Adam's Rescue
Introduction
Adam rode as fast as his trusty horse Sport could run. He hoped and prayed he wasn't too late. His Pa and brothers were in danger, and he's the only one who can save them. His heart beat fast, and his mind raced. Would he get there in time? Would his plan work? Was his family already dead? He shook his head. He couldn't let himself think that way. His family was alive, and he was determined to keep them that way. He would gladly give his own life to save theirs. A sad expression crossed his face, for it was quite possible that he was about to do just that.
He was brought out of his thoughts when he saw the family home come into view. Knowing their journey was over, Sport slowed to a walk and went straight to the hitching post. Adam dismounted and started walking to the front door, fully aware of what he was about to face. And to think all this trouble started only two weeks before, over a few steers.
Chapter 1
Two weeks Before
"I sure hope you like 'em." Ben Cartwright said. "These are some of our finest stock."
"Mmmm." Lem Auster grunted and nodded.
Lem was a new rancher who came to Virginia City a few months prior. He was a rough man, but seemed a nice enough fellow, and the Cartwrights got along with him and his son Gabe. Gabe was only 18, but he was pretty good friends with the two younger Cartwright boys. They had just bought 200 head of cattle from the Ponderosa.
"Hey Pa!" yelled Gabe as he rode up from the herd.
"Yeah, Son?" Lem answered.
"How many heads did you buy?" he asked as he came to a stop.
"You know I bought 200. Why?"
"I only counted 195."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes sir. I counted 'em three times."
"What do you have to say for yourself, Cartwright?" asked Lem.
"Well," Ben said, "we got a new hand a few days ago. He's only 16, but he needed the work and we could always use the help. They must have slipped passed him."
"That's a pretty far-fetched excuse, if you ask me."
"I'm not making excuses." Ben countered defensively.
Seeming not to have heard him, Lem asked, "You trying to swindle me Cartwright?"
"Now look here," Ben started, but he was cut off.
"Because I've been buying a lot from you. Lumber, horses, mules. Have you swindled me with them, too?!"
"I have never swindled anyone in my life!" Ben retorted, anger rising in his voice. "And I'm not about to start now!"
Not caring about anything Ben was saying, Lem shouted, "Everywhere I go you big time ranchers are all the same! GREEDY! Always tryin' to cheat us small ranchers out of what's ours!"
Ben was shocked. He thought he knew this man. True he only had a few months to get to know him, but he had always seemed reasonable. He was about to counter his outburst, when Gabe asked, "Should I escort Mr. Cartwright off our property, Pa?"
"Good idea, Son." Then to Ben: "Get your worthless hide on that there horse and back where it belongs!"
Ben mounted up, and turned his horse toward the Ponderosa. But before he left, he looked back and said, "I'll get you your five steers. But after that, you can rest assured we won't do buisness again." At that, he rode off, still feeling the daggers being stared into him.
When he returned home, he slammed the door in disgust. His three sons, who were taking a mid-day break, looked at him with puzzled faces.
"What's the matter, Pa?" asked Hoss.
"Lem Auster, that's what!"
"What happened?" asked Joe. "Didn't he like the steers?"
"Oh he liked 'em all right. But the herd was five short and he had the nerve to accuse me of trying to swindle him!"
"What did you tell him?" asked Adam.
"That they probably slipped past Harvy Koldwell."
"The new hand?"
"Yeah. Then he said I was making excuses, and that I'd most likely been swindling him on everything! The lumber, the horses, the mules. Everything!"
"Mista Lem not sound like nice man."
They turned to see Hop Sing standing at the entrance to the kitchen. He was so light on his feet, no-one heard him come in.
"Still, Mista Ben should honor word and give bad man his cows."
"I will, Hop Sing."
"Good. 'Cause if not, you no eat!" And with a hard nod for emphasis, he went back into the kitchen.
Chuckling, Ben turned to Joe and said, "Joe, I want you to bring Lem what we owe. And take Harvy with you. I don't want you going there alone."
"Sure, Pa." he answered as he grabbed his hat and gunbelt. "We'll be back in time to mend the fence in the north fourty."
Chapter 2
The Message
It was pretty safe to say that Lem was less than happy when Joe and Harvy arived.
"What are you doin' here?" he asked sourly.
"My Pa said you'd get your missing steers, so here they are."
"Well, they're here now, so you can leave."
"Look, whatever notion you have about my father cheating you, it's wrong. He wouldn't do that. Never has and never will."
"I said," he pulled out his gun, "leave." He paused for a second, then added, "And give your Pa a message." He fired his gun and grazed Joe's left arm. "If I catch you, him, or anyone else from the ponderosa on my land again, I won't miss."
"Come on, Joe." Harvy said as he tugged on Cochise's riens. He continued to lead the horse until Joe recovered from his shock.
"Thanks, Harvy."
"Don't mention it."
They went on in silence for a little while, then Harvy asked, "How's your arm?"
"Just grazed. I'll be fine."
"Can we report him to the sheriff?"
"We could, but he'd just say he was protecting his interests. Roy would be with us, but I'm afraid a jury would take his side."
"So there's nothing we can do?"
"Nope. We'll just have to keep our distance."
Joe winced as his wound stretched when he moved his arm.
"Should I fetch the Doc?"
"Nah. My Pa'll fix me up."
After a few more minutes of riding, they reached the house. They tied their horses to the hitching post and went inside. Adam was looking over some papers at Ben's desk, but without looking up, knew it was them.
"I thought you were going to mend the northern fences when you got back." he stated.
"About that," Joe said with a bit of hesitation. "I don't think I'm going to be doing much mending today."
"And why not?"
"Lem Auster."
At this point, Adam looked up. At first, he just saw his youngest brother and Harvy looking at him with upset/expecting faces. But as he pondered thier expressions, his eyes wandered and he noticed the blood on Joe's left arm. He got up at once and went to his brother's side. Inspecting the wound, he knew immediately it was caused by a bullet.
"Lem Auster shot you?"
"Yeah. And he said to tell Pa that if anyone from the Ponderosa was spotted on his land again, he'd do a lot worse." He paused. "By the way, where is Pa?"
"He went to town to settle an account at the bank."
"I can fetch him if you want." Harvy offered.
"Thanks Harvy, that would be great."
"No problem." and with a quick smile, he left.
"He's a good kid, Adam."
"Yeah, he is. Come on, let's get you fixed up."
When Ben arived home, he rushed inside to check on his youngest. When he saw him sitting by the fireplace, he let out a silent sigh of relief. Joe was a bit pale and his arm was bandaged, but other than that he was fine.
"Hey Pa." he said with a smile.
"Hello son. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Thanks to Adam, I feel a lot better."
As if on cue, Adam came out of the kitchen with coffee. "Hey Pa. I figured you'd be here in time, so I made enough for three."
"Thank you." then after a sip from his cup, he said to Joe, "Harvy told me you were shot, but I'm afraid I rushed off before he could tell me what happened."
Knowing his father wanted to hear it from Joe, Adam sat back in his chair and started to think. If Lem could shoot Joe without a second thought, would he be willing to do worse? Could it be possible that he was out to get them? And if so, why? Then he thought of something he hadn't before. Was Gabe mixed into all this? Noticing the conversation was over, he asked Joe, "Did you see Gabe anywhere?"
He thought about it. "No," he answered. "I didn't. Why?"
"Well, it's just a thought I have, but..." he paused. "Pa, you said Gabe was there when you and Lem argued about the missing steers. Did you happen to notice how he was acting during that?"
"Well...now that I think about it, he seemed pretty nerveous. And when he asked if he should escort me off the property, he acted like he really wanted me gone. But strangely not because he was angery, but because he was scared. I guess I was just too frustrated and angery to notice it then."
"Hmmm. And when you confronted Lem," he nodded at Joe. "Gabe wasn't there and you got shot."
"What are you getting at?" Ben asked.
"That Gabe knew his father was capable of doing something drastic, and might have saved your life, Pa. Lem could have shot you if he hadn't interjected."
"You may be right."
Just then, Hoss called for them from the yard, and when they went outside, they couldn't believe what they saw.
Chapter 3
Unfortunate Events
Outside in the yard, Hoss was on his horse Chubb. He was leading two other horses, each with a rider about to fall out of the saddle. They were pretty battered, but they were recognised at once; it was Harvy and Gabe! The Cartwrights helped them dismount and half carried them into the house. Hop Sing already had the medical supplies set out and was boilling some water. As they sat the two hurt boys on the sette, Harvy let out a yell and almost blacked out.
"Hoss," Ben turned to his middle son. "Go get Doc. Martin."
"Pa," he said. "I cain't."
"Why not?"
It was then he noticed that Hoss was very pale.
"Hoss, what's wrong?"
Before he could say anything, he winced in pain and put his left hand up to his right shoulder. He nearly passed out.
"Hoss!" Ben rushed over and helped him into a chair. "What happened?" he asked as he pulled his son's vest aside. His eyes widened when he saw a dark red stain surrounding a small hole in the shirt underneath. Without turning, he told Adam to fetch the Doc.
As he left, he gave Joe a sillent signal to keep an eye out. When he nodded, Adam set out for Virginia City. Hopefully Doc. Martin would be in his office there.
When Adam arived at Virginia City, he was lucky enough to see Doc. Martin walking down the street. "Doc!" he shouted.
Paul Martin turned to see Adam ride up on his tired looking horse. From the tone of his voice, he could tell there was something wrong. "Let me get my bag." was all he said before he rushed to his office. He then got in his buggy and started off to the Ponderosa, followed closely by Adam.
When they arived, Paul went right inside, saw his patients, and went staight to work. First was Harvy. He had at least four broken ribs and a large lump on the back of his head. Next was Gabe. His left knee was dislocated and had a bad swollen bruise on his right cheek. Last was Hoss. He had been shot in the shoulder and the bullet was still inside him.
Once they were all fixed up, Paul ordered his patients to get plenty of bed rest for at least three days. He was met with grumbled agreements as they went to their rooms. Hoss to his upstairs, Harvy to his in the bunkhouse, and Gabe to the extra bedroom downstairs.
"Paul, this is yet another time I must thank you." Ben said smiling. "Would you like some coffee before you go?"
"I'd love some. Thank you Ben."
"Hop Sing! Coffee for our guest."
The Chinaman smiled and went to the kitchen to prepair the coffee and some treats.
As he settled on the sette, Paul asked what was on both his and Adam's mind: "Did they tell you how this happened?"
"It came out in bits and pieces, but yes, they told us."
After Harvy had told Ben that Joe had been hurt, he had rushed to his horse and then raced off to the Ponderosa. But instead of following, Harvy knew he had ridden his horse long and hard, and decided to let him rest a while. He went into the mercantile and bought a box of sugar cubes for his and the others' horses. Then he headed back to the ranch at a much slower pace.
When he was about a mile from the house, he heard multiple horses riding fast behind him. He turned to face them, and saw at once that it was Lem Auster, Gabe, and some of their hands. Recognising him, Lem ordered them to stop.
"Well, well, well," he said. "If it isn't the little runt who keeps causing me truble."
"I was going to apologise for losing some of your steers, but you shot Joe before I could."
"Pa," Gabe said. "You told me that Little Joe pulled his gun and threatend you."
"He did! This dang fool's just lie'n!"
In his calmest and most determined voice, Harvy countered the accusation with: "I...don't...lie."
Gabe moved his horse to stand beside Harvy facing his dad. "I believe him, Pa."
"You would choose him, over your own father?!"
"Yes, I would. I can't believe I was foolish enough to trust what you said in the first place."
Lem moved right in front of his son. at first his expression was sadness and shock. But it quickly turned to anger and hatered. He back handed Gabe so hard he fell out of the saddle. But his foot got stuck in the sturrup and there was a loud snap in his knee, causing him to cry out in pain.
"Gabe!" Harvy was off his horse and by his side in a flash. He carefully removed his foot from the sturrup and slowly placed it on the ground.
"Look out!" Gabe yelled.
Harvy turned to defend himself, but it was too late. Lem was already swinging a large tree limb at him. When the inevitable impact came, he went backwards and landed on his back, and his head landed on a rock. the last thing he heard before the world went black was Lem yelling to him, "You turned my son against me!"
He was about to hit him again, when he heard someone yell, "STOP!" He looked up to see Hoss riding up to them.
Hoss had been on his way to town because he remembered he had promised Hop Sing he would buy some more sugar for the cake he was planning to bake. The last thing he expected to see was Lem Auster attacking Harvy. After he yelled stop, he sped to the rescue, putting himself and his horse between the two injured men and their attacker. "Lem Auster," he said harshly. "What the hell are you doing to these poor lads?!" Hoss rarely swore, but dad-gum-it he was mad!
Lem backed up slowly, then remounted his horse. "I ain't doin' nothin'!" He then rode away, his men close behind.
When he thought they were gone, Hoss dismounted and began looking the two boys over. "Are you alright?" he asked Gabe. But before he could answer, there was a loud boom, and Hoss lurched backwards with a cry of pain. He had ben shot by a rifle!
It felt like forever lying on his back, hoping whoever had shot him thought he was dead, yet still half expecting a second bullet to hit him. One minute, nothing. Two...Three...Still nothing. Finally, he slowly rose to his feet. Nothing. Satisfied that they were indeed gone, he began the slow process of getting the boys on their horses and getting back home.
"It's amazing he was able to get them on thier horses, not to mention getting them back here." said Doc. Martin.
"And with an injury on top of it all." added Joe.
"It's times like these that we're reminded just how strong he really is." Adam said.
"And truly appreciate that strength as well." added Ben.
They all nodded in agreement, unaware of the open door upstairs, or the smile that crossed Hoss's face as he fell asleep.
Chapter 4
The Past
After Doc. Martin left, Adam asked Ben what they were going to do.
"Well, first things first. We need to find out more about Lem." He walked over to the extra bedroom and knocked on the door.
"Come in." called Gabe.
The three Cartwrights came in and saw Gabe trying to ajust the pillow under his knee.
"Here," said Adam. "Let me help you."
"Thanks." After he was settled, he said, "You're here to ask about my Pa, aren't you."
"Yes son." Ben said as he sat in the chair by the bed.
Gabe let out a depressed sigh. "It's not a happy story."
Ben placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder.
Taking a deep breath, he began his story:
"My family used to be a lot bigger. There was me, my Pa, my Ma, my little sister Madison, and my little brother Timothy. We even had a dog named Rex. We were a happy family, until we moved to Oaksville. It was a small town, but it was still home to some big ranches. After we got settled, Pa went and bought some steers from one of them, and slautered one for dinner that night.
"Everything was normal for the next few days, but then Madison got sick, then Timothy, then the rest of us. Even Rex." He paused and sighed. Then he continued in a low voice, "Me and Pa were the only ones to survive." Tears ran down his cheeks. "When Pa was well enough, he went to inspect the cattle we had bought, and found all of them sick. That no good rancher had sold us bad beef. Pa confronted him about it; even went to the local sheriff; but all that happened was he was ordered to put down all the sick cows and pay a fine. Apparently he was a very influential man in that town.
"After that, my Pa's heart grew harder and colder. His anger and grief twisted his mind into thinking that every big sucsessful rancher was greedy and decieteful. We moved to a new town, but he got into trouble with the biggest rancher there. Nothing too bad, but we did have to move again. It happened everywhere we went, and it got worse and worse each time. I guess I always knew that one day he would go too far...but..."
"But you stayed with him because you loved him and hoped that day would never come." Ben finished for him.
He nodded. "I will always love my Pa, but I'm afraid the true Lem Auster died with the rest of my family."
"Gabe," said Adam. "You know we have to report your Pa to the sheriff, don't you."
"Yes. I know."
"I'm sorry, Gabe." Ben said. "But you'll always have a place here on the Ponderosa. You are welcome to stay as long as you need to."
"Thaahhaank you." Gabe yawned.
"You're welcome, son. Now you better get some rest."
The Cartwrights left the room, but before Adam closed the door, Gabe asked him; "Adam, the sheriff won't kill my Pa, will he?"
"No, Gabe, no-one will. I promise." And as he closed the door, he sent up a silent prayer that he would be able to keep that promise.
Chapter 5
The Present: Part One
The next morning as the eldest Cartwright son prepared to go to town, his father asked him, "Are you sure you should go alone?"
"Yes, Pa. I'm the only one that hasn't inticed Lem's anger. So if he's watching for a Cartwright, he might let me go."
"Adam's right, Pa." agreed Joe.
"I suppose." Ben gruffed. "But I still don't like it."
"I'll be fine." he said as he went out to get his horse.
"That brother of yours." Ben told Joe with a smile. "Once he sets his mind to do something, he gets more determined than anyone I've seen."
"I wonder where he gets that from." Joe said smiling back.
Out in the barn, Adam was puting the saddle on his horse Sport. He was sure he'd be fine, but something bothered him; What was Lem planning? It's nearly impossible to predict the actions of a madman. All he knew was that he had to get the sheriff. Only a possee could take down all of Lem's men.
When he came out of the barn, he mounted up and waved to his father and brother on the porch. "I'll be back as soon as possible." he called, then rode off towards town.
Once he arived in town, Adam went straight to the sheriff's office. "Roy?" he called as he entered. No answer. "Roy?" he tried again. Still no answer. He exited the office and went across the street to the saloon. Inside he saw Jamie Clove sitting in at a poker game. He had just won with a royal flush.
"Jamie," he said as he walked over. "Have you seen Roy anywhere?"
"Hmmm...Yeah! Saw 'im walkin' over to Doc. Martin's place not too long ago."
"Thanks." was all Adam said as he rushed out.
He quickly arived at Paul's house/office. Knocking on the door, he hoped Roy was still there.
As luck would have it, Roy was the one to answer the door.
"Well, well," he said. "If it isn't one of the few from the Ponderosa who ain't been banged up." After Adam accepted some coffee from Paul, he said, "The Doc.'s been tellin' me about what's happened, and I'm gonna take a gander and say that's why you're here."
"Yes it is. I was hoping we could gather up a posse and go arrest Lem and his men."
"Well, from what Paul has told me, Lem Auster has done more than enough to be put in jail for a very long time. How many men do you think we'll need?"
"At least ten."
"I suggest you get going then." Paul said. "And do be careful. I have other patients besides those on the Ponderosa you know."
Chuckling, Roy and Adam agreed then went to recruit their men.
About thirty minutes later, Adam, Roy, and twelve other men were getting ready to head out. Fully aware of what they were about to do, each man had a pistol, a rifle, and plenty of amunition.
"Alright men," Roy said. "Mount up and follow me."
But before they could, they heard someone call out; "Mista Adam!"
"Hop Sing?" Adam called back as he turned to see his friend gallup towards them.
When his horse came to a stop, Hop Sing fell out of the saddle, but luckily Adam was able to catch him. Holding him, he was able to see the large black and blue bruise on the chinaman's face. As he brought him into the Sheriff's office, Roy told one of the men to go fetch the Doc.
"What happened?" Adam asked.
"Soon after Mista Adam left, bad man come to house. Mista Ben try to be peacful, but bad man summon more bad men. They rush into house and drag Mista Hoss down stairs. They also bring out young Gabe and young Harvy. They tie all up but me. Bad man give me letter then say, 'Give this to the Cartwright who is in town,' then he hit me with pistol. I come as fast as I can."
Hop Sing then gave Adam the letter, and he read it aloud.
"If you want to see your family alive again, you'll bring me $10,000. And you will come ALONE! If I or any of my men see someone who aint you, your family dies."
At this time, Doc. Martin entered and began wrapping Hop Sing's wounded face.
"What do you want to do Adam?" Roy asked.
"Exactly what the note says." he turned to the sheriff and smirked. "And maybe a little extra."
"You got a plan?"
"Yep. But we need to get going. I'll explain on the way."
As they left, Hop Sing told them to be careful. Smiling, Adam responded with, "Aren't we always?" The look he gave them made everyone chuckle.
Mounting up, they all headed towards the bank to get the $10,000. It took a while, but Adam received the money, and then proceeded to tell everyone his plan.
Chapter 6
The Present: Part Two
After Hop Sing left, Ben asked Lem, "Do you really think you can get away with this?"
"Yes, Cartwright, I do." Lem answered as he walked over to the chair Ben was tied to. "I will be long gone after your son gives me the money." a devilish smile apeared on his face. "You and your sons will be too." He let out the most evil laugh as he walked away.
Ben knew what that meant. He was going to kill them when Adam arived with the $10,000. He sent up a prayer that his eldest had a plan to save them all.
"Pa." Hoss wispered.
Ben looked towards his middle son who was tied to the chair next to him. When the intruders had forced him downstairs, the wound in his shoulder had started to bleed again. He could tell it was still trickling blood, and that it ached severely.
"Pa, don't you worry none about me." Hoss said, noticing his father looking at his shoulder. "And don't worry about Adam. I'm sure he's thought up a way to beat these goons." As he said that, he threw a disgusted glance at their captors.
"I'm sure you're right, son."
Ben then moved to look at his youngest son. Joe was tied up and sitting on the sette. He had bravely tried to fight the intruders, but was quickly over powered. He had aquired some scrapes and bruises, but was otherwise in good shape. His arm was even still bandaged.
"Joe?" Ben asked. "Look at me, son."
Joe turned to look at his father. The expression he gave was one of pure guilt. It broke Ben's heart.
"Joe, there was no way you could have stopped them on your own."
"I know. I just...I can't help feeling this whole thing is my fault."
"Why?"
"I was the first one to make Lem mad enough to use vilence."
"Joe, that could have been any of us. This would have undoubtably happened, no matter what actions we took."
"I guess you're right."
"HEY!" Lem yelled from Ben's desk. "No talking!"
Ben then sent up what he guessed was the hundredth silent prayer.
Chapter 7
The Present: Part Three
Adam's plan was simple. He would ride in alone with the money, while the posse stayed about a mile away. After a few minutes, they would sneak in and surround the house while their enimies were distracted. Then once Adam gave the signal, they would rush in; half of them taking the ones outside, the other half taking the ones inside.
"What's the signal?" Roy had asked.
"You'll know it when you hear it." Adam answered.
As the front door to his home opened, he saw the sorce of his signal; Lem Auster.
"Ah, Adam." he said with fake civility. "I see you followed my instructions."
"Of course." he answered. "Now where's my family?"
"Right this way."
Adam walked inside to see his family, Harvy, and Gabe tied up. "You even tied up your Son?" he asked.
Lem's face grew dark. "I don't have a son." Clearing his throat, he continued in his fake freindly voice. "As you can see, they are all here and still alive. Now where is the money?"
"In my saddle bags."
"Good man. You," he turned to one of his men. "Go get it."
After a moment, the man returned with the bags. Smiling, Lem took them and his men gathered around him. He opened them to see the money, but when they saw a large angry snake as well, they yelled out in terror and threw the bags to the floor.
Outside just out of sight, the posse heard the comotion.
"That must be the signal." Roy said. "Let's go, men!"
They jumped out of thier hiding spots and rushed forward. Half charged at the outside guards and the other half, including Roy, charged inside the house. There was fighting and shooting, but it all stoped as quickly as it started when Lem and Adam both fell to the ground.
After the signal was given, Lem had turned towards Adam, ready to draw his gun and shoot him. But before he could fire, Adam grabbed his hand and they struggled for control of the gun. Adam was by far the stronger man, but Lem was hysterical in his madness and began to overpower him. When a stray bullet from one of Lem's men struck Adam in the shoulder, it caused him to lurch forward. The two fell over, Lem striking his head on the corner of the table. As he blacked out, he pulled the trigger, shooting Adam in the side. They both hit the floor unconcious.
Chapter 8
The future
Adam awoke to find he was in his own bed, his shoulder and middle rapped in bandages. Looking out the window, he saw a light, steady rain falling. He tried to get up, but stopped as soon as he started. Pain shot all thoughout him, causing him to close his eyes and groan.
"Adam?" a voice asked.
He re-opened his eyes to see the face of his father looking worriedly at him. "Wha..." His voice was scratchy, and soon he felt a glass pressed to his lips. After a few sips, he tried again. "What happened?"
"After you and Lem fell, his men surrendered. Roy and the others untied us, then took them to jail. Joe was going to go for the doctor, but luckily, he had already started on his way over when he finished fixing up Hop Sing." He paused, then continued in a very serious tone. "You gave us quite a scare. What were you thinking?"
"Well, I thought you, Hoss, and Joe were more important than myself. I would do anything for my family."
Ben sighed and smiled softly. "I know. And I know your brothers and I feel the same."
He smiled back. "How is everyone else?"
"They're fine. Joe and Gabe are almost good as new, Hoss and Harvy will be back to work soon, and Hop Sing is cooking up a storm to make up for lost time."
Adam's eyes widened slightly. "How long was I out?"
"4 days."
At that moment, Joe and Hoss entered the room with big smiles on their faces.
"We heard you guys talkin'." Joe said.
"It's good to see you awake Adam." Hoss said. "We were begining to wonder if you were goin' to sleep forever."
Adam simply smiled, happy they were all together.
Epilogue
Gabe stood before the Cartwrights on their front porch. His father's trial had been that morning, (the sentance was life in prison), and they had invited him over for an early lunch. "Thanks again, for everything." he said.
"Any time." Ben said. "If you should ever need anything, you are always welcome."
Smiling, he mounted his horse and waved goodbye as he rode away.
"You think he'll be alright, Pa?" Joe asked.
"Yes son, I do." he answered. "Since he's now running the Auster ranch himself, the extra work will keep his mind off his father."
"And he'll have plenty of good men around him now, thanks to Harvy and the other hands who volenteered to help him start over." Adam added.
"Not to mention he has the best family in the world as freinds." Hoss stated proudly.
They all chuckled, then Ben said, "All right, this ranch isn't going to run itself. Joe, you're in charge of breaking the new horses. Hoss, you're in charge of branding the new calves. Adam, you and I will finish the pile of paperwork on my desk."
"Pa, it's been three weeks." Adam remimded. "I'm healed enough to help Hoss."
"I know. I just want to finish that paperwork before it finishes me!"
Laghing, they each went to there asigned tasks, happy that the whole ordeal was over.
The End