All Gods Children - chapter 1.

"Adam I want you back in plenty of time tonight. Peter and his wife are coming at seven and I want you here," Sam reminded him as she loaded his plate with bacon.

Adam nodded, not fully awake yet.

"Do you hear me, and don't go off talking in the yard with Peter either, Sissy talks my ear off. I'm not listening to her all night Adam."

"Ok Sam," Adam told her, slightly irritated.

"You don't know what it's like though. I can't even go to the kitchen to serve up the food because she won't stop talking long enough."

"I know, Sam, I know, but I need to talk to Pete about the mine we've just purchased. He's going to inspect it for me. Can you just suck it up for tonight please," he asked rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

Sam gave an exasperated sigh and nodded her head.

"What will you do for me in return?" She asked, looking at him in mock seriousness.

Adam gave her a dimpled smile.

"What do you want me to do for you," he asked.

"I was thinking more you could get the chicken wire you promised and fix my goat pen, Daisy has had two of my petticoats already."

Adam sighed "there was a time when you just wanted my body," he said wistfully.

"There was a time when I didn't have to worry about goats eating my underclothes, and Mr Cartwright, I still want your body," she leaned over and kissed him, her warm lips caressing his mouth tenderly.

After a moment she pulled back,

"Now finish that and get off to work, I've to pick Annie up at ten and bring her over to Dr Martins office. He wants to see her before her delivery date."

"Yes Ma'am." Adam said draining the last of his coffee.

~o~

Adam spent the morning checking the fences. A series of storms were raging every couple of days and checking fences and cattle had become a daily chore. Adam didn't mind much, he'd do it anyway being a little obsessive like that. He stopped in his tracks and glared at the scene up ahead as a new ranch hand had overloaded a wagon with logs and was thrashing the horse with a stick trying to make it pull the load up a steep hill. The poor animal was just becoming more distressed and kicked furiously to escape it's tormentor. The ranch hand, a scruffy stocky bearded man in a filthy check shirt tried to greet Adam as he dismounted, knowing he'd been caught. Adam tore the stick from his hand and broke it in two.

"What the hell are you doing, this is an expensive animal," Adam yelled. Not willing to show his soft side for animals to this brute.

"He wouldn't move, stubborn bastard. I had to whip him,"

"You've overloaded the wagon, do two trips. You easily have two loads on there" Adam pointed.

The ranch hand came up beside Adam, he had half a bottle of whisky inside him and he wasn't thinking straight.

"Right, whatever ye say," In anger he quickly snapped the ropes holding the logs in place. He stumbled backwards as they rolled off the wagon in a thundering mass but they caught Adam full on sending him flying backwards and burying him underneath.

Desmond Nash got back up and wiped a hand through his grimy beard as he looked down at Adams unconscious form buried under the logs.

"Damn it," he muttered. How was he going to cover this up.

That night another storm raged outside. Barn shutters snapped and creaked violently and wild dogs howled in the raging wind. Sam looked out once again to see it there was any sign of him. She fought down rising panic at the thoughts of him fallen from his horse somewhere out in that wild night.

"He's probably in town gambling," Sissy put in, her mouth full of cake.

"If she said that one more time Sam was going to clock her one."

"Adam isn't really one for cards," Annie smiled.

Annie did come when she heard Sam's predicament and Sam was so grateful to have her as she was serving the guests and keeping Sissy in conversation. A feat Sam could not manage just now. At first Sam was angry at Adam, so angry. But as the night wore on anger gave way to unease and then to dread. He would never be gone this long and not tell her where he was.

"He's probably in town in the saloon and forgot the time. Peter go and look for him. Go on Peter, Peter why aren't you looking for him?"

They told Sissy three times already that it wasn't a good idea to ride out in the dark as you would not find anyone especially on a night like this but still she persisted.

"Annie is there any sponge cake left?, Sam I do love your sponge cake. What is the secret ingredient, there is one, I know there is. I'll whittle it out of you eventually, see if I don't" Sissy went on

"Cinnamon," Sam snapped.

Peter got up then.

"We should go, it's gettin late," he smiled.

Sam went to him, grateful for his consideration.

"I'm sorry about this, I don't know what's delayed Adam," she said.

He took her hands and smiled gently.

"Don't worry ma'am, he'll turn up hungrier than a bear before the night is out."

"You're probably right," Sam nodded as she took down his hat from the stand by the door and gave it to him.

"Peter, why are we leaving. It's early yet. I haven't played my piano forte,"

Sam waved them off, relieved to have them gone so she could worry in peace.

As the door slammed too forcefully in the wind Annie gave out a big sigh of relief.

"You didn't exaggerate, boy she can talk," she shook her head.

Sam put her hand to her face and tears began to flow.

"Now stop that," Annie told her, producing a handkerchief from her skirt.

"He's probably stopped off somewhere to wait out this storm. After all, it wouldn't be wise to ride back in this weather. I hope Sissy and Peter will be alright getting home," Annie said looking at the closed front door.

"Yes, I was a bitch to them tonight wasn't I Annie?" Sam said, hugging the hanky to her face as tears fell.

"No, you were worried about Adam," Annie rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "Besides, they won't think anything strange in your behaviour tonight. You're always a bitch,"

Annie's voice was so soothing Sam nearly didn't pick up the end bit and when she did she swatted her friend for her sass.

Annie laughed. "Come on, you need hot chocolate and to plot what you're going to do to punish that man of yours,"

"I'm going to hide all his black stuff and make him wear that shirt his aunt sent. The salmon coloured one with the frills down the front." Sam told her as they headed into the kitchen.