For Want of a Brother, Part Nineteen

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

~

I was frantic to get a word alone with Adam after that conversation with Drew. He didn't mind this deal, I told myself. I knew that part of him, at least, wanted to see London or visit New York. Adam loves his Pa's ranch, after a fashion, but I suspect he's a city boy at heart.

And even if I was mistaken, Drew's deal wasn't too bad, was it? Adam would still be working on behalf of the Ponderosa. He'd just have a bit of time to see the world and test out new business ventures, that's all.

But I could be lying to myself. Three years is a long time to go without seeing your family. And as much as I wanted to trade the noose or a lifetime in prison for service in the Union Army, I didn't want to sacrifice Adam for the deal.

And so I followed Adam up to his room right before dinner and cornered him. "Is this what you want?" I demanded without prelude.

He leaned back against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. He had his 'I-can't-believe-you're-questioning-my-judgment' smirk on his face. I’d seen that smirk quite a few times when I was working under him.

"Shut the door," he ordered.

I didn't appreciate that smirk, but I obeyed him regardless. Then I turned back to face him. "Is this what you want?" I repeated.

"Yes," he said. "And no. I don't want to leave my family, Reuben, but I won't mind the chance to go back east for a few years.” He paused and sighed. “But when I left for college, I missed some of Joe’s growing-up years. I’ve always regretted that.”

I thought about that as I sat down on the edge of the bed. “Hoss or Little Joe might get married if you give them three years,” I said. “That’s enough time for them to have a kid as well. And it’d be near impossible for you to get back and forth to visit. ”

Adam nodded--and his voice was tight as he answered. “I know.”

I frowned at him. “Do we really need Drew’s connections?”

“Yes,” he said at once. “First of all, if he stands up in court as the victim’s blind little brother, begging for you to hang, what judge will refuse him?”

I caught my breath at that. “None,” I owned.

“On the other hand, if the victim’s blind little brother asks the court for leniency, his word will carry weight,” Adam continued. “Moreover, Drew has excellent connections among the judges and in politics. I won’t say much for how he came by them--but that’s not the issue right now. Between his connections and ours, I think we can get you into the Union Army. But it’d be difficult without his help and impossible with his hindrance.”

I cocked my head at him. “Did you expect all along to convince him to help me?”

He shook his head. “No,” he said. “The best I thought I could do was convince him not to move against you.” He paused and gave me a wry smile. “But Drew is full of surprises.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I can see that. But you don’t have to do this for my sake, Adam. I can face whatever’s coming. And you’ve already been more than a brother to me.”

He gave me a warm look with those amber eyes of his. “Thank you for that,” he said. “But I’m willing to make this deal--for both our sakes.”

I made a face. “Joe won’t like this,” I said. “And I reckon the rest of your family won’t either.”

He didn’t say anything to that--not for a long while. “It’s going to be harder to tell Joe than it’ll be to tell my Pa,” he confided at last. “Of all my family, I think Hoss will understand best. As for Pa--if he knows that this is what I want, or at least that some part of me wants it, he’ll give me his blessing. But Joe will resent me. I hope he’ll come to understand before I leave. And I hope he’ll remember that it’s not forever.”

“Will you want to be a rancher again after being back east?” I asked.

“It’s not the ranching, Reuben,” he told me. “It my family and--well, something about this land gets under your skin. I won’t be able to leave it forever. But, apart from the fact that I’ll miss my Pa and brothers, I won’t mind leaving for three years. I was gone longer than that when I went to college.”

He uncrossed his arms and dug his hands into his pockets. “I suppose I should speak to my family now,” he said. “But I can’t leave you here alone, can I?”

“No,” I confirmed, smiling a little. “A representative of the law has to have an eye on me all the time.”

Adam managed a short laugh. “It’s hard to imagine where you’d get off to in this weather. Well, come on downstairs. Sheriff Coffee can watch over you. I can talk things over with Pa, Hoss and Joe up here.”

“Do you--do you want me to be there?” I asked. “Things might go better for you if they’ve got me at hand to blame. And maybe to use as a punching bag.”

He grinned at that, but shook his head. “No--I think it’s better that you stay out of it. Though I have a feeling Joe will come after you soon enough. Let’s hope he remembers that he can’t strike a fellow in cuffs.”

And so I was relegated to the great room, along with Drew and Sheriff Coffee. We had that crackling fire in front of us--but we could hear Mr. Cartwright loud and clear over it. He was shouting something fierce.

The gist of his speech was that this was a fool idea; that Adam couldn’t save the whole world; and that he’d already left home once to go to college. He was supposed to be settling down now, not running off to be near the war.

I narrowed my eyes at that. As Mr. Cartwright kept shouting, it became clear that his real fear was that while he was back east, Adam would seek a commission in the Union Army. I reckon Mr. Cartwright had been harboring that fear since the news of Fort Sumter reached Virginia City. And that made sense--Adam was an idealist. I could see him leaving the Ponderosa to fight for a cause he believed in.

And so, ironically, the deal that Adam made with Drew worked in his favor. He had to be Drew’s business partner for the full three years that he spent back east. Adam might wrangle a government appointment of his own, but he couldn’t run off into the army and leave Drew to his own devices. So he was safe from the war. And the war would be long over, surely, by the time Adam’s commitment was through.

As for Hoss--we heard his voice a few times. From what I could gather, he was sticking up for Adam’s decision and doing his best to reconcile their Pa to it. I reckon he was hurt that Adam meant to leave again--but if it was what his older brother really wanted, then he was willing to support him.

But the one voice I didn’t hear was Joe’s. I strained my ears near breaking but I couldn’t hear a lick from him. There was just a cold, angry silence.

I sighed. The last thing I wanted was to be the cause of a rift between the two brothers. I had a good idea now of just how important a brother was.

LINK TO PART TWENTY: http://jrosemary.blogspot.com/2008/03/for-want-of-brother-part-twenty.html