Idle Hands ~ Chapter 10

Adam Cartwright rented an office in town. It was a place of peace and quiet where he could work on the books and bring future clients to talk about business. But this morning he had a visitor.

"Oh Hell" he frowned "Did you tell her I'm busy, I'd talk with her later?" He asked his foreman.

Bertha Chaney breezed in past him.

Adam stood up.

"Mrs Chaney, this is a pleasant surprise, but as I said, l am kinda busy" He told her.

"Now don't you high and mighty it with me Adam Cartwright.

There was a time when I had to tie your shoe laces and mend your britches when Ben asked me to.

Now hear this, that Angela Manning done broke your Hoss's fool heart. And we all know'd how sensitive that boy is. Too sensitive for this world. So you'd best quit doing what you're pretending to do there and go out an find em."

"When did this happen," Adam frowned.

"Last night at the sewing circle. Ok if she didn't want to marry him, that was fine but there was no call for the laughing she done. Poor boy took off afore we could offer any kind of comfort.

"He preposed to her?"

"Yes he did," she nodded primly "and she done laughed in his face that evil mare."

~o~

Adam found Hoss up at the south pasture. He was labouring over some fallen fence, working alone. He barely looked up as Adam approached.

"It's only going to come down again, there's another storm headed this way," Adam told him.

Hoss didn't answer.

"Hence the reason we're keeping the cattle in the more sheltered pastures," He went on.

"Won't come down ifn it's mended right," Hoss muttered as he worked on.

"I heard what happened," Adam said.

"Bertha Chaney told me. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I reckon she had a real good laugh at it too," Hoss said bitterly as he drove a nail into the splintering wood.

"No she didn't, she was worried about you."

"Ain't nothin ta worry about, I'm fine," Hoss growled.

"Well if you don't want to talk, that's fine but at least let me help you fix this fence so we can get out of this cold." Adam told him as he picked up some timber and went to help.

Hoss turned to him.

"Adam, I appreciate what you're trying to do, I really do but I'd really settle for being alone. I don't want no company."

Adam chucked the timber piece down into the grass.

"Well ok, but if you want to talk you know where I am," he told his brother.

Hoss nodded and continued on.

~o~

Vernon was still laughing the next morning.

"The idiot, to think, he spent all that money on a ring and everything. Well done Angela," he said wiping tears from his face.

"Oh that did give me a chuckle."

Angela tried to join in. She had told Vernon all about it the night before and although they had shared a couple of bottles of fine wine and Vernon enjoyed the tale immensely the victory rang hallow for Angela. Last night in bed as she stared up at the ceiling she thought of Hoss at the picnic showing her the ladybug on his large hand. She remembered how he carefully let it down into the grass. A big man incapable of hurting such an insignificant creature. And she had hurt him. She had hurt him deeply and Angela was too weak a person to do anything about it.

~o~

A couple of weeks later Sheriff Coffee stepped across to talk to Adam.

"Your pa was by earlier, asked me to tell ye if I seen ye ta stop by the ranch house. He wants to talk to ye."

"Did he seem ok?" Adam asked, concerned.

"Far as I can tell, he seemed fine," Sheriff Coffee shrugged.

Adam stopped by that very afternoon. Ben went to stand before him even as he removed his gun belt.

"Pa, Roy tells me you wanted to see me."

"Yes Adam, it's about Hoss."

Adam led his obviously distraught father to the chair by the fireside and sat opposite.

"What's this about Pa. I know he broke up with that lady from San Francisco a couple of weeks back, is he still upset?"

"Yes he is Adam and he's worrying me. I can't get through to him. He's working flat out, he doesn't eat, he walks the halls at night."

"Ok, I'll have a talk with him Pa," Adam put a hand up to stall his fathers rant.

"He's up behind the barn, he's bringing the hay in," Ben told him, urging him to action.

"Don't I get a cup of coffee first?" Adam asked as his father walked him to the door.

"You'll get a cup of coffee and a toasted cheese sandwich when you have talked to Hoss," Ben told him.

~o~

Adam found Hoss forking large heaps of hay into the barn. Hoss threw a nod at his brother but continued on.

Adam froze. He was looking at something he never thought he would see. Hoss had gotten thin. His face looked older as it was drawn and haggard and his eyes were dark and sunken into his head. His clothes hung loose on his frame, a large belt wrapped about his waist, making him look even thinner.

"Hoss, we're about to have toast and cheese sandwiches and coffee inside, why don't you join us," Adam asked. Hoss's weight was his immediate concern.

"I don't eat cheese," Hoss told him. "I'll eat when this is done."

On seeing his brother Adams appetite left him. He picked up a pitch fork and began shovelling large mounds of hay up into the barn with Hoss.

"So how's everything," he began, as they worked.

"You know they're having the social again on Saturday. Little Joe is taking Annie, you should go."

"I'm busy," Hoss told him. "There's too much to do here."

"You can't just lock yourself away from the world Hoss."

"I ain't locking myself away. There too much social and not enough workin going on. Things get left undone." Hoss growled.

"Hoss, talk to me, what's eating ye," they had forked all the hay up into the barn and Adam now stood leaning on his fork waiting for an answer.

"Nothing's eating me, I just got stuff ta do,"

Hoss went to leave and Adam put a hand to his chest.

"Hoss, you can't carry on like this, you need to rest." He told him.

Hoss patted Adam on the shoulder but moved off then to cut away the scrub building up at the edge of the first field.

Adam watched him go feeling that his fathers concern was well founded.

~o~

Adam was summoned to the ranch house again four days later. Ben rushed out to meet him as he settled his horse.

"Pa it's raining, get in doors for heaven sake." Adam said, squinting as rain lashed into his face.

"Oh Adam I'm glad you're here, he won't stop," Ben told him anxiously.

"Who won't stop," he asked, pulling Ben into the Barn and out of the rain.

"Hoss, he's fixing the fence behind the house in this rain and I can't get him to come in Adam. I don't know what's wrong with him."

Ben looked on the verge of tears and Adam gave him a quick awkward hug.

"It's ok, I'll talk to him," he nodded as he headed out of the barn.

"Oh get him to come in out of the rain please Adam," Ben called after him anxiously.

~o~

Hoss was straining with a bolt, trying to prize it loose when Adam walked up.

"What in the hell are you doing, get in the house," Adam told him firmly.

"When I finish," Hoss told him as water ran from his nose and chin.

"You're finished now," Adam grabbed hold of the back of his shirt and pulled him from the fence.

Hoss immediately broke from his grip. He still had formidable strength and he eyed Adam challenging him to take it further.

"I said I'll finish this," he said, as rain soaked through his shirt.

Adam realised he would need help. He didn't want to fight him and risk hurting him or indeed himself for that matter. He would get some hands to help him escort Hoss inside. He had tried talking, Hoss obviously wasn't in his right mind. He moved to leave but stopped as he noticed that Hoss suddenly looked dazed.

"What is it," Adam asked.

"I'll be alright in..."

Hoss's eyes rolled up in his head and his knees went from under him. Adam caught him as he fell.

"Hoss," Adam shook him slightly as rain lashed down on his flushed face.