Well, I finally have a good start on the next story! The first two chapters will probably be a little longer than the rest simply because there's not too much action in them. I did add a few things to my character Sierra from my last story, but I'll let you figure out what they are. I'd like to say a special thank you to everyone who reviewed my last story and to my awesome beta reader gaben! A few people have asked me about the age difference between Sierra and Little Joe so I figured I'd go ahead and say it at the beginning. Joe is 18 in this story and Sierra is 15.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bonanza or anything recognizable only Sierra and a few other characters to be introduced later on.
This chapter is dedicated to islaboe! I hope this story is everything that you've been looking forward to! ;-)
And now, on to the first chapter!
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A Winter Hunting Trip
Prologue
The freezing wind was blowing hard, whirling the blinding white snow around which when coupled with the fact that sun was rapidly setting, making it impossible for anyone to see more than a foot in front of them. Sierra Cartwright trudged slowly through the wall of white that surrounded her on every side, her leather boots sinking into the thick blanket that covered the frozen ground. Though the tracks she left were deep, the wind seemed determined to cover all traces of her pathway as it rapidly filled in the holes almost as soon as she had removed her boot. A coughing spell hit her, leaving her breathless once it had passed. She was exhausted. Her body was already worn out from trying to fight off the illness that currently plagued her; fighting against the wind and snow had quickly zapped the little bit of energy and strength she'd had left. It didn't help much that the wet snow had settled into the metal joint of Sierra's leg brace and had frozen, adding to the girl's difficulty in limping through the heavy snowstorm. Maybe it would have been better if she had fitted the brace on underneath the pants that she'd borrowed from her older brother Joe. At least then the cloth might have kept some of the wetness away from the metal and perhaps keeping it from freezing. Wearily, she tightened her grip on the halter of the gentle gelding beside her, as if it was the only thing that was keeping her on feet. The old gelding let out a soft whiny and gently nudged the girl's shoulder. Though he was gentle, had Sierra not had a good grip on the halter, she would have fallen over on her face in the snow.
By then Sierra realized how foolish she was to have taken off on her own, no matter what her reasons had been. Silently, she prayed that her brothers would soon discover her missing and come after her. Then another thought hit her. Even if they were already out searching for her, there was no telling how long it would be before they found her. Not even Hoss could track her in this weather; the blinding wall of snow was making sure of that. More than likely, it would be hours before she was found. She couldn't count on finding her own way either, as she had long ago realized she was lost.
Wiping the sweat from her feverish forehead with the sleeve of her coat, Sierra absently reached up to pat the gelding's nose. "It's… okay… boy," she managed to wheeze out breathlessly. More than anything, she longed to stop and allow her worn out body the rest it craved; but she knew that she would never be able to get herself going again if she stopped. And besides, she knew she would run a greater risk of freezing to death sitting still than she did moving. Fighting to draw enough air to fill her lungs, Sierra continued her slow trek through the blizzard.
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"Come on, Pa, why can't I go?" the dark haired girl pleaded, her voice turning to a whine. It was suppertime at the Ponderosa, and the entire Cartwright family had gathered around the dinner table for their evening meal. Usually, the meal was punctuated by their laughter and cheerful chattering, however, tonight the conversation was anything but cheerful.
Adam, Hoss, and Joe had spent the day gathering the necessary supplies they needed for the hunting trip that would take them from the ranch the next day. The conversation had started as the boys discussed the arrangements they had made with their father. Their little sister, Sierra, had then boldly announced that she would be joining her brothers on the trip this year, to which both Adam and Ben had both sternly protested.
However, true to her stubborn Cartwright nature, Sierra was not going to take a simple 'no' for an answer. "I'm not a baby anymore; I can look after myself, why, I can even shoot a gun almost as good as you can," Sierra pointed out, desperately trying to convince them that she should be allowed to go. She had aimed her arguments at her father, knowing that he would be the hardest to convince. Not surprisingly, Hoss and Joe had not offered a comment since she had made her announcement; instead, they sat quietly, enjoying their meal as best they could. Sierra had a sneaking suspicion though that the two of them had secretly bet on whether, she, or Adam and their father would win this discussion.
"Sierra, the boys aren't going to have fun," her father informed her, lifting a forkful of food to his mouth. "They're going to hunt game for the winter."
"I know that, but I still want to go!" Sierra Cartwright raised her voice ever so slightly as she continued to insist. "You've let me go on camping trips with them before, why won't you let me go this time?"
"Those trips were only for a couple of days and they were pretty close to home," Ben patiently reminded his stubborn daughter. Ever since her three older brothers had began making preparations for their annual hunting trip, the fifteen year old girl had determined that she was going too this year. "The boys will be gone for at least two weeks, if not longer," he continued.
"I know," Sierra replied.
"It's a long ride up to the hunting shack and most of it is over rough terrain. We'll be camping on the ground for several nights till we get there." Adam added as if he thought that difficulty of the trip would dissuade his sister from wanting to go. He failed to notice the looks exchanged by his younger brothers at his last statement; both Joe and Hoss knew that if anything, stating the difficulty of the trip would likely as not make her more determined than ever to go, no matter how much of a strain on her it would be.
"Pa, I know that!" By now, Sierra felt her temper rising. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to gain control of her anger. She knew she would never be allowed to go if she allowed her temper to get the best of her. She knew the reason for their concern though. Ever since the accident two years ago that had left her with a weak leg, Sierra had been forced to wear a brace on that leg for support. Though it had taken some time, she had finally been able to regain almost full use of the leg, but it still tired easily and often caused her great pain when overworked. Independent natured as she was, Sierra hated the fact that she often had to rely on her family for help with tasks that would have been fairly simple for her to accomplish prior to her accident, often allowing her explosive temper to get the best of her.
Once Sierra felt that she had regained a sufficient handle on her temper, she continued her pleading. "I can handle it, Pa. I want to help out. I can be a big help, I know I can."
"What about school?" Ben asked her.
"I've been working ahead, so I've already done all my work for the next several weeks," Sierra informed her father. She had known that he would try and use school as an excuse for her not being able to go and she was proud that she had thought ahead. Ben looked slightly surprised and turned to exchange glances with Adam.
"The last thing we need on a hunting trip is a squeamish female," Adam remarked.
"I am not 'a squeamish female'," Sierra protested, shooting her oldest brother the darkest look she could muster. To her frustration, he didn't seem to notice.
"You're a girl," Adam stated the obvious, as if he thought that she had somehow forgotten. Unnoticed by their family, Joe and Hoss exchanged glances at their oldest brother's choice of words. It was common knowledge that Sierra Cartwright resented the fact that most people believed girls to be less capable of performing certain tasks that were considered to be boy's work. Any such accusation only resulted in making her more determined to do whatever task it was. If Adam had somehow forgotten that fact, his sister's next words reminded him.
"So what? That fact hasn't kept me from doing anything else here on the ranch," his sister retorted. "I can ride just about any horse on this ranch. I can mend fences and chase down strays just as good as you can, maybe even better." The last statement had been issued as a challenge, but Adam pretended not hear the dangerous edge in his little sister's angry tone. Nor did he point out the fact that her injured limb had impaired her ability to complete those tasks without assistance.
When he refused to respond to her challenge, Sierra continued her tirade. "I've ridden in almost every cattle drive we've ever had. I've helped with the branding just about every year, and I don't suppose you've forgotten about that puma that I shot last month?"
"I haven't forgotten, but it seems that you've forgotten the fact that Pa and I had specifically told you to stay near the house," Adam reminded her in his superior big brother tone. So far, he had been able remain calm and cool in his demeanor, but Sierra could hear the warning in his voice that matched the sternness in his dark eyes. Out of all of them, Adam was the one who had the least amount of patience, especially when it came to dealing with his youngest brother and sister's wild shenanigans. It was becoming clear to all that his patience had almost reached its limit.
"See what I mean? You always treat me like a baby!" Sierra exclaimed. "It's always, 'stay near the house so you don't get hurt.'"
"Sierra, we're not trying to treat you like a baby," her father spoke up. "We're only trying to protect you."
"But Pa, I'll be with the boys the entire time," Sierra pointed out. "And you know that they're not going to let anything happen to me."
"But what about your leg?" Ben questioned. "The boys will be in the saddle for the better part of each day and you know how that affects your leg." Sierra considered her father's words. He was right. Even riding side saddle, her leg normally gave her great pain after riding for extended periods of time. Rubbing it with liniment usually offered some relief, but many times the pain resulted in sleepless nights. Was the thrill of accompanying her older brothers worth dealing with the pain that was sure to plague her? Within seconds, Sierra had made up her mind.
"I can handle it, Pa," she said firmly, squaring her shoulders in determination. "I still want to go."
Ben was silent as he studied his daughter's stubborn face. The image of her mother, Marie, came back to him and for a moment, and Ben was reminded of how much the girl reflected her. Though the dark brown color of Sierra's hair had obviously been inherited from her father, the brilliant green eyes that she shared with her brother Joe had come from no one but her mother, however the color of the girl's eyes was a much lighter and brighter shade of green than the boy's. Her hair wasn't quite as curly as her older brother's or her mother's for that matter, but there were plenty of waves present. Despite the minor differences in appearance, there was still no denying that the stubborn, fiery tempered fifteen year old girl was Marie's daughter.
Ben sighed softly; he had made a promise to himself and to Marie when she died that he would protect Sierra, but she was growing up. When she was younger, he could tell her a simple 'no' about something and for the most part, she would obey without too much argument. But the girl sitting in front of him was no longer the baby that he wished she was. She was fifteen years old and demanding to be treated as such. Ben knew that he and the boys had taught her well how to defend herself, but he couldn't quiet quell the feeling of the need to protect her. It had seemed to grow stronger ever since the girl's accident two years ago. The thought of the pain that she would be in and his inability to soothe it almost made him refuse to allow her to go.
'You ought to let her go,' a voice whispered softly in Ben's head, a voice that sounded very much like Marie's. 'She will be all right. The boys will be with her.' 'But what about her leg? She's going to be in so much pain if I let her go,' Ben silently argued with the voice. 'If she were to stay home, she'd still be in pain. The only difference is that you'd be here to watch her deal with it; there'd be nothing you could do to ease it for her. Let her go with them. You know how the boys dote on her and they will look after her just fine,' the voice argued back. 'She's not an invalid, Ben. Let the girl have some fun.'
Ben sighed. "All right, you can go," he told Sierra and watched her face light up with delight mixed with surprise. "On one condition…" her father held his hand up as he continued. "Your brothers must agree to take full responsibility of looking out for you." Sierra turned her face towards her brothers, expectantly.
"Count me in," Joe agreed returning his sister's smile.
Hoss too nodded his agreement. "Sure, why not?"
Sierra then turned her gaze to meet that of her oldest brother's. She had known that Joe and Hoss would agree immediately, but Adam, on the other hand, was a different story. The look on his face confirmed her suspicions.
"Adam?" Sierra prodded quietly.
"You heard what I had to say," was her oldest brother's reply.
"But Adam, I promise to be good and listen to what you say," Sierra told him.
"Look at it this way, Adam. If ya let her come 'long, we won't be stuck eatin' Lil' Joe here's cookin'," Hoss pointed out as he jerked his thumb in the direction of his youngest brother. None of the brothers' cooking skills were anything to boast about, but Joe's were by far the worst of all.
"Hey, my cooking's not that ba…" Joe started then broke off as he realized Hoss' intentions. "Uh, yeah Adam, it'd be like having Hop Sing out there with us."
Adam regarded his brothers coolly. He knew what they were trying to do. Frankly, he wasn't sure why he was so against Sierra going with them. After all, she had just promised to be good and listen to him, though he wasn't quite convinced that she'd be able to remember her promise for the entire trip. Turning his dark eyes back to meet his sister's bright green ones, he studied her carefully. It was evident how much she wanted to go. He had seen her entire face light up with excitement when Ben had given his permission.
"You promise to listen to what I tell you, with no arguments?" Adam clarified.
Sierra nodded enthusiastically."I promise, cross my heart and hope to die," she told him tracing a cross over her heart.
Adam sighed. "All right, but I expect you to remember your promise," he said as he gave in.
With a smile, Sierra jumped up from her chair, causing it to fall backwards and would have hit the floor, had Hoss not caught it as she rushed around the table as quickly as she could with her pronounced limp to throw her arms around her oldest brother. "Oh, thank you, Adam!" she exclaimed.
"If you don't go finish your dinner and quit trying to suffocate me, I just might end up changing my mind," Adam replied trying to sound gruff. But Sierra wasn't fooled. Giggling, she released her brother and returned to her spot at the table.
The rest of the meal was much more enjoyable. Adam and Ben discussed the best places for them to hunt; Joe and Hoss added their opinions a couple of times, but Sierra was too excited to pay much attention to what they were saying.
She was really going! Sierra almost couldn't believe that she been given permission to go on the trip with her brothers. Every year as far back as she could remember, Sierra had asked begged to be allowed to go, but every year the answer had been the same, 'no' and she'd had to remain home with her father and Hop Sing. The last two years, she had been recovering from her surgeries so going anywhere on horseback had been out of the question.
"Hey Pa, you know we'll be pretty close to the Paiute village," Joe pointed out, catching Sierra's attention. "I was thinking, what if we stopped by and took a look at their horses? We could take some extra supplies to trade with chief Winnemucca. They could probably use the extra supplies during the upcoming winter."
"Yeah, they've got some of the purttiest horses I've ever seen up there in their herd," Hoss agreed. "You 'member that speckled stallion we saw a few years ago?"
"He belonged to Winnemucca's daughter, didn't he? I can't think of her name," Adam said thoughtfully.
"Little Fawn," Sierra told him.
"That's it," Joe agreed snapping his fingers. "That was one amazing horse. I've never seen coloring like that one before. And he was very gentle for a stallion."
"Yeah, he was. Little Fawn let me ride him a couple of times. He was really fast too," Sierra added. "Do you think I'll be able to see Little Fawn while we're up there?"
"We'll have to see," Adam said. "It depends on whether Pa wants to us to trade for a couple of horses or not." He glanced at Ben waiting for his answer.
"I suppose that'll be fine," his father agreed. "It couldn't hurt to have a couple more good horses on hand. Besides, I think it's time Sierra had a good horse of her own to ride."
"You mean it, Pa?" Sierra asked her eyes wide, as her excitement doubled.
Ben nodded. "I've been meaning to get you a horse since you've outgrown Paint," he told her. Paint was the little pony that Sierra had ridden for as long as could remember. She had outgrown him just before her accident and had been riding one of the extra saddle horses since her recovery.
"I get to pick it out?" Sierra asked.
"As long as Adam approves of it," Ben told her turning to face his oldest son. "I'm going to trust you to help pick out a dependable mount for your sister." Adam nodded.
"Oh boy! I can't wait until tomorrow!" Sierra exclaimed, almost bouncing in her chair from excitement.
"We've got an early day tomorrow, so I'd head for bed if I were you," Adam said as he swallowed the last of his supper.
"Good idea; the sooner I go to bed, the sooner tomorrow will come," Sierra pointed out as she jumped from her chair and hurriedly limped towards the stairs, pausing only long enough to hug her father and brothers good night.
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"Good luck! Have a safe trip!"
"Don't worry, Pa, we will!"
It was just barely light outside when the four Cartwright children rode away from the ranch house the next morning. Sierra had wanted to race away as fast their horses could go, but Adam had told her that they had a long hard day's ride ahead of them meaning that they needed to pace the horses. So, instead they ended up in a line. Adam was in front on Sport, his chestnut colored gelding. Directly behind him was Joe on his pinto, Cochise. Sierra rode behind them on Phantom, an old gray gelding that was as gentle as a lamb. Hoss and his black horse, Chubb, brought up the rear. Two other horses had also been brought along to carry the needed supplies; one of which was being led by Joe and the other by Hoss.
Since it was the middle of October, the sun wasn't as hot as it had been a few weeks ago and for that, Sierra was glad. She had brought along both her thick winter coat and her light jacket, which she was currently wearing. The wind was blowing and there was just enough chill in it to make a person shiver. As Sierra tucked the edges of her split skirt tightly around her legs, she found herself wishing that her father would've let her borrow a pair of her brother Joe's pants. The metal of her brace was now ice cold, making it even harder to keep warm.
Despite the chilly temperatures, Sierra found herself enjoying the ride. She had always loved riding horses for as far back as she could remember. Since her recovery from her accident, Sierra found that she loved riding even more. Being left with a weak leg meant that she was unable to do anything by herself without the aid of either her brace or her crutches and sometimes even both were needed. The surgeons had done a remarkable job of setting the badly broken bones in her knee joint; many times the Cartwrights had been told that it was hopeless for Sierra to ever be able to walk again. Thanks to the miraculous job done by the doctors and the famous Cartwright stubbornness, Sierra had proved everyone wrong and had been walking again a year later. She had however been left with a very noticeable limp which greatly hampered her abilities to do many tasks that before would have been considered 'easy' jobs. She couldn't run; she couldn't jump; climbing stairs even proved difficult at times. But, mounted on a horse, even in a sidesaddle, she was able to forget about her injury for a little while. It didn't matter what she couldn't do; the horse hid those facts.
By the time they stopped for camp that night, the sun was already setting. Camp was set up quickly as the four Cartwright's scattered to tend to the necessary tasks of gathering firewood, fetching water from the creek, tending the horses, and starting the fire. Hop Sing had sent along enough stew to hold them over until they reached the shack, so Sierra merely heated it up.
"Something sure smells good!" Adam stated when he returned from tending the horses.
"Sure does!" Hoss agreed as he and Joe joined them by the campfire. "Boy, I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"
"Well, I'm afraid that's not on the menu for tonight, big brother," Sierra said as she spooned out the stew onto her brothers' waiting plates.
"Mm-mm! Boy oh boy, you shore do make a mean stew, Shortcakes," Hoss praised as he began to plow his way through the pile of stew on his plate. "You know, this almost tastes as good as Hop Sing's."
"That might be because it is Hop Sing's stew," Sierra informed him with a smile.
"That makes sense," Hoss said as Adam and Joe chuckled.
"How long will be before we get to the shack?" Sierra asked.
"Oh, I'd say at the rate we're goin' that we'll get there the day after tomorrow," Joe told her. "Wouldn't you say so, Adam?"
Adam nodded. "Yeah, let's just hope this storm holds off until then," he said.
"What storm? There hasn't been a cloud in the sky," Hoss replied.
"There's a storm coming; a bad one," Adam told him. "I can feel it in my bones." Adam always knew when a storm was coming. Years of riding half-wild horses had left the oldest Cartwright boy with a bad back.
Supper was soon finished and the dishes were washed and put away. The slight daytime chill had dropped to almost freezing, forcing the four siblings to spread out their bedrolls as close to the fire as possible. Hoss had found a good sized log that would keep the fire burning all night. Still, the boys decided to take turns sitting up to make sure that it didn't die. Adam had first watch.
"You warm enough, Littlin'?" he asked Sierra as he tucked the covers up around her.
"Yeah," she answered.
"How's the leg?" he asked her.
"It's fine," was Sierra's response. Adam gave her a warning glare. He knew she was in pain and he didn't believe her lie for a moment.
"Sierra," he said, his voice warning her to tell him the truth. She sighed.
"All right, it hurts some, but it's not bad," she told him. "Really, Adam, I'm fine." Her tired green eyes met his dark ones and Adam saw the pain that was written in them. Knowing that there was nothing he could do, Adam merely nodded, tucking the covers even more tightly around her small figure. Like all of them, he hated to see his little sister in so much pain especially since there was nothing he could do about it.
"Sure you are," Adam smiled and gently planted a kiss on her forehead. "Good night, Littlin'," he said. "Sleep well."
"Good night, Adam," Sierra replied with a smile which he returned before crawling back into his own bedroll. "Night, Hoss. Night, Joe."
"G'night," they called back from their places across the fire.
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When the four Cartwrights finally reached the hunting shack a few days later, the weather was still cold. Although it wasn't freezing during the daytime, at night the temperature dropped to almost below freezing and they were grateful for the warmth the small building would provide them.
Besides the fact that it was comparatively sturdy, the shack was just that, a shack. It wasn't hard to see that it had been built in a hurry, using odds and ends of leftover lumber. The tiny barn and the corral around it weren't in much better condition, but at least both would shelter the horses and their masters from the dangerous mountain winds.
"Take whatever of the supplies you can carry and go inside," Adam told Sierra as he dismounted before helping her down from the saddle. "We'll take care of the horses."
"I can do it," Sierra protested jerking Phantom's reins away from her oldest brother's outstretched hand. Adam had been babying her for the entire trip and while she hadn't minded too much at first, it was starting to get on her nerves. She knew he was only trying to ease what he could of the pain from her leg, but Sierra also knew that if she didn't do something quickly, Adam would have her confined in bed inside the shack for the entire duration of their stay. As she turned to lead the gray gelding toward the barn, she found that the gentle horse didn't follow. Turning, she saw why. Hoss was standing by Phantom's head, his large hand wrapped firmly around the bridle's cheek strap. "Not you too, Hoss!" Sierra complained.
Hoss stepped towards her, leading the horse beside him. When he was within reach, he gently pried the leather reins from her gloved hands. "I know you can do it, but the way I'm thinking, if you let us tend to 'im, you can go inside and have supper fixed by the time we're done." He grinned slyly down at his little sister, his blue eyes twinkling. "With older brother over there pushin' us the way he did today, I'm 'bout to die of starvation if'n I don't get some good food in me soon."
"You poor thing, I guess it would be a shame to let that happen, wouldn't it Joe?"Sierra asked as she desperately tried to keep a straight face.
"It sure would, Sis," Joe agreed, shaking his head and clucking his tongue in false pity. "Just look at 'iIm, wasting away to nothing. Why, at the rate he's going, he'll be gone before nightfall. Shame on you Adam, for working him so hard." By this time, Sierra was having a hard time suppressing her laughter. The mischievous twinkle in Joe's hazel eyes and his look of false pity, combined with Hoss' mournful face, was almost more than she could handle. Being used to his younger brothers' antics, Adam merely rolled his eyes at them.
"I don't think Hoss is in any more danger of starving than an elephant is," he remarked with a straight face. Joe and Sierra erupted in a fury of laughter while Hoss pretended to be hurt by his solemn older brother's playful jab. But the twinkle in his eyes told them that he himself was having a hard time hiding his merriment. "But the rest of us might starve if we don't get these horses taken care of," he remarked as he passed them on his way to the barn.
Still laughing, Sierra gathered up as much of the supplies as she could and headed into the shack. The inside of the shack was pretty similar to its outside, plain and simple. Two double bunks sat in one corner and a small cot sat in the corner opposite with the fireplace in between them. A small table and four rickety-looking wooden stools stood in the center of the room. Next to the door was a small cupboard beside the tiny open window. Other than that, the room was void of any other furnishings.
Grateful that whoever had last stayed there had filled the wood box before they had left, she immediately set about to start a fire in the fireplace and despite the chill from the open window, the shack was beginning to warm up. After finding an extra deerskin hide that had been left in the shack before, Sierra quickly nailed it in place over the window's opening then stood back to survey her work. It wasn't the work of a professional, she knew, but at least it would keep the majority of the wind out of the shack.
Having eaten the last of Hop Sing's stew the night before, Sierra sorted through the supplies as she debated on what to cook for her brothers, one which was supposedly 'starving.' By the time she heard the stopping of boots on the wooden step outside, a delicious aroma had filled the shack.
"Boy, am I starving!" Hoss exclaimed as he threw his ten-gallon hat on top of the table. "Is it ready?" he asked as Sierra set a metal plate of food at each place. Hungrily, Hoss plopped himself down in front of one of them and lifted his utensils, ready to begin his meal.
"It is, but I don't know how you expect there to be enough room for the four of us and your monstrous hat at this tiny table," his sister told him as she snatched the plate out from in front of him and stared pointedly at the hat that was taking up a good portion of the table.
"Aw, come on, Shortcakes, I'm hungry! There's plenty of room," the large boy protested, a hint of a whine in his voice. "And my hat's not that big."
"Either you move your hat off the table or you can say goodbye to your supper," Sierra told him as she stubbornly crossed her arms.
"But, that's not fair!" Hoss whined, giving her his pitiful face.
"You heard what I had to say," Sierra replied, not at all fazed by his begging. Hoss turned to his brothers for help.
"I think you'd better listen to her, Hoss," Adam suggested as he glanced at their little sister's stubborn face while sitting down on the stool beside his large brother.
"Yeah, big brother, you know when she gets that look on her face, there's no changing her mind," Joe agreed as he slipped into the seat opposite from Hoss.
With an over-exaggerated sigh, Hoss removed his large hat from the table and Sierra returned his plate.
"Thank you," Sierra told him politely, but she couldn't hide the triumphant smile on her face as she slid into the vacant seat next to Joe.
"So what's the plan for tomorrow, Adam?" Joe wondered.
"Well, I was thinking that we ought to do some scouting that way we can locate the best spots for when we're ready to hunt," Adam replied.
"Sounds good to me," Joe agreed.
"When are we going to see the horses?" Sierra asked.
"A little impatient, aren't we, Shortcakes?" Hoss teased.
"Yes, do you blame me?" Sierra replied. Hoss chuckled and shook his head.
"Probably the day after tomorrow," Adam told his sister.
On that note, supper was soon finished and the dishes done. Adam pulled out his guitar and began to gently strum the strings. Hoss, Joe, and Sierra made themselves comfortable at the table or the bunks.
"Play something lively, Adam," Hoss requested after listening to his older brother strum his usual warm up notes.
Adam nodded. "Anything specific?" he asked.
Hoss shrugged and shook head. "You pick," was his reply.
Adam smiled and nodded again as he immediately launched into the first verses of 'Sourwood Mountain."
"Chickens crowin' on Sourwood Mountain,
Hey, ho, diddle-um day.
So many pretty girls I can't count 'em,
Hey ho, diddle-um day.
My true love's a blue-eyed dandy,
Hey, ho, diddle-um day.
She's as sweet as sugar candy,
Hey, ho, diddle-um day."
By the time Adam had reached the chorus, all three of his siblings were clapping and singing along with him. Adam winked at Sierra as he noticed her unable to keep her tapping toes still. Even though she was a tomboy, he knew how much his baby sister loved to dance, which was probably why she never seemed to lack for a partner whenever they had parties at the Ponderosa. Her accident had hindered her speed while dancing, but anyone could see how much she still loved it. Adam wondered how long it would be before she would manage to drag Little Joe off the bunk to dance with her.
As it turned out, he didn't have to wait long before Sierra jumped from up from her spot at the table and grabbed Joe's hand, pulling him off of the bottom bunk where he had been sitting. While they watched their younger brother carefully swing her around the small room, Adam and Hoss continued the song.
"My true love lives over the river,
Hey, ho, diddle-um day.
A few more jumps and I'll be with her.
Hey, ho, diddle-um day.
My true love lives over the ocean,
Hey, ho, diddle-um day.
I go see her if I take a notion,
Hey, ho, diddle-um day.
Ducks in the pond, geese in the ocean,
Hey, ho, diddle-um day.
Devil's in the women if they take a notion,
Hey, ho, diddle-um day.
Big dogs bark and the little ones bite you,
Hey, ho, diddle-um day.
The big girls court and the little ones spite you,
Hey, ho, diddle-um day."
When the song ended, Adam quickly switched to another song and brother and sister changed their dance to match. By the time he had played several songs, Sierra had even managed to drag Hoss onto the floor to dance the last song with her. When it ended, both she and Hoss collapsed onto the closest bunk in a fit of breathless giggles.
"Oh… oh… Shortcakes,… I'm plumb worn out now," Hoss panted.
Sierra giggled."That's only 'cause you're outta shape, big brother," she teased as she poked his largely rounded middle.
"I ain't outta shape!" Hoss protested pushing his sister's finger away. "Ain't nobody ever told you that round is a shape?" He patted his middle proudly, sending his siblings into a fit of laughter.
"Play somethin' else, Adam," Sierra begged when the laughter had died down.
"Why don't you play something?" Adam suggested holding his guitar out to her. During the time she had been laid up in bed recovering, Adam had taught Sierra how to play the guitar and though she didn't often like to play for anyone besides herself and sometimes the ranch animals, she was very good at it. He even said once that she probably had more musical talent then he did.
"Yeah, Sis, we haven't heard you play in a while. You play us somethin'," Joe agreed, folding his hands behind his head as he lay back on the opposite bunk.
"But I don't know what to play," Sierra protested.
"Do the one you played last week," Adam told her. At her puzzled look, he clarified, "when you were down by the lake."
"You heard that?" Sierra asked sounding surprised. "I didn't think anyone was down there." Adam smiled.
"I was coming back from checking the fences when I heard you singing, so I stopped to listen," he said. "I liked the song a lot."
"Me too," Sierra replied softly.
"Well then play it for us," Hoss told her.
With nervous hands, Sierra took the outstretched guitar from her oldest brother, who gave her an encouraging smile and a wink. Gently she stroked the strings, listening as the beginning notes of the song filled the small room. Then with a slight tremble, her sweet soprano voice began to sing the words:
"BACKWARD, turn backward, O Time, in your flight, Backward, flow backward, O tide of the years! Tired of the hollow, the base, the untrue, Over my heart, in the days that are flown, Come, let your brown hair, just lighted with gold,
Make me a child again just for to-night!
Mother, come back from the echoless shore,
Take me again to your heart as of yore;
Kiss from my forehead the furrows of care,
Smooth the few silver threads out of my hair;
Over my slumbers your loving watch keep;—
Rock me to sleep, mother,—rock me to sleep!
I am so weary of toil and of tears,—
Toil without recompense, tears all in vain,—
Take them, and give me my childhood again!
I have grown weary of dust and decay,—
Weary of flinging my soul-wealth away;
Weary of sowing for others to reap;—
Rock me to sleep, mother,—rock me to sleep!
Mother, O mother, my heart calls for you!
Many a summer the grass has grown green,
Blossomed and faded, our faces between:
Yet, with strong yearning and passionate pain,
Long I to-night for your presence again.
Come from the silence so long and so deep;—
Rock me to sleep, mother,—rock me to sleep!
No love like mother-love ever has shone;
No other worship abides and endures,—
Faithful, unselfish, and patient like yours:
None like a mother can charm away pain
From the sick soul and the world-weary brain.
Slumber's soft calms o'er my heavy lids creep;—
Rock me to sleep, mother,—rock me to sleep!
Fall on your shoulders again as of old;
Let it drop over my forehead to-night,
Shading my faint eyes away from the light;
For with its sunny-edged shadows once more
Haply will throng the sweet visions of yore;
Lovingly, softly, its bright billows sweep;—
Rock me to sleep, mother,—rock me to sleep!"
As the last gentle notes of the music died away, silence filled the warm shack, each of the Cartwright's lost in their own memories which had been brought back by the song.
"I 'member that song," Hoss said quietly.
"Yeah, Mama used to sing it to us at bedtime," Joe remembered. His glistening emerald eyes met his sister's brighter green ones in a sad smile. It had been years since he'd heard that song; since their mother's death, he realized. Sierra had been only a little over year old when she'd died so it would be unlikely that she remembered. "We used to call it; 'Mama's Song'," he told her.
"Maybe that's why I like it so much," Sierra said, brushing away the tears that had come to her eyes during the song.
"You sound just like her when you sing it," Adam told her. Sierra blushed lightly under her oldest brother's compliment. Though she remembered very little about her mother, she had been told that Marie had had a voice like an angel. She had seen pictures of her mother many times and it often gave her comfort to think that she was so much like her. Often she wondered what her mother would have said if she could see how she had turned out.
Hoss cleared his throat suddenly, breaking quiet stillness that had fallen like a blanket over the warm shack. "If we're gonna do some scoutin' tomorrow, we'd better get to bed," he said. The others agreed and each of them went to sleep that night remembering quiet memories of their mothers.
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Well, there's the first chapter; what do you think? If you want to listen to the songs that I mentioned, you can find them on YouTube; just search for 'song sourwood mountain' or 'song rock me to sleep mother'.
Don't forget to leave your thoughts in the review section and answer this question: Which Bonanza character is your favorite and why?