Joe has no idea why he cares about that stupid kerchief sling Candy made for him. And he can't figure out why he didn't want to give it back.
And that's just before lunch!
Joe gave back the two kerchiefs jury-rigged into one lopsided, barely workable sling first chance he got. Which turned out to be pretty darn soon, as it just so happened that Hop Sing also 'dotes' on him and had taken it upon himself to make a professional quality, hand stitched sling for him before lunch the day after the... incident. Left it on the side table by his repaired gloves.
Color even matched his usual outfit. Jacket or no.
Joe had no idea how their cook managed it. Especially not in between cooking up literal mountains of food to keep Hoss's stomach from rumbling, and shooing wayward ranch hands out of his kitchen. It just didn't make sense.
And yet it happened.
After their utterly juvenile pillow fight, Joe came down soon as the ungodly loud laughter died down, proudly sporting his new accessory, and handed the impromptu sling back to Candy in a wadded up, slightly tangled mess. Pretending it didn't feel like too soon to say goodbye to the unfortunate clothing modification.
He told himself as he sat at his usual place at the dining table that his new one was head and shoulders above that uncomfortable thing Candy'd foisted on him the day before, but he took a little more convincing than he'd have liked. Especially his fingers, which, for some strange reason, had clung to the soft fabric just a moment longer than made sense, before dropping the two in one kerchiefs into the waiting hand across from him.
"Thanks, Joe. Now I can go back to lookin' like myself again," Candy said, shoving the monstrosity in a rear pocket before taking his own seat with an incorrigible grin. A grin which had somehow made giving the stupid sling back just a tick harder.
Probably not what he'd been going for.
"Yeah. Thanks for the loan," Joe answered, doing his best to put the thing out of his mind and just grin back.
"No problem 'tall. Just bein' neighborly."
"Thanks anyway," Joe insisted, giving his arm a little squirm in its new, comfier resting place.
"Alright, boys," said the man at the head of the table around a big mouthful of fluffy eggs. "Lunch'll get cold if you two don't settle down and eat."
"Yes, Sir."
"Yessir." The two popped off in tandem. Hiding a couple of snickers at the absurd synchronicity.
Going straight to stuffing eggs in their mouths when Ben and Hoss cleared their throats at the same time. Then started snickering themselves. To which the entire table barely kept from busting a gut laughing.
After Hop Sing started the plate clearing process, Candy went off to feed both of their horses a few carrots and see to the rest of his post-lunch chores, and, with a quick 'thanks', Joe went off to get officially dressed for the day. Learning as he did, how much nicer life was when his arm wasn't out to get him. Hating the way it complained when he took the stairs back to his room too quickly; yowling at him like a wildcat when he bumped it against his door jam.
Couldn't wait to get it out of that space eating sling.
Ah. Fresh air. Just the thing to chase a luncheon with.
Though Joe realized it had been only yesterday he and Candy had had their little adventure, it felt like a long time since he'd been out in the sun. The grit of Nevada dirt under his boots and the shadow of... probably a rock dove flying overhead.
Sure beat being inside an empty house with nothing for company except the steady ticking of the grandfather clock. And the occasional crashes or the sound of scrubbing from the kitchen. Which he was disallowed to enter. Or to even think about entering.
Ever since... well, ever since the time he'd gotten it in his head that Hop Sing must get lonely, all cooped up for pretty much the whole day. Boiling potatoes and chopping carrots and snapping ears of corn.
Being younger and far less wise than he now found himself, he'd attempted to do the only cook the main house of the Ponderosa had ever known a kindness and keep him company.
Turns out, either he was a terrible singer, or Hop Sing wasn't near as lonely as 'Little' Joe'd been thinking. Because the next thing he knew, he was outside the kitchen and watching a serious chef blocking the door with an expression which brooked no argument.
"You stay out. Kitchen for Hop Sing only." The instructions he'd dared not challenge as his younger self worried about the possibility of never eating again.
From an older viewing point, Joe could see a few reasons why Hop Sing might not have been... comfortable with the youngest Cartwright spending time in his busy kitchen. The myriad knives coating every surface had been utterly tempting; shiny as they were. And so had the decapitated chickens hanging from a clothing line along one window sill. What with being all pink and featherless, Joe would definitely have wanted to touch one of those.
Then there was the fact that he did touch a stove pot to see whether it was hot and had tried to cover by sticking his ever so slightly burned finger in his mouth the second before Hop Sing turned around. Practically caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar.
Yeah, Joe'd learned to leave the cook to his business and just put up with the occasional spell of boredom, which, thankfully, were actually only occasional. Especially since Candy'd signed on and turned out to be just about the most interesting, fun person Joe'd ever met. Even gave Joe someone to take trips to town with who wasn't Hoss or his own pa.
Hm. Maybe he could find Candy somewhere 'round and get him to critique his singing. Wouldn't necessarily distract the guy from work, depending on what he was up to for the afternoon.
Yep. That was it! Joe was gonna find Candy and-
"Joseph?" Joe pulled up short at the familiar, baritone call of his name. "Where are you going?" Asked the silver haired patriarch from his saddle seat atop his buckskin. No doubt headed out from the barn after Buck'd had a good equine rubdown along with his lunchtime carrots.
Thinking on his feet, Joe said the least incriminating thing that came to mind. "I was gonna make sure Cochise is-"
"Shouldn't you be resting? In your bed or at least sitting comfortably somewhere inside the house?"
Joe resisted the urge to duck his head as he reminded himself he was a full grown Cartwright who could make health related decisions on his own.
Then he squared his shoulders and looked his father in the eye... and all that conviction went out the window. The combination of authority and worry he found in the gaze taking the wind right out of his sails.
"Yeah, Pa. I just remembered I got a book I been meanin' to give a read."
"Now that sounds like a relaxing time! Just what the doctor ordered," Ben said, giving Buck a pleased tap behind the cinch, asking him to proceed.
Yep. They were headed away from the barn alright. Which meant they could be prowling absolutely any part of the ranch at any given moment, just waiting to come across Joe having a modicum of fun and ruining it with a good old fashioned, fatherly talking to.
Made for a pretty good guilt trip when you already knew he had legitimate concerns behind his worry. Even if they were overblown.
After all: It was just a sprain, Joe thought. Right before his wrist gave a pang, as if to prove him wrong, and he hissed through his teeth at the reminder of his unlucky fall.
Joe sighed and turned back the way he'd come, feeling as if he'd just been cheated out of a well deserved social visit, and scrounged up that book he really had remembered about. Taking it to his favorite seat at the seating array and being careful not to crease the spine as he paged to the start of chapter one.
Having been invited for dinner once again, Candy figured it couldn't possibly be rude of him to show up a little early and see whether food wasn't a little early as well. So he sauntered right on up to the front door, not bothering with anything so formal as a knock, and announced his entrance as he gave the handsomely finished piece of wood an opening push. "'Lo in there! Is it dinner time or is it just me? Because I am-"
"Shh!" Insisted a Hoss who happened to be standing right inside, pressing a finger to his own mouth as he span the ranch hand right around and attempted to push him back out the front door.
Not having it, Candy dug his heels in and pushed back. Eyes going wide when he found himself barely big enough to stop from being bodily ejected by the determined guy. "Wha-?" All Candy got out before a familiar distressed voice coming from the dining room cut him off.
"Adam's gonna kill me! I was supposed to meet him on the upper pasture this morning! How could I be so-"
"Now, Joseph, you know Adam will understand," the voice of Ben Cartwright said in a very reasonable tone. "He is your brother, after all."
"Which is exactly why I'm done for! He expects 'excellence' from anyone with our last name and missing an appointment on account of gettin' yourself thrown off your own horse doesn't sound like excellence to me," Joe said, quite out of steam by the end. Sounding like he'd plopped down in a chair in a show of utter defeat.
Really wanting a front seat to that particular conversation, and having some experience with wrastlin', Candy dug his heels in even harder against the absolute wall of a middle brother still trying to push him out the front door. Then, all of a sudden, he plain stopped resisting and twisted to one side at the same time, so that the force the giant of a man was still exerting took Hoss right out the open door and Candy got to walk right on through the living room and present himself to the drama taking place in the Cartwright dining area.
All before Hoss could catch up to him, shaking an accusing finger the way he sometimes did when his younger brother pulled a fast one on him.
"Ah, Candy, Hoss! One of you may just be the answer to our present problem!" Ben said, gesturing for Candy and Hoss to join them. Waiting until they were seated as well to continue. "You see, Adam is with a team moving cattle in the upper pasture and he had arranged for Joe to meet him there early this morning." Candy nodded, appreciating the calm timber of the recap. Also wondering why it sounded like Hoss was fidgeting up a storm in the seat next to him.
"Well, in light of recent events and all the concomitant hubbub, it completely slipped everybody's mind-"
"Every mind except Adam's," mumbled a Joe who's face was smooshed quite comically into the dining table.
"Joseph, sit up; you'll develop poor posture."
"Yes, Pa." Candy fought hard to keep a straight face as Joe managed a sullen slouch. Outlook obviously not a smidge less bleak.
"As I was saying: Adam requires additional administrative assistance with the team and to help oversee logistics and I think one of you is just the saddle tramp for the job. If you'll pardon the... uh, misnomer," Ben said. Then, expression taking the barest of a sheepish turn, he added, "You're both perfect gentlemen."
Candy nodded, figuring he understood the head honcho's slip of the tongue, and glanced beside him to Hoss who's resigned countenance made the guy look almost as if he didn't want to be there... Oh.
That was why he'd been trying to push both himself and Candy out the front door. He didn't want to go to the upper pasture and had thought that Candy wouldn't want to either. Which was understandable, considering the long uphill portions of the trail —if you wanted to get there in any reasonable kind of time anyway— and the tiring reality of running a team and moving any considerable number of cattle anywhere.
Candy nodded again and looked to his boss. Jaw set.
"I'll go, Mr. Cartwright." He did his best to ignore the incredulous look Hoss gave the side of his head. Keeping a neutral face himself.
"Ha! Now that's the kind of initiative I like to hear! Alright, it's settled then. You'll take off first thing in the morning and I'm sure Hop Sing wouldn't mind packing some fresh rations for your trip?" Ben asked, pointing the question part over his shoulder toward the adjoining kitchen.
Several disgruntled, unintelligible sentences came at them from the open doorway. Ben smiled and translated, "He'd be delighted." Which was followed by several more, further disgruntled statements and the clanging of metal bowls and wooden ladles.
"Sounds as if dinner is almost ready. Shall we freshen up?"
"You took the words right outta my mouth, Pa," Hoss said, sounding excited as he stood from his chair.
Before he turned for the stairs though, he put a hand on Candy's shoulder and gave him a private wink. Almost as if saying, 'I owe you one'.
Huh. Candy thought, watching one of the biggest men he'd ever met ascend the stairs to his own room, that it could be nice being 'owed one' by someone as... well, big as Hoss. Never knew when an imposing presence might come in handy.
Feeling his mouth quirk, Candy stood from his own chair and made for the door, aware that a suggestion from the boss to 'freshen up' was likely something closer to being told you were filthy and really needed a little scrub behind the ears.
"Uh, Joe, aren't you going to freshen up?" Ben asked. Causing Candy to pause halfway to the door and turn. Interested in seeing the answer.
"What's the point? Adam's never gonna look at me the same as it is." The tone of absolute certainty brought Candy to a place of concern.
Was Adam really so strict that his opinion of Joe would sour because he'd missed one appointment? Due to injury?
"Joe, did you hear a word that Candy, your brother, and I discussed?" Ben asked, face a patient sort of long suffering.
"Did it have something to do with permanently replacing me?" Asked the brunet with the hangdog eyes.
"No, and you do realize you're being ridiculous, don't you?"
"You won't say that when Adam gets back and disowns me. He'll probably never speak to me again."
By then, reinforced by the fatherly chuckling coming from the silver haired man still seated at the head of the table, Candy'd cottoned on that Joe really was being ridiculous. After all: Who ever heard of someone as reportedly levelheaded as this famed oldest son disowning a brother over such a blameless situation?
"No. In fact, Candy over there volunteered to go in your stead," Ben said, pointing where the vaquero stood. "He's leaving in the morning."
"Really?" Joe asked, eyes flicking between the two of them. A glint of hope obvious.
"Yep. I'm the lucky sonofa who gets to spend the next couple days gettin' to know yer oldest brother," Candy said, chest puffed just a hair.
The moment of relief seemed to pass Joe up quickly, and when the guy in the fancy sling sat back into his slouch, Candy felt his chest sink in response.
"What's a'matter? Aren't you going to thank Candy for taking the job?" Ben prompted when nothing more happened.
"Hm?" Asked Joe, looking up from a speck on the table he appeared to have been inspecting. "Oh, right. Th-thanks, Candy. Guess I owe ya for two now."
The ranch hand who was probably caked in dirt from head to toe averted his eyes in an unconscious show of bashfulness and rocked forward and back on his feet.
"Don't owe me nothin', Joe. We're friends, and friends help each other out."
"Yeah. Friends," Joe said, looking distracted as he stood from the table. "I'll, uh, I'll see ya at dinner, Candy."
At that, the youngest member of clan Cartwright walked right past the guy who'd now arguably saved his skin twice in the past two days, obviously distracted by something, and took the stairs slower than either other in the room thought they'd ever seen him take them.
There wasn't much that Joe did slow and taking stairs just wasn't one of them.
When the back at the top landing moved out of sight, Candy swiveled to find the clan's eldest member with a look that must have mirrored his own: A bit confused, a bit concerned, and a bit amused.
Then they shared a nod, making a silent agreement that everything was going to be just fine, and Candy left the house eager to return freshened up for dinner.
A dinner through which Candy couldn't for the life of him understand Joe's melancholy. The guy was shuffling the food around his plate more than stuffing it in his mouth.
Plus the fact that he barely looked Candy in the face, let alone the eyes, and every time he did... it was a look tilted towards blue.
Even when they said goodbye for the evening and Joe followed him out the front door to thank him once more for taking his place, the smile hadn't really reached his eyes.
Then, when Candy'd offered a parting hug, thinking maybe his friend could use a moment of comfort, he'd pieced together the reason for Joe's low mood.
The man in the sling was gonna miss him.
It was all in the way his careful, one armed embrace had latched on and taken obvious effort to unlatch.
"Joe?"
"Hm?"
"I'll be back soon as the job's done with. Promise."
And Joe'd toed the ground, bashful at being found out, and said, "Thanks, Candy. It's gonna be a drag, only them around. Tellin' me what to do."
"Well, don't fret. I won't shirk and me and yer brother'll be back lickety-split."
A small but genuine smile and another thanks came his way, and Candy shuffled off to an early bed. Ready for his new assignment and everything that came with it.
Wow. Turns out there's more to the story than I thought!
Truth be told though, a friend requested I either write another Bonanza work or continue the one I already wrote. So I chose this!
Hope ya'll're ready for some more Cartwright fun.