Chapter Three

Cassie was sitting next to the bedroom window when Hoss knocked on the door and opened it up slowly. His huge heart went out to the young girl as he could see fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. He couldn't say as he blamed her as the past half hour raced in front of his eyes.

"No!" Cassie screamed as she doubled up her fists and began pounding Hoss on the chest after he'd sat down on the sofa and told her all the sheriff had told him. "He's lying! You're lying! Paul's still alive!" Ben, who was sitting in "his" red chair reading the newspaper, put the paper down on his lap and started to open his mouth. However, Hoss shook his head while his eyes begged his father to leave the matter to him. Ben didn't argue as shut his mouth.

Taking a hold of Cassie's small hands and wrists Hoss held them just tight enough to keep her from bolting, but not so hard as to hurt her. Only when she stopped struggling did Hoss speak again. "Listen to me pumpkin. I might not know what it's like to lose yer brother, but I have lost myself a ma. I know yer hurtin', ya will be fer a long time…that's where we come in." Hoss nodded towards his father and his brothers, who were standing, or sitting, near the fireplace. "Still, when it comes to Paul, let's be glad at least yer brother died a hero. I mean, that bank manager has a wife and seven children from what Roy told me before I left town." He let go of Cassie's hands when he could feel her relax. The moment she was free, Cassie turned and bolted up the stairs.

Hoss sighed as the young girl reached the top of the stairs and then disappeared around the corner; he didn't have to ask where she was going. "I wish I coulda found out somethin' different fer her. A youngin like that shouldn't have ta be alone in the world." Hoss stood up and walked to the empty fireplace. He put his one foot on the hearth while he leaned against the mantle. "No one should be as alone as she seems to be."

Ben felt his own heart go out to the young girl once more. True he'd lost three wives; still, he'd had his sons to hold onto. "I'm going to have the detective I was going to hire to look for her brother look for other relatives instead. If he doesn't find anyone," Ben looked towards the stairs, "then she can continue living here with us."

"You going to just stand there or what?" Cassie turned her head away from the window and snapped a bit harsher than she meant too. Immediately she was sorry as she could almost hearing her mother getting after her to remember her manners. "Sorry, no cause for me to bite your head off like that." She turned her face back towards the window.

"Sure there is," a sympathetic smile spread over Hoss' face as he grabbed the only other chair in the room and sat down beside her. He then looked through the window with her. "I remember when my stepmother, Marie, was killed when she fell off her horse. We were all hurtin' fer quite a spell. We would blow up at each other once in awhile too...not that we should have only when yer grievin' ya ain't always thinkin' straight."

Hoss spoke gently and with understanding in his voice hoping it would help Cassie. He was rewarded for his kindness and patience when Cassie turned and threw her arms around his waist and held on for all she was worth, tears still very close to the surface. "I'm afraid Hoss. I ain't never been alone before."

Hoss smiled and he returned her hug. "Yer not alone now. Ya got us; that is, ya got me, my pa and my brothers. You can stay here as long as you need to. Pa told ya that and pa's not a liar." Then, because Hoss got the strongest impression something else was bothering Cassie, he asked, "Is there something else wrong?"

Cassie pulled away from Hoss and turned her face towards the window. After what seemed like an eternity to Hoss she whispered quietly, "Adam said he buried my mama near the river, but your father said the sheriff would have my pa buried in Virginia City. That ain't right. I mean, mama and papa shouldn't be separated like that. And," she gulped as tears began running down her face once more. "I'll never be able to visit either one of my brothers' graves like other people do."

Hoss, who happened to agree about her parents and where they were buried, slapped his hands down up on his knees and said in a no nonsense tone of voice, "Well, we'll just have to fix that."

Cassie's eyes widened as she sat up and sniffled. "How?'

Hoss stood up and held out his hand. "Come with me. I gotta talk to my pa. Ya might as well come with me and listen to the idea yerself."

~oOo~

Cassie and all the Cartwrights stood in the Virginia City graveyard and watched as the last of the dirt was thrown over the graves of Cassie' parent's graves. After Hoss had talked to his father and then the sheriff, Mrs. White's body had been moved from beside the river to the city's cemetery to lay next to her husband. Also two crosses had been placed next to Mrs. White's graves with the names of Cassie's brothers on them.

"I know your brothers ain't buried there." Hoss had told Cassie, who had once again been in the room that now belonged to her, after he and Ben returned from talking to Roy. "But this way you have a place to go and remember them iff'n you want too."

Cassie stepped away from Hoss and knelt down by the graves. She might have started crying only no tears would come. She'd cried so much in the past few days that now all she could do was walk around feeling numb. "Don't worry 'bout me mama. You don't have to worry about me being raised in an orphanage. Ben Cartwright and his sons say I can stay with them instead." Cassie spoke so soft the Cartwrights could barely hear her; still, they heard every word she said. Their hearts once again went out to the young girl as talked Adam and Hoss, especially Hoss since he'd been the one to pull her from the river and how she'd do her best to make her parents proud of her. Only when she'd finished talking to her parents, along with the few words she spoke to her brothers did Ben lead Cassie out of the graveyard with his sons following. "Heaven help us help her." Ben thought as he helped Cassie up into the surrey he'd driven into town.