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Chapter 13
Not a moment too soon, acting Sheriff, Deputy Clem Foster along with a number of handpicked deputies appeared. Ben handed the three crooks over to them. Sadness clutched his heart when he saw a horse with a body draped over the saddle. Although the deceased was wrapped in a blanket, there was no doubt in his mind whom it could be - Sam.
"We'll get these good-fer-nothin' low-lives to the jailhouse," Clem assured. "Tommy's already sent for the doc to meet you back at the house a while ago. He's probably taking a look at Joe's arm as we speak. Anyone else hurt?"
After thanking the Clem, Ben reported, "Adam's taken a bullet to the leg and so has one of the men responsible for it." He nodded in Issac's direction then searched for Griff. "We don't know how badly one of our new hands has been injured but he's going to need the doc's help, too."
Clem Foster hoisted Issac up into the saddle with little effort. "This one'll live to stand trial. We can patch him up in his cell until the doc's seen to Adam and that young fella there. What about him?" he asked, pointing to Cutter. Ben simply shook his head. "I'll have a couple of my men take his body back to town."
Candy and Adam were too engrossed with Griff to even pay attention to Ben and Clem sort out the legal details.
Candy reached Griff's side and knelt beside him.
"Candy? Candy, is that you?" Griff stretched an arm out, reaching for Candy. His vision zoomed in and out of focus as he struggled to hold on to consciousness.
"Yeah, it's me. Hang in there, buddy. You're goin' to be just fine," he said, squeezing Griff's shoulder reassuringly. When the boy tried to rise, Candy held him down. The ranch foreman was unable to tear his eyes off the sickening contrast of the youth's pale skin and the bruising that covered one of his cheeks and almost sealed his eye shut, or the blood that matted through his hair.
Griff could barely hear Candy as his voice faded away and darkness consumed everything.
"Griff?" Candy shook his shoulders gently. "Hey, come on, stay with me."
"He's a brave kid," Adam answered. "Put up a hell of a fight and saved my life."
Candy realized that the youth was out cold and looked up at Adam but before he could say anything, Issac's voice caught their attention.
"More like tryin' to save his own skin! Shame he got cold feet and backed out of our deal," he ranted. "Oh don't look so shocked, Sheriff, and you, too, Cartwright. How d'ya think we found out how much your son's worth or what he looked like, huh? Boy's nothin' but a coward!"
Candy got to his feet and strode deliberately toward Issac, who was mounted on a horse with his hands tied in front of him.
Before he could reach Issac, Ben stopped his foreman. "Candy! Griff and Adam need a doctor. Let the law take care of - Candy, listen to me! He's just trying to get to you." He held Candy back.
"Shut your mouth, Issac. You're in enough trouble as it is," Clem warned. He motioned for his deputized men that they should get going and instructed two of his men to bundle up Cutter's body.
"There's no way Adam and Griff are goin' to be able to ride back to the Ponderosa," Ben stated. "We'll use the wagon. I'll get George and Lucas to unload the pickets." He patted Candy on the shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.
Neither men wanted to ponder right at that moment whether there was any truth behind Issac's words. While Candy believed it was not in Griff's character to do such a thing, they both knew that the youth had had a difficult time adjusting to his new life on the ranch and prison had changed him from the years that Candy had once known him. Griff was forced to grow up fast and each day was a matter of life and death. There was no telling what damage it did to the young man psychologically.
They could not dismiss the possibility that Griff had made the mistake of getting involved with his former in-mate out of frustration upon Adam's arrival and been tricked into their scheming ways. But one thing was for certain. The ring leader of the gang did make a disturbing point. The crooks must have received information from somewhere or someone about Adam's arrival but there would be time to deal with that later. Candy feared that if Griff were involved, the Cartwrights would have the boy thrown back in jail. Ben, on the contrary, had no intentions of turning him in. He believed in second chances and he was willing to hear the boy out once he recovered. He believed that the ordeal Griff had gone through was punishment enough. He just hoped that he could trust Griff again and help him live a life free of crime.