Idle Hands ~ Chapter 9

"I'm sure I didn't know where to look brother, it was such a spectacle," Angela said as she sipped her coffee.

"These people are so uncouth."

"You know what this means though don't you," Vernon smiled as he cut his bacon.

"I'm sure I do not," she told him.

"We are even," he smiled childishly.

"What do you mean," she asked, staring him down.

"I mean we each scored one point against the Cartwright's. You spread that tale about Adam Cartwright and I wound his brother up so much he ruined his fathers birthday."

Angela fumed, she hated that smug grin her brother wore when he felt he had gotten one over on her.

"It's not over yet you cretin, I've still one to play," she told him.

A maid entered the cheerful, sunny breakfast room and placed a basket of croissants on the table.

Angela glared at her.

"What are we supposed to put them on our plates with," she snapped.

The maid looked at her fearfully.

Angela gestured at the basket, "No tongs."

The maid hurried from the room and fetched the tongs laying it beside the basket.

"Now run my bath and set my clothes out on the bed." Angela told her as she put a croissant on to her plate and cut it with a knife.

"I shouldn't have to train them in, I have enough to do," Angela grumbled.

"I know, one of the idiots had to be told to clean my riding boots yesterday, I mean what is Fellows doing. He's head of staff here." Her brother agreed.

"What time is Hoss picking you up?" Vernon asked.

"11.30, They keep early hours here in the country, he's taking me to a fair in the next town."

"Hoss, is that actually his name," Vernon smirked.

"No, his name is Eric," she told him, without looking up from her meal.

"There it is again, that evasiveness, you are falling for that big ape aren't you."

"I am not," she told him coldly.

"Admit it, you like it rough and dirty." He hissed.

"I admit nothing," she slammed her knife down on the table.

"I'll thank you to mind your own business Vernon," she stood suddenly sending her chair back on to the floor. She swept from the room then, slamming the door after her.

A maid hurried to right the fallen chair as Vernon grinned away to himself.

~o~

Adam reached down and captured her mouth in a deep and demanding kiss. This time their coupling was slow and sensual, each savouring the sensations of warm loving hands and heat fuelled kisses. Adam caressed her body tenderly as he slowly prepared her for the act. Sam bit down on her bottom lip and clamped the sheets in her fists emitting tiny sounds of pure pleasure as he worked to satisfy her physical need. Finally she lay breathless in his arms, slowly recovering as he stroked her hair and tried to gain his own natural breath.

They had a long talk then and got a lot sorted. Not least they realised that Janet and Ronald were not just casual visitors to the house and they would have to consider their feelings in future. They both came to the conclusion that they could not act like a childless couple any longer. Their behaviour had a direct effect on the wellbeing of their little lodgers.

~o~

The children returned to the house the following day. Ronald screamed with excitement as he ran head long into Adam and was scooped up into his arms. Janet was more sceptical of the situation and hung back her prim little face as ever standing guard over her emotions . Sam sat her down and they had a talk about family life and how Adam and Sam were going to talk things out in future so there would be no more separations. Janet was happy with that and went to stand by Adam suddenly feeling she wanted some of the attention Ronald was getting.

~o~

Angela was ill tempered despite the glorious weather and wonderful fairground attractions. Hoss was as attentive as ever and had already won her a cute Bear and bought her a candy apple.

It was when Hoss took a hammer and hit a gong sending the marker shooting to the top, that's when her mood really went sour. Everyone cheered and clapped for the strong man. Men came up to pat him on the back. Some of them tried with the hammer themselves to laughs and jeers from the audience as they couldn't bring the marker up half way.

Vernon was right, she thought sourly, he is an ape, what was she doing courting an ape. No bet was worth this. She decided she would break it off with him the following day. It wouldn't quite win the bet as she wasn't dropping him from the great height she had planned. She was going to massage his ego for weeks and then drop him like a stone but her heart wasn't in it. Bless him, he was pleasant for such an oaf. She'd drop him tomorrow and be done with it.

"Miss Angela, you don't seem like you're enjoying this, is there anything I can do?" Hoss asked, genuinely concerned.

"What's the matter?"

She had to make up something. She hadn't worked herself up to break it off yet.

"Oh it's those old crones at the sewing circle. They think they're so above me because I'm young and single and they're all older and married, they think they can tell me how to run my life." Angela shook her head.

"I'd stop going but there isn't a whole lot for a woman to do in Virginia City. At least there, you get to catch up on all the news."

"You don't pay no heed to them Miss Angela, you're far prettier than any of them and you'll be married soon enough."

"Oh I don't know Hoss, I hope so,"

"Well I know so," Hoss told her.

As he took her hand, she smiled up at him, her face flushed from the country air. She was impossibly beautiful.

~o~

Hoss had been thinking deeply about Angela. They had only been going out two and a half weeks but for Hoss those were the best two and a half weeks of his adult life. Hoss had the starts of a very bad idea forming in his brain.

The logs were spinning down on the flume at an alarming rate. Little Joe was at top helping them in position, Hoss and Adam were in the water further down guiding them through a particularly rough spot. Adam was shouting orders up at them and Joe was cursing down at him but doing his bidding all the same,

"So I'm thinking, it don't matter how long you know someone," Hoss was saying to Adam.

"I mean what does it matter if you wait a week, a month or a year. If you know she's the one you should just act on it,"

A log was fired down at great speed crashing into another one.

"Do you wanna kill us, go easy with them. One at a time, I told you." Adam shouted up.

Joe pulled a face but stalled the next logs decent.

"So what do you think Adam?" Hoss asked.

"Hoss are you planning on making a table from that log or are you going to send it the rest of the way," Adam snapped irritably. Hoss pushed the log down on its way.

"Do what you think is right Hoss," Adam patted his shoulder.

To Joe Adam shouted up "are you going to send down another log or what, we're standing here."

"Well you're giving out that we're sending them too quick, Jesus," Joe grumbled away making Adam grin to himself.

~o~

The sewing circle had gained themselves a juicy bit of gossip. The new teacher from Placerville had been seen stepping out with Will Rogers from the telegram office. All halted their sewing and leaned forward listening intently to the details.

"I hear tell he bought her one of them fancy boxes of chocolates from the new chocolate and pastry store." Bertha Chaney told her hushed audience.

"And there was kissin," she nodded.

"In the middle of the day, for shame," Sissy put her hand to her breast.

Suddenly Berthas house keeper appeared.

"Ma'am, there's a mister Mr Hoss Cartwright at the door."

Bertha was about to rise when Hoss stepped out from behind the maid.

"I'm sorry to be disturbin you ladies like this but I've got somethin important to ask Angela and it can't wait," he grinned foolishly.

"Well, what is it," Angela asked, slightly irritated by this spectacle.

"I thought maybe we'd go outside," he smiled down at her a little embarrassed.

"Oh really Hoss, I'm not getting up now what's so important," she asked.

"Ok then, well...here goes," Hoss said, taking a deep breath and fishing a box from his pocket.

He got down on one knee, opening the box to reveal a beautiful ring.

"Angela Manning, would you do me the great honour of becoming my wife?" He asked.

There was silence.

Angela stared at the ring in shock.

Then she looked up into Hoss's sincere face and burst out laughing.

"Hoss," she laughed, "we've only been going out three weeks. What are you thinking."

Hoss closed the box silently and stared at her hardly knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He tried to form words but his voice failed him.

"Oh Hoss," she took his hand, still laughing " This was very sweet of you but really. I'm an heiress to a large estate, 1000s of acres. If I brought you home, sweet as you are, my father would disinherit me. I'd actually nearly do it just for the laugh, to see the old mans face."

Hoss stood up, looking flustered. "I'll, I'll see myself out," he told them as he turned and fled.

Angela shook her head, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Well, I've had some proposals in my time," she told them "but that was the best ever."

Bertha Chaney rose from her seat. "Angela, we would be most obliged if you would pack up your sewing and leave this house."

"What do you mean?" She grinned.

"She means you're no longer welcome in the sewing circle," Abigail Winters told her.

Angela pouted as she was shown to the door but she soon recovered her smile at the thought of telling her brother. Plus too, part of her was relieved to be free of Hoss Cartwright, she was becoming too attached to him. He'd never fit in with her lifestyle back home, she told herself.

~o~