A/N: Inspired from a request by a loyal reader, C. (I hope you enjoy it even though it's not exactly what you requested).Please note again: This story does contain corporal punishment. If you don't like stories with these scenes, please find something else to read.
Adam looked up from where he was standing near the stove in the kitchen. He had made sure each of his four children were up this morning before leaving them to start on the breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. A half-hour later, he heard what sounded like a herd of bison coming down the stairs.
A chorus of 'morning, Papas' was said by each child as they took a seat at the table.
"Good morning, children," Adam responded as he brought out the last bowl of eggs to the table and took his own seat.
All was quiet as each person filled up their plate and began eating. Conversation then drifted to the normal topics for breakfast: plans for the day, anything exciting school things, and the weather. That was until Nathan cleared his throat and spoke up, changing the topic away from the weather.
"Patrick and I were talking while checking fences the other day about the rodeo that's coming to town in about a month."
Adam nodded, knowing where this conversation was headed, but not wanting to interrupt.
"Well, I was wondering if I could participate in a few of the events? Patrick was telling me all about them and most are things I do on the ranch anyway. I think it'd be a good experience for me, not to mention, I think I'd be pretty brilliant." Nathan couldn't help the smirk that escaped as he said the last part.
There was a long pause as Adam thought about the request from his oldest. It seemed like just yesterday he was holding him in his arms as a newborn baby. Now, in what seemed like a blink of an eye, Nathan was eighteen years old and had finished primary school. Taking after his father, he planned to attend college in a year and had already gone on a couple visitation trips to some reputable colleges in California and one in Colorado. Unlike his father, and much to Adam's relief, he hoped to be a little bit closer to home.
In the meantime, he has been working full time on the ranch, helping with everything that one of his hired hands would be doing. While not technically an employee, he agreed to pay his son a small wage each month so he would have some spending money when he headed off to college next fall. As much as Adam didn't want to admit it, Nathan was practically grown up.
"As much as my gut tells me I should say no, I think I can allow you to enter this year." Adam watched as Nathan's face beamed with excitement. "However, there will be some conditions you have to follow."
"Of course! I'll do anything you say!"
"We will discuss ahead of time which events you are going to enter and then you will practice for those events, so I know you are prepared when it's time to face the big rodeo. Second, I know there isn't much out there for protective gear, but you will wear whatever I find even if your uncles or I have to create our own. I don't care if you're practically an adult or how silly you'll look in front of everyone you know, I will not allow myself to watch you get hurt when it could have been prevented."
"I'm not too thrilled with the gear, but I do understand. It's hard on your old heart to watch me do something so exhilarating. I'd hate to give you a heart attack or something." Nathan was going out on a limb with the comment, but he hoped his father would know he was only joking with him.
"Very funny. If I were you, I'd watch what you're saying as I could just as easily say you can't enter at all." Adam gave his son a pointed look that told him he knew he was joking, but at the same time, he was very serious about allowing him to participate at all. People got hurt all the time at rodeos. This wasn't an activity to joke around with.
"I know and I understand."
Adam and Nathan were pulled out of their conversation by Samuel's small nine-year-old voice who had overheard the entire talk. "Hey, Pa? Can me and Clara and Helen participate too in the rodeo?"
Clara also thought this would be a fun adventure and decided to join in on her younger brother's request. "Yeah. It'd be fun! We've all grown up around horses and cattle, so how hard can it really be?"
"Absolutely not. Nathan is the only one allowed to enter."
"Please, Pa! We can be just as good with the livestock as Nathan can be."
Adam shook his head. "I know you are all good with the animals, but this isn't the same kind of competition. My mind is made up; Nathan is the only one allowed to join."
"It's not fair! You're only allowing him to join because he's older. We could be just as good if you only gave us a chance."
"Not everything is fair Clara. I thought you would know that by now. Yes, I am allowing Nathan to join because he is the oldest. I decided you have to be eighteen before I'll allow you to enter." Adam hoped this would end the incessant demand from his youngest children about wanting to participate.
It may have stopped the asking, but one look at the scowl on both Clara and Sam's faces indicated that neither one was happy with the decision.
"Look, I know you all aren't happy, but that's my final decision. I better not find out any of you…" Adam paused to lock eyes with Clara, Helen, and Sam before continuing. "…entered without my permission. You'll be one sorry child if you do. Please don't test me on this."
Three yes Pa's were heard, although, Sam and Clara's responses were naturally less energetic than Helen's reply.
It was a week later, and the bright, sunny Saturday afternoon found Nathan in the empty east pasture practicing for the upcoming rodeo. He had a long discussion with his father the other day reiterating the rules of being able to participate this year and ultimately deciding on which events both of them were comfortable with entering.
They had narrowed the long list of events down to two or three. Nathan wanted desperately to try the bull riding, but Adam firmly put his foot down on that event. It was much too dangerous for an adult his age, let alone his eighteen-year-old child. Adam did promise to reconsider in a couple years, only if the bulls present appear to be gentle. While not happy initially with his father's decision, he eventually conceded knowing he might be able to ride the bulls in a few years.
In the end, they had decided together that Nathan would be able to enter the tie-down calf roping, saddle bronc riding, and steer wrestling events. Nathan was already quite familiar with how to wrestle steer and rope and wrangle calves so those were clear choices. Adam had only recently allowed Nathan to start watching the ranch hands when they needed to break in new horses. The saddle bronc event would be an acceptable introduction to eventually helping with this chore.
With his father's approval for the three events, Nathan headed out on his first free day to start polishing his roping skills. He had thought he was alone until he spotted a flash of red checkered fabric slowly walking in his direction.
"Sam! What's wrong? Is everything all right up at the house?"
"Hey, Nate. Yeah, everything's fine. Just thought I would come watch you practice."
"Does Pa know you're here?"
"Well, not exactly."
Nathan shook his head. "You need to ask him first. You can come back if he approves."
Sam's shoulders visibly drooped down. "Pa will say no. You know he will. Please, can't I just stay here for a little bit? You can show me some of that fancy roping you know how to do. Pleeeassse?"
Nathan shook his head sadly at his younger brother for the second time. He remembered when he was his age and wanting to grow up quickly and do all the things grown-ups got to do. However, he also remembered how important it was to get permission to do things when he was Sam's age. "Nope. I'm not too keen on going against Pa. You ask him first, then you can join me next time."
He glanced down at Sam who was now giving him the best puppy dog look. Sam made no response, hoping his older brother would change his mind. Unfortunately for him, Nathan had lots of experience with younger siblings and he was an expert at avoiding the sad eyes.
"Go on now. I'm sure if you ask nicely, he might allow you to come one day."
When Sam failed to move, Nathan spun him around and pushed him gently to get him going. He watched for a few seconds as Sam headed back the way he came. When he was certain he would keep going, he returned to his practice.
What Nathan didn't see was Sam make a hard right turn and station himself behind some bushes. He watched intently from this location, not only the rest of the afternoon, but every day he had free. Here he could watch his brother train and even pick up on some of the tricks and skills. Sure, it would have been nice to actually do the skills, but watching his brother fail and eventually succeed was just as good of a learning lesson. Now he just had to find a way to put his newly learned skills to good use.
The day of the rodeo was here at last and as the entire family arrived at the arena, nobody was more excited than Nathan. Adam was driving the wagon with Clara, Helen, and Sam in the back, while Nathan rode behind on his red roan horse Rusty. Ben along with Hoss and Joe were in the wagon behind Nathan. When they had heard Nathan was going to be in the rodeo, they said they wouldn't miss it.
Bringing the wagon to a stop with all the other wagons, Adam's children jumped off the end excited to get the activities underway. Making sure the wagon brake was secure, Adam moved to the back of the wagon before his children could run off.
"Now remember, Nathan is the only one allowed to enter any of the events here. I believe there are some events for younger children, but I do not feel safe allowing you to participate today. Do you three understand?"
The girls responded with a 'yes, Pa' while Sam eagerly nodded his head.
Adam gave them one final look, making sure his face told them not to try anything today. "Very well. We're going to go find seats to watch the action with your Grandpa. Then I'm going to go with your brother to find out where to register for his events."
A half-hour later, Adam returned to their seats after getting Nathan settled.
"Did you get him registered son?"
"Yes. The calf roping is first. He'll be doing the steer wrestling later along with the saddle bronc riding. They have the events spaced out so lucky for him, he won't be competing all three events in a row."
Ben nodded at Adam's explanation. Adam's attention was then pulled away as Clara asked if they could go down by the fence to watch closer. Adam agreed as long as they stayed near the fence located directly in front of them and didn't stray.
All three sat and intently watched as Nathan rushed out of the gate chasing a calf with his lasso swinging. After catching the calf around its neck, Nathan quickly jumped off his horse, grabbed the calf, and tied three of its legs together. The competitors were then required to return to their horse and loosen the slack in the line holding the calf. If the calf stayed tied for at least six seconds, it was a successful event. The rider with the lowest time score won the event. Nathan's time of 14 seconds didn't do the best, but it wasn't the worse time either. As Nathan left the arena, the younger children rushed back to their family.
"Pa! That was so cool. Nathan looked like he belonged out there."
Adam couldn't agree more.
"Hey, Pa? Since there's a little break between Nathan's events, can we go see some of the animals in the holding pen?"
"Well…"
"Me and Helen can look after Sam. We promise we'll go straight there and back."
Adam hesitated for a moment. "Straight there and back. No side trips."
"Yes sir!"
"Come on, let's go!"
At the animals, not only were there the livestock that was to be used in the rodeo, but also, much to the children's delight, several baby animals including some sheep, rabbits, and goats.
Noticing Helen was a few feet away, Sam leaned over to Clara while she was crouching down petting a sheep lying in some hay. "Clara, can you take me over to the younger children's events?"
Clara turned her face to peer up at Sam, trying to judge if he was serious or not. "You heard Pa. We're not supposed to enter those events."
"I know, but I've been watching Nate almost every day and I've been practicing. Please?"
Clara didn't need much more convincing than that as she was always ready for an adventure and especially one that involved her little brother. "Sure. Let me take care of Helen."
"Helen, I think it's about time to get back, but Sam wants to pet the animals a little bit longer. I'll stay here with him if you want to go back and tell Pa?"
Helen shifted her gaze from her sister to her brother, trying to gauge if they were trying to pull the wool over her eye. A quick glance at Sam's face showed he was genuinely eager to stay and pet the animals, so Helen agreed.
As Helen turned to leave, Clara couldn't help the smirk that grew across her face before she leaned down to whisper to Sam. "And that's how you fool our sister." Sam returned her smirk with one of his own.
At first, Adam was curious about where Sam and Clara were when Helen returned without them. However, when she explained that her siblings, especially Sam, wanted to stay and visit with the baby animals some more, Adam understood.
However, it was now the end of Nathan's second event and there was still no sign of either child. He glanced down to where the children sat earlier in the day near the fence, thinking, maybe, Clara and Sam decided to return there instead of checking in with him first. He wouldn't be happy if that's what they did, but at least he would know where they were. Except they weren't there.
The more the minutes ticked by, the more nervous he became. They might only be visiting the baby animals, but even baby animals can injure a person, not to mention a child, in the blink of an eye. As with most parents, he replayed the worst-case scenarios in his head, which didn't help his anxiety. Finally deciding he couldn't wait any longer, he leaned over to his father telling him he was going to find Clara and Sam and to watch over Helen for him.
Adam had almost reached where the animals were corralled when he heard Clara's voice. To his relief, it didn't sound like it was a troubled voice. Instead, it sounded like she was cheering for someone or something.
He stopped and followed the direction that the voice was coming from. There on the other side of the animals, away from the main rodeo arena, were the younger children's rodeo events. Clara was standing inside the arena by the fence, cheering on Sam, who had his arms wrapped around the neck of a sheep.
The sight of his son riding livestock without any safety gear on made his heart stop momentarily. Frozen in his steps, Adam watched as Sam barely held on and then took a nosedive into the muddy arena. Sam remained still on the ground for a half-second before standing up.
It was then that Adam resolved that he had seen enough and luckily realized he could move once again. Not caring who was watching, he shimmied his way through the fence slats marching across the arena to where Sam was now almost standing near Clara.
Upon reaching his son, he took his arm, turned him to the side, and landed two stinging swats to his backside. Neither of his children saw him coming and the swats were as much of a surprise as his presence was at that moment.
Turning him around to face him, Adam worked hard to control his temper at being disobeyed and watching him do something so dangerous. "What do you think you are doing out here, young man?"
Sam knew he was caught, but sometimes his mouth worked before he thought. "Riding the sheep."
At that statement, Adam reached around his son and landed another firm swat to his bottom. "Wrong answer."
"Hey! That hurts."
Adam shook his head sadly. "This is just a warm-up Samuel Lee. You and I have quite the discussion waiting for us at home."
A pout formed on Sam's face as Adam gently grabbed his shoulder to turn him towards the exit. As they passed by Clara, he told her that they were leaving and reached for her hand.
However, she had no intention of leaving yet and she yanked her hand out of Adam's gentle grip. "Not fair! I didn't get my turn yet."
Adam stopped in his tracks, shooting her a fierce glare. "My patience is worn out Clara. If you want to stand here and argue with me, we can deal with your misbehavior right here in the arena."
Clara was almost certain her father wouldn't do that, but she blushed at the thought nonetheless. "No, sir." She wasn't willing to test him today especially seeing how cross he already seemed.
"Wise choice. Let's go now."
As they walked back to the rest of the family, Adam couldn't help but wonder if Helen was in on this little adventure too by covering up for them by saying they were staying longer with the animals. Helen was normally his most reliable and trustworthy child and hated to get in trouble. If she thought an adventure would get them in trouble, she more than likely wouldn't participate. Still, he wanted to get his facts straight before he left for home with Clara and Sam.
Helen was lounging with her Grandpa waiting for Nathan's last event to start when Adam arrived with his two subdued children following close behind.
"Helen, I have to ask, did you know anything about your brother's and sister's plans this afternoon?"
"No, Pa. I told you what they told me, honest."
Adam gave a small nod. "Thank you. I do believe you but wanted to make sure. Pa, Sam and Clara got into some trouble and I need to deal with it at home. I'm heading there now with them. Could you please bring Helen and Nathan home with you when the events are done today?"
"Sure, son."
Adam gave a short nod to Ben before turning and placing a hand on both Clara and Sam's back to direct them back towards the wagons.
Having watched from a distance, Nathan saw his father leave with his siblings. He knew wouldn't perform well in his last event unless he knew everything was all right. Dismounting, Nathan headed over to where his family was sitting and was informed what had happened. He felt a little guilty that he knew about Sam's fascination with the rodeo a few weeks ago, but never told anyone. Maybe he should have said something to his Pa, but in all honesty, his little brother got excited about things all the time, but the excitement quickly fades. He thought it was just one of these times. All he knew, though, was that he was grateful and relieved it wasn't him having a discussion with his father this time.
The ride home was quiet with each person lost in their own thoughts. All too soon, they arrived back at their house and Adam instructed Clara and Sam to find a corner inside while he took care of the horses and wagon. Normally, he'd send the miscreant up to his or her room, but he wanted to question both of them together first. He learned from experience, if he wanted the whole story, and the correct story, and it involved more than one of his children, it was best to do the discussion together.
A half-hour later, with the horses finally settled and his temper reigned in, he headed towards the house. Stepping inside, he was pleased to see that for once both of his children had listened and were standing in separate corners.
"All right. You can both come out of the corner now." When both turned around, he gestured for them to take a seat on the sofa.
"I already know what you both did, what I want to know is why and how?"
Sam gulped, shifting his gaze towards Clara, silently pleading for her to take the lead on this conversation.
When Sam didn't speak up after a few moments, Clara began to explain. "Sam asked me to take him to the events for the younger riders. I thought it sounded like fun, so I said I'd take him."
Adam began to pace in front of them. "So you lied to your sister when you told her you wanted to stay longer with the animals?"
"Well, we did want to stay longer."
Adam sighed. "But the reason you wanted to stay longer was so you could go to the other events, correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"So what happened when you got there? I'm positive you needed a parent's approval to enter the events."
"Well, that was easy. We just told them you were sitting in the audience and gave your verbal approval. Once we said we were Cartwrights, they didn't question us anymore."
He stopped his pacing to look directly at his daughter. "Nothing about this should be easy, Clara Ann. I'm not amused you used the reputation of our name to deceive someone just to get what you want." He sent them both a pointed look making them both wither under his gaze.
"So, Samuel, you've been awful quiet during this conversation. You were clear I didn't want you to enter into any events at the rodeo, correct?"
"Umm…yes, sir."
"Yet you did it anyway and you dragged your sister into this mess. And to make matters worse, you entered the event and didn't even wear protective gear! I know you were there at the table when I told your brother, your eighteen-year-old brother, he was to wear protection. If you were so determined to enter, the least you could have done was think about your personal safety!" Adam pinched the bridge of his nose as he worked hard to get control of his temper once again.
"We're sorry, Pa. Really we are."
Adam appreciated the apology, but he was still fuming over the stunt they both pulled and the thought of what could have happened. He needed to calm down before he finished his discussion with both of them. "I think I've heard all I need to at this time. Please go wait in your rooms for me to come and finish this talk."
Clara and Sam shot each other sad faces before they rose from their seats, dragging their feet up the stairs. Both knew the hidden meaning of their father's words and neither were looking forward to the next hour.
Ten minutes later, Adam felt he had his temper under control once again and decided to head up to deal with his children. Resolving to handle Samuel first, Adam made a short detour to his room. Heading over to his dresser, he pulled open one of the drawers and grabbed what he was looking for: his late wife's wooden hairbrush. She may be long deceased, but her hairbrush still gets quite the workout. He shoved it in his pocket before leaving the room.
Arriving at Samuel's room, he knocked twice and let himself in. Sam was sitting on the edge of his bed but stiffened at his father's knock on his door.
Adam walked over to the desk, grabbing the back of the chair before spinning it around to face his son.
"I'm not going to rehash the conversation we already had downstairs. You know what you did wrong and why. When I saw you out there in the middle of the arena, you made my heart stop, Samuel. All I could picture was you falling off that sheep and breaking your neck. I don't forbid you children to do things unless I have a good reason. Rodeos are extremely dangerous, especially for children. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Now before we move onto the more physical part of your punishment, I want to go over the rest of the consequences for your little adventure today."
"There's more?"
"Oh yes. I want to be entirely certain you won't ever consider doing something like this again. I gave it a lot of thought to try to figure out how I could get it through your skull that rodeos are dangerous and livestock can be unpredictable, even those we raise on our ranch."
Adam watched as Sam rolled his eyes and let out a small sigh. Sam might think this is stupid and unnecessary now, but if he played his cards right, Sam would learn a crucial lesson.
"First, after we are done here, you will be on restriction for the next month. No friends, no social activities, no fishing, and no fun weekend outings. School and home are the only places you are allowed to visit for the next month." Sam's mouth gaped open in shock, but wisely didn't complain about this part of the punishment.
"After your month restriction is over, you will be spending the next two months working with your uncle's and grandpa at their ranch on the weekends. They will be teaching you all about livestock and the dangers of running a ranch and handling animals."
"But…but that's not fair! If I'm doing that on the weekends, and have school and chores during the week, it's like I'll basically be on restriction for… for…" Adam waited while Sam counted up the months. "For three whole months!"
Adam truly hated to do this, but he needed Sam to learn this lesson. "I'm sorry son. Remember, actions have consequences, Samuel."
Adam eyed his son's shoulders slouching at the harsh punishment. "Then after the two months of working at the main ranch are complete, I'm requiring you to write me a nine-page essay on what you learned, dangers of livestock, dangers of working on a ranch, why rodeos are so dangerous, and how you can protect yourself to alleviate these dangers."
"Nine? Why nine?" Sam wasn't arguing against the essay, he was honestly curious about the odd number.
"It's your age. I figured it'd be a good reminder for you to remember how young you actually are and every time you write a page to realize how many dangers there are to someone of your age."
"Oh."
"Are there any questions on the rest of your punishment?"
"No, sir."
"All right, let's finish up this discussion." Adam reached into his pocket to pull out the brush while Sam stood up from the bed.
Sam's eyes grew wide in horror at the dreaded implement. "Pa! Please don't use that! I promise I won't do anything like this again, I swear!"
"I need to stress to you the seriousness of what you did today. You lied, disobeyed me, and threw your own personal safety to the wind. Those are all big items in my book. I'm absolutely using this, Samuel."
Sobs already began to escape from Sam at the pure thought of the item being used. Adam realized it was best to get this part over with as quickly as possible before he completely had a meltdown.
He tugged at Sam's arm to move him to the right side of his lap before guiding him over. He debated about lowering Sam's pants before he began, but knew from experience the brush would sting enough even over clothing. Adam then wrapped his left arm around him to hold him in place and raised his right arm to begin the spanking.
After the full nine swats, Sam was crying openly.
"We're all done, Sam." Adam reached down to help his son up off his lap.
Sam immediately collapsed into his father's chest, continuing to cry into his shirt front. Adam wrapped his arms around his son, just holding him and rubbing his back to get him to calm down.
"It's all right son. You're all right. You're forgiven."
Gradually, Sam's cries became sobs and Adam continued to offer comfort until he heard only sniffles and he felt his breath hitch.
"How about I get you settled in your bed? You can try to take a nap until the rest of the family returns home." Adam asked as he rested his head on top of Sam's head. He felt his son's head nod underneath his chin and he gently led him over to his bed.
He pulled down the blanket as Sam laid down on his stomach. Pulling the blanket back over him, Adam leaned down to kiss his son's head. "I love you, but please don't ever scare me like that again."
"I won't Pa and I love you too."
After closing Sam's door, Adam walked down the hallway to the third door on the other side of the hall. He knocked once and let himself in finding Clara lounging on her bed, however, she quickly sat up at the sight of her father.
She glanced at the hairbrush still in Adam's hand and paled.
"Are you going to use that?"
Adam walked the few steps over to his daughter's bed and took a seat next to her. "I'm sure you already figured out I wasn't happy with what you and your brother pulled today. Sure, he was the most guilty party in this rendezvous, but you helped him, which makes you almost as guilty as him."
Clara's eyes drifted to the floor ashamed of being responsible for leading her baby brother into trouble. Their plans always sound fun, but they almost always seem to end in the same way.
"I wasn't planning on using the brush, but I think I'll let you have a choice this time."
"A choice?"
"Yes. Either the entire punishment with just my hand with my standard rule of your age in swats, so thirteen for you. Or I'll cut the number in half if you chose the brush."
She pondered the options, then something occurred to her. "But when you divide thirteen in half it isn't an even number. Would it be six or seven?"
Adam couldn't help the smile that formed on his face. His daughter might not like school, but it was satisfying to see at least some learning was getting into her head. "I'll ask a follow-up question. When you have a number with a decimal that has point three at the end, do you round up or down?"
"Down."
"And when do you round up to the higher number?"
"Point five or higher."
"Very good. Now divide thirteen in half and use that knowledge to find out your original answer."
Adam waited while Clara did the mental arithmetic. "Oh. So it'd be seven."
"Correct. So what's your decision?"
Clara sat for a moment trying to decide. It would be nice to get the punishment over and done with fewer swats, but that hairbrush stung terribly. Even if it was only one swat with that brush, she had no desire to have it used on her today.
"I don't want that evil brush."
Adam had to work hard to suppress a chuckle at her response. "Very well. Please stand up so we can finish this discussion up."
As she moved to stand in front of him, he took her hands gently in his. "Now, I wasn't pleased with either you or Sam today by disobeying me and deceiving your sister. After we're done here, you will be joining your brother in restriction for the next month."
"A month!?"
He raised his eyebrow at her outburst. "I can make it two months if you don't think that's long enough."
"No! No, a month is fine."
"School and home, that's the only places you'll be allowed to go. Anything else you would like to say?"
"Just that I am sorry."
"And I accept the apology, but that doesn't eliminate the consequences for your actions." Adam began to pull Clara around to his right side.
He then pulled her across his lap and after making sure she was in the right position, began the punishment in earnest. Thirteen swats later had Clara crying and promising never to do anything like this again.
After he laid down the last swat, he immediately began rubbing her back in soothing circles and offering words of comfort, letting her know it was all done. It took a few minutes for her to gain enough control over her crying to be able to stand up.
Immediately she wrapped her arms around her father wanting some extra comfort. Adam gratefully reciprocated the hug. It always amazed him how his children became so clingy after he dished out a punishment. He never liked punishing them, but if there's a silver lining to it, the cuddle time after was it.
Adam held Clara for several minutes until her sobs became mere sniffles. "Why don't you stay here in your bed for a little while? You're not restricted to your room, but a nice rest might do some good before your sister and brother return home."
"Sure, Pa."
He helped her get settled in her bed, pulling the covers up to her shoulders and laying a kiss on her forehead.
"Love you. And I am sorry for today."
"Thank you. Now get some rest." Adam quietly made his way out of her room before heading to the kitchen to get something calming to drink for himself and to wait for his other children to arrive back home.
Adam was relaxing by the fire after sending his children to bed already. He looked up from his coffee as he heard the stairs creak underneath Nathan's feet.
"Hey, Pa. Mind if I sit with you for a few minutes?"
"Not at all. Help yourself to a cup of coffee and then come join me by the fire."
Adam watched his son carefully as he returned to the main room with his cup of coffee. He set the cup down on the table beside the chair before settling himself into the chair. Despite having his favorite drink beside him, his son sat there seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
"Something on your mind?"
"Umm… well… I guess."
Adam placed his own cup down on the other table before looking at Nathan. "What kind of answer is that?"
"Well, there is something I should tell you, but Sam already got in trouble so it's not like it will make much of a difference in the long run."
Adam crossed his arms over his chest. "Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"
Nathan visibly gulped at the look that was plastered across his father's face. He may be eighteen, but that look could make him feel like he was six again.
"A few weeks ago when I started practicing for the rodeo, Sam followed me. I told him he had to ask you before he could watch me. He didn't want to leave or ask you. I sent him back to the house, at least I thought I did. I guess he was watching me from a distance picking up on some of my skills. I thought it was weird he never pestered me about coming to watch again, but now it all makes sense."
Adam contemplated what his son just told him. Technically, he didn't do anything wrong. On the other hand, if he had told him about this sooner, Adam might have been able to prevent or discourage Sam from sneaking into the rodeo at all.
"Thanks for telling me about this, even though as you said, it is a little too late as the damage has already been done."
"Trust me, if I had known he was hiding there watching me, I would have come straight to you."
"I know you would have. Thanks for being such a great older brother to all your siblings."
Nathan was touched by the comment, but one look at his father's face showed things weren't completely forgiven. "Are you upset that I didn't come to you sooner?"
"Upset? No. Disappointed? Yes."
A frown grew across Nathan's face. His father being disappointed was almost worse than him being upset.
"You did everything correctly with the information you knew in this situation, so I'm not disappointed there. I just wish I had known about Sam's continual interest in the rodeo before the habit got too extensive. He might not have gotten into the trouble he did today if I had known about this. Then again, it's Sam we're talking about. When your brother sets his mind to something he doesn't let go, whether it's a good idea or a bad one."
A small laugh escaped Nathan's lips as memories flooded back from everything Sam had gotten into over the years. For only being nine years old, he sure racked up quite the list. "I really am sorry, Pa."
"I know you are. But it's about time for both of us to head to bed, now. It's been a long day for everyone."
Nathan rose out of his chair to take both his and his father's empty cups to the kitchen. Returning to the main room, he leaned down to give his Pa a goodnight hug. Before he was released though, he found himself on the receiving end of a sharp swat.
Quickly standing back up, he took a few steps backward to protect himself from any more swats. "Hey! What's that for?"
"A reminder for you not to keep things from me that pertains to your siblings in the future." Adam pegged Nathan with a look that meant he was serious.
"Got it and I promise."
"Wonderful, now get to bed."
Adam watched as his son headed up the stairs. He waited a few moments longer before following in his son's footsteps. Despite how much trouble his children could find, he had some of the best children in Nevada and he wouldn't change a thing about them. It was definitely an eventful day, but at last, it was finally over and tomorrow will be a fresh start for them all with new adventures and learning opportunities. Although his poor heart couldn't handle another day like today so soon, so he prayed that any new adventures would be a little less lively.
A/N: I wanted to get this out a few weeks ago, but as my personal life issues continue to drag on, I was a bit preoccupied. Also, if you don't know what a red roan horse looks like it's pictured in the photo. Anyway, please let me know what you like or hate about it (nicely of course).