Laura Dayton Cartwright sat on her horse, Tinkerbell, and watched while Adam and Hoss Cartwright examined the dead cow. She could hear them speaking in low murmurs, but she could see the torn carcass for herself and dozens of paw prints surrounding the dead animal. It was a wolf pack. Tears rose in her eyes as she wondered how she would cope with a pack of wolves on her ranch. Why did everything have to happen to her, she wondered - not for the first time.
Ben Cartwright sensed her distress, and resisting the temptation to roll his eyes, moved closer to her on Buck. "Don't worry, Laura," he said. "You know we'll do whatever it takes to help you and Peggy."
"Thank you, Mr. Cartwright - Ben, but I'm sure Will..." she broke off as she remembered that Will had disappeared a few months before. They'd had some savings, but Laura had invested them in a bogus gold mine and lost them. She hadn't told anyone about the dire circumstances she and Peggy were in now, but once again, she wished she'd married Adam instead of Will. No matter how sick he became of her whining, she knew Adam would have stuck by her and been a good husband and stepfather.
Ben pretended not to have heard her last words. He knew that Will's marriage to Laura had been unfortunate, and, while he was sorry that Adam had been hurt by Laura's behavior, he'd been relieved that they had not married. Laura wasn't the right woman for his oldest son.
He'd never told Laura that Will had come by the house the day before he left. The marriage wasn't working out, Will had told Ben. He'd tried to put up with Laura's constant demands and whining for Peggy's sake, but he couldn't take it anymore. Ben had reminded him of his marriage vows, of his duty to Laura and Peggy, but in the end it hadn't mattered. Will had left the next day. Laura had ridden over that night with Peggy to see if they knew where he might have gone. Adam, Hoss, and Joe hadn't known anything, and had been sympathetic. Ben, while he was sorry for the young woman, listened to her caterwauling for a few minutes, and escaped to the kitchen where he found Hop Sing and asked him to give Laura a cup of tea.
Peggy had followed him into the kitchen, and Hop Sing had seated her at the table and given her milk and cookies. While the child ate, she told Ben that she hadn't like having Will live at their house. He and mommy shouted at each other too much, and it made her stomach hurt. Ben had just nodded as he listened to her childish confidences, but he'd been appalled that neither Laura nor Will had given a thought to a frightened little girl.
"Pa?"
Ben was drawn back to the present. Adam and Hoss were mounted and looking at him. "I'm sorry, sons - what did you say?"
"We were thinking that we might go out hunting for the wolf pack tomorrow afternoon. The tracks look like they're heading for the Ponderosa."
"Yes, all right, whatever you think."
As they moved away from the grusome sight of the dead cow, Laura looked at Adam. "I baked a cake and cookies this morning - if anyone would care for some." Adam ignored her hint, but Hoss didn't.
"That sounds wonderful, Laura. I'll be glad to escort you home for a slice of that cake and a few of those cookies."
Laura looked disappointed as Adam rode up next to his father and ignored her. She gave in and smiled at Hoss. "That would be fine, Hoss," and the two rode off towards her ranch.
Ben watched them go, and looked at Adam. "Do you think she'll try to flirt with Hoss?"
Adam laughed. "She may try, but Hoss is too good to notice if she does. Besides, as far as he's concerned, she's a married woman, married to our cousin, Will, and my former fiancee. I'll bet he doesn't even stay for a snack - he's just too much of gentleman to let a lady ride off alone."
"I think he's still disgusted with her for hurting you," Ben said.
Adam sighed. "I hope not - she and Will did me a great favor. He told me once how much she whined, and I'm not sure I could have stood it." He turned Sport. "Let's get home, Pa. I'm having supper tonight with Jacqueline Kirby and her family."
"The librarian?"
Adam smiled. "Yes - she's intelligent, independent - and very pretty."
"That's wonderful, son." Ben and Adam headed for home.
A pair of brown eyes watched from a hidden cave as the two men rode away. Will Cartwright slunk back in the shadows. Ayla, his new mate, whimpered in her sleep, and Will turned to her. Feeling his absence from her side, she opened her eyes and saw him standing near the mouth of the cave. "Come back to me, my love," and Will joined her.
...
That evening Laura Dayton Cartwright dressed in a pair of old trousers that had belonged to her first husband, and tucking a pistol into her belt, rode out to her small herd to keep watch over them. She couldn't afford to lose even a single animal.
As she sat on Tinkerbell, she thought over the events of the day. Adam, Hoss, and Ben had ridden out to the site of the dead cow when she'd gone and asked for their help. She'd hoped Adam alone would come with her, but he'd ignored her hints and asked Hoss and Ben to join them. Then she'd hoped that he would offer to escort her home, but Hoss had jumped in and offered before Adam had had a chance. When they'd gotten to her house, though, Hoss had held Tinkerbell while she dismounted and then taken her to the barn where he'd removed her saddle and bridle and groomed her. By the time he finished, Laura had the cake sliced and a pot of coffee ready.
He hadn't come in, though - he'd just thanked her for the offer and left for the Ponderosa. She wondered if they still blamed her for hurting Adam, but it really wasn't her fault. You loved who you loved. Besides she had to think of Peggy.
At the thought of her child alone in their big house, Laura felt a brief - a very brief - pang of guilt. Peggy was only six, and still too little to be left alone for very long, but what choice did she have?
As she sat on her horse, she saw movements in the shadows and drew her pistol. She thought she saw a wolf moving closer, and she turned Tinkerbell in that direction. As she cocked the pistol and aimed it, Tinkerbell reared and screamed. Laura gave a blood-curdling scream herself and tumbled off the back of the horse. Tinkerbell turned and ran and Laura watched her go. She was terrified and turned around and around, certain that she was being surrounded by creatures in the dark. She never saw the large she-wolf that attacked and killed her in an instant.
...
The next morning Hop Sing woke to hear a steady knocking on the kitchen door. He slipped out of his bed, and, taking up his favorite boning knife, he opened it to find little Peggy Dayton standing outside barefoot and in her nightgown with her pony, Mr. Butler. The child was in tears. Hop Sing pulled her inside. "What is wrong, Peggy? Where is your mother?"
"I don't know," the child sobbed. "She put me to bed last night, and then she was gone this morning. Tinkerbell was in the yard when I got up, but she's too big for me to ride, so I saddled Mr. Butler and came here. Uncle Will told me once that if I was ever in trouble, and he and mommy weren't near, to come to the Ponderosa."
Hop Sing picked her up and carried her into his room. He sat her down on his bed, washed and dried her feet, and laid her down. After covering her with a quilt, he ran up the stairs and knocked on Ben's door. "Mr. Cartwright! Mr. Cartwright!" he called softly. He heard Ben moving around and then the door opened.
"What is it, Hop Sing?" Is one of the boys sick?"
"No, Peggy Dayton is here. She came alone. She says her mother is gone."
Ben raked his fingers through his hair. "I'll be right down." Hop Sing went back downstairs, and Ben closed his door and dressed. Before he went downstairs, he woke Adam, Hoss, and Joe.
Hop Sing had breakfast on the table by the time everyone was ready. Paggy had slept a little and was calmer when Hop Sing went to wake her. He carried her to the dining table and placed her between Ben and Adam with a cup of hot chocolate.
"Good morning, Peggy," Ben smiled. His voice was low and gentle. "It's good to have you visit us. Can you tell me where your mommy is?"
Peggy shook her head. "I don't know. She put me to bed last night, and when I got up this morning, she wasn't in the house. I looked everywhere for her, but she was gone. I saw Tinkerbell outside, and she was saddled and bridled, but mommy was nowhere around. I even looked for her in the barn. Uncle Will told me once that if I was ever in trouble and he and mommy weren't around, I was to come here. That was when they went to San Francisco." Peggy put the cup down and started to cry. Ben picked her up and held her in his lap.
"Now you mustn't cry, darling. You've been a very brave girl and a smart one, too, to ride over here on Mr. Butler. Now, you can stay here and help Hop Sing today, and we'll go out and see if we can find your mommy. How does that sound?" Ben petted her, and she curled up against his chest.
Adam, Hoss, and Joe finished eating and went out to saddle their horses. Ben joined them in a few minutes, and the four men rode over to the Dayton ranch. Laura's horse was still standing in the yard. They examined her carefully. "She's been running hard," said Hoss. Dried sweat lay along her sides around the saddle. He led her back to the barn, and quickly made her comfortable. He'd give her a better grooming later, but now they had to find Laura.
They rode out towards the small herd. Joe was the first to see something - it was small and white with a wedding band. He realized it was a woman's hand, and he leaned over Cochise's neck and vomited.
Adam, Hoss, and Ben dismounted, and drew their guns. Leaving their horses with Joe, they walked forward slowly and carefully towards a bloody mass. The herd of cattle had moved away but not too far and were still in sight. Laura had been torn apart. As they stood looking down at what remained, Hoss spoke what they were all thinking, "I hope she went fast."
Later that day Sheriff Coffee, Judge Miller, and the Cartwrights' attorney rode out to the Ponderosa. "Laura didn't make a will, but your nephew did. He asked that you, Adam, take custody of Peggy, and raise her as your daughter if anything happened to him or Laura."
Adam sighed. He loved the child - more than he'd loved her mother, truth be told, and he wanted a family of his own, but this wasn't the way he'd planned to start one. "Of course," he said. He, Ben, and Hop Sing took a wagon over to the Dayton ranch the next day to collect Paggy's clothes, doll, and books. Adam also took Laura's jewelry box and sewing kit from the room she'd shared with Will. He thought Peggy might like to have them someday.
As they rode away with Tinnkerbell tied to the back of the wagon, a large gray wolf watched them from the trees. A she-wolf joined him. "Come with me, my love, there's nothing here for you now." The wolf that once had been Will Cartwright turned and followed his mate deeper into the woods.