A/N: First of all, I promise I did not drop off the face of the earth. I wanted to have this chapter finished before I started college classes the end of May, but that didn't happen. I am so sorry for the delay. This time, we get a little bit of Candy's point of view finally so I hope you enjoy that, as well as the changes I made. I would love to hear your thoughts about this one should you care to leave a review or a PM. As always, I own nothing but my OC. Enjoy!
Edit – June 16, 2021. I went back and worked a little bit on Candy's point of view at the end. There was more he wanted to say and I wasn't fully happy with it to begin with so here's the new version.
"You get it?" Annie looked up from the dancing fire and rubbed her hands together. Winter was coming, no doubt about it. She could feel it in the air. Candy swung down off his horse, still favoring his left shoulder a hair, and handed over the bag of supplies.
"I went to town," he hissed. "After two weeks, I wasn't going anywhere near Hop Sing without that buck."
"I never should have promised I'd catch the blasted thing." Annie opened the bag and dug out a side of bacon. "That's one thing about Hop Sing: he never forgets."
"Or forgives," Candy said with a snort. "I slipped in the other day to get me a clean shirt and he just gave me a sideways look while he's sharpening his cleaver." A giggle from the other side of the fire brought their heads up in unison. Joe tipped his hat back off his face and chewed on a twig with a smirk.
"Are you two about finished complaining?"
"You're one to talk." Annie sliced bacon and tossed it into the fry pan, where it popped and sizzled. "You haven't shut up once since you showed up." Joe crossed his arms and managed to look petulant.
"Well, little sister, I'd love to go home and sleep in my own bed instead of on the hard ground, but you happened to promise our dear cook fresh venison. Now, how that involves me, I am not quite sure, but somehow it does, which leaves me stuck out here with you, chasing an animal I have yet to lay eyes on."
"We're a package deal," she said sweetly. "Always have been." Joe snorted under his breath and lowered his hat back over his face.
"Wake me when dinner's ready." She kicked his leg and he jerked his hat back up. "What was that for?"
"It's your turn to fetch the water." Candy tossed him the bucket with a grin and slouched next to the fire. Joe made a face and stomped down towards the stream. Annie turned the bacon with a fork. "How long you think it's gonna take us to find that buck?"
"Did you pack your winter drawers?"
"That's what I was afraid of," he said grimly. She checked the bacon.
"It's ready." Candy dropped to the ground next to her and held out a plate.
"Good, I'm starved. Beans in the can?" She jerked her chin in a nod and he reached for the can. "What do we do if we can't get this animal?"
"Well … if Joe doesn't make the coffee, we should be fine, at least for a while," she said with a grin. Candy chuckled and scooped beans onto his plate.
"There's nothing wrong with my coffee," Joe grouched as he returned to the fire and dumped the bucket full of water at their feet.
"You only think that because you've drank it for so long you don't know any better." He snorted and grabbed a plate, piling it with beans and bacon.
"And you're jealous, little sister, because you can't make good coffee."
"If I made coffee like yours, I'd be ashamed of myself," she retorted, and Candy spit out a mouthful of beans. Joe scowled and stared down at his plate.
"Well, how about you try and find that blasted buck so we can present it to Hop Sing and go home?"
"What do you think we've been doing for two weeks?" Candy said between bites. Joe's mouth opened, then closed, and he stuffed a forkful of beans in his mouth and chewed fiercely. Annie raised a brow, but he only shrugged and kept eating. She glanced past him, watching the horses on their picket line. If there was an animal anywhere near, they'd be the first to know.
"Do it faster," Joe finally muttered around a mouthful of beans. "I'm tired of nesting with the squirrels and the rabbits." Candy chuckled.
"He sure does complain, don't he, sweetheart?"
"Ha, ha, very funny." Her brother scraped his plate and stuffed the last of his dinner in his mouth. "Let's get back to finding a deer before winter sets in and we freeze solid." Annie snorted and he looked at her funny, but she didn't say anything. "If we don't get a deer soon, I'm going into town and buying some venison off somebody and giving him that." Annie snorted again.
"Candy, why didn't we think of that?" His face scrunched up as he pretended to think.
"I thought we did, about a week and a half ago." She snapped her fingers.
"That's right. Try it, I dare you. You'll come back wearing it over your head." Joe giggled, but his amusement faded when he realized they weren't laughing, too.
"You're kidding." They shook their heads slowly and his face fell. "Well, that's perfect." He ran a hand though his hair. "He can tell the difference between those finger marks, why not venison?" Joe studied his fingers in thought. "You think maybe he's seen our field dressing so much over the years someone else's work stands out?" Candy settled his hat more firmly on his head and sighed.
"Joe, I'd like to tell you that's how he does it, but I can't."
"Why not?"
"I don't speak Chinese."
"You think if you took your knife to it, he might not notice?" Candy questioned out of Joe's hearing the next day. Her head tilted and she made a face. He sighed. "Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. Any ideas?"
"I wish I did. We –" At the head of the line, Joe slowly raised a hand and they all stopped their horses. About three hundred feet away, a small herd of deer grazed at the edge of the woods. "Just pick one," she whispered, and three rifles eased out of scabbards. Luckily, they were downwind of the herd, or they'd have never gotten this close.
"I've got the second doe from the right," Candy muttered under his breath as he sighted down his rifle. A gunshot exploded, and the herd bolted, all except the doe he'd picked. The animal collapsed to the ground and all three of them breathed a sigh of relief. "Home sweet home, here we come."
A quick field dress later, and the animal was settled securely on the pack horse's saddle with Joe holding the lead as they worked their way down out of the high country. "Yes, sir," Joe said happily. "I don't know which I'm going to enjoy more: a soft bed, or Hop Sing's famous venison stew."
"Probably whichever you get first," Annie said with a snort. Candy snickered and Joe huffed in annoyance.
"One of these fine days you'll regret making fun –" He cut off abruptly, yanking Cochise to a halt and staring down the trail ahead. "That's Doc Martin's buggy." He glanced over at them, worry blooming in his eyes. "What was he doing at the house?" Annie studied the buggy as it passed and bit her lip.
"I don't know. If it was bad, he wouldn't be moving that slow, or … if it was really bad, he'd be moving even slower. Right?" What could have happened? Surely, she'd have known if something had happened to Hoss or their father.
"Let's find out." Candy urged his horse forward and picked up a lope. She sent Reno after him, and Joe brought up the rear. They didn't slow down until they clattered into the yard, raising a cloud of dust. Annie was the first one off her horse, the venison forgotten for now.
"Pa!" She threw open the front door and burst inside. Ben jumped off the settee, nearly spilling his coffee in the process, and ran to meet her.
"Annie, what's wrong?"
"Why was Doc Martin here? Is everything all right?" She looked around, but nothing was out of place. "Where's Hoss?"
"Hoss is upstairs with our guest."
"Guest?"
"Mm-hm. Ms. Erin O'Donnell. Hoss met her up in the high country while checking the herd. She got bucked off her horse and the cut was infected. Doc took care of her, he was going to send out Mrs. Bowen, but you can help now that you're here." He glanced over her shoulder. "Did you get it?"
"We got a deer, yes, but Hoss ran into a woman in the high country? How did that come about?"
"It's a rather long story, but she wintered with the Paiute. I'm not quite sure how, but Hoss ended up agreeing to trade horses they catch for Ponderosa beef."
"Trade with the Paiute?" Joe shrugged off his jacket and tossed his hat on the sideboard. "Are you going to do it, Pa?" Candy came in with the bags of venison and whistled softly, having heard every word. Ben rubbed the back of his neck.
"Your brother made the agreement, and we will honor it. If it keeps us from losing calves come spring, it'll be worth it."
"But why would this woman winter with the Paiute?" Ben shook his head, a smile playing at his mouth.
"Erin is an … interesting … woman, you'll see for yourself once she's up to visitors. For now, though, you might want to get that to Hop Sing." He nodded at the bags of meat. "He's been getting rather impatient."
As if the discussion had conjured him up, their cook appeared in the kitchen doorway, cleaver at the ready in his folded arms. He glared at the bags in Candy's hands. "You catch?"
"Yes, Hop Sing." Annie folded her hands and gave him a small bow from the waist. "As promised to most honorable cook." He held out a hand and Candy passed him a bag. He dug out a chunk of meat and inspected it closely, mumbling to himself in Chinese, then tucked it back in the bag and turned to them with a bright smile.
"I cook now." He gathered up the rest of the bags and disappeared into the kitchen. Pots and pans clattered, and cabinet doors slammed. Candy heaved a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.
"That went well." Annie hummed agreement and headed for the stairs. Her father cleared his throat and she paused.
"Erin needs her rest."
"Oh, I won't bother her." She started upstairs, muffled chuckles drifting up behind her. Her father sighed and a grin pulled at her mouth. Did he really think she wasn't going to get a look at this woman that had Hoss negotiating with Paiutes? Interesting, he'd said. That could mean a lot of things and she wanted to know just what it was.
Annie scurried down the hall towards the guest rooms, pausing to listen at each one for a few seconds. Voices drifted through the wood and she stopped.
"You'd better go, friend Hoss, it sounds like someone is worried." A lilting Irish brogue colored the woman's words. A chuckle followed.
"She was, but now she knows I ain't hurt none, I reckon she's sitting right outside that door as we speak. Ain't that right, little sister?" His voice rose and she opened the door with a grin.
A woman with long, ashy blond hair lay under the covers, her lined face tight with pain when she turned to face the door. Annie would guess Erin was perhaps three or four years younger than Hoss, but it could be less. Age wasn't always an easy thing to figure in a land where people grew up fast and young, if they did at all.
"Pa said we had a guest."
"Annie, this is Erin O'Donnell. Erin, my sister, Annie."
"A pleasure, I'm sure," the woman said slowly, her gaze flitting from Annie's worn hat down to her scuffed boots, lingering on the gun belt snugged down on her hip. "Rare it is to see a woman sporting a gun, even out here."
"I wasn't raised to be a parlor decoration," she said simply, and left it at that. Erin smiled and her eyes danced.
"You know, neither was I." There wasn't a speck of judgment in those clear gray eyes. "And I wager we're both the better for it." Annie found herself liking this woman. If the look on Hoss' face was anything to go by, he was already half smitten. Erin turned away with a wince that vanished as soon as Hoss took her hand in his. She offered him a small smile and Annie backed out of the room. Interesting indeed.
It wouldn't even take much, the spark was already burning, someone just needed to fan the flames. And if it kept their father from badgering her about finding someone, so much the better.
"He purposely took you to the Sioux?" Annie paused in cleaning her rifle, the parts scattered across the center table. "Why?" Erin sipped her tea and shrugged, those gray eyes hazy with memory.
"The Irish are not wanted in the fancy cities back there in the East. Pa brought us West, searching for freedom." She lowered her cup. "I explained as much to your brother when we ran across each other, but my father didn't know how to go about raising a daughter after my mother died." Her eyes twinkled. "So he raised me as a son, much as your father has." She glanced around the main room. "Though we never had anything as grand as this, it was ours, without the English telling him he couldn't be having it."
"We've had to fight for this, more times than I can count," Annie said softly, the rag in her hand sliding back and forth along the rifle barrel. "Believe me when I say I know what you mean."
"I think you do." Erin leaned back in her chair carefully. "Your brother regaled me with many a story while we were in the high country. Mostly because he was trying to keep me awake when the fever began to take hold. From what I recall, the men of my tribe would have brought many horses for the honor of calling you their wife."
"Funny, I was told something similar once by a Paiute chief." Annie began to reassemble the rifle. "But then, he also said he had no wish to forever sleep with both eyes open." Erin laughed.
"Who was that, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Jocova."
"To have the respect of a chief such as him …" Erin shook her head. "You have laid your path well." Annie snorted.
"I wasn't after respect, I just wanted him to save Candy from the gallows. Insulting his pride did the trick, though I had to eat my words later." She finished assembling the rifle and carried it back to the rack. "I'd do it again in a heart beat."
"Candy … your foreman?"
"Yes." She turned around, leaning against the gun rack. "Like most of us, he has the nasty habit of coming under accusation for something he didn't do and –" The front door opened and Hoss strode inside, a big box tucked under his arm, their father right behind him. They traded glances when they noticed Erin and smiled.
"How you feeling?"
"Fine." Erin stood to greet him and he handed her the box.
"I brought you a little something, go on, open it." Annie stiffened as Erin took the box and set it on the center table to open it. That was a dress in there, or her name wasn't Anne Cartwright. Would Erin take the gift the wrong way?
The woman popped the lid off the box and lifted out a pretty dark blue and white striped dress, holding it up to her chest. Hoss shifted his weight when she didn't immediately say anything. "You like it?" Her head came up, and she gave him a beaming smile.
"Like it? I'd forgotten how it feels to wear a dress." She settled the dress back in the box and replaced the lid, scooping the whole thing up like a prized treasure. "If you'll excuse me, I'll go and change." She slipped past Annie with a smile and called over her shoulder, "I hope I remember how to put this on!" Hoss chuckled and turned to place his gun belt on the sideboard. Ben shook his head and followed suit. A knock came at the door and Hoss swung it open.
"Mrs. Murray," Ben said brightly, as he waved the threesome into the house. "Clint, good to see you." Annie pressed her lips together and raised her chin. If Mrs. Smith had a rival for her position as queen of Virginia's City's rumor mill, it was this short blond matron with her pinched face and blatant desire for a Cartwright son in her family. Annie eyed the chocolate haired girl dressed prettily in hunter green and scoffed inwardly.
As she'd run out of eligible daughters years ago, this must be a niece or cousin scavenged from some remote branch of the family tree.
"Ben, Hoss." Her stern gaze found Annie and those thin lips firmed. "Anne." Then, she was all smiles and sweetness once more. "You must allow me to introduce you to my niece, Marybeth Johnson." She pushed the girl forward, none too discreetly either, directly at Hoss. Marybeth's head tilted and she smiled up at him through her lashes.
"I'm from Louisville, Kentucky," she simpered in a heavy Southern drawl. Hoss nodded slowly.
"Kentucky, of course." Mrs. Murray smiled like a cat with a saucer of cream and looked around.
"Marybeth's visiting for a month or so." To give her plenty of time to snare a Cartwright husband? Good luck with that.
"Oh, how wonderful. Ladies, do have a seat. Annie, see if Hop Sing will bring us some coffee."
"Of course, Pa," she said with a sweet smile, casting a decidedly defiant smirk at Mrs. Murray when her father's attention was diverted. The woman drew herself up and sniffed. Annie sauntered into the kitchen and stopped short a few steps past the threshold. Hop Sing looked up from his work table and the pile of chopped and sliced vegetables waiting for the bubbling pot on the stove.
"Missy Annie need something?"
"Pa would like some coffee for our guests." She would have asked for a doctoring of herbs in the old bat's cup, but Hop Sing would never dream of doing such a thing. A ruined meal – even a ruined cup of coffee – was sacrilege.
"I bring." He nodded quickly and swept the vegetables into the pot and wiped his hands on a towel. Annie went back to the living room in time to hear Mrs. Murray ask after Joe. She smothered a snort. Well, that was obvious.
"Joe? He's on the range with Candy, checking fence." The woman's face stiffened.
"I had hoped Marybeth would get to meet both of your sons." Both? A sudden pang in her chest made it hard to breathe. The woman knew very well there were three Cartwright boys, she'd pushed her oldest daughter at Adam on more than one occasion. She only said that to hurt them.
"There will be another time, I'm sure." Ben's smile was frosty.
"Auntie says your other son's name is Little Joe," the girl simpered. "Why, I think that's just darling." Annie smothered a cackle worthy of her twin and sat down in their father's favorite chair. Darling; he'd never been called that before. Clint waved her to silence.
"You'll get to meet him later, right now, Ben and I have business to discuss. If we want a decent herd to drive next year, we've got to do something about those Paiutes." Hop Sing brought the coffee service in on a silver tray and set in on the center table. He bowed stiffly and retreated to his kitchen without a word. Annie wished she could do the same. Hoss raised his eyebrows and poured himself a cup.
"The Paiutes," he said slowly, "are nowhere near here." Clint Murray glared at him and he shrugged. "They're only after wild horses anyway."
"My brother probably thought the same thing." His face went red. "And then he and his family were wiped out at Brinker's Ford." A door closed upstairs and all eyes turned to Erin as she hurried into view, her new dress swishing around her legs. The smile on her face slipped a notch when her gaze landed on the newcomers. Hoss moved to her side and made the introductions.
"Erin, this is Mr. and Mrs. Murray, their niece, Ms. Johnson. Mr. and Mrs. Murrary, this is Erin O'Donnell."
"How do?" Mrs. Murray looked like she'd bit into a lemon. Her niece dipped her chin.
"It's a pleasure, I'm sure." Yes … wasn't it?
"How do you do?" Erin smiled, but Clint Murray stood slowly, his face frozen into a grim glare.
"I think we'd better talk privately," he muttered to her father, and the two men withdrew to the yard. Annie and Hoss traded looks and Hoss put a hand on Erin's arm.
"Come on, have a seat." Annie hopped up and let Erin take her place, sitting down on the edge of the hearth instead, much to Mrs. Murray's disgust, she was sure. But the woman's spiteful gaze was fixed on someone else this time.
"A lovely dress, did you make it yourself?" Erin hesitated and glanced at Hoss.
"No, I …"
"Never mind." The woman sniffed and raised her chin. "A few alterations and it will do nicely." She set her coffee down and gave Erin a condescending smile. "You should be grateful to the Cartwrights for helping you return to civilization." Annie froze, her eyes narrowing. That witch … Erin's chin rose.
"I am grateful to the Cartwrights. But I came here from a civilization as old as your own … and an honorable one." She held the woman's gaze and Mrs. Murray sniffed and thrust her nose in the air.
"Yes, well …" she sniffed again. "I suppose those shoes …" she cast a pointed glance at Erin's moccasins "are rather comfortable."
"Oh, yes, very."
"Is it true," Marybeth leaned in and whispered, "that you have to chew the leather to make it soft?" Erin shrugged.
"Sometimes." Mrs. Murrary's face froze and Annie pressed her lips together. "As it happens, these were a gift from my uncle."
"Your uncle?" Marybeth's drawl was getting on Annie's nerves and it hadn't even been ten minutes.
"Yes." Erin smiled, but there was a touch of something in it that Annie found interesting. "Bull Buffalo. He was a Sioux medicine man." Marybeth's eyes widened.
"Oh." Her aunt cleared her throat and glanced over at Hoss.
"It must be very difficult for a white girl to … protect herself among people who buy and sell women like animals," she said archly. Hoss folded his arms.
"Mrs. Murray …"
"Oh, it's not hard," Erin interrupted, her eyes hard as flint. "When young men brought strings of war ponies as a bride price, my father only had to turn them down politely."
"My father never had to depend for an income on how many horses he could trade for me." Lucky man. He'd have been a beggar for sure. Annie bit her tongue to keep from spitting the words at the woman's smug face.
"How fortunate for your father," Erin said, deadpan. Hoss hid a smile with his fist and Annie grinned. Marybeth giggled and Mrs. Murray stiffened, her face cooling even more, if such a thing was possible. Her nostrils twitched and she shot to her feet, skirts pulled tight against her as she edged past Erin.
"Marybeth." Her niece rose and followed the woman to the door. "Good day." Hoss swept it open and she stalked outside, the feather on her bonnet twitching.
"Good day, ma'am."
"Clinton, I would like to go home." The door shut behind her bustled skirt and Hoss burst out laughing, Annie joining him seconds later. Erin shook her head.
"Hoss, I'm sorry." But she was laughing, too.
"So am I," he said with a jerk of his chin at the door. "For her."
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to sling water on those prim feathers."
"I shouldn't have said that."
"Are you kidding? I'd have gone farther." Annie studied the woman intently. She had the spunk, the compassion, everything Hoss needed in a woman.
Granted, it had only been a few days, but she thought they were perfect for each other.
The front door opened and their father walked inside, shaking his head slowly, a scowl darkening his face. Her stomach flipped. What had Murray said? He stopped across from them and sat on the arm of the settee. "Well, I see you can laugh at least. They didn't upset you?" Erin shook her head.
"Darling people, my father would have called them." Her tone flattened. "They'd have enjoyed the Sandy Wash Massacre." She made a small sound in her throat. "Indian women and children shot. Bodies left in the snow. I fled the Dakotas like a thief." Her shoulders dipped in a heavy sigh. "I'd best go up and rest." She made her way to the stairs and Hoss followed her.
"I'm sorry I forgot about the shoes." She turned, giving him a sharp look.
"I like these shoes!" Annie smothered a snort and the woman picked up her skirts and headed upstairs. Hoss turned around with a grin on his face that fell as soon as he looked at their father.
"What secret did Murray have to share?"
"You know Murray."
"Yeah," Annie said with distaste. "Sees Paiutes under every rock."
"No." Ben shook his head. "No, he just saw the whole Paiute nation riding over the hill in full war paint."
"Balony," Hoss snorted. "It was Bear Hunter and a couple of braves."
"He thinks she's going to bring a whole lot more," Ben said softly with a glance up at the ceiling, then headed for his desk. Hoss shrugged and sat down in the chair across from him.
"Erin was raised with the Sioux, wintered with the Paiutes, it's understandable any she knows may come around and say hello or something, but he can't really think they'd put together a war party."
"It's Murray," Annie said. "Of course he thinks that. He can't forget Brinker's Ford." She'd have a hard time forgetting something like that, but it wasn't much different to what Lotta Crabtree had done. Annie didn't hate all actresses because of it, just Lotta.
"He's afraid we're going to lose all of our beef."
"It'd take more than a few braves to manage that." Annie flipped her braid over her shoulder. Ben shook his head.
"Oh, I'm not worried about them. I worry about Erin." Hoss blinked.
"She's fine, Pa."
"That's not what I meant. She ran from the Dakotas, left the Paiute, and now she encounters people like the Murrays."
"You think she'll run again?"
"Once you start running, it gets easier every time." Her brother nodded slowly and stood up.
"If she tries, I'll do everything I can to keep her from it." A tiny smile tugged at her mouth. Oh, he was falling hard. Ben frowned.
"Hoss … don't be surprised if you end up getting hurt."
"Don't you worry about me, Pa. I know how I feel and what I want." He glanced at the stairs. "It ain't what Murray and people like that think of her that bothers me, but what she thinks of us." Annie raised an eyebrow. It didn't take a genius to realize what she thought of Hoss, at least. This was going to be interesting.
"You and Candy seem to be over your argument," Joe noted calmly as he rode alongside her on the way home for lunch a few days later.
"It's been over," she replied. "Why?"
"No reason." He shrugged. "Just wondering, I guess, if you'll ever tell me anything anymore."
"I do."
"Not like you used to. Come on, I'm your twin, you can fool anyone but me."
"There's nothing to fool you about, Joe. I –" She cut off and yanked Reno to a halt, bringing Joe's head up in confusion.
"What –"
"Shh!" He followed her gaze and a grin covered his face. A faint giggle worked its way free.
"I must say, brother Hoss sure does work fast."
"Hush." Annie nudged him in the ribs and he giggled again. "He catches us spying we'll end up peeling potatoes or something." A smile tugged at her own mouth and she urged Reno backwards slowly.
Hoss and Erin might be too wrapped up in kissing each other to notice they had company, but she wasn't about to take any chances. They'd take the long way around and she at least would feign ignorance when they showed up late. Joe, on the other hand, would be unable to resist.
As soon as they were out of earshot, she urged Reno to a fast gallop. She wanted to be front and center when they walked in the door.
"So … who gets to tease him first?" Joe called over the sound of racing hooves.
"Whoever gets home first," she shouted back before giving Reno his head, determined to be the first into the yard. Her twin wouldn't make it easy, though, and considering how good their horses were, it would be a tight race.
Both horses slid to a halt in front of the hitch rail, a cloud of dust wafting around them thick enough to choke. "I won," Annie insisted smugly. Joe's head jerked up.
"Oh, no, little sister, Cochise had his nose in front."
"He did not."
"Did so."
"Did not." She reined the grulla around and bumped Cochise back a step. The horses snorted and Joe frowned.
"Easy, Cooch." He rubbed his gelding's neck. "She's just a sore loser, we know we won."
"You did not," she sputtered. "I was at least three seconds ahead of you." A throat cleared and they jerked around to find Ben standing at the hitch rail, arms folded across his chest.
"I trust there's a good reason for this … discussion?"
"Well, Pa." Joe scratched his head. "You, uh, wouldn't believe what we saw on the way home."
"I'm listening."
"Hoss and Erin were kissing," Annie said quickly, shooting Joe a tiny smirk. "He likes her, Pa, really likes her."
"And how does that pertain to my encountering an argument in my front yard that is reminiscent of those employed by children?"
"Well …" They traded looks and one bushy eyebrow rose. "We, uh, each of us wanted to be the first to tease Hoss and …" The other eyebrow joined the first and Joe swallowed.
"I see." Ben glanced from one to the other. "Did it ever occur to you to tease him at the same time?" His lips twitched. Joe chuckled nervously.
"Now that you mention it …"
"At least there aren't three of us, Pa," Annie said with a shrug.
"There's not?" Ben asked slowly. He jerked his chin at the house. "For all intents and purposes, that one might as well be. Get those horses cooled out well, then wash up for lunch."
"Yes, Pa."
"Of course, Pa." They dismounted and led the tired animals into the barn. Joe gave her a sideways glance once the heavy doors had closed behind them. "I still won, you know." Annie rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the ribs.
And he claimed to be older.
By the time they finished cooling the horses, Hoss and Erin had ridden in. Annie watched them through the half open barn door, but neither one indicated they'd just shared a very tender moment. Joe wiggled in between her and the door, peering intently over her shoulder.
"Brother Hoss looks happy."
"Of course he does," she muttered. If it lasted, he'd stay that way, but no matter how much she wanted to see it, she was under no illusions that it would be easy. Love seemed hard to find and even harder to keep when you were a Cartwright.
Hoss wasn't like Joe, fancying himself in love with every pretty girl that stepped off the stage. Her middle brother was different, but no less immune to lost loves. If he had a chance to be happy, truly happy, this time, she was going to do everything she could to make it last.
"Annie!" Her brothers and Candy moved to scramble off the fence as she rolled through the dirt. She held up a hand to stay them and got to her feet.
Did she say anything?
She probably should have amended that to not include breaking a nasty jughead. "I'm fine." She swatted dust away from her face and looked around for the horse.
"If you'd concentrate more on moving forward instead of up and down, I think you'd have him settled," Erin's lilting Irish brogue carried the hint of a smile. At least she didn't hover and cluck like some mother hen. Annie made her way to the fence and leaned against the top rail.
"You'll notice I was attempting to do just that, but he wasn't inclined to oblige."
"Have you tried getting to know him?" Annie quirked an eyebrow.
"Is that what you did before he threw you?" Erin's eyes closed and she heaved a sigh.
"Point taken."
"My turn." Joe hopped down off the fence and plucked his gloves out of his pocket, only for Erin to stop him with a hand on his arm.
"Your sister is more than capable of breaking that horse on her own."
"Never said she couldn't," Joe said with a grin. "The rule is you fall off, you head to the back of the line." He adjusted his hat and sauntered over to the waiting outriders. Erin frowned; Annie laughed, hopped up on the fence, and rested her arm on Hoss' shoulder. "Bet you a beer he comes off faster than I did."
"He might at that, little sister, but I wouldn't count my winnings just yet. Little brother is downright sticky when it comes to breaking ponies." Erin laughed.
"I'll be hoping he doesn't get himself stepped on like I did."
"It wouldn't be the first time," Annie noted dryly, as Joe climbed into the saddle and the hands turned the horse loose again. "Nor would it be the last." They watched the contest between man and horse for a few minutes. Then, Erin spoke up out of the blue.
"You like it, don't you?" Annie and Hoss traded glances. Hoss frowned.
"Like what?"
"The settled life." She looked out past the corral, her eyes taking on a far away look. "I don't know if I could do it," she mused almost to herself, her hands closing around the smooth upper rail.
"Oftentimes, we find out we can do a lot we didn't think possible," Hoss said softly, and she turned to look at him. Annie bit her lip and slid a few inches down the rail towards the house.
Joe landed in the dirt and Hoss shook his head on a sigh. "You young 'uns ain't never learned the proper way to break a horse, have you?" Annie stepped back and swept a hand out in silent offer. Hoss settled his hat more firmly on his head and abandoned the fence. "I'll take care of that jughead, you just watch." He stalked across the corral, Erin's eyes following him. Annie hid a smile.
"He's a good man, your brother."
"Yes. Yes, he is." Annie brushed the dust off her hat and settled it in place, then leaned back against the fence. "There's a lot of folks around here that dismiss him in favor of Joe, but they're not as smart as they think they are. Hoss is the heart of the family."
"Not the only daughter?"
"Cold calculation makes about as poor a heart as a hot temper. Don't get me wrong, Hoss can get mad at times, but it takes a lot to stir things up enough that it shows."
"Well," Joe ambled over with a streak of dirt smudged on his cheek. "What did you think?" Erin gave him a sharp look.
"Your sister has the better style, even if you did manage to stay in the saddle a moment longer." A familiar look crossed his face and a cackle broke free.
"A moment? I lasted at least two or three minutes longer!"
"This time," Erin said shortly, and they all laughed. A shout behind them indicated Hoss had fallen off and she sighed. "At this rate, I may to have try again myself."
"How well did your father get along with the Siuox?" Ben scooped up another bite of potatoes. Erin shrugged.
"Fine. Probably because he never tried to change them."
"What happened when the Sioux were moved to the reservation?" Annie asked quietly.
"My father had died by then and I took up horse-hunting." Erin looked uncomfortable, but Annie couldn't guess why. She took a deep breath, raised her fork, then set it down on the plate with a sharp clink. "There's something you need to know." Silverware froze in midair; three sets of eyes landed on Erin's face. "I was arrested by the Army after the Brinker's Fort raid."
"They put you in jail?" Hoss frowned. Erin shook her head.
"In a hospital storeroom." She looked down and slowly raised her arm, pulling up her sleeve. "Manacled to a cot." Hoss froze mid-chew and stared at her. Annie swallowed hard at the sight of the ugly red scar marring Erin's wrist. "No windows. No light. No air." She wouldn't meet their eyes.
"On what charge?" Annie glanced at their father. He had that tone to his voice again. Erin shook her head on a sigh.
"I never did find out exactly. I never saw a courtroom, a judge, or a jury. Or the officer who ordered it." She glanced up briefly, then focused back on the neatly starched tablecloth. "I think it had something to do with the prophecy." What? Annie cast a quick look at her brother, but he didn't seem the slightest bit confused, so he must know about whatever she was referring to.
"They had no legal right –"
"I was in no position to argue the point, Mr. Cartwright." Ben nodded once and lowered his fork to the plate. "Excuse me, please." Erin pushed back her chair and hurried to the front door. "I'm going to look in on Jughead." The door slammed, leaving an uncomfortable silence.
"No wonder she don't like being cooped up," Hoss said softly. He tossed his napkin on the table. Annie bit her lip. The settled life, Erin had called it. Easy now to understand why she didn't think she could handle it.
But if she could … Annie glanced up at her brother. He looked two seconds from following her as it was. There was something there, she knew it in her gut. "Go," she whispered, and he looked at her with a frown. She nodded at the door. "Go on." Erin didn't seem the type to kiss a man on a whim. Hoss' throat worked and he glanced at their father.
"I'm gonna go see if she's alright." He pushed back his chair and hurried after Erin. Their father sat back in his chair and picked up a discarded knife, studying it carefully.
"You wouldn't happen to be planning something, would you?"
"Like what?"
"You say there's nothing between you and Candy but friendship."
"There's not." He hummed absently and turned the knife over, then laid it on his plate, adjusting the blade so it was perfectly straight next to his fork. His eyes rose to her face and one bushy eyebrow arched.
"What makes you think it's more than friendship for them?" She met his gaze without flinching.
"When am I wrong?"
"There has been a time or two."
"True." Annie leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. "But since when does Hoss kiss a friend?" Her father stilled and tilted his head. She nodded.
"Annie … that girl out there … I don't think she knows what she wants. To push Hoss into … this could end badly."
"He was going to go after her even without me saying a word. I just encouraged him to do what he wanted to do in the first place."
"Maybe so. But if she leaves …"
"We've all dealt with that at one time or another." Her fingers tightened on her napkin. "If she leaves, Hoss will heal."
"But you don't think she'll leave."
"No," she said softly. "Not unless outside forces make her leave."
"Murray." Annie nodded.
"He ever finds out she was arrested after Brinker's Ford, he'll be a hundred times more venomous than he is now."
Horses rode into the yard and her father frowned. "Who could that be at this hour?" Annie took a drink of her water and shrugged.
"I'm sure we'll find out as soon as they pound on the door." They waited a few moments, but no one knocked, nor did it sound like anyone bothered to approach the house. Ben frowned and pushed his chair back.
"I'm going to go find out what's going on." He crossed the room and opened the door, staring out into the night. "Murray," he hissed under his breath, and stalked outside. Annie heaved a sigh and sat back in her chair. Three guesses as to why he'd showed up this late, and the first two didn't count.
"What did he want this time?" she called over her shoulder when the door swung open almost ten minutes later.
"I'm sure Hoss will explain shortly, but in the meantime, we have cause to celebrate." Ben sounded flustered. "Hop Sing!" She turned around in her chair and found him smiling broadly. Beside him, Hoss' face was set in tight lines that had just barely begun to fade. Footsteps shuffled up to the kitchen doorway and Hop Sing appeared.
"Mistah Ben need something?"
"The champagne from the cellar, and four glasses, quickly!" Hope Sing frowned in confusion but hurried to collect the bottle.
"What happened?" Annie stood and made her way over to her brother. "Where's Erin? Did you –" His face reddened.
"Well, it wasn't how I planned to ask, but … Murray just got me so stirred up I went and said it." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "She's out in the barn, said she'd be along in a minute."
"And she accepted?" He nodded, a bashful grin pulling at his mouth, and she threw her arms around his neck. "I knew it!" Her heart skipped a beat. That was one hurdle crossed, but it was still a long way to the altar.
Erin walked inside a couple of minutes later and smiled shyly when they clapped and Ben handed her a glass of champagne. "Thank you, Mr. Cartwright."
"Pa," he corrected.
"Of course." But she couldn't seem to bring herself to say it yet. Annie watched her over the rim of her glass. Something was still bothering the woman, but what? Did it have to do with that prophecy she'd mentioned a couple times over the past week and a half? Or was it just Murray being Murray? Erin looked up and their eyes met. The other woman nodded once, and Annie knew she'd get her answers soon enough.
"You were right." Erin brushed her hair slowly, staring at her reflection in the polished mirror. "His temper is most fearsome when it's finally provoked into showing itself. I don't know how far he would have gone had your father not shown up when he did." Their eyes met in the mirror and Erin's gaze turned frantic. "Murray, I mean, your brother doesn't have a violent bone in his body, he only does what he must to protect." Her eyes were haunted. "But Murray would have shot him … right there in your own barn without a care in the world for the consequences." A chill shot down Annie's spine and she suppressed a shiver. "I grabbed a buggy whip and pulled his legs out from under him … the hate in his eyes for the both of us … I've never seen the like, even from the soldiers after Brinker's Ford." Erin turned in her chair. "How can he feel that way towards the son of his friend?"
"I don't know. He's always been somewhat irrational, but after he lost his brother … he just … lost it, I guess."
"There's no reasoning with a man like that, Anne." Erin's voice was brittle. "I'm afraid all I've done is cause your family trouble."
"No." Annie grabbed her hand and squeezed. "I've never seen Hoss so happy, ever. He loves you. I think if you ever left, he'd walk across the country barefoot if that's what it took to find you again. Murray's friendship isn't worth losing that." Erin gave her a watery smile and raised her brush again. Annie bit her lip and thought a moment before she gave it voice. "What's the prophecy?" Erin's hand stilled mid-stroke and her eyes darkened. Annie wasn't sure she would answer for the longest time, then, finally, she sighed and set down her brush.
"An old medicine man told me I was born to fight and die for the Indians."
"And you believe that?"
"Once I might have." Her eyes were distant. "But, now I'm not so sure."
"I wouldn't worry about it. It was probably an old man rambling to hear himself talk." So why was she nervous at the very thought? Hoss had suffered too many losses over the years, they all had, and she wasn't going to let an old – possibly drunk, who knew – man mess things up now.
"I hope you're right."
"We need to move the cattle to the lower pastures before winter sets in," Ben said as he pulled on his gloves on the way out of the house. "We can cut out the cattle for Bear Hunter while we're at it. Erin, you up to riding out?"
"After two weeks indoors, I'm more than ready." Her smile lit up her face and Hoss smiled with her. Joe and Candy had been overjoyed when they rode in the other night, immediately setting in to tease him, which Hoss had taken in his usual good-natured way.
They were preparing to mount up when Candy flew into the yard and slid the Honeycomb gelding to a halt. "Mr. Cartwright!" He was surrounded in seconds. "We got big trouble. Murray told his crew he was going to hand-pick some men and get the Paiutes –"
"Pa, he knows where that camp is," Hoss interrupted. "I got to get out there."
"Go. Candy, you and I will go to Murray's place, we'll pick up Joe on the way. If he's already gone, we'll meet you at the camp." They leaped into their saddles and Annie found she wasn't the only one eyeing Erin with unease.
"Maybe you'd better stay here," Hoss said nervously, and she knew he was thinking of that stupid prophecy.
"They wouldn't be out there if it weren't for me," she shot back as she reined her horse alongside Hoss. He nodded once and that seemed to be the end of it. Annie booted Reno forward.
"I'm coming with you." Hoss nodded again and they galloped out of the yard.
It was a simple matter to follow the gunfire through the rocky high country, but not quite so simple to reach the Paiutes when faced with the small string of Murray's men perched on a cliff. Annie ducked low and followed her brother and Erin as they pulled up next to the huddled Indians. One brave lay on the ground, clutching his leg, and the rest returned fire, not that it was doing them much good from their current position.
"How many?" Hoss called out, and Bear Hunter raised his head, still clutching his wound.
"I count four."
"Yeah."
"Four men, four rifles, and bullets to waste," he continued. "Before you came, we were three, with two rifles."
"And now we are six, with five rifles," Erin said, the grim determination in her voice bringing Annie's head around.
"We'll be nine before too long. Pa, Joe, and Candy are on the way." Bear Hunter studied her carefully.
"If they do not come soon, they will find only bodies."
"I know what you mean," Hoss muttered and glanced around, his gaze lighting on a rocky ridge behind them. "If they got a man up there, they'd have us in their sights." Bear Hunter nodded grimly.
"They will get one up there."
"But if we got someone up there," Annie said slowly, her mind connecting the dots, "we'd have them in the same position." Hoss licked his lips.
"I'm gonna try for it." He pushed off the rocks and Erin moved to stop him.
"Hoss! They'll kill you." She grabbed his sleeve and Annie saw his eyes soften. He swallowed hard.
"That's what they're trying to do now." He nudged her back under cover. "Stay here." He took off running, scrambling through the rocks while bullets pinged off the stones around him. Erin gave him cover fire until her rifle emptied. Annie bit her lip and mentally weighed her weapon. Not many left. She looked to Erin and their eyes met, anguish filling those gray orbs.
Bear Hunter managed to gain his feet and slowly made his way to Erin. "You care for him," he said, each word sounding like he'd just discovered it.
"Yes, I care for him." She looked back to Hoss now burrowed behind a rocky ledge. "I could have ridden for help."
"He would never let you do that. I think he fears the prophecy." Erin's gaze swung back to the brave, and a chill shot down Annie's spine. She wouldn't dare … "And I think you fear it." Erin's head was shaking in denial, but he continued as though she hadn't moved. "You left the Sioux and the Paiute because of it."
"No! It was an old man's mutterings with no more meaning than the wind!" She whipped around, spitting a command in Paiute, and the other brave jumped up and ran for the horses. "I'm going to divert their fire." He led Erin's black gelding towards them and Annie jumped up. She pushed the brave out of the way and leaped onto the horse before Erin could react. The animal shied sideways, but she held her seat easily and booted the horse out of cover, rifle draped over her lap.
"Annie, go back! Annie!" She put Hoss' call out of her mind and concentrated on presenting as small a target as possible. She might not be Indian, or part-Indian, but Candy had taught her a few things he'd learned over the years. She slipped the rifle into the scabbard on the run and slid over the far side, clinging to the saddle, one foot braced hard against the stirrup. If she fell, there would be no making it to cover before a hailstorm of lead found her.
Bullets ricocheted off nearby rocks and cut into the dirt at the horse's feet. Then, the trail curved out of range and the gunfire faded as they turned their attention back to easier targets. She clambered back up into the saddle and pulled the horse around, scanning for a way up to come at them from behind. It had almost worked for Angel Montana, and it could work for them now.
Her gaze found what she needed and she jumped off the horse, praying it wouldn't flee making her buy a new one for her soon to be sister-in-law, collected the almost empty rifle, and scrambled carefully up the rocky cliff.
She didn't think they would hear her over the gunfire, but she still took her time, until at last, she wiggled into position directly behind Murray and his three – no, two, now – men. She raised the rifle and stepped out of cover. "Drop 'em!" The men froze, Murray twisting slowly to give her such a dark look of hatred it sent a shiver down her spine. She leveled the rifle at his chest and stared back evenly, her heart pounding in dread.
"You heard her, Murray," her brother shouted across the narrow canyon. "Drop it!" Disgust on his face, the older man bent at the waist and set his rifle on the ground, rising up slowly, his hand reaching for –
Time slowed as his pistol cleared leather and her mind scrambled to realize that he was actually going to do it. Hoss shouted something, but she couldn't hear it for the blood roaring in her ears. He was her father's friend … "… you're gonna end up on the wrong side of the ground." She forced herself to pull the trigger.
Murray spun on his feet and collapsed to the rocks. Her rifle suddenly felt like it weighed as much as a steer, and it fell from her hands. White heat spread across her chest and her knees buckled, Hoss' agonized scream barely reaching her ears as the world faded to black.
"Annie! Annie, come on now, you ain't allowed to do this. Come on, please, for old Hoss, please, Annie!"
Fire scorched its way through her chest and she moaned as her vision returned, Erin's face swimming into focus. "Easy, now, sister, easy." Her head was cradled in the woman's lap and Hoss was crouched beside her, hands pressing a spare shirt to the wound. Stabbing pains flared and she gasped on a shaky breath, her brother's face going dark as he shook his head.
"Come on, we'll get you home and you'll be just fine, you hear?" She breathed out a laugh and her chest tightened. How many times had they said that over the years to how many dying people?
"You know better than that," she whispered, another pain stealing the breath from her lungs. Erin's hands smoothed her sweat-damp hair off her face.
"It's not that bad, sister, it's not." Her voice was thick and she drew in a sharp breath. "Tell her, Hoss."
"It ain't, sis, it can't be. You leave us and you'll take a third of old Candy's friends away from him, you know that, right?" His eyes were red and glistening. "Dadburnit, that man would kill me if I let something happen to you. And I don't even want to think about Little Joe." His face drained of what little color remained. "God, what's Pa gonna do?"
"It was my choice," she choked on a gasp and reached for his hand. His fingers squeezed hers and she bit her lip. "You never told me how much it hurt …" Her brother's face twisted as Bear Hunter approached, sorrow in his eyes. He said something in Paiute, but Erin didn't look inclined to translate, even if she had the strength to ask for it.
"We are making a travois," he continued in English. "Any of our ponies will pull it."
"Hurry." Hoss sounded desperate.
"Hoss?" Her father's confused voice reached her ears, but only just. With effort, she turned her head, found him, Joe, and Candy sitting horseback a few dozen feet away; his face drained of color and he swayed. "ANNIE!" He jumped off his horse and ran, skidding and slipping on rocks until he was at her side, Joe right behind him. "Candy, get Doc Martin, now!" Their foreman was almost to her; he slid to a stop, agonized indecision flooding his eyes. Go, please. His throat worked and his shoulders heaved. He stared at her face like he was committing it to memory, then turned and bolted for his horse, scrambling into the saddle and galloping away at a dead run. "Annie, please … God, You can't take her from me … please, don't take her." Ben's voice broke and a tear slipped down his cheek, landing on her face. He clutched her hand and kept praying, but his words ran together, their faces spinning slowly above her.
"Sis, come on, you can't do this to me." Joe touched her shoulder, his eyes red. "Come – come on, please." He swallowed hard, tears slipping down his cheeks. "You're not the one who does this, that's – that's my job." She tried to say something, but her tongue wouldn't listen. The world blurred and disappeared as consciousness fled.
Two and a half days. Candy stared at the tall clock against the wall with haunted eyes and scrubbed shaking hands over his face, stubble rasping against his skin. He wanted to hold her, to promise that everything would be alright.
Would she even hear him?
He buried his face in his hands and drew in a sharp breath. God, when they'd ridden up … he hadn't wanted to believe … then, their eyes had met and his heart had stopped. He'd been off his horse before he realized he was moving, only to be brought back to reality by his employer's call.
Even then, he wouldn't have gone, gutted by fear he'd never see her alive again, but then, she'd turned to him with a wordless plea he'd only seen once before, and he'd found the strength to ride away.
"Are you alright?" Erin's soft voice brought his head up. She carried a tray of food that she set down on the center table and took a seat beside him, her hand resting on his shoulder.
"No," he said hoarsely.
"Doc Martin said if she could last the night –"
"That was days ago!" He shot off the settee and stormed around the room, the desperate need to move outweighing all else, his heart slamming against his ribs hard enough to choke him.
"At least I knew they weren't after me for my money." Dear God how could he have said that, even in anger? He'd never forget the way her face had drained of color and pain had flooded her eyes before she'd managed to cloak it behind her usual mask.
He scraped a hand over his face. She'd only snapped back because she'd been hurt, no different than a trapped animal, no different than him. He knew she'd already forgiven him, but guilt still choked him whenever he thought about it.
"She loves you, Candy." Lisa's quiet declaration drifted in like a ghost. He'd laughed it off, explained about Postley, but she hadn't been deterred, insisting she was right, and sending him away with a dare on her lips: "Ask her."
He couldn't do that, she was a friend, the best one he'd ever had in his life. If Lisa was wrong … how much would he lose when Mr. Cartwright found out? He'd been around enough ranchers to know they didn't cotton to penniless cowhands falling for their daughters.
"Candy …" Erin rose from the settee and stopped him in front of the fireplace with a hand on his arm. "I think you should –" A door closed upstairs and they froze until Hoss rounded the corner and started down the stairs.
"There you are." His face was lined, and his eyes were still red. "I'm hoping Pa will eat a mite, but I ain't gonna hold my breath none."
"I'm sorry, Hoss." Erin's voice broke and the big man's face crumpled as he took her in his arms.
"You ain't got nothing to be sorry about. Ain't nothing in this world could have stopped her once she set her mind to do it."
"But I warned her about Murray! She knew what he'd already done." Tears streamed down the woman's face and she buried her head in Hoss' neck, sobs shaking her frame. His friend rubbed her back and shushed her softly.
"Shh, darling, I know. I know."
"But I don't." Her voice was muffled and thick. "Why would she do it?"
"Cause she wants us to be happy and she's seen too much to take chances."
"But, I'm not worth it, Hoss!" His friend eyed him, then the discarded tray.
"You want to take that on up to Pa? I'm gonna stay down here with Erin for a while." Candy snatched up the tray and ran upstairs before Hoss could change his mind. A part of him resented being the foreman, the only one of them who left each morning to give the hands their orders. It was his job, and it had to be done, the Ponderosa didn't shut down because a Cartwright was injured, he knew that, but it still stung that he had to leave and they didn't. No matter how quick he was, the overwhelming fear that he would be greeted by death upon his return swallowed him whole every time.
How could a drifter be so attached to one place, much less one person? For so long, he'd told himself he didn't need friends, and now he knew how wrong he'd been.
The door creaked open and two sets of eyes glanced up, then returned to the motionless form in the bed. Doc Martin didn't bother to look up from his pocket watch, his fingers wrapped around her wrist. "She's holding on, Ben. I wish I had better news, but I don't."
"I'm glad Murray's dead," Joe hissed in a monotone. "I swear I'd kill him if he wasn't." He picked her hand up when Doc lowered it back to the bed and squeezed her limp fingers.
"Joe, that's not –"
"I don't care, Pa!" The youngest Cartwright looked up with murder in his eyes. "He was your friend, how could he do that? I could lose my sister because of his hatred for the Paiutes! I wish Hoss had never made any deals with them."
"The Paiutes didn't shoot her, Joe." Ben's voice was stern, but Candy was through listening. She was so pale and still … He set the tray down when Doc nodded at a table against the wall and turned back to the bed, wishing he could sit with her a while. "If it weren't for Bear Hunter, she would have never made it back to the house."
"I know, Pa, it's just …" Joe scraped a hand over his face. "I don't know what to do." His voice broke. "Ma said it was my job to protect her."
"If you two are going to have a family lecture, do it downstairs so you don't disturb her. Candy can stay with her for a while." Doc Martin nodded at the tray. "When was the last time you ate anything, either one of you? You won't do Annie any good if you lack the strength to stand up."
"But –"
"Paul's right, son." Ben stood and relinquished her hand with a gentle squeeze. "We'll be back." The two Cartwrights left the room and Doc turned to him with knowing eyes.
"Go on, son." Numb, he settled into Joe's chair and took her hand. "I'm not gonna lie, Candy, it's bad, but the longer she can hold on, the better. I think knowing you're there will help."
"We're friends, Doc."
"Yes, I know. I also know how many times she sat beside your bed, wearing the same look on her face that you have now."
"I'm not jealous, Pa! Why do you all insist I am? I just don't want him to make a mistake and be stuck with her for the rest of his life and end up miserable." He might have agreed with him, but not after he'd overheard that, and not after what he'd said. "No." He reached out a hand and brushed his thumb over her cheek. "She doesn't feel that way, Doc."
"Do you?"
"It doesn't matter, alright?" No matter how much he wanted to ask, how much he needed to hear someone say in complete honesty they loved him, he'd never do it. He couldn't lose the friendship he'd gained, the home he'd found, just to salve old wounds.
The memory of a moment in the high country seared his chest. What would have happened if that blasted deer hadn't shown up? Just another few inches …
Doc opened his mouth, then seemed to think otherwise, and settled into another chair with a book and began to read in silence. Candy squeezed her hand, his heart breaking. Why couldn't he have been born a rancher's son? Maybe then he'd have had a chance. He shifted in the chair and pain in his shoulder made him wince.
Why couldn't it have been him instead? He'd take a hundred bullets if it meant she never had to take one.
How long had it been since he realized he cared more than he should? Los Robles? The padre had been horrified that night, almost like he knew what was going through his head when they'd heard that gun hand bragging. He'd been treated like some kind of saint for not turning tail and running away, but how could he have done that?
Stillwater? She'd come after him like a mountain lion, throwing an entire town into disarray, but that was hardly new; she'd done it more times than he could count, dating all the way back to Olympus.
A darkened jail cell drifted out of the past and he shuddered. Annie had never broken like that before. Always the problem solver, the cool head, the …
She hadn't even heard him, despite all the noise he'd made to wake Sheriff Coffee up and beg his way inside. They'd walked right up to the bars and she'd been so lost she hadn't known it. Had it been then, the moment she trusted him enough to break completely, knowing he'd never tell a soul how afraid she was? He brushed his thumb over her limp fingers.
Was it when they thought they'd lost little Sam to the river? Her grief over a child she hadn't even wanted anything to do with in the first place had left him wanting to dive into the dark waters, over and over, until he found the little girl.
The memory of her in his arms felt like a kick in the gut. There'd been so few times he could hold her without raising eyebrows, not that it had stopped that old bat in town. He swallowed hard. She had to know he hadn't really meant it … they'd both had tempers flaring that day. He'd promised her that a woman would never come between them … had his heart known the truth when he made that promise?
Please, God, if you let her live … he'd never ask for more, never betray the feelings he'd been hiding for so long he'd forgotten when they changed. Maybe it was Postley, everything seemed to tie back to that mine shaft. She hadn't judged him when he'd lost his mind and tried to blow them both up with the fake dynamite. She'd held him as he cried … to this day no one else knew what he'd done, she'd never breathed a word.
"Please … sweetheart, wake up." His voice broke. I need you. Only the Cartwrights had accepted him as he was, no questions asked nor strings attached. Though he'd tacked on some of his own, hadn't he? "Annie, please, you can't give up, you're the best friend I've ever had." If she died, he'd lose everything. "God, please …" He brought her hand up and kissed her fingers. "Please …"
A faint sound pulled him up straight. Her eyes fluttered. "Doc?" The man was beside him in an instant.
"Keep talking, I'll get Ben and the boys." He left the room in a rush and Candy seized his chance, need winning out over all else.
"I … I love you." No sooner had he gotten the words out than the room was filled with Cartwrights again and he became one voice among many pleading for her to wake up. Her eyes finally opened and she looked around in confusion, somehow latching onto his face. He smiled even as his heart shattered. He'd made a promise, and he would honor it.
No matter how much he still wanted to know if Lisa was right.