A HANDFUL OF TROUBLE

Many many thanks to all of you for your kind reviews. I hope this new story will prove interesting.

Summary: Adam finds a young girl on his journey home. But will it be for the better or no. WARNING: spanking involved in this chapter.

Chapter 1

After his business in Sacramento was settled, Adam was making a slow and enjoyable journey home. With alone time to think about things and to admire the nature around him and listening to the sounds of the animals and birds. After an exhausting lazy day he began to think about camping for the night. He unsaddled Sport and dried him off and left him to munch on the fresh grass that was all around. Not too far from the Ponderosa boundary, he'd found a good spot near a pond where he was about to start a fire when he was disturbed by the sound of splashing. He walked toward the sound and found a young girl swimming in the pond.

"Hello there." Adam called.

"Aaaah!" The girl quickly spread her arms across her chest. "Who are you, a peeping tom? Can't a girl take a bath in peace?"

"Sorry to have disturbed you. When you're ready, why don't you get out and join me for supper, such as it is."

"Cant. Got no clothes on. But if you turn around, I'll get out and dress."

Being the gentleman he is, Adam turned his back and made his way back to the fire he had started building up. Unbeknown to him the girl had gotten out of the water, dressed in her underwear and smiling; she gave the man a quick look, then jumped up on Sport and galloped off.

Adam immediately stood up and turned around just in time to see Sport disappear around a corner. His temper was up. "Little devil." He spat. "A horse thief no less. Well, she'll answer to me when I catch up with her," he said out loud and started packing up his stuff. ….

Adam had been walking for about a half hour, when he came across the small homestead of the late John Roberts, a man well known to Adam and his family, but Adam hadn't been out this way in an extremely long time. As he drew nearer he could see the place had run down, the roof especially was in a bad state. Maybe John was no longer able to take care of the place or of course he no longer lived there. While he was having these thoughts, he heard someone singing and it was coming from the barn, so he made his way over there. When Adam walked quietly through the open doorway, he was surprised to find his horse thief singing to Sport while she groomed him. He dropped his saddle deliberately from his shoulder onto the floor and closed the barn door.

"Nice to see you again. Did you have a nice walk?" She teased him. Adam was not amused and with a stern face and raised eyebrow he took steps toward her. She turned at his approach and backed off.

"Come on, can't you take a joke?" She said. "It was only a quarter of a mile and I've taken good care of your horse." She had backed up as far as she could go. Adam easily caught up to her, grabbed her arm, found a hay bale, sat down and pulled her over his knee.

"Aaah! Don't you dare."

"Now perhaps you'll learn that to take a man's horse is stealing and a criminal offence." And with that he wasted no time in idle chat and started spanking her pants covered bottom, raising a good heat.

"I was only…..owwwww…..borrowing it." She said, as she tried her best to get off his lap, but he held firm.

"And you made me walk in the hot sun," he said as he laid a very hard swat across her backside, "lugging my heavy saddle across my shoulder," he said laying down another hard swat.

"Owwww. Please stop, you're hurting me."

"It's supposed to hurt and to make you realise the error of your ways; that you do not steal a man's horse."

"Please…..please stop," she cried as now she was having trouble not to cry. "I'm sorry." The pain in her backside was hurting more and more. She stopped struggling and went limp over his lap. Adam knew she had had enough and stopped the spanking and stood her up.

"Perhaps now you'll tell me why you took my horse." But she wasn't through sobbing, so Adam pulled her on his lap and put his arms around her to help soothe her tears away.

After a little while she stopped crying and pushed herself off his lap and backed off, looking ashamed and rubbing her backside. Then said, "I'm sorry. I thought you looked like you could take a joke." She wiped her nose on her sleeve. "I knew you wouldn't have a long walk."

"Perhaps now you have learned I'm not a man to be joked with."

Suddenly they heard 'Susan, are you all right dear?' coming from the house.

"That's my grandfather. Are you going to let me go to him?"

"Yes of course. I'll come with you."

They made their way out of the barn and to the small house. On entering Adam saw no one, but could see the state of the inside was as bad as the outside.

"Where is he? Hello?" Adam called.

"In the bedroom," came the answer. Adam walked over to the only other doorway in the house. He found an elderly man lying on a bed, fully clothed.

"Hello there. Sorry I wasn't able to welcome you properly. Susan, how is supper doing?"

"It's doing Grandpa." Adam didn't miss the look of surprise on the old man's face.

"This man is just leaving."

"Invite him to stay for supper, Susan."

"Oh, he doesn't want to stay. He needs to leave."

"I'll be glad of a little something to eat, as I didn't have time to cook anything earlier," Adam said, giving Susan a knowing look of resentment. "That would be great, thank you."

"Alright, Susan? You can organise the supper, if you will." So reluctantly she proceeded to the fire area where a big pot was hanging over the flames. She stirred the pot forcefully.

"Let me help you into the other room," Adam offered, and as he easily carried the old man into the outer room and sat him near the fire. There was very little to this man's body and wondered at his health. "Are you John Roberts? I seem to remember a gentleman of that name living here."

"No, I'm not he. My name is Henry Durston. I think that was the name of the man who lived here before me. And your name, Sir?"

"Adam Cartwright."

"Welcome, Adam Cartwright. Are you part of the Ponderosa Cartwrights?"

"Yes, I am. I live some distance away from here and was slowly making my way home from Sacramento when I came across your 'grand-daughter' here. And she is?" He asked, pointing at the female stirring something in the pot over the fire.

"None of your damned business," she said, giving Adam a look that could kill and nearly spilling the stew she was angrily stirring.

"You'd be smart to hold off on the cussing." Adam said, then turned to Henry, who was smiling. "Your grand-daughter STOLE my horse and made me walk all the way here."

"All the way! Huh, some walk!" Came the sarcastic comment from the stirer of the stew.

"You're walking on thin ice, young lady."

"Her name is Susan Newcombe." Henry told Adam.

"So her mother was your daughter. It's nice to meet you." Adam said as he extended his hand. Henry reciprocated.

"Are we ready to eat yet, Susan?" Henry called.

"Just about."

"Take a seat Adam." Susan served up a plate of stew and dumped it down in front of Adam and dropped a spoon in it, causing a slight splatter of the gravy to land on the table. Lucky for her it did not go over Adam, although I'm sure that was what she was trying to do.

"Susan, if I was able, I'd teach you some manners. Adam is a guest and you'll treat him as such." Henry admonished.

"Guest! You don't know what he did to me." Susan said no more and went back to fill another plate for Henry.

"Here you go, Grandpa." She then made her way to the front door.

"Where are you going? Aren't you eating?" Henry asked.

"No. I need some fresh air, away from HIM."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Adam said, smiling. "You need sustinence. And it's not too bad either."

"Quite right, Adam. Sit and eat Susan."

Susan begrudgingly made her way back to the stew pot and put a little on another plate and took it to the table, where she tentatively sat down. She stared at Adam, and dared him to say anything. They ate in silence until Adam spoke.

"That was mighty tasty, Susan dear." Adam sarcastically said, but he'd meant what he'd said.

"I'm glad," she replied, rising from her chair, with relief, but still scowling at Adam. Then in a very low whisper, "sorry it didn't poison you."

"I'll help with the dishes," he said offering his help, while smiling at her retort.

"Actually, Adam," Henry said, "I'd be grateful if you'd leave the dishes to Susan and help me back into the other room."

"Of course, Sir, whatever you say." And with that Adam lifted Henry out of the chair and carefully carried him back into the bedroom. …

Susan finished off the dishes while Adam was assisting Henry, and thought she'd take the opportunity to see what he had in his saddle bags, as he seemed to be in with Henry a long time.

"Anything interest you?" Came the stern voice from the doorway.

"I was just putting them in a safe place." She lied.

"Which safe place would that be? I think I'll just look after them myself." He said, holding out his hand. Susan reluctantly handed them over.

"Don't you trust me?"

"Certainly not. A horse thief wouldn't think twice about rifling through my saddle bags."

"I wish you'd shut up about your damned horse. You know very well I wasn't trying to steal it. If I was, do you think I'd have stopped here?"

"You mean you'd have gone off and left your grandfather all alone and helpless?"

"Don't be stupid. I'd have come back when I knew it was safe."

"You seem to know what you're talking about. Done it before have you?" Adam asked, with tongue in cheek.

"None of your damned business. I think if you want to sleep here tonight, you can sleep in the barn and keep your horse safe."

"I don't think so. I'll sleep in that comfortable looking chair, so I can keep my eye on you over there on the couch."

"I'm not sleeping in the same room as you. I'll sleep in the barn."

"Again, no! I can't trust you not to ride off on Sport."

"Sport, that's what you call him?"

"That's right." Adam answered with pride. "He's seen me through many a tough time."

"And I imagine you having had a lot of those."

"A lot of what?"

"Tough times. You have the look of a man who works his way into trouble."

"Never consciously looking for it, but sometimes it just comes my way, like now."

"Yeah, you always have to have the last word?"

"Right. I see you're getting to know me."

"Okay, you win. This round! I'm going to see if my grandpa needs anything and then hit the hay. Not literally, you understand." She said, with a mock smile.

"You should smile more often. It improves your looks. But your grandfather is quite settled. I've seen to that. Let's just settle down for the night, shall we?"

"Yes, shall we," she said, in a mocking tone, as she laid herself down on the couch and Adam to his chair, but not before outing the only lamp in the room.

"Goodnight, Susan, sleep well." She's going to need all the rest she can get, he thought. Her future's going to be tough. There was no reply except a snort. Then peace.