For Want of a Brother, Part Eight

by J. Rosemary Moss

Genre: Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)

Rating: Mature Content

LINK TO PART ONE: http://jrosemary.blogspot.com/2008/02/for-want-of-brother-part-one.html

~

We got back to the main house without incident. It was slow going, though, and we didn’t arrive until nightfall. There was too much snow and ice in our path. It didn’t look like we’d make it into Virginia City until at least tomorrow.

But we talked all along the way—I asked Adam if he’d ever been to England and seen where Shakespeare was born or seen London and all the playhouses there.

He shook his head in regret. “No, I’ve never been outside this country—except briefly to Mexico,” he owned. “I made it back east for college, but that’s as far as I got.”

“And you don’t want to go now?” I asked.

“Someday, perhaps,” he said.

“Why wait?” I asked. “Seems to me you ought to take a year or two now—otherwise you’ll find yourself saddled with a wife and children before you know it. And then you’ll never get away.”

He grinned at me. “It’s just as well, for your sake, that I haven’t gone off on the grand tour,” he pointed out.

I had enough sense to redden at that. “Yeah,” I said as I managed a grin. “I suppose so.” But I couldn’t help but wonder what was holding him back.

Adam took no precautions with me except to place my gun and holster inside his saddle bag. I think he trusted me, but he didn’t want to take a chance that anyone would mistake me as armed and dangerous. But he needn’t have worried—I don’t think anyone noticed us as we came into the yard. It was too dark.

I walked into the barn with him and helped him stable Sport. For the first time I realized that I was nervous about seeing his family inside. I wasn’t sure what they’d think of me—or the killing.

Besides, I’d only been inside the big house twice. Yeah, I lived on the Ponderosa, but the hands slept in a bunkhouse. I’d been in the big house for a Christmas dance and I had stepped inside on one other occasion, but that was it.

I frowned a little as I thought back to that Christmas dance. Joe and I had been sparking the same girl. We got into a fist fight over her—which was a damn fool thing to do, when you think about it. We were so bloodied up and disheveled after throwing punches that she gave up on both of us. I doubted that Joe had forgiven me for that, although it was just as much his fault as mine.

I shook my head at myself as Adam and I walked out of the barn and toward the house. That fight over the girl seemed such a small thing to me now. I hoped that Joe would forget about it too—I didn’t need any trouble with him just now.

As it happened, Joe was at the door when Adam opened it. His mouth nearly fell open at the sight of me.

“Hey, Joe,” Adam said, ignoring the shocked look on his brother’s face. “Reuben’s spending the night with us. He and I are going to head into town tomorrow.”

But on second thought, Adam wasn’t ignoring Joe’s shock. A look passed between the two brothers and somehow a whole conversation passed between them too.

Joe stepped aside to let us enter, but I saw his hand instinctively move to his left hip, where his holster should have been. But Adam gave him another look to assure him that I wasn’t dangerous. That must have convinced Joe somewhat, for I saw him relax a little.

“There’s a posse out hunting for Reuben,” Joe told Adam out loud. “I’m not sure where they are now.”

“I know,” Adam said as he took off his coat, hat and holster. “But it’s not necessary—Reuben’s turning himself in.”

Joe turned to me. “Did you kill Jack Clayton?”

I nodded.

He stared at me for a long moment. “Was it self defense?” he asked at last.

I cocked my head at him, surprised that he was willing to give me the benefit of the doubt. “No,” I admitted.

I think that put him at a loss for words. “Then why—why did you do it?” he managed.

He was searching my face, looking for some kind of reasonable response. But I hesitated, not sure how much I wanted to tell him. Telling Adam about my sister was one thing—telling Joe was something else. On the other hand, he’d hear about her soon enough. Perhaps I ought to just tell him now.

But Adam settled the matter—at least for the time being. “There’ll be time for that later, Joe,” he said. Then he nodded at me. “Take off your coat, Reuben. You might as well make yourself at home.”

He used exactly the same tone that he used whenever he bossed Little Joe around. I couldn't help but notice that—and I’m pretty sure Joe noticed it too.

“Joe,” Adam continued, “would you find Pa and tell him we’re here?”

Joe nodded and turned his head toward the general direction of the staircase. “Hey Pa!” he shouted. “Adam’s here and he’s got Reuben Cobbs with him!”

Adam rolled his eyes at his little brother. “Thanks,” he said dryly.

“Your welcome,” Joe said, the picture of sincerity.

I smiled a little at that, but Adam let out a long-suffering sigh. Then he turned to me and put his hand on my back in order to steer me toward the great room.

That casual gesture wasn’t lost on Joe. As I passed him, he gave me a look that I could read perfectly. Going after the same girl was one thing, it said—but he wasn’t about to share his older brother.

LINK TO PART NINE: http://jrosemary.blogspot.com/2008/02/for-want-of-brother-part-nine.html