CHAPTER FORTY NINE
"Hey, Doc!"
Paul turned his head as he tossed his shiny black bag into the buggy and placed a rolled bundle next to it on the seat. He'd wasted no time changing his shirt, filling his medical satchel, and gathering spare bandages for his visit to the Ponderosa. Squinting his eyes, he waited as the figure approached. Finally, in the light from the storefronts still open at that hour, Paul was able to make out the face that matched the voice.
"What is it, Cal?" Paul yelled, hoping to avoid any further delay engaging in small talk with one of the town's biggest gossips.
Cal Wilmer sauntered up t the buggy, his thumb and finger rolling a long piece of straw he held between his teeth. "I heard tell some young feller was huntin' ya down a while back. Did he findja?"
Paul steadied himself and raised his leg to the buggy floor when he felt a hand on his back.
"D'ja hear me? I said," Cal repeated, removing the straw from his lips in an effort to be understood the second time around.
Paul sighed and hefted himself into the buggy. "Yes, Cal. I heard you. And the boy did find me. In fact, he has a healthy new baby sister to prove it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to . . ."
"Well, now, i'n't that nice. A new little lady here 'n Virginia City!" Cal said. "Oh, say Doc. Did that other feller ever find you?"
Paul readied the reins as he released the brake with his booted foot. I've got to get to the Ponderosa! This other fella's probably some two-bit drifter in need of a hangover tonic! But if it's someone who really needs me. Oh, I hope I don't regret this! "What other fella would that be, Cal?"
"Hmm?" the old timer mumbled, distracted by the everyday bustle of people in the street.
"The fella," Paul said impatiently. "You said someone was looking for me."
"Oh, yeah, I remember now," Cal said, his voice animated as he pointed to the saloon across the street. "I was comin' outta the Bucket of Blood, oh, 'bout four or five hours ago. I's jist standin' there on walkway 'n' he ran smack up agin me! Derned fool! 'Bout liked to knock me off'n my feet! Fool! Drunk he was! Drunker 'n usual even."
"Cal," Paul interrupted, anxious to get on the road. "Why did this drunk want to see me? Was he hurt? Bleeding?"
"Now, I dunno 'bout that, Doc. All I knows is Stu was real int'rested in where you was goin'. Said somethin' 'bout you bein' with two young ladies 'n' then he shoved me, real hard. Pert near knocked me off my feet agin! Said he saw that Joe Cartwright fella take them ladies 'n' you was ridin' off ta somewheres else 'n' he wanted ta know where you was all goin'. I told him I didn't know where you was goin'! Ole Stu shore didn't like that answer, no sir. Didn't like it one bit. He was madder 'n a hen in a litter o' coyotes!"
Paul flew out of the buggy and grabbed Cal by the shoulders. "Now, Cal. I need you to think on this," Paul said, his eyes glaring at the old man. "Think real hard, Cal."
"All right, Doc. No need ta git all riled up!"
"Cal, where did Stu go after you talked to him?"
Cal straightened himself and looked with indignation at Doctor Martin. "Well, now, Doc. I ain't one ta keep tabs on folks when it ain't none o' my . . ."
"Where, Cal?" Paul yelled, shaking the old man. "Where did Stu Weaver go?"
"He got on his horse 'n' rode out. Down Main Street 'n' down the south road. Looked ta me like he was followin' that there Cartwright kid 'n' them gals."
Without so much as a word, Paul leaped into his buggy and sped toward the south road, leaving a stunned Cal Wilmer staring at the dust-covered street. Seconds later, Paul reined his horse to a sudden, violent stop. The children. Stu knows where they are. Someone has to protect the children!
Paul spun the buggy full-circle and fled past Cal, still standing in front of Paul's office, bewildered by the events of the day. Paul stopped once on his way to Mazie Brighton's boarding house, and that stop was at the Virginia City Jail to explain the situation to Sheriff Roy Coffee.
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"I believe you're right, Paul," Roy said as he reached for the large ring of keys atop his desk. "The Ponderosa's the best place for them now."
Together, the two men, Paul in his double-seated buggy and Roy on his horse, rode to the boarding house. It was Paul Martin's face at that late hour that Mazie Brighton met when she reluctantly opened her front door.
"It is rather late, Doctor Martin," she explained.
"I know, Mrs. Brighton, and I do apologize," Paul said, "but the sheriff and I need to speak with you. It's urgent, I'm afraid."
"Oh. Then do come in, please," she said, opening the door under a cloud of dread. "Oh, no! Is it Mercy? I knew it was getting too late! Why didn't you bring her back home, Paul? Has something happened to Mercy?"
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"This is all just too unbelievable!" Mrs. Brighton cried, shaking her head in disbelief. "These past few weeks, that poor child has been steeling herself to deliver the worst news a body can deliver, all the while mourning a man she loved, a man she thought had died a horrible death while trying to save her and those children . . . And all that time, he's alive and well and just a few miles away at the Ponderosa!"
Roy shook his head. Hearing the events of the past months again in one evening made them no easier to accept.
"And Adam," Mrs. Brighton said, "that sweet young man, struggling to accept that he'd failed to rescue them all . . . poor, poor dear!"
"Mrs. Brighton," Paul explained, "Roy and I think it best if we take you and the children to the Ponderosa. With Stu Weaver on the loose and feeling the way he does about the Cartwrights, the Ponderosa would be the safest place to gather everyone involved."
"But what will we tell the children?" Mrs. Brighton asked, rising to her feet. "I don't want to frighten them. For all we know, Stu is unconscious somewhere, sleeping it off."
"Mrs. Brighton," Roy explained, "I've known that man his whole life. He's not 'right'. Never was. And his mother and father did nothing to help. If anything, they made it much, much worse. If he thinks he can hurt the Cartwrights in any way, especially Hoss or Adam, he won't hesitate to do so!"
Mrs. Brighton paced the length of her parlor, fear spreading through her and anger building inside her. "If only Carrie . . . I just can't fathom why that child would keep something like this to herself! If she hadn't . . . And if anything happens to Adam or Mercy - ANY of them - because of her choices, why that girl will never forgive herself!"
"Mrs. Brighton?"
The delicate voice startled the three adults.
"I heard voices," AnnaLynn said as she stepped further into the parlor, "and since it's so late, well, I just wanted to make sure everything was all right. I'm sorry if I've interrupted."
Mrs. Brighton wrapped her arm securely around AnnaLynn's waist. "Not at all, my dear," she said, protectively pulling the young girl against her. "I believe you've already met Doctor Martin, and this is Sheriff Coffee."
"It's a pleasure, miss," Roy said, nodding his head.
"Sheriff?" AnnaLynn said, worry on her face. "Forgive me. I'm pleased to meet you, Sheriff Coffee. Is everything all right?"
Roy smiled at the polite young lady.
Mrs. Brighton stole a quiet, deep breath. "Yes, dear. Everything is all right. In fact, everything is about to become an adventure! Doesn't that sound wonderful?"
Confused, AnnaLynn smiled at Mrs. Brighton and opened her mouth to speak. She never got the chance to ask her question.
"It seems that Ben," Mrs. Brighton said enthusiastically, "I mean the gentleman from the school board, you know, the one Miss Kinkead went to meet, has invited us all to come and visit his ranch. Oh, AnnaLynn, he has horses and cattle and chickens. Won't Danny and Mary love the chickens? And he has a home bigger than any I've ever seen. And he's invited us to stay there for a few days. Won't that be fun?"
AnnaLynn looked at the adults in the room. Her intuition told her something wasn't quite as it seemed. "What about Miss Kinkead?"
"Oh, she's still at the ranch, waiting for us to arrive," Mrs. Brighton assured, her head turned away.
Had AnnaLynn been able to see the woman's face, she would have been convinced that all was not well and that their adventure to this ranch was more a strategy of survival.
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Tiny hands reached deep inside the drawer while bright blue eyes conjured up images of what the fingertips touched. Petite calf muscles bulged under the weight and strain of standing on tip-toes, hoping to add just enough height. Her tongue danced and darted with each different texture until finally, Mary felt the soft flannel fabric of her favorite, best nightshirt. "Got it, AnnaLynn!" she squealed.
"Good job, Mary," AnnaLynn said, taking the neatly folded treasure from Mary and sliding it deep inside the brown satchel. "Danny, have you found your trousers?"
"Yes, AnnaLynn," Danny said, "They are under my shirt, there on the bed."
"Good," AnnaLynn said, nodding her approval. As they continued packing for their stay at the Ponderosa, AnnaLynn, though puzzled by the suddenness of their adventure, took each of the younger children's questions in stride.
"Will there really be chickens?" Danny asked as he stood at the mirror painstakingly brushing down a stubborn clump of blonde hair.
"Yes, Danny. Mrs. Brighton says there will be chickens."
"If there's chickens, maybe there'll be a rooster, too! And maybe she'll crow really loud to wake us up in the morning!"
AnnaLynn grinned. "Danny, roosters are males, not females!"
"Oh," Danny said, embarrassed by his mistake.
AnnaLynn reached out to ruffle his hair, noticed the hairbrush still in his hand and instead, patted his shoulder. "And you are absolutely correct. If there is a rooster, I'm sure he'll crow in the morning!"
"I like woostows," Mary added and followed her pronouncement with a screechy imitation, complete with flapping arms and a few fancy footsteps that sent Danny into hysterics.
AnnaLynn glanced around the room. Satisfied that she'd seen to all they'd need for a day or two at the ranch, she tied the satchel tightly before beginning the task of packing for Miss Kinkead.
"AnnaLynn, can I wide one of the ponies at the wanch?" Mary asked as she climbed onto her bed, her little legs swinging from side to side.
"'May' I ride one of the ponies at the ranch," AnnaLynn corrected.
"May I?"
"I'm sure that if there is a pony at the ranch, you will be able to ride it," AnnaLynn said. "Now where did Miss Kinkead put her . . . Oh, there it is!" AnnaLynn grabbed the book and placed it inside the second satchel, along with clothing and various sundries she thought Miss Kinkead might need. "Well, that's everything. Now," she said, lifting Mary down from the bed, "let's begin our adventure!"
Danny scooted for the door while AnnaLynn put the lamp out. With one last moonlit look around the room, AnnaLynn took hold of one satchel in each hand. A gentle tug on her skirt halted her steps.
"AnnaLynn," Mary said, her enormous blue eyes sparkling in the glow, "is it all right if my dolly comes along?"
AnnaLynn knelt next to the suddenly timid little girl. "Mary," she said, her comforting voice warm and tender, "your dolly may always go wherever you go. Please remember that, sweetheart."
Mary's little feet tapped across the wooden floor. She leaped onto her bed and scooped her doll into her arms. Sliding down, backwards, her feet reached the floor. She ran quickly to AnnaLynn, still kneeling at Mary's level, and threw her arms around the young girl's neck.
"Fanks, AnnaLynn. And dolly says fanks, too."
