A Pair Of Black Eyes
by
JRosemary

"Aw shucks, Adam! It weren't our fault."

Adam sighed as he looked at Hoss, wishing that iron bars didn't separate them. Well, at least Pa was away in Sacramento. With any luck he'd never have to hear about this.

"Yeah, Adam," Joe put in. He was standing right next to Hoss—inside the same jail cell. "We can explain."

"Start explaining, then," Adam invited.

Hoss took a deep breath. "Well, that sweet little filly that Joe had his eye on—Bess Griffin, that's her name—she, uh, she made a false accusation."

Adam looked back and forth between his two brothers. Hoss was staring downward, blushing and shuffling his feet, while Joe was clutching the bars so hard that Adam was almost surprised they didn't break. He felt his stomach start to churn as he looked into Joe's eyes—they were devoid of their usual mischief and full of anger instead.

Bess must have made quite an accusation.

"I thought you two were arrested for disorderly conduct," he said, noting their torn clothing and the bruises forming on their faces. "Roy said something about a brawl in the Silver Dollar."

"Oh, there was a brawl all right," Joe said, his eyes flashing.

"Yeah," Hoss added. "Bess told her brothers that Joe compromised her and—and got her into a fix."

Adam didn't need a translation for 'into a fix.' He raised his eyebrows at Joe.

"I never laid a finger on her," Joe assured him. "We did walk away from the crowds at the picnic, but she was so skittish that I didn't even hold her hand. Hell, I didn't even offer her my arm!"

Adam sighed again. "Any idea who the real father is?"

Both of his brothers shook their heads.

"Well, I'll talk to the girl," Adam said as he leaned up against the bars. "I'll try to convince her to tell the truth. Meanwhile, if you two cool your heels overnight I'm sure Roy will let you out in the morning."

But Joe shook his head at that. "He'll let Hoss out—not me. Adam, Bess is saying that I forced myself on her."

It took Adam a few seconds to catch up with that. "Forced yourself on her!" he repeated.

"Yup," said Hoss. "I reckon that little filly is so mixed up and frightened right now that she don't know what she's saying."

"Oh, she knows, all right," Joe said.

Adam gave his little brother a quick, penetrating glance. He was surprised at the savageness in Joe's voice, even considering the circumstances.

"Well, I still mean to talk with her," Adam said, struggling to keep his own voice calm. "Look, in the end it's her word against yours. I don't know what she means to gain from this—"

"A Cartwright husband," Joe supplied.

"Maybe, but this is just about the worst way to go about it," Hoss pointed out.

Adam nodded his head in agreement. "Don't panic yet. Let me talk to her and see what happens."

Hoss pointed his finger at him. "You just watch out for those brothers of hers."

"I'm not the one they have a problem with," Adam said with a shrug.

Joe let out a short, mirthless laugh. "Don't count on them being that reasonable," he said.

"Yeah, older brother," Hoss agreed. "They ain't exactly calm right now. Make sure you watch your back!"

"I'll be careful," Adam promised.

And with that he took his leave of his brothers. He paused when he reached Roy's desk, however, and folded his arms across his chest as he cocked his head at the lawman.

"Before you say a word," Roy said, holding up his hand, "you can be sure that I don't believe a word that girl is saying. And she doesn't have anything in the way of proof."

Adam let out a sigh of relief. "That's good," he said. "But then why are you holding my brothers?"

"For their own protection," he explained. "I don't want them tangling with the Griffin boys again. And I don't want Little Joe doing anything stupid or reckless—in case you haven't noticed, he's about ripe for murder."

"Yeah, I noticed," Adam owned. "Fair enough. I'm heading over to the Griffin place now—I want to have a talk with Bess."

"Not by yourself, you're not," Roy informed him. "Hold on, I'm going to send a deputy with you. That ought to keep everyone from losing their temper."

Adam was about to argue, but he changed his mind as he thought over Roy's words. There was a certain amount of sense to them.

He contented himself with taking a seat on the edge of Roy's desk and waiting. One way or another, he told himself, he had to get through to this girl. Otherwise she could wreck Joe's life.

*

Little Joe stretched himself out on the jail cell bunk, but his body remained tense. He made sure to put his hands behind his head so that Hoss wouldn't see that they were clenched into fists.

He had heard Adam talking with Roy about him—and he had heard Roy speculating that he was ripe for murder. But that wasn't true. It wasn't a hot, impetuous anger that Joe felt. It was a cold fury.

He had fallen hard for Bess, with her black eyes and sweet, heart-shaped face. So hard that he'd put up with a chaperone whenever he saw her—either one of her hulking brothers or that Friday-faced aunt of hers.

Bess encouraged him to court her—she encouraged him with her smiles and blushes and easy, sparkling laughter. And then came the day of the picnic.

He had finally managed to get her alone. He intended to steal a few kisses, but she proved too skittish. Joe didn't mind—he just chalked it up to nervousness. The way her family hovered around her, she might never have kissed a man before.

He had kept his distance in order to put her at ease. He didn't even offer her his arm or try to hold her hand. He just walked by her side, content to enjoy their conversation and the understanding that seemed to be growing between them.

By the end of that walk, he knew that he wanted to marry her. All that was left was to ask that oldest brother of hers for permission and then find a good time to propose.

He had escorted her back to her aunt after the walk. After tipping his hat at both ladies, he went off to find his own family. He had just hunted down Hoss to tell him about his plans when he noticed a ruckus back where Bess was sitting.

He found out quick enough what was happening. Bess had taken ill and so her aunt had walked her away from the crowds. She wanted the girl to sit down and recover in some privacy. Joe lost no time in making his way over to them.

Bess really was sick; Joe could see that right away. She had a queasy look to her and her skin was pale with a green overcast.

He walked up to them quietly, not wanting to startle either lady. They failed to hear him approach.

"Did young Cartwright come up to scratch?" her aunt demanded.

Joe stopped at that and smiled. He probably should have turned back and left them to their privacy, but he wanted to hear Bess's response.

Bess shook her head. "No—but he will. I think he was ready to ask me on our walk."

Her aunt sighed. "You're going about this all wrong," she complained. "Why do you want me to keep chaperoning you? A girl in your condition can't afford to wait. You've got to get him alone again and let him take advantage of you. That's the only way he'll believe that child is his."

Joe felt the blood drain from his face as her words caught up with him. He stood stock still, letting them sink in.

"He's going to propose soon," Bess insisted. "Knowing him, he won't take advantage of me before that anyway. Don't worry—he still thinks I'm a shy innocent."

"Well, I don't see why you can't just marry the father," her aunt said reasonably.

"Lot's of reasons," Bess answered. "Besides, he's not near as rich as Little Joe."

Joe's shock faded into anger. He took a deep breath and then forced himself to walk up to the women, making as much noise as he could.

"Sorry to find you in distress, Miss Elizabeth," he said to Bess, keeping his voice tight and formal. "I had meant to speak with your brother Frank today, but I think you'll understand why that's no longer necessary."

Before she could respond, he looked to her aunt and tipped his hat. "Ma'am," he said with a nod of his head. Then he turned on his heel and began walking away.

"Joe, wait!" Bess called out.

He heard her get to her feet and rush up to him. Then he felt her grab his arm. He stopped walking and turned to face her.

"Let me explain," she pleaded.

"You've done all the explaining you need to, Miss," he said stiffly as he shook off her grasp.

"Joe, please—you don't understand how things are."

"Oh, I understand, all right," he assured her. "You'd best get back to your aunt, Miss Elizabeth."

She took a step back from him. She was still beautiful, despite the paleness of her face—and despite that desperate, calculating look that had crept into her eyes. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Joe realized that he still wanted her.

But that fact just fueled his anger.

"Joe, at least hear me out," she begged.

He stared at her for a long moment and then turned and walked away. He didn't trust himself to speak—or to listen.

He closed his eyes and let his mind drift back to the present. When he opened them, Hoss was standing by the bunk, looking down on him with concern.

"Don't you worry, little brother," he said. "Adam'll talk some sense into that filly."

"Her aunt knows the truth too," Joe told him as he sat up. "I should tell Adam that—is he still here?"

Hoss nodded. "I can hear him talking to Roy—I think they're waiting on a deputy. You just sit tight, I'll go holler for him."

Joe managed a nod as Hoss raised his voice and called out to Adam. Older brother appeared back in the room a few seconds later with a questioning look on his face.

Joe was about to tell him about Elizabeth's Aunt Beatrice when he heard more people stomping into Roy's office. He shut his eyes as he recognized the voices of the newcomers.

He didn't need to peer into that other room to know that Elizabeth herself had arrived.

*

Adam had to give Bess credit for her audacity—not to mention her skill as an actress. As he turned away from Little Joe, he watched her walk into Roy's office. She looked every inch the innocent victim.

He could understand what Joe saw in her. She had a life and a vitality to her that almost crackled. He wondered how much of that was due to the supposed 'glow' women get when they're expecting.

She walked straight past Roy without acknowledging him. Her eyes were fixed on Little Joe. She even trembled a little as she stepped through the door that separated Roy's office from the jail cell. A nice touch, thought Adam.

Her brother Frank would have followed her in, but Roy detained him and insisted that he give up his gun first. Adam kept his hand on his own gun, just in case there were any problems.

Bess, meanwhile, was still staring at Joe. Adam risked a glance at his little brother. He was standing right by the bars now, his face as hard as if it'd been chiseled from stone.

"I'm sorry about all this, Joe," Bess began.

She was keeping her voice pitched low, as if she were afraid it would break. Another theatrical touch, Adam thought grimly.

"I think—I think you just got carried away," she continued, stammering a little. "I know that you didn't mean to hurt me. We can put this behind us—I know we can, for our child's sake."

Frank had reluctantly handed his gun to Roy, so he was now moving into the room. He said nothing, however. He seemed content to lean up against the wall and glare at Little Joe.

Adam turned his attention back to his little brother. He saw a depth of anger in his hazel eyes that almost frightened him.

"What do you want, Bess?" Joe asked.

His voice was ice-cold. He used no theatrics, Adam noted. Not that he needed any.

But Bess was undaunted. Adam exchanged glances with Hoss. He could see that Hoss, like himself, heard the hatred in Joe's voice. He wondered if Bess had enough sense to recognize it.
"I just want you to do what's best for our child," she told him. "I won't press charges if—if you'll do the right thing by me. I—I want you to marry me, Joe, and give our child a proper home."

Adam turned back to Frank, preparing for his reaction when his brother refused. His hand was still on his gun, just in case. But the refusal never came.

"All right," Joe said softly.

*

"Joe, have you plum lost your mind?" Hoss demanded.

Adam put his head in his hands as he prepared himself for Joe's response. He didn't expect it to be any different this time around.

They were back at the house now. Once Little Joe agreed to marry her, Bess dropped the charges against him. Even her brother Frank had looked satisfied.

Joe rolled his eyes. "I haven't lost my mind," he said as he leaned back against the edge of the fireplace. "I've just decided to get married, that's all."

"And raise a child that's not yours?" Hoss persisted.

"It's not the child's fault," he retorted. "And don't worry—I'll make a good father."

"We know that," Adam said soothingly as he forced himself to look up. "But you won't do the child any good if you marry a girl you despise."

"The child will be better off than if Bess raises it by herself," Joe argued. "Look, it's settled. I mean to get her to a justice of the peace as soon as possible."

Adam raised his eyebrows at that. "A justice of the peace?" he repeated, frowning. "Isn't she a Catholic, like you?"

He shrugged. "What if she is?"

"Well, she ain't likely to agree to a justice of the peace then, is she?" Hoss asked. "I remember Pa saying that your Ma refused to get married outside the Catholic Church. She wouldn't even compromise on a Protestant ceremony, like he wanted."

"Bess ain't my Ma, Hoss," Joe answered with a short laugh. "She'll take what she can get."

Adam narrowed his eyes at his little brother. "Joe, are you planning to divorce her?"

Hoss gasped as he caught up with Adam's thoughts. "That's why you won't marry her in the Church! You don't mean for this to be a real marriage."

"It won't be a real marriage as far as the Church is concerned," Joe acknowledged. "But it will still be legal."

"But if you divorce Bess, you can still marry the filly of your choice at St. Mary's," Hoss put in. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, that's it," Joe owned.

"If you think this will end in divorce, why marry her at all?" Adam demanded.

Joe's eyes hardened at that. "Because, older brother, you tell me if there's a better way to get revenge on a woman than to have her completely in your power."

Adam didn't respond to that. He just stood up and stared at his little brother. From the corner of his eye he could see Hoss doing likewise.

"Bess—Bess doesn't want me," Joe continued, stammering suddenly. "She just wants my money and my name."

He paused and took a deep breath. "Well, she can have both—but they come at a price. I want Bess to wake up every day knowing that I can divorce her out of hand and keep her from ever seeing her child again. And no court in this country would stop me."

Adam inhaled sharply. Bess's betrayal must have cut Little Joe much deeper than he realized. He almost felt as if he were staring at a stranger.

"Joe," he managed, "don't do this. She's not worth this."

"Yeah," Hoss agreed. "A marriage like that will leave you both miserable."

Joe shrugged again. "I can't be more miserable than I am right now. Now I don't want to talk about it any more. If you two will excuse me, I'm heading up to bed."

Adam watched him trudge upstairs. He just stared after him—he couldn't bring himself to react until Hoss spoke up again.

"I tell you what, older brother," Hoss said. "We need to stop Short Shanks from ruining his life."

"Well, we can't let him go through with this marriage," Adam agreed.

"I think I should ride for town tomorrow and send a wire to Pa in Sacramento," Hoss suggested. "He should be able to talk some sense into that boy."


Adam nodded. "I think you should," he said as he wiped his brow. "In the meantime, I'll do what I can to delay the ceremony."

*

Bess stared out the window of her bedroom. Night was closing in, bringing clouds with it. She almost hoped there'd be rain—it would suit her mood.

She closed her eyes, remembering Joe's face as he stood in the jail cell earlier that day. Where was that light hearted laughter that usually lurked in his eyes? It had disappeared, replaced with an icy fury that she would have never have credited him with.

How ironic! She had played her part perfectly and Joe had rewarded her with a proposal. But it wasn't the Little Joe she knew making that offer—it was a cold, frightening stranger.

Well, what did she expect? That he'd happy that she forced him into marriage? Happy to acknowledge another man's child?

She sighed as she reached out to close her shutters, wondering if she'd be able to coax the laughing light back into his eyes.


*

Joe woke up feeling groggy and disjointed. He wondered briefly if the whole nightmare of Elizabeth's accusation had just been a dream. But a moment's thought convinced him otherwise.

He took his time about getting dressed. By the time he got downstairs, only Adam was at the table. Hoss was already up and gone, judging by the plate that had been picked clean.

"Did Hoss go to check out that fencing in the southeast pasture?" Joe inquired as he took a seat.

Adam shook his head. "No, he went to send a wire to Pa in Sacramento."

Joe felt his eyes fly to his brother's. "Damn it, Adam! Did you have to run to Pa?"

Adam raised his eyebrows at that and calmly set down his coffee cup. "Were you planning to get married before he returned?"

"I have to get married as soon as possible! Think of Elizabeth's condition!"

"It's too late to avoid a scandal," Adam reminded him, unperturbed by Joe’s shouting. "There's no reason not to wait for Pa to be present at the ceremony."

Joe tore his eyes away from Adam and gave the food on his plate a disgusted look. Even Hop Sing's best flapjacks didn't appeal to him now—not when he could feel himself blushing with anger and shame.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Pa will never approve of this," he said at length. "I—I don't know how to tell him, Adam. If the deed is already done, it'll be a lot easier."

"Why do you think he won't approve?" Adam asked.

Joe shrugged. "He won't understand why I'm doing this—he won't approve of me marrying a woman just to punish her."

He was still staring down at his plate as he spoke, but he heard his older brother take a deep breath of his own.

"Joe," he said, "she'll be punished even if you don't marry her. She'll be bearing a child outside of wedlock. Isn't that enough?"

But Joe shook his head. "No. Adam, I don't want the child to suffer for something that's not its fault. And I don't want Bess to be ostracized either. I want to be the one to punish her—I don't want society to do it for me."

He risked glancing up at Adam as he finished. There was no judgment or condemnation in his brother's eyes—in fact, Adam was regarding him as if he had presented a puzzle that needed solving.

There was something comforting about that look—it meant that Adam didn't think he was the scum of the earth.

At length Adam sighed and folded his arms across his chest. "You're not planning on beating her, are you?"

Joe rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I might put her over my knee once she's out of the family way—but I wouldn't really hurt her."

"Would you really divorce her?" Adam persisted.

Joe considered that. "I don't know," he answered. "I know how cruel society is to divorced women, so I guess I won't. Unless she's unfaithful to me, that is. But I want to hold the threat of divorce over her."

"All right," Adam said, looking him over. "I suppose I can understand that. But listen Joe: if you can say all this to me, you can say it to Pa. If you're going to go through with this, he deserves to be here for the ceremony."

Joe sighed and slouched down in his chair. "Yeah, I know."

"Will you promise to wait until he gets back?" Adam asked.

Joe took his time about answering that. But it was pointless—there was only one answer.

"Yeah," he said at last. "I'll wait."

*

Bess stared down at her breakfast plate. Nothing on it looked appetizing. That must be due to the morning sickness. Or a lingering sense of guilt—one or the other.

"Eat something," her aunt ordered. "You'll need your strength."

She gave her aunt a wry smile. "There's no point—it'll just come back up again."

Her aunt shrugged and looked to her own plate so Bess went back to poking her food with a fork. She and Aunt Beatrice were the only two at the table—her brothers had been out working since sun-up.

"You should have the wedding as soon as possible," her aunt commented. "Folks will talk."

Bess dragged her eyes off of her food and looked into her aunt's eyes. "Aunt Beatrice," she said, "they're already talking. What does it matter?"

Her aunt sighed at that. "I suppose that's true. Well, at least you'll have a ring on your finger before the baby comes."

"Yes," Bess agreed. "And I'll have a husband who despises me."

Aunt Beatrice gave her a sharp look. "What do you care? As long as he's willing to claim the child and support you both it doesn't matter what he thinks of you."

Bess just shrugged at that. It was amazing how you could get everything you wanted and still be miserable.

Her aunt must have followed her thoughts. "Don't look to me for sympathy, young lady," she spat as she stood up. "I don't see why you couldn't have just told the real father."

"The real father knows," Bess said flatly. "But he's married—he wants no part of the baby. He won't claim it. All he did was—was offer me enough money to pay some back-alley doctor to fix the problem."

"Mother of God, child," Aunt Beatrice said. "How could you be such a fool as to give yourself away to a married man? Well, put him out of your mind and do your best to be a good wife to Little Joe."

Bess forced herself to nod as she stood up and helped her aunt clear the table. She spent the rest of the morning trying to take her mind off of everything by losing herself in chores, but it was no use. She kept seeing Little Joe staring at her, his eyes full of icy contempt.

Well, there was still one other option: one way to get both herself and Little Joe off the hook. But she had to act quickly, before her brothers came back to the house. And before she lost her courage.

She was dressed only in her shift, so she hurried upstairs and pulled on a pair of stockings, two petticoats and an old dress. Hopefully Joe wouldn't notice that she hadn't bothered with stays.

She crept back downstairs when she completed her toilette and made sure that her aunt was still occupied in the kitchen. She scribbled a note to her and left it in the sitting room. Then she went out to the barn and prepared to hitch the horse to the gig.

The sound of a horse approaching caught her attention. Little Joe was riding up to the house. Well, that saved her a trip.

He caught sight of her through the open doors of the barn. She watched him dismount Cochise and make his way over to her.

"You shouldn't be hitching the gig yourself in your condition," he scolded.

Now wasn't that just like Little Joe? He might despise her but he was still determined to look after her.

"There's no need to now," she assured him. "I was going to see you."

He nodded. "Want to talk about the wedding?"

She took a deep breath. "No," she managed. "I—I want to tell you the whole story. You deserve that.”

He stared at her for a moment, but at length he nodded. Bess took a deep breath and leaned back against one of the stalls.

“I'm sorry, Little Joe,” she began. “I let myself get carried away with a married man. He wouldn't claim the child. In fact, he wanted me to get rid of it before I started to show. He wanted me to go to some back alley butcher. But I—I couldn't.”

She paused, watching his reaction. His hazel eyes were hard and bright and still filled with anger. But she wasn’t sure if he was directing that anger at her.

“You know how my brother Frank is,” she continued. “If I couldn't produce a father and a wedding band he was going to turn me out on the street."

Little Joe still said nothing. Now she couldn’t read him at all, but she forced herself to go on.

"Well," she said, gathering her courage, "I'm going to tell Frank and the rest of my family that I lied. And I’m going to tell the sheriff too. That way everyone will learn the truth and no one will hold you responsible."

Joe sighed at that, finally giving her an indication of his thoughts. "I don't want to expose you, Bess,” he said. “I don't want you and the child to have to live with that kind of shame."

She smiled at him, grateful for his concern. What a fine husband and father he would have made.

"Just hear me out,” she said. “I'm going to move away. To San Francisco, I suppose. And I'm going to change my name and start over. I'm going to pose as a widow—the pinnacle of respectability. There won't be any shame for me or the child."

"What about your family?" Joe asked.

She shrugged. "Frank will go ahead and disown me. I doubt my aunt or my other brothers will stand against him on that. But it doesn't matter—I'm not as close to them as you are to your family."

She paused and took another deep breath. "It's better this way," she said at length. "We can't live together with you hating me the way you do. We'd just make each other miserable. Maybe I deserve that, but you don't."

He didn't respond to that. "Who's the father?" he asked instead.

There was a hard, dangerous look in his eyes now. She should have expected that—he wouldn't have any use for a man who would try to send a girl to a back alley doctor.

"Oh no," she answered. "I'm not going to tell you that. I don't want you going off half-cocked against him. Besides, I'd as soon forget all about him."

For a moment he looked ready to argue, but something about the firmness in her voice must have changed his mind. "You'll need money," he pointed out.
"Yes," she agreed. "This—this isn't blackmail, Joe. I'm just asking for a loan. Eventually I'll get on my feet somehow. I'll find a husband or I'll—"

To her astonishment, Joe cut her speech short by drawing her into his arms and kissing the top of his head. She could feel at least some of his anger melting away.

"I know you'll get on your feet," he told her as he tightened his hold on her. "And I'll support you in the meantime. But I don't want you going all the way to San Francisco."

"Why not?" she asked.

He released her and smiled down at her. Suddenly the laughing, teasing light was back in his eyes.

"Because I promised myself that I'd give you a good tanning after you had the baby," he informed her. "I don't want to have to travel that far to deliver it."

She bit back a grin. "Will you come visit me now and then after that tanning?"

He leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. "Yeah," he said. "I think I can manage that. Now how about we go into town and talk to Roy?"

She nodded and stepped back so that he could hitch up the gig. Her heart clenched as she watched him work. She looked away for a moment, praying that he would come and see her often.

*

Joe didn't get home till late that night, but he could see by all the lamps shining through the windows that both of his brothers were waiting up for him. Well, that figured.

He took a deep breath as he stepped inside. Then he mumbled a greeting as he took off his hat, his gun belt, and his jacket.

They were sitting by the fireplace playing a game of chess. It was amazing how Hoss could constantly lose at checkers, yet almost hold his own against Adam on the chessboard. Then again, big brother's losses at checkers might have something to do with his own cheating, Joe reflected.

Joe took a seat on the settee as Adam and Hoss returned his greeting. Then he plucked up his courage and told them what he and Bess had decided. He could almost feel the relief in the room as he finished.

"So I suppose you wired Pa for nothing," he continued, giving Hoss an apologetic glance.

"Aw, shucks, Little Joe," Hoss said. "I didn't wire him. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. You're a grown man now—and I reckoned that you've got to figure things out for yourself."

"And under the circumstances," Adam put in, "I think you and Bess came up with the best solution."

Joe gave them both a grateful look. "It was her idea. But she was right—her brother did disown her and the rest of her family followed suit."

"I've got a thing or two that I'd like to say to that family of hers," Hoss grumbled.

"Me too," Joe agreed. "But I'm going to hold my peace. I think she’ll be better off without them."

"What about you, Little Joe?" Adam asked. "Do you think you'll be better off without her?"

Joe managed a smile as he thought about Bess and her black eyes—those black eyes that had gotten him into so much trouble.

"I'm not sure, older brother,” he said at last. “But tell you what: There's a certain 'widow' that I'm going to keep calling on—just until I figure that out."

The End

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