The Silver Coin, Part Four

by J. Rosemary Moss

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

Link to Part One

~

David walked into The Silver Dollar Saloon and glanced around the room. He spotted Little Joe immediately, deep in a poker game with two other men. He walked over to the table, but stood apart from it so that he could watch the game.

Joe was doing well. That fifty dollars that Adam had loaned him had turned into at least a hundred, if David was reading the chips right.

He continued to watch as Joe successfully bluffed one of his opponents and won another hefty pot. Joe raked in his chips with a good-natured smile and then caught sight of David.

"Hey, take a seat," he invited.

"I don’t intend to play," David explained.

Joe shrugged. "That doesn’t matter. We’ve got the room. As you can see, older brother was kind enough to give me fifty dollars."

"I know," David said dryly. "We, ah, had some words over that."

Joe grinned. "Never criticize Adam’s treatment of me," he advised him. "I’m still his favorite and he’s always extra-protective where I’m concerned."

David rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the warning."

"You didn’t quit the Ponderosa in a huff or anything, did you?" Joe asked as he dealt the next hand.

David could hear the unspoken questions: ‘Is this a serious fight between you two lovebirds? Should I be concerned?’

"No," David answered. "You’re not worth quitting my job over."

"Good," Joe said with a wink. "Then don’t worry—the argument with Adam will blow over."

"Yes, it will," David agreed. Then he quieted down so that he could watch the game.

He watched for almost an hour. Joe did fairly well—he’d found two men who bought most of his bluffs. That encouraged David.

David didn’t know much about poker, but he knew that you had to choose your opponents carefully. If Joe was sensible enough to play against men who weren’t as good as he was, there was hope for him.

But then Mark, one of the Ponderosa hands, strode into the saloon. Joe’s eyes lit up as he waved him to the table.

David bit his lip at that. Mark had the reputation of being a fine player—in fact, more than once he had thought about quitting his job and playing professionally.

David looked at Joe, who was smiling with delight as Mark took his seat. Apparently Joe was bored of playing against men he knew that he could best.

Three hours later, Joe’s situation had changed. All the profit he had made from the other two men was gone. Mark didn’t buy Joe’s bluffs, so Joe could only beat him when he genuinely held a better hand. And Mark could usually sense when he was beat, so he never invested much into those pots.

David kept hoping that Joe would start avoiding Mark and just play against the other two men. But no such luck.

Five hours later, the game ended. Mark was the clear winner. Joe had lost all his profit and part of the money he came in with. He was down to about twenty-five dollars.

But he took the loss in good spirits—David had to give him that.

"Why didn’t you avoid Mark?" David asked him when the other men left the table. "You were doing just fine against the other two men."

Joe grinned at him and then shook his head. "There was no challenge in beating those other two. What’s the point?"

"Well, there’s the profit you made from them," David pointed out. "You were up quite a bit."

Now it was Joe’s turn to roll his eyes. "I don’t play for the money, David. This is about—it’s about playing on the edge. It’s like—well, playing against someone as dangerous as Mark is like riding with the posse. That’s what it feels like—your blood starts pumping the same way."

David narrowed his eyes at him. "You’re playing strictly for thrills?"

Joe thought about that. "I suppose. Don’t mistake me—I know it’s serious. Heck, riding with a posse is serious too. But there’s something to be said for the excitement."

He paused and gave David his most charming smile. "I know you’re worried about the money I owe you. But I will get it back for you—it’s just a matter of time."

David gave him a hard look. "You’re wrong," he said evenly. "It’s not the money I’m worried about. In fact, you can forget that hundred dollars."

Joe’s smile stayed in place but the expression in his eyes changed. "You think I’m in over my head?"

"Yeah," David answered.

Joe grinned again. "Would you prefer that I spend all my free time riding with posses instead?"

David smiled despite himself. "No."

"Then don’t worry about me," Joe advised him.

David reached out and took hold of the deck of cards. "Care to play against me?"

Joe’s eyebrows shot up. "Sure. I’ve only got this twenty-five, though."

"It’s not about the money, remember?" David said. "I have a different wager in mind."

LINK TO PART FIVE