Hoss wheeled around when he heard yelling in the street. The next thing he knew, fifteen year-old Jake Turner bounced off of him and landed in the arms of Sam Dawson. The mercantile owner quickly extracted a couple of potatoes and an apple from the boy's jacket pockets and handed them to Hoss.

Grabbing the lad by the lapels of his jacket, Dawson shouted into the boy's face, "I'm going to take you to the sheriff!"

"Over a potato or two." Hoss held out the produce in disbelief. "No, now jest hold up a minute, Mr. Dawson, I don't think Roy Coffee would wanna be bothered with this. You can put these on the Ponderosa account. Why don'tcha jest leave him with me and I'll take Jake home to his ma."

"I don't need anybody standin' up for me", the dark-haired teen protested.

Hoss ignored the boy's comment. "Whaddya say, Sam?"

The store owner reluctantly released the boy, "All right, Hoss, if you say so, but you tell his ma that if he ever takes anything from my store again, he's going to jail!"

"Shore 'nough, Mr. Dawson."

Jake stood glaring at Sam Dawson as he walked back to his store.

Hoss shoved the produce into Jake's hands. "Might as well take this with us since it's paid fur." The big man took hold of the boy's arm.

"You ain't takin' me anywheres!" Jake rolled his shoulder out of Hoss' grasp.

"Well now, that'd be where yur wrong, Jake. I'm gonna take ya ta yur ma's. Now ya kin do this easy like or hard, but yur goin'."

Jake's face was rock hard as he turned to walk toward his mother's dress shop. Minutes later, Hoss knocked on the door of Laurel Turner's shop. He was forced to reach out and grab hold of Jake by the arm when the boy attempted to bolt. Hoss held onto his young charge as he continued to knock. When no one came, Hoss opened the door and pushed Jake inside.

"Miz Turner? Robbie? Maddie?" Hoss peered into a room off the kitchen and then turned toward Jake. "Where's yur ma - yur brother and little sis?" The lad made a point of looking away and refusing to answer Hoss' questions. The big man picked a dirty glass from the table and examined it. "Well, I guess wherever she went, she took Robbie and Maddie with her." Setting the glass back on the table, "Guess we might as well go." Hoss placed his hand on the boy's back and Jake angrily pulled away. "Now Jake, yur stayin' with me 'til I talk with yur ma. Come on."

Hoss forced Jake toward the door. The door barely got closed when they heard a child's pleading voice coming from inside the shop. Throwing the door back open, Hoss saw the younger two Turner children, Robbie and Maddie, come running toward him.

"Don't go! Please, don't go!" Robbie hollered.

Jake gave his brother a hard look, "I told you to stay put!"

"You was gonna leave us!" Robbie shouted back at his older brother.

Hoss looked down at the younger boy, "Robbie, where's yur ma?"

"She went away."

"Shut up!" Jake yelled.

Hoss persisted, "Where'd she go?"

"Don't tell him nothin'." Jake continued, trying to dissuade his brother.

Hoss paid no attention to Jake and remained focused on the smaller boy. "How many days has she bin gone?"

Robbie held up both hands displaying ten fingers.

Jake slapped his brother's hands down. "Shut up!"

"I didn't say nothin'!" Robbie spit out.

"Ten days, Robbie?"

"More than that. Only I ain't got enough fingers."

Hoss grimaced in frustration. "Where'd she go?"

"Robbie!" Jake reprimanded.

The younger boy gave his brother a look of resignation before turning back to Hoss. "I can't tell ya that cause I don't know. Jake knows. Ma told him before she went away."

"I'm hungry", Maddie gave Hoss a pitiful look.

Hoss squatted down to the little girl's level and gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze, "Well, I bet ya are at that, sweetie pie, so I tell ya what, I'm gonna take ya'll back ta my ranch. How would ya like a tall glass of milk and some bacon an' eggs?"

Robbie grinned. "I like ham better."

Hoss gave the boy a nod. "Well then, ham it'll be."

"With hotcakes?" Robbie displayed his enthusiasm on his sweet cherub face.

Hoss rose up to his full height. "Hop Sing 'ill make ya a heapin' stack o' hotcakes oozin' with melted butter and hot syrup."

"Tell him ya don't want any!" Jake fired at his brother. "It would probably poison ya if ya took it anyway."

Maddie looked with longing at her older brother. "I'm hungry, Jake."

Jake dropped his head realizing that he was fighting a losing battle and causing his siblings even more grief.

"Well, Jake is bigger an' he kin take care of himself, but you two gotta have somebody look after ya an' see that ya get fed. Come on along now."

Robbie hesitated on the porch and turned to look back at his brother who was standing in the doorway. "You could come too, Jake." The younger boy paused and then went on with an earnest voice. "Ya got to. Ya promised ya wouldn't leave us. Ya promised Ma."

Conflicted, Jake thought for a moment, then closed the door behind him and followed the others. Hoss glanced down to find Maddie beaming up at him. He picked her up and the group headed for the livery to rent a rig.

Later at the ranch, Jake sat at the dinner table beside Ben staring at the plate of food in front of him while his siblings were eating their fill with gusto.

"What's the matter, Jake? Why aren't you eating?" Ben's brows knit together with concern as Jake remained silent and uninterested in eating.

Joe piped up. "Maybe he doesn't like ham and potato salad."

"He's crazier than I am about ham and potato salad", Robbie told Joe.

"Maybe he isn't hungry. Ben added.

"He's hungrier than I am, too." Robbie gave his brother a questioning look. "He's been giving his share to Maddie and me."

"You feeling OK, Jake?" Joe asked with sincerity.

When Jake refused to answer, Joe excused himself from the table and headed for the corral. Ben left also and went upstairs to check with Hoss on the preparation of the room for the children. With no adults present, Jake scolded Robbie for readily accepting and eating the food, then he sneaked up the stairs to listen in on any conversations that might be occurring.

Ben ran a hand through his hair. "I just can't understand why Laurel went away and left those children. And why wouldn't Jake talk to you?"

"Yeah, I don't get it either, Pa, but mebbe things jest got so bad, she kinda lost her head. Laurel always was an independent sort. Ya don't s'pose she really left 'em fur good do ya?"

Ben heard a noise in the hallway and put a finger to his lips. By the time he stuck his head out of the the room all he could see was Jake's back as the boy made his way toward the stairs.

Ben spoke loudly enough so that Jake would be able to hear what he was saying. "No, Hoss, no Laurel was a good wife to Colton and a wonderful mother. No, if she went away, she had a very good reason." Ben placed his hand on his big son's shoulder. "Well, it's time we get the children bathed and in bed."

Later, the three Turner children appeared from the washroom freshly bathed and in clean nightshirts. Joe, back from the corral, was polishing off an apple as they entered the living room.

"Guess it's a good thing Hop Sing found some of our old nightshirts in the attic. Who are these good lookin' kids, anyway?" Joe winked at Maddie.

"Joe, you promised to read us a story", Maddie whined.

"That I did. Come on over here and have seat. You, too, Robbie."

Ben looked up from his desk. "Ready to finish your supper now, Jake?"

Jake stormed off up the stairs practically running into Hoss on the landing. Ben looked at his sons with dismay. Maddie yanked on Joe's arm and he began to read.

Ben nodded toward the kitchen. "I could use a cup of coffee. Care to join me?"

"Yeah, me too." Hoss followed his father past the dining room table.

Ben poured two cups and offered one to his middle son who was already seated at the small kitchen table.

Wrapping his big hands around his coffee cup, Hoss mused. "I thought Jake liked it here?"

"He used to or at least he seemed to, but that was over three years ago. Do you remember when I hired Colton on about five years back? Colt and Laurel lived in the cabin over by the meadow. Before that, things had been pretty tough for them. They were happy here, especially Jake. But then there was the accident. Laurel was adamant about moving into town and starting the dress shop. Didn't want to accept charity." Hoss gave his father a nod of recollection. "Some of that must have rubbed off on Jake. He's definitely got a burr under his saddle."

"Yeah, no doubt 'bout that. Sure hope he comes around."

Ben let out a deep sigh. "Yes, hopefully sooner rather than later."

Initially, Jake had headed to the guest bedroom, but then detoured to have a look around since none of the family was currently upstairs. He happened to pick Adam's room first. He noticed the music box that had belonged to Adam's mother on the dresser. Running his fingers over the decorative detail, he then lifted the lid. Sweet music met his ears and for the first time in a long while he smiled. Quickly closing the lid, Jake returned it to its proper place. After taking quick peeks into the other rooms, the boy went to the guest room and flopped onto the bed. He folded his arms behind his head and began to concoct a plan.