I took a rather long from break posting stories, but due to the pandemic I felt like writing again and picked up some of my old notes.
I hope you get through this worldwide madness safe and sane and that this story brings you a little bit of joy.

Chapter 1: No Place to Go

With a fast stride, Ben Cartwright headed to the Sheriff's office and forcefully opened the door. "Another sixteen head of cattle rustled." He glared at Roy Coffee.

Roy lowered his glasses. "Well, hello Ben, it's nice to see you, too."

He blinked nervously. "Sorry, Roy… it's just… did you send out your deputies?"

"I did... and the tracks they found led nowhere. Ben, I'm doing the best I can."

He sighed. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Have a cup of coffee. There's fresh one on the stove."

"Thanks." Ben poured himself a cup and started wandering around the room. "Thirty-two animals in one week." He sipped the cup and shook his head in disbelief.

Roy put his glasses on a pile of paper. "Now don't you worry none. Sooner or later they'll make a mistake."

"I hope I have a herd left by then."

"Hey! Don't you ever feed your prisoners?!", came a high-pitched voice from the jail cells.

Ben startled. "Your prisoners are getting younger every day. He sounds like he's ten."

"Actually…" Roy and stood up. "She's eleven."

Ben's eyes widened. "She?"

"It's a long and complicated story and if you wanna hear it, you can come along to the hotel, that's where I pick up her dinner. Food will be here in 25 minutes.", said Roy and went to the jail room. Ben heard a cell door moving and a lock clicking, then Roy came back.

He followed him outside. "I can't wait to hear this one."

"Well... some kids seem to be born under a bad star. Her father was sent to prison, her mother is dead, and so far I couldn't find any kin of hers." In the warm evening sun the two men headed to the hotel. "So, I put her in with Mrs. Hawkins. With her husband being away with the circus she has plenty of time and room… I thought." Roy wiped his face.

"What happened?"

"As soon as Mrs. Hawkins was out of sight, she ran away. When she locked her in the house, she started damaging things. And you know the Hawkins residence… there's plenty of stuff to damage. After one week, poor Mrs. Hawkins brought her back, told me she couldn't handle her. So, I put her in my place but she got bored there and ran away too… had to turn every stone in Virginia City to find her." Roy shook his head and Ben looked at him with raised eyebrows. "That was yesterday evening. After I had finally tracked her down I couldn't help but putting her in one of my cells." Roy shrugged his shoulders. "At least she's safe in there… and others are safe from her."

"A little girl in jail…", frowned Ben.

"I don't like it none either! Tonight, I wanna pay Mrs. Anderson a visit. She has four of her own, but maybe she can fit in one more. I guess she's better with kids than Mrs. Hawkins."

Ben's mind began to wander and a sudden sadness overcame him as he thought about any of sons being all alone and having no place to go.

"I asked every other woman in town. If Mrs. Anderson refuses, she'll have to stay in my jail or be sent to the orphanage in Carson. Have you ever seen that place?" Ben shook his head. "Once I had to pick up a kid there to testify in court… and it broke my heart to put him back in this hole. I sent a letter to the governor about the conditions but didn't get an answer."

They were only a few feet away from the hotel entrance when Roy stopped and turned to his friend. "Ben… ."

He knew what he was about to ask and lowered his eyes. "I don't know if my ranch is the right place for a little girl."

"She might look like a little girl but she's more rugged than some of the men I lock up. She's even bragging about knowing how to shoot. I'm not sure if that's true but I don't care to find out neither."

Ben smirked and took a deep breath. "Tell you what, you go to the hotel, I'll talk to Mrs. Anderson and then we'll see."

Roy hit him on the shoulder. "Thanks."

"What's the girl's name?"

"Mary… Mary O'Conner."

"Is her father Matthew O'Conner?"

"Yes. You know him?"

"I sure do. See you later, Roy."

oooOOOooo

"Mr. Cartwright… what can I do for you? My husband is still in his office.", said the woman after opening the door. Two kids, a boy and a girl were standing next to her, looking at Ben with big eyes.

"'Evening, Mrs. Anderson… I would like to talk to you."

She seemed flattered. "Oh… come on, go back inside and play." She gave her children a light push.

"As a matter of fact, Sheriff Coffee sends me and he needs your help. There is this eleven-year-old girl that has no place to stay until he can find her relatives and he was wondering, if you would be able take her in?"

Mrs. Anderson's face hardened. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Mary O'Conner, her father…"

"O'Conner? The man that robbed the General Store? And almost killed one of the finest men in Virginia City?"

Ben wiped his eyebrow. "Yes, I'm afraid that's him. But you see, this poor girl has no…"

"If the root is rotten so is the crop. Mr. Cartwright, we have enough mouths to feed… and soon there will be one more." She put her hand on her stomach and he noticed a small bulge.

"Sorry for disturbing you, Mrs. Anderson and good luck with the baby." He tipped his hat.

"Thank you and goodbye." She closed the door.

"Lord help me…" Ben looked towards the sky and headed back to the Sheriff's office.

oooOOOooo

Roy looked up from the pile of papers on his desk and nervously scrutinized Ben as he walked through the door. "Now let me meet that new house guest of mine.", he said and Roy's eyes lit up.

"I sure appreciate it. Right this way." He stood up, opened the door to the cells, and motioned for him to go in. Through the bars he saw a slender girl with brown hair, eating stew out of a tin pot. The cell door was wide open, since Roy was only locking it when he had to leave his office. Ben cringed as he pondered that the little girl was sitting in the same spot where murderers had awaited their hanging.

"Mary, I want you to meet Mr. Cartwright. He's a friend of mine and you will stay at his ranch until we can find your kin." She looked up from her meal and Ben smiled at her.

"Hello Mary, it's nice to meet you."

"Well… beats jail.", she said with a full mouth and continued eating.

Ben glanced at Roy. "You bet it does. I have three sons and one is just about your age."

"You sure you want them around the likes of me?"

He could feel her pain and anger. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Come on, let's get you outta there.", said Roy. Mary slowly stood up from the bunk and looked suspiciously at Ben as she passed him on the way out.

"Here are your things." Roy picked up an old bag and handed it to her before they all went to Roy's desk.

"I just need you to put your John Henry on some papers that confirm that I put her in your custody." Ben signed the paper and Roy shook hands with him. "Thanks again and I hope I have some news about them rustlers soon." He turned to the little girl. "Bye, Mary. Now you behave yourself."

"Bye, Lawman. Glad you got me off your back, ain't ya?" Mary gave him an army salute.

"Bye, Roy." Ben and his house guest stepped outside, where it had already gotten dark.

He looked at the empty street and smirked. All he had planned to do was talk to Roy and buy a few sacks of grain. "That reminds me… I need to stop by the General Store. Mary, you hop on that wagon." They drove down the road and in front of the store, Ben pulled the reins and motioned for Mary to come with him. Behind the counter stood the owner's daughter all by herself.

"Good evening Mr. Cartwright, oh I see you got company."

"'Evening Betsy, this is Mary, she is staying with us for a while."

"How nice… hello there." Mary uttered a bored hi and glanced over the store goods.

"My father is in the storage room, the grain you ordered is over there." She pointed to the corner of the room and he picked up the two sacks.

The moment Ben and Betsy had turned their backs on Mary, she coughed deliberately to drown the rustling of the candy that she grabbed from one of the glasses. She put it in her pocket and a few seconds later, the store owner entered through the back door, frowning at the girl that was standing in his store all by herself.

"Aren't you… you must be… of course… isn't your name O'Conner?"

"It sure is."

"What are you doing in my store? You get out right now!", he bellowed.

Before Mary could answer, Ben entered. "Harry, what's wrong?"

"That child has no business in here."

"She's with me. She'll be staying on the Ponderosa for a while." Mary clenched her fists and glared at Harry.

He looked at Ben in disbelief. "Do you know who that is?"

Ben bent down and told Mary to wait in the buckboard and to stay put. As soon as she was out of sight, he walked closer to Harry and spoke in a low voice. "Yes, I know who she is and I'm taking her in because nobody else seems to care what happens to her."

Harry's face darkened as he rolled up his sleeve and showed the scar on his arm. "You see that? That was her father's bullet! I could just as well be in a pine box now." Harry's nostrils flared and his eyes pierced through Ben's. "That girl is no good. I heard her in court. She tried to lie her father off the hook."

Ben paused for a second. "All I know and all I care about is that she is an innocent girl who is all alone."

"I wouldn't want my kids to be around her.", mumbled Harry and scrutinized a piece of paper on his counter.

"Put the grain on my bill, Harry."

"I'll do that. Bye, Ben and good luck."

"Bye, Harry… Betsy." He tipped his hat.

"Bye, Mr. Cartwright." Betsy had silently watched the scene and wasn't sure which side she was on.

Ben lifted the two remaining sacks of grain and left the store. It had gotten pitch dark by now. As he put the heavy load on the buckboard, he felt like his heart was about to stop because the buckboard was empty and Mary's bag was gone. Yelling her name, he ran down the street. She couldn't have gone far but the nooks and corners of Virginia City provided plenty of hiding spots. As he continued going down the road, checking every side street, Ben saw a small dark figure heading towards the saloon. His eyes narrowed and he strode towards his target.

"Now where do you think you're going?" Mary spun her head around. "I told you to stay put, young lady." He grabbed her shoulder and led her back to the buckboard.

Reluctantly Mary went along. "Just wanted to get a look in the saloon 'n ask my Pa's lady friend if'n I can stay with her."

Ben lifted her up and sat her on the wagon seat, then jumped up himself and got the horses moving.

As soon as they had left Virginia City, Ben turned to her. "Look, Mary… I know you've gone through a lot being sent off to strangers like Roy Coffee and now me. But will you do me a favor and give it a try?"

She remained silent until he called her by the name and tapped on her knee. "Maybe.", she breathed.

"Alright, that's a start.", he sighed. "And about running off... you better get it out of your head because a man - or a girl on foot doesn't stand a chance in the area around my house. You only have a few choices – dying from thirst, from a snake bite or being eaten by a mountain lion."

Even in the dim moonlight, Ben saw the shocked look on her face and hoped that his exaggeration would leave a lasting impression. They drove a mile down the dark road until Ben broke the silence and started telling her about the ranch and his sons.

"Mister, you don't gotta do this.", she said after he was finished. "My Pa will come back soon and I can stay in our shack and wait for him."

Ben pulled a wry face. "Mary, you cannot stay there all by yourself."

"My Pa is smart and strong enough to get away from that place. He'll be back in no time.", Mary said through clenched teeth and looked on the ground.

"Until then you promised me to try, remember?"

Mary didn't answer and Ben flicked the reins. They only had a few more miles to go and he tried to imagine how his sons would react to the little surprise.

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