Here we are again! I hope you enjoy this story as much as you did the Hunt for Danny Miller!
The Polka-dotted Cowboys
By: Knowing Grace
Prologue
It was an ill-fated Spring from the beginning for ten-year-old Little Joe Cartwright. The past Winter had been a miserable affair, and for the most part, he and Hoss had been cooped up inside the ranch house for five months straight and everyone was sick of each others company. Finally, the bursts of snow had gradually grown further and further apart, until they stopped altogether. The long cold nights and slow days were over. The earth was ready to be renewed again in the endless pattern of life. The trees began to sprout their leaves, the fields became green once more; Spring had arrived at last! And with the Spring, Adam came home.
Chapter One
"Pa, I see him! There he is!" The boy shouted at the top of his lungs, nearly bursting his father's eardrums.
"Hush, Joseph! He'll get here just as fast without the screaming." Ben grabbed his youngest's jacket collar, stopping the child from running round him in circles out of pure excitement. He hid a grin; he couldn't blame his son for releasing his joy in such a manner, but he wanted his oldest to see how grown up his brothers were. Slowly—almost reluctantly—the stage pulled to a standstill, sending a cloud of bright red dust over the Cartwright family.
In a flurry of motion, the door swung wide and a young man clad wholly in black emerged, throwing his arms about his father and dancing the older man about.
"Pa!" It was the only word the darker man could say through the growing lump in his throat. After a long embrace, he turned to the boy next in line, a shocked expression on his handsome features.
"Hoss? Is that really you, brother?"The sturdy sixteen-year-old gave his sibling a gap-toothed grin that lit up his entire face.
"Adam!" He gave the man his biggest bear hug, nearly picking his brother off of the ground in the process.
"Whoa! What has Hop Sing been feeding you? You must be at least two feet taller than the last time we were together!" Finally after a few moments of chatter between the two, he caught sight of a mop of curly brown hair and a pair of piercing green eyes peeking out at him from behind the wagon. His jaw almost hit the street as he realized who it was.
"Joe?" He nearly whispered the name and the child reluctantly took a step away from the buckboard and towards this stranger. Ben moved over to the kid's side and nudged him forward.
"Go on." He urged gently, understanding the awkwardness of the situation. Adam knelt in the dust, opening his arms wide to receive the youngster who flew into him like a rocket.
"Adam, I missed you!"
"And I missed you too, little buddy, more than you know." He whispered into his brother's ear before picking the tiny body up and heading over to the waiting wagon.
I'm home, he thought to himself, really and truly home!
About a week had gone by before things erupted between the two brothers. Joe's uncomfortableness around his older sibling soon faded, but he soon grew irritated with everything Adam did and said to him.
"Here, Little Joe, let me help you with that." He said as the boy started to put his saddle on his grey gelding, Ash. He didn't need help, but the older man grasped the leather in his muscular hands and swung it easily in place. Joe had decided to let that one slide. On another occasion, he had followed the youth on a trip to his mother's grave sight, as if he wasn't old enough to go anywhere by himself. Things began to come to a head.
At breakfast the next day, Joe reached for the milk pitcher, but Adam picked it up first.
"Why don't you let me pour it for you, Little-" It was the last straw. Swiping his left hand across the table top, the ten-year-old sent his plate of pancakes clattering to the floor.
"STOP DOING THAT, ADAM!" Then without another word, he flew out the front door, slamming it shut behind him.
"JOSEPH FRANCIS CARTWRIGHT-" Ben began, but Adam cut him off.
"No, Pa. Let me handle it." He set his napkin down and exited the ranch house, but by the time he made it out to the barn, Joe was already gone.
Oh dear! Adam's not home from college for a week and already things are tense between the two brothers! Well, this is only the beginning so strap yourselves in for a long-bumpy-ride! Please review!