Wolf stared out over the lake. She had told Hop Sing that she was going for a ride and needed him to watch Bear. She had swung up on Wind and left the ranch house. She had stopped when she came across Lake Tahoe.
So much had happened in the last two months it was hard to keep track of it all.
One moment she was safe within the tribe with her son and husband and the next, her husband was dead and she a captive, her son screaming beside her. After two weeks of running with the man that had tried to control her life from the moment he stepped into it, she finally took her captive out and fled with her son and sister.
That same night they had come across the Ponderosa. There was a coyote on the land. That had freaked the horse out and it had bucked, throwing her. She had fallen, hitting her back on some rocks and messing it up pretty badly. She had known she couldn't stop so she had continued on until they found a house. She vaguely remembered someone calling to her in a friendly voice and then yelling for someone when she collapsed.
When she woke up, a white doctor was looking her over as her sister stood close by. The men who took them in were gentle and good. They allowed them to move about freely when she was up to moving. Her son had been the most versatile. He had taken up with one them and followed him around the house, jabbering as he went. They all laughed at him because he was like a little lamb.
After she was able to move with the least amount of pain, she took a job taming a wild stallion that had a free spirit. After a few days, he was now her friend and constant companion when she was out on the range. They talked often. Actually a horse couldn't talk, but she understood his body language. Now he was bridled and saddled but only by her. No one else could touch him or dared to.
The Ponderosa was a beautiful ranch, one she now lived on and worked. Being a ranch hand was hard work, especially taming the horses but it was fulfilling work. She enjoyed the constant animals around. They now had twenty horses that were getting ready to be sold. She was working hard with them, even to the point she bled.
Under the jeans she now wore were hoof prints from where she'd been kicked. It hadn't been her fault one of the other hands hadn't been careful when he got on the horse she called Breaker. He had bucked too close to the fence railing she had been sitting on and hit her shin. She had toppled off the fence into the corral, causing quite a stir with the other hands, and crawled quickly under the slats to get out. Little Joe and Hoss hadn't been too happy. At the time she had been happy Candy hadn't been around. By the time she got to the house, he had heard and was mad. She had to hold him back from going after the hand.
Candy had become her closest friend and confidant. They spent almost every waking hour together. He came in to see Bear at night and most of the time put him to bed. Candy was now the baby's father and for some reason she was happy about it. Someone was raising her baby like he should be raised. She just didn't know how he felt about it.
Not only was the man her friend, he was quickly becoming something more, which was the exact thing Flying Eagle had feared. Because of all the time they spent together, she was steadily loving him because of the way he treated her and her son. She would never say a word because she didn't want to be named a fool. Plus if they were seen together in town like that, he would be ridiculed. She didn't want to see that.
Wolf looked down at her clothing. She had traded her buckskin for jeans and a shirt. Joe had loaned her a blue riding jacket which was slung across Wind's saddle. Ben had ordered her a pair of boots while Hoss loaned her a gun belt and a revolver. She always braided her hair and wore her Sioux headband but she had changed.
Having a sudden thought, she grabbed Wind's reins and swung into the saddle. Wind knew where she wanted to go and soon they were back at the house. It was lunch time and everyone was sitting at the table talking and eating.
When she walked in, Hop Sing started rambling in Chinese. He started to pull her to the table. She dug her feet in. He pulled harder. It was a game of tug and war.
"I'm not hungry, Hop Sing." She said as he tugged harder on her arm.
The cook let go of her arm and poked her. "You very late. Girl very skinny. You eat. Make Hop Sing very happy." She shook her head. He nodded. Once again she said no. He huffed up and started rambling again, this time angrily.
"Sit down and eat. There's plenty of food considering Bear is upstairs taking a nap." Ben said with a huge smile on his face.
"I'm not hungry."
"What's wrong?" Hoss asked as he cut his chicken into little pieces.
"I'm going into town." She replied matter-of-factly.
The dishes clattered as everyone stopped and looked at her. Joe's shock was very evident as she stood in front of them. Hoss's mouth was open as he stared. Luckily he had swallowed the lump of food he had just taken a bite of. Ben rubbed his eyes tiredly. She hadn't said anything about town since her first visit and they hadn't asked. Candy's response had been enough to let them know not to do it. Now they were all very nervous about her silence.
Candy stared at his plate, his jaw set. "I thought you promised not to go into town alone."
"I'm not. That's why I came in here to tell you. I would have just left but I thought back on that promise. You're welcome to join me but I'm going."
"Why?" Ben asked. It wasn't accusatory. He honestly wanted to know.
"I can't hide out here all the time. If I'm going to live here, I have to be comfortable in town. I won't live afraid anymore."
Ben nodded and stood. "Hop Sing, we're finished with lunch." He shook his head when he heard angry Chinese.
"What are you doing?" Wolf asked as they all headed towards the door.
"If you're going into town, so are we." Joe said. He smiled as he set the hat on his head and walked out the door.
After the others followed the younger son, she turned to the one man left. "Candy?"
"I'm not mad." He replied as he caught the thought in her voice. "I completely understand. You need to know your son's safe here. Well, we're all going to make sure everyone knows where the Cartwrights stand."
She smiled and walked out the door. The others were waiting in their saddles. She nodded at them and swung up into hers then led the way into town.
The ride was calm as calm could be. Candy tried to keep pace but Wind was too fast. Joe and Cochise were happy to ride along beside Buck and Ben. Hoss and Chub brought up the rear, very happy to ride along.
When town came into view, Wolf pulled Wind to a halt. She stared at the buildings as she calmed her nerves. This was her enemy at the moment and she needed to face it sooner rather than later. The men surrounded her and a sudden calm swept over her much like the wind would do on the open plains.
"You ready?" Joe asked. He gave her a moment to think. When he looked at her, she was nodding. "Let's go."
Cochise led the way this time. Wolf held her breath as they entered the town. People instantly started staring. They had no idea what was going on but they knew that if the Cartwrights were involved, it must be something important. Joe stopped in front of the saloon and slid to the ground, tying his horse to the post.
Candy rode up beside her. "Everything okay?"
"It's like they've never seen an Indian woman before." She replied as she turned around.
"Well, they've never seen an Indian woman as pretty as you or dressed like a man carrying a gun." She looked at him and he tipped his head with the face he always made when he knew he was right. It made her smile. "There you go. Smile and they won't have anything to say."
They joined Ben, Joe and Hoss on the porch. They were looked around as the people on the streets were staring at them. Joe patted Wolf's back as she stood beside him. She smiled at him and received a smile in return.
"Where to first?" Ben asked.
"The dress shop and the general store are the places we had the most trouble." Candy said.
"To the dress shop then."
The men made a small circle around the two as they walked down the street. Wolf glanced from side to side to make sure no one was coming after them. No one seemed to dare to come after them because of the Cartwrights.
Wolf stepped into the fabric shop and stopped all traffic inside. She walked over to a light flannel fabric and picked up. "Ma'am, much would I need to make a few shirts for me and my son?"
The clerk lady smiled and ignored her other customer. "You would need at least twenty yards to make a decent outfit. But, dear, wouldn't you like a nice dress?'
"No, ma'am. I'm a ranch hand out at the Ponderosa. I just need a few shirts and maybe some material for new pants."
"Well, if you allow me to get your measurement, I would gladly make them for you."
Wolf smiled. "Thank you. That's very kind of you."
"It's nothing at all. Ben Cartwright is a good friend of mine. I wouldn't mind helping him at all." She reached for the feather hanging from one of the braids. "What a lovely feather."
"Thank you. My late husband gave it to me the night my son was born."
The lady smiled and began picking through a few pieces of flannel material then a few pieces of light material for the pants. Wolf paid for it all and walked out with a promise that it would be ready in a week. The others were looking out at the general store. Jeb and his men were standing there blocking the way.
Candy turned when she stepped up beside him. "Still have those knives on you?"
She let her eyes fall on Jeb. He was staring at her with a sick grin. "That's the last place to go."
"Jeb's going to cause a scene." Hoss said as they stepped into the street.
"What do you want to do?" Candy asked. He laughed when Wolf's hand slipped to the blade at her right hip. "Well, that answers that question." He stepped up on the porch and tipped his hat. "Afternoon, gentlemen." Jeb stepped in his way. "Oh, come on. What's with this?"
"We told you last time. Squaw's aren't allowed in here." Jeb replied.
"And I told you last time not to call her that."
"Just what we need. The Cartwrights protecting a squaw. Let me guess. There's a baby brave at home and one of you boys is taking care of it."
Candy stepped into him. "You be careful of what you say about my son."
Wolf looked at him in shock. So this was how he felt. He felt as if Bear was his flesh and blood son. She wasn't going to argue about it. She looked back at the men in front of them. They were seething now. Apparently a white man adopting a red man's baby was enough to get them riled.
"You dare to claim a red baby as your own?" Jeb asked.
"Yes, and I dare to claim this woman as my wife as well."
That made everyone look at him. Candy claiming this was as if a red man claimed a white woman for his wife.
Jeb had had enough of that. He attacked Candy. Both men went sprawling into the dust. Joe and Hoss jumped into the fray instantly as Ben and Wolf stood on the side watching the young men fight. They looked at each other for a few moments before looking back at the fight.
Sheriff Coffey showed up a few minutes later. He and the deputy forced all the men away from each other and looked between them. Candy had a busted lip, Joe's hair was a mess, and Hoss was heaving. Jeb was bleeding from his right eye, one man was sitting on the ground and the other was holding his hand (Hoss had stepped on it in the middle of the fight).
"What's going on here?" Coffey demanded.
"That man attacked me." Jeb said as he pointed to Candy.
"That man insulted my wife and son." Candy retaliated. He wiped the blood from his lip and sniffed.
Coffey looked at Ben and Wolf. "Is this the truth?"
"We were going in the general store when they blocked our path. Insults were exchanged." Ben replied.
"Did Jeb insult the girl and her child?"
"Yes, he did."
"Get up, Jeb."
Jeb looked shocked. "But, Sheriff, I was just defending myself."
"Not from what I heard and saw the other day. You attacked them then and I wouldn't be surprised if you attacked them now. So come on. Let's go."
He turned around and looked at Candy. "Trust me, Canaday. I will get you back for this."
Candy waved his hand in response to that and turned back to the general store. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get something for that lip." Wolf said. Candy climbed the stairs and walked into the general store with her.
Joe and Hoss joined Ben on the porch. "Did we hear Candy right when he said Wolf was his wife and Bear his son?" Joe asked.
"Yes, we heard him right. I guess we'll have to make it right. Once people find out that it was a lie, they really will be after Candy for fighting Jeb." Ben replied.
"Well, I say we call Coffey out to the ranch this afternoon to make it legal." Hoss suggested.
"You head over there. We'll meet you at the saloon. Those two will be a while. Don't let Jeb hear you talking about it."
Hoss nodded and they split up. Joe went to the saloon, Ben went to the jeweler and Hoss went to find the sheriff.
