The New Hand, Part Ninety-Six

by J. Rosemary Moss

Genre: Slash Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: PG-13

LINK TO PART ONE

~

Ben watched David as the boy focused on his next move. They were close to the end now and Ben had long accepted the fact that he was outmatched. Well, Adam had warned him. Adam had one winning game against David to his credit, but privately he had told his Pa that David was the better player.

Ben sighed to himself. He would have to ‘fess up to Josephine that he couldn’t beat the boy after all. But he flattered himself that he had at least offered David a challenging game. He had been wondering just what Adam saw in David—what was it about this young man that had turned him? Well, no doubt David’s fierce competitiveness was part of it.

‘Turned him.’ That was probably an unfair phrase. Perhaps Adam had always had an eye for his own sex—perhaps Ben just never put two and two together. But Adam had never before ‘settled down’ with a man or a woman. And yet he seemed to be doing precisely that, despite the fact that David was now married to Abby.

Of course, that was a marriage of convenience. Abby, apparently, understood matters and was satisfied. But Ben wasn’t sure if that didn’t make the whole relationship between Adam and David even more distasteful. Why drag some poor girl into it?

Ben sighed. He had come here to get to know David, not to sit in judgment over him. Besides, he reminded himself, Abby was much better off as David’s wife than as a saloon girl at the Silver Dollar.

But it was hard not to resent David as the young man who had stolen his son away—away from natural relationships, away from an easy, respectable life as a husband and father.

David looked up at him. "That’s checkmate, sir."

Ben glanced at the board, surprised. He had known the end was coming, but he hadn’t realized that David could checkmate him already.

"So it is," he admitted. "You’re an impressive player, David. Thank you for the game."

"Thank you," David returned. "It’s been good to play a real game—between the ranch and worrying about my safety, Adam hasn’t had time. And I’m afraid Abby’s not much of a challenge."

Ben smiled. "You checkmated me several moves before I thought possible, so I don’t think I was much of a challenge either. But I thank you for implying that I was."

David smiled back at that. "Well, luckily for me, you’ve been distracted."

"I suppose I have," Ben owned. He stared at David for another moment and then decided on a direct approach.

"David, you’ve been unfailingly polite as we’ve sat here and played. Why don’t you tell me what you’re really thinking?"

There was a long pause. Ben began to regret the question, for the boy was still unwell. The chess game alone must have taxed him—Ben shouldn’t have confronted him now.

"Never mind," Ben said as he moved the table and the chess board away from the bed. "You need your rest."

"I know you resent me," David informed him, ignoring Ben’s attempt at getting him to rest up. "That’s what I’m really thinking. But I hope you’ll set that resentment aside. I’m not the worst thing that could have happened to Adam."

Ben smiled wryly at that. "I’m aware of that. But you’re not high on my list of good things that could have happened to him."

To his surprise—and relief—David returned his smile with a genuine one of his own. "I understand that, sir. I’ll probably never be on the top of that list, but I’ll endeavor to get myself higher up on it. I mean to take good care of Adam, you know."

Ben frowned at that—somehow he wasn’t comfortable with the notion of Adam being ‘taken care of’ by another man. The frown wasn’t voluntary, but he could tell right away that it hadn’t been lost on David.

"I mean to take care of him the way he takes care of me," David continued softly. "I know you don’t like the notion, but whatever else Adam may be to me, he’s also my closest friend. I won’t do anything to hurt him, sir—which is why I mean to stay on my best behavior around you."

Ben cocked his head at him. "Are you in the habit of behaving badly?"

David grinned. "At times. And I don’t always curb my tongue when I should."

"I see," Ben said, smiling a little. He wondered, suddenly, what kind of mother Josephine had been. "Was your mother lenient with you when you were growing up?"

"Quite," he owned. "I’ve always adored her—but she did let me run wild. And while my father never took any interest in me, I had all the theatre folk to fuss over me and spoil me. That served me just as well."

Ben raised his eyebrows at that. "Better than a father’s discipline?" he asked.

"Well, I liked it better!" David said wink.

Ben laughed, suddenly feeling more at ease. David was both Josephine’s son and Adam’s good friend, after all. That should give him enough incentive to like the lad.

"You know," he managed, "Joe thinks you’re good for Adam."

"I am," David said at once. "He needs someone to challenge him and fight with him on occasion. And he needs someone to boss around and threaten on occasion. And I’ve got a pretty good idea of when he needs a challenge and when he needs to be in control."

That struck Ben as a fairly accurate summation of what Adam looked for in a partner. He couldn’t help but smile again. David was canny and charismatic—he had to give him that much.

"I’ll let you get some rest now," Ben told him. "And don’t worry about Niles—he won’t get to you without coming through us."

But that turned out to be the wrong thing to say. He could see David bristling at his words.

"I’m not helpless, sir. I appreciate everything you and Adam, Hoss and Joe are doing—but I don’t want you to think that I’m incapable of taking care of myself."

"I meant no insult, David," Ben said in a soothing, fatherly fashion. "I’m telling you this only because you’re laid up at present. Now stop sulking and get your rest."

David narrowed his eyes at him. "No offense sir, but if you try playing a father to me, I’ll only end up resenting you."

Ben was wryly amused at that. "You listen to me, boy," he returned. "I’m willing to accept you, both for Adam’s sake and for Josephine’s. But you can’t be just a half-member of this family. You’re going to have to learn to put up with us protecting you—and the occasional fatherly lecture."

David was still bristling; Ben could see that. But he had enough sense to bite back any sharp retort. "Yes, sir," he managed.

Ben smiled grimly. David wouldn’t always have the presence of mind to hold his temper around him. In fact, there would be a number of stormy arguments in their future. But Ben couldn't help but like the boy better for it.

He bid David good night, blew out his lamp and then left the room. But as he went downstairs, his own words to David echoed back at him.

Why should he accept Josephine as only a half-member of the family? Why should he consent to her scheme to keep her own place in town? Why shouldn’t they live together fully as man and wife?

This was a subject he would revisit with her on the morrow.

LINK TO PART NINETY-SEVEN