The Silver Coin, Part Nine

by J. Rosemary Moss

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

Link to Part One

~

Joe swore under his breath when he saw Sport standing at the post outside of David and Abby's cabin. This was just his luck. Oh, he was glad that Adam and David were on speaking terms again, but why did Adam have to choose tonight to visit?

He stared up at the moon, as if expecting an answer. None came.

Joe sighed and leaned forward a bit in the saddle. He had two options. He could turn around now, go home to bed and hope for a chance to speak with David privately tomorrow. Or he could enter the cabin, pretending to pay a social call and hope for a chance to speak with David privately now.

He pulled out his pocket watch and held it up to the moonlight. It was just after midnight--which meant that technically it was Friday already. Friday the thirteenth, as it happened. Jesus, how unlucky could he get? Friday the thirteenth would curse him—whichever
decision he made would turn out to be the wrong one.

And there was a full moon out. Joe wasn't sure about the precise superstitions regarding full moons and Friday the thirteenth, but it couldn't be a good thing.

He bit his lip. It was going to be pretty tough to stroll into the cabin after midnight and pretend that he was paying a social call.

On the other hand, he probably wouldn't see David tomorrow. Joe would be out early riding fence and by the time he got back it would be after sundown, so the Jewish Sabbath would have started. And David was observant enough not to talk business or money on the Sabbath. So Joe would have to wait till Saturday night or Sunday to approach him.

Just his luck, he thought again. Why did Adam have to be here now? And why did Joe feel like he had to skulk around where older brother was concerned?

He sighed again. He couldn’t just march in there and ask Adam for the loan—he had already decided that. So that meant skulking around.

Just then the back door of the cabin opened and Abby walked out, carrying a lantern and wrapping a shawl around herself as she trotted over to him. Joe waved to her and dismounted Cochise.

“You didn’t tell them I was here, did you?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, because I can see that you’re trying to avoid your brother.”

He smiled sheepishly. “How’d you guess?”

Abby laughed. “I watched you ride up and panic at the sight of Sport.”

“Yeah, I suppose I did,” he owned. “Here’s my problem, Abby. I need to talk to David, but I don’t want Adam to know about it.”

She frowned and set the lantern down. “Are you in trouble?” she asked.

“Sort of,” Joe admitted. “Money trouble.”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t be best off asking Adam for help?” she persisted.

Joe shook his head. “No, I’d just as soon make sure that Adam never hears about this. I was just trying to figure out how to knock on your door after midnight and pretend it’s a social call.”

“No, that won’t work,” Abby agreed. “But you don’t have to be paying a call. Are you coming back from Virginia City?”

“Yeah,” Joe answered.

“Good,” she said. “We’re closer to Virginia City than the main house. And since you’re so tired, you stopped here to spend the night rather than riding all the way back home.”

He smiled appreciatively. “Abby, that’s brilliant. Does Adam mean to spend the night or is he riding home?”

“Oh, I imagine he’ll spend the night at this point,” she answered, taking his arm as Joe led Cochise to the post. “Now I have plenty of blankets, but we don’t have a bed in the spare room yet—you two will have to fight over the settee.”

“Oh, we’ll be fine. We’ve both slept in worse places than the floor by your fireplace,” he assured her. “But can you distract Adam at some point and give me a chance to talk to David?”

She nodded. “Yes, but not right away. They’re bent over a chess game and you know how engrossed they get.”

“I’ll see to the horses, then,” Joe said, nodding to the small stable that now stood behind the cabin.

Abby smiled. “Good. I’ll go back inside and tell them you’re here.”

LINK TO PART TEN