Chapter Three
After breakfast, Adam took Jimmy and Molly over the O'Connells' farm to take care of the livestock and pack up some clothes. Josie napped in the guestroom off and on as she tended to Fionn, massaging more salve into his chest and dosing him with whiskey and honey every few hours to keep his cough still. He didn't stay awake for a long enough stretch to take a hot bath, but as long as he wasn't coughing, his inflamed muscles didn't trouble him much. His low fever persisted, though, so Josie prepared to spend another night at Fionn's bedside.
"How is he?" Ben asked as he poked his head into the guestroom before retiring for the evening. Everyone else had already said their goodnights and gone to bed.
"About the same," Josie answered, looking up from her book. "I expect he won't sleep quite so much tomorrow. Which means he'll probably feel worse, believe it or not."
Ben chuckled. "Oh, I believe it. I've had pneumonia." He shifted his glance from Fionn's sleeping form to Josie's face, and his stomach twisted as he saw how pale she was. Puffy bags hovered under each of her eyes, and Ben suspected she hadn't slept as well or as much the previous night as she had suggested. He strode over to Josie and tilted her chin up to look at him. "Child, go to bed and get some real rest," he said gently.
Josie pulled her chin out of her uncle's hand. "No, I need to keep an eye on Fionn until his fever breaks."
Ben smiled, remembering Adam's dogged refusal to leave Josie's side when she was ill with typhus. He laid his hand on Josie's shoulder. "I'll sit up with Fionn. You go to bed."
"I appreciate it, Uncle Ben, but with all due respect, I'm the doctor. I'll sit with Fionn. Besides, I gave Molly my bed. I'll wake her up if I go in there now."
"And with all due respect to you, Dr. Cartwright, I have nursed many fevers in my day, including yours. Go sleep in my bed. I promise I'll come wake you if Fionn's fever spikes." He smiled at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling the same way her father's did.
Josie smiled back. The thought of sleeping in a bed was appealing. "All right," she conceded. "As long as you promise." She rose from the armchair and hugged her uncle tightly around the waist, leaning her head into his broad chest. She stood there for several long moments, enjoying feeling her uncle's strong arms protecting her. "Goodnight, Uncle Ben," she murmured into his dressing gown.
Ben kissed the crown of her head. "Goodnight, Josie." He let her go and watched with another little smile as Josie kissed Fionn's forehead and scooted from the room. Ben settled in the armchair and picked up Josie's abandoned novel. "Ah, Gulliver's Travels," he said happily. He cracked open the book and let Jonathan Swift sweep him away.
Fionn slept soundly with Ben leaning over every twenty minutes or so to dab his forehead with a cool, damp rag. But sometime between two and three o'clock, Fionn started thrashing around. Ben leapt to his feet and bent over the bed.
"Son? Son, are you all right?" he asked, laying a hand on Fionn's shoulder.
"Da?" Fionn wheezed, his eyes still closed. "Da?" Ben shook his shoulder, and Fionn's eyes flew open. He shot upright and pitched into a coughing fit. Ben rubbed his back and handed him a glass of water. Fionn tried to sip the water, but he was coughing too hard, so Ben grabbed the jar of menthol salve, pulled off the lid, and jammed the little jar under Fionn's nose. As the vapors settled Fionn's cough, Ben gave him another shot of whiskey and honey. "Thank you," Fionn said, dropping backward onto his pillows. "Sorry about that; must have been dreamin'." He looked around the room. "Where's Josie?"
"I sent her to bed. And it's all right. My father visits me sometimes, too."
Fionn's eyes darkened as he shifted around on his pillow. "Oh. Aye."
Ben studied the young man's face for a moment. "How long has he been gone, Fionn?"
"Two years come February. Died the day before me twenty-second birthday, he did."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Well," Fionn said with a little chuckle. "Don't think he did on purpose."
Ben chuckled, too. "No, I suppose not."
"How about you?"
"Me? I haven't died yet."
Fionn grinned. "I meant your father. Did he know your boys?"
"No," Ben said, smiling sadly. "No, he died when I was seventeen. Apoplexy. Jacob, Josie's father, was only twelve."
"Oh, that's terrible."
Ben shrugged. The passage of nearly forty years had dulled the pain. "It was a miracle I was even home when it happened. I'd run off to sea the year before. My father wanted to send me to college, but I didn't want to go. I was too impatient to get my life started, so I joined up with the merchant ship Wanderer as a cabin boy under Captain Abel Stoddard." Fionn's eyes lit in recognition, and Ben smiled. "I see Adam and Josie have told you about their grandfather. I'd worked my way up to first mate by the time I married Elizabeth. I just wish my father could have seen that. He was so angry with me when I left for 'throwing away my future,' as he saw it. I'd only come home between voyages that summer because I'd promised Jacob I'd be home for the Fourth of July. America was turning fifty years year, and Boston was having a huge celebration. Things were tense between my father and me, but fortunately we were starting to work things out when he died. I wish we could have fully reconciled, but at least the anger was gone. Marie and I named Little Joe after him."
"Did you stay home after he died? To take care of your mam and brother?"
"No," Ben admitted. "I didn't know what else to do besides return to sea and send them part of my pay. It was enough to keep Jacob in school, at least. When my mother died two years later, I gave him my half of the inheritance. It wasn't much, but it got him through medical school."
"So neither of your parents knew your boys," Fionn mused, more to himself than to Ben.
"No, they didn't."
"That's me as well. My parents will never know my children." Fionn turned his face toward the wall.
"It's hard to lose your parents young," Ben said, dabbing at Fionn's forehead with a damp rag. "Especially when you're left with someone to take care of. But you've done well for yourself, Fionn. You've taken good care of your sister and done an excellent job with that farm of yours. I'm sure your parents would be very proud of you."
Fionn nodded but waited a few more moments before turning back to face Ben. "A farm that needs me attention. Thank you for everythin' you've all done for me and Molly, Mr. Cartwright, but we'll be gettin' home first thing tomorrow."
Ben's eyebrows shot up. "Don't be silly, Fionn, you can't possibly leave yet. Your fever hasn't even broken."
"I may not have much more than a couple horses, a milk cow, and an old sow, Mr. Cartwright, but they won't wait around for me fever to break. They need tendin' now."
"We've already taken care of them," Ben said. He smiled at Fionn's surprised expression. "I sent a hand over there this afternoon. He's going to ride out every day to take care of your livestock and keep an eye on the place until you're well. Sometime around Christmas, according to Josie."
"I appreciate that, Mr. Cartwright, but I can't take that kind of charity."
"It's not charity. What you need to understand, Fionn, is that you don't become friends with the Cartwrights; you become part of the family. So you just worry about getting well and let Pa Cartwright worry about everything else." He rested a hand on the young man's forehead.
Fionn's eyes welled up, and for a second, Ben thought he was going to cry. But then, just as he had in front of Josie a few months before, Fionn bit down hard on his lower lip and took as deep a breath as his battered lungs would allow. The tears in his dark eyes receded, and he smiled up at Ben.
"Thank you, Mr. Cartwright."
Ben stared in amazement at the young man's emotional control. "This kid could give Adam a run for his money," he thought. "You're welcome," he said aloud. "Now you go back to sleep." He tucked the covers up around Fionn's shoulders and sat back down in the armchair. When he looked over the top of his book a minute later, Fionn was sound asleep, still wearing a small smile.
True to Josie's prediction, Fionn was awake most of the following day but feeling so miserable he looked a bit disappointed when Josie told him that he wasn't dying. His fever still hadn't broken, but Josie knew it was only a matter of time. In the late afternoon, she filled the bathtub with Epsom salts and steaming water and then vacated the area while Adam helped Fionn up the stairs and into the bath. Fionn insisted on walking up the stairs unassisted, but after only three risers he was winded and coughing, so Adam ignored his protests and carried him the rest of the way to the washroom. The hot bath went a long way toward soothing Fionn's aching body, and he nearly fell asleep in the tub.
Molly, meanwhile, had endeared herself forever to Hop Sing by taking up his mending pile. Her talented hands flew through the work at twice the rate Hop Sing could have managed, and by suppertime, she was delivering repaired shirts, socks, and trousers to the Cartwright men. She had brought the bridesmaids' dresses for Hoss's wedding over from her house to finish off. She had only a few minor details remaining, and it really didn't take her any longer to complete these by hand than it would have done on her machine. Josie squealed with delight when Molly revealed her finished gown, and wished the wedding day would hurry up and arrive.
That night, the family gathered in the living room to decorate the giant pine tree that Hoss and Little Joe had cut that afternoon. Before they raised the tree into position, Josie had Pip give the whole thing a good sniff, just to be sure there was no wildlife hiding in the branches. Molly doubled over in hysterics as Ben related their adventure with the raccoon the previous Christmas, and Adam laughed to see how excited Molly was about decorating the house. She was like a little girl, running around the living room, opening up boxes of ornaments, and wrapping red and gold ribbons around fresh pine boughs to hang from the staircase banisters. He glanced over at Hoss and hoped that maybe next year the family would have a tiny Cartwright to help them celebrate. At the very least, Adam fully intended there to be two "Mrs. Cartwrights" in the clan by then. He smiled at Molly and had to remind himself yet again not to burst out with a proposal.
"Two more weeks, Cartwright," he told himself. "Keep yourself together just two more weeks."
Josie let Fionn come into the living room to watch the proceedings and even allowed him to hang one small ornament on a low branch of the tree before ordering him to lie down on the settee for the rest of the evening. Though it was still two weeks until Christmas, Josie couldn't resist dragging Hop Sing into the kitchen to help her make hot chocolate. When they reappeared with seven steaming mugs, Josie insisted Adam read A Christmas Carol aloud to the family. Fionn was taking up the entire settee, so Ben and Hoss dragged in extra chairs from the dining room, leaving the two armchairs for the ladies. Once everyone was assembled, Adam began to read.
"Marley was dead, to begin with…"
Fionn's fever broke the next morning, and he tried to make a case for why he should be allowed to go home, but Josie and Ben wouldn't hear of it.
"You're still sick, Fionn," Josie said. "You do too much too soon, and that fever will come back even worse."
"Yeah, son," Ben added. "You can't even walk from your bed to the door without swaying on your feet. You're here through Christmas, and that's the end of it." He turned and stalked out of the room, muttering something about burning the Ponderosa brand into Fionn's backside in case he tried to run off.
Since Fionn was on the mend, albeit a slow one, Josie decided no one needed to sit up with him that night. Adam renewed his offer to sleep in the bunkhouse so Molly could have his room, but Josie and Molly had already gotten so excited over the prospect of a sleepover in Josie's room that Adam's offer was unnecessary. After more hot chocolate and Stave Three of A Christmas Carol, the two young ladies flitted off to Josie's bedroom. They did not, however, go to sleep. Adam could hear them giggling together through his and Josie's shared wall, and around midnight, Ben banged on the door to ask them if they would mind terribly quieting down so everyone else could get some sleep. Adam laughed to himself. Much as he would prefer to have Molly in bed with him, it seemed that she and Josie were having a grand time.
As the days passed, Fionn's cough receded, though his inflamed muscles still ached. Molly hugged him a little too tightly one evening, and he went so pale that Josie preemptively reached for her smelling salts. Josie let him spend most days on the settee so long as he stayed quiet, but this became increasingly difficult as Fionn began feeling better. The Cartwrights took turns entertaining him. Adam taught him to play chess, and he and Ben spent hours playing backgammon. Fionn's presence was especially good for Hoss. Less than a week from his wedding, the big man was getting antsy and had developed a tendency to prowl through the house. He and Fionn kept each other occupied concocting wild stories that they shared to great amusement with the rest of the family in the evenings.
Two days before Christmas, Adam took Molly home again so she could collect the Christmas presents she had for Fionn. Fionn gave Adam detailed instructions for finding the gifts he'd hidden for Molly.
"Don't let her see them!" Fionn ordered. "It's not much, but I still want her surprised."
When Adam returned several hours later and handed Fionn a sack with the gifts, Fionn tore into it. He grinned as he pulled out a pair of soft wool mittens and a half dozen lace handkerchiefs. He looked up at Adam, and his face fell.
"Nothin' like what you can give her, but I think she'll be glad for them all the same," he said, stuffing the items back in the bag.
"She'll love them," Adam said. He sat down in the armchair alongside Fionn's bed. "And speaking of giving her things, I need to talk to you about something."
Fionn raised an eyebrow and waited for Adam to continue.
"Seeing as how you're ten years younger than me, I feel kind of silly asking you this, but you're the only male relative she's got, so-"
"Sure you can marry her!" Fionn interrupted. His eyes danced, and his grin returned, wider this time.
Adam chuckled and was surprised to feel a wave of relief wash over him. He'd planned to propose to Molly with or without Fionn's blessing, but he hadn't known until that moment just how much he'd hoped Fionn would consent. "Thank you," he said. "I'm glad you agree, because I already bought a ring."
"Can I see it?"
"Sure! Just as soon as it's on your sister's finger." Adam chuckled at Fionn's irked expression, but then he grew serious. "I promise I'll do everything I can to make her happy."
"Oh, I'm sure you will, Cartwright. Besides, not like there's nothin' in it for me. Always wanted me a brother. Now I'll get the finest one a man could ask for."
Adam thanked Fionn again and clapped him on the shoulder. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to anyone," he said. "I plan to ask her after Hoss's wedding. Don't want to draw any attention away from his big day."
"Your secret's safe with me," Fionn assured him. "I won't even tell Conall." Conall was snoozing by the fireplace, and at the sound of his name, the shaggy dog lifted his head and wagged his tail at Fionn. At seven months old, Conall was about half Pip's size and still growing. He wasn't going to be as big as Pip, but Fionn thought he'd get close. "I guess I won't be needin' that washroom we talked about buildin'," he added.
"Why not?"
"Well, with Molly leavin' the house soon, no point, really."
"Let's build it anyway," Adam said. "Running a ranch this size, I spend a good number of days away from home, and I don't plan to let her spend the night by herself in a house miles from anyone. She'll be home with you plenty. But we'll talk about that in the spring. For now, you get some rest. Josie said you can go to the wedding on Saturday, but only if your cough stays settled." Adam patted Fionn's shoulder again and left the room.
On Christmas Eve, Adam led the family in their traditional carol sing. Molly sang along at the top of her lungs, and even Fionn joined in a bit, though his voice was rather breathy and he couldn't sing more than a verse at a time. Ben added Molly's and Fionn's stockings to the Cartwrights' collection hung from the fireplace, and everyone went to bed in high spirits. Molly and Josie sat up into the wee hours making up silly new lyrics to the carols until Ben banged on the door and told them if they didn't go to sleep he would block up the fireplace so Saint Nicholas couldn't get in to leave them any presents. Molly glanced at Josie in incredulity.
"He doesn't think that's actually a threat, does he?"
Josie laughed, clapping her hand over her mouth to muffle the noise. "Not for us, no. But it would probably still work on Hoss."
Molly giggled, and the two young ladies nestled under the thick quilts of Josie's bed. Josie blew out the lamp.
"Hey, Molly?" she asked.
"Yes?"
"What were those words you and Fionn used that first night you got here? He called you… something. I didn't understand quite what he said."
"Ah," Molly said, nodding. "He called me 'Deirfiúr.' It means 'sister.' 'Deartháir' means 'brother.' We've been callin' each other that since we were little."
"So what was 'ah chizzle,' or something like that?"
Molly giggled at Josie's pronunciation. "'A chuisle,'" she corrected. "It means 'my pulse.' Comes from the phrase 'A chuisle mo chroí,' which means 'pulse of my heart.' It's a term for anyone you can't live without."
"A chuisle," Josie repeated, rolling it around on her tongue, trying it out. She grinned up into the darkness of the room. "Surprised you don't call Adam that."
Molly laughed. "What would be the point? Doesn't speak Irish, does he?"
Josie joined her in quiet laughter. Molly's hand groped around under the blankets until it found Josie's, and she gave her a squeeze.
"This has been fun, Josie. Maybe Fionn gettin' sick was a blessin' in disguise."
"Yeah, maybe," Josie agreed. She wanted to say more but was afraid of saying too much, so she changed the subject. "We should get to sleep. Hoss and Little Joe wake everyone up early on Christmas morning."
"Aye. Goodnight, Josie."
"Goodnight."
Josie closed her eyes and tried to drift off, but Molly kept rolling around and jostling the bed. After five minutes of being bounced about like a homemade canoe on Lake Tahoe, Josie poked her in the shoulder.
"Just go to him," Josie whispered. "I won't tell anyone. But remember what I said about Hoss and Joe getting up extra early."
Molly flushed, grateful that Josie couldn't see her face. "Oh, well, I, uh-"
"No one else knows," Josie assured her. "Just go. And come see me in Paul's clinic on Tuesday. I have something that will make your life more enjoyable."
Molly blushed even brighter but threw back the covers and got out of bed. "Please don't think less of me," she whispered.
"Are you kidding? I've never seen Adam as happy as he's been these past few months. You're the best thing that's ever happened to him."
"I promise, we're only goin' to sleep."
"Molly, the only thing I ask is that you don't give me any details you wouldn't want to hear about Fionn."
Molly bit back a bark of laughter. "That's fair," she whispered. "Goodnight, Josie."
"Goodnight."
Molly slipped out of the room, and Josie rolled over onto her stomach and giggled into her pillow.
Having received stern threats from Ben the previous night, Hoss and Little Joe let everyone sleep until five-thirty, at which time Molly had been back in bed with Josie for an hour. Joe banged on Josie's door while Hoss grabbed Adam and hauled him out of bed. Everyone collided in the hallway, wrapped up in dressing gowns and rubbing sleep from their eyes.
"Happy Christmas!" Molly cheered, kissing everyone's cheeks. "Let's go get Fionn!" She led the pack of Cartwrights downstairs and left them in the living room while she burst into the guestroom to collect her brother.
Adam laughed as the sound of "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Molly! Can't a man sleep around here?!" drifted out to the living room. He loved having Molly and Fionn living in the big house with the family, and he grinned even more broadly as he realized that this was only the first of many, many Christmases they would all spend together. Josie caught his eye, and he shot her a little wink, grateful for her discretion. He and Molly really had just slept the previous night, but it was a better sleep than he could ever have managed on his own. Josie winked back, and the cousins smiled at each other, basking in their little secret.
Molly emerged from the guestroom, Fionn staggering behind her, just as Hop Sing popped out of the kitchen with a tray bearing a large pot of coffee and seven mugs. Ignoring the coffee, Little Joe and Hoss started handing around bulging stockings.
"You really shouldn't have done this, Mr. Cartwright," Molly said, taking her stocking from Hoss.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ben said, digging into his own stocking. "I didn't do a thing. This is Saint Nick's work."
"He's been trying to sell that Saint Nick story my whole life," Adam said, shaking his head.
"I feel bad," Molly whispered to him. "We don't have gifts for all of you."
"No one expects you to," Adam whispered back. "Now hush up and enjoy yourself." He gave her a quick kiss and returned his attention to the contents of his stocking. He pulled out a small box of tea, which he chucked at Josie's head. "Very funny, Josephine."
Josie ducked, and the box sailed past her and bounced off Conall's head and then onto Pip's. Both dogs looked up from the bones they were gnawing on and glared at Adam.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Josie giggled. "This is all Saint Nick's work, remember? You must have been naughty this year." The full meaning of what she'd just said sank in, and she bent double in hysterical laughter.
Adam quickly changed the subject by turning attention to Hoss, who had finished with his stocking and was digging into the gifts under the tree. The big man's blue eyes filled with tears as he opened a small package from Ben and extracted a pair of gold cufflinks, inlaid with pearl.
"Those were my father's," Ben explained. "I wore them the day I married your mother, and I want you to have them for tomorrow."
Hoss's eyes overflowed, and he caught Ben up in a hug that left the older man red-faced from lack of oxygen. Adam smiled as he watched. He was glad that Ben had given Hoss a family heirloom. Ben had given him the first Joseph Cartwright's pocket watch, and Rachel had passed along a few things from Captain Stoddard, so it was only fair that Hoss should get something. He hoped that Ben had something in reserve for Little Joe, too.
Adam watched Fionn's face fall, and he knew the young man must be thinking of his own father. He nudged Molly and jerked his head toward Fionn, hoping that Molly would be able to cheer him back up.
"Here, Deartháir," she said, snatching a package from under the tree. "This is for you."
Fionn grinned as Molly handed him the gift, which she'd wrapped in cheerful red fabric secured with a ribbon. He ripped off the ribbon and let the wrappings fall away. "Oh, Molly, you're so predictable, but ever so good to your poor, helpless brother." He held up a new pair of brown trousers and a blue shirt.
"I assume you made those yourself," Adam said, turning to Molly with a smile.
"Aye, makes me new clothes every Christmas," Fionn answered for her. "I'd be stark naked without her."
Josie had to force herself to laugh along with the rest of the family and hoped desperately that they hadn't seen her blushing.
"I made this, too," Molly said, handing Adam another brightly wrapped package. It was quite large, and Adam at first thought Molly had made him a quilt. But instead, he extracted a beautiful red wool saddle blanket with a tan and turquoise diamond pattern. "I thought the red would look pretty on Sport," she said, suddenly shy.
Adam broke into a huge grin. "Molly, it's beautiful!" he exclaimed. He laid the blanket across his lap and pulled Molly in for a lingering kiss.
"All right, you two, that's enough!" Little Joe huffed.
"Yeah, I'm the one gettin' married tomorrow!" Hoss added.
Ben distracted everyone by handing out more gifts: a new rifle for Joe (he'd desperately wanted a repeater like Josie's), a set of drafting pencils for Adam, and for Josie, a pair of plush velvet slippers. Josie was hard on footwear, and the slippers she'd brought from Philadelphia were showing their age. She popped the new ones on and wiggled her toes happily. Molly was thrilled with the mittens and handkerchiefs from Fionn, and further delighted by black silk dancing slippers from Adam. Everyone got quite the laugh when Josie presented Fionn with an unopened bottle of the whiskey she'd been using to control his cough.
"Just don't drink it all at once!" Ben commanded with a chuckle.
"Aye, I won't," Fionn assured him. "We all know how that turns out!"
The star of the show that morning was the portrait Adam, Hoss, Josie, and Little Joe had made at the Fall Festival. Ben stared suspiciously at his children as they handed him the giant package, but as soon as he tore through the brown paper, his eyes filled with tears. They'd sent away to San Francisco for a gold frame that matched the ones holding the portraits of Ben's wives. The frame had had to be specially made, and the cousins had been nearly beside themselves with anxiety that it wouldn't arrive on time.
"How did all four of you manage to sit still long enough to have this done?" he asked as he wiped his eyes.
"I drugged them," Josie quipped.
Everyone laughed, and Adam took the portrait from his father's hands and hung it over the sideboard next to the front door, where he'd already removed the mirror that had hung there. Ben followed him over to admire the portrait on the wall.
"I do hope you had one made for your parents," he called over his shoulder to Josie.
"Oh, yes, sir," Josie replied. "Though it's a lot smaller. I didn't even want to think about how difficult it would be to ship a portrait this size all the way to Boston."
Ben nodded agreement. The portrait now hanging on his wall was about one and a half by two feet. Shipping it clear across the continent without damaging it would be a feat, indeed.
"I had a smaller one made for me and Patience's house, too," Hoss said.
"Yeah, we all had small ones made for ourselves," Adam said with a grin.
"And now that we don't have to worry about ruining the surprise, we can finally set them out!" Little Joe added.
Ben made a circuit through the great room to hug his niece and each of his sons – even Adam, who didn't duck quite fast enough to avoid his father's embrace.
Typically, the Cartwrights spent Christmas Day lounging about the living room with their new gifts, but this year, with Hoss's wedding the next day, they found themselves caught up in a flurry of preparations. Hope Lovejoy and Sally Cass arrived in the early afternoon so Molly could do a last-minute check of the bridesmaids' dresses to be sure everything was in order (it was), and Hop Sing pressed and brushed the Cartwright men's suits. Ever the seamstress, Molly made each of them model their suits for her. She specialized in ladies' dresses, but she knew her way around a jacket and trousers, and she shook her head at the frayed state of Little Joe's trouser cuffs.
"I can fix these well enough that you won't look like a vagrant durin' the weddin'," she said, "but you have to come by me shop next week and let me measure you for a new pair."
Joe blushed at the thought of his brother's girlfriend measuring his inseam. "Oh, well, I usually order my suits from a fellow in San Francisco-"
Molly cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Nonsense, Joseph. It'll be months before you get to San Francisco again, and I can make you a new pair now. You'll come by me shop next week."
"Yes, ma'am."
Ben found himself both glad and regretful that they weren't holding the wedding at the Ponderosa. Hoss and Patience, naturally, wanted to be married in the church, so for the sake of convenience, they were holding the reception in the restaurant of the International House. Ben was glad they didn't have to move the furniture or prepare the house and yard for the fifty-three guests who had been invited, but holding the wedding on the ranch would have given them more to do to fill the day and use up the nervous energy everyone had. Hoss, typically so relaxed and calm, was prowling about the house, constantly poking at the fire, adjusting the chairs around the dining room table, and using his shirttail to polish imaginary fingerprints off the golden frame of his mother's portrait on Ben's desk. Joe was following him around, making minute adjustments to Hoss's corrections and drumming his fingers nonstop against his thigh.
"You sure you got everything outta your room that you wanted to take, Hoss?" Joe asked for the thirteenth time.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Got it all moved into the new place already." Hoss was taking only his personal effects; since he'd ordered new furniture for his new house, the bedroom furniture in the main house was staying behind for guests. "You know, maybe we should ride out there again. Just to check. I wouldn't want anything out of order when Patience gets there tomorrow."
Little Joe agreed and was halfway into his coat when Ben stopped him.
"Boys, you spent the whole day out there yesterday. I assure you, nothing has changed."
"Yeah, but Pa, you always said it never hurts to double check," Hoss argued. Joe nodded so hard in agreement that his hat fell down over his eyes.
"Pa," Adam called from in front of the fireplace where he'd been pacing back and forth for the last fifteen minutes. "Just let them go."
Ben gazed into the eyes of his two younger sons, standing shoulder-to-shoulder as they had done their entire lives, and nodded. "All right. Just be home by supper."
Hoss and Joe hustled into their coats, hats, and gun belts, and scurried off. Ben ambled back to the living room, grabbed Adam's arm, and shoved his son onto the settee. "Sit down," he grumbled. "You're making me anxious."
"Sorry, Pa."
From upstairs came the tinkling laughter of four young ladies still trying on gowns. Ben smiled and then cast a discerning eye on his eldest son.
"This is difficult for you and Joseph, isn't it?" he asked.
"Quite the contrary, Pa. I think we should have extra women in the house more often."
"You know what I mean."
Adam sighed and rested one ankle on the opposite knee. "Yeah, it is. Hoss, too, I suppose. It's always been the three of us against the world, and now… I know he won't be far away, but it won't be quite the same. Especially for Joe. He's never known life without Hoss right there by his side. They're not just brothers; they're best friends."
"And partners in crime, as often as not," Ben added with a chuckle.
Adam smiled. "That, too."
"Believe it or not, it won't be any easier on Joe when you leave," Ben said, pointing a finger at Adam. "Much as the two of you butt heads, he adores you."
"Me? Who said anything about me leaving?"
Ben raised an eyebrow at Adam. "Young man, I have been many things in my life, but an idiot is not one of them. Admit it: You have plans to propose to Molly, don't you?"
"Pa, I'm not gonna lie to you," Adam said. And without another word, he got up and left the room.