Two Weeks

By Marion

It had been a month since Anna Cartwright came to live with her Uncle Ben and her cousins Adam, Hoss and Little Joe. Annie and Little Joe had gotten off to a shaky start but now they were inseparable, and no one was safe from their mischief. Not that they got into any serious scrapes, they both had too much respect for Ben's anger to do any real harm, but they played enough jokes on Adam and Hoss especially that the older two were ready to pound them both.

Saturday morning found the two hiding in the woodshed. Ben and Adam had gone to town and Joe and Annie thought it would be the perfect time to play a trick on Hoss. They rigged a bucket of mud on top of the door. When Hoss came in to get wood for Hop Sing, the bucket would fall and he would be covered in mud. Annie worried about actually hiding in the woodshed, because an angry Hoss would be blocking their only exit, but Joe reminded her there was no way to set the trap and then leave. They would just have to hide quietly in the corner. Hoss would never notice them because he'd be covered in mud.

"Shh, he's comin'!" Annie urged Joe to stifle his giggles. Sure enough the door opened slowly and they could hear footsteps. Annie frowned. The footsteps didn't sound right. She couldn't think of what was wrong though because in the next minute a loud crash of the bucket was quickly followed by the sound of angry Cantonese. Wide-eyed, Joe and Annie exchanged worried glances. Hop Sing never came in the woodshed! Too frightened to peek out, they heard the sound of running and voices.

"What in blazes is going on?" Ben Cartwright came running behind Hoss and Adam. "Hop Sing, what happened?" Hop Sing just continued to rant in Cantonese. The only English they could understand was "going back to China." Ben looked at the mud covering Hop Sing and the bucket lying on the floor. "Anna Marie! Joseph Francis! Out here, now."

Annie and Joe tried to sink lower behind the woodpile, but there was no use hiding. Slowly they crawled out and stood in front of Ben, neither looking at him. Joe smiled weakly at his father. "Pa, I thought you were in town?"

"You thought this would be a good time for mischief, you mean." He grabbed both children and dragged them into the sunlight. Hoss and Adam were trying to help Hop Sing clean himself off. "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"We're sorry, Uncle Ben. We didn't mean to get Hop Sing. The mud was supposed to fall on Hoss. How did we know Hop Sing would come get wood?" Somehow Annie's explanation didn't make her uncle look any less angry.

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to, am I?" Joe started to speak, but Ben cut him off with a wave of his hand. "I think it's apparent the two of you have too much time on your hands. I think it would be better for the two of you to show Hop Sing how sorry you are, not just tell him. You will spend the next two weeks restricted to this yard, and by restricted I mean you don't go past the barn, past the corral or past the house without either my permission or Hop Sing's. During those two weeks, you will not pull one practical joke on any person. You will spend the next two weeks doing any chore that Hop Sing tells you to do, and you will do it quickly and without complaint. If Hop Sing does not have a chore for you, you will come see me and I will give you some chores. If Hop Sing has occasion to tell me that you have been slacking, you will regret it. Have I made myself clear?" The two children just looked at him, mouths open. Ben hooked his thumbs by his belt buckle, a gesture not unnoticed by either child. "I said, have I made myself clear?" Two 'yes sirs' accompanied frantic bobbing of their heads. "Good. The first chore you will do is to wash Hop Sing's clothes that you have made muddy."

Suppertime found Joe and Annie exhausted. Hop Sing had smiled maliciously when he handed over his muddy clothes to the two. He had informed them that it was laundry day anyway and they could do all the wash. Then, they could hang it on the line, iron it, fold it and put it away. When they were done with that, Hop Sing handed Annie his basket of mending that had piled up for a month, and told Joe that the inside of the chicken coop needed cleaning. "I had no idea he could be so mean," whispered Annie to Joe when they met again to wash for supper. Joe agreed. "I think he's doing this on purpose, and I don't think it's going to get any better. It's gonna be a long two weeks."

One week later, Annie had to agree that Joe was right. Hop Sing seemed to be enjoying his slave labor. He found every nasty, dirty unpleasant job for the two to do. He got them up early, before anyone else, to start breakfast. They had to chores to finish long after Pa, Adam and Hoss were relaxing in front of the fire. On those rare occasions that Hop Sing didn't have anything for them, Pa stepped up with more chores. They didn't have time to think of any mischief, let alone get into any.

Tuesday afternoon found them cleaning out the fireplace. Hop Sing was getting ready for winter, and he had a long list of chores he said had to be done. Cleaning the fireplace was the least favorite of anyone's chores. Not only did the fireplace had to get clean, but any ash or dirt that got anywhere in the house would have to be cleaned. Joe and Annie were tired, and cranky. They knelt side by side, carefully removing the ash from every crevice. Joe leaned over to pick up the brush to clean the lower part of the chimney, and in doing so bumped Annie's bucket. It spilled onto the floor and all over Annie's legs and hands. "Look what you did, you clumsy idiot!" she shouted. She pushed him over, causing the brush to fall out of his hand and onto the hearth, sending ash scattering over the hearth. "It was an accident!" Joe shouted back. He stuck his hand into his bucket of ash and threw a handful at her. "Why you..." Just as Annie reached out to grab Joe, the front door flew open. The two froze in place.

"What on earth are you two doing?" Adam came in and stopped short at the sight which greeted him. The two children started talking at the same time. "Wait!" Adam held up his hand. "I don't care who started it. Pa's about 15 minutes behind me and if he comes home to this mess, neither of you will be sitting for a week. He's in a real bad mood and he won't listen to any explanations."

"Why's Pa in a bad mood?"

"Never you mind, Joe. Just hurry up and start cleaning!" Adam turned on his heel and slammed the door behind him. Annie giggled. "He'd better not let Uncle Ben catch him slamming that door!" Annie learned shortly after her arrival that Uncle Ben hated slamming doors. She came in the house all mad about something, she didn't remember what, and she slammed her bedroom door behind her. Unfortunately for her, Uncle Ben had just decided that taking a nap would get rid of his headache. He stormed out of his room, opened her door without knocking and told her she obviously needed to practice closing doors quietly. So, he made her open and close her door 250 times. She hadn't slammed a door since.

Annie picked up Joe's brush and handed it to him. "Sorry Joe. I know it was an accident. I'm just so sick of doing chores. Let's get this cleaned up before your Pa comes home." Joe took the brush and started cleaning. "I'm sorry too. We've gotta hurry. It's bad enough doin' nothing but chores. I want to be able to sit down to eat the dinner we have to cook!" Working together, they quickly had the mess cleaned up. They were just washing the ash off their faces when Ben rode up.

"Good afternoon, Uncle Ben!" "Hi, Pa!" Two overly cheerful voices greeted Ben, and he looked at them suspiciously. "What have you two been up to?"

"We're just doing our chores, Uncle Ben." answered Annie in a sweet voice.

"Yeah, Pa. Can I take care of your horse?" Ben handed the reins to Joe and walked into the house without a word.

"Whew! Adam's right. I don't know what's wrong, but Pa's in a bad mood."

"Well, we know it's not our fault this time. I'm going to finish peeling the potatoes for dinner. Something tells me we'd better stay on the straight and narrow tonight." Annie ran into the house, making sure she closed the door quietly behind her.

Uncle Ben was standing by the fire; Adam was behind him, obviously arguing. "Pa, it's a good deal. We can't pass it up!"

"Adam, I told you, the only way I could afford it would be to mortgage the Ponderosa and I'm not going to do that!"

"Pa, if we don't, Jack Wolfe will. Do you really want that?"

Uncle Ben turned and looked at Annie sharply. "What are you doing in here? Shouldn't you be doing chores?"

"I, I need to peel the potatoes for dinner. Hop Sing won't be here, he's visiting a cousin in town, so you have to eat my cooking." She headed for the work area.

"All right then. I'm going to finish up chores in the barn."

"Pa."

"Adam, I don't want to talk about it anymore. That's final."

Dinner was a silent meal. Ben was obviously still in a bad mood. Adam didn't dare speak for fear he'd start arguing again. Hoss was over at the Greenes and Hop Sing was still in town visiting a cousin who had just moved into the area. Joe and Annie decided it would be best to be as quiet as possible. After dinner, Ben took his coffee outside to drink. Joe went to the barn to finish his chores and Adam sat by the fire, pretending to read. Annie watched him as she wiped the last of the dinner dishes. She could tell he wasn't reading, he hadn't turned a page in ten minutes. "Adam?"

He looked up. "Hmmm?"

"Adam, what do you want to do that Uncle Ben doesn't want to do?"

"Ranch business. Nothing you need to worry about."

Annie looked annoyed. "Please Adam? My pa used to discuss ranch business with me all the time."

Adam sighed and closed his book. "There's a ranch that borders the Ponderosa. The owners have decided to go back east and they gave Pa first option to buy the place, including the cattle. Problem is, it's $5000 and we don't have that kind of money. Pa could take out a mortgage, but he won't put the Ponderosa up for collateral. Jack Wolfe's the only other person in the area who could afford it, but if he buys it, he'll probably sell the timber rights to some strip company that will cut down all the trees, and ruin the land. The run off might ruin the water our cattle uses, but Pa's not listening to that argument."

"How big's the ranch, and when does Uncle Ben need to decide by?"

"The rancher wants his answer soon. He's given Pa a week. Otherwise he'll go to Jack. It's the biggest the area next to the Greene ranch. The herd's three times the size of ours."

"That sounds like a good investment. How come Uncle Ben won't buy it?"

"He just talks about not wanting to lose the ranch if he can't repay the note. Like I said, though, it's nothing children need to worry about."

Annie rolled her eyes and went back to finish the dishes. She had an idea, but she needed to think about it before she went to talk to Uncle Ben. She could hear him greet Hoss and Hop Sing as they arrived together. "I need to approach Uncle Ben when he's in a better mood. The question is, how do I make him understand?" She decided morning would be the best time to talk to him.

The next morning, as they were setting the table, Annie had a whispered conversation with Joe. She told him what the argument had been about, and about her idea. Could Joe clean up the dishes so she could talk to Uncle Ben? Joe nodded. After breakfast Annie followed Ben outside.

"Uncle Ben, can I talk to you?"

"What's the matter has Hop Sing run out of chores?"

"No sir, I think he has a mile long list. No, I need to talk to you about something important."

"In that case, let's sit down." Ben sat on the porch and patted the seat next to him. Annie sat straight in the seat. "Adam told me about the ranch that's for sale."

One eyebrow arched. "He shouldn't have done that. It's not your concern."

"Yes, it is." The second eyebrow shot up. Ben wasn't used to being contradicted so directly by a child. Annie grimaced. That was a mistake to talk back like that. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to sound disrespectful. You keep telling me that I'm part of this family, don't you?" Ben nodded. "Well, then things that affect you affect me."

"All right, you're affected. But, it doesn't change anything. I am not going to mortgage the Ponderosa, and I am going to talk to Adam. He shouldn't be worrying you." He frowned when he saw Annie sigh and roll her eyes. "And you need to watch that attitude. I won't tolerate it."

"I'm sorry Uncle Ben. It's just that my pa used to discuss ranch business with me all the time, and I understand a lot about it." Ben looked down at her serious expression and smiled. In many ways she reminded him of Adam at that age. Adam had been his partner and confidant almost since he was a baby, and he guessed Edward had treated Annie the same way.

"I'll excuse you this time, but no more eye rolling. Ask the boys what I think of it. But, my decision still stands. I'm not going to buy that ranch, we don't have the money."

Annie stood up, frustrated. "If you would let me finish, I could tell you that you do have the money!" She stomped her foot. Ben stood up too, angry now. "Anna Marie Cartwright, if you keep up this attitude, you'll end up over my knee. I just told you I wouldn't tolerate it."

Annie bit her lip. This was definitely not going the way she wanted it to. "Please, Uncle Ben? Please, just let me finish what I need to say? It's just that you won't let me finish, that's what's making me mad."

Ben sat down and crossed his arms. "All right, then. Finish."

Annie stood in front of him and swallowed loudly, more nervous than ever. "Adam told me the ranch would cost $5000. You think you don't have that much money, but you do. I know you sold my father's ranch for more than that, and that the money is sitting in a bank in Santa Barbara."

"That's not my money."

"But it is. Until I'm 21 you have complete control, just like if I was your child. Uncle Ben, my father's will directed you to use the money to raise me and provide for my future. What better way to provide for my future than expanding the Ponderosa?"

Ben stood up. "I am not using that money. That's final. Go do your chores, or I'll find some more for you." He stormed off the porch. Annie went into the house, discouraged. "How'd it go?" Joe asked. "Not well." She told him everything that had happened. "Now what do I do?"

"I think you should go talk to Adam. He's real good at making Pa understand things."

"Yeah, except your Pa's going to 'speak' to Adam about telling me about the ranch. I'm not sure Adam's going to be too happy with me right now."

Annie was right. When she approached Adam later that morning, he said he would not talk to Pa about it. "Pa was angry that I talked to you about it in the first place. Told me if I brought it up again, he'd forget I was an adult. Forget it, he's not going to listen."

These Cartwrights are as stubborn as her Pa had been, Annie thought. I've just got to make Uncle Ben listen to me.

Lunch was like last night's dinner. No one said anything. Finally everyone finished and Uncle Ben pushed his chair back. Annie decided to take a chance. "Uncle Ben, we need to talk."

"We talked already. I told you I don't want to discuss it."

"No, sir, we didn't talk. You walked away from me before I could finish." Three mouths dropped and Hop Sing decided it was time to clean the dishes. Ben looked furious. "How dare you speak to me like that!" He rose from his chair.

"Please, Uncle Ben. I really don¹t mean to be disrespectful. Please, listen to me for five minutes. Then you can do what you want and I won't bring this up again." Ben regarded her for a minute, then sat down. "Five minutes. But you are very close to some serious trouble."

Annie nodded, and closed her eyes. She needed to make the best argument she could, and she hadn't gotten off to a good start. She took a deep breath, opened her eyes and began. "Uncle Ben, my father always taught me that money left in the bank was money for bankers to use. He said that if he invested in his ranch, he'd make more money than he could from the interest. He said it was a poor businessman who let the bankers use his money to make money. I understand that you don't want to use the money for yourself because you think it's mine, even though you could do whatever you wanted. I'm asking you to take that money and invest it for me. Buy the ranch for me, and run it as part of the Ponderosa. Then, when I'm 21 the ranch will be mine, or you can buy it from me then. You know if Jack Wolfe buys it that he'll care nothing for the future of the land, only the profits he can get today. If you buy it now, you'll protect my future and the future of the Ponderosa. That's all I have to say."

Ben nodded. "Then I think you need to go to your room." He held up his hand as she started to speak. "Not another word, I think you've said enough today. I'll come in to talk to you later." Annie got up and Joe shot her a sympathetic look. He didn't envy her ­ he was sure he knew what kind of talk his pa had in mind. Ben watched her trudge into her room, then got up. "You boys finish your chores. I'm going out. Hop Sing, I'll be home for dinner."

Four hours later, Annie heard her cousins coming in from chores. She had sat in her room all afternoon wondering what Uncle Ben was going to do when he came home. She was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to sit once he 'talked' to her. A short while later she heard hoof beats and then Uncle Ben's voice in the other room. She couldn't make out what he said, but she heard Adam, Hoss and Joe go outside. She heard footsteps crossing the room, and then her door opened. She jumped up and faced her Uncle.

He didn't look as angry as he had when he left, but he looked very serious. He closed the door behind him and sat in her chair. He beckoned her to him, and when she reached him, he pulled her over his knee. He gave her two stinging smacks and then stood her up. "That was for disrespect. I told you I don't tolerate disrespectful children." She nodded. That wasn't as bad as she had expected. His expression softened. "I remember Eddie standing up to our father when he thought he was right about something. Eddie was a stubborn child and unfortunately for Eddie's backside, Father was just as stubborn. You are as stubborn as your father was."

Annie smiled. "I remember my father once said that people who thought Cartwright men were stubborn had obviously never met a Cartwright woman. I thought that was funny until I realized I was the only Cartwright girl born in four generations and he was talking about me." She paused. "I really am sorry, Uncle Ben. I'm not usually disrespectful. Papa didn't tolerate it either."

"I forgive you. You've been punished and we'll say no more about it. Tomorrow we'll take a ride so you can check out your new ranch." Annie squealed and threw her arms around him. "You did it! You bought it!"

"Your father would have been very proud of the way you learned about business. I thought about your argument and decided you were right."

Dinner that night was a noisy affair. Ben told the boys that he had shook hands on the deal. Adding that much land was going to mean a lot more work. He thought he might have to hire some hands. When he told them he and Annie were going to ride over to check out the ranch in the morning, Joe asked to go, too. "No, Joseph, you're still restricted to the yard for another six days."

"So's she!" he replied. Annie smirked.

"She has my permission to go." Annie stuck out her tongue at Joe when Ben was looking at the platter that Hoss passed him. "Don't worry, she'll be home doing chores before you notice she's gone." Joe crowed at the dismayed look on Annie's face. Ben looked up just in time to see Annie shove Joe and Joe push her back. "Stop it, both of you." They both jumped in their seats and faced him, angelic smiles on both faces. Ben sighed. He wasn't sure he'd get used to having a girl in the house. One minute she is as mature and intelligent as Adam, the next minute she was as mischievous as Joseph

Annie and Joe were in great moods. Finally their two-week sentence was almost over. One more day of slavery and then they were free! Annie set the table for breakfast while Joe brought in the water that Hop Sing needed. They were both sick of cooking and cleaning and chores and no playing or mischief. Two weeks had given them a lot of time to think and they had great plans once they were free.

Ben watched them work with a bemused look on his face. It had been a long two weeks. Hop Sing had told him the night before that he didn't think he could find more chores to keep them busy. The house had never been so clean, the yard never so neat. Ben hoped they had learned from the experience, but judging by the looks on their faces, he thought he'd better not get his hopes up too high.

The family sat down to breakfast. The day was going to be a busy one for Adam, Hoss and Ben. As part of the deal Ben made when he bought Annie's ranch, Adam would be accompanying the former owners on their last cattle drive. Ben had not bought all the cattle, figuring it would be too much to try to winter that much stock when he hadn't time to hire hands. Adam was going to learn how to drive cattle to market and then come back with Margaret's vaqueros who were also driving her cattle to market. Ben wished that he and Hoss could go, too, but there was too much to do to prepare the ranch for winter. It was the end of August, but preparations took months, especially with the increased responsibility of a second ranch. Annie had thought she should go on the drive, seeing as she was the owner, but Ben laughingly reminded her that he was in charge until she was 21. She hadn't appreciated having her own words thrown back at her and found herself going to bed early that night when she said as much to her Uncle Ben. He shook his head. She was a definitely a handful. She and Joe together were going to make his hair go white!

"Hurry up and eat boys, we have a lot of work to do today. We need to get the cattle we're sending to market over with the main herd. Joe, Annie, Hop Sing left a list of chores for you. He's in to town to take care of his cousin who's sick. Remember, you're still restricted, so no leaving the yard. Hoss, Adam and I are going to be gone all day, but you should be all right."

"Don't worry about us, Pa, we'll be fine." "Yeah, Uncle Ben, we'll probably be so busy doing chores that you'll be home before we know it." Hoss and Adam both laughed. Personally they thought it would be a miracle if the house were still standing when the adults got home.

"If you two are done eating, let's ride. See you later, behave you two!"

As soon as they heard the horses ride away Annie and Joe sprang into action. "Right, Joe, I'll get the kitchen cleaned up, you start on the outside chores. Let's get as much done as we can in a couple of hours, then we'll saddle up Jove, go for a ride and get back in time to finish the rest of the chores." Joe laughed. They had been planning this ever since they found out they were going to be alone. Nothing could go wrong, they figured out every detail. He had been waiting to ride Jove ever since Pa brought him home, but he hadn't had the chance. Every time he went near the horse, Pa or Adam came up behind him and told him to clear out. Annie had told him how fast the horse could run and he had bragged on what a great rider he was.

They finished half the chores and decided it was enough for now. Joe grabbed the saddle and Annie grabbed the bridle and reins and they both headed into the corral. Annie approached Jove talking quietly. She stroked his nose gently, then quickly put the bridle on. Jove snorted, but otherwise stayed still. While Annie held the bridle and stroked the horse, Joe threw the blanket and then the saddle on the horse's back. It was hard to do because the horse was so much bigger than Joe, but he finally got the horse saddled. Annie mounted first, and then Joe opened the corral gate and mounted in front of her. Annie put her arms around Joe's waist while Joe took the reins. He tapped the horse lightly with his feet and they walked out of the corral. Once they were clear of the yard, Joe urged Jove into a trot. They headed up the hill and towards the lake.

Shortly after lunch, Ben and his two oldest sons headed back to the ranch. They were able to get their cattle over to the main herd in a lot less time than they thought. Ben was in a good mood, joking with Adam and Hoss. He was in such a good mood that he thought he would give Annie and Joe a half-day reprieve from their sentence. After all, as he explained to a skeptical Hoss and Adam, the two had been well behaved for the past two weeks.

They came down the hill towards the house when Adam noticed that the corral gate was opened and that Jove was gone. Worried, Ben urged his horse into a run. Had outlaws come to the house while he was gone? God, please don't let Joe and Annie be hurt. His heart was in his throat as he rode into the yard. "Joe, Annie?" He threw himself from his horse and ran into the house. Everything was fine there, not a thing was out of place. He ran back out. "Pa, they aren't in the barn, and there's a saddle missing." Adam reported. Hoss came running up. "Looks like Jove was rode up that hill, Pa." Ben's worry turned instantly to anger. The two had decided to take Jove for a ride. When he got his hands on them...

"Pa, you want we should go after them?" Ben shook his head. "Not yet, Hoss, we'll give them some time to come home. They didn't expect us to be home yet, and I bet they were planning to be back to finish their chores before we got back."

A half hour passed. Ben's anger was reaching the boiling point, and both Hoss and Adam found reasons to stay away from their father. "I sure wouldn't want to be them when he gets his hands on them" said Hoss. Adam looked up the hill. "Well, we're going to see fireworks real soon ­ here they come."

Annie and Joe had enjoyed their ride. Jove had no trouble with the two of them on his back and they had raced along the lake and into the pines. They had switched places, so that Annie was in front and Joe was hanging on in back, when Joe looked at the sun and suggested it was time to get home. They would have just enough time to get their chores done before everyone came home. They didn't dare risk getting caught.

Suddenly, as they headed down the hill towards home, Joe heard Annie gasp. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" She shook her head. "They're back!" Joe looked over Annie's shoulder and sure enough, Adam and Hoss were standing near the barn. Joe could see Hoss shout and then Pa came out on the porch.

"We're gonna get it big time, Annie."

"Maybe we can get attacked by pirates or a giant hole will swallow us up before we reach the house." Annie said hopefully. Luck was not on their side, though and no pirates or giant holes appeared to help them. They rode slowly into the yard, and Ben strode off the porch. Hoss grabbed the reins of the horse, and Adam pulled Joe down. Ben grabbed Annie and set her down roughly. She had never seen him look so angry. Neither had Joe. His brows were bunched together and his mouth was pressed in a thin line. He just nodded his head as if trying to calm himself. Finally he spoke. "Hoss, Adam, take care of the horse." His tone was clipped and forced. Hoss and Adam beat a hasty retreat to the corral, leading Jove. Annie and Joe looked at the ground, unable to look up.

"Look at me" Ben commanded. They looked at him briefly, then looked away. "You both disobeyed me, didn't you?" Annie bit on her lower lip, then nodded. "Didn't you, Joseph?" Joe nodded quickly. "Yes, sir, we did."

"I don't think there's much for me to say then. Go to your rooms, both of you. I will be in to see you in a moment. Joe headed to the house. Annie stopped, gathered her courage and looked at Uncle Ben. "Please Uncle Ben, it was my idea, not Joe's."

"Joseph knows the difference between right and wrong and he knows what happens when he disobeys. Now, go!" Ben jabbed his finger towards the house and Annie fled to her room.

She was there only a few minutes when she heard someone come in the house and go into the bunkroom. She heard muffled voices, and then the sounds of Joe yelping. She swallowed nervously. All went silent, then she heard footsteps heading towards her door. The door opened and Uncle Ben walked in. She looked at his face, then down to the belt he held in his hand. She bit her lip, determined not to cry. He sat down and beckoned her over. "Do you understand why I am doing this?"

"Yes, sir. We disobeyed you by riding Jove and we broke our restriction." Ben nodded, then put her over his knee. When he was done, he put down her skirt, helped her up and said "I'll be back later to talk." She just stood there until he left the room and then fell on the bed, in tears. Her backside felt like she sat in a hive of yellow-jackets.

Two hours later, Ben came into the room. Annie was asleep on her stomach, her dried tears streaking her face. Just like Joseph, he thought. A terror when he was awake, an angel when he was asleep. He wasn't sure he understood girls. One minute she was mature and responsible, the next minute she was in trouble. Then again, he remembered Adam was a lot like that. Maybe it wasn't just girls. Maybe Hoss's good nature had spoiled him, and Joe wasn't at the occasionally mature and responsible stage yet.

He sat on the bed and stroked her back. She turned her head towards him, then opened her eyes. "I'm sorry" was all she whispered. He gathered her into a hug. "I forgive you, you've been punished, we won't say anything more."

"You mean you aren't going to send me away?"

Ben looked at her in surprise. "Why would I do that?"

"Angelina, Concetta's daughter, told me that if I got into trouble you would send me away to the nuns. I figure I've been nothing but trouble for the past two weeks and that you were going to send me away."

"Joe got into the same trouble and I'm not going to send him away."

"But he's your son. I'm just the kid you got stuck with."

Ben hugged her closer. "Funny, I don't feel stuck with you. Annie, look at me. You are as much part of this family as Joe or Hoss or Adam. It seems to me I've told you that before and I don't tell lies. That means I'm going to treat you the same way as I do them, good or bad, and that I'm not going to send you away anymore than I would send one of them away. Come on, Adam's made dinner." He helped her out of bed and they headed to the door. "Wait, I think you'll need this" He tossed her the pillow from her bed and she went out the door. Joe was already sitting on his pillow. Ben looked at all his children around the table and smiled. Please God, let the next two weeks be more peaceful!

The End