In Search of Safety
Part I
Old Bonds…Old Wounds
One: Mistaken Identity
Adam and Melinda Cartwright had left Boston in a rush over a week ago, and they were finally nearing their destination: Virginia City.
They had traveled by rail in the Wadsworth's lavishly appointed train car, but had to take a stagecoach for the final stretch through the states where rail service wasn't well established or used a different track size than the railways of the east. After the luxury of their initial accommodations, the stage had left them jostled, dusty, and restless to reach the end of their journey.
Adam's heart began to race as their coach passed the mile-marker indicating that they would reach Virginia City in a matter of minutes. He had thought about his family every day since he'd left the Ponderosa two years ago, and he was looking forward to being with all of them again.
He gave no outward indication of his anticipation other than a quick grin as they entered town and passed the Bucket of Blood saloon. His mind was immediately flooded with memories of the times he'd spent in that establishment. In fact, every building they passed held recollections: some were pleasant and calm; others were raucous, disorderly and more fun than he could describe to someone who hadn't lived through them, and still others were subdued and somber. He saw a few familiar faces too as they drove through town. Roy Coffee was holding two young boys by their shoulders as he chastised them for untying horses from the hitch rails, and Paul Martin turned down a side street toward his office just as the stage passed by.
This homecoming was unplanned, so he wasn't even sure how many people knew that they were arriving. Adam's boss and close friend, Frank Wadsworth, had sent a telegram to Ben the night Adam and Melinda had left Boston, letting him know a few details of the incident that had sent his son and daughter-in-law on their way west. Adam had wired his father with updates along the way, sending the last one yesterday with their "expected" arrival time. He knew his father would want an immediate and complete telling of the story that had brought them there, but he hoped he could stall until they got settled at the ranch. He figured his father was caught somewhere between fretting over the circumstances that had made them seek the safety of the Ponderosa, and being overjoyed at their visit.
He glanced at Melinda and saw that she was still holding the curl of hair that she'd been twirling for the last several minutes. "Nervous?" he asked as he took her hand.
"A little," she confessed. "I already know Ben, and I feel like I know a little about your brothers from the stories you and your father told me, but…"
"But?"
"But there's no guarantee that they'll like me, Adam. I suppose I'm feeling like you did when you first got to know my family."
He laughed loudly, "I do hope it will go better than that first meal with your mother. She was bent on finding fault with me—and she succeeded in some remarkable ways."
Melinda patted his hand. "I know that wasn't pleasant, but you and Mother are very close now, and she has apologized many times for her nastiness that day."
"That should make you optimistic. Even if Hoss and Joe don't like you at first, they might come to appreciate you over the course of our stay." Noticing the pinched look of fear that washed across his wife's face he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her near. "Seriously, Melinda, I can't imagine them not taking to you from the moment they lay eyes on you. Pa got to know you pretty well when he visited, and I'm sure he told them how nice you are."
"I suppose that's true." Her brows and lips settled into their normal positions as she teased, "What's not to like?" She turned to view the town passing by and grimaced as she considered how long this visit would seem if Adam's brothers did find things to dislike about her. She pondered aloud, "I wish you had a picture of Hoss and Little Joe. I've imagined them from the stories I've heard, but I have no idea if I'm even close when compared to how they really look."
"Pa had pictures of us at the house, but nothing I could bring along. And they've never seen a picture of you either, so you're all on equal footing." They pulled to a stop in front of the Overland Stage office where Adam got out and assisted Melinda. Pointing to a wagon on the other side of the broad street, he told her, "That's our buckboard, but I don't see Pa." He squinted as he looked through the office window. "It's only 11:20, so we're actually a good half-hour early. He's probably visiting with someone, thinking he's still got time before we arrive."
Their luggage had been handed down and lay in a pile on the boardwalk. Adam looked at it and then hailed a teenaged boy walking past. "I'll give you 25 cents if you take these bags over to that wagon."
The youngster looked at the number of bags and considered the offer. "Make that a half-dollar, Mister, and it's a deal."
After the coin was exchanged, Adam pulled Melinda aside. "I'm going to the Western Union office to wire Frank that we've arrived. I'll send one to your parents and Abel as well, and then I need to stop at the bank. It would be best if you make sure the boy gets things transferred, and then wait for Pa. I won't be gone more than fifteen minutes and if he's not here by then, we'll leave him a note and go to lunch."
Melinda watched her husband walk away and suddenly felt very alone. She encouraged the young man in his task, asking him to be careful with one case that contained her hand mirror and lotions. When the bags were properly tied down, she climbed onto the wagon seat, pulled a small volume of poems from her handbag and began to read. A few people walked past, giving her questioning looks, but they said nothing to her. She overhead two ladies remark after they'd gone by, "I haven't seen her around here before. Wonder what she's doing on Ben Cartwright's rig?" This made her suspect that Ben had not told many people that Adam was coming home. Virginia City was a growing town by Western standards, but it was still small enough that gossip would spread quickly. Such news as the eldest Cartwright son returning with a wife would have started a prairie fire of speculation and interest.
She'd barely found her place in the book again when she was startled by a man hurrying across the street from the barber shop located a few doors down from the stage office. He was still wearing his barber's cape, and all but his chin was covered with shaving soap. He stopped in the street a few feet away and locked her with a questioning stare.
"Miss, are you aware that you're sitting on Ben Cartwright's wagon?"
"Yes," she replied with a smile. "I'm waiting for my husband. And it's Mrs., not Miss. I'm Mrs. Cartwright."
He groaned while shaking his head. "Does he know you're here?"
"Not yet," she admitted. "The stage just pulled in. I was told that this was his wagon and I had the luggage brought over, but…"
The man cut her off. "I suppose that next you're going to say that you met him when he was on a trip somewhere and you got married while he was there." He rolled his eyes then as he folded his arms across his chest and glared up at her.
Melinda was confused by man's tone and posture, and her answer held an edge. "That's true. Ben was on a trip when I got married, but it's…"
He cut in again. "Look, lady, you aren't the first to try this. And although you're even prettier and younger than the last woman to make the claim, I know what you're up to and I'm going to stop this right now."
Another man who was similarly attired with barber's cape and shaving soap had exited the shop and joined the first one near the wagon. "What'd you leave out for?" he chided his companion. "Zeke says to get back over there or he'll charge double for having to re-lather us."
The smaller man elbowed the new arrival and said, "I want you to meet Mrs. Cartwright. She's waiting for her husband. I came over to see what was going on after I saw Mike Handley load her bags onto the buckboard. She claims she met Ben Cartwright somewhere else and got married while he was there." He removed his covering and wiped the remaining lather from his cheeks before elbowing the other man again. "Doesn't this all sound familiar? Maybe we should get the sheriff so he can ask her what she's up to."
Melinda's eyes went round with astonishment. "I have no idea what you're insinuating. Why would you think I'm up to something? In fact, if you don't leave right now, I'll call for the sheriff."
The larger of the two pulled the other a few steps back. "Listen, maybe you got something wrong here. Let's just wait for Pa and see what he says."
The smaller man was not deterred. He looked up at Melinda and scoffed. "I suppose you have a marriage license proving you got hitched to Ben Cartwright. Then when Ben actually arrives you'll say that he's not the man you married; that it was someone else calling himself Ben Cartwright. You'll be all forlorn and say that this other man took your life savings and you'll be lookin' for a sympathetic shoulder to cry on."
Melinda was on her feet. "What are you talking about? Why would Ben Cartwright and I have a marriage license?"
"You said you was waitin' on your husband, ma'am." It was taller of the duo who gave the explanation, and then looked down while picking at the loose hairs and soap bubbles that speckled his cape.
She looked scathingly at each of them, trying to make sense of what was happening, and then something the larger one had said emerged from the fog. He said this was his Pa's wagon. As she was about to break the news about who she was, she happened to see Adam heading toward the wagon. "I'm not married to Ben Cartwright," she said while beginning to laugh. "I'm married to that Cartwright!" She pointed at the black-hatted figure approaching them.
The two men didn't reply; they took off at a run, hollering, "Adam!" After a time of back slapping and conversation, the three brothers returned to Melinda. One of them was red-faced and looking sheepish, while another looked like he was melting as he tried to wipe the dissolving shaving soap from his face with his shirtsleeves.
Adam made the introductions. "Melinda, this is my youngest brother, Joe…you know, the one who was accusing you of claiming to be married to Pa. And this strapping fellow is Hoss." He helped his wife down from the wagon to receive the welcoming wishes of her brothers-in-law.
"What was that all about?" she asked of them once they'd settled down from the surprise of seeing their brother.
"They've been gone for three weeks, and didn't know we were on the way." Adam explained. "They stopped in town to get a shoe put on Joe's horse, and decided to get a haircut and lunch before heading home. Joe saw you on our wagon and jumped to an erroneous conclusion."
Hoss took up the story. "Ya see, a couple years back, a fine lookin' woman came to the house sayin' she'd married Pa when they met up in a different city. She even had a license, but when Pa got home, she said he weren't the man she'd married. We all went to find out who this man was, and nearly ended up hangin' for murder. It turned out to be some danged plot to get rid of us so she'd'a been Pa's widow and could take over the ranch."
Little Joe finally spoke up. "I'm sorry about the mix-up." He looked at Adam and back to his sister-in-law as a sly grin replaced his look of remorse. "I guess it was easier to believe that you were pulling one over on Pa than that our brother would actually come home for a visit."
Adam replied to his brother's comment with a one-eyed squint and shake of the head, and then urged, "Why don't you two go finish getting prettied up. Heaven knows you need it. Meet us at the International House when you're done. I saw Pa at the bank and he's going to join us there too.
In the time it took the Cartwrights to finish their meal, the news that Adam was back, with a wife, had indeed spread like wildfire. Sheriff Coffee and Paul Martin made their way to the hotel to welcome Adam back and meet Melinda, while several pairs of ladies had entered the hotel and gawked at the couple while pretending to be interested in the lobby greenery.
As they made their way to the buckboard afterwards, Melinda could hear bits and pieces of conversation about them drifting from the doorways and walks. Most comments were about Melinda's looks or speculation that she was a wealthy woman from Boston, but the one that settled directly into the raw area of her heart was an older woman who said loudly to her companion, "Ben must be sorely disappointed. From the looks of her it don't appear there's any grandchildren on the way yet."
Melinda looked over at Adam and knew by the color rising in his cheeks that he'd heard it too. She laughed tightly while poking him gently in the ribs. "I thought you said we'd be safe here."
He winked at her, and instead of assisting her up into the wagon, he pulled her tightly against him and gave her a long, thorough kiss before whisking her into his arms and depositing her in the buckboard. "There," he laughed, "That ought to give them something else to talk about for a while."
Ben reached over and took Melinda's hand before starting out. "Don't let those old biddies get under your skin. There's been a drought of things to chinwag about in this town, and you and Adam arriving is like a gossip wellspring. We'll invite some friends out to meet you and they'll find out what a wonderful woman you are."
Melinda leaned over to give Ben a peck on the cheek before he slapped the reins and sent the team moving. She began to laugh along with Adam when they heard the same women talking as they drove past them. "Did you see the way he kissed her, Mildred? And the way he lifted her up? Why you could see her stockings and petticoats! I never…"
But as Melinda glanced back, she noticed that Mildred did not look all that shocked by the display of affection Adam had exhibited. In fact…Mildred was grinning like a schoolgirl.
Two – Hey, Adam, There's a Woman in Your Bed
Adam had declined to discuss their ordeal in Boston during lunch, and he knew Ben was itching for the details on the way to the ranch. But as they cleared the last city street he put an end to those hopes by saying, "I know you're anxious to hear about Castelletti, Pa, but let's wait until everyone's together at dinner tonight." That had been enough to keep his father talking about the changes on the ranch and showing Melinda the wonders of the Ponderosa as they made their way home.
As they neared the house, Ben said, "I'm going out to pay the hands, Adam. Any chance you'd like to ride along?"
Observing Melinda biting her lips and twisting at the same curl from before, he offered, "I think I'd best show Melinda around a little first so she knows where to find everything. Once she's busy unpacking, I'll change clothes and meet you out there. Did you say the crew is on the flat?"
"That's where we'll be," Ben confirmed, and added, "I know Hugh and the rest of the men that were here before you left are anxious to see you."
Hugh Rollins had started working for their family a few years before Adam had left for school. He had taught the eldest son, whom he'd christened, "Young Cartwright," much of what he knew about driving steers. Adam pondered, "I'm surprised Hugh hasn't retired yet. I remember him complaining that his knees and shoulders were aching, and his back didn't take well to hours in the saddle anymore."
Ben smiled and nodded. "Hugh is helping out today, but he retired and bought a small spread shortly after you left. He pitches in during drives and takes his pay in livestock."
"I'm glad for him."
When they made it home, Adam took care of the wagon and team while his father saddled Buck. After a warm welcome, Hop Sing kept Melinda busy showing her around the yard until Ben rode off and Adam was free to help the cook carry their bags into the house. The small powerhouse then begged their forgiveness in abandoning them. "Must go now. Work on garden and pick peas for dinner."
Alone with her husband, Melinda blew out a long breath. "There are some lovely estates back in Boston, but when you ride up to the Ponderosa and see this house set here in the pines, it takes your breath away."
"Thank you."
Her brows rose. "Why are you thanking me?"
"Because I designed the house before I went to college. Pa put it up while I was gone, and it's one of the reasons it took me so long to get back to you."
"Huh?" Her voice flirted with mild annoyance but quickly moved toward teasing. "You're saying you loved this house more than you loved me?"
"There's something about this place: not just the house but the land too. It becomes part of you. After working so hard to make it produce and become a success, it was hard to leave. Yet around the time I saw you in Sacramento, it was beginning to feel a little more like a burr under my belt, so it was time to see what other wonders the world might hold." He took her hand, "C'mon, I'll show you around."
After a quick tour, Adam left Melinda in his room and trotted downstairs to get water for her to wash up. He knew Hop Sing would have an ample supply of water warming in the bathhouse tank since he was preparing a welcome-home supper. The Cartwright men knew that on such occasions, you didn't come to the table with trail dust hanging from your ears and eyebrows or Hop Sing would give you a dressing down with orders to return when you were properly washed and attired.
He found Melinda stripped to her camisole and petticoat by the time he returned and had to breathe deeply to tamp the passion that she always aroused in him. It didn't work. Setting the ewer down, he pulled her near and slipped his hands beneath the loose undergarment.
She moaned and began to tremble as his breath warmed her skin where he trailed kisses along the curve of her neck. Raising her arms, she urged him to remove the cotton barrier between them, while saying breathlessly, "I thought you said we couldn't do this here."
"I said we couldn't do this if someone was around." He slid her petticoats to the floor as she worked the buttons of his shirt, tugged it from his arms, and then moved her hands down his chest to his waist. He gasped before saying, "Hoss and Joe aren't back yet, Pa's gone, and Hop Sing is outside; it's now or never, darlin'."
She opened his belt and set to work on the buttons of his trousers as she declared, "If those are my options, I choose now!"
Adam had noticed earlier when he'd taken the wagon team's harnesses into the barn that Sport was no longer quartered with the family mounts. When he came outside intending to ride out to meet his father and the crew, he walked toward the fenced pasture where the riding horses grazed. He'd worried about leaving Melinda alone, but she had promised, "You go on and I'll be fine. There are clothes to unpack, and a letter to write to my parents. If you're not back by then, I'll see if Hop Sing needs help shucking peas."
Leaning against the fence, he observed the fine horseflesh the Ponderosa kept "just in case" they were needed, and then snickered while a devilish smile played at the corners of his mouth as he thought about what he'd been doing a few minutes earlier. I just left my wife…in my bed.
After he'd returned from college, he'd often rested in that same bed, considering the type of woman he would marry. Adam had twice witnessed what his father was like as a married man. Although those two women had been as different as night and day in looks and background, on the inside they were the same—as loving and devoted to Ben Cartwright as he was to them. That was the kind of marriage he'd wanted too. He shook his head as he realized that whenever he'd allowed himself such reflection back then, the only face he'd seen by his side was the intelligent and beautiful young woman he'd left behind in Boston. As time and circumstances in Adam's own life had moved him into his 30's as a bachelor, and then after the near mistake with Laura, he'd begun to wonder if he'd ever be married.
But it had happened. He and Melinda had met again unexpectedly and found that they had both remained in love, even though their letters to each other had never reached their destinations. That bit of fate had left them each to think that the other no longer cared. At the time they'd re-met, he'd been engaged to Laura, but when things had worked out, he'd left the Ponderosa and gone to find Melinda again. They'd been married nearly a year already, and in his wildest dreams as a single man, he'd never considered that it would be this good to be a husband. Yet he also knew that if his wife was anyone but Melinda that might not be true.
A shiver coursed through his body as he thought about the physical side of their marriage. Melinda had two very progressive women who had helped to mold her character, and both her mother and her aunt believed that women should be partners in a marriage…in every way. He'd worried that she would be shy on their wedding night, but he needn't have. She had been eager in their first experience as a couple, and every time since then. When he teased her about her healthy appetite for marital intimacy, she just smiled and said that she was making up for twelve years of lost time.
There was more to it than that, though. Adam knew that his satisfaction with marriage was far more than just in the physical realm. It was equally about being so close to another person that he felt they were united in mind and soul as well as heart. They'd already faced so much in their short time as a couple, and he hoped they could weather anything if they did it together. He woke most mornings to her arm draped across his chest; her tousled hair framing her face as she gave a sleepy smile when he kissed her. He came home to find her waiting—welcoming him with her embrace and kiss, and then chattering on about her day and asking about his. Love was a wonderful thing when accompanied by trust and openness. There were certainly times when they argued and were cross or out of sorts, and they didn't always understand each other. But their love covered the multitude of their flaws.
The only thing missing was a child. They'd both hoped for a baby soon after they married, but Melinda had always had irregular cycles and while that had never seemed a problem when she was single, it now meant there were far fewer opportunities to conceive. They'd been advised to be patient—to stop thinking or talking about it. In the end that was all they could do. Worrying didn't help, so they had agreed to let life take its course—whatever that might be.
He looked back again at his bedroom window before bringing his thumb and forefinger to his lips and issuing a sharp whistle. A chestnut head popped up from among the horses nibbling at the tufts of grass in the field. A white blaze shone in the sun as the big steed turned in the direction of the signal, and seeming to recognize the summoner, loped toward the fence. Nuzzling his master's hand, he nickered as Adam said, "Hiya, boy. Wanna go for a ride?"
Three - The Horse Apple Principle of Truth
Adam began telling the story of why he and Melinda had left Boston that evening while the family had an aperitif and waited for Hop Sing's call to the table.
"Louis Castelletti," Hoss repeated the name Adam had said. "Ain't he the same feller Pa told us kidnapped Melinda before yer wedding?"
"The very same."
"I thought he'd be in prison for some time after all he done."
"We thought so too, Hoss, but the only charges brought against him were for running illegal gambling houses. Castelletti didn't dirty his hands with running his brothels, and the man who actually did—the one who'd actually kidnapped Melinda—was killed during the rescue. With some well-placed bribes to ease the way, Castelletti was released in a few months."
Ben's jaw set into a worried frown. "So what was he after this time, son?"
"He wanted me to construct a tunnel from a building he'd purchased, into the basement of the federal bank next door. He hoped to get at the stores of foreign currency and counterfeit U.S. money being held there that had been collected by the Secret Service."
"But that wasn't the worst of it," Melinda broke in. "Tell them Castelletti's real goal."
"He wanted to destroy me, I guess. He seemed to hate that I was an honest man, and wanted to break me by taking away everything I held important in my life."
Hoss grimaced. "How'd he do that?"
"The plan was to make me commit a federal crime for one thing, and then he started rumors about me bribing officials in the city planning department. Luckily Frank had a pretty good idea what was going on, yet he had to fire me when he heard about that so as not to give his suspicions away. That still wasn't enough for Castelletti. He set a plan in motion to make Melinda believe I was leaving her."
"That doesn't sound like something you'd abide by without a fight." Ben's worried look deepened.
Melinda answered. "Castelletti said he'd kill me and Able if Adam let anyone know what was going on. He had to allow it all to happen to keep us safe."
"That's what I figered,"Hoss declared. "I can't see Adam doing nothin' like that without a strong reason making him. So how'd you get away from him?"
Adam finished telling of constructing the tunnel to collapse and working with the Secret Service when it was over.
"So is Castelletti going to be in prison for a long time now?" Ben's scowl had turned to a hopeful smile.
"He's dead, Pa. One of his men shot him." Adam drained his glass and breathed a relieved sigh at being done with the story.
"I bet you're glad he won't be coming back any more," Hoss said as he shook his head. "It seems that man had a particular kind of hate fer ya."
Melinda took her husband's arm and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm just glad Adam won't have to make any more life-and-death decisions because of 'that man.'"
Joe had remained quiet throughout the telling, but finally joined in. "Well that wasn't the first time our older brother had to make that kind of decision. It happened here a few years ago when Adam put Pa's life on the line to prove that he was a better man than Sam Bryant."
The heads of the other Cartwrights snapped toward the speaker with Ben being the first to object. "I don't think you're giving Melinda a fair picture of what happened, Joe." His laugh was tight and his voice had a warning edge as he continued. "What my youngest is referring to was an incident where one of the mine bosses…" He noticed Melinda's eyebrows dip, and chuckled as he settled into the story. "I forget you aren't from around here. Let me start a little further back. There was a lot of lawlessness at the silver mines when the money started flowing, and bosses were hired by the mine owners to enforce order and protect their interests. These men were often shady types who hired gunmen and thugs to help them, and eventually bands of enforcers created a far more alarming situation than they'd been hired to prevent. The worst boss by far was this, Sam Bryant. He moved from keeping order at the mines to terrorizing the town as he demanded money for protection against the 'criminal element.'"
Hoss took over the tale as his father broke off for a sip of wine. "Funny thing about it was that the criminals they paid to be protected from was actually the men that they was givin' their money to. Didn't make sense a'tall, but most paid up. Things got so bad that Sam pretty much thought he controlled everything in town…includin' the law. But when one of his men, a feller named Farmer Perkins, murdered a shopkeeper in front of the man's wife, the town finally had enough."
"So what happened?" Melinda's eyes were bright, yet shadowed by concern as she held tightly to Adam's hand.
Joe spoke up again. "The judge sentenced Farmer to hang, and then Sam kidnapped Pa in retaliation. He said that if the sheriff hanged his man, he'd do the same to Ben Cartwright."
"I'm confused." Melinda tipped her head as her forehead puckered. "How did Adam end up making a decision about Ben's life?"
Hoss reclaimed the story. "The whole family had been deputized, and then the sheriff got himself shot and Adam had to take over. He felt the only way to make a stand was to go right on with the hangin'."
"Knowing that the same thing might happen to his father." She shook her head sadly.
Joe shrugged. "That was the dilemma in a nutshell. But I think it was an easier decision for Adam to put Pa's life on the line. He had more to lose if you had died."
"Ben's annoyed, "Joseph!" was uttered just as Hop Sing announced dinner. As he led his family to the table, Ben said pointedly in the direction of his youngest son, "Sam Bryant and Louis Castelletti were pretty much the same man. In the end, Adam had to stand up to both of them to prove they couldn't win against people with character. He couldn't feign a hanging like he could pretend to be blowing a hole into a bank for this Castelletti, so he had to go ahead with Farmer's sentence. Sam couldn't get me to beg for my life either, and he finally caved in as he understood that he'd underestimated the Cartwright grit." Ben stood behind his chair at the head of table, as he gave each of his boys a quick nod, and added, "It was exactly what I would have done and I was proud of all three of my sons for standing strong when they might have backed down under pressure or from fear." He waited for Adam to assist Melinda, and then took his seat before completing the story. "In the end, one of Sam's own men shot him, much like Castelletti. I don't think those two men could believe that anyone would continue to plan against them with the stakes so high. They assumed that normal men would have been too afraid to stand up to them."
Hoss laughed. "Melinda, you should probably know that the Cartwrights ain't never been normal men." He inhaled appreciatively as Hop Sing brought the first platter to the table. "You're in for a treat tonight, Sister-in-Law. No one can cook pork like our Hop Sing."
A quick chuckle preceded Joe's thought. "Pork? I thought we'd have fatted calf for Adam's return."
Ben gave a tight laugh. "Your brother is hardly a prodigal son, Joseph."
"I know." Joe looked toward Adam and grinned. "But we could have laid palm branches hailing his return if we'd have known he was coming. After all he is a genius; a hero among men; a foiler of crimes… How can we poor cow-punchers hope to hold a candle to him?"
Hoss handed Joe a bowl with peas and rolled his eyes. "You'll excuse my brother, ma'am," he said, turning to Melinda, "he's had a bad day and isn't his usual good-natured self tonight. He got charged exter for running out of the barber shop and then found out that his horse is lame and he had to leave him in town. The poor old nag he rode home could barely trot and it took us forever to get here."
"I'm sorry to hear about Cochise. How serious is it?" Adam asked.
"You don't need to worry about it, Adam. He should be fine in a day or two." Joe's words were clipped while delivered with a smile.
Melinda's eyes had been widening throughout Joe's comments and she was glad when Hoss asked her to tell him about her family."
"I grew up in Connecticut, but I spent a lot of time with my aunt who lived next door to Abel Stoddard in Boston. That's where I met Adam. I have two sisters." She chuckled, "We're kind of the female version of the Cartwright family. I'm the oldest; Miranda is next, and finally, Marie. I moved into my aunt's house when she left it to me in her will. Miranda moved to Boston when she married and then my folks moved there as well a few years ago when things got bad during the onset of the war."
"What happened?" Hoss asked.
"My father had an export business that arranged commodity shipments. Much of that came from the Southern states, and when the talk of fighting started, businessmen there geared up for war instead of commerce. There was no product to ship and Papa wasn't able to hold on. Fortunately, he found a position as an accountant at a firm in Boston. It was a hard adjustment for him, but he's doing well."
Joe accidently clanked his fork into his plate as he set it down, making everyone jump. With their attention on him, he sent Melinda an exaggerated smile. "I'm sure the South regrets the trouble they caused your family."
Adam opened his mouth to speak but Melinda silenced him with a touch as she looked directly at her brother-in-law and mirrored his smile. Keeping her tone relaxed, she responded, "My father never blamed anyone for what happened, Joe. He understood that there are many types of casualties in war. It seemed that everyone lost someone or something…on both sides. My sympathies were with the Union, yet I could understand many of the issues the South fought for. And because of what happened with my father, I was able to comprehend that a country divided would not work as well as a nation united in purpose. My family grieved the loss of all those who bravely fought and died in their causes. From what Adam has told me that was true of the Cartwright family as well."
"You put that very eloquently, Melinda." Ben said sincerely, as he touched her hand.
Hop Sing had begun clearing dishes as Melinda spoke and he returned with dessert and coffee. He placed a slice of chocolate-glazed, custard-filled sponge cake in front of her.
She smiled up at the waiting cook. "You made Boston Cream Pie, Hop Sing? It looks delicious! Where did you find the recipe?"
"Saw in newspaper. No recipe, just tell how it made. It look like real thing?"
"It looks perfect," Adam complimented as he turned to his father. "You remember that we went to the Parker House Hotel looking for Melinda after she was kidnapped? That's where this dessert originated." He took a bite and gave his approval in an appreciative moan. "Chef Sanzian couldn't have made this any better! In fact he could learn a few things from you, Hop Sing."
The cook beamed while Hoss asked, "You know the feller who concocted this, Adam?"
"Sure, Hoss. We don't know him well, but if you visit us some time, we'll take you to his restaurant and you can show him how someone should appreciate a good meal." Adam noticed Joe rolling his eyes while shaking his head as he'd finished his comment to Hoss. The theatrics were another confirmation for Adam that there was something about the evening that wasn't sitting well with his youngest brother. Yet he didn't push him, knowing from experience that Joe could be sullen and testy one minute, and snap out of it the next. He finished his dessert without further comment, and was the first to rise when Ben suggested they take their coffee to the living area.
Adam sat with Melinda on the settee facing the others, and had a brief flashback to his oral exams in college when he had sat facing his professors. In fact he was feeling the same sort of dread as he had then, and was relieved when Hoss smiled over at him and winked. It didn't surprise him that his middle brother would understand what he was feeling. Hoss had always seemed to know when the oldest Cartwright son needed a helping hand.
Hoss asked an easy question, "How long you plannin' on stayin', Adam? Mind you, I hope it's some time before we'll be sayin' so-long again."
Adam looked at Melinda, hoping this was what they'd decided. The evening had rattled him and he wasn't sure how their timeframe would be viewed. "We can stay for a couple of weeks, Hoss, and then we're going to San Francisco. Frank asked if I'd be able to help Frank Jr. with a project for the Frisco office of Wadsworth Engineering before we head home." He looked again at his wife and took her hand as he tried to finish. "And once we're back in Boston…"
Joe broke into the announcement. "What I don't understand is if this Castelletti was dead, why did you have to leave? Why come all this way without letting us know. Things are pretty busy around here right now and we won't be able to stop what we're doing just because you're here."
Ben gave his youngest another stern look. "This will always be Adam's home, Joe. He doesn't need a reason to come here. That will be true for you and Hoss too should you decide to find your futures away from the ranch."
Adam held tightly to Melinda's hand as he addressed his brother. "That's a valid question, Joe. It would seem that the threat was over. But Castelletti had also said he'd given orders to have us all killed if anything happened to him during the project. The police and Secret Service felt it best that we leave while they ensured that his entire organization was dismantled." Turning to his father, he continued, "I suspect Joe's right about the other part of his thought as well, Pa. It would have been better to give you a little more notice that we were on the way. At the time though, I could only think of one place where we'd feel safe and wouldn't have to keep looking over our shoulders."
Hoss spoke up again. "I, for one, am very glad you decided to make the trip, Adam."
Joe ignored his father's frequent glances toward him. "So you came all the way out here to lay low? That doesn't sound like the brother I know. Don't get me wrong, I was happily surprised to see you in town today. I just wish you'd come home because you wanted to, not because you had no other option."
Ben's loud, "Joseph, that's enough of this nonsense!" was tempered by Adam's calm reply. "We had plenty of options; we wanted to come here. Melinda's been pestering me to know more about the ranch, and about getting to meet you and Hoss. Coming home now seemed like our best option now. We won't be able to later. Frank is sending us to London when we get back."
His father's eyes widened in surprise. "Will this be a vacation or are you going for work?"
"Work, Pa. Melinda and I agreed to the opportunity the day before I was shanghaied by Castelletti, and Frank confirmed that the job is available, the night we left Boston. I'll be working on a project in the London docks. We'll try to travel while we're there. I hope we can get to Wales, Ireland and Scotland, and maybe even some parts of the Continent before we head home again."
Joe had risen and begun pacing after his father's admonition. He was directly behind Melinda and Adam when he muttered, "I wonder what the English will think of Lord Adam," just loud enough for them to hear.
Melinda stood and pulled Adam up from the couch. "I think it's time we thank our chef again for the fine welcome home meal," she said as she looked directly at Joe. "Then I'm taking my husband outside so he can show me those starry Nevadan skies he always brags about."
"There really are more stars visible out here," she told Adam as she put her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder.
As they stood stargazing, Little Joe breezed past them without saying a word.
Adam gave Melinda a peck on the cheek and said, "Don't go anywhere; I'll be right back," before trotting away to catch up to his brother. He laid his hand on Joe's shoulder to stop him and asked in an easy tone, "What are you up to?"
Joe was as stiff as his words were clipped. "You're not my keeper anymore, Adam. Don't worry about what I'm doing."
"I'm not worried." He kept his hand firmly in place on his brother's shoulder, not allowing him to leave. "I only wondered if I might give you a hand with whatever's bothering you."
"Just leave me alone, Adam!" He grabbed his brother's arm, pushed it away roughly and made his getaway into the barn.
He stood speechless, rubbing the spot on his wrist where Joe had grasped it. Adam hung his head recalling a time when he had pushed his father away; rejecting the man's concern and desire to help as he'd spat out almost the same words that Joe had just uttered. Taking a lesson from how his father had handled that situation with him, Adam let his brother go. Joe had to figure out what was bothering him—and what to do about it. He breathed deeply before retracing his steps to his bride.
"What's going on with Joe? I heard him raise his voice and saw him hurry off. In fact, I'm pretty sure something was bothering him all evening."
He took her hand and led her farther away from the house. "You're right, but the kid will have to work it out."
They walked further until they reached a large, flat rock. Adam pushed the concerns from his mind as he climbed up and assisted Melinda. "We're going to lie down on our backs now to observe and listen. I'll be right next to you, but you can't snuggle up to me or you'll miss too much."
"That rock looks even harder than your bed," She teased as she chewed her lip.
"Trust me, honey, it'll be worth the sore backside."
The quiet night suddenly erupted in sound as they stopped talking and rested on the flat surface that still held the warmth from the sun. Crickets chirped, gnats buzzed, and in the distance a coyote cried, while night-birds hooted and called.
They held hands as they watched the heavens for shooting stars. Melinda cried out in delight as several flashed by while the wind whispered through the trees and brush, providing a symphony for the celestial ballet.
After many minutes, Melinda rolled onto her side and kissed Adam's cheek before returning to her back and the amazing display above them.
The two younger brothers were up with the sun and already in the barn saddling up for a day of branding out on the flat by the time the remaining Cartwrights made it down to breakfast.
"So whadya think of her, Joe?" Hoss asked with a shy, toothy smile.
"She's pretty much the thin-nosed, blue-blooded Yankee I'd assumed she'd be. Count on Adam to go back across the country to find someone like that."
Hoss dropped his saddle back onto the stall divider. "What's wrong with ya, Joe? You usually like people easy, but you were downright disagreeable with Adam and Melinda last night. From as stiff as you just got when you done answered me, things ain't changed any overnight. I think she's real nice."
Joe's face screwed up until his lips were a tight pucker. "So, you're saying I have to like her just because you do?"
"Nah, I ain't sayin' that at all. But I don't see nothing wrong with her neither. I won't never find me a gal like Melinda, but golly, Joe, the way she looks at our brother: she lights up when he walks in the room and's always holdin' his hand or touchin' his arm. It makes me long to have a wife next to me too. I remember your ma and our Pa being like that."
There was no response from the other stall as Joe worked to saddle a horse he'd brought in from the pasture to use while Cochise recovered.
"What's botherin' you, Joe?" Hoss asked again.
"It's just that," he struggled to put his thoughts into words, "I wish Adam hadn't come home."
Joe's comment made Hoss stagger as he lifted the saddle over Chubby's tall back. He faced his brother with his mouth agape and eyes popping. "Why on earth would you even think that, much less say it?"
"Pa can't handle his coming and going. He knows Adam isn't staying, but Pa'll get to thinking that maybe he might. Then he'll mope for months again when Adam leaves, making us work even harder until he feels better."
"That ain't true and you know it," Hoss reprimanded, "and don't you let Pa hear you say that. When Adam left for school, Pa did pine for some time, but when he left for Boston a year or so back, Pa saw it as a good move. You weren't back from Sacramento before Adam had to leave, but Pa did just fine. And when Pa got back after being in Boston, he was excited for all Adam was doin' there. Our Pa's a different man now, Joe. He understands that we're grown and have to make our own lives—whether that's here or somewheres else."
Joe grunted.
"So," Hoss prompted, "if there's truth in what you just said about hating that Adam came home and it's not about Pa, then what is it about?"
"He's just so different than us, Hoss. I don't know how we ever got along with him."
Hoss guffawed. "Well, ain't you just stepped on a horse-apple of truth."
"What do you mean by that? Dang it, did I step in something bringing this mare inside?" Joe checked his boots but found nothing amiss."
"Stop checkin' for manure. I'm talking metaphorically."
Joe's mouth hung open. "How do you even know a word like that?"
"Adam taught it to me years back and I guess it's been turnin' around in my head waiting for a chance to use it. I mean that a'course Adam is different from us. First off, he's been around the longest and bore the most responsibility. He pulled his weight from the time my ma died and he never got to be a kid—least ways not like you and me did. Adam's smart as a whip and has always figured things out better and faster than either of us could. He is who he is, Joe. He never apologized for that, nor lorded it over us none neither. And when it comes down to it, little brother, you and I ain't exactly alike neither. We get along because I usually let you have your way about things. I ain't sayin' that I have bad feelings about that; it's just the truth."
"So where do the horse apples come in?"
"There ain't nothing wrong with horse apples, is there? We spread them on the field and they help the hay grow. They's a fact of life when you got livestock and they're no big deal until you step on one and start smellin' it. It don't change what they are; you just have to deal with it—scrape it off yer boot and move on."
"And how does this apply to me and Adam?"
"Most times you and Adam got along fine. The fact that the two of you thought different, liked doin' different things, and handled things different didn't make no matter. You each went out and made the world a little better by being who you were. But sometimes you didn't see eye-to-eye and irritated each other, and then things started to stink like you stepped in a pile of brotherly muck. You and Adam had lots of times like that, but you cleaned off yer boots and went on as brothers."
"Sometimes you're a whole lot smarter than you look," Joe laughed as he tossed a handful of straw at him.
Hoss wasn't finished, "That brings me back to the original question. What's Adam done that's stuck on yer boot?"
The brothers' conversation had them so involved that they hadn't heard the house door close or the footsteps coming across the yard. Adam had finished eating and was coming out to hitch up a buggy to take his wife for a tour of the Ponderosa. As he'd neared the barn, he'd heard the conversation going on inside and hesitated. He smiled at Hoss's description of being brothers, and then really wanted to hear Joe's answer to what was bothering him.
"He's being Adam, I guess," Joe began. "I mean he comes waltzing home, expecting us to fall all over him. Of course he's doing well—he always has. And of course he saved Melinda and foiled a plot against the United States because he's so blasted smart. I won't ever be able to figure things the way what Adam can, and now he's going to England so they can sing his praises there too. Maybe I'm just sick to death of hearing about how wonderful our older brother is. I got enough to do around here without having to do any more bowing to the better man."
The hurt look had returned to Hoss's face and voice. "I don't get you, Joe. Adam don't want to be treated any different than he ever did. He never took praise easy and always carried his burdens quiet-like. And he didn't come here to bother you none. He came to find some peace…a safe place where he could let his guard down a little. It was there in his words if you'd listened instead of grousing all evening."
Joe scoffed, "Adam needs a place to put his guard down? You can't mean that. Why, he's as full of himself as he ever was. You wouldn't believe what I heard him and his Yankee bride doing last night."
Hoss looked horrified. "You mind your manners. I'm not sure what you're about ta say, but I think you should think long and hard before going any further."
Adam completed his walk into the barn. "It's all right, Hoss, I'd like to know just what Joe thought he heard."
"Sure, I'll tell you." Joe seemed unaffected by Adam showing up in the middle of his tirade. He left the stall to stand closer to his oldest brother. "Hoss just said you don't lord your success over us, but he's dead wrong on that one, isn't he, Adam? Sometimes you just need to prove how much more you have."
Adam's eyebrows rose under his hat brim as his lips drew to the side. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Joe's wild laugh echoed to the rafters. "You have no idea? How about this…I heard Melinda screaming out your name around midnight. I guess bringing home a beautiful, smart wife wasn't enough to shove in my face…you had to bed her in the room next to mine so I'd have to hear what a better man you are too."
The right hook Adam laid across Joe's cheek sent him sprawling. As he scrabbled to his feet he raised his fists for a fight, but Hoss stood in front of him. "You had that comin', Joe. Stand down."
Adam had already begun to leave the barn when he turned to face his youngest brother again. "If this was about me, I'd walk out of here without another word, but I don't want you spreading ugliness about Melinda; she doesn't deserve it." He scrubbed at his face and breathed deeply before beginning. "When Melinda was kidnapped, she was chloroformed and taken to a brothel. She awoke in pitch darkness on a filthy mattress, unable to move because she was tied to the bed frame. She could hear rats running across the floor and chewing inside the walls next to the bed and was sure they would find her too. She still has nightmares about it. We leave a lamp burning when we travel, but it went out last night and she woke up in the dark." His voice dropped. "She was screaming in terror."
The older brother composed himself as Joe continued to stare at his boots. Once his anger abated, Adam continued, "When I suggested we come here, I figured that you and Hoss wouldn't want to hear my advice, and that I'd have to wait for a clear indication of how I could best help out." He paused until Joe looked up, "The one thing I never considered was that you'd wished I'd stayed away." He turned and walked toward the house.
"Go after him, Joe." Hoss's tone left no room for interpretation.
"Why should I? I'm sorry about misunderstanding the situation last night, but I'd say he understands how I feel about this visit. He'll stick his chin out and go on like nothing happened. You know Adam."
"How can he go on like nothin' happened? You didn't throw a punch, but I'm pretty certain his gut feels like it was trampled by a herd of longhorns about now." Hoss finished adjusting his saddle and led Chubby to the door. "I'm leavin' now, and I don't rightly want your company on the way. I'll see you out there, but stay clear a me today, ya hear?"
Adam smiled at his father as he entered the house. His heart was still racing from the conversation outside, and he felt like he'd had the wind knocked out of him. "Mind if interrupt you for a minute, Pa?"
"Sure. I'm just starting a list of people we should invite to the reception for you and Melinda. I know you hate big affairs, so we'll keep it to a reasonable crowd." He grinned up at his son.
Moving a chair to the desk, Adam sat and laid his arms on the shining surface. He and his father had talked many things out across this desk in the past. Now there was something he had to say that he knew wouldn't sit well. "About that, Pa…I know I said we'd be here for a couple of weeks, but in thinking it through, I believe we'll have to get going sooner."
"How much sooner?"
"I'd say by week's end." He saw his father's face drop, the deep lines of age forming parentheses around his mouth as he frowned. "I was thinking we could invite a few people to a get-together at the International House on Friday evening." His voice faltered for an instant, but he cleared his throat and continued, "Melinda and I will stay in town that night and head to San Francisco on the Saturday morning stage."
Ben's voice was calm while rising in pitch, "It's Tuesday already. That means you'll be leaving in three days. What changed?"
"I realize that we've intruded into the busiest time on the ranch. I'll take a day or two to show Melinda around, and then we'll be out from underfoot. It'll be better this way."
Ben eyed his son. "Better for whom?
Adam's eyes were focused on the wall behind his father. He knew he couldn't lie while looking at him. "Everyone, I expect." He swept the room with his gaze and finally stared at his hands. He hadn't planned what he was about to say. It had come as a flash giving him an alternative to be with his father while placating Joe. "I was wondering… I know it's a busy time, but I was hoping you could get away and come to San Francisco for a few days. Hoss and Joe can run things here. I read in the Chronicle that there's a visiting Viennese orchestra doing Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. You've always liked Bach." He was beginning to babble, but he kept on going rather than allow his father a chance to ask any more questions about why he was leaving so soon. "The Brandenburg pieces weren't discovered until around 1850, so they haven't been widely performed. I'd like to hear them with you, and we could spend more time together before Melinda and I head off again."
"Don't think I haven't noticed that you aren't looking at me, son. There's a whole lot more to this change of plan than you're saying. Did something happen with your brothers?"
"I was honest in what I told you," the son pronounced as he made eye contact. "Call it a case of bad timing and nothing more. I realize how hard it is to worry about guests when there's so much to get done."
Little Joe had finished saddling his horse and then had headed to the house to find his brother, intending to apologize for misinterpreting the previous night's situation. He knew he'd overstepped a boundary there, but as for the rest, he wasn't about to change his opinion.
As he neared the door, he heard the voices of his father and brother through the open windows above the desk. He hadn't intended on eavesdropping, but he figured that since Adam had taken that privilege outside the barn, there was nothing wrong about him listening now. The last thing he wanted to do was walk into a brouhaha where he'd have to defend himself without knowing what had been said. He cringed as he heard the growing sadness in his father's voice, knowing that he was the cause of it.
"You are not a guest who needs to be dealt with, Adam," Ben said loudly as he slapped the surface of the desk. "You are my son! This is your home! You are welcome anytime for as long as you want to stay!"
"I know that. But the truth is that things don't remain locked in time. People change; situations change." He smiled and rose to forestall another round of fatherly interrogation. "Will you at least consider San Francisco?"
Ben slumped back into his green leather chair. "I don't know what happened between breakfast and now." He gave his eldest a lopsided smile. "I know I won't ever get you to reveal what prompted your change of plans, so let me see if I can work things out to be gone for a few days. I'll let you know by tomorrow."
Melinda had heard Ben's raised voice and was coming down the steps to see if something was wrong just as Little Joe entered from outside. She looked from the two men near the desk to the one at the door and knew from their stiff postures and set faces that something was going on that involved all three men. She lied, "Excuse me, I thought I heard Adam call for me." She looked at her husband and said, "Why don't you come up and get me when you're finished," and then turned to go back to their room.
"Don't go, Melinda," Joe called after her. "You need to hear this too." He waited until she descended and was standing next to Adam before saying, "Pa, you go right on ahead and plan that party."
"Adam told me that they won't be here long enough for that." He eyed his youngest with a steely glare. "Am I to assume that you are the reason for the shortened stay?"
Joe leaned back against the credenza and shoved his hat back on his head as he chewed on his cheek. "I suspect I am. Adam overheard me saying some ugly things in the barn a little bit ago and then I told him that I didn't cotton to his being here."
Ben gasped. "Is that true, Adam?" The eldest son remained silent and Ben turned a wounded look on his youngest, "Why on earth? What would possess you…where do you get the right to say who is welcome in my house? I noticed that you weren't yourself last night, but I hoped it was as Hoss had said—that you'd had a trying day or that you were testing Adam's ability to hold his temper amid a little brotherly foolery. But to continue this nonsense today to the point where he believes they aren't welcome…"
"He's entitled to his opinion, Pa." Adam spoke up as he saw Joe withering under Ben's stare. "I told you; life doesn't remain as it was. No one is forcing us to go. We'll leave on Friday and then things can get back to normal."
Melinda wasn't sure what had prompted Adam to cut short their stay but she felt the rigidity of the muscles as she touched her husband's arm, and recognized the tense set of his jaw. As she turned toward Ben, she noticed that his face was red and set in an angry scowl directed toward his youngest son. When her gaze finally made it to Joe, she thought he actually appeared to be shrinking under the weight of his father's tacit rage. Her conclusion was that whatever was going on belonged between the two brothers and wouldn't be worked out with their father in the room. She walked over to Ben and took his hand, giving him a knowing look and a head-nod toward outside. The set of his jaw slackened as he followed her to the door. She told the two brothers, "Ben's going to show me how to saddle a horse for the buggy while you two talk." Looking back over her shoulder, she added, "Don't take all day though, I want to see this ranch."
"You sure did marry yourself a city girl," Joe laughed once the door was closed.
Adam chuckled too as the pressure broke. "Did she just say they were going to 'saddle' a horse for the buggy?"
Joe's laugh had moved to a giggle as he walked toward his brother. He was suddenly serious again. "I'm sorry. I didn't know about Melinda and that…place. And I should have known that you would never… I don't know what got into me. Whatever it is must be bad because Hoss didn't even want to be around me."
"I accept your apology, and I won't say anything to Melinda. And while I wish it didn't bother me that you don't want me here, you owe me no explanations."
Adam was moving toward the door to join the others outside when Joe said, "It's complicated."
"I'm sure it is," the older brother agreed, pausing with his hand on the latch.
"I think that once I got over you being gone for good, it sort of made me feel free. You know what I mean?"
Adam nodded. "No big brother looking over your shoulder. People stopped comparing my methods to yours. You got to be your own man."
"Exactly."
Adam folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the door. "And then when I showed up unexpectedly, you worried that those comparisons would start up again, or worse, I might decide to stick around and you'd go back to being, 'Little' Joe?"
"Pretty much."
"You should know that Pa practically busts his buttons when he talks about you and Hoss."
"He does?"
Adam walked to the desk and perched on the edge. "I know that selling timber isn't as simple as it was when I started doing it. There's more land available now for harvesting and a lot more men in the business, so you're negotiating under a whole new set of circumstances. And you're still pulling in as much work as the ranch can handle. I could write one huge contract that would keep us busy for two years. Now you bid smaller, more complicated work, and have to come up with new ways to keep the Ponderosa competitive. The good old boys of Pa's era are moving out of the business and it's being taken over by young, smart guys like you. Pa knows that."
"Thanks." Joe joined his brother, planting himself on his father's desk.
"It's true. Hoss is doing a great job with the stock too. Pa says the herd has never been so good. I may have gotten things started around here, but you two are doing a great job of making it even better."
Joe smiled wryly as a deep blush enveloped his face. "There's something else, but you gotta promise you won't make fun of me." Adam nodded, and he continued, "I wasn't home when you left last time. I know you had to make connections and couldn't wait, and you did leave that really long letter for me… But when I got home there was nothing left of you. Sport's stall was empty; your room was stripped except for your old guitar and a few books."
"That's what usually happens when someone moves out," Adam chuckled as he tried to ease Joe into telling the significance of that incident.
"Maybe that's true, but it seemed more like you'd died. Pa and Hoss had already dealt with your leaving, but…" Joe paused, trying to find the right word. "Something about me was missing too and I couldn't talk to anyone about it. I think I wasn't so happy to see you because I don't want to go through that again."
The older man draped an arm around his kid brother. "I know how that feels, Joe. It isn't any easier in Boston."