With This Ring
By Rona Y.
“Are you sure he’s the one,
sweetheart?” asked the man, holding his daughter tight against him. “You could
do better, I’m sure.”
“No, he’s the one, Papa,”
the girl replied, looking up at him in the moonlight. “I’m quite sure. Joe Cartwright is the one I
want.”
*******************
“Who’s that up at the
house?” Adam Cartwright asked his brother Hoss as they sat on the corral rails
watching Joe breaking some horses.
Peering in that direction,
Hoss screwed up his face against the bright sun. “I dunno,” he admitted. “Ain’t
seen ‘em afore.”
“Looks like a pretty girl,”
Adam commented, although, at that distance, it was difficult to be sure.
“Don’ you start!” Hoss
said, in disgust. “It’s bad enough Shortshanks there chasing’ everything’ in
skirts!”
Putting his hands on his
hips, Adam eyed Hoss. “Are you comparing me to our younger brother?” he asked.
“Hoss, how could you!”
Unperturbed by Adam’s
seeming annoyance, Hoss shrugged. “Plumb easy, seems to me,” he replied. “You an’
he’s more alike than either of ya admits ta.”
There was a loud thump and
a groan from the watching cowhands as Joe hit the ground in a spectacular cloud
of dust once more. The horse, freed from the unwanted burden on its back,
bucked its way over to the other side of the corral, where it was cornered by
the hands.
“You all right?” Adam
called down to Joe, who lay there shaking his hand where the rope had stung it.
“I’m fine,” Joe replied and
the rest of his unflattering comment about the horse was lost in a clatter of
hooves as the animal was herded back into the chute. “Don’t you two have work
to do?” he complained as he hobbled over to the chute once more.
“No, nothin’ as cain’t
wait,” Hoss replied, grinning cheerfully. “Why? Ain’t you happy we’s watchin’
ya?”
“Oh, I don’t mind,” Joe
hastened to assure them. “But I’d sure hate to be you when Pa catches you
sitting there doing nothing.”
“He won’t catch us,” Adam
said, with calm assurance. He glanced back at the house and saw his father
making his way down to the corral with the two visitors who had arrived by
buggy a few moments before. “Uh-oh,” he commented to Hoss. “Quick, think of
something.”
“Huh?” Hoss grunted, not
having noticed their parent’s imminent arrival. “What for?”
“Too late,” Adam told him,
through a false smile of welcome. “Hi,
“Mr Webber, these are my
sons, Adam and Hoss.” He eyed his two sons as they scrambled down from the
rails. “This is Mr Webber and his
daughter Tiffany.”
There was a round of hand
shakes. Adam was right, the girl was pretty, Hoss thought.
“My other son, Joseph, is
on that horse there,” Ben went on, peering through the rails as Joe once more
called for the horse to be freed, and it took off across the corral bucking for
all it was worth.
“Oh my goodness,” Tiffany
said, her hand flying to her throat. “That looks very dangerous!”
“Don’t worry,” Adam told
her. “Joe won’t come off this time.” For he had seen that the horse was no
longer bucking with as much energy, and was in fact coming to a stop. Moments
later, the horse came to a standstill and the outriders closed in carefully and
took the rope from Joe, who slid tiredly to the ground.
“Joe!” Ben called, and
beckoned to him to join them.
Going over, Joe’s interest was
piqued when he saw the girl standing there. He took his hat off and smiled at
her, the dust on his face and clothes not detracting one bit from his
attractiveness. “How d’you do?” he said, politely, his eyes fixed on Tiffany.
She was small – no more than
5 feet tall – with long blonde hair, cornflower blue eyes and a peaches and
cream complexion. She was slender, but rounded in all the right places, and her
eyes flashed with mischief. Joe realised at once that she was very spoiled, but
he was interested none the less. Tiffany was a beauty.
“Mr Webber and his daughter
are interested in buying horses,” Ben explained. He smiled at them. “Joe here
is in charge of our horse operation,” he went on. “If you would like to tell
Joe what it is you want, I’ll leave you in his capable hands.”
“Mr Cartwright,” Webber
said. “Don’t you think your son is rather young to be dealing with this?” He
looked at Joe and smiled patronisingly at him. “I’m not trying to offend you,
son.”
Bristling, Joe was about to
make a sharp retort, but Ben stepped in before he could. “Mr Webber, I assure
you, Joe might look young, but he has been in charge of the entire horse
operation for several years now. He can
find you the best possible horse for your needs.”
There was no one like Ben
for putting people down politely. He
nodded to Webber and headed back to the house, Adam and Hoss following. Joe
swallowed down his resentment and amusement and gave Webber a polite smile.
“What kind of animal are you looking for, sir?” he asked.
*******************
As he returned to the house
later on, Joe found himself thinking about Tiffany again. She hadn’t said much
all afternoon as Joe had shown them the horses he currently had broken and
ready for sale, but she had done plenty of looking. Webber had ridden two or
three of the horses Joe suggested for him and had taken a big, rangy bay.
A horse for Tiffany had
proven rather more difficult. She had set her heart on a black gelding with a
vicious temper. Joe had gelded the animal in the hopes that would settle him
down, but it hadn’t. Joe was at his wits end with the creature and wasn’t sure
what to do with him next. But after the number of cowboys, cattle and horses
the brute had savaged, Joe suspected it would be a bullet.
Persuading the young lady
that this gorgeous horse was not as nice as it looked took some time. Finally,
Joe showed her a lovely pale gold palomino, bred from his father’s stallion.
The mare was flashy enough for Tiffany’s vanity, lively enough not to be a
boring ride, but mannerly enough to be a ladies horse. That was the one she
finally opted for.
Relieved that this wasn’t
going to turn into his life’s work, Joe led them back to the main house for a
cool drink while he and Webber sorted out the money side of things. Setting
Tiffany on the cool porch, Joe and Webber went inside, where Ben was just
coming down stairs.
“Well, Mr Webber,” Ben
said, pleasure in his tones. “Did you get what you wanted?”
“Yes indeed, sir,” Webber
replied. “It seems your son is quite knowledgeable.” He gave Joe another
patronising smile, which Joe returned to hide his sudden urge to throttle his
client.
Joe was quite glad Ben was
there when he told Webber the price, for the man bridled at once. “I’m not
paying that kind of money!” he exclaimed.
“That isn’t a lot for two
well broken horses,” Ben pointed out, before Joe could lose his temper and tell
Webber to look elsewhere.
Looking intently at Ben,
Webber saw that he wasn’t going to back down and grudgingly nodded. “Very well,
if you think the price is a fair one, I’ll say no more. Is a draft acceptable?”
“Is it a Virginia City
bank?” Joe asked blandly.
“No, Baltimore, where we
live previously,” Webber replied.
“I’m sorry, then it will
have to be cash,” Joe told him. “We don’t accept drafts unless guaranteed by a
bank in
“I see,” Webber said,
coldly, giving Joe a haughty look down his nose. If he thought to intimidate
Joe, he was wasting his time. Joe didn’t back down, and although Ben said
nothing, it was clear he supported Joe 100%. Webber took out his wallet and
counted out the money. Joe took it, thanked him and handed over a receipt.
Escorting Webber and his
daughter back to their hired buggy, Joe ensured that their new horses were
secured to the back. He tipped his hat to Tiffany and smiled at her. “Miss
Webber, it would give me great pleasure if you could come to the dance on
Saturday night with me,” he suggested politely.
“I’d love to, Mr
Cartwright,” Tiffany declared. “Papa, may I go?”
“I suppose so,” Webber
allowed, ungraciously.
“Thank you,” Joe responded,
smiling. “I’ll collect you at 7.30, Miss Webber.”
“Goodbye,” she called as
the buggy drove away. She twisted round to look back at Joe once more. She was
right, she thought gleefully. He was the handsomest of the brothers, and he was
obviously taken with her. Looking up at her father she gave him a big smile.
*********************
“Did she say yes?” Ben
asked when Joe came back into the house.
Startled, Joe flushed. “How
did you know I’d asked her?” he demanded.
“You, a pretty girl and a
dance coming up? Joe, you’d have had to been ill not to have asked her, seeing
as how you didn’t have a date already,” Ben teased. He laughed at the look of
mock outrage on Joe’s face.
“She said yes,” Joe told him,
unable to keep up the pretence. “She’s spoiled, but I think I like her.” He
made a moue. “I wish I could say the same for her father. Honestly, Pa, he
really didn’t think I could do my job there. It was so hard to be polite to
him!”
“There are always people
like that in the world, Joe, and you know it,” Ben reminded him gently. “People
who judge you by the colour of your skin, or by your looks. You look young, Joe, but time will solve that
problem for you. In a few years, you’ll be complaining because someone will
think you’re too old for something!”
“I know you’re right,” Joe
sighed. “But that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with though, does it?”
“You’re right there,” Ben
agreed. “It doesn’t get easier.” He ruffled Joe’s hair. “You’ll just have to
get used to it, I guess.” They smiled at each other. “Why don’t you go and get
cleaned up?” he suggested. “It’ll be supper time soon, and the rest of those
horses can wait until tomorrow.”
“I think I will,” Joe
agreed. He headed over to the stairs. Pausing with his foot on the first step,
he commented, “It was a good sale,
“It was indeed, Joe,” Ben
agreed.
*****************
Promptly at 7.30, Joe
pulled up the rig outside the house the Webbers were staying in. At first,
seeing the address, Joe had thought that the Webbers had bought the house, but
an ear for choice gossip in the general store a day or so before had told Joe
that they were only renting. The house was big, but Joe was surprised at how
little furniture there was inside when he was admitted.
Webber hadn’t softened his
attitude to Joe in the intervening days. He greeted him with the condescending
smile Joe had learned to hate even on such short acquaintance. Swallowing his
resentment, Joe smiled back politely. “Good evening, sir,” he offered.
“Tiffany will be ready in a
moment,” Webber allowed. “I hope you understand that I will not tolerate her
arriving back here any later than
“Of course, sir,” Joe
agreed. He wondered briefly if Webber thought this was an unusual requirement.
“And I won’t tolerate any
disrespect, either,” Webber went on, forbiddingly. He gave Joe a significant
glance.
“I wouldn’t even think of
such a thing!” Joe protested. He was offended, and might well have said more,
thereby ruining his chances of taking Tiffany anywhere, except the lady herself
appeared. Joe swallowed his anger as best he could and smiled at her. “Hello,”
he said.
“Hello, Joe,” she smiled.
“Bye, Papa.”
“Goodbye, my dear,” Webber replied,
in a softer tone and gave Joe another hard look as the young man left.
Outside, Tiffany looked at
him. “Was Papa being over protective? I’m sorry, but I suppose he can’t help
it. It’s just us; Mama died a few years ago.”
“That’s all right,” Joe assured
her. He helped her into the buggy, and got in beside her, all the time aware of
Webber watching them from the window. “How long have you been in
“Just over two weeks,”
Tiffany answered. She was casting little glances at Joe as they drove, admiring
him. “Our furniture hasn’t caught up with us yet,” she went on, “so we’re
roughing it.” She laughed.
Over the course of the
evening, Joe learned more about Tiffany, including the fact that she was a ruthless
flirt. He wasn’t accustomed to girls going to dances with him and then flirting
with every boy in the place and he was a bit put out by it. The only men she
didn’t flirt with were his brothers, Joe noticed.
“You won’t tie that one
down, Joe,” Adam advised him as they met at the punch bowl. “She’ll always have
her eye on something else.”
“Perhaps,” Joe agreed. “I
wouldn’t want to end up related to her father anyway. He had the cheek to warn
me not to…” he blushed and trailed off. Adam correctly interpreted his
brother’s embarrassment, and nodded.
“As if you would,” he
denied. Joe wasn’t averse to trying out his charms on pretty girls, but he was
a gentleman.
“Well, thanks for that,”
Joe said, surprised. He’d half expected Adam to say something about his
reputation preceding him.
“I’m not going to let
anyone slander you, Joe,” Adam told him. “Everyone knows you can be trusted.”
The fact that Joe knew more about the facts of life than Ben really approved of
was neither here nor there. Joe could be trusted with a girl’s reputation. “But
if that’s what he’s insinuating, just be careful. Don’t give him the chance to
suggest anything more.”
“I will be,” Joe promised,
and went off to reclaim his date from one of his friends.
*******************
“Home on time,” Joe said,
regretfully as he stopped the buggy outside Tiffany’s home. Webber appeared on
the doorstep, and Joe bid them both good night before driving off.
“I’ve made up my mind,”
Tiffany said, snuggling into her father’s side.
“Are you sure he’s the one,
sweetheart?” asked the man, holding his daughter tight against him. “You could
do better, I’m sure.”
“No, he’s the one, Papa,”
the girl replied, looking up at him in the moonlight. “I’m quite sure. Joe Cartwright is the one I
want.”
“All right,” Webber
replied. They went inside together.
**********************
Despite Joe’s prompt return
with Tiffany that night, Webber didn’t seem any keener on Joe than he had at
first, and Joe was a little perplexed at this. However, he was seeing Tiffany
regularly and Webber didn’t object. As Joe learned more about Tiffany, he came
to see that he was quite right – she was very spoiled. To begin with, he found
it amusing, but it soon became wearing.
Matters came to a head one
afternoon when Joe saw Tiffany as he collected the mail. They were very busy at
the ranch, and Joe was tired. He and Hoss had been up all night with a foaling
mare, which had been having a hard time. In the end, they had lost both the
mare and the foal, and as a consequence, Joe was tired and short tempered.
Seeing Tiffany cheered him
slightly and he grinned at her. “Hi there,” he offered.
“Hi, Joe,” she replied. “I
didn’t know you were coming to town this afternoon.” She patted Cochise. “But
when I saw this fellow, I knew it couldn’t be anyone except you.”
“Pa asked me to collect the
mail,” Joe explained, leaning on the hitching rail. “And what are you doing?”
“Killing time,” Tiffany
replied, truthfully. “I’m bored.” She pouted prettily. “Maybe you could take me
for a picnic tomorrow, Joe? I wouldn’t be bored then.”
“I wish I could, but I
can’t,” Joe told her, wistfully. He could have done with an afternoon off. “But
we’re hock-deep in foaling right now, and I can’t leave it all to Hoss. We
pulled an all-nighter last night, and I’m planning on turning in early.” The
simple thought of bed made Joe yawn. “I’m sorry, but we’ll have to make it
another time.”
“But I want to go
tomorrow,” she said. “Take me tomorrow, Joe. Forget those silly horses.”
“I can’t,” Joe responded, shortly.
“I just told you why. I’m in charge of the horses and I have to be there.”
“And I want to go for a
picnic!” she shouted petulantly.
“Go for a picnic, then” Joe
retorted angrily. “But I can’t be there! I have responsibilities, and I can’t
just ignore them when it suits you!”
“Fine!” she snapped back.
“I’m sure I can find another man in this town who’ll be willing to take me for
a picnic!”
“Suit yourself!” Joe told
her. “Goodbye.” He jumped onto Cochise and rode off, leaving Tiffany standing there
with her mouth open.
*******************
Over supper, Joe was quiet,
but Ben put it down to tiredness. He knew there was a chance Joe might be
roused again that night, and suggested his youngest son get an early night.
Nodding listlessly, Joe dragged himself upstairs. Hoss followed along soon
after, leaving Ben and Adam alone.
“Joe sure is tired
tonight,” Ben commented, glancing at the stairs. “You don’t think he’s
sickening for something do you?”
“No,” Adam replied,
glancing up from his book. “I wonder if he’s just dropped Tiffany.”
“A good thing if he has,”
Ben commented. “She’s a little minx, and her father is the most peculiar man I
ever met.”
“How so?” Adam asked,
interestedly, putting his book aside.
“Well,” Ben began,
frowning, “when he meets me in the street, he always tries to pretend I’m not
there. And when we’ve met in the stores, he plain ignores me. Yet he gushes
over the storekeepers and can be terribly obsequious. Joe tells me that Webber doesn’t like him at
all.”
“He warned Joe that first
night not to step over the line with Tiffany,” Adam told him, and saw that this
was the first Ben had heard of this. “Joe was naturally offended by the
notion.”
“As I said, funny family,”
Ben commented. “I’ve heard one or two of the merchants saying that he’s very
slow in paying his bills. He’d paid with one of those bank drafts at the feed
merchants, and there wasn’t enough money to pay it.”
“Oh?” Adam replied. “Does
he work? Or has he a private income?”
“He doesn’t work,” Ben
assured his son. “And he tells everyone he is a gentleman, so I would assume
there’s some sort of private income. But someone else – oh, Milly Parkins –
told me that when she called and offered to take Tiffany to the Ladies Aid, the
house had almost no furniture in it.”
“Trust Milly to know that!”
Adam commented, wryly. Milly Parkins was one of the nosiest women in the town.
“Did Tiffany go to the Ladies Aid?”
“No,” Ben chortled. “Told
Milly only old women went to Ladies Aid and she wasn’t nearly old enough.”
Laughing, Adam and Ben
shared a moment of amusement as they both tried to picture Milly’s face when
she’d heard that statement! However, after that moment, the amusement faded as
they realised how very rude that had been. “What did Webber say to that?” asked
Adam.
“Nothing,” Ben reported,
his face grim. “He just showed Milly the door and told her to keep away in
future.”
“Not very pleasant,” agreed
Adam. “Well, let’s just hope this split between Joe and Tiffany is permanent.”
***************
At first it seemed like it
was. Joe saw no more of Tiffany as foaling progressed. He shrugged off the
quarrel as best he could and assured himself that he had no time to waste on
someone as spoiled as her. Yet, when he was alone in his room at night, Joe
couldn’t help thinking how nice Tiffany was when she was just herself and not
trying to impress anyone. He had wanted to help her become like that all the
time.
“Joe,” Ben called, coming
out to the yard one afternoon a few weeks later. “Could you come here please?”
“Must be serious this
time,” Adam jibed as Joe turned away from the corral, where he and his brothers
were studying the horses, deciding which of them ought to visit the stallion
one more time. “Pa said please.”
Hoss laughed. Joe ignored
them both and went over to the house. “What is it, Pa?” he asked.
“I just thought, you’ve
been working so hard these last few weeks, you deserve a break. Why don’t you
go into town for the afternoon?” Ben smiled at the look of delight that passed
over Joe’s face. “Adam and Hoss have to go in for supplies tomorrow, and they
can have some time then. Go on, son, have a good time and don’t be out too
late.”
“No, sir, I won’t,” Joe
agreed. “Thanks, Pa!” He headed off towards the door with more of a spring in
his step. Ben nodded to himself. Giving Joe the afternoon off was just the
tonic the lad needed. He’d been working far too hard of late.
*************************
The first person Joe saw
when he walked into the saloon was Webber. Tiffany’s father was leaning against
the bar and it was clear that he was extremely drunk. For a moment, Joe thought
about going to another saloon, but this was the one he preferred to drink in,
and so he shrugged and entered.
“Hi, Joe,” Sam, the barman
called, as he came over. “What can I get ya?”
“A beer, Sam, please,” Joe
replied. He glanced around the room while he waited for his beer. He avoided
Webber’s eyes.
“You ain’t bin in here much
lately,” Sam commented as he put the dripping glass down in front of Joe. “Bin
busy?”
“Foaling,” Joe explained,
nodding. “And the herd’s been calving, too. We’ll be into branding next! I
don’t know where the time goes these days.”
“You’re gettin’ old,” Sam
laughed. “Folks say things like that when they get old, Joe!”
“You’ve got me mixed up
with Adam!” Joe protested, jokingly. “Adam’s the old Cartwright son, not me!”
“Just let him hear you say
that an’ you’ll be sorry,” Sam warned him, grinning.
“No respect for your elders
and betters,” Webber commented from along the bar, loud enough for Joe to hear.
Joe pretended not to hear.
Sam looked uncomfortable. “You know him?” he asked, in an undertone, cocking
his head at Webber.
“Yes, unfortunately I do,”
Joe agreed. “I used to go out with his daughter.”
“You want to watch him,
Joe,” Sam began, but at that moment, another patron of the saloon came to the
bar and Sam went off to serve him. The Silver Dollar became busy after that,
and Joe had no further chance to ask Sam what he meant. But the encounter with
Webber had taken the shine off the afternoon for him and he left earlier than
he had meant to.
Leaving the town behind,
Joe put his heel to his horse and the pinto lengthened his stride. From behind
came the sound of a galloping horse and Joe glanced back, suddenly wary. Coming
up behind him was Tiffany, riding the horse Joe had sold to her. He urged
Cochise on, sure the pinto could outrun the palomino any day.
He was right, Cochise
streaked ahead, and he heard Tiffany cry, “Joe, wait!” Reluctantly slowing, Joe
brought his horse to a stop and waited for her. Thwarted in his desire to run,
Cochise champed at the bit and half-reared, but Joe was not to be persuaded
into running again right then, and curbed the animal.
Catching up to him, Tiffany
stopped her horse. “Joe, I’ve been looking for you,” she said.
“Well, now you’ve found
me,” Joe returned, coldly. “What do you want?”
Dismay coloured the girl’s
tones. “I wanted to… I wanted to apologise to you for the last time we met. I
had no right to speak to you like that.” She swallowed and offered the
difficult word. “I’m sorry.”
Knowing how hard it was to
offer an apology like that, Joe softened towards her at once. “I should
apologise, too,” he replied. “I was real tired that day, and I shouldn’t have
shouted at you.”
Smiling, Tiffany gestured
to the ground and asked, “Could we get down and talk? Please?”
“All right,” Joe agreed and
slid down from Cochise’s back and went to help Tiffany dismount. He tethered
the horses so they could graze and sat down beside Tiffany under a tree. He
picked up a grass stem and twirled it aimlessly between his fingers, waiting
for her to start.
“I’ve missed you, Joe,” she
ventured, glancing up at his through her lashes. “Have you missed me?”
“Yes,” Joe admitted, for he
had thought about her quite a bit, and had missed her company.
“I’m glad,” Tiffany
breathed, leaning in closer to him. “I was afraid…” She didn’t elaborate her
fears, simply leaned in closer and kissed him. After a startled second, Joe
kissed her back, his hand going up to twine in her hair. As they broke apart,
she whispered, “I love you, Joe.”
Leaning close, Joe didn’t
reply, he simply captured her mouth with his once more. He was sure he didn’t
love Tiffany, and he knew he shouldn’t encourage her, but for the moment, he
was powerless to do anything else.
Finally breaking away from
her, Joe glanced around and saw that dusk was falling softly. “I should take
you home,” he said, huskily. “Your reputation won’t be worth anything if I
don’t.”
“All right,” she agreed,
and allowed Joe to help her to her feet and then onto her horse. They rode back
silently, Tiffany eyeing Joe from beneath her lashes again. When they stopped
outside her house, Webber appeared on the porch and looked at them
questioningly. “Won’t you come in Joe?” Tiffany asked.
Hesitating, Joe was
surprised when Webber said, “Please do.” He seemed to have sobered up
considerably since Joe had seen him that afternoon, and he agreed. “Put the
horses into the stable, Joe,” Webber went on, “and come inside.”
Wondering about the man’s
change of attitude, Joe did as he was bid, loosening Cochise’s cinch and giving
him some hay to keep him occupied while he was inside. He didn’t intend to stay
long. As he emerged from the barn, he saw Tiffany standing at the back door of
the house. She waved and beckoned to him and disappeared from sight, leaving
the door standing open. Joe walked across the neglected yard and went inside.
He had the blurred
impression of a large kitchen with a big stove and many cupboards, but he had
no chance to look more closely. Something struck him forcibly on the back of
the head and Joe tumbled to the floor out for the count.
Shutting the door, Webber
looked down on his unconscious victim and then smiled at Tiffany. “Got him,” he
stated.
********************
“Well, you didn’t really
expect him back early did you?” Ben asked Adam jocularly as they headed up to
bed. “I’ll be surprised if Joe’s home this side of
“I’d have thought that the chance
of an early, unbroken night would have held more appeal than the saloon, given
how tired Joe’s been,” Adam commented. “I wonder who he met.”
“Could be anyone,” Ben
replied. “You know Joe – he’s friends with everyone!”
Smiling, Adam paused
outside his bedroom door. “Good night, Pa,” he said.
“Good night, son, sleep
well,” Ben responded and went on to his own room. He lay awake for a while, in
case Joe came home, but sleep claimed him soon after.
********************
“His bed ain’t bin slept in,”
Hoss reported, a frown on his genial face.
“What kind of trouble has
he got into this time?” Adam wondered aloud. “You don’t suppose he got
arrested, do you?”
“I don’t know,” Ben
responded grimly. “But I intend to find out!” He shook his head. “We’re going
into town to look for your brother as soon as we’ve had breakfast.”
Exchanging glances, Adam
and Hoss both thought how glad they were that they weren’t in Joe’s shoes right
that moment, and wondering what excuse the kid would come up with to try and
get out of trouble.
*******************
Painfully, Joe stirred back
to consciousness. His head throbbed and his mouth was dry. As he tried to
persuade his limbs to move, he realised that he was bound hand and foot and
tightly gagged. As full awareness returned, Joe realised that he was in a
vehicle of some kind as he was bouncing around uncomfortably. Cracking his eyes
open and peering around, Joe decided it was a covered wagon.
This didn’t make any sense,
and he shook his head to try and prod his memory. The shaking was a mistake;
nausea rose in his throat, but his memory came back with a rush. He remembered
the kitchen and then something hitting him. What he couldn’t figure out was
why. He began to struggle against his bonds, but they had been expertly tied
and he soon discovered that he wasn’t going to get free.
How long the journey
lasted, Joe never knew. But he dozed intermittently, and although twice they
stopped, nobody came near him. By the time the wagon trundled to a final stop
many hours later, Joe was aching all over from his confined position.
It was dark outside by now,
and Joe had to assume that they had been travelling all day. He could hear
voices outside the wagon, but the canvas sides absorbed the words, only letting
the sound through. Then the back of the wagon was pulled open and Joe squinted
in the lamplight.
He wasn’t surprised to see
Tiffany and Webber. Beyond Webber stood another man. He was young, tall and
well built. Joe peered more closely, but the man refused to meet his eyes. Joe
didn’t understand this at all. What had Webber said to explain his presence,
tied up like that?
“Help me,” Webber ordered
the man. Together, they took Joe from the wagon and carried him into a house. Joe
struggled mightily, but he still wasn’t able to break free. They dropped him
roughly on the floor of the living room and Tiffany crouched by his side to
remove the gag.
“What are you doing?” Joe
croaked. “Untie me!”
Tiffany stroked his face.
“Oh, no, darling,” she murmured seductively. “You aren’t going anywhere.”
“What do you mean?” cried
Joe, trying to back away from her, but hampered by the ropes.
Smiling vindictively,
Webber said, “You’re going to be married to Tiffany tomorrow, boy. Tonight, you’re
staying right there.”
****************
Stunned, shooting a glance
at the silent man, Joe could hardly believe his ears. “I’m not marrying
anyone,” he denied. “You can’t make me!”
“You’re wrong there, boy!”
Webber told him gleefully. “You will be married tomorrow.”
“I don’t think so,” Joe
responded, furiously. “I won’t do it, and you can hardly drag me in front of
the judge or minister tied up like this!”
“That’s where you’re
wrong,” Webber gloated, as Tiffany kept stroking Joe’s face. He gestured to the
young man behind him. “This is the minister, and he will perform the ceremony,
even if you are tied up!”
Joe shot another look at
the man, who once more refused to meet his eyes. “You can’t make me!” he cried
once more.
“Darling, I can,” Tiffany
assured him. “You’ll be with me forever more, and we’ll be happy together.
You’ll learn to love me, and then you won’t need to be tied up. Your family can
send us the money we need to live on, and we’ll be happy.”
Trapped, but still not
seeing why the minister would agree to perform the marriage, and unable to see
how they could make him cooperate, Joe just looked at her. Tiffany smiled.
“Joe, just say yes. Because one way or the other, you will marry me.”
“Don’t count on it,” he
told her.
******************
There was no sign of Joe
anywhere in
Seriously worried now, they
began a systematic search of the area surrounding the road home, afraid that
Joe had had an accident and was lying somewhere, badly injured. Once more, they
found nothing.
“I don’t know what to
think,” Ben admitted, as they finally turned for home. “Where can he be?”
“I dunno,” Hoss muttered.
“This ain’t like Joe.”
“I know this seems
incredibly unlikely,” Adam ventured, hesitantly, “but you don’t suppose this
has something to do with the Webbers? When I was asking about Joe earlier, Pete
at the livery stable told me that the Webbers hired a wagon late last night.”
“I don’t see how that can
be tied to Joe’s disappearance,” Ben commented, frowning thoughtfully.
“Nor do I,” Adam admitted.
“It’s just a feeling I have.” He pulled Sport to a stop. “I’m just going to go
back into town to check on one or two things,” he said.
“Want us to come with you?”
Ben asked.
“No, you go on home in case
Joe turns up,” Adam suggested. “I won’t be long.” Seeing the worry darkening
his father’s eyes, Adam tried a reassuring smile. “And I’ll be careful,
“All right,” Ben agreed and
watched Adam ride off back towards town.
*************
“You cheeky young pup!”
Webber snarled and kicked Joe heavily in the ribs. Joe curled up involuntarily,
gasping for breath. Another heavy kick followed the first one.
“No, Papa!” Tiffany cried.
“You mustn’t beat him up too much!” She pushed against her father’s chest and
Webber seemed to come to his senses.
Grabbing the front of Joe’s
jacket, Webber pulled him up so that their faces were only inches apart. “If my
daughter wasn’t so set on marrying you, sonny, I’d kill you now!” He glared at
Joe for a moment, then dropped him to the floor. Joe winced as the fall set off
a chorus of protests from his sore ribs. “After you are married, you will write
a letter to your family, demanding some money.”
“I won’t marry Tiffany and
I won’t write to my family!” Joe stated, firmly. “He can’t perform the marriage
when one partner isn’t willing!”
“He’ll do what I say, won’t
you, Colin?” Webber asked, smiling evilly at the minister.
“Yes, sir,” Colin replied,
still avoiding Joe’s eyes.
Gaping at the man, Joe
wasn’t aware how nakedly the question appeared on his face until Webber said,
“Colin will do whatever he is told to, or I will expose his crimes to the
world.” He glanced at Colin, who flushed. Seemingly satisfied, Webber went on,
“Come along, Tiffany, you need to get a good night’s sleep.” As Tiffany rose,
Webber leaned down and checked Joe’s bonds. Satisfied that they were still
tight, he left the room, followed by Colin.
Tiffany paused for a
moment. “With this ring, I thee wed,” she said, clearly. Laughing, she left.
The door shut behind them and Joe heard the lock click. He was left alone in
the dark.
********************
Back in
All over the eastern
seaboard of
The big question was –
where had they taken Joe? Adam bit his lip thoughtfully. “Thanks, Rudi,” he
called, as he put on his hat, ready to leave for home.
“Hey, hold on, Adam,
there’s another wire comin’ in,” Rudi called, and Adam paused. “It’s from a
sheriff in near
“Thanks, Rudi,” Adam said,
fervently. He hurried out of the door and mounted his horse, spurring it
towards home.
*****************
It was fully dark when Adam
got home. He brought Cochise with him, having been to Webber’s house on the way
home and found the pinto in the barn. He showed Ben the wire and told his
father that he’d up-dated
“Webber was boardin’ this
young minister, a lad by the name of Colin Johnstone. He’s some distant
relation to Webber. We ain’t too sure how Webber persuaded him to become
involved, but Johnstone passed some bad drafts in Webber’s name. Apparently he
has a bad temper, too. Seems when the law got involved, he panicked, an’ ran
off. He’s been seen a few times, but nobody’s ever caught up with him. Last I
could find, he’d been seen in
“Well, that gives us
somewhere to start tomorrow,” Adam suggested. Ben nodded grimly.
“I issued a warrant fer Webber’s
arrest,”
“Thank you for your help,
Roy,” Ben said, but his mind was clearly far away.
“I think they’re going to
try and marry Joe off to Tiffany,” Adam explained, “and then ask for money from
us.”
“Joe wouldn’t agree to
that!” Hoss protested. “He weren’t in love with that little gal!”
“No,” Adam agreed. “But if
they have a tame minister, who’s to say what might happen.” He sighed. “I don’t
think Webber would scruple at forcing some sort of sham wedding, or of holding
Joe prisoner afterwards so he couldn’t protest the marriage.”
“Let’s get an early night,
so we can get an early start in the morning,” Ben suggested. “I just hope we’re
not too late.”
********************
Despite the headache, sore
ribs and his cramped, uncomfortable position, Joe fell asleep. He was jerked
from slumber when the lock clicked once more and the door opened. Squinting
blearily, Joe could only make out a dark shadow. He started to speak, but a
large hand clamped down over his mouth.
“Be silent,” he was told
and recognised Colin’s voice.
Hope sprang into being in
Joe’s heart. He expected the minister to untie him, but Colin didn’t. Instead,
he jammed the gag back into Joe’s mouth and left the room again. Confused and
angry, Joe renewed his hopeless struggles against the ropes that held him
prisoner. Before long, the shadowy figure was back and he untied Joe’s feet.
At once, Joe kicked out at
him, but Colin was prepared for it, and easily sidestepped the blow. “I am
trying to help you,” he whispered. “If you resist, I will leave you here to
face your fate. Which will it be?”
Reluctantly, Joe realised
that he had no choice if he wanted to escape. He allowed Colin to help him to
his feet and lead him out of the house.
It was no less dark
outside. Colin helped Joe mount a horse, then swung up behind him. Joe was
perplexed. Colin was helping him escape, yet he was still a prisoner, with his
hands tied and the gag in his mouth. There were a thousand questions Joe wanted
to ask, but he couldn’t. Colin said no more, as they rode slowly off into the
darkness.
They rode for quite some time in the darkness.
As the light slowly grew, Joe recognised his surroundings as the road that ran
between
When it was fully light,
Colin turned the horse off the road and pulled it to a stop behind some bushes.
He dismounted, then helped Joe down. Pushing the youngest Cartwright to the
ground, he pulled the rope from his pocket and re-tied Joe’s feet. Joe, seeing
what was coming, struggled furiously, but to no avail. Colin soon had him
helpless once more.
“I’m going to give you some
water,” Colin told him, his voice strangely flat. “There’s no point in yelling;
there’s no one around to hear you.” He took off the gag and put the canteen to
Joe’s mouth. Eagerly, Joe drank. He hadn’t had water in longer than he cared to
remember.
“Thank you,” he offered,
once he had drunk his fill. “But I don’t understand why you’re doing this.
You’ve helped me escape, but you haven’t freed me. Why?”
“I’m a wanted man,” Colin
told him. “I had to help Webber, but I couldn’t bring myself to perform a
marriage like the one Tiffany and her father wanted. So I helped you escape.
But the price of your freedom is your family’s help in seeing that I get a fair
trial.”
This cock-eyed logic made
Joe blink in surprise. “If you turn yourself in anywhere, you’ll get a fair
trial,” he said, earnestly. “You don’t need my family to help with that.”
“I’ve done things,” Colin
muttered, his voice hollow. Joe felt a pang of fear in his gut. “I’ve done
things to men like you when they wouldn’t do as Webber wanted.” His gaze met
Joe’s. “I can’t control myself, sometimes. I get angry, and things happen.”
Swallowing, Joe realised
that he had escaped one predicament to land straight into another, just as
dangerous. “Go to the sheriff and explain,” Joe advised him, cautiously. “I’ll
come with you…”
“You don’t understand!”
Colin shouted and Joe flinched. “I can’t do that! You’ll tell them I was in on
it! If your family help me, I’ll tell them where to find you. You’ll be all
right.”
“You can’t leave me here
tied up and alone!” Joe protested. He looked around wildly, hoping against hope
that someone might be passing by at this early hour.
“I have no choice!” Colin
cried.
“Yes you have!” insisted
Joe. “Colin, I gave you a choice! I said I’ll come with you and I will!”
“You won’t!” Colin denied.
“I know your kind!”
“Colin, please, think!” Joe
urged him. “I’m not your enemy. I was Webber’s prisoner, too. I’m on your
side.”
“You’re staying here!”
Colin shouted. He reached for the gag and Joe knew that he had to try and make
a fight of this. If Colin managed to gag him, he would ride off and Joe would
probably die from thirst and exposure. Frantically, he kicked out.
For once, Joe caught Colin
by surprise. He kicked again and again, managing to daze the other man when his
boot heels caught the side of his head. As Colin sagged to the ground, Joe
began to drag himself away, scrabbling in the dust with his arms and legs,
moving painfully slowly, but moving. Joe knew that it was a forlorn hope, but
he had to try and get away somehow.
He had gone less than 100
yards when Colin roused. He glanced around, and looked surprised to see how far
Joe had travelled in those few moments. Lunging to his feet, Colin set off
after Joe, catching him in a few strides, and throwing himself on top of the
bound man. “What are you doing?” Colin choked. He slapped Joe hard across the
face. “You can’t get away!”
Without hesitating, Joe
head-butted Colin. The other man let go of his collar and fell away, clutching
his face. Joe scrabbled away again, making desperately towards the road. Colin
let his hands drop from his face and gazed at Joe. Blood dripped from his nose.
With a roar, he threw himself at Joe once more, and Joe was sure that this
time, Colin would do him severe amounts of harm.
The beating wasn’t as bad
as Joe had anticipated. He ached from each blow, but Colin didn’t lose control
totally. He pulled away from his helpless captive and punched the nearest tree
very hard. Joe lay on the ground, gasping for breath, watching him as Colin
regained control of his temper.
“You shouldn’t have done
that,” he told Joe as he retrieved the gag from the ground where he had dropped
it and came back over with it. He knelt down to force the gag into Joe’s mouth,
and Joe, too tired to do anything else to resist, bit him.
With a yelp, Colin dropped
the gag and cradled his injured hand to his chest. He glared at Joe. Moving
very deliberately, he struck Joe across the cheek. Joe’s head snapped round and
he tasted blood in his mouth where he had bitten his tongue.
Once more Colin brought the
gag up and he raised his hand to strike Joe once more. “No!” Joe yelled. “No,
don’t!”
The gag was jammed into Joe’s
mouth and he struggled against it, grunting with the pain each movement
elicited, but unwilling to submit. Colin hit him again. Reeling, Joe’s senses
started to spin, and he was only vaguely aware of shouting from round about.
A hand touched his arm, and
Joe flinched. “Easy, son,” a familiar voice murmured and Joe felt someone sit
him up and then hands were hacking at his bonds until he was free.
Water trickled into his
mouth and Joe was finally able to open his eyes. He was being supported by Ben,
and Adam and Hoss were watching him anxiously. “How did you find me?” Joe
whispered. He tried to smile, but his face was stiff and sore, his lips split
and blood trickling from a cut by his ear.
“A little detective work
and a lot of luck,” Adam admitted, relieved that Joe was talking. He glanced
over his shoulder at the man they had dragged off Joe. “Who is he?” he asked,
indicating the unconscious man.
“His name’s Colin,” Joe
replied. “He’s got something to do with Webber. Says he’s wanted by the law.”
“They both are,” Ben told
his son, his eyes drinking him in. He wanted nothing more than to just sit
there and hold Joe, but he knew that Joe needed to be home, and have a doctor
look at him. The rope burns on Joe’s wrists had been bleeding, and he had been
beaten up. “Can you ride, Joe?”
“Yes,” Joe replied,
uncertainly. He sat up with Ben’s help, and allowed Adam and Hoss to help him
to his feet. Hoss took charge of the prisoner, and with Joe mounted in front of
Ben, they headed back to town.
********************
Later, Joe went home with
Ben. His ribs were cracked and the rope burns needed treatment, but apart from
that, he had suffered only bruising. He was tired from the lack of sleep and mild
concussion he’d suffered, but the relief at being home again was over whelming.
After fending off Hop Sing’s enthusiastic welcome, Joe went up to bed to catch
up on his sleep.
In
Adam and Hoss returned
later. By then, Joe was up again and eager to hear their side of the story. As
they ate supper, he told them what had happened to him, from meeting Webber in
the saloon, to the time they rescued him at the roadside.
“It’s a good thing we left
as early as we did,” Ben commented. “If not, we might have missed you all
together, Joe.” He filled in the things they’d discovered the previous day.
“What’s going to happen to
them?” Joe asked. He was feeling tired again, and his bruises throbbed.
“There’ll be a trial,” Adam
said, softly. “Webber and Tiffany will be charged with kidnapping. Johnstone
will be charged with kidnap and assault.”
“I’ll have to testify,” Joe
muttered, almost inaudibly. Ben shot him an anxious look. After a moment, Joe
laid down his fork. “I think I’ll go to bed,” he told them, smiling unconvincingly.
“I’m tired.”
They watched in silence as
Joe went upstairs. “I’d hoped he wouldn’t ask,” Adam commented.
“I wish he didn’t have to
testify,” Ben added.
****************
Lying on his bed, gazing at
the ceiling, Joe felt his eyes burn with tiredness and unshed tears. He hadn’t
thought of what would happen to the Webbers until Adam told him of their
arrests. Joe couldn’t figure out why. He knew that what they did to him was
against the law, and from what Adam said, Webber was wanted all over the
country. So why was he so shaken at the thought of testifying?
There was no answer that
Joe could come up with and he fell asleep, still trying to puzzle it out. His
sleep was restless, his dreams filled with doom-laden images and he woke next
morning feeling as though he hadn’t slept at all. He dressed slowly, not keen
to go down and face the concerned, inquisitive faces of his family.
The only person at the
table was Ben, who was reading the previous day’s Territorial Enterprise. “Good morning, Joe,” he said, cheerfully.
“How are you this morning?”
“Fine, I guess,” Joe
replied, sitting down and looking at the food on the table in front of him. He
wasn’t sure if he was all that hungry, but knew that if he didn’t eat, Ben
would be on his back, worrying about him even more than he already was. Joe
hadn’t been fooled by Ben’s breezy greeting. He forked some bacon onto his
plate and began to eat.
“I’m going into town this
morning to get the mail,” Ben offered, after there had been silence for a time.
“Would you like to come?”
“Yes,” Joe replied, not
because he had a burning desire to go into town, but because he knew he’d get
bored sitting around the house.
“Good,” Ben answered,
sounding pleased. “Take your time, son. I won’t be ready to go for about an
hour at least.” He folded the paper carefully and laid it aside. He rose and
disappeared into the kitchen.
Idly, Joe reached out his
hand for the paper and discovered his name on the front page. ‘MYSTERIOUS
DISAPPEARANCE OF JOE CARTWRIGHT’ read the banner headline half way down.
Shocked, Joe read the story, which basically said that he had disappeared, no
one knew where he had gone and that his family was out looking for him. Joe
thought the paper must have been short of news to print that! It wasn’t even a
story. Shaking his head, he dropped the paper again and finished his meal.
******************
They set off an hour later,
travelling in the buckboard, so Ben could collect some supplies, too. They
didn’t hurry and arrived in town just before
“So they do,” Ben agreed,
pulling the team to a halt by the general store. He set the brake and climbed
down from the buckboard, covertly watching Joe to make sure he didn’t need any
help. But Joe was a good deal less stiff than he had been the previous day and
managed the jump down quite neatly.
“Ben! Joe!” a voice hailed
and they turned to see Clem Foster, the deputy, hurrying down the street
towards them. They waited for him, exchanging puzzled glances. By now, they
were aware of the looks they were attracting from the people in the street,
too.
“I’m glad you’re here,”
Clem panted as he reached them. “I was goin’ to send someone out to the ranch.”
“Why?” Ben asked. “What’s
the matter?”
Glancing around, Clem saw
that they were attracting a crowd. “Let’s go down to the jail so I can tell you
there,” he suggested and Ben and Joe followed him back to the jail.
The door of the jail was
pocked with gunshot marks. Clem offered no explanation until they were inside
and the door closed behind them. The inside of the jail was a disaster area,
with the desk over-turned and papers scattered everywhere. “What happened?” Ben
asked, looking around.
“That man, Johnstone,” Clem
began and Joe blanched. “He went berserk last night as
“What of the Webbers?” Ben
wanted to know, peering into the cell area, and seeing that it was empty.
“Johnstone stole the keys
and opened their cell. Old man Webber was killed as he tried to escape, but the
girl got away with Johnstone.” Clem looked tired. “
“Thanks, Clem,” Ben
replied. He shot a glance at Joe, but apart from the paleness of his face, Joe
seemed to be completely calm. They left the jail together and Ben glanced at Joe
once more. “Joe, you get the supplies, and I’ll get the mail,” he suggested and
saw Joe nod remotely. He handed over the list if things Hop Sing wanted and
watched for a moment as Joe headed for the store. He was concerned that Joe
hadn’t said a word, and was suddenly anxious to get home.
****************
“Done?” Ben asked, as he
saw the storekeeper loading the last sack of flour onto the buckboard.
“Done,” Joe confirmed, as
he climbed onto the seat. From habit, he lifted the reins, but they hadn’t
reached the outskirts of town before he handed them over to Ben. At his
father’s questioning look, Joe explained, “It still hurts a bit.”
Nodding his understanding,
Ben took over the driving. He wondered if he should ask Joe how he felt, but
pushing Joe into confidences before he was ready was a recipe for disaster. Joe
would tell him his thoughts in his own good time, but it was difficult and
frustrating for Ben to have to wait.
As they drove under some
trees, someone dropped onto the buckboard from above. Ben began to pull on the
reins but Joe cried, “Keep going, Pa!” as he turned to meet their attacker.
Not at all to his surprise,
he saw it was Colin Johnstone. Scrambling to his feet, Joe met the man as he
lunged at him, and they tumbled from the buckboard to the ground. Ben hauled on
the reins to halt the team, turning back to look at Joe, and go to his aid.
A shot rang out and
splintered the wood by Ben’s feet. He dived for cover, unshipping his gun and
firing back all in the same movement. He knew that he had no chance of hitting
the marksman, but hoped he would buy himself a few more seconds. Another shot
bit into the wood where Ben was crouching, and this time he saw the muzzle
flash. He fired back. A third shot was fired, and this time the marksman didn’t
miss. The bullet burned across the top of Ben’s left shoulder with enough force
to knock him over. He struggled to sit up and return fire.
As he made it to a sitting
position, he saw a figure in the trees, carrying a gun. Taking the chance offered
him, Ben shot at the person, who went down and did not move again. Relieved,
Ben slumped back, eyes closed, for a moment. Then he looked to see how Joe was.
The force of the fall
knocked the wind from Joe’s lungs and he was gasping for breath as he traded
punches with Johnstone. The man was very strong, and Joe knew that he was in
serious trouble. He could hear shots being fired and hoped that Ben was all
right, but he had no time to glance at his father; all his attention was fixed
on the madman he was fighting.
For Johnstone surely was
mad. His eyes gleamed in a positively demonic way and he was talking to himself
under his breath all the time. Joe realised with horror that the words were
“Kill you, Cartwright,” over and over again.
Somehow, they scrambled to
their feet, where they traded blow after blow. Johnstone got in under Joe’s
guard and hit him several times on the face, and followed up with a hard blow
to the solar plexus. Joe bent double and Johnstone brought his clasped hands
down hard on the back of Joe’s neck. Joe went down.
Before Ben could react,
Johnstone snatched up a big stone that lay nearby and lifted it above Joe’s
head. It was clear what he intended to do. Ben shouted an incoherent warning.
He was bleeding heavily and didn’t realise that he was on the verge of losing
consciousness. Ass Johnstone glanced at him, Ben saw the intent written on the
man’s face. When he had killed Joe, he was going to kill Ben. Raising his gun,
Ben shot him dead.
Trying to get to his feet
to reach Joe, Ben made it as far as his knees before the blood loss and shock
hit him. He toppled to the ground out cold.
******************
When Joe roused, he felt
pulped. For a minute, he just lay there, feeling the various aches and pains voice
their complaints. This was the second time he’d been beaten up in a couple of
days, and he really didn’t feel at all well.
Raising his head
cautiously, Joe saw Johnstone lying dead beside him, a huge stone clutched in
his hands. Beyond him, Ben lay motionless.
Galvanised by the sight,
Joe struggled to his feet and staggered over to collapse by Ben. Frantic with
worry, Joe felt for a pulse and found it, strong and steady. Joe soon found the
wound and, stripping off his jacket, used it to press down on the wound and
staunch the bleeding.
He was still kneeling there
a few minutes later, with Ben mumbling back to consciousness when the posse
found them. Clem slid from his horse and checked the two corpses. The marksman
in the trees had been Tiffany, and she was dead.
Going over to the
Cartwrights, Clem questioned them as to what had happened, although it was
fairly obvious. Ben was bleeding from a gunshot wound to his shoulder. Joe had
been beaten up once more and was bleeding from various scrapes and cuts on his
face and hands.
Sending one man into the
town for the doctor, Clem organised the others to take the corpses back and he
himself helped Joe and Ben onto the buckboard and took them back to the ranch.
He guessed they were as well going there as back to town.
******************
It was evening. Ben was in
bed, asleep, his shoulder bandaged up and with a stiff warning to take things
easy for a few days. Joe was resting on the settee in front of the fire, his
feet up along its length. There were no bandages visible on him, but his ribs
had been bound up tightly again after the doctor had checked that there was no
further damage to them. Adam was in his usual seat, ostensibly reading a book,
and Hoss was perched on the fireside.
“You sure you ain’t ready
for bed?” Hoss asked Joe for the hundredth time.
“Soon,” Joe responded. He
was gazing absently into the flames with the one eye that was open.
“Something on your mind?”
Adam enquired, coolly. “Want to talk about it?”
“I was just thinking,” Joe
mused. “I didn’t want to have to testify. Pa didn’t want me to either. And now
I won’t have to. Isn’t it odd?”
“I guess it is,” Adam
replied, after a moment. He went back to his book.
After a moment, Hoss said,
“I reckon that God knew you didn’ want to testify, Joe. I reckon that what
happened today was God sayin’ ‘well, all right, testifyin’s hard, but its
better than this, ain’t it?’”
Adam looked at Hoss, a
frown on his face. Joe’s green eyes met Hoss’ blue ones and held. “Yes,” he said,
sitting up slightly and wincing as he did so. “Yes, I think that’s it, Hoss. He
was saying to us that hard things happen in life. We didn’t want me to testify,
and now I don’t have to, but I had to go through something hard in its place. A
reminder that there are worse things in life. Pa could’ve been killed out
there!”
“So could you,” Adam
pointed out, but Joe dismissed his own danger.
“Ain’t there a sayin’?”
Hoss asked. “Be careful what ya wish for, in case ya get it?”
“Yes, that’s it,” Joe agreed.
“Sometimes prayers are answered in a way that you don’t expect.”
They fell silent again for
a time. “I’m going to bed,” Joe said, at last. He got carefully to his feet,
waving away Hoss’ offer of assistance.
“Prayers ain’t answered the
way you expects ‘em to be sometimes,” Hoss noted, ruffling Joe’s hair. He
glanced significantly upstairs. “But they’s always answered.”
“Amen,” Joe added, softly.
The End