With Malice Toward None
Book Eight of A HOUSE UNITED series
By Sarah Hendess
Ponderosa Ranch
Nevada Territory
Autumn, 1863
Adam and Hoss spent the last week before Adam and Josie's trip down in Hoss Heaven working on the new house. Adam was pleased that they were able to start erecting the walls; he wanted to have all the walls up and the roof finished by mid-October so they'd be working on the interior once the weather grew cold again.
Josie made a trip out to the Marquettes' farm to check on Delphine one last time and was delighted to see that Delphine's pregnancy was progressing normally. Dell and Ross were hopeful, but cautious. Dell had once made it nearly to the end of her first trimester before miscarrying, and despite Josie's reassurances that all was well, Josie knew they wouldn't rest easily until Dell actually delivered a baby.
Ben and Little Joe spent several nights out on the range as they rode the perimeter checking fences and moving cattle to winter pasture. This was usually Adam and Hoss's job, but Ben and Joe didn't mind picking up the task so Adam and Hoss could work on the house. By the time Adam and Josie were packing up to leave the Friday before Josie's birthday, Hoss's house was taking shape, and the Ponderosa was nearly prepared to settle down for the winter.
The day before her and Adam's departure, Josie was up in her bedroom packing her carpetbag for the trip when Ben called her downstairs.
"You've got some mail, Josie!" he hollered up the stairs.
Josie grinned; she'd been hoping her usual birthday greetings from her parents would arrive before she left for Sacramento. She snapped her carpetbag shut and skipped downstairs.
Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe were sitting in the living room when Josie bounded down the stairs and over the Ben, who was at his desk in the alcove. He gestured toward two magazines sitting on the corner of his desk. Josie wrinkled her brow as she picked them up.
"Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine?" she read off the front cover of the top periodical, then shifted to the second one. "Godey's Lady's Book? Uncle Ben, are you sure these are for me?"
Ben glanced up at her from the letter he was composing to Jacob. "Well they certainly aren't for me. Here, this came for you, too." He nudged an envelope across the desk toward Josie.
"It's from Aunt Rachel," she said, recognizing the handwriting on the outside. She set the magazines back on the desk and ripped open the letter. "Dear Josephine," she read aloud. "Many happy returns on the occasion of your twenty-third birthday. I hope you will enjoy the subscriptions to Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine and Godey's Lady's Book that I ordered for you. The first issues should arrive soon. I'm sure you will find their suggestions and recommendations most useful and instructive. Sincerely, Aunt Rachel."
Grinning wickedly, Little Joe leapt from his seat on the settee and zipped over to Josie. He reached under her right arm and ripped Frank Leslie's off the desk. "1863, the Year of Fashion," he read. "Oh, look, Josie! There's a new style for collars and cuffs!" He broke out cackling, and, not wanting to miss the fun, Hoss hustled over to join him and grabbed Godey's. The two of them flipped through the magazines, laughing harder with each turned page.
"Hey, this one's got stories!" Hoss exclaimed. "'Aunt Edith: A Tale of the Heart.'" He laid a hand over his heart. "Ain't that sweet. Oh, and look! 'Robin Hood: A Parlor Piece for Evening Parties!' It's got all the parts written out. We could have ourselves a little theatrical production right here in the living room! Hey, Adam, you wanna be Little John or Will Scarlet?"
"Why can't I be Robin Hood?!" Adam protested from the living room. "I'm the oldest; I should get the best part. Pa, you wanna be Richard the Lionheart? We've already got the perfect Maid Marian." He pointed to Josie whose face was burning red. She ripped the magazines away from Hoss and Little Joe.
"You two are so lucky I'm leaving town tomorrow," she seethed. "As for you…" She turned to Adam, who was still sitting in the blue armchair near the fireplace. "We're going to be spending an awful lot of time together over the next two weeks. I'd tread carefully if I were you." Magazines tucked under her arm, she stormed back upstairs to her bedroom and slammed the door.
Adam knocked on Josie's door at five-thirty the next morning, but Josie was already awake. She had woken up shortly after five, and in her excitement over their trip, she hadn't been able to get back to sleep. Before going down to breakfast, she rolled up Frank Leslie's Lady's Magazine and crammed it into her back pocket. She'd decided to forgive her cousins for making fun of her gift last night, but if any of them commented on it again, she intended to thwack the offender over the head with Frank Leslie's.
As it turned out, Little Joe and Hoss weren't up yet, so Frank Leslie's was spared becoming a weapon. Josie pulled it out of her pocket and smoothed it on the table.
"Uncle Ben?" she asked as she poured herself some coffee. "Next time you're in town, would you please give this to Molly? I'll think she'll find the fashion plates more useful than I will."
Ben smiled. "Certainly, my dear. All ready for your trip?"
"Yes, sir!" Josie beamed as Adam came in from outside and joined them at the table.
"Got the horses all saddled up and ready to go!" he announced.
Josie cheered and started cramming pancakes and eggs into her mouth as fast as she could until Ben told her slow down lest she make herself ill. Little Joe and Hoss stumbled sleepily down the stairs and over to the table as Ben, Josie, and Adam were finishing breakfast. Hop Sing set a fresh stack of pancakes on a serving plate in the center of the table, and Hoss and Joe attacked them like ravenous wolves. As Ben passed Joe the syrup, Joe noticed the magazine sitting next to his father's coffee cup, and a devilish grin spread across his face.
"Looking for a new gown, Pa?" he asked, dissolving into giggles.
Without a word, Ben picked up Frank Leslie's, rolled it back up, and cracked Little Joe upside the head with it. Joe shouted in surprise and rubbed the back of his stinging head.
"That's enough out of you about Josie's birthday gift," Ben ordered.
Josie nearly shot coffee out of her nose as she broke out laughing. She grabbed the magazine from Ben and gave Joe a good swat with it, too. Adam started to chuckle, too, until Ben reminded him that he'd been party to the teasing last night, and Adam hushed up.
Ben drained the last of his coffee and turned to Josie and Adam. "Well, if you two want to set a leisurely pace, you better hit the road." It was about 120 miles to Sacramento, and Adam planned to make the journey in four days. Pushing hard, the trip could be done in half the time, but this was a vacation, and there was no point in wearing out either themselves or the horses.
Josie and Adam rose from the table and collected the carpetbags they'd placed next to the settee when they'd come down for breakfast. Ben, Hoss, and Little Joe followed them out to the porch to see them off. Josie shivered in the morning air – the nights started getting cold again in September, and the day hadn't yet warmed up – and she buttoned her plaid jacket all the way up to her neck.
Sport and Scout were waiting at the hitching post, and Josie and Adam tied their bags and bedrolls onto the backs of their saddles and then turned to say their goodbyes.
"Have fun, sweetheart," Ben told Josie as he gave her a hug. "Keep Adam out of trouble."
Josie giggled. "I will, Uncle Ben. I promise. And don't let Jimmy go back to work until I get back. His incision's healed, but he still needs to rest."
As Josie turned to hug Joe and Hoss, Ben pulled Adam in close and pressed a wad of bills into his hand. "For that item we discussed," he muttered.
Adam grinned and stuffed the money into his jeans pocket. "You got it, Pa."
"Good man." Ben slapped Adam on the back.
"Let's move 'em out, Josie!" Adam said. He and Josie swung into their saddles, Josie whistled for Pip, and with a final wave to the family, they set off.
They rode along quietly, enjoying the morning sunshine. By the time they stopped for lunch, they were already into the mountains well west of the California border, and by midafternoon, they had picked up the North Fork of the American River, which they would follow all the way to Sacramento. Unlike the more barren road to Virginia City, the path the cousins followed was wooded, the trees gradually shifting from deciduous to coniferous as they climbed higher into the mountains. In late afternoon, Adam reined them to a stop in a small clearing next to the river.
"This looks pretty good for a campsite, don't you think?" he said.
Josie closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, inhaling the fresh scent of the pine trees. The sun filtered through the hairy branches, casting lacy patterns on the ground. "Yeah," she said, grinning. "This should do."
The cousins slid down from their saddles and stretched. Josie told Pip to go find his supper, and the wolfhound bounded into the woods.
"How does he have so much energy after walking thirty miles?!" Adam said.
Josie looked at Adam as if the answer should be obvious. "He's a Cartwright," she answered.
Adam laughed and started untacking Sport. Josie did the same with Scout, and before long, the horses were hobbled and free to graze and drink while the cousins set up camp. It didn't take long for them to gather enough firewood for the night, and Josie laid one of her blankets on a thick bed of pine needles and stretched out on her stomach to read for a bit before supper.
"Hey!" Adam exclaimed when he spotted her book. "That's a Wilkie Collins! That's mine!"
Josie's hand flew to the spine of the book to cover the title. "Don't know what you're talking about, Adam," she said, biting back a giggle. She hid her face behind the book so Adam couldn't see her smiling.
"You need to get that library open so you can stop stealing my books," Adam said, chucking his hat at her. It bounced off her rear end and onto the blanket next to her. She snatched it up and dropped it on her head over top her own hat.
"Now I've got your book AND your hat," she teased, sticking her tongue out at him.
"That's ok. I've got all the food."
Still giggling, Josie stood up and gave Adam back his hat. "Do you want your book back, too?" she asked.
"No, you enjoy it. What happened to Moby-Dick, though? Did you finish it?"
Josie sighed and gazed down at her boots, suddenly intrigued by a speck of dirt on the right toe. "Actually, Adam," she began slowly. "I couldn't make it through that book. I'm sorry, but it was just awful."
Much to Josie's surprise, Adam burst out laughing.
"You're not upset?!" she asked. "I thought you loved that book!"
"I HATE that book!" Adam replied between peals of hysterics. "I just wanted to see what you'd do!"
Josie scowled at him. "Just for that, I'm keeping this one!" She waved the Collins under his nose. But as Adam stood there, still giggling at his own cleverness, Josie broke into a smile. "You and Joe are more alike than you care to admit," she said.
"I know it. Come on, let's get supper going. I'm starving."
Adam built a small cooking fire, but once their beans and coffee were heated, he threw on a few more logs. The sun had just dipped below the horizon, but the evening was already getting cold. Adam was glad he had insisted they each bring three blankets; he expected the temperature here in the mountains would drop to near freezing overnight. Pip had returned while they ate their supper, a fat rabbit clutched in his jaws. He lay down between Josie and Adam and tore into it.
"Thanks for suggesting we ride rather than take the stage," Josie said as they sipped their coffee and munched on some cookies Hop Sing had sent along. "I know I'm not the best rider, but this is fun."
"You're doing really well. You may not see it, but you've come a long way in the past two years, Josie."
Josie smiled. "It's nice not to feel so helpless anymore."
"Josie, I think you're the least helpless person I've ever met."
Josie smiled again, and the cousins finished their coffee and cookies in companionable silence.
Josie had thought she'd read for a bit after supper, but as soon as they'd cleaned up their dishes, an enormous yawn split her jaw, and she realized how exhausted she was from their long ride.
"Let's get some sleep," Adam said. "We've got another long ride tomorrow."
The temperature had dropped from chilly to cold, and Adam and Josie grabbed all of their blankets off the horses, which they tied to a nearby tree for the night. Adam wrapped up in his blankets and lay down near the fire, Josie a few feet away. Adam stretched out on his side and rested his head on his arm, and he felt a pang of jealousy as he realized that Josie had brought along a small pillow. Pip lay down beside Josie, and the cousins bid each other goodnight.
Adam drifted right off to sleep, but he awoke less than an hour later. His hand automatically reached for his Remington, which lay on the ground near his head, but then he realized that it was Josie who had woken him. She hadn't called out, but when he glanced over at her, he could see her shivering; he must have sensed her movement. Her front was to the fire and Pip was pressed up against her back, but the temperature had plummeted, and Josie didn't have the muscle mass Adam had to provide insulation.
"Hey, Josie," Adam whispered. "You all right?" Josie didn't respond, but she didn't fool Adam. "I know you're awake."
"I'm fine," Josie insisted.
Adam could hear her teeth chattering. "You're cold."
"Am not."
Adam smiled at Josie's stubbornness. "Josie, come here."
Josie hesitated. She had felt so proud when Adam had told her that she was the least helpless person he'd ever met, and she didn't want to let him down.
"Just come here, Josie," Adam repeated gently.
Heaving a sigh, Josie rose from her little nest on the ground and plodded the few steps over to Adam, her blankets slung around her shoulders and her pillow clutched in her hand. Adam lifted one edge of his blanket, and as Josie lay down next to him, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close against his chest. Pip ambled over and lay down in front of Josie, pressing up against her, so she had a warm body on each side. She rested her pillow on Adam's bottom arm and settled her head on it.
"Better?" he asked.
"Yeah," Josie mumbled, snuggling up to him.
"You know you don't have to prove anything to me."
Josie smiled, though she knew Adam couldn't see it. "I know."
"Goodnight, Little Sister."
"'Night, Older Brother."
The following day dawned clear and bright, and Josie awoke to find herself still wrapped snugly in Adam's arms, Pip snoring on her other side. She nuzzled her face into her pillow, not wanting to shake off the sleepiness just yet. The combined exhalations of Adam, Josie, and Pip had created a cocoon of warm air around the trio, and Josie found her burrow between Adam and Pip a most delightful and cozy place to be. She closed her eyes and dozed for another twenty minutes or so until she felt Adam stir next to her. He lifted his head a few inches, and Josie snickered at the mishmash of spidery lines his jacket sleeve had pressed into his left cheek overnight.
Adam, too, was reluctant to get moving. The morning air hadn't lost its sharp chill, and Josie's skinny body pressed up against his was quite toasty. He dropped his head back onto his arm, groaned, and pulled one of the blankets up over his face. "Five more minutes," he mumbled.
Josie giggled. "It's ok, Adam, you don't have to go to school today."
Adam smiled and threw back the blanket. "I need coffee!" Grinning, he and Josie both hauled themselves to their feet and stretched out the cold stiffness in their muscles. After a quick breakfast of oatmeal and, of course, coffee, they set off once more down the trail toward Sacramento.
Josie didn't try to be tough that night. When she and Adam bedded down after another long day in the saddle, she snuggled right up to him with Pip on her other side. Adam reached a hand across Josie and scratched the wolfhound's wiry head.
"I wonder how Fionn's coming along training Conall," he said.
Josie's face flushed at the mention of Fionn, and she was glad she was facing away from Adam. "I'm sure he's doing just fine," she replied as casually as she could.
"I bet the first thing he trains that dog to do is sniff you out." Adam snickered at his own cleverness, and Josie rolled over and glared at him. "What is it?" Adam asked, giving Josie his most innocent look. "Don't you want Fionn to be able to find you?"
"Fionn and I are just friends, thank you very much, and I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your nose out of it. Or next time you fall into a 'briar patch,' I might not be so quick with the salve."
The smug smirk that had been spreading across Adam's face vanished as he realized Josie had just bested him. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Just think you two would be cute together is all."
"Why do you even like Fionn so much?" Josie asked, rolling back onto her side to face Pip. "Simon never did anything inappropriate, and you hated him. Then Fionn comes along and practically attacks me, and suddenly he's your best friend."
Adam furrowed his brow, unable to explain himself. "I don't know, Josie," he admitted at last. "Maybe because Simon's so serious. You're serious enough on your own. Sorta like me. Must be a Stoddard trait." Adam paused to chuckle. "You laugh more with Fionn. You don't seem to worry about anything when he's around."
"That's like you with Molly."
Adam considered this, and the corners of his mouth twitched upward. He hadn't thought about it before, but Josie was right. Whenever he was with Molly, all his cares flew out the window. It was an odd sensation for him, but one that Adam wouldn't mind getting used to.
"So when are you gonna make an honest woman out of her?"
Adam's jaw dropped as Josie's comment shattered his daydream. "Man alive, Josie! Don't beat around the bush or anything!" Josie just giggled, and Adam sighed. "Can you keep a secret?" he asked.
"No."
There was a pregnant pause before Josie laughed again and rolled over onto her back, her head still resting on her pillow on Adam's arm. "You know I can!" she said. "I keep my patients' secrets all the time."
Adam's toyed with a loose strand of Josie's hair as he screwed up his courage. "Well, I know this is your birthday trip, but this is the last trip any of us will be able to make over the mountains before next spring, so I was hoping maybe you wouldn't mind too much if I slipped away one afternoon to do a little jewelry shopping."
Josie shrieked and rocketed from the ground, pouncing on Adam in a huge hug. The wind rushed out of him with a loud "Oof!" as Josie landed across his rib cage.
"Oh, sorry!" she said and rolled off of him. "Got a little excited."
"S'ok," Adam croaked, rubbing his ribs. He took a deep breath and turned to face Josie. "Josie, listen to me. You can't utter a word about this to anyone, all right? Not even in a letter to Michaela. I'm not going to ask Molly until after Hoss's wedding. I couldn't take the wind out of his sails like that."
"I won't," Josie promised, her face lighting up the night sky. Her glow faded, however, as another thought occurred to her. "Guess this means you'll be moving out, too." She rubbed her sleeve roughly across her eyes. "I've loved having everyone together in one house, and now our family's splitting up."
Adam slid his arm out from under Josie, propped himself up on that elbow, and looked down into the face of his treasured younger cousin. He knew her face almost as well as he knew his own. The jet-black hair, intelligent hazel eyes, and cute little nose that turned up just a tiny bit at the end. It was a face he'd loved since he was seventeen years old, and it pained him to see it so doleful. He realized this was the second time in less than three years that Josie was seeing her family split apart. While these circumstances were certainly happier than when her family had broken up due to the war, it was still another loss for her. Adam leaned over and kissed her forehead.
"Our family isn't splitting up, Josie, it's expanding. We have to have more houses. We're gonna need the space!"
Josie's eyes shot wide as the spark reignited within them. "Wait. Do you mean-?!"
Adam tweaked her nose like he used to do when Josie was a little girl. "No," he said definitively. "We've already had THAT embarrassing discussion. I just meant, you know, eventually."
"Oh. Darn."
Adam chuckled. "And I won't be far away, Josie. Just down by the lake, if I get my way. I'll still be up at Pa's house all the time, and you can come down to my place any time you like. I'll make sure there's a bedroom with windows on two sides, just for you."
Josie cracked a faint smile. "You promise?"
"I promise." He kissed her forehead again and lay back down, carefully sliding his arm back under Josie's head.
"Ok." Josie nuzzled her face into his chest and drew the blankets tightly around their shoulders. She didn't mind sharing Adam with Molly, but she was happy that at least for tonight, she had him all to herself. She inhaled deeply, breathing in Adam's familiar scents: his musky aftershave, leather from his long day in the saddle, a bit of sweat mixed with trail dust, and the faint smell of Hop Sing's laundry soap still clinging to his shirt. She smiled to herself, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.