CHAPTER THREE
A roar of laughter poured out of the saloon, splashed onto Main Street and landed in the ears of the Cartwright brothers. Hoss and Joe, flashing toothy grins at one another, eagerly pushed through the swinging doors. Adam hesitated just outside the undulating shutters. The tang of beer and cigars wafting on the breeze permeated his nose. Wood smashing against flesh, glass shattering as it hit the floor and the painful groans and grunts of a barroom brawl flooded his head. With a deep inhale, Adam stepped feet first into the one thing he'd been avoiding most – a crowded room filled with alcohol-loosened tongues. Once inside, the Cartwright brothers approached an empty table. Hastily, Adam slid past Joe, claiming the seat facing the door of the saloon, a move that caught the attention of both of his brothers.
"I'll git us some beers," Hoss said as Joe rocked back in his chair, put on his most irresistible face and surveyed the ladies in the room. "You two stay outta trouble while I'm gone, ya hear!"
The saloon was unusually full, a result of the miners' recent prosperity as the Rourke and Steeple mine once again opened its shafts. Everyone was in town and anticipation of a lively Saturday night filled with flowing whiskey and ample poker monies surged. With one elbow resting heavily on the bar and one foot perched atop the footrest, Hoss ordered three beers. Cosmo filled the mugs as Hoss caught the reflections of Joe and Adam in the large, oblong mirror hanging behind the burly barkeep. Joe had removed his hat and green jacket, making himself comfortable as he scanned the room for a pretty lady or a lively card game. Adam however, still dressed in his outerwear, sat rigidly in his chair.
Joe's focus was on a pretty girl wearing a low-cut yellow dress. Although in the company of a male patron and much to her companion's displeasure, she continued to ogle Joe over his shoulder.
Hoss craned his neck toward her table and saw Stu Weaver shift in his chair, hoping to obscure the view that held her attention. "Stu Weaver," he thought as he gathered the glasses and made his way to his waiting brothers. "Of all the low down losers ta be here this afternoon. Maybe we'll be lucky 'n' he won't see fit ta cause any trouble."
Joe's fascination with the saloon gal was briefly interrupted when he saw Hoss approaching, balancing three full mugs of beer in one large hand.
"Here ya are," Hoss announced as he plopped the mugs on the center of the table, "and the next round's on you, Older Brother."
Adam reached for a glass, ignoring Hoss's challenge.
"Hoss, how did you manage that with one hand?" Joe asked, the overacted admiration in his voice bringing a forced chuckle from Adam.
"Talent, Short Shanks," Hoss bragged. "Raw talent!"
A moment of awkward silence ended when yellow-clad-Lily approached the table.
Hoss glanced over his shoulder at the table she'd come from and caught a glimpse of Stu glowering at Joe from across the room. When Stu sprung out of his chair, kicked it to the floor, and stormed out of the saloon, Hoss exhaled sharply.
"Which one of you handsome gentlemen is gonna buy me a drink?" Lily asked as she slinked past Joe and slithered into the seat next to his.
Joe made eye contact with Cosmo and raised one finger high in the air. Moments later the request was delivered, and Lily made sure that Joe knew just how much she appreciated his generosity. As she stroked the back of his head, her fingers weaved their way between his thick waves and when she gently caressed the back of his neck, he nearly tilted his chair the rest of the way to the floor. Regaining his composure proved to be both embarrassing and difficult, and his brothers' sniggering didn't help.
"Careful there, cowboy! I didn't mean to hurt ya none!" Lily purred as her finger continued around Joe's neck and into the opening at the front of his shirt. "Just sayin' a proper 'thank you' for the drink."
"Ma'am . . . I mean, Miss . . ." Joe stammered.
"The name's 'Lily', honey," she said, exaggerating the 'L's' with her tongue.
As much as Hoss was enjoying watching his little brother's latest predicament, he couldn't help but notice Adam relaxing. He saw the familiar twinkle in Adam's eyes as he watched his older brother wrap his long, slender fingers around his mug and sip his beer, never once taking his eyes away from Joe and the scene he and Lily were creating. Hoss felt a warm blanket enveloping his chest and immediately thought of his father. This must be how Pa feels when he sits back 'n' watches us . . . when we're happy or teasin' each other . . . Even if we're arguin' 'n' fightin' about somethin', he still watches and smiles. The feeling soothed him and his fears about Adam's recovery, but the feeling was not meant to last as Lily, her hand still tempting Joe's chest, looked across the table and smiled at Adam.
"Say, ain't you the fella that lost his mind?" Lily asked, her fake sincerity ringing with a malicious undertone in her voice.
Outraged by her question, Joe rocked his chair forward onto all four legs, his face glowering at Lily. "I think you'd better leave now," he suggested as he flicked her hand from his chest.
"It's all right, Joe," Adam said as he raised the mug of beer to his lips and emptied it in one swallow. "Yes, I'm the fella that 'lost' his mind. What's it to you?"
Lily saw the threatening look coming from both Hoss and Joe, but Adam seemed willing to answer any of her questions. "I was just wonderin'," she said, "what it was like, ya know, not knowin' who you were."
Adam set his mug on the table with a thud, his fingers stroking the wet surface of the cool glass. He raised his eyes to Lily's and let them linger as he stared her into an uncomfortable gaze. "It was easy," Adam said, his eyes never wavering. "When I didn't know who I was, ignorant people never bothered to ask me ridiculous questions."
Adam's icy stare made Lily's skin crawl. Not sure of her next move, she simply sat, gaping at Adam.
"Let's get over to the store," Adam barked before draining his mug. "I'm sure our order is ready by now." He pushed his chair back with his thighs, stood straight as an arrow, and sauntered out of the saloon.
Joe and Hoss followed close behind, leaving Lily alone at the table with three empty mugs and no real gossip to pass along. She stood and opened her mouth, ready to direct a loud comment to the Cartwrights but when she saw that no one else in the saloon was paying her any attention, she simply pouted and stormed up the stairs.
Joe shook his head as Lily rounded the top of the steps. He stopped suddenly, turning to his oldest brother. "Adam?" he asked.
"Yes, Joe, I'm okay," Adam assured. "People are curious. I'll answer those who are sincere, like Carrie. And the others? I choose to leave them in the gossip pit with the rest of the vultures!"
Hoss swung his big arm around Adam's shoulders. "See, Joe! Adam here is the smart one, after all!"
Hoss's teasing brought a smile to Adam's face as they made their way to the general store.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"How's the order coming, Seth?" Joe yelled as he watched Hoss help himself to a handful of jelly beans.
"Your timing is perfect, fellas!" Seth said as he struggled with a large sack of flour. "Just bringin' out the last item."
"Hoss," Adam demanded, "would you get away from the sweets and help us load the buckboard? You keep eating those things and we'll need to bring an extra wagon just to get you home!"
Joe's giggle rang through the store and drew everyone into its contagious nature.
"Maybe you Cartwrights outta leave Fat Hoss at home from now on," came a familiar male voice as Stu Weaver stepped from behind a stack of boxes. "Wouldn't want the little children of our fair city to have to go without their sweets 'cause Fat Hoss ate 'em all!"
Adam tilted his head, calmly waiting for a sign from Hoss.
Joe glared at Stu as he stepped forward, ready to defend his brother's honor.
"Adam don't need this . . ." Hoss thought, "'n' I shore as shootin' don't neither."
"Seth?" Hoss said to the shopkeeper, his voice raised. "We'll be loadin' the wagon now. You might wanna clean up 'round here. Seems ta be a dirty varmint runnin' loose."
Stu made way for Hoss, his path blocked with lightning speed by both Joe and Adam.
"Stu," Joe growled, "you'd best turn around and get as far away from here as you can."
The odds clearly against him, Stu pushed past Adam, purposely grazing his shoulder, and walked toward the door of the mercantile. Always one to have the final word, Stu hesitated at the threshold.
"Joe, you and Hoss best make sure you hang on to ole Adam there. Wouldn't want ya to lose him on your way back to the high and mighty Cartwright ranch!"
Adam folded his arms across his chest and watched as Stu left and sauntered across the street.
Joe and Hoss exchanged glances. Hoss nodded toward the goods waiting to be loaded onto the buckboard. Each man filled his arms with supplies, approached Adam and bumped him as they made their way onto the street.
"You gonna stand there or ya gonna earn yer keep?" Hoss teased as he passed his older brother.
Joe giggled as he practically dumped a large bag of flour into Adam's unprepared arms.
By the time the wagon was loaded, the incident at the saloon was all but forgotten and the run-in with Stu was a fading memory. The ride back to the Ponderosa promised to be a time for Adam, Hoss and Joe to relax and simply be brothers.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
As the buckboard filled with supplies pulled into the yard, Ben and Hop Sing rushed outside to help with the unloading. When Adam swung down from Sport, Ben took several steps toward his son, thought better of his intent and grabbed a crate full of canned peaches. Always protective of his family, Ben found that since Adam's return he had to exercise restraint to keep himself from smothering his son while shielding him from the outside world.
His father's change of direction, however, did not go unnoticed. Adam knew his father meant well, and everything he and his brothers did was born from love. The space they seemed to be giving him was appreciated, especially after an encounter like the one in the saloon. Nevertheless, Adam was confident that he was becoming a master at masking his true feelings and maintaining control over his internal anger and sadness.
Leaving Adam to care for the horses, the others quickly hauled the supplies into the house. Ben, Hoss, and Joe gathered in the great room while Hop Sing grumbled in Chinese as he placed everything his way in his kitchen.
"How did it go in town?" Ben asked, anxious for a report on Adam's mood.
A nod from Hoss left Joe to do the telling. He started with their encounter with Carrie and they all agreed that Adam's inviting her to dinner was a good sign. "Then we went into the saloon for a beer," Joe continued. "Everything was fine until one of the newer gals at the saloon decided to talk to the 'man who'd lost his mind'."
"She WHAT?" Ben roared in a whisper meant for none to hear yet heard by all.
Joe couldn't stop a short giggle at his father's failed attempt at confidentiality. Seated on the settee, Hoss smiled up at Joe before shaking his head.
"I'm glad you two think this is so funny!" Ben said, his roar softened to a real whisper this time. "How could anyone be so cruel and inconsiderate?"
Joe propped one leg on the hearth and folded his hands on his knee as his father paced back and forth. He and Hoss both knew that the only way to continue this conversation was to let their father calm himself without interference.
"Of all the . . . And a woman at that! You'd think a woman would have more compassion than . . ." Ben's pacing stopped. Hands on his hips, he looked first at Hoss, then Joe. "Well? Are you going to tell me how Adam reacted or are you just going to sit there?"
Joe swallowed his giggle this time and let Hoss finish the tale.
"Well, Pa, he done handled it real good, if ya ask me. Said he was the fella that lost his mind 'n' told her when he didn't know who he was, no one asked him stupid . . ."
"Ridiculous," Joe corrected.
"Oh, yeah," Hoss continued with admiration in his voice. "Said no one asked him ridiculous questions then he up 'n' left the saloon!"
"That was it?" Ben asked. "He just up and left?"
"Yes, sir. Far as that Lily knows, she didn't rile him none."
Hoss glanced at Joe as he sat down on the hearth, his fingers laced together supporting his chin. "He was hurt, Pa," Hoss continued. "I don't think he was angry . . . just hurt."
"Hoss is right," Joe added. "Anybody who doesn't know Adam wouldn't see it. He sure did put on a good show."
"Yeah," Ben agreed, nodding his head. "Same sort of thing happened the other day when Roy dropped by. I'm sure Adam appreciated Roy asking about things but I could see that he wished there were no things to ask about. He seems to want everyone to forget all that happened, and, we can't." Ben sat in his favorite, worn chair and gently rubbed the arm rests with his hands. "Not anymore than he can."
"Pa," Joe whispered, "we had a sort of run-in at the mercantile, too."
Ben's face sank even further. He saw Hoss lower his head, turning over the tale to Joe.
"Stu Weaver," Joe groaned.
Ben's cheeks puffed before he exhaled sharply. Many years had passed since he spoken to the youngest of the Weaver boys. Time and time again, he'd witnessed Stu's erratic behavior; saloon fights, altercations with the sheriff, rough treatment of young ladies, and drunken public sermons reminding anyone unfortunate enough to be within earshot of his tortuous upbringing by a father who compared his every fault and failure to the successes of the Cartwrights.
"He was his typical unpleasant self, Pa," Joe said. "Tossing insults and making a general nuisance of himself."
Ben nodded, recalling that Stu's bullying had been one of the catalysts that had triggered Hoss's desire to leave school. No matter how old Hoss gets, I still struggle with the knowledge that mere words can harm him.
"Nothin' happened, Pa," Hoss added. "Just a lotta talk, nothin' more."
Ben recognized the aura surrounding Joe and Hoss. He knew no more details would be revealed, nor did they need to be. His sons were home, safe and sound, and that was all that mattered.
