Candy woke with a smile on his face. Or, it felt like he did, anyway.
He at least woke with good memories in his head. Memories of the previous two days full of picnics and he and Joe's trip into town. It was too bad they hadn't had time nor opportunity to try out the breakfast cafe, but, like Joe'd said; there was always next time. So Candy had something specific to look forward to on their next trip as well.
To think that Candy'd been put up to both days of 'assigned work' by none other than Joe's two older brothers. Adam because his baby brother was going stir crazy, and Hoss because-
"Ha!" Candy laughed just remembering Hoss's face the last morning. The big guy'd been waiting outside the bunk house, hat in his hands, wanting to talk to him before breakfast.
"Well, morning', Hoss! What's the occasion?" Candy asked. Just a trifle confused over the early visit.
"Oh, just wonderin' whether you and Joe'd like to take the wagon into town today? 'Stead of me?"
"Uh?" Asked Candy. Wondering whether this wasn't some sort of prank.
"To pick up some supplies?" Hoss said, wringing the brim of his hat in his hands.
"Uh, I got chores and-"
"Now, I know how you and Joe like spendin' time together, and how he's been drivin' himself half crazy; doin' dern near nothin' but readin' these past few days," Hoss cut in. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other a little quicker than seemed natural. "And, uh, I was thinkin' that the two of you might want an excuse for a nice drive out to town."
Candy gave the impressive frame before him an assessing eye before speaking up. "And what, pray tell, would we be doing on this theoretic trip into town?"
"Uh," said Hoss, once again switching which foot was the one on load bearing duty. "Well, ya see, there's a few things at the mercantile ready for someone to come and collect 'em and, well, it's technic'lly my turn for it, but-"
"Oh, I see: You were hoping me and your injured baby brother might do your chores for you this fine day?" Candy asked, one eyebrow raised.
Hoss licked his lips and gave the surrounding area a quick glance, as if making sure no one else had heard that last bit.
"'Course not. Not like that anyhow," he added, just a tad defensive like. "It's just... them at the mercantile take one look at me an' point me where the goods're stored and never raise a finger with loadin'. Ain't fair," Hoss said, sounding closer to hurt than upset. "Ain't never seen 'em make anybody else load a wagon by their lonesome. Not Adam, not Pa, not- not a soul."
"Well that's just terrible," Candy comforted. "Folks must think because you're big as two smaller fellas, they can expect you to do just as much work as two to boot."
"Like I said: Ain't fair."
"Absolutely not," Candy agreed with a sad shake of the head. Giving it time to soak before moving on. "So, you figure Joe 'n' me'll have no problems in town and that you can do my regular chores for me without us being found out?"
"I already asked Hop Sing to set a place fer you at breakfast. After that, we just swap places. I won't tell a soul and if you don't neither, ain't nobody'll be the wiser," Hoss finished. Quite reasonably.
"Alright then. You got yourself a deal," Candy said, holding out his hand to seal it and make it official. The kind of official anyone involved would deny in front of the entire world to the bitter, bitter end. Or until somebody slicker weaseled it out of them without them noticing. Whichever came first.
"Aw, I guarantee it'll be perfect this way. You just wait'n see," Hoss'd said, while giving Candy what must no doubt have been one of his softer handshakes. One that still left the smaller cowpoke's mitt devoid of all sensation for a worrying several seconds.
And that was how Candy'd found himself on a supply run into town with Joe and a supply wagon and dependable pulling team which, on that particular run, had happened to be the same team they'd taken out with the buggy the day before.
At Joe's insistence that they were good for it.
And then in town he'd indeed gotten the foretold help loading from both the staff and a checklist wielding, slingless Joe.
Hoss had been right after all. They'd had just as much fun on their supply run as they might have shirking Candy's chores on the ranch. And, when he'd next seen Hoss, the middle brother had tipped his ten gallon hat at him with a happy twinkle in his eye. Puzzling the man in red something fierce.
After all, Candy'd rarely seen a soul so happy not to take a trip into town. Most around the ranch, in fact, were counting down the days till their next visit. Though, Candy conceded, those particular visits generally weren't work related.
Grinning to himself, Candy finished getting ready for the new day, trudged out the bunk house to grab breakfast, and found himself being called off regular duty by one of the other hands. Saying that he was to report to the main barn on the double and that the request had been made by none other than Adam Cartwright himself.
Once again starting his day puzzled, Candy made his way where he'd been informed he'd been asked to, and was pleased to see Joe holding the halter to one half of that same off cream colored pulling team while his eldest brother finished the hitching job.
"Hey, Candy! Wanna put in hard time on some back busting labor?" Joe called, soon as he noticed his friend's approach.
"You comin' too?" Candy called across the yard. Feet moving a hair faster.
"Sure thing!"
"Then I don't really have a choice, now do I?" Candy said, holding in a chuckle as he reached the business by the side of the barn.
"Come again?" Asked the guy with the horse now nibbling at his green jacket collar.
"Who else is gonna keep you outta trouble?" Candy grinned out.
"That precisely is why I asked Candy here to join us. He may well be the only soul on the entire ranch who can manage that lofty feat," Adam explained, while cinching he last hitch buckle in place.
"I can keep myself out of trouble just fine, thank you very much," Joe said as he stepped away from the well secured team. Only marginally annoyed.
"So you'd rather I have someone else accompany us?" Adam asked, brow raised.
The look that passed over Joe's face at the question had both Candy and Adam laughing in an instant.
"You want me along that bad, huh?" Candy squeezed out between chortles.
"Well," Joe started, probably scrambling to find a believable answer. "Anyone else'd be a bore!"
"Alright, crew," Adam said, cutting off the rebuttal Candy'd been halfway through thinking up. "In the wagon. Let's get this over with so we can get back to important, actually running the ranch type business."
Only once all three of them were squished onto the bench and Adam had released the brake did Candy pipe up with a most pertinent question.
"So, what kind of back breaking work I sign myself up for?"
Joe snickered before offering up the requested information. "Remember that big ol' bough we found in the road a ways out?" Candy nodded. "We're clearing that out."
"Well, Candy and I will be clearing it out," Adam corrected.
To which Joe rolled his eyes with a less than pleased, "Yeah, yeah, I know."
"Do you now?" Adam wheedled.
"Yes and maybe you want to pay more attention to the road-
"I'll bet we need a project coordinator. Don't we, Adam?" Candy butted in.
"You know, Candy; I believe you've found just the job for our dear Joseph," intoned the oldest of their little group.
The other two on the front seat glanced at each other and nodded.
Adam could be reasonable. Given half a chance.
"You're almost there!" Came the encouraging almost shout from a safe distance off. Over by the resting horses.
"Yes, Joe, we can see that," Adam informed. Tone just as level as the last time he'd said as much.
"Has he always been such a peach?" Candy asked, giving his axe a momentary rest.
"You should have seen him when he was younger," Adam mumbled, wiping the back of one hand across his brow. Leaving behind a smear of dirt in the place of sweat.
Quite becoming.
Candy couldn't decide whether his chortle was more a reaction to Adam's unexpected filth or the other axe wielder's jab at his own brother, but either way, it was quite satisfying.
He did know though, that Joe deserved to see Adam up close, in all his dirty glory, so the next time the guy spending most of his time petting the pretty horses and picking up the occasional stray twigs offered-
"Water?"
Candy was definitely saying, "Yes please and thank you!"
The two, who'd been busy for at least the past twenty minutes cutting up the ginormous Ponderosa bough, set down their recently sharpened axes and nodded thanks when their acting water bearer brought over two canteens.
Candy making sure to watch Joe's face as the guy in green handed the second canteen to his brother, eager to catch the reaction when it happened.
"Uh, might wanna save some of that water for your face, Adam," Joe suggested, pointing in the general direction of his brother's head as soon as Adam'd taken a good draft.
"What?" Adam asked recapping his canteen and returning it to free up his hands. The dirtiest of which he moved to indicate his face in a questioning manner.
"Yeah, you've got a little something right- No, a little higher," Joe directed when Adam wiped at his own chin. Which was suddenly every speck as dirty as his forehead.
"Nope. Higher," Joe said, quite helpfully, when his relation only moved his hand high enough to swipe the back of it across his once clean nose.
"Almost there," He encouraged when the guy smearing bark dust all over his sweated face moved to rub at both cheeks in turn.
"I get it that time?" Came Adam's weary query as he managed to unwittingly make his forehead even dirtier.
"Oh, you got it alright," Candy said with a nod and a barely restrained smile. Then, when the other half of the bough removal brigade simply nodded in acceptance, he worked hard to pass off a barked laugh for a cough.
Wow, Joe was good at this. His face hadn't crumpled nor even buckled at the hilarious sight of the most serious of the Cartwright's unknowingly making a mess of his own face.
Not wanting to blow the entire operation, Candy turned to face Joe and handed back his own canteen.
"Thanks, Joe."
"You already said thanks. Besides," Joe said, slinging both canteens around one shoulder, "it's actually the least I can do."
"Now, Joe, you are aware that we basically sneaked you out of the house today, right?" Adam asked, hands resting on his hips as he took the opportunity for a breather.
"Yep. Yer pa didn't want you comin' out for a third day in a row. 'Specially not on a clean up project like this'n, wrought with temptation as it is." Judging by the lack of any sort of confused reaction on Adam's part, the man in black must already have known about yesterday's chore switcheroo. Probably Hoss had told him even before he'd asked Candy himself about it.
Either way, the less Ben knew about all these goings on the better for Joe's day to day enjoyment of life. So it was good he, Adam, and Hoss could work together at it well as they were.
"Oh, you mean the temptation to be helpful for a change?" Joe asked, shoulders dropping as his face did.
"Joe, think about it," Adam implored, stepping over the nearly naked bough to stand closer to his clean up crew. "How often do you have time to spend with Milkshake and Butterscotch? You know they miss you when you're not along for the ride. With your secret pocket full of sugar cubes," he added, with what Candy suspected to be the Adam equivalent of a knowing grin.
"Wait, what's this about spending time with the team?" Candy asked, motioning to the handsome, aptly named pair tied near the wagon. Realizing that he had no idea what Adam was talking about.
"Oh, Joe never mentioned?" Candy shook his head 'no'. "Shame," Adam commented, giving his brother a momentary questioning look.
"Well, long story short, those two were born twins and their mother was called back on draft duty soon as they could be considered weening age. On account of the ranch being short on draft horses that season," Adam explained. "Our dear Joseph took it upon himself to raise the orphaned pair himself. Kept them in a pen with Cochise anytime he wasn't riding her. Hand fed the two of them. Gentled and trained them and forbade them ever being used for logging or other hard draft. Professionally anyway."
Candy studied the side of Joe's head, wondering at the pinkening cheek and thinking to himself that something from the other day made all the more sense now.
"So that's why you were so worried about her hoof; way back from the lake," he said. Feeling like he'd just solved a mystery he hadn't even known existed.
"He's protective of those two alright. But I have a feeling that's part of the reason they're so well behaved on the trail: They know someone in the wagon cares about them," Adam mused.
"Huh," Candy said, taking a gander at the unassuming, though well appointed, horses tossing their heads a ways off.
"How long's it been, Joe?" Adam asked, angling some to better face his brother. "Seven years? Nine?"
"They'll be ten come summer," Joe said. Sounding as if he was giving out someone else's personal information. Without permission.
Then, without another word, the guy who once again wasn't currently wearing his sling took off to return the canteens to the wagon and then started clearing twigs and small branches off the trail and into the wagon bed. In earnest.
Candy looked to Adam who just shrugged and picked up his axe, ready to get back at the promised back breaking work. Still completely unaware that his face was coated in bark shavings and black tree dust.
It wasn't quite as hard that time to not laugh though, as Candy picked up his own axe and resettled his hands into the familiar grip.
Before he got back to it though, he glanced over at Joe tossing some small hunks of wood into the back of the wagon and almost smiled at the thought of the green jacketed guy having raised the well behaved horses nickering for his attention.
Joe perked back up not long later when Adam asked him to bring Butterscotch and a good rope over.
"We have most of the big branches shorn off; about time we started moving and loading them," he explained to anyone who cared to listen.
"About time?! How long does it take to clear one bough anyway?" Joe asked with a devilish grin as he handed the rope with the hook on one end to his brother.
"Just as long as it takes. And besides, shouldn't you be enjoying your time out of the house?" Adam asked, half his attention on securing the line around the hefty, naked branch.
Candy, watching from where he was still busy stripping twigs and sticks off a branch on his side of the prickly monstrosity, snorted to himself when the younger Cartwright stuck his tongue out at the lowered head.
"Alright," Adam began, probably deciding the question had been rhetorical anyway, "take it away!"
"Hya!" Joe said, pretending he was directing a large team to drag an enormous felled tree, but in his brother's direction as opposed to the horse at his shoulder's.
No, when he wanted... Butterscotch to walk forward, he clicked his tongue and took him by the lead rope. No muss, no fuss. Then, when they got around to the back of the wagon, Joe and Adam lifted and shoved until the wooden pole was as far into the bed as it would go. Joe impressing Candy in the way he managed to use only the one arm for the whole job. Keeping the less than healed one off to one side. For balance perhaps.
On second thought, Joe could have been remembering not to use his off hand on account of it paining him. Candy felt his brow furrow at the possibility, but reminded himself that Adam knew his 'baby brother' and wouldn't hesitate to bench him if he thought it prudent.
Reassured, Candy went back to it with his axe and by the time the others brought the horse back over, his branch was severed and ready for dragging as well.
Some point through the grueling road clearing job, Joe surprised the others with a greatly appreciated lunch snack, courtesy Hop Sing.
Then, before they knew it, it was job done, road passable, firewood for the rest of the... foreseeable future, and time to get their filthy selves back home.
So the work team rehitched the horses, clambered onto the driving bench, and took the party home, where they foisted the job of storing the wood onto some unfortunate couple of hands who hadn't just spent the entire morning cutting it up.
Groom seeing to the horses, Candy broke off for the bunkhouse and a quick freshen up while Adam and Joe moseyed back up to the main house for the same.
Hiding a snicker as they all left the main drive, Candy wondered what sort of reaction Adam seeing himself in a mirror might produce from the stoic guy. Face still filthy as it was.
Wishing he could be there to hear —or maybe even see— it for himself, he shook his head and went to have that freshen up he'd been looking forward to.
Sufficiently no longer a complete mess, Candy secreted his way away from any further chores it was possible he was supposed to attend to before it got late, and made instead for the most likely place he might find one Joseph Cartwright.
Bingo, he thought as he poked his head around the open door of the main barn and the trademark green jacket revealed itself in the recesses of the comfy gloom.
"'Lo in there! Anybody home?" He called.
"Just us hay ticks," came the less than exuberant reply.
Hm. Sounded almost as if the guy was feeling down. Candy couldn't think of much that could have happened between now and the last time he'd seen Joe that could cause a dip in mood.
Unless Adam had really not appreciated the joke where he was encouraged to smudge dirt all over his own face. Unawares like. But it was difficult to imagine their level headed task manager being harsh with his younger brother over a bit of harmless fun.
"Well, 'just us hay ticks' mind a little comp'ny?" Candy asked, stepping on through the barn opening.
"Is the comp'ny friendly?" Joe asked without looking over. To which, Candy almost paused.
"Always, Joe. What kinda question-"
"Just," The guy, who Candy could now see was occupying his dominant hand petting a big, cream colored horse who's head was sticking over its stall door into the aisle, started. Word just a little stiff. "Just, some folks... think different when they hear how 'mollycoddled' these two are. Changes their opinion on... things," Joe said, giving Milkshake a rub down one side of her neck.
Candy came to a stop in front the stall right across the isle and squared his shoulders. "All that changes, is now I gotta spend some time gettin' to know 'em better," he informed with a toothy grin.
"Really?"
"'Course. Especially after seein' how proud Adam was of 'em. And you for raisin' the rascals," Candy assured.
"Adam? Proud of me wasting the talents of two perfectly good draft horses on account of-of softheartedness?"
"Did you see his face when he told the story?"
"Should I have?" Joe asked
"Absolutely." When Joe looked him in the face, at long last, Candy cracked a grin and explained. "It was covered in dirt." That got a snort out of both the rancher across from him, who was being good and wearing his sling again, and whatever'd just bumped Candy in the back of one shoulder.
A quick glance behind himself revealed that he'd been standing right in front of the deeper cream of the team's stall.
"Hey, Butterscotch likes me!" Candy said, twisting around to see the horse better.
"Probably thinks you're here to give him a treat. Horse has a sweet tooth," Joe informed.
"I probably would too with a name like that," Candy insisted. Getting a scoff for his troubles.
"Isn't your name already just as bad? Candy?"
"Ha! You got a point there, compadre," Candy said. Reaching a hand out to let the horse with the big brown eyes sniff at his leisure.
"Guess they are pretty funny names for a couple'a draft type horses though, huh?"
"Eh, maybe, but it don't make them any less good at the job," Candy said. Feeling almost like the lick across the palm he got from the horse in front of him was some form of thanks for the compliment.
"Come to think of it: we've hitched 'em to a buggy, a wagon; they pulled logs for us. How many different ways did you train these brutes?" Candy asked, patting Butterscotch on the nose and getting a second, fonder lick for his troubles.
"They are not brutes, and they're good at just about everything you could ask a horse to be good at," Joe said, sounding just a tad defensive. "E-except working herd. Never trained 'em 'round cattle. Not extensively," he added.
"Joe, I didn't mean nothin' by it," Candy said, giving the big white and caramel horse a scratch behind the ears. "I'm just impressed is all." He looked over in time to see Joe slip Milkshake a sugar cube and had to hold in a chuckle at the sight.
Adam must've been right. He'd have to ask Joe about the secret sugar pocket sometime.
"Yeah, I know. It's just... I've gotten a lot of lip over the years over how I treat these fellas-"
"And Cochise."
"-and sometimes it just rubs me wrong. I mean, what's wrong with treatin' horses like friends? Or-or-or-"
"Or like family?" Candy asked. Hoping the words came across as devoid of judgment as he meant them.
Joe stood there, across the small isle from him, petting his cream colored horse and making eye contact only with the ground for a handful of seconds, before taking in a lungful of good ol' barn air and saying, "Yeah. What's so wrong with that?"
Candy couldn't help the momentary frown as he removed his hand from Butterscotch's forelock and stepped right on up to the horse's twin in the stall facing his.
When Joe looked up and met his eyes, Candy made a show of putting a gentle hand on Milkshake's muzzle and shook his head before speaking. "Not a darn thing."
Somehow, the surprise on Joe's face at that was... soft, and pleased, and it morphed into a fondness that soon had him showing teeth in a hearty smile.
"I knew you were one of the good ones."
"Well, if you knew it, what had ya so worried?"
"Hm. Sometimes, even the good ones don't get it," Joe said, giving both of his prized creamies one more pat before taking off for the exit and the yard outside.
"Hey, hold up, Joe; wait for me," Candy called, taking a second to copy Joe's parting pats, then jogging to catch up.
"Do, uh, do Butterscotch and Milkshake - Are they good for hacking? Could we take them for a ride sometime?"
"Well," Joe started with a pensive grin, "they're saddle trained, but they won't go anywhere without the other. Too used to working side by side."
"T'ain't no problem at all," Candy said, falling in step beside his friend. "We'll just have to ride the way we're walkin'!"
Joe glanced beside himself and shook his head, eyes cast upward. "You might be ridiculous, but every now and then, you manage to surprise even me."
"My idea's that good?" Candy asked with eyebrows raised.
"Better: It's that bad!" The guy in the cream hat exclaimed. Clearing his throat before starting again. "I'm just joshin' ya. But, it has been a while since I took them out like that. And when I have, it's always me on one of 'em lead roping the other," Joe explained as they hit the halfway point between the barn and the ranch house.
"And ya switch off?"
"If'n the rascals promise to hold still!"
"Ha! Oh, I'd love to see that!" Candy guffawed, slapping a hand across one knee.
"Oh, I bet you would. I could teach you a thing or two about riding you'd never dreamed of," Joe said as they hit the front porch.
Candy walked ahead and opened the front door with a little bow. Playing at being a fancy eastern butler.
"Like how to lose your seat whenever a snake shows its ugly-" As Candy realized just what it was he was saying his mouth clicked shut and he felt his spine straighten so quick there was a near audible snap.
Joe walked on through the door and hung his hat, moving like he was maybe a touch perturbed but not quite approaching distressed. Yet.
He turned back to his butler and nodded. Looking like he meant to say that he understood his friend's contrition.
Candy had to be sure though. So he stepped forward and let the door close on its own. "I'll always be glad you're okay, Joe."
"I know," the guy with the tender arm said. Looking Candy dead in the eye far longer than felt normal. Almost like he was trying to find something in there.
When he finally looked away, it was with a muted smile. Then his eyes lit upon the chess set, still sitting out on the coffee table where they'd last seen it the night before.
"Wanna pick up where we left off?" He asked, walking to and around the sofa as if he'd already heard a 'yes'.
"Maybe we start from the beginning? I can't remember where all the pieces were," Candy said as he came to sit across from his opponent.
"You know what I mean, Canaday. Now, white or black?" Joe insisted.
"You choose," Candy insisted right on back.
"Fine. But no cryin' when I beat ya."
"Oh, this won't be like checkers with Hoss. Come dinner time, you'll be owin' me a bag of peppermints!"
"Is that a bet?" Joe asked, a challenge in the set of his jaw.
"Is there any other way to enjoy a game of chess?" Candy asked.
"Good point," Joe said. Then, he turned the board around and pushed a pawn out onto the proverbial field of war. Not afraid to meet Candy head on.
"Hm. Hope we're still friends after this is through," Candy commented, pushing forward a pawn of his own.
"Pretty sure it'd take more'n some old board game to break us up."
"Yeah," Candy agreed with a smile, "a lot more."
It was quite a while later, and only to the incessant warnings that dinner was about to go cold, that the two agreed once again to call it a draw.
"After dinner, wanna go for two out of three?" Joe asked, taking his customary seat on one side of the table.
"What? For both of us losing?" Candy asked, taking the open seat next to his ridiculous friend.
"Way I see it: neither of us lost. So it's more like we both won."
Candy paused in his reach for the serving spoon speared deep into the mashed potato pot to look beside himself.
"Joe, I like the way you think," he said. Then busied himself serving the both of them a steaming helping each of the tantalizing mash.
"I too like that thought," Adam piped up from across the main mountain of squished potatoes. "Though, applied to our pa and myself instead."
"Yeah," Hoss said around a mouth full of... something that made his words come out a little mushy. "You two've had yer fun. Make way for the folks who could prolly make a livin' playin' that game."
"I did just that. Few weeks in Melbourne," Adam said. To a table of dumbfounded faces.
"Why'd ya stop?" Candy managed around his surprise.
"Well, mostly because there wasn't anyone around who could possibly beat me. More tedious than challenging by that point."
At the serious explanation, the entire dining room broke out into a jolly jumble of chortles and outright laughing fits which, eventually, even Adam could be heard joining in on.
Candy took a look around the table, at the other folks wiping laugh tears from their eyes, and took a moment to feel grateful for the hospitality the Ponderosa family had shown him since he'd signed on.
Then he glanced beside himself to the youngest member of that same family; the guy hugging one, less than completely healed arm to his own chest, and smiled harder than he had all day. Knowing he'd really lucked out to have landed himself someone like Joe Cartwright as a best friend.
As a special friend, he reminded himself, when the laughing eyes next to him met his with a twinkle.
Candy could get used to dinners like this, he thought as he stuffed about a fist worth of potato in his gob.
So long as Joe sat next to him, he wouldn't be able to help but enjoy himself.
Aaww, they're just a couple of saps aren't they? Makes me happy to know there are plenty of saps out there!