Ben hung around in Paradise after leaving Amelia's house feeling somewhat depressed. He still had no idea why his uncle would have left him and his siblings like the marshal had told them. It just couldn't be true, it couldn't. His uncle wouldn't ever leave for any reason without saying goodbye.
He'd heard whispers about that he and his brothers and sisters would now be living with the Parkers and would go with them when they left Paradise. Well he wasn't having any of that. If he had to, he'd run away instead. No one would be able to find him and he'd look for Uncle Ethan on his own. He saw a man walk past him with a familiar looking coat and hat and joy filled him. Relief too that P.J. had been wrong about his uncle taking off.
"Uncle Ethan…Uncle Ethan…"
He ran to the man but when the man turned to look at him, he saw it was a stranger and not his uncle. Disappointment and despair filled him again.
"I'm s…s..sorry…Mister"
But the man had moved on down the street.
The group of men with Ethan in tow tied to one of the horses left the town limits behind them and headed through a glen of trees using a worn road. They stopped by a creek and dismounted. Ethan just looked at them as they fetched some water.
"Fellows bounty hunters?"
One of the men looked at him.
"Pictures don't do you justice.
Ethan figured he had some room to get his freedom.
"I'll make you a deal."
The bounty hunter snickered.
"Didn't realize you had anything to bargain with…"
Ethan pressed forward.
"Let me go and no one will get hurt."
Another bounty hunter shook his head, smiling.
"You got pluck Cord. Two hundred dollars in Texas. Who'd you kill down there the governor?"
"Nobody."
"You don't want to talk about it…makes no difference then."
Ethan sighed.
"A slight misunderstanding between me and a dozen Texas Rangers."
Another one looked at him arching his brows.
"A dozen Texas Rangers?"
"Untie my hands. No hard feelings."
The younger one spoke up.
"Maybe we should let him go.
Another countered while Ethan watched them closely.
"There's three of us…his hands are tied. We've got guns."
"So right should we?"
The leader got real angry as he headed to his horse.
"Cord shut up one more word out of you and I'll shove my blanket down your throat."
George sat dejected on the porch of the ranchhouse looking at an old mirror. Jane walked out to see him.
"I got fresh apple pie. Why don't you join the others?"
George looked at her.
"No Thank you."
She walked back in the house leaving him alone.
Joseph had ridden his horse to the lake and was skipping rocks when Claire found him. She halted her own horse.
"Very stupid of you. Thinking it was all some kind of mistake. Would Uncle Ethan really leave us? Would he be out there?"
"I don't think it was stupid. I was thinking the same thing."
"He didn't even say goodbye."
Claire joined him by the lake.
"Maybe he couldn't…"
"He doesn't care. How could he leave us?"
The bounty hunters camped out and cooked some food while Ethan still tied up watched them.
"You guys going to untie my hands?"
One of them sneered while chewing his vittles.
"He wants to eat. Let him eat like a dog."
They all laughed and suddenly a new person joined them. John Taylor peeked out from between two trees, in a cheerful mood.
"Good afternoon…"
They all stared at him.
"You got a cup of coffee for an old Indian on the road? I could pay…"
He held up some coins.
One of them gestured.
"Help yourself."
John Taylor sat at the fire next to Ethan, sipping his coffee.
"You fellows lawmen?"
One of them answered.
"Yeah we're lawmen…take your cup and move on Indian…"
John Taylor stood up.
"Thank you for your hospitality…"
Ethan reached with his tied hands for the knife that the Indian had slipped him so clandestinely. He rubbed the ropes against it to whittle them loose while the men kept eating totally unaware.
Jane sighed as she did the teaching of the children outside, not that they seemed to be paying much attention. But teaching was what she and her husband had done…before their children were taken from them by disease.
"The first 10 amendments of the Constitution are…"
She waited for one of the children to jump in and finish the statement for her, perhaps one of the older ones but they just looked at her quietly…not into the lesson plan at all.
"It's important children…you should all know this."
She glanced over across them one by one until her eyes fell on…
"Even you Ben."
"What?"
"You weren't paying attention were you?"
She looked towards the others.
"Will you answer the question for your brother Claire?"
"Um the first 10 Amendments of the Constitution…"
Jane nodded for her to continue but instead she looked sheepish.
"I should know this…"
Robert sighed.
"Of course you should. The country was founded in the principles stated in the amendments. There the very thing we should be fighting for in our daily lives."
Joseph piped up.
"The Bill of Rights."
Jane nodded, pleased.
"The Bill of Rights that protect us. Make us free and equal people. All of us, men, women, Indian, whites…the rights of our forefathers…Ben this concerns you too."
The young boy was looking someplace else.
"When Uncle Ethan is free…he'll be b…b…"
George finished.
"Back."
Joseph reacted.
"He's not coming back."
"Course he is…"
The two brothers continued to argue.
"He is…he is coming back."
The Parkers went over to comfort him.
"He is, isn't he?"
Jane brushed his forehead.
"I hope so…in the meantime Ben don't worry. You can count on me and Robert to look out after you. No matter what happens."
Ben fell into her arms and the others joined him.
It got dark and the bounty hunters tried to sleep near the fire leaving Ethan tied up. Suddenly one man heard a kettle drop and got up. Ethan started pounding on him having broken free of the ropes and knocking him out cold before riding off on the man's horse.
Back to Paradise.
By daylight he rode up to where the Parkers were loading furniture onto their wagon. He dismounted while they looked at him. Robert narrowed his eyes
"Mr. Cord."
No pleasantries down to business.
"How are the children?"
"Upset," Jane said, "but they're holding on…"
Robert sighed.
"We didn't think you were coming back Mr. Cord. We were going to take the children with us."
Back to Boston, all the way across the country. He walked towards the house.
"Well I'm back…"
Robert nodded.
"Yes of course…."
But Jane moved to block him.
"No…you don't have to come back. Let them go with us."
"I can't do that…"
"You can…and you should…you know they'd be better off with us."
Robert raised a hand.
"Jane that's not fair."
Ethan interjected.
"Wait a minute. I want to talk."
"I don't have to talk Mr. Cord. You know. Forgive me, but it's clear these children have interrupted your life. They will salvage ours and you'll be far better off for it."
Ethan appeared to consider it. He knew Jane had a point and then he looked up and saw George walking out of the house carrying his suitcase followed by Ben.
"Uncle Ethan…"
His uncle hoisted him up in his arms.
"I knew it. I knew it."
But Ethan put George in the wagon.
"You must all be excited about moving back East. It's a good idea"
Ben watched Ethan put the rest of the suitcases in the wagon.
"Why are you saying that?"
"Because I mean it Ben. Now none of us thought you living here was a good idea."
Ethan wasn't thrilled but he wanted what was best for the children and maybe that life was away from him. But we had no other choice."
Claire protested.
"But that was when we first got here."
Ethan pressed ahead.
"Because if I didn't take you in, you'd get separated but now you don't have to worry. The Parkers…will make sure you'll stay together."
Ben stammered.
"I don't w…w…want to go."
Ethan sighed.
"That's crazy Ben. Nobody stays in Paradise on purpose."
"I want to stay with you."
Joseph frowned.
"Ben stop whimpering. He didn't even want us in the first place."
"He d…does want us."
Ethan put the last of the luggage in the wagon.
"Joseph's right Ben. You didn't think we could really make this work could you? I tried my best to get everything going but I'm not a parent. I'm just not a parent. These people are parents."
The four children just looked at him but he wasn't done.
"You ought to be grateful to them for it. I am. Look I'm just not cut out for this."
Ben moved towards him and Ethan framed the boy's face with his hands stooping down to his level.
"You know that…"
Ben wrenched away from him and ran back into the house.
"We tried it and it didn't work. You all know that."
Joseph watched Ethan mount his horse.
"Yeah we know…."
Ethan looked at them one last time as he rode off to town. His work was done…but his heart was breaking. At least he knew he had one.
Just one more stop to make before he took off on his own…to see a woman who surely would be glad to see him leave Paradise.