Idle Hands ~ Chapter 12

A wave of panic crossed Vernon Manning's face.

"Oh God tell him I'm not here," he told the maid hurriedly.

Too late, Adam was in the room followed closely by Jim Nester the young livery stable boy. He hung back shyly, standing by the drawing room door.

"Is this him," Adam asked the boy.

"Yes sir, that's him. I should have told him to get lost the minute I laid eyes on him but I ain't never seen a ten dollar note before," He said.

Adam went to him and put notes in his hand.

"Not a word to anyone," he said.

The boy nodded and headed out.

~o~

Adam crossed the floor and grabbed Vernon by the scruff of the neck.

"So what's it about, paying a young boy to deflower a child. Are you some kind of pervert." He growled, shaking him roughly.

"No please, it was just a joke, a lark."

"What?" Adam released him for a moment.

"We didn't mean to hurt anybody we just did it for a joke." Vernon told him cowering feebly.

"What do you mean you did it for a joke, what's this about?"

Vernon didn't answer.

Adam threw him up against the wall.

"We just spread a few rumours and stirred things between you and your brother."

"Why?" Adam asked. "We haven't met before have we?"

"No we haven't, it was just a joke."

Adam couldn't get his head around this, eventually he asked "You said WE, who else is in on this with you."

When Vernon didn't answer immediately Adam tightened his grip and drew back his fist.

"Me and my sister Angela," Vernon bellowed fearfully.

"Angela Manning," Adam went pale.

Angela Manning who laughed at Hoss when he proposed, breaking his heart to the point where he was now dangerously ill.

Adam vented his anger on Vernon smacking him around the room. Vernon had no retaliation skills what so ever and yelped and whimpered like a child being punished as Adam worked him over.

"What is going on in here."

Angela stood in the doorway wearing an expensive silk robe. She had obviously taken a nap as her hair was loose about her shoulders and she was in night attire.

She stared back defiantly as Adam walked slowly to stand before her.

"What is the meaning of this, get out you ignorant cow hand or I'll call the sheriff."

Adam took her arm in a vice like grip.

"You're hurting my arm," she told him as she struggled.

"I'll break it," he growled.

"You planned the whole thing didn't you, you deliberately set out to hurt him," He told her.

"And what if I did, it's his own fault. How can someone who lives in a wild place like this be as soft hearted as he is." As she spoke her voice hitched slightly with emotion.

"Don't give me your crocodile tears," Adam spoke fiercely to her.

"You have no heart, anyone who could hurt Hoss the way you did can't have any good feelings."

"I didn't mean to hurt him. Well initially I did but in the end..." Her tears were lost on Adam and she continued to struggle in his grip.

Vernon tried to get to his feet and Adam immediately clicked his gun and took aim.

Vernon raised his hands and sat back down.

"What are you going to do," her beautiful face looked up at him burning with defiant outrage.

"I'd take you to the sherif though I don't know what he would charge you with, and I presume you have rich relatives anyway who could afford the best legal team. So I've decided I'm going to take a more old fashioned approach." Adam told her as he took her to the couch.

"I'm going to give you something you should have had years ago."

With that he sat on the couch and pulled her down over his lap. She struggled with all she had but he held her firmly in place and waited until she had tired herself out enough for him to begin.

Her silk clothing left no protection whatever against Adams sharp, stingy slaps on her behind. She yelped, struggled and whimpered through it but could not release herself.

On seeing the spectacle, a maid walked slowly over.

"Ho Chin, call the sheriff," Angela told her desperately "Call the sheriff, he's trying to murder me."

Ho Chin looked up at Adam.

"Would sir like tea or coffee," she asked. A slight grin tugging the sides of her pretty Asian face.

"Coffee, please, black."he smiled at her as he continued.

Angela could scarcely catch her breath as smacks began to overlap onto already tender skin. She struggled, cursed and eventually began pleading with him to stop. Finally he did stop when she was burning sore and sobbing hard over his lap. He lifted her gently off his knee and put her face down over the couch so as not to irritate her tender behind any more. She pounded on the couch with her fists and kicked her feet in anger and outrage as she cried. Adam ignored her tantrum and thanked Ho Chin as she handed him the coffee. He took a few sips and then placed it down on a polished surface.

He then turned his attention to Vernon.

"I don't want to hear from either of you ever again, stay away from my family," he told him and then he turned to leave.

Angela's sobbing had begun to subside and she was starting to recover, feeling tired out suddenly from crying and pain.

"I'll go to the Sheriff, I'll have him arrested. 20 years hard labour," Vernon announced as if he was the judge handing down the sentence.

"Oh shut up Vernon," she whimpered cradling her chin in her hands "just shut up."

~o~

Adam was deep in thought as he headed back to the Ponderosa. There was one person he needed to speak with. He needed to put something right.

Annie was throwing feed to the chickens when Adam rode in, a job Hoss usually did.

When she saw Adam, she finished up quickly and began heading for the house.

He called to her.

"Annie, I need to talk to you," he told her gently.

He went over to her, his approach making her flustered.

"There's food inside for you, Sam baked bread and there's still soup left and..."

"Annie," Adam began.

"And Hop Sing has apple pie but says don't eat it all because he made it for the children."

"Annie," Adam tried again.

"I never spread any rumours," she blurted out, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"Before you start telling me off, I want to tell you that Sam is my very best friend. I wouldn't hurt her or you or..." She couldn't continue. She had backed up against a barn wall, wringing her hands nervously and her voice was failing her.

"Annie I'm sorry," he told her.

She dared look up a little at that.

"I should have known it wasn't you, we both should. I am heartily ashamed of myself. Can you ever forgive me?" He asked sincerely.

"I would never hurt you," she said timidly.

Joe turned the corner and smiled warmly and with relief as he saw Adam pull Annie to him in a brotherly hug.

He'd heard that Adam was outside talking with Annie and worried a little given the tension between them recently.

"Now brother, don't get confused. This woman is mine," Joe smiled as he approached. Annie giggled, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

~o~

Work continued through the night. They needed constant bowls of steaming water in the room to loosen mucus from Hoss's chest. They had to strip his blankets back and throw open the window to bring down a roaring temperature. They took turns sitting next to him, Joe had to be told sternly by his father that staying up all night every night would not help Hoss and would render him sick also. Joe had to relent and go to bed.

Adam woke, feeling something lightly touching his hand.

He looked up to see Hoss staring back at him.

"Hoss," he tried to smile cheerfully "let me get you some water."

Hoss shook his head, he took a deep labouring breath.

"I was dreaming about Marie," He said. "We were in the meadow picking wild flowers."

Adam took his hand and he listened.

"It was so peaceful Adam, so, so peaceful. I could have stayed there," Hoss took a big breath "I could have stayed there forever."

Adam smiled but there was anguish in his heart.

"Adam it's ok," Hoss said struggling for breath.

"It don't hurt, you would expect it ta hurt, but it don't."

"Hoss don't you do that," Adam told him sternly "Don't you give in to it."

"Adam, I'm tired," Hoss told him, almost apologetically

"I'm so tired."

Adam tried to set his face, but he couldn't.

"Aw Adam don't."

Hoss reached his big hand over to Adams face but it lowered slowly as he began to drift off again.

Adam lowered his head to his arms and cried softly to himself.

~o~

Angela couldn't fail to notice the looks she was getting from passers by as she boarded the coach. The frosty looks made her uncomfortable and she got in quickly. Even though the coach was fully cushioned she winced slightly as she sat and moved her behind trying to gain a more comfortable position. Vernon jumped in oblivious to their cold send off. After some initial chatter he folded his arms, pulled his hat down over his eyes and slept, snoring softly. Angela gazed out of the window thinking about a large man who placed a flower in her hair and called her Queen of the May. She reached up a gloved hand and brushed the single tear from her cheek and set her mouth in a firm line.

~o~

After several worrying nights Hoss finally began to recover. It was slow but sure. Three weeks later, he leaned on Ben as he was brought to sit on a chair on the porch to get some air. Another week after that he sat in on the birthing of a new calf. He was there on consultation basis only but he was definitely headed in the right direction.

One Sunday afternoon in early Spring Hoss sat at the fire bundled up in a wool jacket Annie had made for him. Sam kept him company as she peeled potatoes for dinner.

"I can do that Sam," Hoss told her as she worked.

"No, you just keep warm Hoss. That's your job for the day," she smiled over at him.

He had gained back some of the weight but still looked somewhat frail and he still tired really easily. It would be a year before he would return to his full state of health.

"Adams in the barn cleaning out the horses, I should go an help him."

"Do you want me to put Hop Sings medicine in your dinner?" She smiled.

"No ma'am," Hoss had developed a dread for Hop Sings herbal remedies.

"Well then you stay put until dinner."

"It's awful kind of you and Adam but you don't have ta keep feeding me."

"Oh yes we do, Hop Sing and Ben are not near strict enough with you. You were sending back plates half loaded with food. Not in this house," she told him sternly.

"No ma'am," he said, frowning at the thought of another huge plate of meat and vegetables.

"God forgive me, I shouldn't speak ill of people but that woman should go straight down below for what she did," Sam said, cutting the potatoes more severely than needed.

"She didn't do nothin Sam, she just didn't want to marry me," Hoss said.

"Hoss, she broke your heart in the worst possible way. Can't you at least feel angry with her," Sam asked him.

"I was at first but you can't stay angered at someone you love for long. Anyway I ought to have better manners. I'd a kept her ifn my manners were more gentile."

"No Hoss, it doesn't work like that. You don't change to suit a person. You find a person who loves you just the way you are." Sam told him.

"I know you don't believe it now but you will find her."

She reached over and stroked his cheek.

"I hope that woman knows she made the biggest mistake of her life," she said, returning to her peeling.

"I doubt if she gives it much thought Sam," Hoss frowned.

~o~

Worrying news filtered out that Desmond and Marcy Nash, Janet and Ronald's real parents had been released from prison having served out their sentence. Adam and Sam fully expected a call from the pair looking to claim their kids even though Kirby their older sister had won full custody over them. It never happened, Des Nash got in a drunken gunfight and was killed dead by a kid half his age and Marcy soon after took up with a professional gambler and left for Europe with him.

Adam and Sam decided to delay telling the children until after Janet's big day. Janet had won a story writing competition. Her story came first in the state of Nevada and she was to receive her prize that afternoon at the church hall.

Jan bobbed up and down with excitement as Sam pinned on the Rosette she was awarded by the school.

"So what was the story about again?" Adam asked as he fixed his tie.

"You had to write about your news, what's happening in your life. I wrote all about the fight you and Sam had last month. Adam in the saloon and Sam was annoyed and Sam bought me fancy paper and chocolates and Adam stayed at the shack up on the hill all by himself."

Sam and Adam exchanged looks.

"Sweetheart, you don't have to read this story out today, do you?" Sam asked.

"No, you just go up and they give you a medal,"

There was an audible sigh of relief from both of them at that news.

~o~

As they sat in the audience watching the children in the lower school preform a play Adam watched Sam's face. She was thoroughly enjoying the frolicking of the little ones on stage. She laughed heartily at their sweet little dance. Adam suddenly felt that he would go see Doctor Martin, for Sam's sake. As embarrassing as it was to him she badly wanted children. She was such a natural mother it wasn't fair.

.

"Sam, I been thinking, I'll probably go see the doctor," he told her.

She turned to him.

"Why, are you unwell Adam?" She asked.

"No, I mean about the other thing." he whispered to her.

"You would make a great mother" he told her "You need to have a family."

Janet was called to the stage after the play and she walked proudly to stand before the Mayer and the Head of the school board to receive her prize.

Sam squeezed his hand.

"You know what Adam, we already have a family" she said.

Janet stepped up and the medal was placed around her neck and she was handed her certificate. She immediately turned and held it up for Adam and Sam to see, smiling all over her tanned freckled face.

THE END.