Candy's back! Adam's coming home too! Joe's been looking forward to this ever since they took off. Let's see what happens when they return, shall we? :D

Candy hadn't had the opportunity for a bath in... three days? Five? And he couldn't quite recall whether he'd taken advantage of the chance when he'd had it. All he knew for sure was that, next time he came near a tub, he wasn't even going to ask if there was warm water to go with it.
On second thought, he didn't want a cold bath. He deserved at least the comfort of heated water after that business of him being second in command of a small cattle march.

When they'd officially finished with situating the small herd and it was time for the majority of folks to go home, Candy'd offered to keep Adam company on the trail. Considering they were headed the same direction.
The foreman had made a face at him which reminded Candy of smiling, and informed him that, "I've a homesteader or two to check in on while I'm out this way. I won't be too far behind you."

And now that he was just about back, having made the trip alone, his entire mind and body were demanding he stop using them and either go to sleep early, or find something enjoyably non work related to do until such time as he could navigate his way to bed. Considering it wasn't even dinner time yet.
Might be nice to fit a meal in there somewhere too.

As he came up the drive toward the Ponderosa main house, he swung down off his horse and walked the length of the barn using the reigns as a lead rope, knowing his legs would eventually thank him for the stretch.

It wasn't that Candy hadn't enjoyed his time in the upper pasture; with all the cows and the team and the trail dust and the almost surly big brother for a boss.
It was more that he really enjoyed being back where he usually called home. Back in the administrative center for the giant swath of land known as the Ponderosa.
Back near the main ranch house and, he freely admitted, to his best friend in all of the Nevada territory: Joseph Cartwright.

A Joe Cartwright who, Candy saw as he and his horse rounded the barn, was sitting on a fence, thumbing all pathetic like through a little book, and payin' no mind to either the Cochise filled paddock in front of him, nor the open yard behind him.
An absolute opportunity of a lifetime. One Candy, in his wildest dreams, couldn't imagine passing up and one he was busy taking advantage of right that moment; motioning his trail tuckered horse to 'stay' and sneaking with feather footsteps all the way close. Not disturbing a pebble. Calling on the years he'd spent in army forts with the other brats, pretending they were Apache hunters, to pad through the little patch of grass without disturbing a blade.

Didn't make a sound until he was close enough to hear the soft sound of Joe's utterly relaxed breathing, and then-

"Boo!"

Then Candy found himself scrambling to catch a full grown Cartwright as he slipped backwards off the fence.

A double arm full of Joe, and the feeling of a yelp echoing around inside his head, Candy thanked his fool self for having sneaked within reach before spooking the guy he'd sorta, kinda forgotten all about being in a sling. Who wouldn't have been able to catch himself without making things considerably worse for his wrist.

But Candy shoved that out of his mind, knowing concern over his health was the last thing his friend would have any interest in after the last few days he'd spent cooped up, and focused instead on how ridiculous a situation he'd managed to bring about.
Joe, lower half hanging off the high fence he'd been using as a seat, upper half supported by a giggling, dirty as sin, cow punch who he couldn't possibly have known had just gotten back from the cattle business in the upper pasture.

"Geez, Candy! You really know how to make a guy feel special," said Joe. Going from spooked to indignant in no time flat. Just as soon as he realized who it was hadn't let him hit the ground.
Head swiveling when his hat tipped backwards off his crown and plopped right on over and off Candy's shoulder.

"Well, now. Any interest in gettin' yer feet on solid ground? Today?" Candy asked. Starting to feel the weight of his surprised passenger.

"You're the one keeping me here!"

"Oh. Right. Well, let's see if we can't straighten that out," said the guy with half a Cartwright resting on his chest.

Several seconds later found the two of them dusting themselves off after a rather tricky disentangling, and Joe over his shock well enough that he was ready for the pleasantries part of their reunion.

"How'd it go? Loose any head?"

"Oh, none to speak of. Didn't come across any wolves nor wildcats, so the pastures're lookin' pretty safe," Candy said, humoring the work talk. For the moment.

"Good. Shouldn't need to much upkeep then. How's Adam? Was he...?"

"Adam? Oh, I couldn't possibly judge his mood." At the worried look, Candy raised an eyebrow and explained, "Because I barely know the guy. This is the first time we've worked on the same team, let alone spoken more'n a 'good morning' to each other in a day."

Joe's face puckered minutely before smoothing back to standard. "Right, right. In that case: What do ya think of him?"

"Well, it wasn't a social visit, so we didn't have time for much chattin', but, I think we could be friends. If he ever stopped workin' long enough to try."

"Ha! I knew he hadn't changed," Joe said, giving his hat a slap across his knee as he plucked it from the dirt. "Good ol' Adam. Never disappoints. Don't worry; he tends to grow on you."

"I'll bet," Candy said with an incline of the head. Heartened by the glowing recommendation. The one no doubt slanted by nepotism.

"You did volunteer." Joe reminded.

"Yep. And I'd do it again. Like I said: A little divine intervention could see Adam and me friends. You never know." The shrug at the end really sold it.

"You're a riot, you know that, Canaday?"

"Can't say that I do, but I do know my stomach's 'bout ready to cough up dust it's so empty. Y'all got any eats 'round here?" Candy didn't think laughing the best response, but seeing Joe enjoying himself, possibly for the first time in days, made waiting for his answer worthwhile.

"Oh, I'll bet I can get you an invite to dinner, so long as you don't show up lookin' like that."

"What's wrong with the way I look?" Candy asked. Feigning affront.

"Oh, nothin'. So long as the thought you want folks thinkin' is, 'what the cat dragged in'," Joe said. Obviously far too entertained to even think of keeping his laughter inside.

"Well, you wouldn't look much better if you'd just come back from a few days out on the upper pasture," Candy challenged.

"Ha, yeah. Not much, but 'better' all the same!"

And the laughter carried the two friends off in their respective next directions. Joe to ask Hop Sing to have an extra setting for their returned guest, and Candy to ask one of the ranch's fine grooms to pretty please curry the caked in dirt out of his horse's coat and get her settled in for the evening.
After that, he was free to see to that warm bath he'd been dreaming up and then... he had a dinner to attend.

It was the first dinner in the Ponderosa main house that'd seen Candy and Adam at the table at the same time. Felt like a very full lineup, but not necessarily overcrowded. Just plenty conversation to go around. Not a dull moment.

"Say, Candy?" The man in question paused the fun he was having offering to spoon feed the 'One Armed' Joe, and tried not to look surprised as he turned to the guy in all black, seated crossways from him.
"I could use some help again tomorrow with a little essaying project needs checking in on. Are you available?

"Can't say I have anything planned," Candy said, a quick glance to the seat beside his confirming that Joe too was doing his best to pretend the wind hadn't just gone out of his sails.
But there hadn't been much else Candy could have said. After all, if Adam's own brother didn't want to be on his bad side, an employee better avoid it like the plague.

"Fine then. Right after breakfast? Uh, Pa?"

"Mm?" The man at the head of the table asked. Mouth busy chewing.

"Hop Sing wouldn't mind yet another meal with an additional mouth to feed?"

"Nonsense. He loves cooking for company! Isn't that right, Hop Sing?" Ben called over his shoulder. The sound of something large being pounded and what sounded like foreign cursing seeming to bring a smile to the patriarch's face before he turned his attention front again.
"It's fine by him."

"Then it's settled. You'll eat here. That way there won't be any unaccounted for delay," Adam said, giving both his father and their dinner guest a nod before going back to his chicken and mashed potatoes.

"Sounds delightful," Candy assured. Knowing Joe would understand. They'd have time to spend together after he and Adam got back. Again.

When dinner was finished, Candy had about enough energy left to watch Joe beat the pants off Hoss at a good natured game of checkers. Halfway through which, his eyes started closing on their own accord and threatening to stay that way.
So, to the tunes of a 'Dag burn it, Joe, how'd'ya always eek out a win like that?', Candy chuckled as he excused himself, and shuffled his way to an early sleep. One that went completely uninterrupted until someone in the bunk house threw a wadded up shirt at him on their way out, alerting him that he was the last one up and that he better shake a leg if he was planning on eating that morning.

Breakfast at the main house came and went and Joe followed him and Adam out to see them off, looking like he wouldn't have liked anything better than to go with them. Standing in the drive and watching the two of them ride off. Flexing the fingers of his injured hand in a futilistic sort of way. At least, he was every time Candy sent 'one last look' back to check whether Joe was still just standing there.

Not long after the Cartwright house disappeared from view and the guy who'd been hoping to spend at least some of his work day goofing around with his best friend had resigned himself to instead a day of strict productivity, Adam, of all people, offered some conversation. Without outside provocation.
"You know that I spent a few years abroad?"

"Yeah, Joe told me you went to sea, landed in Australia, did some building designing, got bored and come back," Candy said. Both hiding any sense of surprise and severely shortening the many parables of Adam's travels he'd heard from Joe on he and his numerable trips to town.

"Huh. I suppose that is one way to summarize it," Adam said. For once sounding somewhat entertained. "Did he mention that he was the one who wrote me?"

"He mentioned gettin' letters from ya. Lots of letters. Shown me the Australia postmarks. Real proud of those," Candy informed. Bemused.

"Hm." Adam informed. Bemused. "I never would have guessed it, but our Joseph has quite the knack for the epistolary."

"Uh?" Candy asked. Suspecting he'd need to know what that meant if he was gonna keep up.

"Writing letters." Adam explained, not an ounce of superiority in it. Which Candy appreciated. "He wrote more letters than our pa and Hoss combined. Sometimes didn't wait for a reply before shootin' off another." Adam smiled. Which on him, appeared a small, private action. "Sometimes I think he's the biggest reason I came back."

Candy had to keep from jerking in his saddle at that. "You ever mention that to Joe?"

"God no," the rider in black exclaimed with a chortle. "And neither will you: It'd go right to his head."

Candy joined in with a chuckle of his own, knowing the older brother was one-hundred percent correct.

"No, maybe someday when we're both grey haired and he's matured the rest of the way... maybe then I'll tell him. Until such a time;" he started, inflection indicating he was about to change the subject, "I hear he's bored out of his mind and starting to feel left out on account of us forcing him to stay home. Where he'd, by the way, have great difficulty injuring himself further." Candy watched the minute look of concern come to and leave Adam's face.
Well, that tore it all right. That and everything the guy had just gotten through sharing. Big brother did care. No matter how outwardly cavalier his attitude.

Candy perked as a thought came to him. "Well, I got a day off tomorrow. Maybe I can do somethin' to cheer him up."

"Picnic."

"Come again?" Candy asked, leaning closer to the other mount and rider. Thinking perhaps he'd misheard a trail dust sneeze as the word-

"Picnic." Nope. He'd heard right. But that didn't make his face any less surprised when Adam looked over at him in utter seriousness and added, "Take the buggy and team, I'll have Hop Sing prepare a basket, and take that stir crazy brother of mine somewhere he can't get himself in any more trouble." Then the man in all black faced front again and made sure his horse missed a small crag in the ground.

"Wait just a second; what makes you think Joe would even enjoy such a thing?"

"Are you kidding? Joe loves picnics," Adam informed. Unperturbed.

"With such a somebody as myself?" Candy asked, trying to catch the other guy's eye to help convey his severe misgivings.

"You're his friend, aren't you?" Adam said, giving him a sideways glance.

"'Course, but, Joe tends not to take just any old friend on a picnic. Those he reserves for 'special' friends," Candy said, inflection exaggerated. Hoping Adam got the point without him needing to spell it out.

"You are a special friend. Always getting that no account out of trouble- And the fact that he lets you?" Adam raised at least one eyebrow, was hard to tell with him studying the trail ahead, and made a strange nodding motion. "He'll enjoy it."

"What makes you so sure?" Candy asked, a hint of challenge in the words.

"Because," said Adam, that same challenge pointed right back at the man in red. "I know him. He's my baby brother." The look he sent and the book end finality he delivered it with signaled the end of discussion.

So Candy decided he just plain better spend the rest of the day getting used to the idea of Adam being the boss of his entire life from that point on.
Huh. Come to think of it, Joe'd probably warned him his oldest brother could be like that. Nothing but pure logic could deter him once determined.
Even so, Candy felt it was his duty to take one more stab at getting Adam to see sense.

"What if he doesn't want to go?"

"Oh, he will."

"But, what-"

"Make something up. Tell him," Adam turned some in his saddle, probably to be sure the thickheaded cow hand next to him couldn't miss his instructions. "Tell him Pa wants some timber inspected, but still doesn't want him riding. Then just stop somewhere and eat." He turned forward again. "He'll forget all about the timber. Trust me."

Ah, no fair! That reunion was way too short! Hopefully the time apart will be worth it somehow!