The references to Lisa and Sam are from the season 7 "Found Child" and season 10 "Little Girl Lost" episodes.
"Hey, Joe!" Hank, the telegraph operator, called out to him as he was walking down the boardwalk.
"Yeah, Hank, what's up?"
"Got a telegram here from your pa. Sounds important."
"Not bad news, I hope."
"No, not bad, but definitely news." Hank handed Joe the piece of paper.
"Thanks, Hank."
Joe read the telegram and took off at a fast clip toward the general store where Hoss was loading supplies into the buckboard.
"Hoss! Hey, Hoss!"
"What?" Hoss looked down at his younger brother with a scowl.
"You know, Joe, this would go a whole lot faster if you'd give me a hand."
"Wait, there's a telegram from Pa and Kate."
"Everythin' alright?"
"Yeah, but guess what?"
"What?"
"They're bringing the two little girls home with them, you know, Mary and Hannah."
"They're what?"
"Yeah, they're bringing a two-year and a four-year all the way from Indiana back to the Ponderosa."
"You're joshin'!"
"Nope. This wire was sent yesterday, so that means they'll be here in a week. Hoss, what in the world are we going to do with two little girls? I mean, they're almost babies. This won't be like when Benji and Elizabeth were here for two weeks and then went back home. They're comin' to stay!"
"Course, it'll be different. But it'll also be different from when we had Lisa and Sam stayin' with us, cause Kate will be here to take care of 'em. Dadburn it, Joe, you can work yourself into a lather in no time, and you still ain't helpin' me with these supplies."
"What was Pa thinkin' when he agreed to that! He just adopted Jamie a few months ago! Kate must really be working some magic on him. Hoss, we've barely had time to get used to having a woman in the house, and now this!" Joe's hazel eyes were flashing.
"Now Joe, ya need ta just settle down. Pa's always had a heart for those that need help, and ya don't know the full story, so ya best not be sayin' things like that about Kate. Sides Jamie's been with us over a year and he's almost full-growed. You best be careful what ya say about this around him, too. You and me both lost our ma's, but Jamie knows what it's like ta lose both his ma and pa... Well, that's the last of it, no thanks ta you!" Hoss dropped the last bag of feed onto the buckboard. "I need a beer. Come on. Let's go to the Silver Dollar."
"Yeah, me, too! We need to talk about this some more."
Hoss jumped off the back of the buckboard. He looked at his brother and shook his head. "Joe, I swear, one of these days, your gonna plum talk yourself ta death!"
Later that day, Joe was sitting at his father's desk working on some figures, and Hoss was relaxing in the blue chair eating an apple, when Jamie came through the door after school.
"How was school today?" Hoss took another bite of his apple.
"Bout like usual. Math was good, English, not so much."
Hoss grinned. "Been there, little brother, 'cept for me, the Math weren't so good, either."
Joe looked up from the ledger he was working on. "Hey, Jamie, we heard from Pa and Kate today."
"They doin' ok?"
"Yeah, but kind of a surprise, they're bringing Kate's nieces home with them."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really!"
"Whoa! Isn't Pa kind of old for little kids, especially girls? I mean, he's never really done that before!"
'Yeah, guess we'll find out if you really can teach an old dog new tricks." Joe cackled.
"Yeah." Hoss let loose with a rumbly chuckle.
Jamie sighed." Yeah, well, I best get to my chores." He took off up the stairs to put his schoolbooks in his room.
While Jamie mucked out the barn, fed and brushed the horses, and chopped the wood, his thoughts went back and forth between his memories of his birth pa and Mary and Hannah. He had a really good life now with Pa, Kate, Hoss, and Joe; not that he did not love his Pa Hunter when he was alive, because he did, very much. And he wished like everything that he could remember his Ma, but he was not quite two when she died. Yet his life had changed dramatically for the better when he allowed the love of his new family to fully come into his heart. He did not know much about little girls, except that sometimes they could be real pests, but he was determined to do his part to make Mary and Hannah feel welcome and part of the family.