Missing

By Gail G.

Rating: PG (There is a curse word used)

Disclaimer: I do not own the Cartwright Characters.

Special Thanks to Marion for her wonderful beta-read. Once again her help was invaluable.

"Adam, ya know we would have got that deer, if’n ya hadn’t yelled." Hoss rode slowly beside his oldest brother, as we headed home.

Adam sighed for the hundredth time. "Hoss. . .I was being attacked by a swarm of bees. Did you think I could actually be quiet!"

"Dang it Adam, next time you need to go, you need to watch where you’re getting ready to-"

"Erik! That’s enough out of both of you. Don’t make me stop my horse, and straighten this out." I yelled, letting my two sons know I had enough of their constant bickering.

"Yes, Pa." Hoss answered, quickly.

When I didn’t hear a response from Adam, I slowed my horse and glanced over my shoulder. "Adam? You heard what I said, didn’t you?"

Adam’s head snapped up. "Yes, Pa."

"Good. It wasn’t anyone’s fault that we weren’t able to bag a deer this time. We did get that turkey, and I’m sure Hop Sing will be pleased with that." I turned back around, so I was watching the trail in front of me.

What had I been thinking, when I decided to take Adam and Hoss on a camping trip? Well, I know what I had planned. I was hoping to be able to spend some time with my two oldest sons. We have been so busy this spring, that I had almost forgotten the importance of fatherly time with my boys. Joseph is easiest to appease, I spent all of last weekend with him fishing. That’s why he wasn’t allowed to join us on this trip. It was going to be just me and my two oldest sons. Fishing, hunting, and camping. I had no warning that it was actually going to be a bickering war between my middle and oldest son.

The boys finally quit fighting, and instead started discussing what would need to be done once we reached the house.

As we slowly trotted in the yard, I had an odd feeling come over me. I held up my hand to silence the boys. "Be quiet." I said, more harshly than I meant.

There was an instant silence, as I strained to listen closely.

Hoss must have leaned forward in his saddle, because his voice was close to my ear when he whispered.

"What’s wrong, Pa?" He asked, he spoke so low, it sounded like the hiss of a snake.

I drew my horse to a stop, and glanced quickly around the yard. There was too much out of place for things to be normal. A group of chickens scratched at the dry earth in front of the dwindling woodpile, the barn door was flapping in the wind, and the most disturbing thing of all was the complete silence. There were no sounds from the horses, cows, or even the birds in the trees. Usually you could hear the clanking of the pans in the house while Hop Sing prepared the meals. But, most of all, I couldn’t hear the sound of Joseph’s voice floating out of the window.

There was something amiss, but I was unsure what it was. I reached down and grabbed my rifle. The scratching sound I heard told me the boys did the same. I wasn’t sure if they could also sense that things were not right, or if they were following my lead. No matter the reason, the earlier fussing had been put aside, as we slid off our horses.

I pointed to Adam, and then to the right side of the house. I silently directed Hoss to the barn, I myself was going to slip onto the front porch and see if there was anyone inside.

Adam carefully scurried away, as Hoss bent low and hurried to the barn. He stood slightly hidden behind the barn door, just enough that he wasn’t right in view, but if he needed to shoot there would be a good aim.

Stepping carefully onto the porch, I crouched below the window. I sat for a few moments trying to hear any movement, or noise from inside the house. Slowly I raised myself so that I could see inside. The first glimpses of what I saw caused my heart to flip, and my mind race. I quickly stepped over to the door and kicked it open, jumping in the house like a wild man.

"If anyone is here, you better show yourselves!" I yelled.

When I heard no one, I headed for the bunkroom, ever so carefully pushing the door open with the tip of my gun. Again, I found no one, not even my son, or my friend, Hop Sing.

A muffled noise caught my attention as I started on my way to my room. I stepped into the newly built kitchen, taking caution as to what I may find.

What I found scared me all the way to the tip of my toes.

"HOP SING!!" I ran over to the man tied up in the corner. I untied him quickly, and took the gag out of his mouth.

"Joe. . .Joe. . ." Were the only words, my friend could sputter.

By now, Hoss and Adam had entered the house. Adam grabbed the empty bucket, and headed outside to fetch some fresh water.

"Calm down, Hop Sing. What about, Joe?" I tried to sound calm, but in reality I wanted to know where my youngest son was.

********

"They. . .Joe. . ." Hop Sing once again tried to get the words from his parched lips.

"Here, Pa! Here’s the water." Adam said, sploshing the contents of the bucket on to the hardwood floors.

I lifted the ladle, and helped Hop Sing drink his fill. "Hop Sing, what happened? Where is, Joseph?"

At last Hop Sing muttered the words I was dreading to hear. "The men. . .that mess up house, and rob us. They took Joe away." Hop Sing fell on my shoulder, and started to weep.

For a moment I was in complete shock, I patted Hop Sing’s back trying to comfort the young man. Adam and Hoss stood close by, worry etched on their faces. Once Hop Sing was calm, Adam helped me carry him over to the settee.

Hoss was looking through the mess that was strewn throughout the house seeing if by chance he could find some type of clue. Just something that would explain why someone stole my son from me, who they might be, and what exactly they want.

Hop Sing had finally pulled himself together enough to answer some questions. I needed to find out what had transpired, so I could decide what the next steps would be.

Taking a deep breath, tears streaming down his face, Hop Sing began to tell us what had taken place after we had left on our hunting trip.

"Me and Joe, in yard, doing chores. We hear horses coming, and I think you must have forgot something, you come back for it. But, when I look up it is two men on horses. They draw guns on us, and tell us to get in house." Hop Sing sniffed, wiping away a tear that was dripping from his chin.

The young Chinese man shook his head. "I do not understand, Mr. Cartwright. We do everything men say, and they still take boy away."

"Hop Sing, please. . .please tell me what happened." I placed my hand on my friends shoulder, and somehow my touch gave him strength.

He nodded as Hoss, Adam, and I sat like an audience in a theater waiting for the main act. "We come. . .come in house. They say they want money, for me to give what we have. I try to tell them, we have no money. They yell that I am lying, that they know that there must be money here someplace. That when they start tearing up the house. Little Joe and I watch as they tear up things, turn over furniture, and strip beds in search of a treasure that is not here. When they find nothing, they whisper in the corner, while I keep Joe close to me."

‘Get us some supplies together!’ The older of the two men yelled. I didn’t want Joe to be in room by himself with bad men, so I take him into kitchen with me. I hurry and gather supplies for men, hoping that once I give them what they want they will go away. Little Joe helped me put coffee, flour, sugar, fresh bread, and some canned goods in an empty crate. We then carry crate and set it on dining room table. That is when I feel sharp pain in my head, and all went dark. Somewhere in my darkness, I hear Joe screaming. He tell men that they can’t take him, and that if they do--his. . .his Pa will come find them. After that, I remember nothing. I wake up next morning, tied up, and gagged. I pray that you get home soon, and that Joe is all right. I was afraid that we would find little boy. . .dead, in house." Hop Sings sobs increased, as he lowered his head in his hands.

"It’s not your fault, Hop Sing. You did everything you could. You say this happened on Saturday morning, after we left? How long after we left?" I stood up and started to pace the room. I needed to sort through some answers, so I could prepare myself for a hunt, like no other.

"No more than three hour after you leave." Hop Sing began. "I know something else."

"What is it?" I stood, and waited patiently.

"I know what men look like." Hop Sing said, a serious expression on his face.

It had not occurred to me that Hop Sing knew what these men looked like. At the time, I was only worrying about Joe.

"Can you ride to town, Hop Sing? We need to get help, men to help us find Joseph. It would take too many precious minutes, for me to send Adam to town to fetch the sheriff. It would be wiser if we rode together. " Do you think you can do it?"

"I do anything for Little Joe." Hop Sing said, holding his head high.

"Adam, find some bandages for Hop Sing’s head, and see if our intruders left us any ammunition. Hoss, start gathering what supplies we have left. Once you’ve finished that, take a look around, and make a list of anything that is missing. I’ll go saddle a horse for Hop Sing, and take care of our horses. They need to rest a bit before we start to town." I headed for the door. Adam grabbed my arm, causing me to stop in my tracks.

"We’re going to find him, Pa." Adam said, his blue eyes glistening with the beginning of unshed tears.

I placed my hand on his. "I know we are son, now let’s move. I don’t want to let those men get too far."

"That’s one good thing, Pa." Hoss chuckled.

I frowned at my middle son. "What’s that?"

"If they’re traveling with, Joe. They ain’t gettin’ far, you know how he drags along when he wants to."

"That’s the truth, Pa." Adam said, his voice filled worry.

"He’s alive, boys, and we will find him." I snapped, and then regretted it. "What I mean is we have to think positive. That’s the only way we’ll survive. Please go do as I asked. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to ride."

On that note, I went outside to take care of our mounts. As I cared for our animals I was thankful that we had not rode them hard today, yet regretful that I had not hurried. I was torn between wanting to hunt those men down and strangling them with my bare hands, or letting them live long enough to be punished by the law.

Hoss searched the house for clues, and when I went back inside, he gave me a long list of things that we no longer had. The men had taken most of our food, and supplies. The ammunition that we had left behind was also missing. Thankfully, we had most of the ammunition with us. Hoss informed me that they had even taken my father’s pistol, which caused my anger to flare. After I calmed down, I started to laugh a bit.

"What’s so funny, Pa?" Hoss asked, confused.

"Those men are in for a surprise when they try to use your grandfather’s gun. Adam broke the trigger a few years back, and I haven’t had it repaired, yet."

"He did? Ya did?" Hoss said, turning and looking at his older brother who was turning cherry red.

"Never mind, Hoss. That was along time ago, and I learned never to touch things that didn’t belong to me the hard way." Adam said, absently rubbing the seat of his pants.

"I bet you did brother." Hoss patted Adam on the back.

"Do we have every thing? Hop Sing, are you ready? Are you sure you can make it? I saddled Paint for you, the wagon would take longer."

"Horse fine, Mr. Cartwright. I feeling much better now. Let’s go save Little Joe." Hop Sing barreled through us, and headed outside. He was on Paint before any of us were able to step outside. I secured the house before we left, and closed the barn door. Someone would come out to the ranch to care for the rest of the animals while I searched. I mounted Buck, and as we rode away, I glanced back at our home wondering if my youngest son would ever see it again.

It seemed to take days for us to reach town, even though in all likelihood we made good time. Once we arrived we alerted all our friends to what had happened. An emergency meeting was called at the town hall, so we could get a posse together. Sheriff Coffee was out of town on some business in Hangtown, and wouldn’t be back for a couple more weeks. Even if we sent someone to fetch him, he would never arrive in time to save my son. It was decided that we wanted to do our search in a law-abiding way, but the safety of Joseph was the most important. All the men who would be going on the hunt agreed that there would be no vigilante hanging.

"Order. . .order. . !!" Eli yelled, to the crowd. "We must hear what Hop Sing has to say. He is the only one that saw the men, and their horses. He will have important information, in helping us find young Joseph."

Hop Sing stood, and carefully walked to the front of the room. For the second time that day he told the tale of what had happened, this time giving detailed descriptions of the men, and the mounts they had been riding.

"The Trading Post will donate the supplies needed for this hunt, Ben. Go take what ever you need. I also think that some men should remain in town, in case the duo decides to backtrack. We will need protection here." Eli reasoned.

"Of course, and thank you for the supplies, Eli." I replied, as I counted the heads of the volunteers in the room. "There are enough men that we can split into five groups of four. The ones not picked for the search party will be asked to remain in town, in case the culprits return here."

There was sputtering from some of the men, but when it came down to picking out the groups, no one wasted time protesting. The importance of the mission out weighed any disagreements between them.

Hop Sing wanted to be part of my group, but I insisted that he stay in town. Shelby was afraid that he might have a slight concussion. Ruth offered for Hop Sing to say in their extra room above the store. I knew that Ruth would mother hen Hop Sing to death. In a way I almost felt sorry for him, that type of attention is sometimes a bit more irritating, than helpful.

Finally we were all ready to go. Adam, Hoss, and Big Dan were in my group. I had wanted Hoss to stay with Hop Sing, but one look at the worry in his eyes and I didn’t have the heart to tell him ‘no’."

We all led our horses to the edge of town, before mounting we said a silent prayer. We were now finally on our way. . .on our way to find the devil himself.

"Pa. . .I think I found something, over here." Hoss called out from a short distance from us.

As we approached him, Chubb was prancing around in small circles. Hoss was pointing to something on the ground in front of a small grouping of bushes.

"What is it, son?" Stopping Buck in front of the area Hoss was pointing to, I dismounted and walked over to the bush. Big Dan joined me within a few minutes, and together we studied the piece of cloth that was waving in the wind.

"It’s part of Joe’s shirt." I plucked the cloth off the branch. I closed my eyes, and rubbed the cloth between my fingers. My thoughts spiraled back to the day that I had given Joe the very shirt he was wearing at the moment.

"Pa?" Adam’s voice broke into my thoughts.

I jerked. "Yes, son."

"We’re on the right trail. Are you ready to move on?"

Setting my feelings to the side I nodded. I went over to Buck and pulled myself onto his back. "Let’s ride."

Again we were on our way, slowly watching the trail for any signs. Another piece of cloth, a broken branch, anything would be fine with me. At least we would know we were going in the right direction.

"Pa!" The alarm in Hoss’ face set a shiver through me.

"Yes, Hoss? What is it son? Did you find another piece of Joe’s shirt?" I asked, in a calm voice, even though my heart was in my throat.

Hoss blinked a few times. "No, Pa. It’s a. . .a. . .puddle of blood."

*****

I slowly trotted my horse closer to Chubb. "It doesn’t belong to your brother."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT!!" Hoss yelled. "You ain’t got know way of knowin’, anymore than me or Adam. Pa. . .it’s been three days now. Do you think we’ll ever find them?"

"I know, because I’m your father. It’s a feeling I have, Erik, one that only a parent has. Just like. . .like when you tell me a lie. I know that you’re lying even before you finish your sentence, and of course we’ll find your brother, alive and well."

Hoss looked down at the hardened earth. "I’m sorry, Pa. I’m just worried."

"We all are, Hoss. I think we need to find a place to make camp. Daniel? Where do you suggest?" I asked.

Big Dan surveyed the area for a moment. "I think under that over hang would be a good spot. Will protect us, if’n it was to start raining."

"Let’s go then. I think we could all use a goodnight’s sleep." I waved my hand, and we all headed to the area Big Dan had picked out.

It was a godsend that we had ended up under that over hang. It was very apparent that someone had camped there just a day or two before. There was even a possibility that the camp had been used last night.

Hoss shifted through the ashes, hoping to find something. Adam and I searched the area, like we were looking for a needle in a haystack. Daniel did a search of the outside perimeter.

"Pa! Pa! Look at this! Joe is leaving us clues!" Adam shouted, as he ran his hand over some carved letters in the rock.

"What’s it say?" Hoss asked, as he plotted over to the scene.

A smile spread across Adam’s face. "It says Francis C. was here."

"Who’s that? Joe’s name is. . .well Joe." Hoss stated.

I also was grinning. "It’s a way of leaving a sign, Hoss, that the men wouldn’t be concerned about. Joe used his middle name. That way they wouldn’t think anymore about him scratching around on the rock."

"You were right, Pa. He is alive, for now."

Daniel arrived back at the camp a few minutes later. "They have two horses, Ben. I found their tracks not far from here. It looks like one of the horses are injured, that’s probably where the blood came from that we seen earlier."

"Thank God." It felt like ten pounds had been lifted from my shoulders.

"We’re gettin’ closer, Ben." Dan announced as he started a pot of coffee. "The tracks are too fresh for them to be that far ahead. I think we’ll find them within the next day or two."

"I hope you’re right, Daniel. Boys, lets get this camp set up. You two can get the bedrolls ready, Daniel has started the coffee, and I’ll go get the rice out of my saddlebags.

"Hey, Pa? Can I sleep over here by were Joe carved his name?" Hoss sniffled. "I think it would make me feel. . .well. . .closer to ‘em."

"Of course you can, son." I whirled around, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to release themselves.

****

After taking the rice from my saddlebags, I started to boil some water. I wondered if Joseph was getting anything to eat, or drink, if he was warm, and safe. How, when we find him, will he ever get over the ordeal that he is suffering through?

"Ben? Ben?" Is someone saying my name? "Ben. . .hey BEN!" I lifted my head and focused my eyes.

"Yes, Daniel. I’m sorry, I was thinking."

Big Dan gave me a half smile. "Yeah, well you’re gonna burn the rice."

"Oh!" Picking up the wooden spoon, I hurried to stir the contents of the small pan. The rice was already starting to stick a bit, and the burnt smell lingered through the campsite.

Hoss moved over and looked down in the pan. I looked up to see his face scrunched up in disgust. "Uhhhh. . .Pa, I ain’t hungry tonight."

"It’s not burnt that bad, Hoss, and you need your strength." My middle son licked his lips.

"Really, Pa, I don’t mean no disrespect, but. . ."

"We’re all going to eat, and we will do it without complaining. Be thankful with what you have, Erik." My voice was harsh, and filled with an impatience.

"Yes, sir, Pa." Hoss said, passing me the four tin plates that Hop Sing had packed for us.

I scooped four large servings of the semi-burnt rice onto the dishes, and passed them around. Adam and Hoss picked at their food, but I didn’t hear any more complaints.

"Heck, Ben, this rice ain’t so bad." Big Dan said, putting a spoonful in his mouth. "Sure enough, I’ve done had me a heck of a lot worse."

"Thank you, Daniel. Boys eat up. When you’re done, it’s time to turn in. We have another long day ahead of us."

The boys hurried to eat their dinner, and neither asked for seconds. Once they rinsed their plates off in a small bucket of water, they laid down in their bedrolls, whispering things that I couldn’t hear.

It amazes me that even when you are as tired as I was right at that moment, that when you do finally get to lay down you can’t sleep a wink. Instead for the last few nights, I laid in the darkness listening to the sounds of natures.

I never realized before then, that there must be a million or more crickets that occupy this area. They play a sad lullaby every night in the darkness. That night the trees told of secrets that I wished I could understand, and the howling of a distant wolf caused the smaller animals to scramble to safety.

The sounds that I so much wanted to hear were not there at the moment. The voice of my youngest son is trapped within my mind, it echoes within my soul.

Morning came all too soon I don’t remember falling asleep, but I must have because, Adam was shaking me to wake me up.

Sitting up I rubbed the three-day growth on my chin, I wish I had remember to bring a razor. Looking around the camp I chuckled, even Hoss had the beginnings of a beard.

Hoss had the coffee ready, and he handed me a cup before I had time to get up.

"I think we need to head southwest today." Daniel pointed toward a copse of trees.

"You know, Pa. I don’t know why, but I think we are gonna find Joe today." Hoss said, chewing on a piece of beef jerky.

"I hope so, son." I hurried to drink my coffee, the sooner we move the sooner we find my youngest son. No more than twenty minutes later, we were once again on our way.

The day went by at a snail’s pace. We were trying to be careful as we rode, looking for any clues that we could find. I was starting to become overly frustrated when all at once the trail that we had been following suddenly ended.

"Daniel? Do you see anything at all?" I asked, still sitting atop my horse.

He bent down, and closely examined some marks in the dirt. "I don’t know which way they went, Ben."

"Damn." I cursed aloud. "How could we lose the trail? What do we do now?"

"We keep lookin’, Ben." Big Dan pulled himself back on his mount, and we slowly continued on.

I was dazed as we rode alone a small path. The splashing of the cool rain brought me back to my senses. It hit me in my face, causing me to blink the wetness from my eyes.

Hoss groaned behind me. "Pa, the rain will wash away the tracks."

"I know, son." At the moment the rain seemed like a disadvantage, however, it ended up being an answer from God himself.

****

If it had not started to rain, the small campfire a few miles away wouldn’t have been doused, thus causing the billowing of smoke that we could see from our location.

The four of us watched in awe as the dark line of smoke reached for the sky. Big Dan touched my shoulder. "Ben, I think we’ve found your son."

With a new excitement, I nudged Buck to move a bit faster. If Little Joe was where that fire was, we were going to find him, and find him today.

As we rode closer to our goal, I tried to prepare myself for what I may find. What if we found the men, but Joseph was no longer with them. What if they had beaten him, or he was hurt. What would I do if I found out they had in someway harm my son, or even worse killed him.

I tried to put those thoughts in the back of my mind. The best thing to do was to think positive, and hope for the best.

When we were within a quarter mile of the small, secluded campsite. We slid from our horses tying them to nearby trees.

"We need to walk the rest of the way." Dan said. "It’s real important that we keep it down. After we find out if Little Joe is there, we’ll meet back here. We’ll need to decide the best way to get Joseph back, without any harm coming to him. Remember, boys, don’t act to fast. Nice and slow is what we gotta do."

Hoss and Adam nodded at the instructions, as did I. Once we had all the small details worked out we began our long trek to the hiding place.

The stillness in the air was almost suffocating, the anticipation overwhelming. But we were going to do what needed to be done. As we came closer to a small clearing we could hear the two men talking. The voices were not yet clear enough to make out what the men were saying, it sounded like a bunch of mumbling.

However, when we were with in a few yards, we could hear them clear as church bells on Sunday morning.

Big Dan and I held up our hands, letting Adam and Hoss know to hang back a bit. We carefully peeked through the bushes scanning the campsite for important clues.

My heart sunk to my stomach when I didn’t see Joseph anywhere. I closed my eyes, placing my hand over my face.

"Here mister, here’s your water." A voice carried through the trees. I would know that voice anywhere. I quickly uncovered my eyes, and turned back toward the bushes.

There he was, plain as day, holding a bucket of water. His clothes were torn, and he was a bit dirty. . .well not a bit, he was plumb filthy, but nevertheless he was there.

"You know when my Pa finds ya. . .he’s gonna make ya pay for taking me from my home." Joe said, bitterly.

"Boy, ya daddy don’t even have no idea were ya are. We are so far hidden in these here woods, the chances that he will find ya are next to none. Now go over there, and sit down. Orville there needs to tie ya back up so ya won’t be tryin’ to run away again."

"Hey, Sly, why did we bring the kid with us again?" Orville asked, tying rope around Joe’s hands.

The man that was called Sly had a frustrated look on his face. "I done told ya, we can sell him in California. He can be somebody’s slave boy. He is doing a fine job for us."

Big Dan and I listed to the conversation for a while. We decided to turn and go back to our meeting spot. Once there we decided how to get Joe back, the most important thing was for Joe to be unharmed.

We planned a sneak attack. Adam would enter the campsite on the far side, grab Joe, and take him to safety. Big Dan, Hoss and I would barge into the area, taking the men captive before they knew what happened. The plan sounded simple enough, we were praying that it would be as easy as it sounds.

****

Adam carefully slithered through the brush like a rattlesnake tracking its prey. He had reached the area where Joe was sitting, and was getting ready to grab his brother, when we all heard a gun cock.

"Put your hands up." Sly ordered Adam.

It was now or never, we had to go in before the men ended up holding two of my sons hostage. Dan gave the signal, and we rushed the clearing like mad bulls.

"ADAM! JOSEPH! GET DOWN!!" I yelled, above the excitement.

The next thing I knew I heard a gunshot, then another. Someone ran through the ashes of the small fire, and dust was being lifted into the musty air.

I heard a scream, and at the moment couldn’t make out who it was.

"BEN!! We can stop now!" I heard Daniel’s voice somewhere amongst the chaos.

I lowered my rifle, and waited for the smoke to clear. It took a few minutes for me to realize what had happen. Two men laid in the dirt face down, neither looked as if there was a breath of life between them.

I hurried over to the men turning them over carefully. Relief washing over men when I realized that it was Orville and Sly.

Adam and Hoss stepped out of some bushes, neither of them sporting any type of injury. "Where’s Joseph?" My eyes frantically searched the campground.

Finally I spotted my young son lying on the ground hugging a small pine tree. I stepped slowly over to where he lay, placing my hand on his back. "Joseph? Joseph, it’s all over with."

He slowly turned his face around, the tears stains very noticeable. His face was so dirty I could see the direction each tear had went as it fell down my youngest sons cheeks.

"Joe?" I was full of concern.

"It’s. . .it’s. . .over?" Joe stammered. "I. . .I. . .can go home now?"

My heart constricted, as I smiled warmly. "We can all go home now, Little Joe."

I sat down on the hard ground, as Little Joe pulled himself to his knees. He fell into my arms, like a mighty pine falls to the earth.

He released a river of tears, and sobbed uncontrollably. "Pa. . .I. . .I. . ." Joe sniffed, and stuttered. "I missed you so much. Thank you for coming to get me."

I pulled my youngest away for a moment, wiping a tear away with my thumb. "You thought I would leave you?"

Joe shook his head, as he tried to suck in a breath of air. "No. . .I . . .didn’t think. . .you would be able. . .to find me."

I pulled my son into a warm embrace. "I would have searched to the end of the earth. Now. . .I think it’s time we headed home. What do you think, Little Joe?"

Joe laid his head on my shoulder, still sniffling as he did so. "Pa, home is the nicest word I’ve ever heard."

There are no words to describe the emotions I felt at that moment. Relief, happiness, contentment, concern, there were so many different feelings, I’m not sure where to start.

I held my son for the longest time. Once we were finished reuniting, his brothers gave him a welcome home greeting.

"Woooooo, Little Joe. . .you smell like. . .like. . .pond scum." Adam said, holding his nose.

Hoss shook his head in disagreement. "Naw, he smells more like. . .ummm. . .the outhouse."

Joe tried his best to look as if he were angry. "Well, I ain’t had no bath for days."

"Not to worry, Joseph." I chuckled. "We’ll take care of that first thing when we arrive back at the house."

Joe scrunched up his face at the thought of the anticipating bath, but the words he spoke told a different story. "I don’t care, I’ll take a hundred baths if’n it means I get to go home."

Adam laughed as Hoss shot his brother a huge toothy smile.

"Welcome back, Little brother." Adam said, ruffling Joe’s hair.

Big Dan finally came over to where we were. "What are we gonna do with them?" He pointed to the two dead men lying on the ground.

"We’ll take them back to town, and give them to Sheriff Coffee. He can decide what to do with them."

Big Dan nodded in agreement. "I’ll go get the bodies ready. Adam, you can come help."

My eldest son looked at me for my approval. I nodded my head, and he followed Big Dan over to the men.

While Adam and Daniel took care of the bodies, I had Hoss go through the things at the campsite. I took time and checked over every inch of my young son.

"Do you hurt anywhere? Did they hurt you in anyway at all?" I turned him around in circles, looking for any injuries.

Joe sighed. "I’m fine, Pa. I. . .I’m just a little hungry."

"We have some beef jerky in the saddle bags. That should tide you over for now."

"Hey Pa!" Hoss yelled from across the clearing. "I found Grandfather’s pistol."

"Good, son!" I called back.

Once the bodies where securely fastened to the men’s horses, we began to make our way back to where we had left our own mounts.

"Where’s Paint?" Joe asked.

"He’s in town with Hop Sing. You’re going to ride double with me, son." I untied Buck, and climbed on his back. Joe reached up his hand, and I slowly pulled him up behind me.

"Pa?" Joe’s voice spoke into my back.

I turned a bit so I could see him. "Yes, Joseph?"

"I was just wondering if. . .I . . .could. . .ummm. . .ride in front." Joe questioned.

"In front? I thought that was the baby way to ride?"

I felt Joe shrug his shoulders. "Can I, Pa?"

I ran my tongue across my teeth. "Yes, you may." I reached back, and pulled Joe so that he was now sitting in front of me.

He leaned back into my chest, and his body instantly relaxed. I loved that he was trying to snuggle closer to me, and even though he smelled horrible, I didn’t care.

The three-day trip would most likely take one and half days to get back. We wouldn’t be stopping to search for clues, so there would be no reason for us to move so slowly.

We didn’t stop until it was time to make camp for the night. I had Adam fetch some water in one of the pans we had with us. After I warmed the water, I had Joe wash himself some.

Big Dan decided while I took care of Joe that it may be best to bury the bodies, he recruited Hoss’ help. The pair went a distance from the campsite, to do what needed to be done.

Adam worked on fixing the rice, and made some johnnycakes while I took care of his youngest brother.

"Pa? Is, Hop Sing all right? I mean Orville and Sly. . .they didn’t. . .you know hurt him too bad, did they?"

"Hop Sing will be just fine. Make sure you wash behind your ears, Little Joe."

"Pa? We ain’t even got no soap, so what good is wiping off?"

I tapped Joe’s nose. "I don’t think it will hurt to get rid of some of that extra dirt."

Joe tried to act like he was disgusted with the treatment, yet he stood perfectly still while I washed his face, and hands.

My youngest son never ceases to surprise me. I squatted down to brush the dirt of his pants, when he gently placed his hands on my shoulders. "Pa? You know I love ya, right?"

I looked up into the most serious face I’ve ever seen. "I love you too, Joe." Joe pulled himself into my embrace. I squeezed him until he started begging for some air.

For the rest of our journey, my youngest son was my closest companion. I tried to imagine what horrors he had went through, I have a feeling that I would have a new shadow until he was able to face his newfound fears.

The last day of our trip was a much better one. The sun had found its way from behind the heavy clouds, and its warmth was most inviting. I know for a fact that I was more than ready for this journey to come to an end.

Dew dripped for the overgrown brush, as we pushed ourselves toward our destination. It was early morning when a familiar sight came into view. The town looked hazy from a distance, but as we got closer the excitement was hard to contain.

As we rode into the street, people stopped and stared at us. Before long we had a crowd following us to the Trading Post.

Ruth had stepped out of the small store, and was wiping her hands on a towel. As we started to get closer, and she realized who we were she turned and ran back inside. By the time we were pulling to a stop in front of the small store, Eli, Ruth, Hop Sing, and Shelby were outside to greet us.

Hop Sing ran over, and with out a word, he hugged Little Joe tightly. "Are you alright? You have me very worry. I so glad you safe, Little Joe."

"I was worried ‘bout you to, Hop Sing. But, I’m all safe now. Pa got the men, Hop Sing." Joe turned, and pointed to the two extra horses.

"My God, Ben. Are all of ya’ll al-right." Shelby asked, a cigar tightly held between her teeth.

"We are now." I replied.

Sheriff Coffee pushed himself through the small crowd that had formed. He walked over and stood in front of me.

"Ben, by the descriptions that were given, I think I know who those men were." He said. "Those two men had a price on their heads. Ben, you’ll get the reward."

"I don’t want the reward, Roy. I just want my life to go back to normal, I want to go home and take a nice long bath, and shave. We buried the bodies a few miles back. Dan can take you to show you were, at the moment I don’t care."

"I understand, Ben. I’ll have Dan show me later." Roy walked over to the extra horses, looking them over carefully.

"Oh, Ben you must stay for supper." Ruth said, taking her turn at my youngest son.

"I’m not meaning to be rude in anyway, but I just want to go home. But, thank you so kindly, Ruth. We came into town so that we could let everyone know that we found Joseph."

Ruth smiled. "I understand, Benjamin, some other time then."

"Ben, before ya leave town, I’ll need you to come over to the jail to swear out a statement. That goes for all of ya." Roy said.

"I wanna go home, Pa." Joe whined.

"We will son, after we tie up the loose ends. Let’s get this over with Roy, we’re all tired. Would someone mind tending to our horses?" I asked, as I helped Joe down from Buck.

"We will Mr. Cartwright." Mitch Devlin, and Tommy Hightower appeared out of no where.

I handed the pair the reins, as did Hoss and Adam. "You two think you can handle this many horses?" Adam smirked.

Mitch frowned. "Sure we can, Adam. We ain’t no babies ya know."

"Fine, just be careful with Beauty."

Adam, Hoss, Joe, Big Dan, and I went over to the jail. The sheriff had each of us tell him what had happened. It was the first time that I had heard Joseph tell of the robbery, and how he had became to be with Orville and Sly.

Those two men are lucky they are dead, for if not I would have killed them with my bare hands. Once the statements had been taken, it was finally time for us to head home. They had made Joseph into their slave, having him wait on them hand and foot. They barely gave him anything to eat, and very little water. I had thought about taking him to see Dr. Martin, but he had already been through so much, I didn’t have the heart to do it. Anyways, Hop Sing will fix him up fine and dandy.

"Thank ya, Ben for taking time to do what needed to be done." Roy held out his hand, I reached over and shook it.

"It wasn’t a problem at all, but we are more than ready to head home now."

"I understand, Ben. I’ll talk to you later." Roy said, walking us to the jail’s door.

When we stepped out into the street, Big Dan said his goodbyes and I thanked him the best I could. His tracking skills were one of the reasons we found Joe so quickly.

Mitch and Tommy had our horses ready and waiting for us by the time we had gotten back to the Trading Post. Joe’s eyes lit up like torches when Hop Sing came around the building with Paint.

Joe ran up to his beloved friend, talking to her quietly. "How ya doin’, Paint? Did ya miss me?" He rubbed her neck, running his fingers through her main.

"Pa? Can I ride her home?" He asked, excitedly.

"What will Hop Sing ride?" I asked.

Joe licked his lips. "We can ride together. Is that alright with you Hop Sing?"

"Hop Sing be honored to ride with you, Little Joe."

Joe smiled. "Okay, you can climb up first."

Our young Chinese friend bowed a bit before climbing onto Paint. Adam lifted Joe up behind Hop Sing, and we were finally on our way home.

No one spoke on the way back to the house. I’m sure we were all deep in thought about what we would find when we arrived home. Instead of worrying myself, I started to enjoy the brisk air. The birds played a game of tag in the treetops, while little squirrels gathered nuts and scurried away to hide them inside a hollowed out tree.

Suddenly I looked up, and we were in the yard. I glanced over at my youngest to see how he was handling his homecoming. His eyes glistened with the beginning of tears, and his chest heaved in a deep sigh.

"Welcome home, boys." I dismounted Buck.

Hoss frowned. "Pa? Who is gonna do all these chores?"

"We’ll all work together, Hoss. It was very kind of Mr. Orowitz to come out, and take care of the animals. I’m sure we’ll get the house and barn straightened up in no time. Lets take care of the horses." I said, heading to the barn.

I opened the barn door expecting to find a mess, but instead the barn was cleaner than I had ever seen it.

Hoss’ mouth dropped open in surprise. "Who did all this?"

"Our friends, Hoss." A grin slowly over took my middle son’s face.

The same scene had unfolded in the house. Not one single thing was out of place, and all the mess was gone. The cabinets had even been restocked, like we had never left.

I was overwhelmed at the kindness of our friends in town, and would need to thank them each personally when I have the chance. Right now though my main goal is to help Joseph overcome his ordeal.

"I not know how they do this." Hop Sing said, amazement on his face. "I thought I with them most of time."

Suddenly I felt a tugging on my arm. "Pa? Can we eat then go to bed?" Joe asked, he looked more relaxed than he had since we started our journey.

I grinned down at my youngest. "Not until you’ve had a bath, young man."

"I fix dinner right now. You give Little Joe bath." Hop Sing smiled, and hurried to the kitchen.

Later that night after everyone was fast asleep, I sat in on the settee in front of a low fire. The fire cast long shadows across the room as the flames danced. The sound of small feet padding across the wooden floor caused me to look up.

Joe stood in front of me, his nightshirt hanging past his knees, his hair was curled where he had taken a bath. And he smelled a heck of a whole lot better. "Pa?"

"Yes, Joseph?" I patted the settee. Joe hurried over, climbing up beside me. He laid his head on my shoulder.

"Pa. . .I’m. . .I’m a little scared. Can I sit for you for awhile?"

"Oh course you may. Come over here, if you like you may sit on my lap." I patted my legs.

Many expressions passed across my youngest son’s face. "Adam and Hoss will think I’m being a baby."

"No. . .no they won’t, Joe. Not this time, son."

Joe nodded as he slipped onto my lap, snuggling close to me. "Pa. . .I love you. Thanks for saving me." He yawned.

"I love you to, Joseph." I said, as I watched Joe’s big green eyes open and close a few more times before he was fast asleep.

It’s moments like this one that I realize what is important in my life. It’s not money, belongings, or even my home. It’s my family and my friends. Without someone to share things with, or someone to love you back. . .to me you have nothing.

Thank God I found the piece of my heart that had been taken away from me. I held Joe closer than I had ever before as I slipped into a deep sleep. One with happy dreams of my sons, my friends, and a peaceful heart.

The End