Thanks to those who are reading. I'm writing an epilogue to neaten things up and that wil be it!
Fourteen ~ Unforseen Events
Ben was surprised to meet Cammie Mansfield on his own property, not that he wouldn't have allowed it. It was just that to him, she was presumptuous to think she would be welcome when one step onto Mansfield's property could result in a beating or even being shot and perhaps killed. Nevertheless, Ben Cartwright was the gracious host of the Ponderosa and invited her inside. Perhaps, he asked, she would stay for lunch, that is if she wasn't in a hurry?
"Why I would love to Mr. Cartwright." Cammie said, stepping onto the porch with him. "I was telling Adam how much I admired your home, how it reflects all of you who live here." She made a sweeping gesture with her arms. "And your property, the Ponderosa, is beautiful, at least the parts I've seen. The M Bar doesn't have all the scenery, a lot of scrub brush areas-nothing as lovely as around here. That's why my father bought the Running D. It's so lovely there. Oh, not as lovely as here but there are a lot of green pastures and trees; I just fell in love with it and already have ideas for a house. I'm hoping I can convince Adam to help with the plans."
Cammie looked over at Adam who was caught off guard. "Oh, well," he said, "it's been a long time since I …"
Cammie laughed. "Oh, Adam. You look like a fish caught on a line! I would give you time!"
Adam smiled. "Yes, well, Pa, I was just about to get Cammie some coffee."
Joe, other than nodding while being introduced by Adam, hadn't yet spoken but now he volunteered to put up the horse and buggy, but Cammie protested. "Oh, I was hoping that I could have a short tour of the area and since you already have the buggy hitched…well, I'd like to see why this land is so coveted."
"Oh," Ben asked, one brow arching, "do you know anyone who covets it?"
"Oh, no! That wasn't what I meant—I used the wrong word. I should have said admired as I've heard talk that many people've tried to get their hands on some of your acreage through legal and illegal means. Since I came here on the road, as I'm not familiar with the area, I'm sure there are many beautiful spots that I didn't see and would love to. Perhaps, if there's time before lunch, one of you could take me about." Cammie glanced hopefully at Adam.
He ran his hands over his cheeks and chin. "Not me, Cammie. I combed my hair with my fingers this morning, haven't even shaved or washed after all that dancing last night, and I'm sure sharing close quarters with me such as a buggy seat would be unpleasant, like riding with a polecat." But it wasn't the dancing that caused Adam concern but wondering if Cammie would smell Violet on him; he could have and should have washed their mingled odor off him that morning but had been too indolent. But as he had bent down to take his toast out of the oven, his own rank smell hit him. He had planned a leisurely bath after breakfast, hoping to soak in a hot tub to consider his situation regarding the gold.
"Oh, but…" Cammie tried to think of a reason why it should be Adam and only Adam when Hoss spoke up.
"Now, you just come along with me, Miss Cammie. I'll take you 'bout the Ponderosa, ride you along the lake and get you back in time for lunch. My stomach knows 'zactly when lunch is gonna be served, even a lunch of warmed-over Saturday supper. Now you just come with me afore Sally there thinks she's goin' in the barn."
Hoss took Cammie's arm but she glanced back at Adam who held up his hand as a wave of sorts. Hoss helped Cammie up into the buggy seat and then he climbed in beside her, snapped the reins and drove off around the corner of the barn.
Joe, one eyebrow cocked, said, "Looks like she's got her cap set for you, oldest brother. Hmmm, hmmm…wonder what my nieces and nephews will look like?" And Joe giggled.
Adam glared at him.
"Go inside, would you Joe?" Ben asked. "I need to talk with Adam."
"Oh, making wedding arrangements?" His eyes glittered with mischief.
"Joe, just go in the house," Ben said.
"I'm going, I'm going!' And laughing over his own joke and Adam's situation, Joe went inside to change clothes and hang up his Sunday suit.
"Well, Adam?"
"Well, what?"
"Did you invite Miss Mansfield here?"
"No, I didn't. She rode in on her own. It's not hard to find us, you know."
"What did she want?"
"I guess a tour of the Ponderosa." Adam turned to go inside.
"Adam! Would you just stop for a minute?" Adam did, his mouth pursed. He didn't want to talk about Cammie or anything else. "Did anything vital happen last night that you didn't tell me? Anything concerning Cammie? You didn't get home until late so if..."
"Nothing happened concerning Cammie. I kissed her hand last night. Made no promises to her. Her father was waiting for her so I couldn't have kissed her mouth even had I wanted to."
"Did you want to?"
"No. Cammie Mansfield is a nice enough woman. She wants to be married and I think she sees me as the most available man in her limited circle. If she finds me an attractive prospect for any other reason but that I'm a Cartwright and unmarried, I don't know, but there's a sense of desperation about her and with little coaxing, I think she'd gladly toss up her skirts for just about anyone as long as marriage followed. But I'm not interested. I find her…pitiable. A man can't love who he pities-he can just be kind and that's what I've been. She's misread it." And Adam turned and walked to the house thinking he should quickly wash and shave; in the rising warmth of outdoors, he realized that the pungent odor about him may be another reason his father asked if anything else had transpired between him and Cammie.
Ben had Saturday's leftover pork roast in the oven surrounded by the potatoes and carrots. Half a peach pie sat waiting as dessert, covered by a dishtowel, and he had made biscuits. They were done early but he had mistimed them and they sat cooling on the baking sheet, waiting to be removed. He kept checking the roast; it looked a bit dried out and there was no gravy left. And the carrots were shrunk and wrinkled. Ben understood why Hop Sing was so angry when they came late to dinner as cooking was an art-but one requiring the participants be present—on time.
Joe sat at the round side table playing himself in a game of checkers and he looked up as Adam came down, clean-shaven, his hair still damp, and buttoning up a white shirt. "All that for Cammie?" Joe asked. "Whoo-ee!"
"No, Joe," Adam said, "this is all for you."
Joe laughed and then went back to jumping a black checker with a red one.
"Well, at least you're ready for lunch!" Ben said, with irritation as he stepped out of the kitchen. "The roast is overdone, the carrots and potatoes dried out! My biscuits are cold too! Now, where are Hoss and Cammie?" Just then, they heard not just the buggy but other riders come into the yard. All three Cartwrights, stepped out on the porch but Adam pulled his gun from its holster before he stepped out, holding it down at his side.
Hoss looked daunted as the buggy he drove was escorted by an M Bar rider on each side. Ben Cartwright stepped out farther along with Joe but Adam held back. He would have a better vantage point that way.
"What's this?" Ben asked. "Who are you two and what do you want?"
"It's okay, Pa," Hoss said, stepping out of the buggy and going around to Cammie, but she had already jumped down.
Cammie was almost shaking and her cheeks were flushed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Cartwright, I won't be staying for lunch. It seems my father was concerned for my whereabouts and sent some ranch hands to find me. I'm afraid I must return home. Thank you for your invitation—perhaps another time." She looked over at Adam and he stepped off the porch. Cammie noticed the gun and looked at the two men still sitting on their horses. One put his hand on his gun, waiting.
Adam stuck his gun in his waistband. "I'm sorry you can't stay, Cammie. You missed my father substituting as cook."
"Yeah," Joe said, grinning but sensing there could easily be trouble, "which means you didn't miss much."
"Perhaps some other time," Ben said, smiling. "Let me help you with your horse."
"Oh," she said. "Thank you. And perhaps my father and I can have all of you over for dinner soon. If we're going to be such close neighbors, we may as well start being good ones to you."
Ben quickly checked the saddle cinch while Cammie looked at Adam yearningly. Then Ben helped lift her into her sidesaddle.
"Thank you, again," Cammie said. Adam walked closer. "Did you shave for me?" she asked Adam, smiling.
Adam grinned. "I shaved for you and everyone else who had to look at me. Goodbye, Cammie."
"Let's go, Miss Mansfield," one of the men said and waited until Cammie Mansfield did. She looked back once in the hopes Adam would wave. But he didn't.
~ 0 ~
"We've been finding more beeves and calves than I thought we would," Ben said to his sons as they sat together with a drink before bed, all except Adam; he had coffee laced with a slug of whiskey. "And the new hands've worked out well. I'm pleased with the hires."
"Me too, Pa," Hoss said. "The men are working well but part of that may be because Landry knows just how hard to ride 'em—not too much but just enough to keep 'em goin'. But for our count, I'da thought Mansfield woulda stole a lot more than he did."
"Maybe he's over that," Adam said. "I don't see him as a rancher. I have a feeling the stolen steers were just to get our attention but now, well, I'm not sure what he's after."
"But I know what his daughter's after," Hoss said, raising his brows and grinning.
Joe laughed. "Yeah, Adam. Maybe with you two hooked up, peace will reign supreme!"
"All right you two," Ben said before Adam could respond. "We have another long day ahead of us."
"Yeah, I'm gettin' to bed." Hoss stood up and drained his glass, replacing it on the table. "'Night, ever'body." Hoss headed up the stairs, followed by Joe, leaving Ben and Adam alone.
Adam finished his coffee but still sat, looking at the empty cup in his hands. Ben took another sip of his whiskey. "What is it, Adam? You've been edgy all day."
"I…I have to go out tonight. I don't know for how long."
"Where are you going?"
"It's better you don't know anything."
"Adam, I can't agree with that. I think I should know. What if something happens to you? If I don't know where you are and you don't come home, what…"
"Pa! Just stop. Just stop and listen to yourself. I'm not a child anymore and you can't protect me from the world. There are some things I have to do on my own and this is one of them."
Ben put down his drink. "I know, Adam, I know. Just tell me this—does it have anything to do with Mansfield?" Adam looked at his father. "Okay, forget I asked. Just please-be careful."
"I always am, Pa."
~ 0 ~
The house was silent, the only light coming through the front window from the porch light, and Adam, as quietly as he could, buckled on his gun belt. He paused and then reached for his father's gun, sliding it from its holster. He snapped out the cylinder and saw it was loaded so after closing it, he stuck it in the back of his waistband. Then he left to saddle up Beau.
Adam stayed off the main road that connected the two pieces of property. There was only a sliver of moon out and he listened carefully for sounds. He suddenly realized his heart was thudding and his breathing was shallow—signs of fear. He was afraid but it wasn't about sneaking into Mansfield's house—it was a faceless fear that the darkness and the smells, especially the crisp odor of pine trees and the unknown dangers hiding in the trees. He wanted to tell himself he was foolish; the war was over but Adam knew better than to minimize risk. A sniper could still be waiting in the trees for any trespasser on the M Bar. He knew his excess caution could save his life so he continued his vigilance until he reached Mansfield's house, riding in a large arc until he came to the back and dismounted a distance from the house.
He crept closer, keeping himself as low as possible until he came within ten feet of the window that was open, the sash having been pulled-up. He pulled his gun and looked about. No one. The bunk house was about 30 yards away and the lights were off. The house was dark as well.
Adam walked to the house and flattened himself against the wall, slowly leaning to look inside. His eyes had adjusted to the dark and glancing in, he saw Violet pacing in the dark room. No one else was there unless they were hiding under the desk; it wasn't a large room. He stepped in front of the window and whispered, "Violet."
"Oh!" she put a hand to her bosom and immediately ran to the window. "Oh, Adam, I was sure you'd come tonight but you still scared me. Quick, come in so I can close the window."
Adam holstered his revolver and put one long leg over the sill and by ducking his head, managed to get through.
"Your shoulders are almost too wide," Violet said, running her hands up and down his arms. Then she sighed. "I do like you, Adam. Perhaps we can celebrate finding the gold by having a tumble on that big couch after. Would serve the Colonel right."
"I have work to do, Violet. Now you can leave." Adam started to guide her to the door.
"The door's locked. I came in through the window."
"Wait a minute? The door's locked? How did you get in here to unlock the window then?"
"I unlocked it earlier today. The Colonel has the only key to the door but before he left, we had a 'goodbye' on the desk—he likes it that way. While he was buttoning up, I slid the lock on the window. Tonight, I opened it from the outside and climbed in just like you. Now let's look for the gold."
"No. I'll look. You go out the window." Adam scooped Violet up in his arms and slid her feet first out the window. She wanted to protest but feared making any noise.
"Adam," Violet whispered through the window, "be careful. Remember, Cook snores and won't hear a thing but Cammie's a light sleeper."
"Go back to your room, Violet."
"You take care, Adam. Remember though, I get the reward." She smiled, blew him a kiss, and left.
Adam closed the window and then looked about to see if there was an obvious safe or even a disguised one, but he saw nothing. The outside walls weren't thick enough to hide a wall safe—the width of their windows was proof of that. But the two inside walls held possibility. He started running his hands along the wood panels on the walls, lightly knocking at intervals to check the tone, to hear if one section sounded different. But even after going along the walls, there was nothing.
He opened the desk drawers as none were locked, but found nothing in particular. There were file drawers and he slowly opened them. There was no box, no hidden key just as the desk hadn't held one, and it was too dark to read the files. If he found the gold, he would tell Agent Kelley and with a warrant, Kelley could go through the files; he didn't have the time anyway.
"Now where would I hide…" Adam walked to the center of the room where a thick, hand-carved, Aubusson wool rug lay. He pulled a chair off it and rolled back the rug. Even in the darkness, he could see a wooden trap door created with floor boards, and a finger hole. Adam kneeled down and hooked one finger into the hole and lifted. Below, in a paneled hole, was a large strong box. He tried to lift it out but it was heavy, very heavy but locked. He couldn't shoot the lock off to see if it held the gold although he was sure it did. So, Adam considered. His initial plan was just to tell Kelley where the gold was, but what if the gold wasn't still there tomorrow? He decided to take the strong box with him. He would carry it to the horse and drag the strong bow behind with a rope. Or hide it nearby.
Adam grabbed the handles and lifted the strong box out of the hole. Carefully, he closed the trap door and then arranged the rug, replacing the chair. He opened the window and dropped the box to the side, climbing out after it. He gently pulled down the window. He was about to lean down for the box when he heard, "Just leave it be, Cartwright."
He looked up and James Costello, a smile on his face, had a gun pointed at him. Violet was held by another man, twisting one of her arms up behind her back and his other hand clapped firmly over her mouth, her eyes wide and fearful.
Adam stood up. "Thought you were in San Francisco."
"Well, I made up a reason to come back. Thought I'd have a little fun with Violet and then maybe have a look around for where the gold was hidden. Don't want it all, just a few thousand, and then for bargaining purposes. I always suspected the old man had it hidden somewhere in the house. Thanks for finding it for me, Cartwright. Afraid though, I'm going to have to shoot you for the thief you are. Now, drop your gun, would you? I promise I'll put it right back in your hand after you're dead. Wouldn't look good for me to kill an unarmed man."
"What about Violet? What are you going to do with her?" Adam nodded toward the terrified woman.
"Well, have a little fun with her for a bit but sad to say, she's more or less finished. The Colonel will decide what to do with her seeing as she's helped you, whether to slice off her nose or brand her cheek—on her face or her ass—maybe both." He chuckled and the other man laughed as well. "Now, the gun, please. Just use your left hand to pull it."
Adam, being obvious, pulled aside the right side of his jacket revealing his holster. Then he slowly pulled his gun out with his left hand and tossed it to the ground. He raised both his hands shoulder-height. "Now what?" Adam could feel the pressure of his father's gun against his back, waiting for the chance to pull it. It may not save his life, being awkward to reach around under his jacket to grab it, but it just might give Violet a chance to run and that alone would be worth it. Hadn't he been trained by the Army to willingly sacrifice his life for others? For the greater good? Wasn't it so ingrained in him that it was second nature? Perhaps. But to never see the blue sky again, a hawk gliding above, hear birdsong and howl of a lone wolf, to never to see his father's smile or hear Hoss's deep laugh and Joe's high-pitched giggle, to never more be with a woman, make love to her, and in the morning, see world awaken as the sun streamed through the window-oh, he didn't want to give any of that up but he knew what he had to do.
Without taking his eyes off of Adam, Costello said, "Stanton, check him out-see if he has another gun inside his jacket. Keep your hands up, Cartwright."
"What about her?" Stanton asked, still struggling with Violet.
"Hopefully, she'll run. I need some target practice. Now go check him out."
Adam's heart sank as Stanton, holstering his own gun, checked the inside of his jacket and then, on some whim, felt the back of his jacket and found the gun. He pulled aside Adam's jacket and with a little trouble, removed the revolver.
"Well," Stanton said, "looky, looky what I found." He held up the gun and smiled at Costello. And Adam acted. He grabbed Stanton's gun from the man's holster. Costello was surprised and that made him a second late in aiming and in that second, Adam grabbed Stanton across the neck and Costello fired; instead of hitting Adam, Costello shot Stanton in the chest. The man shuddered as his hands flew wide. Violet screamed out of pure terror and Adam took advantage of the distraction to fire at Costello, hitting him in the thigh. Costello dropped to the ground where he writhed, grimacing in pain.
Adam dropped Stanton's body and hurried over to where Violet still screamed, sitting on the ground where she had fallen. Adam saw a light come on in the bunkhouse and the men, holding guns, running out. They began to cross the area to where Adam stood.
"Violet! Violet!" Adam grabbed her arms and pulled her up. He shook her and she stopped screaming but her eyes were unfocused.
"Now listen to me!" He shook her one more time and she settled down, not looking at the groaning man on the ground but at Adam. "Go find my horse. He's tied-off in that clump of trees over there. Then ride as fast as you can to the Ponderosa and tell my father and brothers what happened and that we need a doctor and the sheriff. Now do it!" Violet nodded. Adam gave her a small shove and she took off, holding up her wrap, and ran as fast as she could across the area, stumbling once, losing a slipper, and then picking it up. Adam hoped she'd have the sense to check the cinch before mounting.
He grabbed Costello, kicking the man's gun aside, and pulled him up, even though he could barely stand, but Adam wanted him as a shield. The bunkhouse men closed the distance quickly but stopped when they saw that Adam held a gun to Costello's head.
"Now all of you just back off. You shoot me and I shoot him."
The men looked at one another. Two of the men stepped aside. "Look, we didn't sign on for nothin' like this. C'mon," one man said to the other, "let's take off. We're leaving, mister." They tossed their guns aside and backed off, turning once they were far enough away and loping to the bunkhouse. But the three left stood their ground. Adam knew there were at least seven men who worked the place, Stanton being one, but there were only five who'd shown.
One man spoke. "First, you tell us what's going on and why we should care about him" He motioned toward Costello with his gun. "He may work for the Colonel but he's not one of us. What's to keep us from killing both at you at the same time?"
"Because," a voice came from the shadows, "I'll shoot you if you do." Kelley stepped around the corner of the house with a rifle, followed by another man holding a hand gun, the missing ranch hand, Hanley. "I'm a Treasury agent and you don't want to harm me or Captain Cartwright here. Just drop your guns and back away." After a quick look at one another, the men complied.
"Took you long enough to show up," Adam said, dropping Costello back onto the dirt where he cried out, having landed on his injured thigh.
"Wanted to see how you handled yourself, Cartwright. Looks like you did damn well."
Adam snorted in disgust, knowing full well Kelley's excuse wasn't the truth as sweat ran down the sides of his face and his rifle shook a bit in his hands. "Yeah, I did goddamn well," Adam said. "You are one miserable son-of-a-bitch, Kelley. and I'm finished with this whole goddamn thing. The strong box was hidden in a hole under the rug in Mansfield's study and he has files that may contain important financial information. I don't really know, but I would imagine a warrant could be arranged quickly. Just don't go to Judge Wolfe in Carson City; he may be on Mansfield's payroll and the files may confirm it."
"Thanks, Captain," Kelley said while Hanley cuffed Costello as he lay on the ground.
"One other thing," Adam said, "Don't ever call me captain again or I swear I'll blow your head clean off."
