They found the buggy on the side of the road. Adam and Hoss looked it over carefully, but there was no blood, no sign of violence. The horse was gone, and Hoss studied the ground. "Two more horses here," he said. "Looks like they headed this way." He mounted Chubby, and Adam followed on Sport. As they rode, Adam thought, we should never have come here. This could never have happened in Boston.

...

Fran sat quietly, listening to the sounds around her, trying to figure out where she was. Then she heard Gruff Voice say, "It's dark now. I'm gonna take the ransom note to the Cartwrights." There was a pause, and then he added, "It's gettin' cold. Chop up some wood for the fire." She heard the footsteps, and the door opened and closed. She waited a few minutes, and when she was certain it had been long enough for him to ride away, she shifted on the cot.

"Are you all right?" Soft voice asked.

"My back hurts. Could you untie my hands for just a few minutes? I'd like to lie down. I need to rest."

"I don't know...Wa..." he broke off, realizing he'd almost said his partner's name.

Fran nodded and gave a sad sigh. The man stared at his captive, and his sympathy for her overcame his fear of his partner. "All right, just for a few minutes." He untied her hands and helped her lie down.

She gave a sigh of relief. "Could I have a drink of water?"

"Yeah," he turned away and Fran ran her finger under the blindfold. She was fast, and by the time he'd turned back to her, Fran had an impression of the room. She let him place the cup in her hand, and drank slowly. She gave the cup back and massaged her hands. He picked up the rope, and said, "I need to tie - "

"Oh, please, just for a few minutes..." she pleaded.

He hesitated, then gave in. "Well, just for a few minutes then." She gave a shiver, and he remembered he was supposed to cut firewood. He looked down at Fran. She'd lain down and looked pathetic and helpless. He tried to think what to do. He knew what Walt would tell him to do - tie her up no matter how much she suffered - but he just couldn't do it. He made a quick decision. "I'll leave you untied for a few minutes, but I'll have to tie your hands before Walt gets back." He didn't seem to realize his slip in naming one of her captors, and Fran gave no sign that she'd heard. He left her, and when she heard the sound of chopping wood, she pulled off the blindfold, sat up and looked around. The room was lit by an old oil lamp, but it gave off enough light for her to see a small window at one end of the room. She picked up the lamp and carried it over to the window. It was covered by oiled paper. Breathing a silent prayer, she removed the lamp's chimney, and held the open flame to the paper. There was a sudden blaze, and then the opening appeared. The window was small, but Fran was determined to fit through it. She put the lamp down, and sending a mental apology to her baby, she pulled a chair over and climbed through. After a few painful seconds, she was outside. The moon was high and the night was clear. She could make out a path leading into the woods, and she ran towards it.

...

Hoss followed the tracks easily. It was clear that the kidnappers were stupid or inexperienced or both, and that worried him since they were more likely to panic and hurt Fran. He glanced over his shoulder at Adam, and realized that the same thought had occured to him. They moved along in silence until Hoss came to a stop. He turned to Adam. "Adam, we're going towards the old cabin." They continued, the signs becoming easier to read as they got closer to the cabin. Suddenly Hoss stopped completely. He waved a hand at Adam, and they listened. Someone was running down the path towards the road. They drew their guns, dismounted, and moved into the brush. After a few seconds, Fran burst into view.

"Fran!" Adam and Hoss came out of hiding as she shrieked. She swayed, and Adam caught her to him. "It's all right, honey, you're safe."

She buried her face in his chest, breathing hard. "Oh, Adam."

Hoss reached for Sport's reins and held him still. "Put her up, Adam. We've got to get her home."

Adam lifted Fran easily and set her on Sport. He swung up behind her, and they turned towards home.

...

As he rode into the yard of the ranch house, Walt could see lights shining through the windows. It was late, but it was clear that no one was sleeping. He thought for a second, and then wrapped his ransom demand around a rock and threw it through the window. The sound of breaking glass echoed through the night, and Walt grinned. He turned to leave and found himself looking down the barrel of Curly's shot gun.

"Mr. Cartwright!" Curly shouted.

The door opened, and Ben Cartwright came outside followed by Hop Sing and Captain Stoddard. All were armed. Ben's gun was drawn while Hop Sing carried his favorite meat cleaver, and Abel gave his cane a quick hard twist and unsheathed a sword. Ben didn't mince words. "Where is my daughter?"

Walt smirked. "You let me go and you'll get her back."

Ben moved closer to him, put his gun to Walt's forehead, and pulled the hammer back. "You tell me where she is right now, and I might let you live."

Walt swallowed hard. The smirk disappeared. "Me and Mike's got her out at an old cabin near here. She was all right when I left."

No thanks to you, Ben thought. There was a rustle behind Curly, and Shorty brought out Buck and two other horses, saddled and bridled and ready. He took Curly's shot gun, and gave Walt a push towards the bunkhouse. Ben holstered his gun, and Hop Sing put his cleaver through his belt. They mounted the horses along with Curly. Ben looked down at Abel. "Captain, you'll stay here with Joe?"

"Of course," the Captain said. He turned back towards the house. Joe was standing in the door, and Abel put his arm around the boy's shoulders and took him inside.