ONE THING OR ANOTHER

by Julie-Ann S.

**********************************************

The Silver Dollar Saloon was a popular place in Virginia City. People from all around the local area usually came in for a drink at least once a week and the Cartwrights were no exception. Joe Cartwright took a long, slow drink from his beer and then casually looked around the saloon. He hadn't been in town for a week and it was great to be finally here. He was now happily tasting and savouring the cold beer he had been dreaming of all week while he had been rounding up cattle on the Ponderosa. The usual noon day crowd was already starting to build up and everything seemed all right with the world. Joe smiled as he took another drink from his glass.

Suddenly the saloon doors burst opened. Joe turned his head towards the direction of the entrance. He was amazed to see Adam standing there holding the doors wide open, panic-strickened. Raising his eyebrows in surprise, he watched as his oldest brother rapidly moved his head around in order to scan the room. Adam then quickly made his way inside and up to the bar.

Leaving his drink on the bar, Joe went over to Adam and grabbed him by the forearms. "Hey Adam. Slow down will ya. You look like you've seen a ghost."

Adam blinked. "I wish it was as simple as that. I've got to find somewhere to hide and quick."

"What do you mean you've got to find somewhere to hide?"

"I haven't got time to explain it to you Joe." he said impatiently. Turning to the bartender, he continued. "Sam? Can I hide out in the back room for a while?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah sure Adam." He was just as confused as Joe was at the sight of seeing Adam Cartwright being so scared.

Adam smiled weakly. "Thanks." Turning back to Joe, he sighed heavily. "Joe could you get my horse and bring it around the back. I need to get out of town as soon as possible."

"Ok Adam." Joe was evidently concerned about what was happening. "You going to tell what all of this is about?"

"Later Joe. By the way, Sam, if someone comes looking for me...you haven't seen me. Got that?"

"Yeah sure thing Adam. You want to take a drink in there with you while you wait?"

The thought of a drink appealed greatly to Adam and he brightened a little. "Yes but I think I'll need more than one. Just give me a bottle of whiskey and a glass."

After the bartender handed the bottle and glass to him, Adam quickly made his escape into the back room, closing the door firmly behind him. Joe leant with his back against the bar, resting his elbows on the counter, as he watched the retreating form of his brother.

Just as Adam was closing the door, Hoss walked into the saloon. Seeing Joe at the bar, he went over and tapped Joe on the shoulder. Joe turned around to see his other brother, smiling nervously at him.

"Have you seen Adam?"

"Yeah. He just high-tailed it into the back room with a bottle of whiskey. He looked like he was scared of something."

Hoss slumped. "Dang. It's too late. She's already seen him."

Joe frowned. "What's too late and who's she?"

Waving a piece of paper in the air, Hoss spoke, "I just got this here telegram from a sheriff, Adam and I met a while back. It was meant to warn Adam but I guess it's too late for that."

"I see." Joe was now more confused as ever. He wanted to know what was going on. "Hoss could you please tell me what all of this is about?"

Hoss sighed and shook his head slowly. "It's a long and sad, sad, sad story..." Hoss paused. "Sam. Could you get me a beer please."

Sam obliged Hoss straight away and gave him his beer. After Hoss took a drink. He smirked and then turned his head to face Joe. "Well Joe I guess it started out..."

Hoss all of a sudden cocked his head and stood up straight. He could hear a man and a woman talking just outside the saloon entrance. The woman's voice was very loud.

"Look I've been in saloons before and I'm not scared of this one. The person I'm looking came in here and I aim to find him." The woman was standing her ground and nothing the gentleman who was with her, was going to do or say was going to make her change her mind.

"Oh Lordy! She's here." Hoss shuddered and grabbed his beer. "I think I'll go and join Adam." Just as he started heading towards the back room, he turned quickly around. "And if she asks, you haven't seen me." He then practically ran all the way to the back room.

Knocking on the door to the back room, Hoss waited for Adam to open the door. "C'mon Adam it's me. She's here so let me in."

Joe watched as Adam quickly opened the door and practically pull his brother in. Joe scratched his head not knowing what to make of the situation. Turning back to face the saloon entrance, he was surprised to see a young and beautiful woman with auburn coloured hair making her way in.

Every man in the room, watched admiringly as she made her way slowly and surely up to the bar. After quickly looking around the room, she faced Sam and smiled charmingly at him. "I'm sorry for the intrusion but I'm looking for Adam Cartwright. You haven't seen him by chance."

Sam shook his head furiously and told her that he hadn't. She looked sad and dejected. Sighing she turned to leave.

"Umm...excuse me ma'am. Maybe I can help. I'm Joe Cartwright. Adam's my brother."

Joe watched as the woman turned slowly around to look at him. Dumbfounded, he was immediately fascinated by her and wondered what all the fuss was about. He smiled warmly as her face lit up in acknowledgement of him.

"So you're Adam's brother? You're just about as nice and charming as he is." She held out her hand. "I'm Viola Hedley."

Taking her hand, Joe kissed the back of it. Keeping a tender hold on it, he continued, "Ma'am, it's not very often we get someone of your beauty and intelligence gracing our fair city." He gave her his most devasting smile, the one he knew that all the women loved.

Casually glancing around the saloon, he smiled apologetically. "Well...since my brother isn't here, it's up to me to assist you. It would be my pleasure to help you in anyway possible." Joe grinned. All's fair in love and war, he thought. As he pointed to the door, he leant closer to her. "Shall we start by leaving here and talking a walk down the street. I'm sure that my brother is around here somewhere." He extended his arm and smiled wickedly as she took it willingly.

Sam shrugged his shoulders as he watched Joe and the young lady walk out into the street. The Cartwrights had a way about them and they sure wasted no time when a beautiful woman was around. He sighed and wished he had an eighth of the whatever it was that the Cartwrights had.

************************************************

"Where the heck is Joe with my horse? I'll told him over a hour ago to bring it around the back." Adam was getting a little nervous and irate by now. He stared at the half-empty bottle of whiskey on the table and began contemplating taking another drink from it.

Hoss shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe I should take a peek inside the saloon and see if he's still there?"

"Are you sure you really want to? She could be still out there."

Hoss went over and placed both hands on his brother's shoulders. "Adam I think you've had a might too much to drink and it's affectin' your thinkin'. Do you really think that little ol' Viola will be still standin' in the saloon in hopes of catchin' you there?"

Adam nodded vigourously. "Yes I do."

Hoss rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Well I ain't scared of her." Taking his hands of Adam's shoulders, Hoss walked to the door and slowly opened it.

"Not scared of her? Huh!" Adam raised an eyebrow and folded his arms.

Hoss looked back at Adam and frowned. He then cautiously took a step out of the room. After carefully surveying the room, he sighed a huge sigh of relief when he realised that she wasn't there. Looking over to the bar, he saw Sam motioning to him.

"Hey Hoss. If you're looking for your brother, he left over a hour ago." shouted Sam.

Adam stood up even straighter when he heard Sam speak. Over a hour ago...why that...I'll... He took a deep breath and purposely strode out of the room, right pass a bewildered Hoss and up to the bar.

Sam smiled nervously at Adam. The man obviously was not in a good mood if that scowl on his face was anything to go by. "Umm...Hi Adam. I was just saying to Hoss that Joe left a while back."

"Yeah I heard that. Did he say anything about where he was going?"

Shaking his head, Sam began playing with the rag in his hands, not sure of what to say next. "No Adam, he didn't say where he was going. All I know is that he left with that pretty young lady who came in here as bold as you like looking for you."

Adam frowned. "She actually said my name?"

"Yep she sure did and I told her that you weren't here. Then Joe offered to help her."

Hoss by now was at the bar. "He done what?"

"He offered to help her. They both left together."

Adam and Hoss just stared at each other. They both knew that Joe was in trouble. Adam turned back to Sam. "Which direction did they go in when they left?"

"They turned right." Sam was getting a little bit concerned about the way Hoss and Adam were looking at each other. "Everything alright then?"

"No everything's not alright." Adam snapped back at him. "C'mon Hoss we better go and look for him. I just hope it's not too late."

"Same here Adam. Joe ain't goin' to be too happy with us for not tellin' him about Viola."

"Yeah I know. I was just thinking about that. Once he's recovered, I won't blame him if he's furious at us."

The two brothers left the bar and ventured off down the street in search of their unfortunate brother, leaving behind a very confused bartender, who was now beginning to think that whatever it was the Cartwrights had he was sure glad that he didn't.

************************************************

Forty-five minutes later, Adam and Hoss walked towards the livery stable. After searching in a few places they thought Joe might have gone into, they decided to check if his horse was still at the stable. At the very least they would know if he was still in town or not.

Hoss pushed open the door to the livery stable and walked in. Adam followed closely behind and as their eyes adjusted, they heard a slight wimpering sound.

Slowly rotating to their right, they were surprised and astonished to see Joe sitting on top of the feedbox. Hoss rushed over to Joe and shook him slightly. Joe slowly blinked a couple of times and smiled weakly at Hoss.

Adam went over and placed his hand on Joe's shoulder. "You ok Joe?" The glassy look in Joe's eyes was causing him great concern. It was obvious that Viola had her way with Joe.

Joe gulped. "Yeah I think I'm ok. Who would've thought that sweet pretty thing was so...so..."

"Yeah I know Joe." Adam felt immediate sympathy for his youngest brother.

Hoss thought for a moment. "What happened Joe?"

"I don't know Hoss. After we checked a couple of places in the pretence of trying to find Adam. I brought her down here on the grounds of checking to see if your horse was still here." Joe with a hangdog expression on his face continued. "All I wanted to do was get better acquainted with her."

Sitting down on the feedbox next to Joe, Adam nodded. "Yeah I had the same idea when I first met her too."

Joe cocked his head and looked at Adam in confusion. "Well after I kissed her, she grabbed onto me and wouldn't let me go. She pinned me down on this feedbox and sat on my lap. Her hands were everywhere and she was kissing me..." He squeezed his eyes shut briefly for a moment. "Well let's just say she was kissing me in ways I never imagined before."

Hoss' eyes opened wide and he thanked the good Lord that he had been spared Viola's attentions. "Then what happened Joe?"

Taking a slow, deep breath Joe continued. "This went on for about five or ten minutes before we were interrupted by old man Walker coming to get his horse. Viola got up off me just as he was coming in and acted like nothing happened. She thanked me for my help and went out. I've been here ever since."

Letting out a low whistle, Hoss once again silently thanked the Lord for sparing him. He glanced over at Adam, who was now looking a little bit peaked at the thought of what he and Joe had gone through. "Well Joe I have to say that you were lucky that old man Walker came in when he did."

"Lucky?" Joe frowned. "I wouldn't call myself lucky."

"Believe me Joe, you were." Hoss casted a sidelong glance at Adam. "It coulda been a whole lot worse. You coulda been stuck in here with her for hours."

Joe slowly glimpsed over at Adam. His face lit up momentarily when he suddenly remembered something. "That mark that was on your neck when you came back home from that assignment last week." He stood up and pointed to the place where the mark had been on Adam's neck. "She did that to you?"

Lowering his head, Adam nodded once. "Yes she did and I don't want to hear anything more about it." He raised his head and glared at each of his brothers. "Got it?"

Joe and Hoss both nodded, knowing when to leave well enough alone. Joe was now starting to recover from his encounter with Viola and was feeling slightly better. Even though it was a disturbing experience, he was glad that he got away relatively unharmed. Adam on the other hand, Joe smirked a little when he remembered the day Adam and Hoss had returned. The mark above Adam's shirt collar was still visible and Joe had tried in vain to find out how it got there. After a few days he had given up when both Hoss and Adam refused to say anything about it. He wondered what Pa would say if he knew what had really happened.

Adam pinched the bridge his nose. He was sure he could feel a headache coming on. Going back over the day's events, he groaned as he recalled what Sam had told him.

Hoss and Joe both looked questionably at Adam as soon as they heard him groan. Adam sighed heavily. "She knows my name."

"Oh Lordy she does too." Hoss was beginning to think that Viola Hedley would be around for a long time to come. "And she knew to come here too. How do ya reckoned that happened?"

"Well firstly, someone here in town obviously told her who I was when she pointed me out to them. As for knowing to come here. Either Ezekiel accidently mentioned something or she was just lucky." Adam pinched the bridge of nose again.

"'Who's Ezekiel?" Joe asked in an innocent tone.

Raising an eyebrow, Adam studied Joe for a few seconds. He knew Joe hadn't given up on getting trying to get involved with his Secret Service work. When he got home last week, he was not all that surprised to find out that Joe had found his book on counterfeiting. Joe was getting better and better as he got older. Adam gave a lop-sided smile to his youngest brother. "Never mind who Ezekiel is, Joe. It's time we got on home before Viola comes here and finds all three of us here waiting for her."

Getting no argument from his brothers, the three of them then saddled up their horses and made their way home.

*************************************************

Joe whistled as he walked slowly around the side of the house. It had been another good day's work and he was looking forward to enjoying a night on the town. He stopped abruptly as he sighted Hoss sitting on the wooden bench in front of the house, obviously deep in thought about something.

"Hey Hoss. Whatcha thinking about?" Joe asked happily.

Hoss came out of his reverie and shook his head slightly. "Oh...hi Joe. I was just thinkin'"

Rolling his eyes, Joe placed his hands on his hips. "I could see that. That's why I asked what you were thinking."

"Sorry, Joe. Didn't quite hear you the first time." He half-smiled.

"So what were you thinking about Hoss?"

Hoss' brows knitted. "I..I was just thinkin' about how many?"

Seeing that this could take a while, Joe decided to join his brother on the bench. "Ok...how many what?"

"I was just thinkin' about how many women there were."

"How many women?" Joe shook his head slightly, not quite understanding was Hoss was getting at.

"Yeah. I was thinkin' about how many women there have in Adam's life."

Joe looked at Hoss incredulously. "Hoss...there's too many to count. He's been around a long time you know."

"No Joe, that's not what I meant. I meant while he was away all those years workin' for the Secret Service. Ever since Viola appeared..." The two brothers then shuddered in unison.

Before continuing, Hoss frowned. "Well ever since she turned up it's got me wonderin' just how many women our older brother has been more than friendly with over the years...other than Renee and Madison."

Getting up quickly, Joe turned to face Hoss. "What do you mean by saying that Adam was more than friendly with both Renee and Madison?"

Hoss grimaced. His off-the-hand comment about Renee and Madison had rankled his brother and it showed in the tone of his voice and his stance. "Look Joe, I hate to say it but it's pretty obvious that Adam must have had..."

Scowling Joe, pointed a finger at his brother. "Don't go there. Just don't go there." Abruptly turning, Joe angrily walked away.

Heavily sighing, Hoss closed his eyes. He had done it now. Heck he didn't even think that Joe would react like this. Joe hadn't been this angry since...well it had a been a long time since he acted anywhere near like this. Hoss knew Joe had been sweet on both Madison and Renee but he thought his little brother had gotten over them just like he had so many times before.

Shaking his head slowly, Hoss knew he had set the cat amongst the pigeons. There was nothing else he could for now except to warn Adam that Joe might have a few words to say to his older brother on the subject of his past relationships.

*************************************************

"Now you boys take care of yourselves."

Adam placed a hand on his father's shoulder. "You know we will Pa."

Ben nodded and smiled. "Don't forget to tell Dan that the order has to be filled by the end of the month."

"We won't Pa." Hoss grinned. "C'mon time we were ridin'."

Ben stood on the porch and watched as his three sons rode away. Deep down he knew they would be fine but it still didn't stop him worrying every time they went away somewhere. This time they were headed to the timber camp that was the furthest away from the house. His sons would have to camp out overnight on their way to and from the camp but that was fine. The Ponderosa was just about a safe place as any.

Each of his sons had their own reasons for going. Adam, of course was delivering the message and checking up on the state of things at the camp. Hoss planned to get some fishing in at the creek near where they would be camping and as for Joe...that was another matter entirely. He knew Joe had originally planned on going just to keep his brothers company but Ben wondered how much company he would be considering the mood he was currently in. His youngest son had been in a very black mood since yesterday and it showed no signs of letting up.

As he continued to watch them ride away, Ben tried to work out what was wrong with Joe. Failing to come up with an answer, he just shrugged his shoulders. Whatever it was, he had a feeling that Hoss and even possibly Adam knew something about it. Sometimes he wished his sons would confide in him a bit more often than they usually did. This time around it seemed nobody was saying anything about it.

When his sons had disappeared from view, Ben turned slowly around and walked back inside with the hope that Joe would be back to normal by the time he got home.

***********************************************

Adam casually watched Joe, as his brother rode on ahead of him. He had been initially surprised that Joe still wanted to come with them on this trip in the light of what Hoss had told him. However, he was now becoming rather wary of Joe's real intention of coming on this trip. He was having trouble shaking the feeling that Joe wanted to have it out with him and was using this trip as an opportunity to do so.

Glancing over at Hoss, Adam could see that the man was worried. When Hoss told him about the conversation that he had had with Joe, Adam had tried to reassure him that it was fine and that these things would have come out eventually. He also told Hoss that maybe it was for the best but somehow that didn't seem to make Hoss feel any better.

Hoss glanced at Adam and smiled weakly. Turning his attention to Joe, he could tell that his brother was like a volcano waiting to exploded. All they had been able to get out of him so far during the ride was a few grunts and a few words snapped angrily back at them. There was going to be one heck of fight coming up and Hoss knew that it was all his fault. If only he hadn't opened his big mouth, they would be enjoying each other's company right now.

Joe pushed his horse a little faster. He wanted to keep as far away from Adam as possible for the time being, as he needed time to think about what he was going to say to his older brother. As he rode, he continued to think deeply about what Hoss had implied. Joe had already come to the conclusion that it wasn't Adam's relationship with Renee that was eating at him - it was Adam's relationship with Madison that seemed to matter more.

Going back over the time when Madison had been at the ranch, Joe remembered the practical joke that both Adam and Madison had played on him. They have both been very convincing and Joe had chosen to ignore the fact that they had to know each other very well in order to pull it off. He had been and still was to a certain extent very much taken with the beautiful Madison to actually contemplate that Adam and her were merely more than just friends. It had been four months since Joe had seen her last and he still missed her a lot. Getting over Madison was proving to be harder and taking longer than he had originally thought.

***********************************************

Later that day, as Ben made his way slowly from the barn back to the house, he was taken by surprise by the sight of a buggy pulled up in front of the house. He wasn't expecting any visitors and knew his sons wouldn't have invited anyone over since they would be gone for a couple of days. A perplexed look crossed his face as he tried to figure out who the unexpected vistor could be.

When he got inside, he was astonished to see a young lady sitting on the sofa. The lady had turned around slightly to in order to ascertain who had entered the house. As a frown crossed her pretty face, Ben raised his eyebrows. Taking off his hat and placing it on the peg near the door, he smiled graciously at her.

"Ma'am...I'm Ben Cartwright."

The young lady got up and met him halfway. "I'm sorry to disturb you Mr. Cartwright. Your cook let me in and said I could wait here." She smiled as she extended her hand. "I'm Viola Hedley. I came here looking for your sons Adam and Joe."

Ben raised his eyebrows again. "Adam and Joe?" He started to wonder what his two sons were up to now.

"Well, either Adam or Joe will do. I just came by in hopes of seeing one of them."

Bewildered, Ben smiled apologetically. "Miss Hedley, I'm sorry to disappoint you but my sons left this morning and won't be back for a couple of days."

A look of disappointment, crossed Viola's face. "Really and I had hoped to..." She perked up a little. "Oh well, I'll see them some other time. I'll guess I'll be going now. Thankyou Mr. Cartwright."

"You're welcome, Miss Hedley. Are you sure I can't help?."

"No...you can't help me. Thanks for the offer." She started to walk towards the front door. As she grabbed the handle, she turned to look at Ben. "Will your sons be at the dance Saturday night?"

Ben nodded. "Why, yes. I'm sure they will be."

Viola beamed. "That's just fine. I'll see them there then. Goodbye Mr. Cartwright."

Ben followed Viola outside and watched her as she left. It had been a very peculiar visit in his opinion. He scratched his head. It was obvious that Joe and Adam were once again both after the same girl. What surprised him the most however, was the girl didn't seem to mind who was going to catch her in the end.

**********************************************

Adam leant back against the trunk of the tree. It was a fairly warm afternoon and he was quite content. The business at the timber camp had been taken care of and now they were on their home. Once again they were stopping at the place they had the night before and Hoss had already gone off to his favourite fishing spot in hopes of catching something for dinner. Going back to the latest novel by Charles Dickens that he had acquired only just recently, he soon became engrossed in the story and failed to notice Joe approaching him.

Observing Adam as he read his book, Joe slowly took a deep breath. It was now time to confront Adam about Madison. He had purposely decided to come on this trip in order to do this. He didn't want to talk to Adam at home with their father nearby. The last thing Joe wanted was his father playing mediator between him and his brother.

Walking slowly up to Adam, Joe stopped a couple of feet away and cleared his throat. He watched as Adam lifted his head from his book and acknowledge him.

Sighing, Adam scrutinised his brother. So Joe was ready to have a talk with about Renee and Madison. Adam knew it was going to happen sometime on this trip and wasn't surprised that Joe chose now. "Joe."

"Adam." Joe regarded his brother intently. "I've got a few questions I want answers to."

Slowly getting up, with his book in his hand, Adam waited for Joe to say something. When it came apparent that Joe was waiting for him to speak, he spoke slowly and clearly. "I guess that you would."

Joe cocked his head. "Hoss told you about our conversation the other day?"

"He did."

"Then you know what I want to ask you about."

"Yes. I do."

"Well?"

Adam frowned. "Well what? What do you want me to tell you Joe?"

Taking an aggressive stance, Joe sighed heavily. "Adam...I want to know what happened between you and her?"

"Look what happened between me and Renee isn't important. It was a long time ago..."

"Forget about Renee, she doesn't matter."

Adam raised his eyebrows in surprise. "She doesn't? I thought you were upset about both Renee and Madison."

"Madison is the only one that matters." Joe glared at his brother. "Now are you going to tell me or not?"

"The same thing goes for Madison...what happened between us is in the past and was over long before she met you."

Taking a few steps forward, Joe grabbed Adam by his shirt. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

Keeping his own anger at Joe's aggressive move in check, Adam lifted Joe's hand off his shirt. "I've already told you Joe. It was over long before she met you."

Joe by now was getting very irritated. He was not getting confirmation of what he already suspected. It was vital that he know the truth and even though he didn't know the reasons why, all he wanted at this point in time was for Adam to tell him. "Adam just tell me. Did you or didn't you?"

"Joe. This is ridiculous. What happened between Madison and me is irrelevant." Adam was amazed that Joe still had very intense feelings towards Madison. The man had hardly said a word about her during the last few months and Adam had naturally assumed that it was another one of the many romances that had come and gone so quickly in his brother's life. What Adam was soon going to find out that indeed Joe's feelings for Madison ran very deep.

Without warning, Joe threw a punch at Adam's face. Adam, not ready for the blow, fell to the ground. As he rubbed his chin, he stared up at his brother, who was ready to dish out more. Adam contemplated staying on the ground for a moment but knew that wouldn't work. When he rose to his feet, Joe punched him in the stomach.

Doubling over in pain, Adam glared up at Joe. He had enough of this and he decided to let Joe know about it. Quickly recovering, he let lose his right fist into Joe's chin.

Staggering Joe, maintained his balance as he rubbed his chin. "C'mon Adam. Give me all you've got 'cause I'm ready for it." he said angrily.

Adam stopped in his tracks. He was about to strike Joe again but all of a sudden thought better against. He didn't want to fight with Joe over a woman, even if that woman was one like Madison. "Ok Joe! You want to know what really happened between me and Madison. Well I'm going to tell you. Yes Joe, my relationship with Madison went a lot further than us just being friends. Are you satisfied now?" Abruptly turning around, Adam started to walk off, picking up his book that had fallen out his hands, when Joe first hit him, and kept on going until he was well enough away.

Fuming, Joe watched Adam retreat. He had finally heard what he wanted to hear and could feel his anger quickly fading. He was beginning to feel bad about what had just happened. It had been a while since he had let his temper get the better of him. Once again he had acted before he thought. All the while he had been thinking that he needed to hurt Adam, just has much has he had been hurt by the realisation that Adam and Madison had been very intimate with each other. It had been rather unsettling to think that Adam had his way with a woman he cared very deeply about.

**********************************************

Ben looked worriedly at his oldest and youngest sons. Both of them were sporting bruises on their chins and neither wanted to elaborate on how they got there. Even Hoss was staying silent on the subject. Sitting at the dinner table, the silence was almost deafening. Instead of the usual dinner time talk, everyone it seemed was intent on concentrating finishing their meal as soon as possible.

Knowing that something needed to be done, Ben decided to broach the subject of Viola Hedley's visit two days earlier. Smiling at his sons, he spoke up. "While you were away, you boys had a visitor."

Adam lifted his head, curious as to know who had come by. "Who was it Pa?"

"A very pretty young woman. Seems you boys know her. She came by in hopes of seeing Adam or Joe."

Hoss shrugged his shoulders. It figured. Not many girls came by in hopes of seeing him. "What was her name Pa?"

Ben took another mouthful of his meal. When he had finished eating it, he nodded. "Viola Hedley."

All of sudden, Joe, Adam and Hoss sat up straight and looked nervously at each other. Joe was the first to speak. "Viola Hedley was here!" he said in a distressed voice.

Hoss tugged at his collar and looked upwards. "Oh Lordy!"

Adam gulped and cringed slightly in fear. "She was here and you survived?"

By now Ben was very confused by their reactions. "Yes she was here. She was a very pleasant young lady. She was only here for a few minutes."

Hoss frowned. "Nothin' happened then?"

Joe turned to Hoss, "Well it's obvious nothing happened. She's only interested in the young ones."

Ben leant forward, staring intently at Joe. "What are you saying Joseph. That I am too old for the likes of Miss Viola Hedley?"

Smiling feebly, Joe shrugged his shoulders. "No Pa. Just be glad that this time around you are."

Adam rolled his eyes. "What Joe is trying say Pa, is that Viola Hedley is not what she seems."

"That's an understatement." Joe shuddered a little at the memory of his encounter with Viola.

Ben had the feeling he was getting nowhere fast. His sons' reactions to Miss Hedley were quite frankly disturbing. Never before had he seen his sons react in this way to any woman of their acquaintance, except for the time that Adam had been chased by Abigail Jones. Raising an eyebrow, Ben looked quizically at Adam before speaking up again. "Well she wanted me to let you know that she came by and would see you at the dance on tomorrow night."

Three forks clanged onto three plates in unison. Hoss once again looked upwards and muttered "Oh Lordy."

**********************************************

"Well there's only one thing we can do and that's simply not go."

"Hang on a minute there Adam. We have to go."

"Now why would you want to go to the dance tomorrow night?" Joe looked questionably at Hoss. "You know the risks of going don't you?"

Hoss nodded his head quickly. "Yeah I know but that ain't the reason I want to go." He cleared his throat. "I done asked Annie Smith to the dance."

Joe for a moment looked surprise and then he grinned widely. He playfully punched Hoss on the arm. "You ol' son of gun. You finally asked her after all these months!"

Lifting his head proudly, Hoss smiled coyly. "Yeah I sure did. So I really need you for you two to come and I ain't takin' no for answer."

Adam shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "I suppose as long as we stick together and make sure that neither of us are alone for a minute with Viola, we should be fine."

Looking at one brother and then the other, Hoss firmly nodded. He knew that his brothers had no ill feelings against him and having already come to terms with what had happened between Adam and Joe, he now decided that it was time they clear the air between them. "Speakin' of stickin' together. Ain't there somethin' that you two should do before the dance and I reckon now is as good as time as any." Hoss stepped off the porch and headed towards the barn.

Adam rubbed the back of his neck as he shifted uncomfortably. "I guess Hoss is right. We do have something to discuss."

Joe glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah I guess we do." He turned around fully and faced Adam. "I'm sorry I hit you. I was just...just..."

Adam went over and placed his hand on Joe's shoulder. "It's ok. Joe I understand. You still care very deeply for Madison don't you."

"Yes I do. I still don't know exactly why I reacted like I did." He began inspecting an imaginary spot on his shirt.

"Joe...I think it's time I told you some things about Madison."

When Joe began to protest, Adam placed his hand in the air to stop him. "It's alright Joe. She told me before she left that when the time came I could tell you about her. Come on let's sit down."

Adam walked over to the wooden bench and sat down. Joe took the rocking chair that was nearby and sat in it.

Gathering his thoughts, Adam watched his brother, concerned about how he would react to what he was about to find out. He knew Joe needed to hear this now so that he could clarify his feelings for Madison. Taking a deep breath, he began.

"Madison and I first met about nine months after I joined the Secret Service." Adam kept waiting for a reaction from Joe, who at the moment looked like he wasn't giving anything away. "She had been working for the government ever since the Civil War and in our first assignment we posed as brother and sister in order to catch Mallard. Well, after that assignment was over we parted as friends and didn't see each other again until well over a year later. The Secret Service then sent us to England in order to break up a smuggling ring. In that assignment we had to pose as a married couple doing a tour of England and Europe."

"I suppose that when you and she..." Joe said calmly.

Solemnly nodding, Adam continued. "Yes Joe it was. At the time she needed someone and due to the nature of our work..."

Joe put his hand up. "There's no need for you to say anything more on that, Adam. I understand that things happen that way sometimes."

"That's good to hear Joe. Well suffice to say that we both knew it wouldn't work out in the end and we once again parted as friends. When she turned up here, it was the first I had seen her in a couple of years."

Joe smiled weakly. "I guess I kind of knew deep down that it was over between you and Madison but you know me. I tend to act before I think." Leaning over Joe placed both of his hands on Adam's shoulders. "I think part of the problem was that she chose you first. Didn't do much for my ego or my pride. That's why I was angry at you. I didn't like the thought of you being first again."

Adam laughed slightly. "It is in the past and that is all that matters Joe."

"You're right Adam. It doesn't really matter." He smiled. "It's plain to see that she preferred me over you anyways."

"Yes she does Joe." Adam paused for a moment. "Joe...there's something else you should know about Madison. It may help you to understand her a bit more."

Leaning back in the rocking chair, Joe wondered what else Adam could possibly have to tell him. "What is it Adam?"

"Madison is a widow. Her husband was brutally murdered by a group of men and afterwards she made a vow to find them all."

"I remember her saying that she had made a choice. I guess that was it then."

"Yes, she made it a long time ago. She's been hunting for the killers and has managed to get all of them, except one. She feels she can't go on with her life fully until they are all captured. It something she feels she needs to do for herself...and her children."

Sitting up a bit straighter, Joe looked midly surprised. "Her children?"

"Yes, her children. She has three of them. A son aged sixteen and twin daughters aged thirteen." Adam sympathetically smiled at his brother. "There's one other thing and I don't know if this will matter to you or not. Madison is seven years older than you."

Joe leant back once again into the rocking chair. His face showed that he was thinking deeply about what had just been said. Adam got up from the bench and started to walk back inside.

Grabbing his arm has he walked past him, Joe looked up at Adam. "Thanks Adam for telling me about Madison. You've given me a lot to think about."

"I hope so, Joe." Adam patted his brother's hand and when Joe let go of his arm, he continued to walk inside.

**********************************************

"Any sign of her yet, Adam."

"Any sign of who?"

Joe turned to Candy. "Umm...never mind. You don't know her."

Candy raised an eyebrow. He had just returned home after delivering some cattle to Tucson and even though he was bit worn out, he had decided to accompany the Cartwrights to the dance tonight in the hopes of getting in a bit of relaxation and fun.

Adam turned to face Joe and Candy. "No I haven't seen her yet but that doesn't mean she's not here."

There was something strange going on in Candy's opinion. Adam and Joe had been sticking rather close to each for most of the night. Hoss, when he wasn't with Annie Smith, had also chosen to remain close by his brothers. "So either one of you two are going to tell me about this girl you're looking for."

Joe shook his head violently. "Oh no. I'm not looking for her and believe me she's someone you don't want to know."

"Ahh...now I understand Joe." Candy broadly smiled. "You don't want me around so that you can have her all to yourself. Well I'm afraid that your plan isn't going to work."

"Look Candy, you don't understand. She's someone you most definitely do not want to know. Ain't that right Adam?"

"Yeah, Joe's right about that one."

"So you're in cahoots with Joe as well. Don't you think I can beat you two at your own game? We'll see about that." Candy slowly regarded the two Cartwright brothers. So there was a new girl in town and they didn't want anyone else to steal the march on them. He slyly smiled at them. "I'll find out who she is with or without your help."

At that point Hoss came up behind Candy. "Find out who is?"

Candy whirled around. "Joe and Adam have been telling me about this girl that they have..." He winked at Hoss. "...been avoiding."

"Oh you mean Viola." Hoss stared at his brothers who just rolled their eyes.

"So her name's Viola. Thanks Hoss." Candy faced Adam and Joe, grinning. "Well fellas I guess I'm off to find the mysterious Viola. If you two can't handle her, I'm pretty sure I can."

Hoss grabbed Candy by the forearms. "No you don't understand Candy. She's someone that you don't want to meet."

"You too Hoss?" He flung Hoss' hands off his arms. "Well gentlemen, I see that this means war." Candy then walked off, determined in his task to find the elusive Viola.

He had only gone a few feet, when he accidently bumped into Viola. Viola had sighted the Cartwright men and had been on her way to speak to them.

Immediately apologising, Candy smiled charmingly at her. "I'm sorry ma'am. I wasn't quite watching where I was going." Looking up and down at her and most definitely liking what he saw, he smiled again. "I was awestruck by your beauty."

Viola faced Candy and raised an eyebrow. "Really? And who might you be?"

"The name's Candy and it would be my pleasure to dance the next dance with you."

"Well I don't know about that. I was just on my way to talk to those gentlemen over there." She pointed to where Adam, Joe and Hoss were standing.

Candy gently place his hand on her waist and propelled her around. "Don't worry about those fellows. Besides I can show you a much better time than they could anyways."

Beaming Viola, nodded demurely. "You know I think you could."

Joe watched as Candy went off with Viola. "Maybe I should stop him?"

Adam shook his head. "No Joe. We warned him about her and he chose to ignore us. Wouldn't you agree Hoss?"

"Yup. We sure did. It's his choice. Come to think of it he did us a favour anyways."

"He did?" Joe stared at Hoss.

"Yeah he did." Adam grinned. "Now if you two don't mind there's a young lady over there I think I would like to make an acquaintance with."

Suddenly Joe realised what Candy had done. "Oh yeah. We'll have to remember to thank him as soon as he recovers."

The three brothers laughed as they set about continuing to enjoy the dance.

THE END

JANUARY 2004

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