didn’t budge
as Hoss led the snake to the other end of the log and away from his
brother. When it was a safe distance
from him Hoss grabbed it behind the head and gave it a fierce sling. “All right, Adam.”
Adam felt all the air leave
his lungs as he groaned. He dropped his
cup and slumped forward against his legs, burying his face on his knees and
letting his long arms fall limp at his sides.
Sighs and nervous titters ran around him, but he took no notice.
Joe sat on the log and placed
a hand on Adam’s back. “Just be glad you
didn’t sit on it, brother. I mean, who
would’ve been brave enough the suck out the poison? Certainly not me.”
Piercing hazel eyes rose and
bore into Joe. “Ha, ha, very funny, Joe. Next
time remind me to laugh when you find yourself in a dangerous situation.”
“What’s so amusing this early
in the morning?” Ben asked innocently as he stepped next to Hoss, and all
attention came around on him.
“Adam almost sat on a snake,”
Joe said with a rascally grin.
“You’re kidding, right,” Ben
said with disbelief.
“No, Pa, he’s not kidding,”
Adam said as he jerked to his feet. “And
the next person that makes a joke about it is gonna get shot.” He eyed each one of them then stomped off.
Hoss, Joe and Lee exchanged
wicked looks, and then the laughter started.
Now that the danger was passed they could see the humor in the
thing. Ben appeared uncertain if he
should laugh or not and the corners of his mouth simply turned.
+++++
Adam was riding point today
with Ray Styles, and he wasn’t in a talkative mood, but – unfortunately – Ray
was a talker. He ran on and Adam let him
alone, but he didn’t hear a whole lot of what he was saying, his mind was too
busy plotting. He’d heard Lee and his
brothers laughing as he trounced off. He
didn’t really blame them, but it would’ve been different if they’d been on the
business end of two inch fangs. He
wasn’t a vindictive man, but their insolence couldn’t go unpunished.
A breeze blew across his face
and Sport jerked his head. Adam gave him
a pat on the neck and knew he smelled the rain too. He was more certain now than before that it
was on its way, and if it didn’t come today it would definitely be here
tomorrow.
“Adam.”
He looked around at the sound
of his father’s voice, as Ben came in alongside him. Adam couldn’t miss the sense of urgency in
the deep coffee eyes. “What is it, Pa?”
“We’re in a bit of a dip
here, and if it starts to rain, especially as hard as I’m afraid it’s going to,
we don’t want to get caught here.”
“You think maybe we oughtta
head in the direction of the road now? I
know there isn’t as much water over that way, but it’s more level, and if it
rains,” Adam glanced up, “we’ll have plenty.”
“And if we get caught here we
could find it rushing in on us, and that’s not a position I want to find myself
in.”
“I agree that we’ll probably
have enough to worry over, particularly if we get thunder and lightning.”
“I’ll go tell the others,”
Ben said then wheeled around and headed back past the herd.
The unsettled feeling that
Adam had been experiencing the last two days intensified, and his stomach
wadded. It wasn’t like he’d never been
caught in a storm while on a drive before; in fact that was probably why he was
so nervous now. A heavy breath ran
through him and his muscles clenched.
He’d heard stories of men being lightning struck, drowned and trampled,
and he’d seen his share, and the thought of it happening again didn’t exactly
fill him with delight. But he was
surrounded by seasoned, experienced drovers – with the exception of Lee Haymes
– and he had a good, dependable mount beneath him. Still, even the most skilled men on the best
horses could get into trouble.
The day progressed slowly and
things didn’t get any better, as far as the weather was concerned. It didn’t appear to be getting any worse, and
that was a plus, but it remained threatening enough to keep tensions high. The cattle had become more restive and
touchy, and the men knew it wouldn’t take a whole lot to set them off, so they
would have to be on their guard all the time.
By the time they stopped for
the evening and so that Hop Sing could get supper started the sky had turned
into a maelstrom of swirling black clouds and things had definitely gotten worse. Men and animals settled down as much as they
could with this going on over them. And
doubts that this would hold off until tomorrow were becoming more concrete.
The enticing smell of food
lured Adam to Hop Sing’s wagon, but not for the same reason it did the
others. He had a scheme cooking in his
fertile brain, but in order to carry it off he would need to enlist the aid of
the little cook. Hop Sing was grumbling
to himself in Cantonese as he mixed together the batter for the corn cakes.
Adam strolled around behind
him and peered over his shoulder, his hands clasped around something and hidden
behind his back. Hop Sing shot him a
cutting look as he continued with his task.
“What you want? Stand back,” he
said as he gave Adam a push.
“I was just curious about
what you were doing,” Adam said and looked guilefully at him.
Hop Sing tilted his head to
one side as his eyebrows lowered. He
knew his boys well, they had been in his charge since they were children, and
he recognized that this one was definitely up to something. Since Mista Adam’s return home a playful side
to him had emerged that Hop Sing had always suspected was there but that had
been keep hidden away in a secret place. “You look like cat in birdcage. What you up to?”
Adam’s mouth drew down
deviously. “You heard what happened to
me this morning?”
“You almost set on snake,”
Hop Sing said as a wicked light burned in his obsidian eyes and a grin flirted
with his mouth.
“There were those who thought
it was funny, though needless to say I
wasn’t amused,” Adam said clandestinely as he moved closer to Hop Sing and
rested one arm on his back. “And I think
they need to be taught a lesson, but I’m going to need help.”
Hop Sing watched as he
brought his other hand from behind his back and held out a small box between
them so that no one else could see. He
looked into his boy’s eyes and caught the mischief alive there and knew
instantly what was being asked of him.
Mista Adam had come to him for help in carrying out his plan, and this
he couldn’t resist. Without another word
Hop Sing only nodded.
“Good man,” Adam said and
gave him a slap on the back.
After everyone was settled
with their food Adam stood back by the wagon waiting for the action to
start. His eating was done by rote for
his eyes never went to his plate. Hop
Sing was facing toward him as he dished up some stew for himself. Hoss, Joe and Lee were sitting together, no
doubt reveling in Adam’s mishap from that morning, for he could tell that
something was mighty humorous, though he couldn’t hear what they were saying.
Joe was the first one it
hit. His throat and mouth were aflame,
and his eyes watered. He tried to talk
but found that his voice had been eaten away.
Something to drink, he had to have something to drink. He grabbed his coffee and guzzled but it only
intensified the inferno.
Lee was next as hot seemed to
attach itself to every nerve ending in his body. He couldn’t see through the film of tears
that covered his eyeballs. Even his lips
were pure, unadulterated fire, and it felt like the hairs in his nose were
singed.
Hoss had eaten half of his
before he realized he was burnt to a crisp.
He jerked to his feet, and the remainder of his meal hit the
ground. Water, he had to find water and
jump into it head first and mouth wide open.
In his life he’d never tasted anything so hot. It was like biting into a burning log.
It was obvious to anyone
watching what was going on and who the perpetrator was. The other men thought it was riotous and Ben
tried hard not to laugh.
As the three seriously
incinerated men turned around they caught sight of Adam. He stood with his arm across the little
cook’s shoulders – both grinning broadly – and it was clear that they were in
cahoots.
Joe’s eyes glittered like wet
emeralds as he caught sight of his oldest brother with that self-assured
smugness that Joe had come to expect from him.
Again he tried to talk but still nothing came out. He stomped over to Adam as Hop Sing backed
off to a safe distance but continued to watch.
“Yes, Joe,” Adam said
sweetly. “Gotta problem?”
Deflated. Adam’s demeanor punctured Joe and let all his
hot air out. He couldn’t hit him now
and, oh, how he wanted to. But instead
he spun around and went off after Hoss and Lee who had gone in search of water.
Ben got up and went to his
oldest while the uproarious laughter from the hands still spread across the
countryside like a wave. “Adam,” Ben
scolded mildly. “Or should I say Stretch?”
“He who laughs last, Pa,” Adam
said and resumed his meal. But in his
mind he seriously doubted that this was
the last of it, not if Joe had any say in the matter.
FIVE
The next day boded the storm
that was on its way. It was darker than
ever, and the wind had picked up and twisted in the trees. The cattle moved along grudgingly and the
cowboys did the same, only more so. The
drag riders kept stragglers moving as they flicked their ropes which stung the
animal’s rumps and prodded them on.
Joe was on a lanky, zebra dun
riding flank with Grant Aikman. He could
see his oldest brother up ahead in swing with one of the other men. His mouth was still tender from the night
before, and he was glad because it was a potent reminder. He owed Adam in a big way for what he’d done
and the discomfort he felt kept him on track.
Hoss and Lee had taken it for what it was, a joke, but Joe wasn’t so
inclined to do so. Breakfast had been a
painful experience when the black pepper in the gravy only incited his
sensitive tongue and gums. But whatever
he did had to be fitting for the offence, and he wanted it to be before they
got back home so that the men could witness Adam’s humiliation just like they
had his.
Hoss was riding drag with
Chris. He couldn’t miss how Joe had
looked at Adam the night before and it bothered him. His little brother had a hot Southern temper,
and he’d never liked being laughed at.
He knew that what Adam had done had been a form of retaliation in
response to their laughing at him over the snake. But it hadn’t been meant to humiliate anyone;
it was simply a joke and a way to liven things up. He feared, however, that Joe wouldn’t take it
that way. And he also feared what Joe’s
retribution would be.
Ben was worried, but these
days – where his sons were concerned – that had become his natural state. Adam’s little prank from the night before
hadn’t gone over well with his youngest.
Hoss and Lee had talked to him about it, and he knew that they held no
ill will toward Adam; in fact, after they had recovered they even thought it
was funny. But not so with Joe, he had
stewed around all morning and couldn’t even look at his oldest brother without
a vengeful light shining in his eyes.
When they stopped for the evening he would talk to Joe about it and hope
that he got through, but for today he would give him the chance to work it out
for himself.
Adam knew that he’d better be
on the alert. He hadn’t missed the fire
in his little brother, and he guessed he wouldn’t take his insult lightly. And knowing Joe the way he did he knew it
wouldn’t be pretty. He turned in the
saddle and looked back at his brother riding the little black they called
Rocket. They made eye contact briefly
but Joe looked quickly away. Adam turned
back around and shook his head. How Joe
could go from being your best friend to your worst enemy and right back again
perplexed him and always had. But it
usually burned itself out fairly quickly so he wasn’t alarmed about it. He grinned and urged the cattle on.
+++++
They were long out of the dip
and closer to the road that led straight to Bantree when they stopped for the
Adam stepped down and led his
horse, a stout little buckskin with an eel stripe down its back, over to the
temporary corral and got his gear off of him then went on to the wagon. “I sure could use a cup of coffee, Hop Sing,”
he said as he walked around back.
“You know how to get. Hop Sing busy.”
Adam could tell by the look
on little man’s face that he was only about half serious. He filled a tin cup from the battered pot and
wrapped his hands around it. The steam
rose into his face and brought with it an aroma that always had the ability to
comfort. “Look, I’m sorry I got you into
that last night.” He took a good drink
and watched Hop Sing over the cup’s rim.
“I certainly don’t want Joe mad at you.”
“Him not. Him mad at you.”
“I know.” He sighed and took another drink. “It was only a joke, but maybe I did go too
far.”
“No,” Hop Sing said
sternly. “They make funny when Mista
Adam almost get bit in butt…”
Adam snorted and spluttered
as the coffee tried going down the wrong way.
“…and you not let them get
away with it so men not lose trust in boss,” Hop Sing went on. “And if Mista Joe too much of little boy to
see that you only play prank and not mean harm then he have trouble, not you. I glad you come to Hop Sing for help.”
Adam grinned crookedly. “Thanks, Hop Sing.”
Hop Sing returned it and then
it quickly dissolved. “Now you go eat
before food get cold.”
Adam loaded a plate then went
off with it and his coffee. He found a
spot to himself and sat down, crossing his long legs. The food was hot and satisfying and beans
hadn’t tasted so good in while.
“Mind some company?”
“Not at all, sit down,” he
said as he glanced at his father.
“It’s been a good drive,” Ben
said as he sat by his son and rested his plate on his legs. “I figure tomorrow we should make the Haymes’
spread.”
“Yeah,” Adam said as he gave
him a wary look as he took a bite. He’d
known his father too long to be taken in by his lack of concern. He swallowed.
“All right, Pa, out with it. I
know you didn’t come over here just to bore me with idle chitchat.”
Ben looked at him straight
and couldn’t miss the intelligent spark in the dark eyes. He’d never been able to hide anything from
Adam, and his son made him feel like an open book. That was a part of his life that he’d so
sorely missed and it was good to have it back.
“All right, I’m worried about this thing with your youngest brother.”
“I guessed as much. Well, don’t be, Pa, he’ll cool down. He always does.”
“How so sure? If I know Joe, and I do, he feels like his
big brother was trying to make him look silly.
And you know how Joe has never liked being laughed at.”
“Well, now Hoss and Lee don’t
see it that way, and I believe that Joe’ll come around just like he always has
in the past. It’s just gonna take him a
little longer. The fuse burns hot, but
it doesn’t burn long. And Joe is, after
all, a grown man. He’ll figure it out,
only you have to let ‘im.”
“Yeah,” Ben said with a
snicker, “I guess you’re right.
Sometimes I have to stop and remind myself that all my sons are grown men and try not to meddle.”
“You don’t meddle, Pa, you
intervene.”
Ben looked up from his plate
and saw the mischievous child alive in his son, and it made him laugh.
As Joe rode his slow, clock-wise
circle to Wes’ counter clock-wise around the outer perimeter of the herd he
watched his father and eldest brother in conversation and sharing a meal and
laughter. And as he did images forced
their way into his mind’s eye. He saw Pa
as he’d been when they thought Adam dead, the drawn, disheveled figure with
dark smudges under deep-set eyes, and the tears. And what about that one terrible day when
he’d seen that body in the back of the wagon, its face obliterated by a shotgun
and believed it to be his son? There had
been no laughter then and it was good to see it on Pa now. And then there was Adam. His heart ached at the remembrance of those
black, gut-wrenching weeks when they thought he was gone from all their lives
and there was nothing any of them could do to bring him back. The corners of his mouth turned up and a warm
radiance glowed in his heart as he recalled finding his brother again and the
day he remembered who he was. That was
the day that Joe would have been gored, possibly killed, if his big brother
hadn’t been there doing what he always did, watching after him.
His hand tightened on the
reins, and he stifled a snort lest he startle the cattle. He would let Adam have his little joke. He knew his brother, and now that the fog of
anger had dissipated, he could see more clearly. But that didn’t mean he was off the
hook. Joe still had a score to settle;
only now there would be no vindictiveness attached to it. Now it would simply be two cowboys who
happened to be loving brothers having at each other and relieving the boredom
of the trail.
+++++
An hour later they were on
the move and the cattle had become more skittish. The men’s senses had grown more acute since
it didn’t take a whole lot to touch them off.
The snapping of a twig or the fluttering of a bird close by or even
something as simple as a cowboy lighting a smoke could act as a catalyst. As unpredictable as the storms that could
sometimes incite them, stampedes were a constant threat that stayed in the
minds of the drovers from the beginning to the end of any drive.
Adam had switched positions
with Joe and changed horses. He was once
again on his beloved Sport and it was good having his longtime companion under
him. He reached out and gave the big
chestnut an affectionate pat on the neck, and the horse responded, his head
bobbing up-and-down as if nodding his approval.
This time it was Joe that
looked back and Adam couldn’t miss what was in his little brother’s face. He’d been forgiven his misdeed, but the half crooked
smile and shining eyes also told him that he’d started something that Joe
intended to finish. One eyebrow rose in
reply, and he hoped he got his message across.
“Come ahead on little brother, I’m ready for you,” he said under his
breath then he added, “I think.”
SIX
After they were done with
their supper Adam and Chris started for the remuda to get their night
horses. Adam was saddling Nugget when
Joe’s voice made him look around, though he continued with what he was doing. He just stood and watched Adam go about his
task as if waiting for his brother to speak first. “Something I can do for you, Joe?”
“No, I just wanted to be with
my brother before he starts his watch.
Nothing wrong with that, is there?”
“Not one bit,” Adam said as
he brought the left fender up and put across the saddle’s seat then began
fastening the cinch. “But I know you,
and I can always tell when there’s something on your mind, so why don’t you
just tell me what it is? Time’s a
wastin’.” A broad toothy grin spread, and
he gave a tug.
Joe glanced at the ground and
dug the toe of his boot into the dirt.
“Well, I guess I just want to apologize for the way I acted, is
all. I’m sorry, Adam. I behaved like a hotheaded brat who can’t
take a joke, and I made myself look sillier than you did.”
“I won’t argue with you on
that,” Adam said as he brought the fender back down and turned to Joe. “But I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Anybody who knows you knows that something
like what I did is like dropping a lit match into a bucket of kerosene. There’s gonna be an explosion.” He put a reassuring hand on Joe’s
shoulder. “But I couldn’t let you three
laughing about what happened go unchallenged, especially since word got
around. You see, if a man doesn’t stand
up for himself others are gonna think he’s weak, a bad thing for somebody who
handles other men. And since I got back
I’ve noticed the way they watch and treat me.
They’re wondering if I’m the same person and part of me is, but, Joe, a
part of me was awakened, a part of me that I kept hidden away most of the time
and kept on a tight rein when I did let it out.”
“Stretch?”
“If you want to call it
that. What happened made me realize that
no matter how much hurt we go through in our lives it’s not enough to warrant
our not being ourselves. You don’t know
how many times in the past I’ve wanted to get in on the fun with you and Hoss
but was simply afraid to.”
“Afraid? You?”
“Yes, Joe, me. I was afraid of my actions being
misunderstood. Sure I let my defenses
down a few times and it always felt so good, but afterward I always wondered if
it had been taken wrong. I see now that
my reasoning was all skewed. When I was
with the Haymes’ and all the bad memories that made me pull away were gone,
that was the real Adam, the one that wasn’t afraid to live life, the one that
started out west with
“Thanks, Adam,” Joe said as
he came closer and rested his hand on the mare’s neck.
“Don’t mention it. I mean, what’re brothers for?”
Joe stepped back as he turned
his horse and headed off with Chris. For
the first time in, maybe ever, he felt he understood his oldest brother
better. He was more like his brothers
than he’d ever let on before or, more to the point, they were like him and it
made Joe feel good. He’d always loved
and respected Adam, but he didn’t think he’d ever been as close to him as he
was right at that moment. “Thanks,
Adam,” he whispered then went in search of someone he could engage in a few
hands of poker before turning in.
Ben sipped his coffee as Joe
walked past him and he watched his son, then his looked back to Adam as he
started his night watch. He could see
that Joe’s anger had blown itself out, just as Adam said it would. He took another drink and went to rejoin
Hoss, there was no need for the talk with Joe now.
+++++
Adam and Chris were just less
than two hours into their three hour shift when the nightmare came. A bright yellow streak split the black
starless sky like an enormous cleaver, striking the ground mere inches from
where the cattle had bedded down. As one
they rose as the rain let loose with a force that could take a man off his
feet. Thunder sounded like a colossal
shotgun that shook every living thing to its marrow and shattered the night
like a rock hurled through a pane of glass.
Adam spun Nugget around sensing more than seeing what was
happening. Another bolt nearby
splintered the top of a tree, driving the already frightened cattle to
frenzy. His eyes darted to Chris and met
with the deep teal ones filled with fear.
The ground rumbled as the
herd broke and Ben’s voice sounded loud and clear, “All hands!” Everyone scrambled up and made a mad dash
through the dark for their night horses.
Saddles were thrown on hastily since they were already bridled in case
of just such an emergency, and all were mounted in record time. The three best riders, being Adam, Joe and
Chris, rode hard to get out in front of the stampede. While they did this the others pushed in from
the opposite side to turn the herd.
Adam was leaned forward
against his horse’s neck to produce as little drag as possible. The wiry bronze chestnut’s hooves hammered
the ground, and her mane stung his face and eyes as it snapped in the sodden
wind. The rain continued in a sheet,
driving against horse and rider as if trying to push them back. Adam lost his hat, and his hair was instantly
matted to his head, the usual black wisp pasted to his forehead. His heart beat up into his mouth as he saw
the mass of horns bearing down on him, but he had to keep going. He’d seen Chris and his youngest brother
closing in behind him, and he was glad they were there.
Joe was directly behind Chris
and could see Adam off to their left and ahead of both of them as the lightning
lit up the world like a bonfire. For a
split second he saw his brother look around as his mount beat forward to get
ahead of the thundering mass. Joe dug
his heels into his horse’s sides and shot ahead of Chris.
Chris saw Joe surge past him
from the corner of his vision as they rode like madmen. The rain pelted him like eggs and – if not
for the brim of his hat pulled down in front – would have blinded him. His clothes clung to his body like a layer of
skin, and his feet sloshed in his boots.
Hoss had lost sight of his
brothers in the madhouse that surrounded him as he came in on the lee side of the
cattle. The heat from their closely
packed bodies cut through the cold rain and reached him like he was standing
before a hot stove. The big horse he
rode drove on as Hoss slapped the reins against his neck and urged him forward.
Ben was at the front of the
men trying to get the cattle turned. He
knew that Hoss was behind him, but in the driving rain and dark he’d lost his
other two sons. Another bright flash,
and he caught sight of Joe, but he still didn’t know where Adam was. He couldn’t dwell on it though, not now,
there wasn’t time.
Lee had never seen a stampede
before, let alone been this close to one.
On starting out Joe and Hoss had told him what to do if the unthinkable
should happen. He continued pressing in
on the herd as the others were and hoped he didn’t make a mistake and his horse
kept its footing. For what if he got
killed? What about Becky and Kip and the
baby? He pushed such thoughts from his
mind and continued riding in on the herd.
As Adam came around the point
Nugget stumbled, and he new that if she went down that could very well be the
end of both of them. He leaned back in
the saddle and tugged on the reins in an effort to keep her head up, allowing
her to get her feet under her again.
Joe’s heart stopped and his
breathing with it. Adam’s horse was
falling! He wanted to do something but
even if he got stopped what could he do?
Get between him and this tempest of horns and hooves and die to protect
him if need be. He glanced back to the
undulating sea of animals next to him, and when he looked back Adam wasn’t
there. In his panic he didn’t realize
that he’d passed his brother.
As Joe and Chris rode in on
the leaders the herd turned in on itself.
The other riders continued to push in and the cows began to circle and
mill. This was the most dangerous time
of any stampede for if a horse and rider should be caught in among the tightly
packed animals he could be jostled from the saddle. The end result would be an agonizing death
beneath their grinding hooves. And when
that happened usually very little was left by the time they passed over the
body.
So focused on what he was
doing, Chris didn’t see the tree with the low hanging branch, not even when he
rode dead into it and was jerked from the saddle. He was slung to the ground and hit hard, and
as he did wrenching agony ran though his left shoulder, and the pain deafened
him to the resultant pop. As he managed
to turn onto his back the rain splattered in his face, and he wasn’t lucid
enough to wonder where his horse was.
Then, from the blackness, came a warm voice and gentle hands, and the
thought that he’d killed himself and was in Heaven entered his mind.
By the time the cattle were
driven the three miles back to their bed-ground the storm had settled down to a
steady, soft rain without the accompanying thunder and lightning. The exhausted men dismounted their equally
exhausted horses and sought out the boss.
Now came the time of assessing the damage and finding out if anyone was
missing, since before there hadn’t been time.
As the men gathered around
Ben, Joe pushed his way through, and he could see at once that his son was
desperately upset.
“Pa, I can’t find Adam. I saw his horse falling.”
“Take it easy, Joe,” Ben said
as he gripped the young man’s shoulder.
“But I can’t find ‘im. And I can’t find Chris either.”
“We’re right here,” said a
weary baritone.
As everyone turned, Cyclone
ambled in and was stopped near them.
Adam was in the saddle and Chris was on behind him, leading a limping
Nugget with his good arm. The other was
tied against his chest with a lariat, and he looked as bedraggled as his
companion. Adam slid to the ground and
gingerly helped him down.
“Chris, you all right, boy?”
Ben asked.
“He’s all right, Pa,” Adam said
as he riffled his wet hair. “He had a
dislocated shoulder, but I managed to pop it back into place.”
“And the next time you tell
me you’re gonna count to four before you do it I wish you would,” Chris said as
he grimaced.
“All right, Chris, I’ll remember
that,” Adam said with a slanted grin.
“Now why don’t you go on to Hop Sing and let ‘im fix you up proper?”
“All right, Boss.”
As the men dissipated the
family gathered around Adam.
“What happened, son?”
“Nothing much,” Adam said as
he stepped to Nugget and began stroking her wet neck. “We almost fell and by the time we got
righted the herd had turned and everybody was headed back so I started out
behind you. That’s when I found Chris’
horse then found Chris laying there in the rain. He wasn’t hurt bad except for that shoulder,
and I knew if I didn’t get it back in place then it’d swell that way, so I
snapped it back.”
“Yeah,” Hoss grumbled. “An’ you told ‘im you was gonna count to four
an’ jerked ‘is arm when you got ta two.
You know, Adam, I think you always enjoyed doin’ that.”
“Now how can you say such a
thing?” Adam said and raised one eyebrow.
“You know me.”
“Yeah, brother, I know you.”
“I’m glad you’re all right,
son.” Ben rested his hand on his son’s
soggy back and smiled tiredly.
“I’m glad we all are.”
Ben gave him a smack then he
and Hoss joined the others. Joe had
remained quiet the whole time, and his eyes never left Adam.
“You haven’t said a word,
Joe. You mad at me again?”
Joe went to stand in front of
him then – without warning – he threw his arms around his brother and crushed
him close. The tears stung, and his
eyelids dropped. For the second time in
so few months he’d thought Adam had been lost and it was good to feel him alive
in his arms, though quite waterlogged.
It was amazing how the loss of someone could open a person’s eyes, but
by then it was too late. Joe had been
given a second chance, and he wasn’t going to throw it away because of petty
anger or his hotheadedness. Life was too
short and Adam was too cherished.
As Joe stepped back Adam
couldn’t miss the relief in the deep green eyes and saw a light he hadn’t seen
there since before he left for college.
Still without a word, Joe gave him a slap on the arm then walked away.
“Well, what do you know about
that, girl?” Adam said as he patted Nugget on the jowl.
For the first time in ten
years since his return from
SEVEN
Everyone anticipated that
this would be the day they finally reached the Haymes’ spread and were able to
shed themselves of these mangy beeves.
Ben had promised a night in Bantree once they made their destination, and
the men could spend their newfound pay any way they saw fit. And with ten saloons and other establishments there would be no dearth
of recreation. With plenty of libations
under their belts things could get a bit lively as it always did when cowboys
blew into a town at the end of a drive.
Even though this had been a short one and not a protracted affair like
usual it hadn’t been any different, and with the added attraction of a
stampede, the men needed to cut loose.
The cattle plodded along, and
the men did the same, their enthusiasm as damp as they were. They had gotten into dry clothes but boots
and hats were still sodden and the air hung heavy around them. Earl Deevers had found Adam’s hat and
returned it to him. The inner band was
clammy against his forehead, and it was still soaked from lying out in the
downpour most of the night. He was
riding point with Chris today per special request that his father had gladly
granted.
“How’s the shoulder holding
up?” Adam asked as he brought Sport over alongside Dunny.
“It hurts like blazes, but it
coulda been a lot worse so I ain’t complain’.”
He shifted in the saddle. “Your
pa says we’ll probably get to the Haymes’ spread sometime today.”
“Probably, if we don’t have
anymore stampedes.”
Chris winced. “That ain’t even funny.”
Adam snorted and looked
sheepish. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
They rode quietly for a
couple minutes. “Last night when I
loosened my hinges and was layin’ there about to be drownded, I thought I’d
done gone and killed myself. I woulda
said I’d broke every bone I had, it hurt so bad. Course, I was too shook to think that you
don’t ache like that in Heaven. And then
you come along, and with that purty voice of yours I thought an angel had come
for me.”
“Take my word for it, Chris,
I’m no angel.”
“You were to me. Course, you did play a bit of a dirty trick
on me, sayin’ you was gonna count to four…”
“I know, but I figured
springin’ it on when you weren’t ready it wouldn’t hurt so bad.”
“You can take my word for it,
it did.”
“I’ll remember that,” Adam
said with a roguish gleam in his dark hazel eyes.
“Boss, I been thinkin’ on
somethin’, and I’m not sure how to ask it.”
“Just come out and do it,”
Adam said with a shrug. “No sense
beatin’ around the bush about it.”
“I been thinkin’ that when we
git to the Haymes’ place I could stay on there for a little while.”
Adam watched him intently
with one eyebrow raised.
“He don’t have anybody
workin’ for ‘im,” Chris went on, unaware of Adam’s intense scrutiny, “and it’d
give my shoulder a chance to heal up before I…”
But the words died out as he looked around at Adam. “What?”
“And on Saturday nights go
into town and visit with Amelia a little?”
Chris sniggered and shook his
head. “I ain’t never been able to put
anything over on you, have I, Boss?”
“That’s why I’m the
boss. But that’s not a bad idea. You could help Lee with his new cattle until
he’s able to hire somebody. I’ll talk to
Pa about it. Now I’d better get back
into position.” Then he winked at the
boy and put some distance between them.
Long about
Adam loaded his plate and
filled his cup with strong, black coffee and went to where Lee was sitting off
to himself. “Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all,” Lee said and
shoveled a bite into his mouth.
Adam parked himself on the
rock – dried by the sun and wind – next to Lee.
The ground was still plenty damp and there were few things as miserable
as a wet butt in a saddle. “Well, you’ll
soon be home. I don’t have to ask if
you’re getting excited because I know I would be.”
Lee’s watched his face over
the rim of the cup as he took a drink.
“I know you are. It means Kip.”
“Yeah,” Adam said as one side
of his mouth crooked. “I sure have
missed that boy.”
“And he’s missed you. When you were stayin’ with us he thought you
hung the moon and still does. When I
told him I was going to the Ponderosa he wanted to come with me. Said he could help me drive to cows back
home, but I knew the real reason.”
Adam glanced at him as he
swallowed a bite of bread. “We were the
best of friends. Living out like this
with no other children for some way, and then out of the blue comes somebody
that doesn’t have any friends, or a name and a home, for that matter…” he shook
his head and glanced back toward the fork.
“We’ll soon be to the spot where you… found me.”
“And not a day goes by that I
regret it. I’ve always believed that I
was sent to find you. If I’d drove on by
I’d been no kind of a man. I did the
Christian thing because a man needed my help, and if he’d died I would’ve given
him a Christian burial with the proper reading from the Good Book. But I thank the Good Lord every night that he
didn’t. I’m not sorry for what I did,
and I never will be. You’re my friend
and because of that I’ve gotten to know your fine family. Even Siddon Banning paid me a visit.”
“Siddon? What did he want?”
“He wanted to talk about my
selling beef to the lumber camp.” He
snickered. “One thing about Mr. Banning,
he’s plain spoken.”
“He is that.”
“He told me up front that
because of me you were still alive, and he owed me a debt that could never be
paid off. And I thought it was a pretty
fair deal until he told me how much they’d pay a head.” Lee pushed his hat back and a glimmer of
shock returned. “Thirty dollars for each
animal, and I about fell over. I figured
ten or fifteen, but that was too good to be true.”
“Yeah, well, one thing Siddon
isn’t is stingy with his money.” Adam giggled at the thought of his friend and
dug into his beans.
“That he sure isn’t. And, needless to say, I jumped at it.” He ducked his head. “That’s part of the reason I come for my
cattle now. I figured the sooner I
started getting my herd built up the sooner I could start supplying the camp if
some of the cows were already carrying calves.
But I hadn’t thought about your father being so generous.”
“You were generous to me,”
came Ben’s voice from behind them, “and I was generous in return.” He came around in front of them. “Siddon was right about the debt. No amount of money or cattle or anything I
have to offer can ever repay what you did for me and my sons. Now, I wasn’t trying to eaves drop, I just
came to tell you to eat up so we can get moving. I figure you want to get home to that wife
and boy.” A broad smile lit his face,
and he gave Lee a slap on the arm and left them.
“Your father’s a fine man; in
fact I don’t think I’ve ever met a finer one.”
“I know I haven’t, but I’ve met some awfully good men in my day. We’ve just been talking about one of them,
and I’m sitting next to another.” Lee
started to say something but Adam cut him off.
“Now, we’d better finish up here before we have to be told a second
time. Even good men don’t care for doing
that.” He grinned and nudged Lee with an
elbow as he popped the last bite of bread into his mouth.
Lee watched him as he took his
plate and cup back to the wagon and felt an inner glow that only special things
brought about. When Becky had told him
about the baby, the way his son looked up to him, and now knowing this man that
had come to him in a time of such desperate need. “And I’ve been sitting next to one too,” he
said as a soft smile turned his lips. He
took down his last two bites of food and slug of coffee then followed him. He had to get home to Kip and Becky and the
baby.
It took them about twenty
minutes to get everything packed up and fresh horses saddled and finally get
the cattle moving again. As they passed
the fork and headed along the road that would take them to the Haymes’ place
Adam went cold as a vile face came before him, bringing dark recollections with
it. He looked down at the ground where
he’d lain so close to death and could almost see the blood on the blades of
grass. His fingers knotted on the reins,
and he had to force himself to look away.
As he turned his eyes up the road, the image of a fair-haired little boy
that was the very picture of his mother replaced that vicious, grinning
jackal. Soon he would see his young
friend again and the sweet, beautiful Becky and his heart began to beat faster
with anticipation. He gave his horse his
knees and picked up speed and eased in closer to the cows.
+++++
Kip fidgeted in his chair at
the dining table like his britches were filled with hundreds of crawling,
biting ants. He’d barely knocked a hole
in his dinner, and his glass of milk was hardly touched, and his eyes kept
darting back toward the door. His mother
was washing up at the sink.
“Kip Lee Haymes,” she said
sternly as her blue eyes flashed, “will you settle down and eat. I didn’t stand over a hot stove just to watch
you play with your food.”
“But, Ma, they should be
gettin’ here an’ it’s been five days.”
Fear darted in his equally blue eyes.
“You don’t think maybe somethin’ happened to ‘em, do you?”
“No, dear,” she said as she
turned back to the sink. With her back
to her son she didn’t have to keep her own fear from her face. “I have no doubt that herding that many cows
takes time. They’ll be here.” Her soft brows lowered, and her hands went
still. “Please let them be all right,” she thought. “Now eat you dinner before it gets any colder
than it already is.”
She’d just gone back about
her chore, and Kip was still picking at his food when the sound of riders came
into the front yard.
Kip’s eyes went wide enough
to pop as his mother spun around, soapy water dripping from her hands. “They’re here!” he said as he dropped his
fork and bounded from the chair.
EIGHT
Kip darted out onto the front
porch as the men were stepping down.
Becky came out behind him, drying her hands on her apron, and relief
washed over her delicate features.
“Pa!” Kip squealed as he
dashed down the steps. “Pa!”
Lee went to his knees as his
son ran into his father’s waiting arms, and he hugged his boy. He was home and nothing had ever felt so
good. His eyes rose and met with his
wife’s and a smile passed between them that betrayed itself for what it
was. Becky was always so nice to come
home to and this time was no different.
“Where’re the cows?”
“We decided to settle ‘em in
their new pasture before we came on to the house.”
“How many did you get?”
“One hundred head, and we
didn’t lose a one along the way.”
“A hundred head? Wow.”
“And I brought somebody with
me.”
Adam stepped behind Lee, and
the boy’s eyes widened even more.
“Stretch!” Adam stooped as Kip
ran to him. “I was afraid you wouldn’t
come.”
“I had to. I’ve got a special friend here that I wanted
to see.” It was good to feel the boy in
his arms. Kip had been a large part of
his life and now they were together again, even if it was for only a short
time.
+++++
Ben and Lee stepped out onto
the front porch as the crickets chirped their soft melody to the accompaniment
of the night breezes. A gentle rustling
sound wrapped around them as the leaves brushed against one another. Men’s laughter spilled out into the darkness
from the barn’s partially open door along with the glow of lantern light. The Cartwrights and their hands would all be
sleeping out here since there wasn’t room in the house, though nobody seemed to
care. And right now nothing could dampen
the men’s enthusiasm; they were headed for a night in Bantree as promised and
Joe and Hoss were going with them.
“This is a good place you’ve
got here, Lee,” Ben said as he looked up at the starry sky. “And someday I believe you’ll turn it into
one of the finest spreads in these parts.”
“Well, with Ponderosa stock
and a choice bull,” Lee said as he lit his pipe, “things are looking
better. Of course, without my wife and
son with me there really wouldn’t be any joy in it.”
“I know what you mean,” Ben
said as he turned to him and leaned sideways against a porch post and crossed
his arms over his chest. “My sons made
even the hardest days worth it. When you
have somebody to build for and share with it always makes what you accomplish
so much sweeter.” He grinned as he
looked around at his eldest son sitting in the grass under one of the trees,
Kip sitting next to him. “I can see why
Adam is so fond of your son. He’s a fine
boy, and he’s going to make a fine man.”
“We both have sons that we
can be proud of.”
“That we do, Lee. That we do.”
Kip sat with his legs crossed
in front of him and leaned back on his hands with his arms behind him,
emulating Adam. “Stretch?”
“Yeah, Kip.”
“Why do you have to leave
tomorrow? Why can’t you stay for a
while?”
“I wish I could, buddy, but I
need to get back. There’s still a lot to
be done before the snow sets in, and Pa needs me.” He plucked a blade of grass and began toying
with it. “You know how that is. Your own pa needs you here.”
“I can’t do much, not like
you can.”
“When I was your age I could
ride and rope and help with the few cows we had.” Adam grinned at the recollection and
continued playing absentmindedly with the piece of grass. “Your father tells me you’re good with
horses.”
“I like to ride, but we only
have two and after you took the big gray one that only left Pa’s.”
Adam grinned mischievously
and hid it with his hand. “I just
remembered that I have something I wantta show you,” he said as he gave the boy
a jab. “It’s in the barn.”
“What is it?”
“Well, let’s go find out.”
Kip was having trouble
keeping up with Adam’s long legged stride as they crossed the yard. As they went into the barn the men were still
sprucing up for their night out. Hair was
being slicked down and fresh shirts that didn’t smell like horses and cattle
put on. The ribald camaraderie toned
down the minute they saw Kip.
“Say, Adam, why don’t you
come with us,” Joe said, brushing his unruly dark brown hair.
“Yeah, brother, you ain’t
been to town with us in a long time,” Hoss threw in. “You need to cut loose a little.”
“Thanks,” Adam said as he
gave Hoss a slap on the arm, “but me and Kip need to catch up. And we have things to take care of, so you go
head and have a good time.”
“We sure will,” Joe said as
the light caught the devious glint in his eyes.
“And Chris is gonna have a good time at the Banning’s.”
“Ah, Joe, cut it out,” Chris
said as his face reddened.
Laughter broke out as Kip
followed Adam back to the farthest stall.
Inside was a little bronze-colored mare contentedly munching her
oats. Kip didn’t think he’d ever seen a
more beautiful horse. Her long mane and
tale were just the same shade as her satiny coat, and her ears were perked
forward on her head. He wanted to reach
out and touch her so bad it made his fingertips ache.
“Her name’s Nugget,” Adam
said as he stroked her neck. “She has a
hurt leg and it’s a long way back to the Ponderosa, so I thought I’d leave ‘er
here while it gets better. She’s gonna
need a lot of taking care of, and I thought you’d like to do it.”
“Would I ever.”
“And then when she gets
better… she’s yours.”
“Mine?” Kip couldn’t believe what was happening. “You mean you’re really giving her to me for
my very own?”
“I think if a man’s gonna
help his father he needs his own horse.
My first one was a mare, her name was Little Bit.”
“I’ve never seen such a
horse. She’s just the prettiest
thing. And I promise I’ll take real good
care of ‘er.”
“I know you will.”
Then his questioning eyes
turned to Adam. “Is it all right if I
touch ‘er?”
“Well, since you’re gonna be
taking care of her, she might as well start getting used to you, don’t you
think?”
Timidly, Kip put his hand
against her shoulder, and she was like silk.
Someone had combed her, and she shimmered in the warm light like
something that would come from a gold mine.
He ran his hand along her strong back and could feel the firm muscles
that would support a saddle. She was the
most wonderful horse he’d ever seen, and she was his.
+++++
Adam was standing in the
doorway looking out into the night, and his mind seemed to be miles away. Since they had settled in Ben had noticed the
far off, distant look growing in his son’s eyes. The old unease from the trail had returned full
force as Ben watched him now. He
couldn’t help but wonder if his eldest was recalling a time when he’d spent a
night much like this one in this very barn.
Or had it gone further back to the deadly, unprovoked attack that had
nearly separated him from life and a son from his father? Ben watched as the lamplight played over the
side of Adam’s face with its strongly defined features and wondered. This son had always been a traveler since he
was a baby, and he couldn’t help wonder if the urge to move on was getting a
grip on him as Ben had feared it would someday.
+++++
It was late when the men
blustered in from their fling in Bantree.
Ben – given the privilege of the cot – and Adam had long since gone to
bed. They tried being quiet, but asking that
of a drunken man was like asking for the moon.
And with seven of them – Chris being the only sober one – well pixilated
one would stand a better chance of getting the latter. Grant Aikman tripped over a hay bale just
inside the door and someone shushed him.
Muffled giggles and snorts rippled through the silence, and the sounds
of crunching straw beneath boots mingled in with them, and the scent of whiskey
vied with the other smells common to a barn.
They hadn’t gotten far when a rich baritone came at them from the
darkness and froze them in their tracks.
“Having a little trouble
being quiet?” The orangey glow of the
lamp illuminated everything as it was turned up, revealing Adam standing next
to it and Ben sitting on the cot. “I
don’t think I need to ask if you had a good time, do I.”
Ben knew that his sons
sometimes drank to excess, Joe especially, but that didn’t make him like or
condone it any better. His dark eyes
drilled in on his more than slightly inebriated sons, and they colored up under
his steady, unrelenting gaze. He knew
this would happen by letting them go into town with the men, but after June he
wasn’t in a position to say anything.
He’d let his grief take control and drive him to drinking and not simply
for one night. These boys were just
letting off some steam and hadn’t caused any harm. “We need to get an early start in the
morning, and you need to get to bed and sleep off your good time. So turn in and do it as quietly as you can.”
After a round of polite ‘Yes,
sirs’ Joe and Hoss, and the others were quite docile as they started getting
ready for bed. Ben exchanged a look with
his eldest and couldn’t miss the evil glint in Adam’s eyes. He found himself wondering what his oldest
son had in store for his brothers and found himself already feeling sorry for
them.
+++++
The sun still hadn’t peeked
above the horizon, though the sky had begun to glow as a harbinger of its
arrival, when the men in the barn were making ready for their journey back to
the Ponderosa. It was quiet and faces
were long and eyes dulled. Only Ben,
Adam and Chris seemed to have any energy.
Adam stepped up behind his
brothers and slapped a hand on their backs and they grimaced. “You boys about ready?” he said exuberantly
and raised his head and sniffed the air.
“That smells like ham, and I could eat an ox, horns and all. And three fried eggs with the yolks runny
enough for sopping.” He smacked his
lips. “Now you finish getting packed,
and I’ll meet you outside.” He gave them
an even harder slap. “It’s been too long
since I’ve had one of Becky Haymes fine breakfasts.”
As he strode out two pairs of
agony-laced eyes followed him, and a hint of disgruntlement lived in their
depths.
“One o’ these days I’m gonna
git ‘im back for all the times he’s done that,” Hoss said as he winced and
rubbed his temple. “My head feels like
it’s fair gonna fall off an’ he didn’t help it none.”
“Why not today? And we still owe ‘im for that little bit with
the red pepper.”
Hoss had seen that devious
look on his little brother’s face enough to know that Adam’s payback was at
hand. And he couldn’t help finding
himself savoring the idea. “How you
gonna do it, Joe?” he asked in a low voice.
“I haven’t figured that out
yet, but you’ll be the first to know when I do.” His scheming green eyes went back to the
door. “And Adam’ll be the second.”
NINE
Joe settled the saddle
lightly on Sport’s back and carefully pulled the cinch around his belly. The horse looked around at him and Joe gave
him a gentle pat on the withers. “It’s
all right, boy.”
Hoss was keeping watch at the
door for their brother. If this thing
was to work they couldn’t get caught, and as shrewd as Adam was they had to be
on their toes. “Here he comes, Joe.”
Joe was just bringing the fender
from over the seat as Adam came in bright and chipper. “Well, you two look better since you had
something to eat.”
Hoss’ nose wrinkled, and he
rubbed his still queasy stomach. Both he
and Joe had only had coffee, and Adam knew it.
“I didn’t have that much of an appetite.”
“Oh,” Adam said
innocently. “Well, you missed some good
cookin’.”
“I saddled Sport for you,”
Joe said as his brother came toward him.
“Well, thanks, Joe. Any special reason?”
“Do I need a reason to wantta
be nice to my big brother?”
“No,” Adam said as one
eyebrow rose, “but it helps.”
Joe laughed but it quickly
died, and he massaged the side of his head.
“Here you go, brother.”
Adam took the reins from him
and eyed his little brother warily and then his horse. He couldn’t exactly put a finger on it, but
Joe was up to something and whatever it was Hoss was in it up to his neck. “Thanks, Joe.
Now Pa’s waiting, so don’t take too long.”
“All right, we’ll be right
out,” Joe said.
Adam watched him was but
caught no sign, but as he started out Hoss’ eyes darted to Joe. Now he was certain that something was going
on with these two, and he felt like it had something to do with his horse. He had a few ideas but he wouldn’t be sure
until he got outside.
Hoss and Joe exchanged
furtive giggles and slaps on the back.
“Now we’d better get out
there,” Joe said. “We don’t want to miss
the fun.”
Good-byes had already been
said and everyone was ready to mount up, except for Chris. As Adam turned to his horse an idea
flittered through his mind. He glanced
over at his brothers who had just come out with their horses; he knew, and no
one had to tell him. “Once more into the
breach,” he said under his breath. He
slipped his foot into the stirrup and eased down in the saddle, and the minute
he did Sport shot straight up with a wild squeal. His fingers bunched on the reins, and his
knees tightened against the horse’s sides.
“Adam!” Ben shouted.
Everything became absolute pandemonium
as the frantic horse seemed to be trying to rid itself of its rider. Not since he’d been broke had Sport behaved
this way. The big chestnut continued to
squeal and push off the ground amid shouts from the men. Lee grabbed his son and pulled him out of the
way just as the animal came down by the boy.
Ben couldn’t miss the fact
that Hoss and Joe seemed to be enjoying themselves a little too much. After what had happened in camp when Adam had
laced their food with red pepper this didn’t surprise him. His coffee eyes bore in on them and they
began to squirm under his stern gaze.
Another mad squeal brought his attention around as Sport bucked his way
toward the barn, his eldest son clinging to him like a burr. A burr!
His eyes bordered on onyx as he looked around at them again.
Sport disappeared into the
barn, taking Adam with him. It was
frighteningly quiet until a loud crash broke the silence and breaths were held,
but not for long. Sport bounced back out
with Adam still franticly hanging on.
Men scattered, some taking
cover under the wagon, as the horse tore through. Hop Sing, quarreling in Cantonese, dashed
under next to Wes as things got a little too close for comfort.
As Sport came around again
Adam caught a jarred glimpse of his brothers.
Hoss’ expression had begun to register concern but Joe’s face was a
little too smug for Adam’s liking. An
amber spark glittered in his eyes and determination set like bronze. He’d teach his little brother a thing or two
and hoped he didn’t kill himself in the doing.
The resolve to stay aboard had changed into something completely
different. His fingers loosened on the
reins, and his legs relaxed against the horse’s sides. Sport came down and Adam found himself jolted
from the saddle. He braced as best he
could but – either way – it was going to be a hard landing. He hit the ground with a grunt and wasn’t
aware when Sport’s slashing rear hooves missed his head by no more than an
inch. His arms gave way, and he fell
forward and simply laid there, his panting breath stirring up puffs of
dust. He could get up on his own – maybe
– but Joe’s lesson wasn’t complete yet.
Ben was instantly at his
side, hovering over him protectively.
“Adam, are you all right?” But
Adam was simply too winded to speak. His
dark eyes rose to greet his father’s, and the look in them told Ben what he was
doing. He was going to put this silly
competition to rest for good and all.
“Are you all right, son?”
Still, Adam didn’t
answer. The air had been knocked from
his lungs, and his voice had been taken along with it. He reached out to his father, and Ben helped
him to sit up. He bent his legs and
leaned forward against them. The strong
hand on his back was comforting as it rubbed in circles. As he sat there he became aware of a
different presence at his other side, and he looked around into Joe’s troubled
green eyes. Adam patted him on the knee
and grinned reassuringly. “I’m all
right,” he said roughly.
“Adam, I put a cocklebur
under your saddle.”
A warm light glowed in Adam’s
face and the sun twinkled in his eyes.
“I know.”
“You know? Well, how long did…?”
Adam’s mouth parted,
revealing his teeth, and he gave his little brother a wink and a pat.
“All right,” Ben barked as he
and Joe helped Adam to his feet, “this is enough nonsense for one day. Now let’s get mounted up and head for
home. There’s still plenty to do back on
the Ponderosa.” He began slapping the
dirt from his son’s shirt and his expression softened. “Are you sure you’re all right, son?”
“I’m all right,
“Let me do it, Adam,” Joe
said.
Adam simply nodded as his
breath was finally beginning to catch up.
After that things began to settle
and it didn’t take long to get mounted up and ready to head out, again.
This time they only had the remuda – minus Nugget, the big dapple and
Dunny – to get back home. The Haymes’
and Chris stood at the front steps waving as they went out to the road and
turned for the fork. Adam and Joe were
bringing up the rear of the herd and they turned in their saddles and waved
back.
“Adam.”
“Yeah, Joe.”
“Do you think you’ll ever
come back here?”
“I don’t know, maybe. But now I have more of a reason.”
“Kip?”
Adam looked around at
him. “Kip and Chris and old pain that needs to be faced. Now let’s go home, little brother.” He gave Joe a punch in the shoulder. “Oh, and Joe, the next time you think about
putting a burr under my saddle, do me a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t,” he said as he rubbed
the small of his back and grimaced.
Joe’s grin split his face,
and he punched Adam back. “All right,
just don’t you put anymore red pepper in my food.”
“It’s a deal,” Adam said as
he held his right hand out.
They shook on it then with a
laugh they galloped off to join the others.
They had three more days of hard riding ahead of them and plenty of time
for being brothers. And maybe they could
think of something to do to Hoss, since he hadn’t shaken hands on any
agreement.
THE END