The first sensation he had was cold, so cold his body trembled where it lay on the snow covered ground. His arms were pinned painfully behind his back and he tried unsuccessfully to pull them apart.
Finally giving up on his arms he opened his eyes against the glaring sun-drenched snow. Sharp pain exploded behind his eyes and he quickly closed them again. Breathing deeply he once again opened his eyes, but only a tiny slit; a small groan escaped his lips as once again the bright sunshine, glaring off the snow, temporarily blinded him. Finally his eyes came open and he glanced around.
He seemed to be in a rock-enclosed grotto. The few trees he could see were devoid of life in this winter nightmare and he shuddered worriedly. As his eyes continued to survey the area he heard a sound behind him. Slowly he rolled his body in the snow and lifted his head to see what had grabbed his attention. “No!” he cried as his mind registered the three men standing a few feet away from him.
Of the three, only one registered in his mind and although the man’s face was turned away from him, he knew who it was. His worst nightmare came true as the man turned and started towards him.
“Why?”
As the man dressed in the all to familiar black clothing stood over him, laughter filled the air. “Why, Little brother? Why do you think?”
“Adam, please.”
“Begging won’t help you,” the man in black said, as he reached down and pulled Joe to his feet. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” he said as he pulled his hand back and formed a large fist.
Joe watched his beloved older brother’s eyes as his fist began its forward momentum. The eyes were filled with hatred and he knew nothing he could say or do would stop what lay ahead. He felt the full impact as his brother’s fist connected with his right temple and would have fallen if not for the steadying hands of the two unknown men.
“Oh this is going to be such a pleasure. I wish Pa and Hoss were here to watch it. I’m sure they’d enjoy it as much as I am,” the man in black said as he launched another fist into little Joe’s face.
Joe felt the impact as blow after blow rained down on his body. He felt the pain from each blow, but it was nothing compared to the pain of knowing who was delivering them. ‘Oh, Adam, what did I do to you?’ Joe asked himself. Finally his mind and body could take no more and he slipped into unconsciousness.
“He’s out cold,” the stranger holding Joe Cartwright’s left arm shouted.
“Damn, I was just beginning to enjoy myself,” the man in black said disappointedly. “I guess funs over for today. Tie him to his horse and we’ll get out of here.”
The two strangers moved their burden towards the black and white pony they’d left standing by the edge of the rocks.
Cochise shied away from the familiar, yet unfamiliar scents that attacked his nostrils. He knew the scent of his owner, but it was overshadowed by the metallic scent of blood. An unfamiliar hand reached for his reigns and he felt the weight of his master as he was thrown on his back.
Joe opened one eye as he felt himself being tied to the saddle of his horse. He groaned as the pain in his body intensified. He tried to struggle against his enemies but his strength was non-existent and he was soon secured face down on his horse. Joe watched as the man in black walked towards him, an evil grin on his face, his eyes sparking dangerously.
“So you’re not as out of it as you led me to believe, little brother. I’m sorry I don’t have time to stick around and enjoy battering your body some more; but I have to finish the job Pa gave me before I can return home. See you on the Ponderosa, Joe,” he laughed and maliciously slapped Joe across the face.
Joe had met the eyes and knew what real terror was. He closed his eyes at the loss of the brother he had loved and respected even during their harshest disagreements. As the warm blood spilled from his split lips Joe closed his eyes and wept openly.
The man in black lifted his hand and slapped the black and white pony. Instantly Cochise took off, leaving the sickening laughter to follow his retreating form.
“Where is that brother of yours now, Hoss?” Ben Cartwright asked as he walked out onto the porch.
“I don’t know, Pa. Joe said he’d be home early. It’s past supper and he still ain’t home,” Hoss answered his father’s query.
“I’m beginning to thing your brother has a built in lack of timing,” Ben tried to sound offhand but it lacked conviction, even to his own ears. He was as worried as Hoss about Little Joes absence. As father to three very different sons he’d never had a dull moment. Something was always happening and when it involved his youngest son it usually didn’t turn out well. Joe seemed to attract trouble no matter how hard he tried to avoid it.
“Maybe I should go look for him,” Hoss said.
“Where would you look, Hoss?”
“I don’t know, Pa. But it’s starting to snow and it’s getting dark.”
“That’s just it, Son. I don’t want both of you missing tonight. I’m sure he’ll be...” suddenly he stopped as the form of a horse galloped into the yard. “Here he is now,” Ben said, instantly recognizing his youngest son’s horse.
“Thank-God,” Hoss said as he followed his father towards the barn where Cochise had stopped.
Ben knew instinctively something was wrong. Joe hadn’t made a move to get off his horse. He lay against Cochise as if the two were one. Suddenly Ben ran the remaining distance to Cochise’s side. “Oh my God!” he cried. “Hoss get over here,” he yelled as he reached up to touch his beloved sons ravaged face. “Oh, Joe, who did this to you?” he asked aloud as he began the tedious task of trying to undo the knots.
“What’s wrong, Pa?” Hoss asked as he came up behind his father.
His sharp intake of breath told Ben there was no need for explanations. “Give me a knife and go send someone into town for Paul and Roy.”
“Pa, who? Why?” Hoss asked as he passed over a small knife.
“Just do what I ask, Hoss. There’ll be time enough for questions later,” Ben said as he cut through the ropes that bound his son to the horse.
“Yes, Sir, Pa,” Hoss said, hurrying away as quickly as his large body would allow.
“Oh, Joe, who could have done this to you?” Ben asked aloud as he pulled his son’s body from the horse. With loving care he held his son in his arms and hurried towards the ranch house.
Hop Sing appeared out of nowhere and held the door for the Cartwright Patriarch and his burden. “Hop Sing bring water and cloths for Little Joe,” the small oriental cook said in a heavily accented voice.
“Thank-you, Hop Sing,” Ben said as he hurried up the stairs. Once inside Joe’s room he placed the beaten body on the bed and began to remove his tattered clothing. He felt the body tremble as each article was removed.
“Pa, is he ok?” Hoss asked as he joined his father at his brother’s side.
“No, Hoss, he’s not!” Ben told him and immediately regretted snapping, “ I’m Sorry, son, but somebody did this to Joe and then tied him to Cochise. They wanted him to make it back here.”
“Why, Pa?”
Ben continued to remove the clothing and was shocked at the extent of the bruising. Not an inch of Joe’s upper body had been spared. The bruises ranged from light purple to deep, dark browns and blacks. Ben fought to keep his emotions under control. “They wanted us to see him like this. Whoever did this wanted Joe to suffer and wanted us to see it,” he said as Hop Sing came into the room with warm water and clean cloths.
Ben began to gently wash his son’s body as Hoss and Hop Sing looked on. Each time he touched the cloth to a new bruise or cut it elicited a small cry from Joe’s lips.
Joe felt his cold trembling body begin to take on some warmth but as it spread so did the agony that was his body. He tried to force his eyes open but only succeeded in partially opening his right eye. He heard his father’s voice talking to him as if from a distance.
Joe tried to smile, but found it difficult through his swollen mouth. “Pa,” he whispered.
“I’m here, son,” Ben said softly as he watched the one hazel eye.
“Hurts,” Joe said.
“I know it does, Joe. Can you tell me who did this to you?” Ben asked.
Joe’s eye clouded over and his mind fought against the memory of the man who’d inflicted the torture. Shaking his head violently he screamed, losing his slender hold on reality.
Ben reached for his son’s face and gently cupped his hands around his cheeks, “Joe, you need to calm down,” he said and pulled him into his arms.
Joe’s thrashing stopped as soon as his father’s hands touched his face. “Pa, it was, it was...”
“Who, Joe?” Ben asked and watched a blank look once again come over Joe’s face.
“I... I don’t know,” Joe told him. He searched his memory but could find nothing that would give him a clue as to who had beaten him. Tears rolled silently down his cheeks as his one eye looked fearfully at his father. “I can’t remember.”
“That’s ok, son, we’ll talk about it later. Right now I think you need to get some sleep. That’s it close your eyes and sleep,” Ben found it hard to control his anger as he used the word eyes. He watched as Joe closed the one blackened eye and his breathing showed that he’d surrendered to sleep. He gently placed his son’s body back on the bed and pushed a stray lock of hair away from his forehead.
“He ok, Pa?” Hoss asked worriedly.
“As ok as he can be at the moment. I just wish Paul would get here,” Ben said and walked to the window. The light snowfall that had started when Joe arrived home had stopped and the moon shone brightly off the crisp snow. He shivered but it had nothing to do with the cold night outside.
“He’ll be here soon, Pa,” Hoss said and took his father’s vacated seat at Joe’s bedside. “Hey, Little Joe, you gotta be ok,” he said as he held his sleeping brothers hand.
Ben secretly watched his two younger sons, one large and healthy, and the other seeming small and helpless as he lay on the clean white sheets. He sighed as Hop Sing walked into the room with fresh, hot coffee. “Thank-you, Hop Sing.”
“You welcome, Mr. Cartwright. Hop Sing keep plenty coffee going. Going to be long night,” the little oriental said as he hurried out of the room.
The long minutes turned into longer hours as the Cartwrights and Hop Sing continued their vigil over Joe. They took turns standing at the window watching for Dr. Martin.
The only sounds in the room came from Joe as he relived the days torture in his tormented sleep. Sometimes Hoss or Ben would have to physically hold him down as his body thrashed violently in the bed. When the nightmares seemed to leave him the only word he spoke was his oldest brothers name.
“Why do you think he’s calling for Adam?” Hoss asked from the window.
“I don’t know, Hoss, but I wish your older brother was here. I think Joe’s missed him more than he lets on.”
“Maybe we should wire him to come home,” Hoss suggested.
“I’m going to. It’s only six weeks till Christmas and it would be nice if we could all be together.”
“I still don’t understand why he left in such a hurry,” Hoss said.
“Your older and younger brothers don’t seem to mix well, Son. Adam and Joe are like oil and water. I know they love each other but they can’t seem to get along under the same roof. Adam and I talked all night before he left. He knew things were getting worse between them and he also knew that Joe was too young to be out on his own. He made his decision so that Joe would not be the one to leave,” Ben explained.
“You think he’ll come home?”
“I know he will. Adam doesn’t want to be away, Hoss. He just couldn’t see any other way around the fighting. I think Little Joe has been regretting the fight that drove him away. I don’t blame either of them for what happened. If I had only one wish this Christmas it would be for the two of them to mend their fences.”
“Me too, Pa,” Hoss said and lapsed into silence.
Hop Sing listened quietly to the conversation between father and son. He knew how much love the Cartwrights had for each other. He’d seen it many times in many different ways. He’d also bore witness to the last fight between Adam and Joe. Adam had finally lost his temper to the point where he’d lifted his fist and had barely stopped himself from smashing it into little Joe’s face. Adam had left the next morning and that was nearly five months ago. Sadness had been apparent in the household ever since even though the family tried to hide it. He was pulled out of his reverie by the sound of approaching horses outside.
“Hop Sing let Dr. Martin in,” he said and hurried from the room.
Ben waited patiently for Dr. Paul Martin, the family’s long-time doctor and friend to make his way inside. He could hear Paul stamping his boots and Hop Sing telling him he’d take his coat and hat. Finally he heard the sound of approaching footsteps and looked up as the doctor entered.
“What happened, Ben?” Paul asked as soon as he saw his most frequent patient.
“We don’t know, Paul,” Ben said as he stepped back from the bed and let the doctor take over his position. “He came home shortly after dinner. Someone had beaten him and tied him to Cochise.”
“Has he been conscious at all?”
“Only for short periods.”
“He’s got some pretty severe bruises on his face and chest and some of those cuts are going to need stitching. I’m pretty certain he has some broken ribs here as well. I’ll know more after I finish my examination. By the way Roy should be here shortly. He had to break up a fight at the saloon or we would have ridden out together,” he said as his hands continued to expertly probe his young patients body.
After what seemed like an eternity to Ben and Hoss, but was really less than an hour, Paul Martin had finished stitching up the numerous small cuts on Joe’s body and face. He turned to Hoss and asked him to hold his brother while he taped up his ribs. Finally he mixed a packet of powder in a glass of water provided by Hop Sing. “I want to see if I can get him to drink this. It’s got something for pain as well as something to help him sleep.”
“He’s already sleeping,” Hoss commented.
“Not the kind of restful, healing sleep his body needs. This should keep him from thrashing around and causing any more damage,” Paul Martin explained as he lifted his patient’s head and held the glass to his lips. He grinned as Joe automatically swallowed the tiny amount of fluid in the glass. “Always could get him to take his medicine better if he was sleeping,” he said.
Ben, Hoss, and Hop Sing each smiled at the doctor’s comment. They’d all had the same thought as they watched little Joe take the medicine.
“He should sleep most of the day with that in him, Ben. He has two broken ribs, and I know the bruises look bad but they will fade with time and he will heal. It’s going to be a long time before he’s completely healthy and you have to make sure he stays in bed for the next couple of weeks. Most of all you have to keep him calm. Any more thrashing like what you described will only succeed in causing more damage to his already injured ribs.”
“He’ll stay in bed as long as you say, Paul,” Ben assured him.
“Hop Sing go make breakfast now.”
“That’s a great idea, Hop Sing,” Paul told him and then turned to the other men standing in the room. “ Once you’ve eaten breakfast I want you both to get some rest. I’ll stay here with little Joe.”
“I’m ok,” Ben said.
“Just hungry,” Hoss said.
“I don’t believe either of you. Look in a mirror and you’ll know why. Eat and then rest, doctor’s orders! Now let’s go down and get some coffee and wait for breakfast,” Paul said and held the door for the reluctant Cartwrights. “Come on, Joe’s going to sleep for a long time yet,” he said and the three men left the room.
Even through the haze of the drug-induced sleep, little Joe could see the man in black as he hit him over and over. His head rocked back with each new blow and small whimpering sounds escaped from his throat.
Adam Cartwright looked down at his bruised and cut knuckles as he nudged Sport towards the familiar ranch house. He felt both happy and nervous at going home after what he’d done to his brother.
The fight that had driven him to leave home was still as fresh in his mind as the day it had taken place. He remembered the anger burning deep inside him at his younger brother’s blatant irresponsibility. Joe had cost the Ponderosa a huge timber contract because of a pretty face. He’d fallen victim to the oldest ploy in the world. Something Adam knew would never have happened if he’d gone to make the bid.
Roland Spencer of the Spencer lumber mill in Carson City had hired a woman to make sure that whoever came to represent the Cartwright family in the bidding war would not make it, and he’d succeeded. Joe had met the beautiful Lila Stanton and soon found he was helping her instead of his family. He missed out on placing his bid and the contract went to Spencer and his Lumber mill.
Adam sighed as he once again glanced down at his battered knuckles. ‘Oh well,” he thought, ‘maybe I finally got it out of my system.’
It seemed to him as if Sport was as glad as he was to be home. The horse literally pranced into the yard and went directly to the barn. Adam looked around and wondered where everyone was at this hour of the day, until he noticed Paul Martin’s buggy parked in front of the house. ‘What’s Paul doing here?’ he thought and hurried to stable Sport.
Paul Martin walked into the kitchen and poured himself a fresh cup of coffee, his third since he’d sent Ben, Hoss, and Hop Sing off to bed. He was headed back up to little Joe’s room when the door opened behind him. He turned to see who had arrived and was shocked and pleased to see Ben Cartwright’s eldest son. “Adam, you’re home!” he exclaimed.
“Doc, what’s wrong? Is it Pa?” Adam asked worriedly.
Paul Martin walked back down the stairs and placed his hand on the newcomers shoulder, “It’s not your father, Adam. It’s little Joe. Somebody beat him pretty badly yesterday.”
“Who? How bad is he?” Adam asked as he pulled off his jacket and scarf.
“We don’t know who, but Joe has some broken ribs and numerous cuts and bruises.”
“Is Pa up there with him?”
“No, I sent your father, Hoss, and Hop Sing to bed an hour ago. They were up all night with your brother. Why don’t you grab a coffee and join me in Joe’s room?”
“I could use something hot. All right, doc, I’ll be right up,” Adam said as he blew on his hands to warm them up.
Joe slept fitfully, his dreams tormented with visions of his brother. The man in black continually struck him over and over. Joe continued to stare into his eyes, so familiar yet so strange. He continued to see the malevolence in them as the man in black glared triumphantly down at his beaten body. Over and over he heard him say, “Oh this is going to be such a pleasure.”
Adam stepped into Joe’s bedroom and walked over to his bed. Purple colouring stood out on Joe’s face where he lay against the white pillow. Adam was appalled by what he saw. Bruising and swelling distorted his brother’s usually handsome face. Someone had brutally beaten him and Adam was livid. “Who would do something like this to him?” he asked aloud.
“I don’t know, Adam. Roy was out earlier but little Joe is in no shape to answer questions so he said he’d come back later.”
Joe heard the murmur of voices and tried to open his eyes. He succeeded in opening the one eye and tried to focus on the two figures standing by his bed. He groaned as the pain in his head threatened to make him close it again.
Adam heard his brother moan and hurried to stand before him. He bent close and spoke softly, “Hey, little brother.”
Joe heard the familiar voice speaking and opened his eye. Instantly he pushed away from the pair of eyes that stared back at him. The eyes were the same as the ones that haunted his nightmares yet something was different about them. Before his mind registered his brother’s presence he began to scream and pull away from the man he associated with his misery.
“Joe, what’s wrong?” Adam asked, immediately thinking his brother was still angry with him over the fight they’d had before he left.
Paul Martin watched as Joe’s face transformed into a mask of horror. The young man kept pushing his injured body further across the bed as if he were truly terrified of his own brother. “Joe, come on, young man, calm down,” he said as he moved Adam out of the way.
“Stay away from me, Adam!” Joe screamed as loudly as his injured ribs would allow.
“What’s going on here?” Ben asked as he hurried into the room, Hoss right behind him. Both men were shocked to see the oldest Cartwright brother staring blankly at the terrified young man on the bed.
“Adam!” Hoss exclaimed in a voice that was both happy and confused at the same time. He hurried towards his older brother and took him in a bear hug.
Adam instinctively slapped Hoss on the back. He pulled away and continued to watch his youngest brother on the bed. When Joe showed no signs of calming down he hurriedly left the room.
Ben watched the grief stricken look on his oldest sons face as he turned and left the room and wanted to follow, but the cries of his youngest son made him realize Joe needed his attention more. He hurried to the bed and stood next to the doctor.
“No,” Joe whimpered.
“It’s all right, Joe. I’m here,” Ben said softly and watched Joes one open eye for signs that he recognized him.
“St...stay away from me, Adam,” Joe whispered as he sank deep into the warm blankets.
“Pa, did he just say Adam?” Hoss asked confusedly.
Ben’s shocked face betrayed the fact that he’d indeed heard his youngest son’s cry. He sat beside him on the bed and ran his hands through Joe’s hair. “What did Adam do, Joe?” he asked.
“He...” suddenly Joe’s eye closed and his body went limp.
“Let me check him, Ben?” Paul said softly.
Ben moved away and stood beside his middle son. “Stay with him, Hoss. I’m going to talk to Adam.”
“What do you think he meant?” Hoss asked his father.
Ben knew he was talking about little Joe’s last statement but he didn’t have an answer. “I have no idea,” he told him as he walked out of the room. He found Adam sitting at the large dining room table, his hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee. He knew his oldest son was suffering by the way he hung his head and stared into the cup. “Son,” Ben said as he laid his hand on Adam’s right shoulder.
Adam had heard the approaching footsteps and knew they belonged to his father. He removed his hands from the cup and stood to enfold his father in his arms. Both men clung to each other briefly and then Ben sat in the seat next to his son. “I’m glad you’re home,” he said.
“Thanks, Pa. I wish Joe felt the same way,” Adam said sorrowfully.
“Joe’s in a lot of pain right now, Adam, and he doesn’t know what he’s saying. You wait till he realizes it’s you and he’ll tell you himself.”
“You didn’t see him, pa. He acted like he was scared to death of me. I wish I could take back what happened between us but I can’t,” Adam said and gently rubbed the bruises on his knuckles.
Ben noticed the fresh cuts and bruises on Adam’s hands and became concerned. “What happened?” he asked as he took them into his own hands.
“I had a run in with a couple of drifters. They wanted Sport and I didn’t want them to have him.”
“Who won?” Ben asked.
Adam’s eyes sparkled as he answered, “Sport’s in the barn.”
“Ah,” Ben said and smiled at his son. “Why don’t you come back upstairs and we’ll let Paul have a look at your hands?”
“My hands are fine, Pa, and I don’t think Joe wants to see me.”
“I’m sure he’s changed his mind by now. Come on,” Ben said firmly.
“All right,” Adam said and followed his father back upstairs and into his brother’s room.
Paul Martin watched the two men come into the room. “He’s sleeping, Ben,” he answered the unspoken question he knew the older Cartwright was sure to ask.
“What caused him to react the way he did?” Ben asked curiously.
“I’m not sure, Ben. Maybe he’d been having a nightmare and hadn’t been fully awake.”
“Or maybe he was remembering the fight we had,” Adam said.
“Now, Adam, you know little Joe doesn’t hold a grudge for long, at least not when it comes to his family,” Hoss tried to reassure him.
“Paul, can you have a look at Adam’s hands?” Ben asked.
“What happened to your hands, Adam?” Paul asked as he turned Adam’s hands over and examined the knuckles.
“I had a fight,” Adam said simply.
“That’s exactly what it looks like you did,” Paul said. “When did this happen?” he asked remembering the way Joe had reacted when he’d first seen his oldest brother.
“Early yesterday morning. Why?” Adam asked.
“Just curious,” Paul said as he felt each finger.
“Hey now! Wait a minute, Paul, you’re not thinking Adam had anything to do with what happened to his brother, are you?” Ben asked.
“No, not at all,” Paul said, although for a few moments he’d been thinking it was to much of a coincidence because of Joe’s strange reaction to his brother.
“I won’t have you accusing Adam of doing something like that,” Ben said angrily.
“I didn’t hurt Joe, Pa,” Adam said firmly.
“I know you didn’t, Son. We’ll find out who did this as soon as your brother is ready to talk about it,” Ben told him.
Hoss had been standing back, watching the exchange between his father, brother and the family doctor. He’d seen the fights between his brothers and had wondered how they’d been able to stop short of really hurting each other. He’d been surprised when Adam had finally lost his temper to the point of lifting his fist and hitting their youngest brother in the face. Adam had a volatile temper but he’d always kept it in check until that day. Now he found himself thinking about his two brothers and whether Adam was capable of this kind of vengeance.
Roy Coffee walked into little Joe’s room just as Paul Martin finished bandaging Adam’s right hand. His face lit up and he walked over to Ben’s eldest son, “When did you get back?” he asked fondly.
“About an hour ago,” Adam answered.
“Well I hope your back to stay,” Roy stated.
“Guess that all depends on little Joe,” Adam said sadly.
“I’m sure Joe has forgotten what happened between you two. By the way, Ben, how is he?”
“He was pretty beaten up, Roy,” Ben said as the sheriff walked over to the bed.
“Does he have any idea who did this to him?” Roy asked.
Three sets of eyes turned towards the man in black. Adam knew they didn’t really believe he had anything to do with little Joe’s beating, but he resented the way they’d instantly turned to him at Roy’s question. Angrily he turned and left the room.
Roy saw the simple exchange and knew something had happened to make Adam leave in such a hurry. “Somebody want to tell me what that was all about?” he asked.
“Little Joe reacted badly when he saw Adam,” Hoss tried to explain.
“What do you mean reacted badly?” Roy asked, shifting from concerned friend to Sheriff mode.
“Little Joe got upset when he saw him. I don’t think Joe’s over the fight he and his brother had before Adam left,” Ben told him.
“That’s not like Joe,” Roy said as he looked down on the sleeping Cartwright. “I’ve known Joe all his life and every time he has a fight with a member of his family it’s forgotten within a few days. Remember when Adam left for College and Joe was all upset. He couldn’t wait for Adam to get back. Joe don’t hold a grudge where his family is concerned so something else has happened here.”
“Look, Roy, when Adam walked into the room and Joe saw him he panicked and began to pull away from him,” Paul Martin told him.
“Why would he do that?” Roy asked.
“We don’t know,” Ben said simply.
“Did Joe explain why he reacted like that?”
“I asked Joe who did this to him and he said it was Adam,” Ben told him.
“Adam would never do this to his brother!” Roy said as he walked to the window. He glanced down at the yard just in time to see Adam Cartwright mount his horse and ride out. “I think maybe one of you should go down there and stop Adam from leaving,” he said.
Ben hurried to the window and was just in time to see Adam glance wistfully over his shoulder as he rode out of the yard. “Damn!” he said as he hurried out the door and down the stairs.
“Take my horse, Ben,” Roy called after the retreating man.
Ben grabbed his coat and threw it on as he quickly headed out of the house. He ran to Roy Coffee’s horse, hurriedly mounted and rode after his oldest son. Darkness continued to fall as Ben Cartwright followed his son towards Virginia City. It wasn’t long before he caught up to him.
“Adam, stop right now!” Ben ordered.
“Why, Pa?” Adam asked and Ben heard the heartbreaking sadness in his voice.
“Because it’s not your way,” Ben said softly.
“What’s not my way?” Adam asked his voice still laced with sadness.
“You would never run out while one of your brother’s is injured,” Ben told him.
“This is different, Pa. Joe told you I did this to him,” Adam said as he brought Sport to a stop. Snow began to fall as night descended.
“Yes he did,” Ben said. “I’d like to think he was hallucinating.”
“I saw your faces and you believed him,” Adam said looking towards the sky.
Ben thought about what Adam had told him and knew he was right. He could sense that Adam was close to the breaking point and brought Roy’s horse abreast of his sons. Gently he placed a consoling hand on his shoulder and spoke softly. “I don’t know what happened, Adam, but if you run out now it only makes you look guilty. More importantly if you run out then whoever did this to your brother gets away with it. I need you to stay, son. Joe will need you as soon as he realizes you weren’t the one that beat him.”
“He’s afraid of me, Pa. Joe and I have had our differences in the past but he’s never been afraid of me,” Adam’s voice quivered as he turned his gaze on his father.
“Adam, come back to the house. We’ll figure this out between us,” Ben told him.
Adam gazed down the road to Virginia City and then took in the concerned look on his father’s face. Without a word he turned his horse and slowly rode back towards the house.
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