Day 7 - Thursday

The three brothers were up at High Valley that morning, finishing off the fence repairs, when their father came galloping over the ridge and reined in sharply before them.

It should have been a swift job, completed speedily, before they moved a few miles along the fence line to where another section had come down in the winter storms. But Hoss and Joe had lost the ability to work quickly after their exertions of the night before.

Neither of them had eaten anything that morning. They had both stumbled out of bed and down the stairs, followed by a sprightlier Adam, to be met with the forbidding sight of their father standing in the centre of the room, legs astride, fists on his hips and a look that would have frozen the hot springs up at Pyramid Lake. And for a good few minutes Ben's adult sons had been reduced to small boys again as their father had told them exactly what he thought of their antics, his volume rising as he had become more animated. And as he had appeared to grow larger in stature, Hoss and Joe had seemed to shrink, shuffling their feet, their eyebrows drawn close together as they had squinted against the noise which rattled their brains. Adam hadn't excluded himself from the rant, but he had taken it for what it was. And he had enjoyed every moment of it, revelling in the experience of his father at his most ferocious, as the authoritarian, the patriarch. And seeing him at full strength, Adam had been comforted, as he knew his brothers would be just fine when he had gone. Their father wouldn't let it be otherwise.

And when Ben had noticed his eldest son with a smile edging around his lips, he had glared at him fiercely. "And what are you smirking about?"

Adam had lowered his head to keep his smile hidden. "Oh, nothing, Pa." To which Ben had harrumphed and sent them off to the dining table for breakfast. Adam had managed to eat some ham and eggs, but his brothers had merely looked at the food with a look of nausea painted across their faces, before making as quick a getaway as they could manage.

And now as Hoss winced at every nail Adam drove, with relish, into the wooden fence poles, and Joe sat on the ground with his head in his hands, their father rode down at speed to their position.

"There's been another abduction."

Adam threw his hammer to the ground, propped his arms on the fence and dropped his head as the news overcame him. Joe swiftly forgot his hangover, and rising to his feet moved to stand next to his father's mount, hanging on to Buck's reins as he looked up at Ben.

"Who's been taken, Pa?"

"Harvey Mossman. Taken from his front yard sometime last evening. John and his other boys searched all night but only told Roy this morning. Turns out they hadn't heard about Eli and Matt else they would have raised the alarm sooner."

"Dadgummit, Pa, they're good people. To have somefin like this happen to 'em." Hoss took his hat off, swatting at an invisible mark on his trousers as he bowed his head.

Joe turned away, his shoulders squaring as they did when the anger began to course through his body. He glanced over at Adam who still had his head down over the fence.

"Adam? What do you think?"

Adam slowly raised his head and twisted to face his brother.

"I don't know where he is, Joe."

"I'm not saying you do, but…" Joe stopped, aware he was speaking louder than he had intended. He sighed heavily and calmed his voice. "But do you think you might know…before long?"

Adam stared into Joe's eyes. He didn't see accusation there, only concern. He blinked and gently nodded.

Ben looked over to Adam.

"Son, we should get to the lake…now."

Adam shook his head.

"No, Pa. I'll go alone. She won't come if anyone else is with me."

Joe glanced quickly at Adam.

"She? Who is 'she'? Who are you talking about?"

"Joseph, we don't have time for this."

But Joe wasn't going to be deterred.

"No, Pa, there have been enough secrets."

Ben cast a glance at his eldest son. Adam merely looked resigned and nodded.

"Joseph, your brother has been protecting a woman at the lake. It was she who found the boys."

A look of surprise skimmed over Joe's face. He looked to Hoss and saw the same creased brow of bewilderment.

"But if she's not the one who's taking them, why does she need protecting? Why won't she come forward?"

Ben looked pointedly at Adam. "That…your brother has chosen not to share with us." Buck shifted where he stood, and the movement seemed to remind Ben of the urgency of his mission. "But we don't have time to debate that now." He moved Buck a few steps closer to the fence to where Adam still stood. He leaned down over the animal's neck. "Adam, we must get to the lake. The search party is heading there now…they aren't even looking anywhere else. They may already be there."

And then Adam understood what his father was trying to tell him. His face grew stricken, and then he was running, running faster than he had ever run before, to get to his horse, to the lake, and to her…before anyone else did.

XXXXXXX

He was too late.

Adam had ridden Sport until the creature's sides were heaving. He was aware of a group of riders behind him, and a quick glance over his shoulder showed his father and brothers a good quarter of a mile back. He had headed straight for Josiah's Cove, but as he was approaching the turn-off, he was struck by a sense of uncontrolled terror. His body grew cold as the blood drained from his skin, his limbs started to shiver and his heart pound even faster than it had before. Adam knew it was her, that her fear was coursing through his body. He reined in, somehow knowing he was in the wrong place. He breathed hard to pull some air into his lungs to calm himself and, standing up in the stirrups, he quickly looked behind him. His family were still a way off but there was no time to wait. Adam kicked his exhausted horse back into action and headed further up the shoreline, taking the next turn-off. He knew he was going in the right direction as the sense of fear was growing stronger, and then he came across a large group of horses tethered to the side of the track. But there was no time to go on foot, so he urged his tired mount on into the forest, heading as fast as possible for the shore.

He crashed through the woodland, ignoring the peril to Sport if the creature should lose his footing or trip on an animal burrow. Adam only knew he had to get to the beach. He ducked the low-lying branches and ignored the twigs and leaves that whipped across his face. But then a crowd of people came into his line of vision and his own fear threatened to equal that of the woman.

He leapt off Sport, running the last few feet and broke out onto the beach, where he froze in his tracks.

Adam could see a large group of men, most of whom had their backs to him, peering over each other's shoulders to gain a look at something or someone. He could hear jeering laughter and crude comments, and Adam's heart sank as he knew they could be looking at only one thing. He pushed his way through the crowd, not caring who he elbowed in the process. And there she was there, on the ground, huddled in a ball with her arms wrapped around her drawn-up knees and her head tucked low. Her face was hidden by her hair, but Adam knew her features would be tarnished by her distress. Adam could see the leering expressions on the men's faces as they stared at her naked form. He took in their drawn weapons. And even though some of the more respectable men had positioned themselves at the back of the crowd, their weapons holstered and their faces averted away from the terrified woman, Adam grew angry that no one had covered her nakedness. His rage began to bubble to the surface at her being treated like a trapped animal.

He placed himself between her and the crowd, glaring around at the ogling men. He recognised ranchers and hands from the Ponderosa's near neighbours; he saw Matthew Butcher's father, his face filled with loathing aimed at the woman he believed had tried to harm his son; he spied Josh from the livery stable in town; Kai Ostermeyer, who Adam had been known to play poker with on occasion; Bob Hardy, one of the town's so-called upstanding citizens who always tried to out-sing those around him each Sunday in church. Adam knew these people, he had gone into business with some of them, socialised with them at church gatherings and town picnics. Heck, the Ponderosa kept some of these men afloat, they gave them so much work. But now he didn't know any of them. They were simply faces, all with that same gaping expression, desperate to gawp at the woman curled up in front of them, so terrified she was physically shaking on the sand before them.

"What's this all about?"

Her head lifted when she heard his voice, and he saw the wide-eyed terror on her face which was wet with panicked tears. She looked like she was about to speak, but Adam cut her off quickly.

"I asked you a question. What's going on here?"

One of the men stepped forward, an unpleasant piece of work Adam recognised from town. Wade McKinnon, a low-life who would join a posse for the whiskey promised at the conclusion of a hunt, and one who took the term 'dead or alive' a little too plainly.

"We caught the child stealer, Cartwright. Found her red-handed next to the boy there." He indicated behind him and the men parted to show Adam a small boy being held firmly in the arms of his mother. She had turned his face away from the shameless creature cowering on the sand, her hand over his eyes to stop him from seeing the shocking spectacle a few feet from them. Adam looked back at McKinnon, and the men surrounding him. All he could see were gaping eyes, and mouths hanging open. He felt sick to his stomach. And fear, fear of what they would do to her.

"How do you know it was her? She might have just found him."

Wade gesticulated wildly with his weapon.

"Look at her Cartwright. She ain't right, flaunting herself like that. It ain't no one normal who's been taking these kids, and she ain't normal. I says it was her."

There was a muttering of agreement amongst the crowd. Adam was cursing himself for not wearing his coat, and he was not going to leave her at the mercy of this gang of inbred halfwits for one more second. Adam scanned the crowd and pointed at one of the men behind McKinnon, a stranger he'd never seen before.

"You, give me your coat."

The man looked indignant. "I ain't giving you my coat, mister."

Adam had a reputation in Virginia City for being a fast draw. But the speed in which he pulled out his pistol and cocked the hammer took the crowd by surprise. There was a collective gasp amongst the onlookers.

"I said, give me your coat." Adam's words were cool, evenly spaced. And when the man had shakily complied, struggling to pull his arms from the sleeves fast enough, Adam snatched the coat away with a look that could have cut glass. He un-cocked his weapon's hammer but kept the gun in his hand. He turned to Amara and reaching down he grasped one of her arms and pulled her to her feet. And then, trying his best to keep her hidden from the salacious gazes around him, he wrapped her firmly in the coat. He briefly glanced at her face and saw she was looking at him keenly, an expression of relief in her eyes. He positioned her behind his back and turned to face the mob.

There was a commotion at the rear of the crowd, and once more men were being elbowed out of the way. Adam saw his father, swiftly followed by Hoss and Joe, pushing their way through the horde. Ben stopped, quickly taking in the sight of his son with his weapon drawn, and a woman pressed up close behind him, showing far more of her body than was proper; he frowned slightly at the sight of her long exposed legs and bare feet. But then he saw the child in his mother's arms and a look of puzzlement crept over his face.

"You found the boy?"

"She found the boy, Pa. She kept him safe." He risked a furtive glance behind him but couldn't see her face which was tucked closely against his back. He could feel the warmth of her breath through his shirt. "I think she chose the wrong time to return him."

"Hey!" McKinnon took a step towards Adam. "It was her, I tell you. When we got here she was all over him, then she tried to run. If we hadn't caught her when we did, she'd have got away. We're taking her in, Cartwright, and you ain't gonna stop us."

Adam drew back the hammer on his gun and pointed it squarely at McKinnon.

"You're not taking her anywhere." He threw a beseeching glance at his father. "Pa, it wasn't her, you gotta believe me."

Ben's words were soft. "I believe you, son."

Ben squared his shoulders and moved towards the circle of men. "Look, everyone, put away your weapons, we've got women and children here." He looked pointedly at the frightened woman, her face low behind Adam's back, clinging to his son as though her life depended on it. "And I don't think she's going to be causing anyone any trouble, do you?"

There were murmurings in the crowd, and a handful of men started to lower their guns. But Wade McKinnon wasn't about to be denied his chance of a bit of glory in town. Bringing in the child stealer would secure him many nights of free drinks as folks paid to hear his story, and maybe even one of the saloon girls would take him upstairs for a free kiss and a fondle.

"She's coming with us, Cartwright. There's four of you against all of us. Who d'ya think's gonna come out of this on top. We'll take all o' you down to get to her."

And then Hoss was in front of Wade, pulling himself up to his full height, his mouth a straight line and brows pulled tight over two piercing and angry blue eyes.

"I'd like to see ya try." And before McKinnon could even clench a fist, he was sprawled on his back on the sandy beach, one hand clutching his bloody nose where Hoss's huge fist had smashed into it.

There was a muttering amongst the crowd, and guns which had been lowered began to rise again. More men started to come forward, stepping over their erstwhile leader as they came. "We want the girl," shouted one of them, and then Ben and Hoss were shoving at the moving wall of men, trying desperately to keep them back, whilst Little Joe was tussling with a couple of men at the edge of the circle. But it was no use, the horde kept moving, desperate for their pound of flesh. And all the time Adam and Amara were edging back into the icy waters. Adam saw his father and brothers disappear, consumed by the crowd, just as the waves reached halfway up his calves.

Adam flicked his gun from one man to another as he watched the mob creep closer to the water.

"I will use this," he shouted at them. And he fired a shot into the air. There was a pause; the world fell silent as everyone stopped what they were doing. But then the men started moving again, some of them following a short way into the lake.

"Where ya gonna go, Cartwright?" It was Wade. He clawed his way to the water's edge, his nose a skewed mess of blood and mucus. "There ain't nowhere to go!"

Adam slipped, stumbling to stay upright as the lake bed beneath his feet sloped away and the water surged around his knees. And then he heard Amara whispering into his ear, her voice confident and sure.

"You trust me, don't you, Adam?"

Adam turned his head to the side, and nodded once. And then she was ripping off the coat and letting it float away on the waves. Her arm wrapped itself around Adam's torso and she pulled him farther away from the men on the shore who were milling around unsure of what to do. Adam saw his father and brothers break through the crowd and stare at Adam with shock and disbelief on their faces as inch by inch she pulled him away from them. Adam knew what was going to happen and although he had experienced fear in his life before, it was nothing compared to what he was feeling now. And yet, despite the adrenaline flowing through his veins and his desperate and futile desire to grab the woman's hand and run away from the men on the beach, he did trust her. He had complete faith in whatever she was going to do. And as he acknowledged that trust, he felt his body relax and her grip tightened around his chest.

There was a shout from the shore. "Cartwright! You ain't getting away, Cartwright!" And Wade McKinnon was running into the water, raising his pistol and pulling the trigger. An explosive crack echoed through the air. But Amara was already pulling Adam down, and he was falling backwards into the water on top of her as the bullet whistled harmlessly overhead. The crisp sounds of men shouting and splashing through the water were instantly muffled in Adam's ears. For a few moments all he was aware of was the feel of her arm around him in the blackness of the water as a thousand air bubbles swirled around their falling bodies. And before he lost consciousness he saw his arms and legs trailing in a whoosh of rushing water. But that wasn't the last thing that would burn itself into Adam's psyche before his mind faded to darkness. No, Adam's last conscious image was of his father on the beach, his face a frightened mask of shock and horror. And a single thought fluttered through his mind: "Please, God, not like this, don't let it end like this…"