Paul Martin held the stethoscope to Hoss's chest while Ben waited to hear the verdict. Adam and Joe stood in the door. He listened, moving it around. "Cough for me."
"Paul, I'm fine - I don't know why Pa brought you all the way out here so early in the morning."
"Cough for me," Paul repeated.
Hoss coughed, and then coughed a few more times under Paul's direction.
Paul put his stethoscope down, and turned to Ben. "Well, his heart is sound. He didn't have a heart attack." He looked at Adam. "Tell me what you saw."
Adam thought carefully. "He was talking to us - telling us about the find he made yesterday. His voice broke, his face flushed a bright red, and he caught the mantle to keep from falling. He had trouble breathing - he was gasping for breath."
"All right, well, I can see why you thought it was his heart," Paul stood up. "You need to stay in bed today and rest, and then take it easy tomorrow." He looked around the other Cartwrights. "You did right to get me this morning, and it would have been fine to come for me last night."
He walked out of the room and went downstairs. Ben and Adam followed him. "What was it, Paul? He looked so bad I was afraid we were going to lose him," Ben said.
"It was an anxiety attack - a bad one. Roy brought me the body of the baby boy that Hoss found yesterday, and told me Hoss was upset. He's a big man, Ben, and his heart matches his size. How was he when he got home?"
"He came here before he went into town, and he was very upset. He couldn't eat, he was sick, and he was - I've never seen him like that, not even when Marie was killed," Adam said. "I offered to go to town with him to give the body to Roy, but he insisted on going alone - he didn't want me to hurt my back. When he came home, he stayed out in the barn, building a little coffin."
"Hop Sing finished it for him last night. Can you take it in and give it to Roy?" Ben asked.
"Of course, and Roy spoke with Dave Clayton - he's going to do a funeral service tomorrow after church." Paul picked up the little coffin.
"Hoss may want to come," Ben said.
Paul thought for a minute. "Let him come if he feels like it - it might comfort him." He left, and Ben and Adam turned to go back upstairs when they heard a loud thud above their heads. Ben rushed up the stairs two at a time while Adam followed more slowly. When they got to Hoss's room, they found Joe on the floor and Hoss out of bed, getting dressed.
"I tried to stop him, Pa," Joe said, "I even sat on him, but he threw me off."
"Hoss, you just heard what Paul said," Ben was exasperated.
"Pa, we're short-handed already. Adam's back is still hurt, and..."
"Hoss, the work will get done one way or another. Get back in bed and stay there. Joseph, get up off the floor and come with me." Ben's voice was firm.
Hoss sat down on the bed, half-dressed, as Joe jumped up from the floor. He followed his father out of the room, and when they got downstairs, Ben saw that Adam had followed them. "What are you doing down here?"
"Pa, my back feels much better and I can help -"
Ben interrupted him. "You can help by sitting with your brother and making sure he stays in bed and eats something today. If you go out now, you'll just hurt your back again and you might never get over it. Face facts, Adam, it takes time to heal the kind of injury you have, and you're going to have to take care of yourself."
Ben and Joe put on their jackets, hats, and gun belts, and Hop Sing brought them a bag of food. "Hop Sing, please see that Adam and Hoss eat a good meal today."
Adam motioned to Joe. "Can you take Sport out today instead of Cochise? He needs the exercise."
"Sure," Joe said. "Is that all?"
"Yes, well, be careful - remember he throws his head." Adam reminded him.
As he watched them leave, Adam felt better about having Joe up on Sport. He was larger and more powerful than Cochise, and, with Joe's light weight, would be able to outrun anything he and Ben might come across.
...
Peggy Dayton looked out the window and saw Will working in the garden. He and Peggy had planted it together right after he and Laura had returned from San Francisco. It had been successful, and they had enjoyed fresh vegetables all summer. She put Felicia in the window and ran outside to help Will. "What are you doing, Will?"
He looked up and smiled at her. "I'm trying to see if we have any late vegetables - I'd like something fresh to eat tonight."
"May I help you look?"
"Of course."
Peggy started looking at the other end of the garden, and she and Will found some late beans and squash.
They didn't realize that Laura was watching them from the window. Will loved Peggy every bit as much as her late husband had, Laura thought. What was it about men and their daughters, she wondered. Her own father had died when she was born, and her mother had raised her alone. Laura had been a lovely child and had grown up to be a very pretty woman. She had married well, but Jack had frightened her on their wedding night. She dreaded his touch, and used her pregnancy as an excuse to avoid him.
After their first year of marriage, Jack had turned to other women. Laura had known about his affairs, and had resented them although she'd been relieved that her husband no longer approached her. She'd been happy enough in Carson City with a new baby. Their social life had been active, but then Jack had purchased the Running D Ranch. He'd moved Laura and Peggy out to the ranch while he continued to work in Carson City. Left alone with a young baby, Laura had been lonesome. Virginia City didn't have the amusements or society she'd enjoyed in Carson City. Her resentment of Jack continued to grow.
Jack visited his wife and baby on weekends, and Laura gradually realized that he was coming only to see Peggy. He'd loved the baby from the very beginning, naming her Margaret Ann after his mother. He held her, read to her, and took her for rides on his horse. Laura became jealous of her daughter. She loved Peggy - she really did, she told herself - after all, what kind of mother resents her daughter?
Laura moved away from the window as she saw Will and Peggy head towards the kitchen. She could hear their voices as they came inside.
"May we go for a ride, Will?" Peggy was asking.
"No, I'm sorry, sweetheart," Will said. "You know we don't have Dealer anymore, and Miss Betsy is too old for me to ride."
Peggy thought for a minute. "Well, could you saddle Mickey for me, and we'll go for a long walk?"
Will wanted to refuse - he'd seen how Miss Betsy had reacted to him, but after a look at Peggy's little face, he couldn't say no. "All right. You wait here and I'll get Mickey."
They went back outside, and Peggy sat down on the steps to wait while Will went to the barn. As he went past the chickens, they ran out of his way, squawking and clucking. He entered the barn, and the cow began to moo and toss her head. Miss Betsy moved nervously around in her stall, and, as Will approached Mickey, the pony began to snort and kick. Will tried speaking to him softly, but Mickey began to show his teeth and buck. After a few minutes, he gave up and left.
Peggy was waiting for him on the steps. "Where's Mickey?"
"Well, Mickey and I were talking, and we decided that I should be your ride today." He scooped Peggy up and placed her on his shoulders. She laughed as he ran around the yard with her.
"Where are we going to go?" she asked.
Will picked up a bucket. "I think we'll go see if there are any late berries down by the pond."
They walked through the woods to the pond, and Will set Peggy down near its edge. It was really too late for berries, and they didn't find any. Will was aware that the wolf pack was near - he could feel their presence - but he knew he and Peggy were in no danger from them. As they moved around the pond, the hairs on the back of his neck prickled. Something - someone - was watching them, and Will realized they were in danger. "Time to go," and he caught Peggy up in his arms and began running towards the house. The watcher saw them leave, and stepped back into the cover of the woods.
...
Evening came and Will prepared to leave the house. The call from the wolf pack was stronger than ever. Laura stood in the door of his room. "Must you leave tonight?"
"You and Peggy are perfectly safe here," Will told her. "Bolt the doors and keep the shotgun handy."
"Are you going out to the herd again?" Laura asked.
Will hesitated - he didn't want to lie but he couldn't tell her the truth. It was too unbelievable. "Where else would I go?" He put on his jacket, buckled his gun belt, loaded his rifle and checked the safety. "I'll be back around dawn. Get some sleep." He walked out the door, and Laura watched him go. She went back to the kitchen and saw the bag of food she'd prepared for him. She grabbed it and went ran outside after him, but he was nowhere in sight. "Will!" she called. She ran in the direction of the pasture. "Will, you forgot your food! Will!"
Suddenly something caught her by the ankle and she screamed as she fell. Will was there in an instant. "Laura, what are you doing out here? Are you all right?"
"You forgot your food bag. I made sandwiches for you..." she was babbling from fear and nerves. Will helped her up, but her ankle gave way. He lowered her back to the ground and felt of her ankle. "It's just a sprain, Laura. Here, I'll help you back to the house." He put his arm under her shoulder and lifted her easily. Laura put her arms around his neck, and Will carried her to the house. He took her upstairs to her bedroom, and put her down on her bed. "I'll get you some water," he said and he went down to the kitchen, pumped a pitcher of fresh water, and took a length of linen from the storage chest.
By the time he returned to her room, Laura was in her flannel nightgown. She was making it clear that she hadn't issued him an invitation by allowing him to carry her to her bedroom. Will averted his eyes, and tore the linen into strips. He washed her foot and ankle carefully, and then bound the ankle with more strips. He propped her bandaged ankle up on pillows, and put the pitcher within easy reach.
"What's wrong with Mommy?" a little voice asked.
Will turned and saw Peggy standing in the door. "Mommy hurt her ankle," Will explained. "I need you to help me."
Peggy loved to be helpful, and she went downstairs with Will, bolted the door behind him, and returned to her mother's room. She climbed into bed with Laura and was soon sound asleep.
...
Will walked into the woods. The cattle sensed his presence and shifted around nervously. Ayesha appeared, and Will stripped off his gun belt, boots, and clothes. He felt the change start, and, in a few seconds, a large gray wolf stood where Will had been.
You must leave the herd alone, he told Ayesha. I will hunt with you and we will find something else to feed your hunger. I have a wife and child to support, and I need the cattle.
Very well, Ayesha agreed. They began to hunt as a pack, and Will discovered it was not so very different from hunting with his family. They moved quietly through the woods. All around him were the rustling sounds of animals hiding in their burrows, waiting until danger passed by.
They came upon a doe and her fawn, and one of the wolves stopped, but Will urged the pack on. We cannot kill a mother and child to feed tonight, he told them, and they followed him deeper into the woods. Ayesha noticed how they took his direction, and she was impressed. He will make a good leader, but that was a thought she did not share with the pack.
Finally they came upon a moose - an old bull moose. Its antlers were large and heavy, and it was big with plenty of meat for them. Will led the attack, and, as he had done the night before, moved so swiftly that he tore out the animal's throat almost before it knew the pack was there. The moose died quickly, and the pack began to feed. This time Ayesha and Will ate with them, taking the choicest portions for themselves. They stood aside from the pack.
Are you as I? Will asked.
I was once, Ayesha said. Many years ago I had a family as you do, but then I was bitten by a wolf as I defended my children and I made the transition as you will.
How long will it take? he asked.
You have a little more time. You have time to make any amends you need to make, and you have time to make arrangements for your wife and daughter - you should not delay, she advised.
I promised my wife I would stay with them until spring, Will told her.
Ayesha shook her head. You will not be able to stay with them in your human form.
Will I be a danger to them? Will asked.
No, though they may be a danger to you because they will not know you in your present state. Know, though, that there is evil here - a danger to all humans. It comes from the old world and wears the guise of a wolf.
Is it a wolf?
No, it is a man and his mate. They come from an ancient evil, one that was destroyed in the old world. They have come here where they are unknown.
The pack finished eating. Just before the dawn, Will and Ayesha returned to the place he'd left his clothes. As the sun rose, Will underwent a change. As he took on his human form, Ayesha licked his hand, and then turned and ran away with the pack.