June 9th 1863
“Joseph”
Her voice held a quiver of excitement just in the utterance of that one word. Despite all the noise of music, talking, laughing and shouting, he heard his name and turned to look in the direction from whence it came.
“Joseph Cartwright? It is you, isn’t it?” She smiled now, and held out her gloved hands in a warm greeting as she seemed to float down the plushly carpeted stairs towards him. “You’ve hardly changed at all since the last time I saw you”
Joseph Cartwright smiled and took the pro-offered hands into his own and put his head slightly to one side as he surveyed the young woman who had greeted him so fulsomely. “On the contrary, Georgina; I think it more honest for me to tell you that you’ve hardly changed at all since the last time I saw you – which was when exactly? Six years ago?”
“Is it really that long ago?” She looked at him in mock surprise and then laughed softly. Slipping her arm through his, she gently steered him in the direction of the dance hall. “It seems like a life time away.”
He looked at her again, quickly and hastily. in an attempt to discern her feelings as she spoke. Did she really regret leaving Virginia City then? He put a hand over hers and smiled in a slow, kindly manner and nodded. “I guess it must, Georgina. There’s been quite a lot of changes for you all since you left, hasn’t there?”
She nodded and looked away from him to watch the dancers. For some seconds they stood together, their arms linked, and saying nothing.
“If I may say so, without presuming too much, but you make a lovely looking couple,” a voice murmured behind them and they both turned quickly. The young man who had addressed them laughed and placed a hand on each of their shoulders in a gesture that embraced them both. “Joe, you look well. How is everyone back there in Virginia City?”
“Surviving well enough,” Joe chuckled, extricating his arm from Georgina and thrusting out his hand to shake that of Howard Kerridge. “You don’t look so bad yourself, Howard; life must be treating you well enough here in Jackson Creek”
“Well, we can’t complain, can we, Georgie?” Howard addressed his sister, who smiled and looked at Joe appealingly. Joe had seen that look on too many young ladies faces… ladies who desired to spend time along with him. But Georgina and Howard were old friends, and he preferred to talk with them other than be alone with her.
“We’ve still some way to reach the Ponderosa’s standards” she replied quietly
“Standards? In what way do you mean? All I’ve heard about since hitting town is how prosperous the Kerridges are and how well you’re doing and what a fine spread you have outside of town.” Joe laughed and his hazel green eyes twinkled. “Seems to me that you have nothing about which to complain.”
“Oh, we’re not complaining. It’s been hard work and worth it. I can remember your brother, Adam, telling me often enough that the Ponderosa was built from the blood, sweat and tears of hard work from his father and brothers. Well, if it’s a form of boasting, then I guess we can boast the same here.”
“Well, there’s no harm in hard work; it never killed anyone, and keeps a man out of trouble,” Joe laughed
“That’s a fact. A man’s just too dog tired to get into trouble,” Howard laughed and looked around the room as though searching for someone. When his eyes finally settled on a young woman, his face softened and his lips slipped into a whimsical smile. He glanced at Joe and nudged him. “See that young lady?”
“Yeah.”
“What do you think of her?”
Joe glanced quickly at Howard and then at Georgina, who had turned her head away and was opening her fan slowly, as though a sign to prove her disinterest in the current conversation. He glanced once again at the girl and nodded.
“She’s very pretty,” Joe observed
“Pretty? She’s a darn sight more than pretty, Joe. She’s beautiful, the most beautiful woman in the room,” Howard declared, and a slight flush reddened his cheeks and his eyes gleamed. “She’s going to be my wife, Joe.”
“In that case, congratulations”
“Her name’s Rachel Harding. Her father is one of the most prosperous mine owners in the territory and is Chairman of the Mining Association.”
“He’s also the Mayor of this town,” Georgina said quietly, and glanced over her fan. “Can you dance yet, Joe?” She laughed then at the quizzical expression on his face and extended her free hand to take hold of his. “Oh Joe, have you forgotten the times we used to partner one another at school for the dances? You always had two left feet”
“I did? Well, I guess you must be right, if you put up with me that often,” he smiled again and took her hand. “If Mademoiselle permits…?” He bowed slightly from the waist and she laughed and nodded and assured him that Mademoiselle certainly did permit. “Then – shall we dance?”
They swayed into a waltz. His arm gently encircled her trim waist and he led her through the steps with an ease that brought a smile of pleasure to her lips and encouraged her to slip just a little closer into his arms. Joe could see people glancing over at them and smiling that kind of benevolent smile that meant people like what they saw. It gave him a twinge of pride and brought a twinkle to his hazel eyes so that the green flashed within them.
They were indeed a handsome pair….with their dark hair and slight stature, and he being so handsome with his constant smile, and she with her blue eyes contrasting so well with her dark curls and rose pink lips. He held her hand lightly in his own and looked down at her
“If I’d known you would have become such an accomplished dancer, Joe, I would never have left Virginia City,” she laughed, displaying white teeth that gleamed with the lustre of pearls
“I always did wonder why you all left in such a hurry. I don’t think it had anything to do with my dancing, though.” Joe pulled a mischievous face and pouted
“Oh, I don’t know either,” she smiled, but her eyes slide away and seemed to be searching for someone else in the room. “Mother died a few years ago, you know?”
“Yes, I heard. I am sorry, Georgina; she was a fine lady”
“She was, wasn’t she?” and her voice trembled and the sadness slipped into her eyes and the smile faded. “Ever since then Papa has worked so hard. He says that it was his fault that she died, that he never gave her the things that she deserved. He swore to build up a place the size of the Ponderosa and give us everything we could ever have….” Her voice trailed away and she sighed. “We were happy though, Joe. Mama never wanted to be a grand lady with a big house. She just wanted us to be happy and, you know, Joe, money doesn’t guarantee happiness, does it?” She looked up at him with an appeal in her blue eyes and he nodded his head. “Howard works all the hours he can too, and he’s so ambitious. He wants to marry Rachel, and thinks she wouldn’t look at him if he were just another rancher.”
“I don’t think Howard ever intended to be just another rancher,” Joe said quietly and he looked over to where Howard was dancing now with Rachel. “Adam always said your brother was an ambitious guy, and wouldn’t settle for anything less than an empire of his own.”
“Adam was right,.” Georgina agreed.
When the music stopped, he took her elbow and led her from the dancing to a group of chairs. She tugged at his hand and drew her down to sit by her side. She looked at his face and smiled again, the sadness fleeing away and the twinkle in her eyes returning.
“Thank you, kind sir, for dancing with me”
“Au contraire, thank you!”
“Oh Joe, you were always so charming. I can remember Marcia Lewis saying how you could charm the birds out of the trees.”
“I wish she had told me,” Joe chuckled. “Can I get you a drink, Georgina?”
“In a minute.”
They sat together in silence and watched as the couples swirled by them as they danced to the music of a popular waltz. He looked at her again and thought how little she had changed and yet, what changes there were had merely enhanced her appearance. She was truly very lovely
“Joe – you’re staring at me,” Georgina whispered, opening her fan and raising it to shield her face.
“I’m sorry. I was just thinking how lovely you had become, Georgie…so different from that freckle faced gawky kid I used to know.”
She threw back her head and laughed, a good honest to goodness laugh that made him chuckle and drew the attention of those nearby. She shook her head “Oh Joe, was I really?”
“Yep, but a pretty freckled faced gawky kid who has grown into a very lovely young lady.”
She allowed a slight blush to grace her cheeks and lowered her eyelids so that the long lashes (carefully brushed with oil and soot that evening to make them look longer and thicker) cast an alluring shadow upon the cream and rosepink skin.
“How are Adam and Hoss?” she murmered, looking intently at her hands
“Oh, much as you might remember them.”
“Are they married yet?”
“No chance,” Joe laughed. “Hoss runs as soon as he thinks a gal might hogtie him down, and Adam – well, I guess he hasn’t found the right one yet”
“I heard that he was engaged to Mrs. Dayton,” Georgina said rather coyly
“Oh yes, well…” Joe frowned. “It didn’t work out; she married our cousin Will instead”
“I’m glad,” she said with such force that Joe was surprised. She looked at him and shrugged. “A woman knows these things, Joe; they would never have been happy.”
“I think we all realised that, but it was still a bit of a blow”
“And what about you, Joseph Cartwright? Has any girl managed to tame you yet?” She tapped his hand playfully with her fan and her eyes crinkled as she smiled
“No, not yet,” he said quietly and he gave her a long look, deep into her eyes which made her glance away and suggest that perhaps they should have a drink now. He got up and walked to where the refreshments were being served and took two glasses of punch from the lady who smiled at him in the way many a matronly lady had smiled at him from his childhood up.
“Joseph!” A voice boomed behind him and he turned, the punch spilling a little over his hands. The glasses had been over full and the sound of his name being called out in such a manner had made him jump. “Mr Kerridge.” Joe nodded and smiled and put one glass down in order to shake the hand extended towards him. “How are you, sir?”
“Surprised to see you here and so far from home and family,” Kerridge replied with a broad grin on his face to soften any sense of criticism that the lad could have garnered from his words. “How are you, son?”
“Well enough, sir.” Joe’s eyes twinkled at the man who looked like a character stepped straight out of one of those Dickens novels Adam enjoyed reading so much.
“Glad to hear of it. You look well”
“As you do, sir.”
“What’s all this, sir-ing and such?” Kerridge boomed, for his voice was as deep and warm as his build was large and florid, “Why, when you were a boy, I bounced you on my knee and you called me ‘uncle’.” He slapped the young man on the back with such force that more of the punch was spilled and he was forced to put that glass down beside its companion. “Now then, tell me, what are you doing here, Joe?”
Joe smiled again. “I was bringing some cattle down to Fort Johnson and Pa suggested that I came by here to see how Gabriel Kent was getting on with the stud bull he bought from us two years back. I’ve a letter for you from Pa, sir.” Joe frowned. “It’s in my room at the hotel.”
“At the hotel?” The voice boomed afresh and William Kerridge looked at the young man as though he had just admitted to embezzling the company funds. “What are you doing in that flea pit of a place? You should have known you would have a welcome at the Double K”
“To tell you the truth, sir – “
“’Sir? Again, ‘sir’,” the big man interjected, and his florid face went slightly more crimson and he shook his head. “Call me Bill, most others around here do” and he smiled genially.
“Well – Bill –" Joe scratched his head and glanced over at Georgina. “I was wondering what to do about that, but I got into town too late to ride on any further. As it was, the Hotel Manager told me about the dance here at the town hall to night so I thought I would wander on by and see if you were here or not.”
“Good idea. Now, why not ride over to the Double K tomorrow morning for breakfast and tell me how things are with your pa and everything.” He glanced over Joe’s shoulder and nodded to someone before turning an apologetic face to the youth. “I have to go; business follows me about everywhere .” Bill paused. “Err, Gabriel Kent’s bull – “
“That’s right, sir. Gabriel bought it from Pa just before moving here. He wanted to establish a good herd and thought El Toro would be a good stud. I thought I’d check and see how he was getting on.”
“No one told you then?”
“About what, sir – err – Bill?”
“Gabriel Kent died about six months ago. His wife auctioned off the land, and the bull.” Bill Kerridge sighed and shook his head. “Sad business all together, but life here isn’t easy if you want to make it big. Gabriel just took on too much.”
“I hadn’t heard. Pa will be upset about that; he and Gabriel were good friends.” Joe sighed and shook his head. “Any idea what happened to his stock?”
“That bull of yours, huh?” Bill Kerridge tugged at his ear lobe. “Wal, as a matter of fact, I bought it off’n Mrs. Kent myself. He’s a good stud all right.” He slapped Joe warmly on the back and smiled. “You’ll be able to see him for yourself tomorrow, Joe. Don’t be late….”
Joe nodded and watched the older man as he walked away from him. Then he picked up the two glasses of punch and made his way over to the young woman who had been watching him with a strangely anxious look in her eyes.
“Is everything all right?” she asked, taking the glass from him and holding it gingerly in one hand whilst the other rested gently on his arm
“Fine. Why?”
“No reason, Joe. I just wondered”
“Why?” Joe raised a glass to his lips but his eyes remained fixed on her face. “Is there something I should know?”
“About what?” she laughed, but not with the usual warmth, and her eyes had lost their luster, replaced now by something else, something that made Joe feel uncomfortable. “Oh, take no notice of me, Joe; I guess I’m just tired”
“Tired? And the night’s still young – and there’s plenty of dancing in me yet awhile,” he grinned, taking hold of her hand and raising it to his heart whilst he gave her a long and languishing look under his long lashes
“Oh Joe – you always could charm the birds out of the trees,” Georgina murmured and slowly withdrew her hand
“Your pa’s invited me to your place for breakfast –“
“Oh, that’s good, Joe.” Her cheeks reddened slightly
“You’d best give me directions on how to get there in time, just in case I get lost on the way.”
“You couldn’t get lost, Joe; everyone knows where our place is. We own most of the land from the town boundaries on to the south and west of here.”
“You do?” Joe’s mobile eyebrows swiveled upwards and his large eyes went round.“I didn’t realize you had prospered so much”
“Didn’t you?” She glanced away and gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. “Perhaps you should have paid us a visit more often, Joe, then you could have seen how it grew for yourself.”
He frowned, and took hold of her hand again, and looked at her thoughtfully.“Aren’t you happy, Georgina?”
“I am now you are here, Joe.” She replied simply and the smile returned to her eyes and lips as she stood up “Shall we dance, sir?”
He sat astride Cochise and just stared about him. Everywhere he looked there were signs of the wealth and prosperity of the Kerridge family. He urged the horse forward to a slow gait, noting as he went the size of the herds that grazed upon the lush green grass, and for an instant, he felt the same kind of awe overwhelm him as he imagined many must have experienced as they entered the Ponderosa.
Here, however, there were no magnificent pines reaching heavenwards to speak of the grandeur of their owner, as well as to glorify their Creator. The land stretched out far and wide and respectably flat but it was lush and green and a wide river tumbled from the far off mountains that lined the horizon.
He rode along the wide track that led to the house. It seemed to grow from a small dot on the horizon to a low sprawling building that encompassed far more space than the ranch house on the Ponderosa. Joe stared at it thoughtfully for some time before finally dismounting and tethering Cochise to the hitching rail with enough slack on the rein for him to drink from the rather fancy water trough.
This was certainly no lovingly carved out dwelling from the woodland that Joe knew as home. It was built from rock and stone and cement with wide and high windows. It was rather like its owner, large and florid. Joe allowed a vague smile to grace his lips at the thought and after taking a deep breath, he rapped on the door.
A woman, apparently the housekeeper, opened the door so quickly that it was obvious that not only was his presence expected, but had been observed. She put out a hand for his hat and then indicated the direction he was to take with a gesture of her free hand.
Without his hat to twiddle with and use as a foil of any kind, Joe found himself rather defenseless and naked. He bit his bottom lip and nervously walked down the hall towards another large door. This he pushed open.
Georgina Kerridge glanced up and smiled. She was dressed in a very well cut riding habit, so Joe would have been right to assume that her intention was to go riding with him later. He glanced at the room and then at the table and frowned. People often observed that he and his family were wealthy, that they lived in style, that they could afford all and everything, but compared to this room -- this sumptuousness, this quite ostentatious display of wealth -- he felt like an ignorant and poverty stricken peasant. “Sit down, Joe. Breakfast is ready.”
“I thought I may have been late,” he muttered, running his fingers through his hair and looking around the room. “Aren’t your father and brother going to join us?”
“Yes, of course. They won’t be long. Would you like some coffee?” Georgina held up the coffee pot and with a smile poured the hot liquid into the fine porcelain cup. “Here they are now.” She smiled at him again and then glanced to the door
“So, you made it, young man? Welcome to the Double K. What do you think of it?” William Kerridge boomed. He beamed at Joe with all the benevolence of a child who was displaying all his toys at one and the same time and expected only applause and approval.
“I hadn’t expected anything so grand, sir,” Joseph said honestly
“Beats your old mans place for style, huh?” Kerridge chuckled as he eased himself into his seat at the head of the table. He clicked his fingers and immediately the housekeeper appeared again, this time bearing a heavily laden tray. “Never thought to see old man Kerridge living in such style, did you? I guess I surprised a lot of folks. Folks back in Virginia City sure would be surprised, ain’t that a fact?”
“Yes, sir. I guess they would be kinda surprised,” Joe admitted genuinely. The food was set down on the big table and Howard began to ladle food onto his plate with the alacrity Joe only thought Hoss ever displayed. “They’d be pleased for you though; you’ve worked hard to achieve this much.”
“You think so? Well, guess that’s praise indeed.” Kerridge said, sliding eggs onto his plate “Did you bring that letter from your pa?”
“Yes, sir.” Joe put his hand to his jacket pocket and pulled out the letter and handed it to the older man who ripped open the envelope and devoured its contents swiftly. It was then tossed to one side without comment.
“Coffee,” Kerridge said, and dutifully Georgina picked up the coffee pot and poured out the beverage for her father. William now looked over at Joe. “What did you think of my cattle?”
“Saw quite a herd. You’ve good stock, sir”
“The best in the territory. That stud bull you sold Gabriel, it’s the best I’ve ever seen. Reckon the herd can only improve with him around.”
“I guess so. That was what Gabriel hoped as well,” Joe said quietly, his eyes slipping to his fathers’ letter that remained casually on the table at his hosts’ elbow. “I don’t think anyone in Virginia City knows about the Kent’s – we certainly had not any knowledge about their circumstances.”
“Sad business,” Howard said quietly, dabbing at his mouth before looking over at Joe “Gabriel was a very pleasant man, and a hard worker. Overly ambitious perhaps, but he had no reason not to be; he owned a good sized property.”
“Did you ever see it, Joe?” Georgina asked, her eyes settling upon the young man with such gentleness that Joe could feel the heat under his collar
“Gabriel’s place? No, I have not. They talked about it though; said it was in a very pleasant valley, with lots of grassland and trees, and an orchard.”
“Oh yes, the orchard. It’s beautiful in the spring. Mrs. Kent loved it very much.” Georgina sighed and picked up her fork
“What happened to her, and Jacob?”
“She and her boy sold up and traveled back to live with her sister in Kansas. Not the best place to be just now with the way things are – have some of that ham, Joe; it’s from one of my best pigs.” William stabbed the air in the direction of the thick slabs of ham on the plate and Joe wished that Hoss were with him, as he sure would have enjoyed wrapping his teeth around a slice or two of that meat.
“Apart from the cattle, Mr. Kerridge…" Joe paused, instinct warning him that perhaps this was something he would be wiser not to ask. Was it the quick look that passed between father and son? Was there really a slight fission of something that he sensed in the air? He cast his eyes back to his plate. “I’d sure like a tour around the place, if that would be alright, sir?”
“Why’d you think my dear sister has got herself rigged up so neatly, Joe?” Howard chuckled. “She’s been so hopeful of your asking that she tried on at least three outfits before I’d even got up”
“In which case, how would you know?” Georgina snapped, but she smiled and her eyes twinkled over at Joe. “I’d love to ride out with you, Joe, and show you around”
“Thanks, I’d enjoy it.”
“A bit like those times your pa would take us around to show off his place,” William Kerridge mumbled through a mouth full of food which he washed down with coffee. “Always liked to take us round to see his favorite bits of the land he owned.”
Joe and Georgina’s eyes met over the table and he noted how flushed she looked and realized yet again that the tension had entered into Kerridge’s voice. He smiled as he looked at his host and picked up his coffee. “I guess we all make the mistake of sometimes being a bit boring about the things we care most about," he said in a very even, very mild tone.
Kerridge shook his head and shrugged. “’Twere’nt never boring. I enjoyed it. Liked to see what there was and what could be gained from hard work. Never stinted on hard work, not me. I jest determined that one day I would be able to do that -- take folks around my own place, show ‘em the bits of land I loved the most. Let them know that it was all mine and all due to my efforts and mine alone." He glanced up. “and Howard’s, of course”
Howard released a long, pent up sigh and concentrated on his meal.
“Well, Pa and Adam and Hoss worked hard to build up the Ponderosa. Those early years were the hardest, the years before I was born.” Joe put down his cup and glanced over at Georgina. “I’m ready whenever you are, Georgina. If that’s alright by you, sir?” He looked at Kerridge who only grinned with that same pleasure on his face that had beamed there earlier. Once more he looked like the genial, excited child who wanted to show off his toys and be rewarded with a pat on the head
“By all means, enjoy yourselves. I’ve told the girl to get a picnic lunch ready for you both.” He waved them away as though they themselves were children.
**********
She settled upon the grass and the wild flowers bent beneath her. Joe tethered their horses and then walked to where she was sitting and joined her. For a few minutes they sat together in silence whilst her fingers plucked at daisies and poppies and she engaged herself in making daisy and poppy chains. After a while she looked at him and smiled.
“What did you think of it, Joe? Do you think it as beautiful as your Ponderosa?”
“It’s different. It’s very lovely.” He sprawled out a little, and turned to his side then rested his head upon one hand, and looked at her. “Like you really, Georgina”
“Are you saying – that you think I’m lovely?” She smiled and teasingly waved a daisy in his direction. “You must need your eyes tested, sir”
“Not at all. From where I’m sitting, the view is very beautiful.” Joe took hold of one of her hands and raised it, palm upwards, and kissed it gently. “You were right, you know…I should have visited here more often and seen how the view was changing.”
She laughed, and the color mantled her cheeks slightly as she disengaged her hand from his fingers. “Tell me about some of our old friends, Joe.”
“Such as?” Joe frowned and, with a sigh, plucked some flowers of his own, which he toyed with for want of something to do with his hands.
“Sally Cass?”
“Oh, she and her pa left town.”
“Mr. Cass left Virginia City? Why, I never thought that would ever happen. Pa was always saying that there was never a more generous man than Mr. Cass – “
“My Pa says the same; he kept Pa and my brothers going with groceries and such when they first settled on the Washoe.”
“Sally was my best friend at school. We wrote to one another for a little while, but then – I suppose we just grew up and – well, things change.”
“Yeah, things change.” Joe frowned as he thought of Sally Cass and the misery she had endured since her brother’s killer had, in turn, been killed.
“What about Miss Jones, our teacher? Is she still chasing after Adam?”
“Nary a chance, she’s married herself now. Got married to one of our hands only last year.”
“Well, fancy that.” A slight frown furrowed her brow and she sighed and let her hands drop into her lap, sending the sweet wild flowers scattered into her skirts.
“Georgina, what exactly happened to Gabriel Kent? How did he die?”Joe rolled onto his stomach, rested his chin upon his hands and looked up with large appealing eyes.
“Oh, I don’t know, Joe. Pa and Howard don’t talk to me much about things like that.“
“Like what?”
“Like how Mr. Kent died – or why. I get to hear things, of course.” She frowned. “I overheard Mrs. Kent talking to my father shortly after Mr. Kent died. She was crying and I so wanted to go in and hug her. I always thought she was my friend and yet, after her husband’s funeral, I never got to see her once.”
“What was she talking to your pa about?” Joe twisted grass between his fingers, and looked away from her, to make it easier for her to talk.
“Oh, she was saying something like ‘I can’t go on anymore, not on my own. I don’t want my boy hurt anymore. I’ll take your offer for the land and go from here – as far as I can go’.” Georgina frowned. “I peeked into the room and papa was so kind; he put his hand on her shoulder and tried to comfort her, but she was too distressed to notice.” Her voice faded away. “A few days later Papa came and told us that he had bought the Kent’s place. He said that I could have it for my own, as a kind of dowry, because I loved the orchard so much.”
“It seems you just never know about folk,” Joe said quietly, letting the blades of grass fall while he rolled onto his back. “I would have thought Mrs. Kent was one of those ladies that would never give up on a place like that; she was the stronger of the two – that’s what I always thought!”
“Well, it doesn’t matter how strong you are, Joe, when your husband shoots his brains out because he’s been up to no good. What’s the point of hanging onto things that would only remind you of it all.”
“Gabriel shot his brains out?” Joe looked at her, his face indicative of his amazement. “I can’t believe that!”
“Well, it’s true,” came the reply, said with the simplicity of a child reciting the alphabet.
“No, I can’t believe that – Gabriel was too decent, too honest.” Joe’s voice trailed away as he thought back to the couple he had known, who had left Virginia City so full of excitement and high hopes for their future.
“I’m only telling you what is common knowledge in town, Joe,” Georgina said quietly. “I’m sorry if it upsets you; it upset us all at the time. Frances was so sad – as I told you, I never saw her except at the funeral, and even then, she didn’t want to talk at all.” She sat up and smiled, and reached out and took his hand. “Would you like to see their place? It isn’t far from here.”
June 10th. 1.15 p.m.
They sat astride their horses and said nothing. There really seemed little to say. The stillness all around them reminded Joe of being in a church and he had the urge to remove his hat and bow his head in prayer.
“Isn’t it pretty, Joe?”
Her voice broke into his thoughts and he looked at her and saw the innocent pleasure on her face that had always been one of her most endearing features. He smiled and dismounted and walked over to her and put his hands around her waist and lifted her from the saddle. Side by side they stood together and looked at the cabin and the land about it.
It was as she described it – pretty. A modest cabin built in the familiar style of the homesteader of the times. Close by was the orchard, now past the time of blossoms and showing the promise of a good harvest in the weeks ahead. Joe had already noticed how rich and lush the land had been as they rode through the valley and he had remembered Gabriel’s excitement when talking about the place. He could now appreciate exactly why their friend had been so optimistic about moving from Virginia City. Their home on the borders of the Melford’s land was nothing in comparison to this pretty acreage.
“Come on, Joe. Let’s go inside and look around," Georgina whispered and excitedly grasped hold of her hand.
Hansel and Gretel slipped into his mind and he smiled and gripped her fingers more tightly, so that she winced and looked at him in reproach. They pushed open the door and stepped into the building that had once been the Kent’s family home. Joe frowned as he looked around. “They sure left in some kind of hurry,” he said quietly as he ran a finger along the edge of a dresser where dust lay like sugar frosting.
“She didn’t want to stay, Joe,” Georgina whispered and looked sadly around the room. She edged closer to him and took hold of his arm. “I’ve not been here since before the funeral. I thought she would have taken her belongings with her. Joe, I don’t like being here. Can we go?”
He looked at her and frowned. Her deep blue eyes looked up at him so trustingly, and yet were brimful with tears. Gently, very gently, he ran a finger over her cheeks and wiped the tears away and then, he kissed her lips. She seemed to melt into his arms and her lips responded to the pressure of his upon them and then, abruptly, she pushed him away and stepped back, shaking her head. “No, Joe, no – I don’t want you to fall in love with me.”
Joe frowned slightly, and then nodded. With a swift glance around the room, he walked away. She followed him meekly, her head bowed and he heard her close the door behind her as he strode on towards Cochise.
“Joe? Joe?”
“What?”
“Don’t be angry with me, Joe. Please.” She was by his side now and grasped at his arm and he looked down and shook his head.
“I’m not angry with you, Georgie. As if anyone could be angry with you?” He smiled and touched her cheek gently with his fingers. “It’s just that you looked so sweet standing there and – and somehow I couldn’t but help myself from wanting to kiss you”
“Joe, I – I did like it when you kissed me.” She took a deep breath and then shook her head, which loosened the dark curls from their ribbon. A stray coil of chestnut hair drifted over her shoulder and across her face, and Joe very gently caressed it away and teased it back behind her ear. “I – I’m just afraid…”
“You don’t have to be afraid of me, Georgie. I would never, never hurt you.”
“No – I know that, Joe – it’s just that I don’t want to be the cause of hurting you.”
“How could you do that, Georgina, unless you couldn’t love me.”
She sighed and stepped away from him and then wistfully looked back at the cabin. They looked at it in silence and then she turned back to look at him,
“Joe, can we go somewhere else, so that we can talk together in private?”
“Isn’t this private enough?” He grinned, and his hazel eyes twinkled green motes that made her stomach turn over and over
“I don’t feel happy being here, Joe. I thought I would be, but there is too much of Frances and Gabriel still there – almost as though there ghosts were standing there watching us!”
“Very well” Joe sighed and turned to the horses. It was odd how she had said that, he pondered, because it was how he had felt too, just as though Gabriel and Frances had been standing in the room with them. He felt a shiver trickle down his spine and turned to help her into her saddle, but she had already mounted and looked impatient for him to follow suit.
**********
“Joe, do you recall me telling you about my mother?” Georgina glanced over at him as they walked their horses homewards. Joe nodded and waited for her to continue. “She had been ill for some time you know.”
“I didn’t know that –“
“Papa didn’t know either, she wouldn’t tell him in case – oh, I don’t know why, Joe. I always thought when people loved one another they confided in each other, but mama never told pa that she was ill, not until it was so obvious that – that even he noticed. But by then it was too late, far too late.”
“Was it her heart?”
“No, no, nothing to do with her heart. It was a sickness that seems to pass through her family. Her great aunt had it, so she told me..." Georgina bowed her head and lapsed into silence for some seconds and seemed to be waiting. Joe sat astride Cochise and wondered for what she was waiting; he put out a hand and touched hers for they were riding that close to each other that their knees were constantly brushing against each others.
“Are you afraid that it may pass on to yourself, or your children?” Joe looked at her and saw the color fade from her cheeks. Her skin looked the color of parchment and then suddenly was engulfed with a rush of blood that rouged her cheeks so violently in contrast that he thought she was ill and pulled Cochise to a halt. He slid from the saddle instantly, and was by her side and had taken her from the saddle and held her until her shivering ended and the color had faded to a semblance of normality.
“I’m sorry, Joe. I – I didn’t really expect you to understand so quickly… no one else ever has, you know?”
“You’ve mentioned it to others?”
“Oh, only those who have insisted that they loved me and wanted to marry me. I couldn’t just shrug them off, Joe. Some of them were so sweet and I did care about one or two – but – but it would never have been honest or fair of me to have accepted their proposals.”
“Georgina, if you haven’t got this illness, what makes you think you will? And what makes you think that the man who loves you, and marries you, would not continue to love you and care for you, even if you do become ill? Georgina, if I – if you –“
“NO!” She placed a hand gently over his lips and shook her head. “No, Joe. I’m asking you again; don’t fall in love with me”
Telling Joseph Cartwright NOT to do anything was tantamount to begging him to go right ahead. As his brothers knew from long experience, the best way to get Joe to break a horse was to say, “Shucks, that dadburned black horse is nigh on impossible to break. I don’t reckon no one could break that horse.” Oh, yes, it was guaranteed that Joe would be promptly out there and on that black horse and it would be a battle to the finish but he would prove that he would and could break that dadburned black horse.
If Joe were in a lazy mood and Adam needed some fencing done, the best ploy was to say -- within his hearing, of course -- “Don’t let Joe go near that pasture at the north end; the fencing needs to be done pretty skillfully and I don’t want any bodged up job.” That guaranteed that Joe would be there within 24 hours and the job done as neat as could be!
Even Joe couldn’t really explain why he felt so compelled to do something when everyone else asked him not to, or why he was driven not to do something when anyone asked him to do it. It wasn’t as though he were stubborn, like his brother, Adam. Or was it? It wasn’t that he needed to prove himself as good as his brother, Hoss. Or was it?
As soon as she looked into his eyes and whispered the words “I’m asking you again, don’t fall in love with me”, he felt as though his heart had been pulled from his breast and a cord entwined around it, knotted securely and then tied to her heart. He could only respond by lowering his head and kissing her lips and holding her close so that their hearts beat together.
“I love you, Georgina – how can I not love you? You’re the sweetest, prettiest little girl in the territory and…”
“Listen to me, Joe, please listen to me.” She stepped back once again, and put her hand to his mouth to prevent another kiss. He stopped and looked into her eyes and recognized the urgency in them. Beneath her hand, she could feel that there was no longer any resistance and she nodded and smiled. “Joe, I already have this illness. Sometimes it goes away for months at a time, but I know it will come back. I’ve had it since, well, since just before mama died. She started being ill with it just after she had Howard, and when I was born, she got worse, but papa never knew. She just said it was because she was clumsy or needed eye glasses.”
“But, Georgina, you look as though there couldn’t be anything wrong with you. You don’t look ill and…”
“She told me what to look out for, although she did tell me that the symptoms were often different from person to person. Oh, I know I could go on for years just as I am – or I could be in a wheelchair within a year.”
“Can’t the doctors do anything for you?”
“No. They don’t understand what it is, Joe. They say it is something that families carry along with them, but they don’t know what to do about it. All they say is to rest, not to overtax one’s energies – but I don’t want to live like that, Joe. All cocooned and such.”
“I wouldn’t cocoon you, Georgie, I promise. Just let me love you and take care of you. You’d be so happy on the Ponderosa.”
“Oh Joe.” She brushed his cheek gently with her fingertips and then laughed quietly. “You can’t imagine how happy my father would be to hear you say that. Me, married to a Cartwright and living on the Ponderosa”
Joe gulped. He thought of William Kerridge and the plump florid face with its beady little black eyes lighting up with pleasure and the plump dimpled hands rubbing together with delight. But then he looked at her and his heart melted; he took hold of her hand and raised it to his lips and kissed her fingertips. “I love you, Georgina. I love you so much”
A loud cough startled them both and they turned to see Howard leaning down from his horse, one arm leaning upon the pommel of his saddle. Instinctively they drew closer together. Howard smiled and pushed his hat further to the back of his head and raised his eyebrows. Wal, kind of wondered where you two had gone. Georgina, Pa wants you back home. You had better hurry; he’s got guests coming and wants you to play hostess.” He looked at Joe and the smile faded. “Probably see you agin, tomorrow sometime, Cartwright?”
Joe said nothing; he watched them as they rode away and then slowly mounted into the saddle and turned Cochise towards town.
June 10th 10.00 p.m
The glass of cold beer was warm now. Joe had chosen to sit at a table in a dark corner of the saloon, taking the glass of beer with him for company. He had to think, and there was a lot to think about and get put into some kind of order in his mind.
No one had bothered him, if any noticed him at all. Even the saloon girls had seemed to sense his desire for solitude and left him to his own devices. Occasionally he had looked up to take note of what was going on around him but that was all.
Why would anyone want to buy land with an orchard? Sure, it had good grazing land but compared to what was already owned by the Kerridges. Joe shook his head again – it was as unthinkable to assume that there was something wrong with Kerridge and his dealings with the Kents as it was to believe the story that Gabriel had blown his brains out. Why was the cabin not emptied of the Kent’s possessions? Only houses deserted by owners who could never return still had furniture and pictures on the walls and – and Frances would have wanted her things with her.
The Hotel Manager had listened to his questions about the Kents and nodded sympathetically before saying they should have stayed in Virginia City and Joe should be careful what questions he asked and from whom he asked them. He would venture nothing else and Joe, curiosity whetted, had decided to think things over at the saloon with a cold glass of beer.
Pictures of Georgina drifted through his mind and clouded his thoughts constantly. Six years had been a long time apart, but the years had served them well, for both of them were now of an age to make decisions independently of their fathers. Both had matured, grown, and become their own people.
Georgina. He smiled at the recollection of the little girl in pigtails who would follow him around the playground at school. The little girl in the blue gingham dress who always insisted he danced with her at the school dancing classes (which he had loathed). She had had big blue eyes and freckles then, and a determined chin and dimples. She still had them, and the remembrance of how they were balanced out so symmetrically on her sweet face made him feel a pang in his heart at the thought of her illness and how it could affect them both.
“Leave me alone. I told you already; I don’t want a drink.”
The girl’s shrill voice and the noise of the men shouting and laughing brought Joe out of his thoughts and forced him to pay attention to the intrusion into them. A group of four men were seated at a nearby table, and one of them was holding a girl by the wrist and attempting to force her to drink with them. She was struggling to free her arm and was about to slap the cowboy round the face. Immediately, her hand was seized. Some other rowdy had come up from behind her. Her struggles were now the cause for more laughter.
Joe looked about him. It amazed him to see how little care there was for the girl’s situation. No one moved. The other saloon girls seemed frozen to the spot in the midst of whatever action they were about, and the men either looked embarrassed and had turned away, or were acting as though there was nothing happening for them to notice anyway.
“Leave me alone!”
The note of panic and fear was obvious in the girl’s voice and her face betrayed her fear. The more she showed her fear the more the men laughed. They were now pushing her from one to the other
“Leave her alone,” Joe heard himself saying even as he stood up and pushed the table away from him. He walked towards the men, pushed aside one of them and then grabbed the arm of the first man who stood up to challenge him. “Leave her alone. Howard, take your men out of here…” His gun was in his hand even before he had finished speaking, and the two cowboys who had been rash enough to try and settle the intrusion with a show of gunpowder found their hands hovering over their gun butts whilst they stared down the barrel of his that pointed unerringly towards them.
“Still the knight errant,” Howard murmured, releasing the girls arm. “Why don’t you go back to your corner and mind your own business, Cartwright?”
“Why don’t you just do as I suggest, and get out of here, Howard?”
Howard Kerridge smiled slowly and leaned forward very slightly. “You don’t have your brothers to run up and help you out now, Cartwright. Just run along and forget what you’ve seen.”
“I don’t need my brothers to deal with the likes of you, Howard. I never did – not even when you were the playground bully all those years ago at school. Hoss only came to bail me out when you got your little gang to set on me, because you didn’t have the guts to handle me on your own.”
Howard Kerridge drew himself up to his full height and stepped forward, then paused. The gun was pointing unwaveringly towards him and when he looked past the gun, he could see Joe’s determined face staring at him. He looked at his men and nodded and jerked his thumb to the direction of the door.
“All right, Joe, have it your way this once. But don’t think I’ll forget this." Howard raised his hand and pointed his finger at Joe’s face. “Don’t think for a minute that I’ll forget this.”
They left, taking their time and striving to retain some of their swagger as they passed around the crowded tables and brushed against the saloon girls and out into the night. As the doors swung shut behind them, the atmosphere in the room lightened and it seemed as though everyone there had been holding their breath and now exhaled out. People laughed and chattered. The girls began to circulate around their clients, swishing their skirts with just a little more bravado than previously. The girl Joe had rescued rubbed her wrists and looked at him. “Thank you, I owe you a drink” and she beckoned over to the counter and signaled for two whiskies. “You took quite a risk you know,” she said quietly as she sat at the table he had just left.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Joe said with his customary gallant smile and twinkling eyes. He nodded his thanks to the bar tender who placed two glasses and a bottle on the table. “Howard’s always been a bit of a coward.”
“Maybe so, but even cowards can turn nasty, and he can be very nasty when he wants to be." She frowned slightly and picked up the bottle. “You’re a stranger here; how come you know Howard so well?”
“I was at school with him, in Virginia City.”
“Virginia City? Now, where have I heard that place mentioned before?” She crinkled her brow again. “Do you know the people who own the Ponderosa?”
“Sure, my brothers and pa own it. I’m Joseph Cartwright." He extended his hand which, after a slight hesitation, she accepted and shook. “What do you know about the Ponderosa?”
“Nothing really, only talk from folk. Howard talks about it quite a bit. Seems his family was friends of yours, and got to see quite a bit of it.”
“That’s true enough.” Joe took a swig of his drink and nodded his appreciation; it was good stuff, not the usual rot gut rubbish some saloon bar keeps dished out to strangers. “You didn’t tell me your name?”
“Monica Bradwell.”
“Well, Miss Bradwell, thanks for the drink.” He winked and took another gulp. “Did you know a family by the name of Kent?”
“You mean, Gabriel and Frances? Of course I did, they were good folk.”
“Is it true that he shot his brains out?”
She looked at him very seriously. One of those long looks women often used when trying to weigh up the rights and wrongs of making a decision – what to say and how to say it and should they bother anyway? Joe looked at her thoughtfully. She was not a bad looking girl. Probably the same age as himself and Georgina. Scrap off some of the paint and perhaps there was a really pretty girl beneath it all. She sighed and poured more whiskey into her glass
“Mr. Cartwright – Joe – our doctor is a very busy man dealing with patients who have strange accidents. There’s a lot of people in town who have strange accidents.”
“You mean, Gabriel got shot by accident? He didn’t commit suicide?”
“Gabriel Kent was a very kind, very thoughtful man. His wife was a mite ambitious, what you would call the power behind the throne. When he started getting offers for his property, she told him to ignore them. After a little while," she glanced around her, but no one was paying any attention, she leaned forwards a little, “the offers to buy the property stopped. They began to get threats. Strange things began to happen. Fires broke out. Once when they left town the wagon was tampered with and the wagon crashed and Jacob broke his leg. They were warned that it could get worse.”
“Why? I mean – what’s so important about that land?”
“Well, this may not be Virginia City, Joe, but you would have to be blind not to notice that it is a mining town. There’s gold and silver and copper on the land round about here. The biggest mine owner hereabouts is William Kerridge and he has a very big dream…which he seems pretty determined to see become a reality.”
“What’s that?”
“He wants a Ponderosa of his own – and so does Howard.”
“Are you saying that Gabriel was murdered?”
“I ain’t saying anything more about that, Joe. All I can tell you is that he was found in an alleyway with his brains shot out and the gun in his hand. Rumors suddenly went around town that he was bankrupt and…" she paused… “well, rumors went around that were meant to discredit him and provide some kind of crazy reason for him killing himself. But they were just rumors.”
“And Frances?”
“The last time I saw Frances she said she wasn’t going to give in to anyone’s threats – the land was her boy’s inheritance.” Monica stood up and brushed down her skirt. “Thanks for the drink, Joe, and helping me out. I don’t know anymore than that. Honestly!”
He nodded, emptied his glass and stood up. Slowly he picked up his hat and slipped it over his head and left the saloon.
June 11th 8:30 a.m.
Mrs. FitzGibbon prided herself on making the best breakfast in the territory. When she saw the young man enter her establishment and take a chair at her best table, she promised herself that she would cook him the best meal he had ever tasted (being ignorant of Hop Sing’s abilities she did not realize this was an impossibility). She smiled at him and offered him the menu and waited, pencil poised over her notebook, but intently observing him. She liked the look of him. Wholesome was how she would have described him, wholesome and handsome. When he smiled and his eyes twinkled up at her, she couldn’t understand why the nib of her pencil broke.
Joe sat back and stared out of the window while he waited for the meal to be prepared. He had spent a restless night in his hotel room and was feeling even more confused than when he had gone to bed. He picked up his cup of coffee and inhaled the bitter aroma and thought of home. They would have had their meal and be working, he mused. He frowned slightly, feeling a deep longing inside of himself to be riding the range with them there and then, and wishing he had never set foot in this town. He saw the sheriff walking down towards his office, a big, pot bellied man with narrow slits of eyes in a ruddy face. Joe sighed. The sight of him did not inspire confidence. He noticed the man who approached the sheriff and frowned, wondering why Howard Kerridge would be in town so early, and what business he would be having with the law. He noticed the way the sheriff glanced over at the restaurant and nodded slowly, as though acknowledging the information being given to him, whilst at the same time making up his mind on what course of action he would be taking upon it.
“Here you are, my dear. I cooked the eggs sunny side up” Mrs. FitzGibbon smiled at him and then glanced through the window and frowned, whilst she wondered why the actions of the sheriff would be of such interest to the youth. She would never have him pegged down as a man who would transgress the law.
“Ma’am – is there anyone here in town you could trust?”
She blinked and glanced at him again. “How do you mean?”
“I don’t know,” Joe said miserably. “I guess I’m just confused about some things here.”
“I saw you at the dance Saturday night. You were with the Kerridge girl quite a bit, if I recall rightly.” She picked up the coffee pot and poured him a fresh cup
“Yes, Georgina and I were at school together in Virginia City.”
“Pity they didn’t stay there,” she sniffed. “She’s a nice girl, I give you that, but since her mother died…” She paused and glanced over her shoulder before lowering her voice a tone. “This was a really nice friendly town, before the Kerridge’s came here. Now no one knows who to trust and what to do about it.”
“About what?”
“About things that are happening around here, of course.” She frowned and bowed her head to view more closely what was happening with the sheriff. who was now lounging against a post with his eyes on the restaurant as though waiting for someone. “Have you any intentions of speaking to our sheriff?” she asked and when Joe shook his head, she nodded. “You’re wise. He’s one of Kerridge’s men. Perhaps you should leave by the back way once you’ve eaten.”
“Thanks, ma’am, I’ll do that.”
“Virginia City.” She frowned in thought and then looked at him. “Did you know the Kents?”
“Gabriel and Frances? Yes, we did.”
“No doubt you heard that he had died?”
“I heard he had committed suicide.”
“Stuff ‘n’ nonsense. Gabriel had no intention of committing suicide at all. He was a good, God-fearing man and he was determined to fight Kerridge with all that he had, but he just didn’t have enough.”
“Enough what?”
“I don’t know. Whatever it needs to take on and beat a man like Kerridge.”
“He owns a lot of land from what I hear?”
“You hear right; he owns most of the land to the east and south of here, and intends to get more.”
“Why don’t you send for the Marshall to come and get this place cleaned up.”
“Gabriel made that mistake. The Telegraph clerk ‘forgot’ to send the cable and the copy of it ended up on Kerridge’s desk.”
“How do you know all this, ma’am?”
“People talk over their cups of coffee, son.” She smiled and then put a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Looks like the sheriff has decided he’s waited long enough…he’s coming over.”
Joe pulled some dollar bills out of his pocket and with a quick smile and nod of thanks, picked up his hat and hastily departed through the back door. He found himself in some kind of storeroom which had an exit door to the street, but instead of leaving he pressed himself against the other door to overhear anything that could be of interest from the conversation the sheriff would have with Mrs. FitzGibbon.
By the time Sheriff Harrison had reached the restaurant, Mrs. Fitzgibbon had cleared the table and dumped the dishes, and was sitting in Joe’s seat, sipping coffee demurely. She looked up at Harrison and smiled.
“Good morning, Sam; you’re busy and early too – do you want some coffee?”
He looked at her, at the empty table bar, the coffee pot and single cup and saucer, and scowled.
“Where’s the boy gone?”
“What boy?” She raised her eyebrows in amazement
“The boy, Cartwright. Came in here about 8:30 a.m.?”
“Did he? Then he must have left right away, sheriff, because I’ve not served breakfast to anyone called Cartwright. I don’t cook breakfasts after 8:15 a.m. You should know that by now.” She frowned. “What was he supposed to have done anyhows?”
“Caused a disturbance at the saloon last night, threatened one of the customers – so if you do see him, be careful; seems he’s pretty useful with a gun”
“Hum, as if that should be of interest to me….” She snorted down her nose at him in contempt. “Who did he threaten, one of your deputies?”
“No. It was Mr. Kerridge”
“Oh, the great Mr. Kerridge, huh?”
“Howard Kerridge!”
She said nothing. Merely poured herself another cup of coffee and raised the cup genteelly to her lips. Harrison said nothing. The act and manner of it was one of complete contempt and dismissal. Taking it as such. he turned, paused and looked at the back door behind which Joe was listening intently. Mrs. FitzGibbon continued to drink her coffee whilst staring thoughtfully (and very anxiously) out of the window. Harrison teetered about what to do, and finally left he restaurant via the front door.
Minutes later Joseph Cartwright was riding out of town on Cochise and heading towards Gabriel’s little cabin amidst the orchard.
June 11th 11:45 am
The gunshots came as a volley of constant fireplay. Joe was mid-way to the Kent’s home when he first heard the gunfire. He paused only long enough to get his bearings and discern the direction from where the sounds were coming. Cochise leapt forward as Joe urged the piebald to a faster speed and soon gained a position where he could see more clearly what was taking place only a short distance from him.
A wagon was careering along a dust-strewn track. It was slewing from one side of the track to the other as the horses stretched themselves at their greatest speed and without the control of the driver. Five men on horseback were gaining on the wagon, firing constantly upon the occupants. The answering fire was spasmodic and erratic. As the scene flashed before Joe’s vision, he had time to see two women, one frantically attempting to keep the team of horses under control and the other using a rifle to fire back at their attackers.
The rapid fire coming from behind them caused the five men to slow down and pay some attention to what was obviously a far more serious affair from the rear. Suddenly one of the riders gave a yell and a horse careered off the track, as his rider lost control of the reins when his nerveless fingers turned to putty. Within a few minutes, the other men had turned their horses into the shrub and putting some distance between themselves, Joe and the women in the wagon.
Joe fired off several more shots, just to encourage them to keep riding. The sound of the wagon approaching prompted him to get to dismount and walk towards it. Taking off his hat, he waited until the wagon was stationary, putting out a hand to steady the horses and bring them to a standstill.
“Thank you.” The woman who had been driving the wagon looked at him and called out the words. She was breathless from the exertion and seemed to be struggling to catch her breath. The other woman was clambering down from the wagon and walking quickly towards him. She extended her hand
“Mary O’Connor” she said in an abrupt no nonsense manner. “My daughter in law – Harriett.” She pointed to the other woman who nodded and seemed to have succeeded in getting her breathing under control. “Can’t say thanks enough, young man; you saved our lives”
“Joe Cartwright, ma’am.” He shook the proffered hand warmly, appreciating the heartiness of the clasp the woman gave him. “If I may say so, ma’am, I doubt if you would have lasted out much longer.” He took the hand the other woman offered him and smiled gently; no wonder she was breathless, she was quite advanced in her pregnancy.
“Oh, this isn’t the first time it’s happened,” Harriett said quietly. “Over the course of the past month, we’ve been attacked on the road every time we’ve been into town or back. This was the worse, though. The last times were just warnings – I don’t think we could say that this time it came into that category.”
“We’re grateful to you, Mr. Cartwright,” Mary said. “If you had not arrived when you did, I don’t think either of us would be alive now.”
“It’s true,” Harriett continued quietly, as she glanced fearfully around as though expecting the assailants to at any time reappear. “I could barely control the horses any longer. It would either have been a bullet or the wagon over the cliff – and both of us dead.” She placed a hand unconsciously on the mound where the infant lay safe and snug within her womb, and perhaps in her mind, she added that the little one would also have been a victim of the attack.
“We’d be more than grateful if you could ride beside us to where we live, Mr. Cartwright.” Mary looked keenly at the young man, as though appraising him and liking what she saw in the honest young face and hazel green eyes.
“My pleasure, ma’am. I was about to suggest it myself.” He smiled and slipped his hat back on and turned to Cochise. Recollecting his manners, he walked to the younger woman and slipped his hand beneath her elbow, and gently assisted her back onto the wagon seat. She smiled down at him and flushed a little at the responding smile. Mary came and was in her seat before Joe could assist her, but she smiled at him, as though in approval of his courtesy. She took up the reins and looked over at him.
“It isn’t far. My daughter Megan will have the meal ready for us. You’ll be more than welcome to join us, young man”
“My thanks.” The young man nodded and grinned and then swung himself into the saddle.
Thus they rode along the worn track to where the women lived. The horses put on a spurt as though in anticipation of a nosebag and good draught of water. The women sat close together, as though the nearness of their bodies afforded them greater security from danger. Joe rode by the side of the wagon, close enough for him to rest his hand on the side, whilst his eyes roved constantly as he sought out any danger that could approach them.
June 11th 2:00 pm
The door to the cabin opened wide and a young woman stood in the doorframe, wiping her hands anxiously upon her apron. When she saw Joe, she instinctively put a hand to her hair and pulled back a stray wisp. “You’re late,” she cried, the words directed to the women whilst her eyes devoured the youth riding by their side
“We were attacked again,” Mary said, dismounting with an alacrity that belied her years, whilst Joe hurried to assist Harriet. “Get some water for your sister, girl!” She took the woman’s other arm and persuaded her to lean upon her, whilst Joe tethered the horses. Megan had disappeared into the interior of the cabin, giving Joe the opportunity to look about him and take stock of the appearance of the place.
It gave evidence of hard work, and more than that, of love and attention. Despite the heat of the day, flowers nodded and danced in the sunlight, adding splashes of color that only enhanced the sweet attractiveness of the place.
“Had a good look?”
He turned and smiled at Mary, who was looking at him thoughtfully from the doorway, whilst Harriet disappeared into the cool interior. He took off his hat and approached her.
“I was just curious, ma’am.”
“About what?”
“About why you would be attacked, what could be here that was so important to prevent you getting back to it.” He twisted his hat round and round between his fingers whilst his eyes continued to roam around the place.
The barns were in good condition and had recently been painted in preparation for the coming winter months. Everything bespoke a family who had poured all their resources and energies into a successful business. He saw horses in the corral, good looking horses and well fed too. He looked at her. “You’ve a nice place, ma’am”
“Yes, it is a nice place. Perhaps not as grand as the Ponderosa where you hail from, young man, nor as impressive as the Double K……but it is everything that we love and intend to keep/”
“I don’t doubt it, ma’am.” Joe stepped closer to her, meeting her now at the door. “How did you know I came from the Ponderosa?”
“Well, you may be some distance from the place, my dear, but the name Cartwright precedes you, along with the reputation.” She reached out and took his hand. “Come in.“
Megan was placing another plate onto the table as they entered. He looked about the place and parked his hat on the rack by the door. As he did so. he noticed that no other man’s hat was there. He unbuckled his gunbelt and placed it on the hook next to his hat.
“It’s good to see a man’s belongings there again,” Mary said quietly as she washed her hands at the sink and dried them on the cloth by the stove.
“You’ve no man about the house?”
“Not any more,” Megan said, slapping the cutlery onto the table with a vigor that did not go unnoticed by their guest. “Not for two months now.”
Joe immediately looked at Harriet then blushed at her reproachful glance at him. She approached the table with the coffee pot in her hand and began to pour out the hot liquid into the four cups. She looked at him with her large eyes. “Please sit down, Mr. Cartwright”
“What happened?” Joe asked, as he picked up his cup and inhaled the bitter aroma
“Where do we start?” Harriet said quietly and shrugged her shoulders before taking her seat by his side.
“Well, who was it who attacked you on the road? Do you know?”
“Of course we know. There’s no secret to that," Megan snapped as she ladled out the appetizing beef stew. “It’s Kerridge’s men”
Joe frowned and glanced down at his plate. Kerridge again. Always Kerridge.
“How long has it been going on for?” he asked
“Ever since he decided that he wanted to turn the Double K into another Ponderosa,” Mary replied, taking her seat opposite him. “He’s obsessed with the idea. Didn’t you know he left Virginia City only because he couldn’t bear being near your father and his empire anymore?”
Joe thought back to the time the Kerridges had left town. He had been on good terms with them all, although now he thought about it, there had been a kind of cooling off between the two families. He had assumed it was to do with Mrs. Kerridge's illness….or was that just a memory of something said by his father to explain why they had withdrawn from them. He stared at the meat in his plate as though it were guilty of a capital sin as he struggled to remember.
“It’s been some years, ma’am. We were always good friends of the Kerridges and from what I remember, Mr. Kerridge was a kind man. When my ma died, he and his wife were amongst the first to give us help.”
“Oh yes.” Megan put a plate of bread onto the table with a force that nearly cracked the plate and sent a look of reproach from her mother. “Mr. Kerridge is always very kind and thoughtful. He was so kind and thoughtful when he came here that no one believed it when he started his campaign”
“Campaign?” Joe asked, some food halfway to his mouth and his eyes darti