JOE'S SECRET
Throwaway Line from Christy
By
Lynne C.

Once the Baker's left, Joe felt he could, at last, breath a huge sigh of relief, now that there was no reason for Adam to reveal just what Joe had been doing in town, the week before.
It wasn't that awful, really, but Joe still felt it was best to keep it from his father, as he wasn't sure if Pa was quite ready to accept that what Joe had done, was in the interest of art.
It all began quite innocently, when the youngest Cartwright was strolling along the street in Virginia City, on his way to the Bucket of Blood, for a beer. Joe and his eldest brother, Adam, had come into town, that morning, in order for Adam to attend to some ranch business at the bank and for Joe to get a haircut. Then both of them were going to pick up some supplies from the mercantile.
Joe smiled to himself, as he walked along `If I time this right,' he thought, `Adam will have already got in the beers, even though it's my turn to pay,' so he was walking rather slowly.
As he passed the stage depot, a young woman had just alighted from the stage, and she very nearly collided with Joe, as she was carrying a large valise, which obliterated her view.
"Watch out, ma'am," said Joe, holding onto the valise, as it was in danger of falling from her grasp.
"Oh, I do beg your pardon," said the young woman. "I do hope I didn't hurt you, in any way."
The voice was young, soft, and sensuous, and caused a tingle to run up and down Joe's spine. As the two of them lowered the valise to the ground, Joe was able to see that the face and the voice were well suited; the young woman smiling up at him was gorgeous.
Unknown to the young man, Miss Harriet Constance Dalton was thinking just the same about Joe.
"Not at all, ma'am, I'm fine," said Joe. "May I help you with your luggage? You seem to have rather a lot. Are you staying at the International?"
"Thank goodness for that, I'm so glad you're not hurt," said Harriet. "Yes, I am booked into the International, and I could really use some help, Mr errr?"
"Oh sorry, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Joe Cartwright, and you are?"
"Nice to meet you, Mr Cartwright," said Harriet, shaking hands with Joe. "I am Harriet Dalton and I have come to your fair city to do some sketching. I am trying to make a name for myself as an artist, before my uncle decides that I am wasting my time and insists that I marry the boy next door."
"Welcome to Virginia City, Miss Dalton. I am sure you will find plenty of lovely scenery hereabouts to sketch. Now I understand why you have so much luggage, it's your art materials."
"Yes, it is, as well as the paintings I have already done. I have been offered the chance to show my art in an exhibition in San Francisco, in a couple of weeks, and Virginia City is my last port of call, before I make my way out there."
Joe picked up Harriet's suitcases and began to walk in the direction of the hotel.
"An exhibition? You must be famous, then. Excuse my ignorance, but I don't know that much about art. Adam, my oldest brother, is the one in our family who knows about that kind of thing, oh, and Pa, but he admits that he's not that good a judge."
"No, I'm not famous," said Harriet, letting out a throaty chuckle that caused Joe to smile, too. "I wish I was, but I fear I am never going to be more than a dabbler at it. What I am looking for, though, is the chance to paint one really special painting, to be the centrepiece of my exhibition. I am fortunate that my uncle has friends in high places and he has managed to secure the venue for me. Some very influential people will attend it, and so you never know. Maybe, in a few years time, you will have heard of me, or maybe I will just have become the wife of a businessman."
Once they arrived at the hotel, Joe offered to help Harriet up to her room with her bags, even though there were porters available to carry them.
"It's no trouble," he said, as he was reluctant to leave her company.
Miss Harriet Constance Dalton was the prettiest girl Joe Cartwright had ever met, in all of his twenty two years, and he wasn't about to let her out of his sight, without securing a dinner date with her, at least. She was about five foot five inches tall, had long, blonde, curly hair and the bluest eyes Joe had ever seen on a girl. Her figure was trim, yet quite athletic `probably due to her carrying all these art supplies around with her', thought Joe. She seemed quite a confident young woman, and was obviously used to travelling alone and to getting what she wanted.
Right now, unknown to Joe, as yet, she wanted him. As soon as she had lowered her valise and looked into his beautiful, twinkling eyes, she knew she had found the subject for her next painting. Now all she had to do was convince him that it was a good idea, and she was extremely confident that she would succeed.
Joe waited until all the bags were safely stowed away in the room and then he broached the subject of dinner.
"I hope you don't think this is too forward of me, Miss Dalton, but I would very much like to take you out to dinner, this evening."
"Not forward at all, Mr Cartwright and if you hadn't asked me, then I was going to ask you. What time should I be ready for? I really need to take a bath after that long stage ride."
Joe just smiled; she really was a confident young woman.
"I'll pick you up at 7.30, if that's okay? We'll havta dine here in the hotel, I'm afraid, as Bellini's, where I usually like to eat, won't have a free table at this short notice. However, the food here is excellent, I can assure you."
"That sounds fine, Mr Cartwright, and I shall look forward to it. Now, if you will excuse me, I really need to unpack and have that bath."
The thought of staying around while Harriet was bathing rather appealed to Joe, but he very much doubted if she would think so, and so he prepared to leave.
"Please call me Joe, when you say Mr Cartwright I keep expecting to see my father. I best be going, before Adam sends out a search party. I'll see you tonight."
"Very well, Joe, and you must call me Harriet, or Harry, if you prefer. Most of my friends call me that, but Uncle Louis says it is time I left behind such a childish name, now that I am a mature woman of twenty-one. I'll see you later."

Joe continued on his way to the Bucket of Blood, but felt like he was walking on air, not on the boardwalk.
As he entered the saloon, Adam said, angrily, "About time, too. You went for a haircut, did Frank scalp you?"
Joe ignored the jibe, sat down next to his brother and took a long swig of his beer.
"Nope, just lost track of the time, I guess. Sorry if I kept you waiting."
He finished the beer and then stood up, again.
"Let's go load those supplies and get back to the ranch. I've got things to do."
"Are you feeling all right, buddy?" asked Adam. "I've never known you volunteer to leave a saloon and load supplies, before. Maybe having that haircut has let too much sun get to your head and you're suffering heat-stroke."
"Aw, that ain't funny, Adam. If ya must know, I have a date tonight and I wanna get home, and have a bath and a shave, before returning to town, in time for dinner."

On the way back to the ranch, Adam quizzed Joe about his new girl, but unusually for his little brother, he remained tight-lipped on the subject.
"If and when the time is right, you will get to meet her, Adam. In the meantime, you will just havta learn some patience."

Over the next few days, Joe spent, as much time as he could, in the company of Harriet, and the two became very close.

One afternoon, Joe managed to persuade Ben to let him take the afternoon off and he took Harriet on a picnic, by the lake.
"This is one of my favourite places," he said, rather shyly. "My mother is buried just along from here, as she loved it, too."
"Thank you so much for bringing me here, Joe. Do you mind if I do some sketching?"
"Not at all," said Joe. "I think I'll go for a swim, if that's all right with you?"
"Go ahead, it is rather warm, isn't it?"
Joe began removing his clothes and then realised that he could hardly go skinny dipping, in front of a young lady. He took off his shirt, belt, boots and socks, but kept his pants on, and dove into the crystal clear water of the lake.
Harriet made some sketches of the mountains and the lake, and then turned her attention to Joe, who was just making his way back to shore. She decided that now was the time to ask him about posing for her.
He ran up to join her and shook his head, showering her with droplets of water, as he did so.
"Sorry, didn't mean to make you all wet."
"That's okay, it was quite refreshing, actually. It is really warm, isn't it?" although Harriet was thinking that the reason she was feeling flushed was the sight of Joe, in his wet pants, as the water was making them cling even more than they normally did.
Joe became aware of what Harriet was looking at and then it was his turn to blush.
"Yeah, it is warm. Why don't you go for a swim?"
"I'd love to, but I didn't come prepared to swim. I think I might just go for a paddle, though."
Harriet removed her shoes and her stockings, as discreetly as she could, and then walked to the edge of the lake, holding up her skirt, so that it wouldn't get wet.
"It will feel very cold, at first," warned Joe. "But you'll soon get used to it."
As Harriet allowed the water to lap over her feet, she shuddered.
"You're not joking, it is cold," but she was soon enjoying the sensation.
Joe walked along beside her and they talked about their families.
"I wish I'd had brothers and sisters," said Harriet. "It might have been easier to cope with losing Mama and Papa, if I had. But, it was just me, and when they died, I went to live with Uncle Louis, my father's brother. Poor dear, he didn't really know what to do with a thirteen year old girl, being a bachelor. So, he found a good school and sent me there, and I've been happy, most of the time. I suppose it has taught me self reliance, if nothing else."
"I couldn't imagine being sent away like that," said Joe. "I've always lived on the Ponderosa, with Pa, Adam and Hoss, and I can't see me ever wanting to leave. Adam went off to college for four years and I sure missed him, but now it's the four of us again, and we have a pretty good life."

They returned to the blanket, on which they'd sat, to eat their picnic, and Joe stretched out, in an attempt to get his pants dry. He closed his eyes against the glare of the sun, and so was unable to see the look of longing that came over Harriet, as she gazed upon his beautiful body.
Unable to contain herself any longer, she leaned over and kissed him, gently, on the lips.
Joe wasn't sure if he was dreaming, or not, but when he felt Harriet's fingers undoing the buttons on his pants, his eyes flew open and he stared up at her.
"Are you sure?" he said, and she just nodded and then bent her head down, in order to kiss him, again.

As the shadows began to deepen, and the sun slipped down below the mountains, Harriet woke up and realised it was getting late.
"We really should be leaving, Joe. I am going to get a terrible reputation at the International, if I am not back at a reasonable hour. And I want you looking your best for when I start your picture, in the morning, so you need to get a good night's rest."
Harriet had finally summoned up the courage to ask Joe if he would allow her to paint him in the nude, and Joe agreed. She assured him that it would be an extremely tasteful pose.
"I would never do anything to embarrass you, Joe, you know that, don't you? But to get the contours of your body on the canvas, correctly, I do need to have you pose naked."
"OK, but you havta promise me that you ain't gonna show it to anyone else in town. If it's only gonna be seen in that art exhibition in San Francisco, then chances are no one in Virginia City will ever know about it."
"I promise, Joe, the only ones who will see it, here, are you and me."
Joe drove Harriet back to the hotel and promised to be there, bright and early, the following morning. It was Saturday, so he knew that he could persuade Hoss to cover his yard chores and then he would have the rest of the day free.
Hoss did agree, as he knew how much Joe liked Harriet, and assumed that his little brother had plans to spend the day with her. This, of course, was the truth, but Joe doubted that Hoss would have been so accommodating, had he known just what he and Harriet were going to be doing.

Joe did find it a bit embarrassing, stripping off, in a hotel room, with a fully clothed young woman, appraising him, in a rather clinical manner, but Harriet soon put him at ease, and he quickly forgot that he was naked. He'd never had a problem with his body, and without being arrogant, he knew that he was in good physical shape. Working on a ranch ensured that he got plenty of exercise and he was finally beginning to fill out a bit and gain some muscle, something he'd feared would never happen.
Harriet asked Joe to lie down, on a chaise longue, and once she was happy with Joe's position, she began to paint.
At first Joe didn't even speak, as he was unsure about what she expected from her models. He didn't want to spoil her concentration, but she kept asking him questions, and soon he was chatting quite happily, as if lying naked in a room, with a young woman painting him, was something he did all the time.

It took several sittings, but eventually the painting was finished, as were the other ones that she'd done of the countryside.
It was their last night together, as Harriet was leaving on the early stage, the following morning, to go to San Francisco. All the paintings were safely packed away in special crates, which had been delivered to her room, earlier that day.
Joe took Harriet out to dinner, and this time they did go to Bellini's, and then he walked her back to the hotel.
"I know it's early, darling," she said. "But I really must go to bed, as the coach leaves at five in the morning. We said our goodbyes at the lake, this afternoon, so I think I will go inside, now, before I get too emotional."
Joe kissed her, tenderly, but he, too, was finding it hard to know what to say, now that it was really time for her to leave.
"I'll write, and just as soon as I can, I'll be coming on a visit," he said. "Just don't you be in too much of a hurry to settle for that boy next door."
"Oh, I won't be, Joe. I think you and I might really have something special, and I want to get to know you a bit better. Come and see me, as soon as you can get away from the ranch," and with that, she ran inside, not wanting him to see her cry.

Joe decided to go and have a drink, before riding back to the ranch. He entered the Bucket of Blood, but was disappointed when he could see that none of his friends were in there. He ordered a beer and sat down at an empty table. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts about Harriet, that he failed to notice, at first, that he was being talked about.
"I think it's a real disgrace what that young fella's bin up to," said Luke Coogan. "I took them crates up ta that Miss Dalton's room and there, in the corner, was a picture of Little Joe Cartwright, with not a stitch on. I bet iffen his Pa was to find out, that boy's hide would be nailed to the barn door. Sure would be, iffen he were my son. And that young woman must be a bit of a flighty piece, paintin' such a thing. A nice gal like her, shouldn't be seein' such sights, afore she gets to the marriage bed."
If Coogan had only been gossiping about him, Joe might have ignored it, but when he began insulting Harriet, it was more than Joe could bear. With an almighty leap, Joe flew across the saloon and punched Coogan, square on the jaw. Coogan was no slouch, when it came to fist fighting, and he began to fight back. Drinks were spilt and tables were turned over, and soon several more men were also fighting, although they probably didn't know why.
In the midst of all this, Adam entered the saloon, and he quickly assessed the situation. He could see that his little brother was right in the centre of the fighting and he had to throw a few tables, and men, out of the way, before he was able to get to Joe. By this time, the youngest Cartwright was in a pretty bad way. Adam decided that the safest thing to do was to remove Joe from the danger zone, so he hoisted the youngster over his shoulder and managed to get out, just before Sheriff Roy Coffee arrived, with a couple of deputies.
Once he knew that Joe was going to be all right, Adam left him with the horses, and went back to the saloon, to settle up with Bruno, the barman. Joe had filled him in about what had happened and so Adam insisted that now he had paid for all the damage, there was no need for Ben to be informed.
"I am sure you will appreciate, gentlemen, that I would rather keep this unfortunate incident from getting to the ears of my father. Joe is a young man, with a rather impulsive nature. Rest assured that I will impress upon him the need to be a little more circumspect in future. Thank you, and goodnight."
When Adam returned to Little Joe, he did lecture him, a bit, on his foolhardiness, but he couldn't be too angry, as he knew Joe was upset over Harriet leaving.
"Posing for a picture in the nude, oh boy, you take the prize, brother. If Pa ever finds out about this, well, I dread to think what he will do. Let's just hope that he never goes to that particular art gallery."
"The picture will only be on display, for a short while, Adam," said Joe, after his big brother had tended to his cuts and bruises, using the first aid kit he always kept in his saddlebags. "Then Harriet's gonna hang it in her house. Thanks for paying for the damages. I'll havta owe it to you, outta next month's wages, as I spent all of this month's, on taking Harriet out to Bellini's."
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure we can come to some arrangement," said Adam. "Now then, let's get you home and to bed, before Pa sees the state of your face. Come on buddy."

THE END

Author's note: And that was why Adam was able to get Joe to pretend to be him, in Christy's story, Cartwright Identity Crisis.
Little Joe forever
Lynne
April 14th 2005

RETURN TO LIBRARY