Genre: Slash Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: PG-13
LINK TO PART ONE
~
Joe took a long swallow of beer and then set down his glass with a contented sigh. “What’d I tell you?” he asked his companion. “The Silver Dollar has the coldest beer in town and the prettiest girls.”
David grinned. “The beer is like ice,” he acknowledged. “As for the girls,” he paused as he glanced around the room. “Well, I’ll take your word on them.”
Joe laughed. “How can you say that? You’ve got eyes, haven’t you?”
“I have,” he owned. “And I suppose they’re pretty enough.”
Little Joe had just picked up his beer, but he set it down again at that and cocked his head at the new hand. He liked David, but there was a cold, puzzling quality about him.
Three of the saloon girls had been falling over him all night, but he scarcely seemed to notice. Oh, he was polite enough to them—he remembered their names after being introduced and he didn’t show any righteous indignation toward their trade. But none of them held his interest.
Well, maybe he had a sweetheart somewhere. That would account for it.
“How do you know my brother Adam?” Joe asked suddenly.
“We met in a house of ill-repute in San Francisco,” David answered promptly.
Joe laughed again. “Are you serious?”
He shrugged. “You can ask Adam if you don’t believe me. And—forgive me, Joe—but the women there were a cut above these Virginia City girls.”
“Well, that’s San Francisco for you,” Joe acknowledged. “Which, uh, house was it?”
“It’s the one that Ed Niles owns.”
Joe furrowed his brow. “Ed Niles? Isn’t he the man that Adam just won a timber contract from?”
“He is,” David confirmed. “And he always holds his business meetings at his ‘house’.”
Joe rolled his eyes. “I know Adam doesn’t like Niles. He said the man has little sense of decorum.”
David smiled at that. “He has none, as far as I can tell. But I think Adam and I were the only two who realized it. I suppose that’s why we gravitated to each other—that’s why we were such fast friends.”
He gave the term ‘were’ an odd inflection. Joe narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you still friends?”
David took a sip from his beer and then shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not. That’s almost a shame—we still get along quite well.”
“What happened?”
“We were rival bidders. I was representing Jake Conner, Adam was representing the Ponderosa. I had the bid all sewn up—although I admit that my, ah, method was a bit underhanded. But then your brother exposed me to Niles and won the bid for himself.”
Joe sipped from his own beer as he took that in. “Why did Adam hire you? Why would he want you working as a hand on the Ponderosa after all that?”
“To keep an eye on me,” David answered evenly.
“Does he need to?”
He nodded. “Oh yes. I intend to ruin him.”
Joe almost choked at that. David was talking matter-of-factly—there was no particular malice in his voice. But Joe knew that he wasn’t joking.
No, he was serious. He really intended Adam harm. Not physical harm—Joe understood that much. But something just as damaging.
“Why are you admitting this to me?” he asked.
David grinned. “I thought it was only fair to mention it before you pay for my beer. I’ll understand if you prefer me to pay for my own, given the circumstances.”
But Joe shook his head. “I’m still buying. I don’t know what you have in mind—but you won’t succeed in ruining my brother. And let me explain something to you: if you tangle with one Cartwright, you tangle with all of us.”
David seemed to consider that. At length he folded his arms on the table, leaning toward him. “Do you know something? I hope that’s true. I hope, for Adam’s sake, that you all stick by him. But we’ll see.”
Joe opened his mouth to reassure him on that point, but one of the saloon girls—Katie—interrupted them.
“Any more beer for either of you?” she asked.
“No,” Joe answered. “I think we’re all done here.”
Katie turned toward David. “I was thinking that we’d have a quiet drink upstairs before you leave. What do you say?”
David smiled at her. “No thank you. But can you tell me that woman’s name?” he asked, nodding across the room.
Joe turned to see who he was talking about. It was Abby, a sweet girl whose face was disfigured. Rumor had it that a vicious man had seared her with a branding iron. It was certainly possible, judging by the misshapen scar that ran from her chin to her cheekbone.
Joe had no idea what monster had done that to her, or whatever happened to him. It all took place before she came to Virginia City.
Katie frowned. “That’s Abby. What do you want with her? Sam only keeps her around out of pity.”
“I’d just like a word with her,” he answered. And with that he nodded at Katie, then at Joe and then stood up and crossed the room.
Katie sank down into his vacated seat. “What do you suppose he wants with her?” she asked.
“I don’t know, darling,” Joe answered with a shrug.
He watched David talk to Abby for a minute or two—and then he watched them head upstairs. He turned back to Katie, knowing she’d be furious.
She didn’t disappoint him. Her cheeks were blazing. “How do you like that?” she demanded.
Joe only shrugged again.
“Well, I suppose there’s no accounting for taste,” she continued philosophically, pulling herself together. “What are you up to for the rest of the night?”
“I’m going home,” Joe answered as he put enough coin in her hand to cover the beers and a tip. “If you see David again, tell him I’ll catch up with him back at the Ponderosa.”
LINK TO PART FOUR
~
Joe took a long swallow of beer and then set down his glass with a contented sigh. “What’d I tell you?” he asked his companion. “The Silver Dollar has the coldest beer in town and the prettiest girls.”
David grinned. “The beer is like ice,” he acknowledged. “As for the girls,” he paused as he glanced around the room. “Well, I’ll take your word on them.”
Joe laughed. “How can you say that? You’ve got eyes, haven’t you?”
“I have,” he owned. “And I suppose they’re pretty enough.”
Little Joe had just picked up his beer, but he set it down again at that and cocked his head at the new hand. He liked David, but there was a cold, puzzling quality about him.
Three of the saloon girls had been falling over him all night, but he scarcely seemed to notice. Oh, he was polite enough to them—he remembered their names after being introduced and he didn’t show any righteous indignation toward their trade. But none of them held his interest.
Well, maybe he had a sweetheart somewhere. That would account for it.
“How do you know my brother Adam?” Joe asked suddenly.
“We met in a house of ill-repute in San Francisco,” David answered promptly.
Joe laughed again. “Are you serious?”
He shrugged. “You can ask Adam if you don’t believe me. And—forgive me, Joe—but the women there were a cut above these Virginia City girls.”
“Well, that’s San Francisco for you,” Joe acknowledged. “Which, uh, house was it?”
“It’s the one that Ed Niles owns.”
Joe furrowed his brow. “Ed Niles? Isn’t he the man that Adam just won a timber contract from?”
“He is,” David confirmed. “And he always holds his business meetings at his ‘house’.”
Joe rolled his eyes. “I know Adam doesn’t like Niles. He said the man has little sense of decorum.”
David smiled at that. “He has none, as far as I can tell. But I think Adam and I were the only two who realized it. I suppose that’s why we gravitated to each other—that’s why we were such fast friends.”
He gave the term ‘were’ an odd inflection. Joe narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you still friends?”
David took a sip from his beer and then shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not. That’s almost a shame—we still get along quite well.”
“What happened?”
“We were rival bidders. I was representing Jake Conner, Adam was representing the Ponderosa. I had the bid all sewn up—although I admit that my, ah, method was a bit underhanded. But then your brother exposed me to Niles and won the bid for himself.”
Joe sipped from his own beer as he took that in. “Why did Adam hire you? Why would he want you working as a hand on the Ponderosa after all that?”
“To keep an eye on me,” David answered evenly.
“Does he need to?”
He nodded. “Oh yes. I intend to ruin him.”
Joe almost choked at that. David was talking matter-of-factly—there was no particular malice in his voice. But Joe knew that he wasn’t joking.
No, he was serious. He really intended Adam harm. Not physical harm—Joe understood that much. But something just as damaging.
“Why are you admitting this to me?” he asked.
David grinned. “I thought it was only fair to mention it before you pay for my beer. I’ll understand if you prefer me to pay for my own, given the circumstances.”
But Joe shook his head. “I’m still buying. I don’t know what you have in mind—but you won’t succeed in ruining my brother. And let me explain something to you: if you tangle with one Cartwright, you tangle with all of us.”
David seemed to consider that. At length he folded his arms on the table, leaning toward him. “Do you know something? I hope that’s true. I hope, for Adam’s sake, that you all stick by him. But we’ll see.”
Joe opened his mouth to reassure him on that point, but one of the saloon girls—Katie—interrupted them.
“Any more beer for either of you?” she asked.
“No,” Joe answered. “I think we’re all done here.”
Katie turned toward David. “I was thinking that we’d have a quiet drink upstairs before you leave. What do you say?”
David smiled at her. “No thank you. But can you tell me that woman’s name?” he asked, nodding across the room.
Joe turned to see who he was talking about. It was Abby, a sweet girl whose face was disfigured. Rumor had it that a vicious man had seared her with a branding iron. It was certainly possible, judging by the misshapen scar that ran from her chin to her cheekbone.
Joe had no idea what monster had done that to her, or whatever happened to him. It all took place before she came to Virginia City.
Katie frowned. “That’s Abby. What do you want with her? Sam only keeps her around out of pity.”
“I’d just like a word with her,” he answered. And with that he nodded at Katie, then at Joe and then stood up and crossed the room.
Katie sank down into his vacated seat. “What do you suppose he wants with her?” she asked.
“I don’t know, darling,” Joe answered with a shrug.
He watched David talk to Abby for a minute or two—and then he watched them head upstairs. He turned back to Katie, knowing she’d be furious.
She didn’t disappoint him. Her cheeks were blazing. “How do you like that?” she demanded.
Joe only shrugged again.
“Well, I suppose there’s no accounting for taste,” she continued philosophically, pulling herself together. “What are you up to for the rest of the night?”
“I’m going home,” Joe answered as he put enough coin in her hand to cover the beers and a tip. “If you see David again, tell him I’ll catch up with him back at the Ponderosa.”
LINK TO PART FOUR
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