A/N: And here's the next episode, Pride of a Man. I wanted to have this up a few days ago, but didn't have time. (Thanks work.) Anyway, I shifted the focus a little for this one, more onto Annie and Candy giving Joe a hard time while he's trying to teach the McNab boys a few life lessons.
Unless I'm missing one, the next episode should be Salute to Yesterday so get ready to hang onto your hats, we may be in for a bumpy ride once Annie and Anne finally come face to face and Candy has to deal with all of that fallout.
As usual, I don't own Bonanza. Drop me a review, I always love to hear from my readers. Special shout out to CocoRocks, fluffy33, and OrangeSunset1701 for reviewing!
Added line breaks 2-19-21
"Joe still sparking that new school teacher?" Candy reined Scout through the brush as they searched for strays. Annie rolled her eyes.
"It's Joe. Sometimes, I think he'd spark a fence post if it had a dress on." Candy laughed. "I'm serious. Remember that girl who works in the dress shop – what's her name again, Sara? He was sniffing around her until Abby Pettigrew signed on to teach the fall term."
"You think he'll ever settle down?"
"Are you serious?" She pulled Reno to a halt. "Now if it was Adam, I'd say yes. Even Hoss probably will once he finds the right girl, but Joe?" She shook her head. "He's the baby. He won't grow up until he's at least fifty and by then he won't have any looks to speak of." Candy shrugged.
"He'll still have that Cartwright money." A bitter taste filled Annie's mouth.
"Yeah." As long as they had that behind them, none of them would ever lack for company.
"What about you?"
"What about me?" She nudged Reno back into motion, aiming for a narrow side canyon. "We've got strays to find. We're still two dozen short." And with Hoss helping out Jim Porter for a few weeks, it was just them and Joe doing all the work.
"Don't you want a husband and a few kids clinging to your apron?" She whipped around and gave him a dirty look.
"I don't wear an apron."
"Figure of speech, sweetheart." His grin threatened to split his face. "I do believe I struck a nerve."
"Maybe you did and maybe you didn't. The cattle." Reno picked up a trot. Candy laughed.
"Yes, I do believe I did." She spun Reno around until he was facing back the way they'd come, nose to nose with Scout, who Candy pulled up sharply to avoid a collision.
"I'd think you, of all people, would caution against it."
"Cause of Laura and … Ann, you mean?" Candy shrugged. "It still hurts now and then, but I won't live in the past, wishing for what could have been. If Joe can catch his little schoolteacher, I wish him all the best."
"Something will happen and they'll drift apart like always."
"That why you don't try?" He sidled Scout closer until the horses bumped shoulders. Reno's ears flattened a hair and Annie rubbed his neck. "I've been here a year and I've never seen you so much as have dinner with a fella." She wanted to snap at him that it wasn't his business, but she held her tongue.
"All they see is that Cartwright money." Her voice shook a little despite the effort she put into keeping it even. "They don't want me, they want the empire Pa built." She turned Reno and pushed him into a canter. "Let's go before we lose the light."
Candy didn't say anything else about it the rest of the afternoon. By the time they headed home at dusk, Annie had almost forgotten about it. Almost.
Movement in the distance shoved it out of her mind entirely. "That's Doc Martin." She pulled Reno to a halt and watched the doctor's buggy roll back down the road towards Virginia City. She turned to look at Candy, her heart beginning to race. "What was he doing out here?" She didn't know why she bothered asking, she didn't give him a chance to answer before she had Reno at a gallop, racing for the house as fast as the mustang could run.
She slid to a stop in the yard and jumped down. "Pa? Pa?!" The door flew open and he was in the yard before she'd made it three feet from the hitch rail.
"Annie, what's wrong?" He caught her shoulders and looked behind her. "Where's Candy? What's happened?"
"We saw Doc Martin leaving. Who –" Candy rode into the yard and pulled Scout up. Ben relaxed.
"It seems Ms. Pettigrew is going to be our house guest for a while. She fell off Cochise and broke her ankle."
"Cochise? How?" A kid could ride that horse if Joe asked him to. Ben rubbed his neck.
"Joe said the cinch came loose. She'll be alright, just not able to teach for a few weeks. He rode out to see if he could find a substitute teacher. Come on in, Hop Sing has the roast on the table."
"We're, uh, not waiting for Joe?" Candy asked. Ben shook his head.
"I had Hop Sing put a plate in the oven for him. If he has to go to every woman in town, it could be hours before he gets back."
"I'll take care of the horses."
"Thank you, Candy." Annie handed over her reins and Candy gave her a tiny grin as he led the horses to the barn. She knew what that was for. With his lady friend recovering in his own house, what was to stop them from growing even closer?
Just about anything, actually. Candy hadn't seen half of what they'd run into over the years when it came to matrimonial entanglements. Annie sighed and headed for the house.
Would Hop Sing let her in the kitchen long enough to collect her own plate this time?
"Anne, how do you put up with Joe as well as you do?" Abby set her glass on the table and wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Doesn't he irritate you to no end sometimes?" Annie snorted.
"Only about once or twice a day usually. Why?"
"Well, he's … I like him, but there are times I get the feeling he's still not finished growing up." Abby's face reddened. Annie threw a sideways grin at Candy, who hid his own grin behind his napkin. Ben looked between them and shook his head.
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Abby reddened even more, if that was possible. She took a deep breath and fiddled with her napkin.
"I've tried to broach the subject of … well …" Annie snickered. "From the moment I arrived in town, all I heard was that Joe Cartwright was quite the ladies man but he never took anyone seriously. All the women who approached me said I wouldn't last either, that we must not be good enough for anything more than a supper date here and there." All laughter died and Annie straightened with a hard jerk.
"Joe hasn't had it easy, Ms. Pettigrew. He's lost more than one woman he had feelings for, most of them quite tragically. Yes, he does plays games sometimes and I won't apologize for him. He does need to grow up. But, I forget who I'm talking to. You deal with kids all day. I'm sure you've taught more than one little boy who was the baby of the family."
"He told me that you were the youngest."
"By about three minutes, if you want to split hairs, but I got the cool head."
"I don't think there's an impulsive bone in her entire body," Candy chimed in. "Joe on the other hand, well, that's all he got. I'm sure he'll settle down someday."
"Don't get me wrong, I like how carefree and fun-loving he is."
"But?"
"Can he be serious, too?"
"Not very often."
"Anne." Ben rubbed his forehead. "Every time I think I have it easy with just the two of you, one of you proves me wrong."
"Sorry, Pa."
"Don't mind these two, Ms. Pettigrew. They delight in giving Joe a hard time." He stood. "Would you care for some coffee or tea?"
"Tea, please, if it's not too much trouble." Abby carefully stood, leaning on Ben as he helped her to the sofa in the living room.
"Candy." He pushed back his chair and vanished into the kitchen. Annie bit her lip to hide a grin as she watched the doorway. It was always a toss-up as to whether or not Hop Sing would tolerate an intrusion – no matter how trivial – into his domain.
Candy returned with a steaming cup of tea in his hands and she smothered a huff. Maybe it depended on who the intruder was. He beamed her a triumphant grin and she rolled her eyes.
"Mr. Cartwright, thank you for supper, but I really should get home."
"Nonsense, you can't stay by yourself with a broken ankle." Annie stabbed another bite of roast and chewed slowly. Candy crouched next to Abby and offered the tea cup.
"Besides, you're the best thing that's happened around here in a long time." The food lodged in her throat and she swallowed hard, sending Candy a sharp glare that he didn't see since his back was to her. "You might even get to like us." Her eyes narrowed and her grip tightened on the fork.
"Thank you, Candy." Abby took the cup just as the front door opened and Joe hurried inside. Ben glanced up.
"Well?"
"No luck." Joe sighed and tugged off his gloves on his way to sit down. "I tried to get Mrs. Ferguson, she was a pretty good teacher, but she can't quit her job at the millinery store." He leaned back in his chair. "It ought to be easy to find somebody, no big deal teaching school."
Really? She sensed more than saw Candy shift position, watching her with dancing eyes. She grinned back and hopped out of her chair to amble over and lean against the back of the chair Joe was sprawled in.
"I got an idea, Joe." Candy sauntered over. "Since it's no big deal, why don't you do it?" He grinned like a cat with a saucer full of fresh cream.
"Why don't I do what?" Annie leaned in closer.
"Teach school for a couple of weeks."
"Oh, come on." He looked at their pa, who was looking evenly back with his arms folded over his chest. "What-what are you looking at me like that for?"
"I was just thinking. Ms. Pettigrew, how do you think Joseph would make out as a teacher?" She looked at Joe, who huddled in his seat and made a face.
"Well, he says it would be easy enough. I think he'd make a fine teacher." She gave him a tiny little smirk and Joe's face turned comical.
"I think he'd make a great teacher."
"Of course he would, Candy. There's nothing big brother can't do once he puts his mind to it, is there?" Annie bent down, putting her and Joe nose to nose. His face worked.
"I'm gonna get you," he hissed under his breath. "As a matter of fact, I would. I'd make a great teacher. I just have a lot of work to do here, that's all."
"We'll do it for you," she said brightly.
"I'll do it myself," he shot back.
"Joseph." Ben stood and walked over to them. "Every man, married or single, owes something to the children of their community. What have you done for the children of your community?"
"Well, I –"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing, Joseph. Now, don't you think it's about time you assumed some responsibility?" Annie fought to keep from exploding with laughter. Joe scrambled for something to say.
"Now, Pa, I'm willing to do my share, but I'm not going to teach school." They all stared at him and he fidgeted in his chair. "I'm not kidding, I'm not going to teach school, no, that's it. I don't want to do it." He looked up and Annie grinned wider. His eyes narrowed. They all kept staring at him. He sighed heavily and threw his hands in the air. "Fine. Alright, fine. I'll do it." Annie fell off the back of the chair laughing.
"How you think he's handling it?" Candy rode up on her left side. Annie snorted and looked away from the bunch of half a dozen cows ambling through the brush ahead of them.
"About how you think he's handling it."
"What do you say we find out?"
"Wait a minute." She grabbed his sleeve. "We never did pay him back for Angelus."
"What have you got in mind, sweetheart?"
"I'm sure we can come up with something." They both grinned and wheeled their horses around. The cattle could wait a few hours. Pestering Joe was always worth it. They cut cross country for the school house, slowing, then finally dismounting to walk in the final half mile so he wouldn't hear them. Horses tied up, they crept up the front steps and hovered just inside the building behind the half wall the kids hung their coats on.
"And then Chicken Little said … uh … then Chicken Little said, the sky is falling. Yes, Cathy?" Annie nudged Candy in the ribs and he turned, eyes dancing with amusement.
"That's not the way Ms. Pettigrew said it. She did it with different animal sounds."
"Well, that's Ms. Pettigrew, you don't expect me to do it that way, do you?"
"Yes," it sounded like the whole room, chorused. Annie clapped a hand over her mouth to smother the giggles threatening to expose them.
"Yes, you do." He cleared his throat. "Alright, I'll try. And then Chicken Little said," he cleared his throat again and continued, his voice now high and croaky, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" Beside her, Candy shook with silent laughter and she was hard pressed to keep from making a sound. "I must go and tell the king!" The children laughed, then stopped. "Children, I think I'll find another story to read, alright?" Her eyes narrowed.
Right now, in the middle of a sentence? Annie looked around, but she couldn't see past the short wall. The horses hadn't uttered a peep the whole time and he certainly couldn't see them, there was no window on that side of the building.
So why did she get the feeling they'd been caught? "I got a much better one for you." A board creaked softly and she glanced down, freezing when she realized their mistake.
The wall didn't go all the way down to the floor.
She grabbed Candy's sleeve and hauled him backwards just as Joe darted around the corner. He grabbed Candy and flung him out the open front door. Candy rolled through the dust, already laughing, as Joe turned on her. She scooted out of his reach and jumped down the steps, laughing. "Chicken Little?" Candy sat up.
"Chicken Little, the sky is falling! Oh, the sky is falling on my head!" He hopped up and grabbed his hat, mimicking Joe's voice. Annie was laughing so hard she could barely do her part.
"Oh, mercy! We have to go and tell the king!"
"Yes!" They scrambled for the horses. "You stay right there and we'll go tell the king!" Candy started clucking like a deranged chicken and swung into the saddle. Annie pulled Reno around, still laughing, and began to cluck, too.
"You best go back inside, quick! The sky is falling, the sky is falling!" Doubled over their saddles with laughter, they pushed the horses into a canter, leaving Joe and the schoolhouse rapidly fading in the distance.
"Annie!" She turned in her saddle and dropped the reins, flapping her arms like she was trying to fly, and clucked up a storm until they were out of sight.
When they finally stopped laughing, Candy shook his head. "You know we're gonna pay for that."
"He's got to catch us first." She snickered. "Besides, he does anything in front of Pa, he'd have to explain why. And –"
"He ain't gonna do that," they finished in unison.
"Come on, we might as well get the last of those strays back to the main herd." She grinned. "And if Pa asks, we can tell him we did exactly what we were told to do."
"And you say I'm devious."
"The word I used was cunning."
"Let's get to it, I want to see the look on his face when he gets in." They laughed again and rode off.
Candy was chopping wood when Joe rode into the yard. Annie watched from her seat beside Abby on the porch. Candy put down his ax and gathered a stack of wood in his arms. "Hey, Joe. Joe, you hear the news?"
"What?" Joe hopped down from Cochise and turned around.
"Chicken Little just came by. The sky falls off until next Thursday." Candy chuckled and strolled towards the house. "Hey, Abby, have you met my friend Chicken Little?" He pointed a log at Joe and headed inside, still laughing. Abby smiled and Annie hopped up, clucking softly before she too went inside.
"What was that all about?"
"Oh, nothing, they think they're funny." She snickered and followed Candy into the kitchen. Hop Sing whipped around at the stove, cleaver in hand, and she held hers up to shoulder level.
"Missy Annie, what you doing in Hop Sing kitchen?"
"I was helping Candy."
"Out. Hop Sing have long memory. You and Mistah Joe make big mess, ruin very fine dinner. Out."
"We were six years old!"
"Plenty old enough know better!" Candy laughed and caught her shoulders.
"I'll see that she doesn't ruin supper, Hop Sing." He guided her past the dinner table and shook his head. "Good Lord, what did the two of you do?" She shrugged. Voices outside drifted through the open front door.
"Joe, they need an education, and if you would just give them the special attention they need –"
"I'm not going to bend over backwards for the McNab boys. If they come back to school, they'll get the same treatment the other kids get. And they start fooling around again, they'll get something the other kids don't get."
"You surprise me."
"Why?" Without a word, Annie and Candy slipped closer, hiding just out of sight while they listened in.
"I just didn't think you would admit the McNab boys could get the better of you, that's all." Her tone was prim and oh so sweet, it gave Annie a toothache.
"I didn't say they could, just that they better not try."
"I think you have a lot to learn about being a teacher."
"And you've got a lot to learn about the McNab brothers." Wood creaked and boots thumped on the porch.
"Move," Annie hissed, and they scrambled backwards as silently as they could. By the time Joe came inside, they were perched on the sofa setting up for a game of checkers. He stopped and glared. She offered a quiet cluck and his scowl deepened. He turned for the kitchen and she bit her tongue.
"What you two up to?" Hop Sing chased him back out. "First Missy Annie now you! Stay out or Hop Sing go back to China!" He beamed them both a ferocious glare and stalked back into his domain. Jo slowly turned around.
"What did you do this time?"
"He's still holding that against us." Joe rolled his eyes and headed upstairs. Annie bit her lip and clucked twice. He whirled around on the stairs and she giggled. Candy clucked once and his eyes narrowed.
"We'll see how funny you think it is when the shoe's on the other foot," he announced and resumed his course, disappearing out of sight within seconds. Candy elbowed her in the ribs.
"I do believe he's a mite riled."
"What ever gave you that idea?" They dissolved into laughter, stopping only when Ben came downstairs and stood in front of the sofa, arms folded over his chest. Candy recovered first.
"Yes, Mr. Cartwright?"
"Nothing." His lips twitched. "Nothing at all." He headed for the kitchen without another word. Candy leaned in close to her ear.
"Does he know?"
"Maybe?" They looked at each other and shrugged.
"Red or black?"
Hoof beats sounded outside and Annie glanced up at the clock. "He's late." Abby glanced up too, but not for long. She plucked a few tooth picks off her pile and tossed them to the middle.
"One and I'll raise you two." Candy chuckled and checked his own hand.
"For a nice lady, you know a lot about playing cards."
"I find a small knowledge of the science of mathematical probabilities to be a great help." The door opened and Joe trudged in, jacket over his arm.
"Hey, Joe." He said nothing, just tossed his hat and coat on the sideboard and made his way over, dropping heavily to the sofa beside their pa with a yawn.
"Little late today?" Ben questioned.
"Had to keep a couple of little boys after school."
"Tired?"
"Yeah." Candy looked up with a grin.
"I hope you're not too tired to read me a story before you go to sleep." Joe snorted and rolled his eyes. "Owl and the Pussycat is my favorite." Annie smothered a snort.
"It figures." Abby giggled.
"Perhaps you're finding that taking care of a 'bunch of kids' to use your words, is more difficult than you thought." Joe shrugged and made a face. Hers turned sly. "Was it Willie and Billy you kept after school?"
"Oh, yeah, it was Willie and Billy. But I'm not too worried. I figure in two or three days they'll stop coming to school." Abby looked away.
"That seems like a pity, Joe."
"That's your opinion." She looked back to him, but said nothing. And there it was, the beginning of the end for this romance. By now, Annie could see it coming a mile away. "I agreed to teach these kids, but I didn't say anything about raising Willie and Billy McNab."
"You know teaching is only part of a teacher's task. Concern for the boys' future welfare is the rest of it."
"For some reason I thought that was their father's job."
"They need to look up to someone more than their father. You could be that someone."
"Oh, come on, Abby, these kids don't give a darn about going to school. All they want to do is horse around."
"Maybe they're testing you. Maybe they want to be sure you're worthy of their admiration."
"The admiration of Willie and Billy McNab are the least of my worries. I just hope I can keep them from burning the school down." Joe stood and stomped upstairs. Abby sighed and gathered her stack of toothpicks in her hand, letting them fall between her fingers.
All Annie could hear was burning the school down. It would be so worth it, she could picture his face now.
Provided, of course, he didn't get the chance to blame one of the kids – probably the McNab boys – for her handiwork. She ran through a quick plan in her head. It should work. They'd have to sit right outside the schoolhouse to make sure he couldn't blame the kids.
Even if they ended up catching a "fatherly lecture" as Candy had once called it, Joe's reaction would be more than worth it. She covertly nudged Candy's side and he glanced down. She raised her eyebrows; his furrowed.
"Night, Pa."
"Good night, Anne." Her step faltered slightly and she shot him a confused, hopefully innocent, look. He only said that when she was on the verge of trouble. One eyebrow winged up, but he said nothing. She hurried up the stairs.
"Good night, Mr. Cartwright."
"Good night, Candy." Footsteps on the stairs. Candy rounded the corner and she put her finger to her lips. He leaned down, his ear close to her mouth.
"Old shirt. Stovepipe. I'll stall Joe. Wait at the three trees near the bend in the creek half a mile from the schoolhouse." He grinned and squeezed her arm before disappearing into his room at the end of the hall.
"Mr. Cartwright? Is something wrong?" Abby's hesitant voice drifted up the stairs.
"I thought I was finished raising children." Ben sighed. "And one of them isn't even mine." Annie blinked several times.
How could he know they were up to something? Or … was he concerned about something else entirely?
Joe had mentioned how much closer she and Candy seemed to be since Postley. What if he wasn't the only one to notice it? Had her pa jumped to a conclusion that didn't exist?
No, that was stupid. Joe was just being Joe. As for their pa … he was probably expecting trouble. Goodness knows he'd had over twenty-five years to learn the warning signs.
"You get it?" Annie nudged Reno out from under the trees as Candy rode up to meet her. He grinned.
"We better get back there unless you want to miss the results."
"What are you still standing here for? We're wasting daylight." They rode back to the schoolhouse and halted a few feet from the steps.
"How long you think we'll have to wait?"
"I made sure he was a good ten minutes late, he should have a fire going by now. Maybe five minutes?" The smoke had to build up for a couple minutes until it ran out of room and spilled through the grate.
It didn't take quite that long.
A window snapped open and Reno's ears pricked as plumes of smoke wafted outside. Seconds later, kids ran down the steps, most of them laughing. A little boy stared up at her and Candy and ran back inside.
"I think we've been outed, sweetheart."
"Probably." She tipped her hat back and waited. Joe stormed out the front door and she screamed with laughter. "What did you do – stick your head in it?!" She had to look away from his soot-covered face to get it out without laughing harder.
"I thought the sky fell on him," Candy said between laughs. Joe just stood there, arms folded across his chest, nostrils flaring.
"Go ahead and laugh. We'll see who's laughing when Pa gets through with you."
"And admit we got the best of you?" Annie laughed harder. "Sure you will, big brother." Joe lunged, but she'd been expecting it and snatched Reno back several steps, spinning him on his hind hooves for a fast getaway. "Maybe next time," she called over her shoulder as she and Candy took off.
When they finally slowed to catch their breath, it was several minutes before they could talk without dissolving into another fit of laughter.
"I can't believe he stuck his head in the stove."
"I can. Straight in the front, remember?" She swept her hair back from her face. "Of course he'd stick his head in there instead of poking at it with a stick." Another laugh escaped. "They must not have cleaned that stovepipe before the fall term."
"What next, sweetheart?"
"Now, we get home and get our chores done. We have to be in the living room when he gets home."
"He'll still say it in front of us."
"Oh, I know he will. It just won't be as easy when we're sitting there smirking in his face."
"On the contrary, I think he'll enjoy it even more because we're sitting there smirking at him." She grinned at him.
"You do have him figured out, don't you?"
"As long as I've been here, I should. Sure hate to have to leave now." Her chest tightened.
"Who said anything about you leaving?"
"No one. Yet," he amended. "Mr. Cartwright may change his mind after Joe gets through ratting us out."
"He won't."
"Sure hope you're right, sweetheart."
"When am I not?"
"Problems, Joseph?" Ben raised an eyebrow and Annie bit back a giggle as she laid a card on the table. He still had soot in his hair. Her grin faded. And he looked like he'd been in a fight. Her gaze slid sideways to Candy who shrugged and got rid of two cards. Abby laid down one.
"Oh, no problems, Pa. Except Willie McNab taking advantage of my dear little sister's shenanigans to make some trouble of his own." Abby's head rose. Ben laid his pen down and leaned back in his desk chair.
"Alright. I'm listening."
"Those two grinning devils over there plugged the chimney this morning and smoked us out of the schoolhouse. Then Willie decided he was going to do one better. He tipped over the outhouse." Annie smothered a snort.
"I wondered what that smell was."
"Anne." Her mouth snapped shut and she focused on her cards. "Go on, Joe."
"We had words, then he said no one was going to discipline him except his pa and he threw a punch. I didn't want to hit him, Pa, but he left me no choice." Joe spun away from the desk. "I'm just sorry I let him get to me."
"Is he alright?" Abby's voice was small.
"He's alright, I didn't hit him hard. His pride's hurt worse than anything. One thing's for sure, he won't be back to school. I suppose that's best for both of us."
"Joe." Abby protested, and laid down her cards. "That's where you're wrong. You've accomplished something I couldn't." He snorted.
"I'd like to know what that is."
"You got them to go to school. Regardless of their motives, it's a start. That is the important thing."
"Important or not, it's too late. It's over."
"It's not, you must talk to those boys."
"Abby, if I couldn't get through to them before, I'm certainly not going to be able to now." Abby glanced around at the rest of them and drew in a deep breath.
"As a teacher –"
"As a teacher," Joe said harshly. "You keep saying that, but I am not the teacher, Abby, you are!" Her eyes hardened to the point Annie thought about running for cover.
"That's right I am their teacher and their future is my responsibility. And now it's yours."
"Not anymore." Joe jumped up and stormed past them all on his way to the stairs. Ben left his desk and chased after him.
"Joe." Her brother heaved a sigh and stopped at the foot of the stairs. "For what it's worth, I think Abby's right." Joe's eyes widened.
"You know, I'd love to know why you two are getting so upset over the McNabs."
"Oh, and you're not?" And she knew that tone. Cue "fatherly lecture". Annie dropped her cards and eased to her feet, tugging Candy up by his sleeve. He followed without a sound, and they eased backwards towards the kitchen and the side door. Joe hung his head.
"Pa, I did the best I could."
"And that's the end of it?"
"Yeah, that's the end of it."
Ben's face turned thoughtful. "I seem to recall you being sent home from school on several occasions. I don't remember the teacher quitting on you."
"They didn't and neither did you. You straightened me up and sent me back to school. Why can't their father do the same thing?"
"I don't know." Joe sighed and took another step. They were almost around the corner. "Why don't you ask him?" He nodded once and headed for his room. "And don't think I haven't forgotten about the two of you over there. Unless you want worse coming to you, I wouldn't step one foot in Hop Sing's kitchen right now."
Annie froze, her foot half in the air, ready to take a step backwards. Candy shook his head on a grin. Ben turned around, hands on hips as he strode across the room. She bit her lip. "Yes, Pa?"
"You smoked him out of the schoolhouse, did you?"
"It was my idea, Pa."
"I'm sure it was." He studied them. "Normally, you get away clean, so I've got to ask how he caught you." She shrugged.
"I couldn't let him blame one of the kids."
"And he would have," Candy piped in. "She says it was her idea, Mr. Cartwright, but it was really both of ours. You see, it goes back to Angelus when Joe ran into Steve and he left her to get me to the doctor by herself." One eyebrow rose.
"Any other confessions while we're at it?" They shook their heads. "Alright. Get upstairs. And the both of you had better be down here bright and early as soon as the rooster crows to receive your punishment. Now, get moving."
"Yes, sir."
"Yes, Pa." They scurried up the stairs and collapsed against each other in the upstairs hall. "It was worth it."
"You sure? We don't know what he's going to hand out yet." Annie waved her hand in dismissal.
"I can get away with anything, it goes hand in hand with being the youngest." Candy gave her an amused look.
"And maybe you only got away with it because you never got caught."
"I can understand you wanting to have a little fun at your brother's expense, and I am aware it's nothing but harmless pranks." Ben leaned back in his chair and studied them both. Annie fought a yawn.
Six in the morning, right on the dot. Oh, well. The price you paid. But it was worth it. Ben tapped his fingers on the desk. "I'm sure it was probably very funny when he came outside covered in soot."
"Yes, Pa."
"Are you aware that you might have made his job harder?"
"Willie would have tipped the outhouse anyway, or something like it, even if we hadn't stopped the chimney. And it's not like we let him take the blame or anything."
"Yes, that's true. But how do you think it looks to those children? Now, why should they respect Joe as their teacher if his own sister doesn't? Would you take him seriously?" His gaze slid past her. "Candy, what about you?"
"I guess that would depend, Mr. Cartwright."
"On what?" Candy shrugged.
"How well he retaliated." Ben's eyebrows rose and he rested his head in his hands.
"And I thought I was finished raising children." He pushed back his chair. "Hop Sing!" The little man darted out of the kitchen, ladle in hand. "They're all yours until further notice so don't worry about how long it takes to can all those vegetables." Ben clapped a hand on each of their shoulders. "I hope it was worth it." They looked at each other, then cast a wary eye to Hop Sing.
"Plenty do. Snap beans, scrub pots, and wash jars." He shook his ladle in her face. "You sit outside, snap beans. Stay out Hop Sing's kitchen." Candy leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"And that's just this morning."
"What ever gave you that idea?"
"The smirk on your pa's face." Hop Sing pointed the ladle at the kitchen. "I know, we're going. You realize Joe is going to love this."
"Only if we're not finished before he gets home."
"So much for you getting away with anything." Annie shrugged.
"Like you said: I never got caught."
"Enjoying the fruits of your labor?" Joe swung down off Cochise with that familiar cackle. Annie stopped bagging onions and glared at him.
"They're vegetables." Beside her, Candy smothered a laugh and kept sorting potatoes.
"Yes, sir, those are some fine looking vegetables. Keep 'em in line, will you, sis? I need to talk to Pa." He clapped a hand on her shoulder and marched past them into the house. Annie worked her jaw.
"I think I'm going to regret not throwing an onion at him."
"It's not worth it. Besides, did you see the look on his face when he rode, before he saw us sitting here covered in vegetables?"
"I was sorting onions."
"I'm betting McNab said no."
"If he did, he did. Contrary to popular opinion, us Cartwrights don't have any more success changing someone's mind than your average person does."
"Shame." He shrugged and straightened, stretching his back. "Another basket finished. How many more does he have laying around?"
"Don't ask questions you don't want an answer to."
"Pa!" Joe flew through the front door, letting it crash back against the wall. Annie raised an eyebrow. He hadn't moved that fast since the last time he'd spotted a new girl in town. She glanced over at Abby knitting in the chair beside the fireplace. She didn't look broken up so it wasn't likely to be that. "You'll never guess what happened." Candy stirred in his own chair, letting the book he was reading fall to his lap, and frowned in concentration. He snapped his fingers.
"The sky fell." Annie snorted. Joe glared at the both of them.
"It did not."
"Alright, alright." Ben held up his hands and pushed back his chair, leaving his paperwork on the desk. "What happened?"
"They came back to school." Abby dropped her knitting.
"Joe, that's wonderful!"
"Willie even cleaned up the mess from Friday. Billie had their ma's Bible and wanted me to read what she'd written in the front."
"Oh, Joe." Her eyes shone. "I knew it."
"I didn't, that's for sure." His face brightened even more. "Just you wait, Abby! By the time you get back to teaching, you won't recognize them. I'm gonna wash up and I'll tell you the rest over supper." He bounded up the stairs. Annie leaned back against the sofa.
"They'll be no living with him now." Ben came over and squeezed her shoulder.
"Oh, Anne. You'll understand someday. Maybe when you have children of your own." The wistful tone to his voice made her chest tighten.
"Maybe." She stood up and headed for the stairs. "I think I'll go wash up, too."
Three weeks later, Joe helped Abby into the buggy. "You sure you're comfortable? I've got everything ready at the schoolhouse, but if you don't feel up to it, we can wait another day or two."
"Joe, she's not a piece of fine china." Annie remarked. Her brother tossed her a glare; Abby giggled.
"I'm fine, Joe." He grinned and hopped into the buggy, then took up the reins.
"We'll see you all this evening." He drove out of the yard, kicking up a cloud of dust. Ben ambled over to where she and Candy stood.
"Get the vegetables taken care of?" Annie shuddered. She saw them in her dreams.
"Yes, Mr. Cartwright."
"Good." He clapped them both on the back. "Take the day off. Just don't pester your brother, hmm?"
"Of course not, Pa." He walked back into the house and they eyed each other, then ran for their horses without a word. They rode cross-country to the schoolhouse and tied their horses up out front. Once inside, they sat down in the last row of desks, giving Joe innocent smiles when he looked their way. He gave them another wary look before turning his attention back to the class.
"We're all glad you're back. We even have a little program planned. Everyone, sit down." The children sat and Joe pointed at one of the boys. "Tommy, you can start."
"The Gettysburg Address, by President Abraham Lincoln. Four score and seven years ago …" One by one, they took turns reciting. When Billie stood up, Annie could have sworn she saw tears sparkling in Abby's eyes. Then it was Willie's turn. Partway through, a board creaked, and Annie looked back at the door.
Will McNab stood right beside her, and he did not look happy. She looked at Willie and he looked worried. Candy nudged her arm and their eyes met.
What do you wanna bet he didn't know?
Would you tell him?
Joe glanced over at Abby and came forward. "Will, good to see you. Come on in and sit down."
"I came for my boys."
"Well, I think your boys would like to stay in school."
"You two get on home, there's chores to do." He turned to go.
"No, Will. I'm going to fight you on this, these boys need an education."
"Fight me, huh? Now there's something I been waiting to hear." Uh, oh. Annie tensed. Joe, you stepped in it this time. He jerked his chin at the door. "Come on outside."
"Wait a minute, that's not what I meant when I said fight."
"You told my boys that a man with no learning was only half a man. Well, I'm gonna prove you wrong. I'll be waiting for you outside." He left the schoolhouse and everyone else just looked at each other in silence. Joe sighed and marched back to the teacher's desk and hung the pointer on the wall. He pulled his gloves on and marched back up the aisle.
Annie jumped to her feet, Candy right on her heels. "Oh, no." Joe held up his hand. "Don't either one of you interfere."
"But –"
"No, Anne. Candy. Don't let her do it. And don't you even think about it."
"Joe –"
"I mean it, Candy." He kept walking and the kids left their seats.
"Children!" Abby's voice rang out. "Sit down at your desks." She took her own seat and the kids trickled back up the aisle and sat down. Except for Willie and Billie. She and Candy traded glances and darted outside, waiting beside the boys on the steps.
It took everything she had to keep from launching herself into the middle of the fray. Even Candy wouldn't be enough to stop her if Joe hadn't demanded they stay out. Now if McNab tried fighting dirty … all bets were off.
The two men tackled each other, rolling around in the dirt and slinging punches. They staggered backwards, and she grabbed Billie's collar, yanking him out of the way as McNab crashed through the railing and landed on his back on the little porch.
He didn't stay down for long.
He slammed into Joe with all the force of a raging bull and pummeled him again and again. Joe went down hard, and stayed down. Annie took a step and Candy grabbed her arm. Joe slowly and painfully hauled himself to his feet, using the hitching rail for balance. He swung and McNab knocked him down again. She shrugged off Candy's hold, but before she could move, Willie and Billie had jumped in.
"That's enough, Pa."
"Stay out of the way, boys. I'll show him who's half a man." His sons grabbed his arms.
"You're a man, Pa," Willie said. "You proved your point. So is Joe. You do anymore fighting, you're gonna have to fight me and Billie."
Well, that was unexpected. She relaxed a hair. Will looked like they'd struck him. "You boys … would fight me?"
"No, Willie, I don't want you fighting your pa." Joe pushed himself to his feet and hobbled over. Willie shook his head.
"If schooling for me and Billie is worth Joe fighting, then I reckon it's worth me and Billie fighting, too. Against you or anybody." Will didn't say anything at all, merely stared at them for a moment, then turned away and pulled on his coat. His boys followed Joe back into the schoolhouse. Annie bit her lip and trailed after them.
Joe stopped at the water bucket and splashed his face. "You okay, Mr. Cartwright?" He turned and offered the boys a weak smile.
"Yeah. Finish that program for Ms. Pettigrew."
"Yes, sir." Willie nodded at his brother and they went back to their seats.
"You sure you're okay, Joe?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." He splashed his face again. "I'm surprised you listened."
"Every man has their pride," she said softly. How much had Will McNab lost today?
"The world will little remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here, to the unfinished work which they who fought here, have thus far so nobly advanced." Willie stood proudly beside Abby's desk. How much had he found today? A board creaked and she tensed, all three of them turning to see Will walk back inside. "It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us. That from these honored dead, we take increased devotion, to that –" He caught sight of his pa and froze.
Will took off his hat and sat down at an empty desk. Willie smiled broadly and continued, "That cause they gave their last full measure of devotion. We here, highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Joe smiled, as did Candy. She was sure Will's lips twitched upwards, but he said nothing.
He had to be proud of that, it was his son up there reciting in front of the whole school when he couldn't even read a few weeks before.
"That was perfect, Willie, thank you. You may take your seat." Abby smiled at Joe, her eyes dancing. "What else did you have planned for today, Mr. Cartwright?" Candy caught her sleeve and tugged her out the door.
"I think that's our cue to leave."
"Think we need to tell the king?" Her lips twitched.
"Tell him what?"
"The sky is falling!"