No Greater Love

 by Susan

The morning sun shone brightly as the wagon, followed by three riders, rolled into Virginia City. Hoss Cartwright was driving the empty wagon, and his father and two brothers followed on horseback.

“It feels like a year since I’ve been to Virginia City,” remarked Joe Cartwright to his brother Adam.

“Well, it’s been a while,” admitted Adam. “Let’s see, three weeks for the round-up, two weeks driving the cattle to the railhead, and another week to get back…it’s been almost two months.”

“Doesn’t look like it’s changed much,” said Joe, looking around.

“What were you expecting? Dancing girls in the street?” said Adam. 

Joe grinned. “Now that’s not a bad idea,” said Joe.

“Remember what I told you, “ said Ben sternly over his shoulder to his sons. “Work first, and then, if we have time, you can have a beer. We’re low on just about everything at the ranch so we have a lot of supplies to load.”

“Yeah, and you fellows better not leave me to do all the loading,” said Hoss as he pulled the wagon to a halt in front of the general store.

“Hoss, we wouldn’t do that,” Joe said in an innocent voice.

“You won’t, ‘cause I’m going to make sure you won’t, “ Hoss said.

“Adam, I don’t think older brother trusts us,” Joe said in an injured voice.

“He’s gotten down right suspicious,” Adam agreed as he dismounted.

“Wonder where I got that idea?” said Hoss. “Just cause you two had me chasing strays and riding drag on the herd most of the last two months.”

“Hoss, it’s just that you’re so much better than us at that,” Joe said with a grin as he sat on his horse. Hoss climbed down from the wagon and walked over to his brother’s horse. He reached up and grabbed Joe by the shoulders, pulling him off his horse.

“C’mon, little brother, you can show me how much better you are at loading supplies,” Hoss said.

 “Doggone it, Hoss, now you got me all dusty,” Joe said angrily as he laid sprawled in the dirt.  Hoss hauled Joe to his feet and put his massive arms around Joe’s shoulders. “Mr. Perkins don’t care how dusty you are,” Hoss said as he guided his brother not too gently toward the general store.  Adam and Ben laughed as they followed Hoss and Joe into the store.

 “Good morning, John,” Ben said heartily to the store owner as the Cartwrights walked into the store. Ben pulled a sheet of paper from his shirt pocket. “I have a long list of supplies we need.”

 “Morning, Ben,” Perkins said in a subdued voice. “I’ll be happy to fill your list.”

 Ben handed the list to the owner and started looking at items in the store. Adam, Hoss and Joe followed suit.

 “John, the price on these shirts must be wrong,” exclaimed Ben as he looked at some clothes. “They’re at least a dollar more than the last time I looked at them.”

 “Yeah, and look at the price on these boots,” added Adam, holding up a pair of boots. “They’ve gone up, too.”

 “The price of everything has gone up,” said Perkins nervously.

 “But why?” asked Ben. “I know you, John. You don’t gouge people. You charge an honest price. What’s cause this sudden increase?”

 Before Perkins could answer, two rough looking men walked into the store and started looking around. Perkins watched them for a minute, then turned back to Ben.

“I’ve had some new expenses,” Perkins mumbled. “I’ve had to pass on the cost to my customers.”

 "Expenses? What expenses?” asked Ben curiously.

Perkins licked his lips nervously and looked at the two men lounging at the back of the store. “Just expenses,” said Perkins quickly. “I’ll start filling your order,” the man said and disappeared quickly into the back of the store.  Ben frowned. He had known John Perkins a long time and never knew him to cheat his customers. He also knew him to be a friendly merchant, ready to gossip for a while whenever Ben visited his store. Perkins’ behavior and his raising prices seemed out of character.  Joe was looking at some knives in the back of the store. As he put them down and started to walk to the other side of the building, he accidentally stepped on the foot of one of the cowboys who had followed the Cartwrights in.

“Sorry,” Joe said as he started to walk away.

"Watch it, sonny,” said the cowboy in an angry voice.

 Joe stopped. “I said I was sorry,” Joe said, his voice cold as ice.

 “You’re one of those Cartwrights, ain’t you?” said the other cowboy. “One of those high and might Cartwrights who think they own all of Nevada.”

 "Yeah, I’m Joe Cartwright,” Joe said, bristling at the man’s tone. “What of it?”

  Ben walked quickly to the back of the store and grabbed Joe by the arm. He knew his son’s temper and didn’t want him to cause any trouble. “Joe,” Ben said, “we have some other errands to run while Mr. Perkins starts working on our list. C’mon, let’s get to them.”

  Joe stared at the men in front of him, ignoring his father. His face was hard and his fists were balled.

  “Joe,” Ben repeated, pulling at his son’s arm. “Let’s go.” Ben looked around and saw Adam and Hoss were standing still, ready to help Joe. “Adam, Hoss, let’s get to work,” Ben said loudly. Ben literally pulled Joe away from the men and pushed him out the door. Adam and Hoss followed slowly, never taking their eyes off the two cowboys.

  “Pa, why did you drag me out of there?” Joe said angrily as Ben pushed him on down the street.

  “I just got you out of there before you started something,” Ben said sternly. “I don’t want my sons brawling around Virginia City.”

  "I wasn’t going to…” Joe started to say.

 “Yes, you were,” Ben interrupted. “In one more minute, fists would have been flying and I would have had a bill at Perkins store that would take you a year to work off.”

Adam and Hoss came up to Ben and Joe. “What’s wrong with Perkins, do you think?” asked Adam. “He sure didn’t seem like himself. And those prices! It’s a wonder he’s selling anything.”

 Before Ben could answer, he heard a voice calling his name. Ben looked around and saw Roy Coffee walking toward him.

 "Ben! I haven’t seen you in a month of Sundays,” the sheriff said with a grin as he reached the Cartwrights. “Boys, good to see you,” said Roy, acknowledging the rest of the Cartwrights.

  “Hello, Roy,” said Ben. “We’ve been busy out at the ranch. This is the first chance we’ve had to get to town in almost two months.” Ben inclined his head toward Perkins’ store behind him. “What’s going on with John Perkins?” Ben asked. “He was acting kind of strange.”

  Roy shook his head. “Same thing that’s been going on with most of the merchants in town,” said Coffee grimly. “I think he’s paying protection money, but I can’t prove it.”

  “Protection money?” said Hoss with a frown. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Well, about six weeks ago, a man named Walter Brady showed up in town with about six gunmen,” explained Coffee. “The mine owners hired him to help guard the mines. They’ve been having some trouble with men sneaking into the mines at night and stealing equipment. I can’t be everywhere, so I thought it was a good idea. It turned out to be a bad idea…a real bad idea.”

 “Why’s that?” asked Adam.

 “Brady’s men stopped the stealing all right, but then, they moved into town. Near as I can tell, they’re forcing merchants to pay them each week to ‘protect’ their businesses. If someone doesn’t pay, something bad happens.”

 “Roy, you’re the sheriff,” said Joe. “Why don’t you put a stop to it?”

 “Believe me, Joe, I’ve tried,” said Coffee in an exasperated voice. “But I can’t arrest anyone without evidence. And no one will testify against Brady and his men.”

 “No one?” said Ben in surprise.

 “Charlie Burns over at the livery stable complained about Brady,” said Coffee. “The next night, there was a fire in his stable. Burned about half the building before it got put out. After that, Charlie didn’t have anything to say.”

 Ben shook his head. “I can’t believe it, Roy,” he said. “I’ve heard about this in other towns, but I never thought I’d see this in Virginia City.”

 “And that’s not the worst of it,” continued Coffee. “Now I hear they’re moving onto some of the smaller ranches. If the ranchers don’t pay up, their fences get torn down or their cattle get stampeded.”

  “Roy, you’ve got to do something,” Adam said. “If this goes on, there won’t be a Virginia City left.”

 “Believe me, Adam, I’m open to any ideas,” Coffee said with a tinge of despair in his voice. “If I could get someone to testify, I’d arrest Brady in a minute. But everyone is too scared.”

 "Hello, Ben,” a woman’s voice interrupted. Ben turned around and smiled as he saw a woman coming up behind him. Her dark hair was sprinkled with gray, and her face was lined with age.  She wore a gingham dress, neat but not new. She had a trim figure, and moved with an easy grace that belied her age.

“Hello, Maggie,” Ben answered in genuine warmth. “It’s good to see you.”

Maggie Corcoran smiled back at Ben. She turned to the other Cartwrights. “Hello, Adam, Hoss,” she said. Maggie seemed to have a special smile for Joe.

“Hello, Joe,” she said.

Joe reached over and pecked her on the cheek. “Hi, Maggie,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “How’s my favorite girl?”

“Still old enough to tan your britches, you impertinent boy,” Maggie replied with a snort. But the smile on her face showed her words were an empty threat.

“Better watch yourself, Joe,” Hoss said with a grin.

“Maggie, when are you going to give in and marry me?” Joe continued with a smile.

“About the same time that hell freezes over,” Maggie answered. Roy Coffee and the Cartwrights laughed heartily at her answer.

“You fellows looked awful serious,” Maggie said when the laughter subsided. “What’s going on?”

 “Roy here has been telling us about the trouble in town,” answered Adam.  Maggie shook her head.  “It’s getting bad,” she said. “I don’t understand it. You think someone in this town would have enough guts to stand up to Brady. When my husband was alive and running his mine, he would have thrown Brady and his bullyboys out of Virginia City on their ears.”

“Has Brady been giving you any trouble?” Joe asked in alarm. 

“No, he hasn’t bothered me,” said Maggie. “Got no reason to. I don’t have a business or a ranch. Besides, he knows I wouldn’t stand for his men threatening me. I’d take a shotgun to ‘em.”

   “I bet you would,” Ben said with a grin.

 Roy Coffee sighed. “Well, Ben, I’ve got to get going,” the sheriff said. “If you get any ideas about what to do about Brady, you be sure and let me know.” With a wave, the sheriff walked off.

“We had better get about our business, too,” said Ben. “I’ve got to go over to the bank. Adam, Hoss, you go to the feed store and get that grain. Joe, go over to the hardware store and pick up a keg of nails. And, listen, boys. I don’t want you causing any trouble.”

“There won’t be any trouble,” Adam promised.

“That goes for you, too, Joseph,” Ben said firmly.

“Pa, I didn’t start that trouble in Perkins’ store,” Joe protested.

 “I know, but let’s not cause any more problems for Roy,” Ben said. “He’s got his hands full right now. Let’s just get our business done and get out of town. We can talk about this situation later and try to figure out the best way to help Roy.”

 Adam, Hoss and Joe nodded. As they started to walk away, Adam and Hoss said goodbye to Maggie. Joe tipped his hat and grinned. “You let me know when to get the preacher, Maggie,” he said as he strolled away. Maggie laughed as she waved him on.

 “Maggie, where are you heading?” asked Ben. “Can I walk you some place?”

 “Just going to Perkins’ store,” Maggie replied. She suddenly got a serious look on her face. “Ben, this Brady fellow, he’s trouble,” she said. “You’d better watch your step around him”.

 “I will, Maggie,” Ben promised.

 Joe walked into the hardware store and was surprised to see the shelves almost empty. Normally, the store was crammed with ropes, fencing and other miscellaneous items.  But only a few ropes laid on the middle shelf, and two ax handles stood in a barrel near the counter. The rest of the store was practically empty.

 “Joe Cartwright, how can I help you?” a voice said from behind the counter.

 Joe looked up to see a middle age man smiling at him. “Hello, Mr. Timmons,” said Joe, still looking around. “Where’s all your stock?”

 Timmons smile faded. “Things have been kind of rough lately,” he said. “I haven’t been able to afford to buy as many items from the wholesaler as I used to.”

 Joe nodded. “We heard about this Brady character,” he said. “Looks like he’s been hitting your place, too.”

 Timmons looked down at the counter. “I didn’t say anything about Brady,” Timmons said in a low voice.

 “You don’t have to,” answered Joe. “All you have to do is look around your store to see what’s been happening. Why didn’t you just raise your prices, like Perkins did?”

“I tried,” admitted Timmons. “But people wouldn’t pay the prices I had to ask. They just went over to Carson City or someplace else to get what they need. Hardware isn’t something people usually need right away. They can wait a while until they can buy it cheaper some place else.”

Joe leaned over the counter. “Mr. Timmons, why don’t you do something about Brady and his men,” he urged. “Roy Coffee says he could arrest him if someone would testify against Brady. If you testified, you could get him off your back.”

“Oh, no, not me,” said Timmons. “I don’t want my store burned…or worse.”

Joe looked around the empty store. “Looks to me like you’re going to lose your business anyway,” he said.

“You’re right about that,” said Timmons sadly.

“You don’t have to,” Joe said. “All you have to do is sign a complaint against Brady and stand up in court to testify. Brady and his men will go to jail.”

“I’d be dead before I could testify,” said Timmons.

“Roy Coffee would protect you,” Joe said urgently. “You could even come out and stay at the ranch with us.  We’d protect you.”

“I don’t know,” Timmons said in a hesitant voice.

“Mr. Timmons, it’s the only way you are going to save your store,” Joe said. “You can either stand up to Brady or go bankrupt.”

Timmons nodded. “Let me think about it,” he said. The tone of his voice changed. “Well, in the meantime, what can I do for you?”

“I need a keg of nails,” said Joe. “Do you have any?”

 “In the back,” Timmons said. “I don’t have much left, but I do have nails.”

“I’ll get them,” said Joe walking into a back room.

 As Joe walked into the store room, the door opened behind him. One of the cowboys who had been in Perkins’ store strolled in.

“I’m here for your weekly payment,” said the cowboy.

“I don’t have the money,” Timmons said in a desperate voice.

“Oh, I think you do,” the cowboy said easily.

“Listen, Marsh, I’m almost broke. Look around you. Does it look like I’m doing a booming business?” Timmons said.

“I don’t care where you get the money,” Marsh replied. “All I know is you owe Mr. Brady for his protection. If you don’t pay, well, we won’t be able to protect you from all those bad things that can happen. You know, things like a fire. Or maybe, some night you get jumped as you’re walking home. Virginia City can be a very dangerous place.”

Timmons face turned red. “No, I’m not paying you any more,” he said angrily. “You tell Brady that. And if anything happens, I’m going to Roy Coffee and file a complaint.

Marsh pulled his gun from his holster and pointed it at Timmons. “I think you had better re-consider that idea,” Marsh said in a low voice.

Timmons swallowed hard. “Marsh, you wouldn’t,” he said in a shaky voice.

“Oh, yes, I would,” said Marsh.

Joe came out of the storeroom with the keg of nails in his hands. As he walked back into the main room of the shop, he stopped. He saw Marsh with his gun pointed at Timmons. Timmons pushed Marsh away from him. Marsh took a step back and fired his gun, hitting Timmons in the middle of the chest. Joe dropped the keg and pulled his own gun, firing in a instant and hitting Marsh in the shoulder. Marsh spun around and dropped to the floor. Joe rushed over to Marsh and kicked the gun away from his hand. Then he rushed behind the counter where Timmons had fallen. The noise of the gunshots brought a crowd of people rushing to the store. Three or four stood in the doorway. Roy Coffee pushed his way through the crowd and entered the store.  Roy looked at the man laying on the floor, groaning in pain as he clutched his bleeding shoulder. Roy also saw Joe Cartwright kneeling near the counter. Joe was staring at Timmons, who was laying lifeless on the floor.

“Joe, what happened here?” asked Coffee.

Joe continued to stare at Timmons body. “That fellow shot Timmons,” Joe said in a low voice. “I winged him, but it was too late. Timmons is dead.”

 Ben Cartwright pushed through the crowd into the store. “Joe!” Ben shouted. “Are you all right?”

 Joe looked up at his father and nodded. “I’m fine,” he said in a flat voice. “But Mr. Timmons is dead. That man shot him.”

 Ben looked at Marsh sprawled on the floor. “Who is he, Roy?” Ben asked. “Why would he shoot Timmons?”

 "He’s one of Brady’s men,” answered Coffee in a grim voice. Roy turned to the people still standing at the door. “Somebody get the doc over to the jail,” said Coffee.

Coffee walked over and pulled Marsh to his feet. “Ben, help me get him over to the jail, would you?” Ben nodded and grabbed Marsh by the collar. Roy turned to Joe. “Joe, I need you to come with us, “ Roy said. “I want you to write down a statement about what  happened.”

Joe nodded and stood. He turned and took another look at Timmons’ body on the floor. Joe squared his shoulders and his face hardened. “I’ll write down what happened,” Joe said grimly. “I want to be sure there’s no mistake.”

Two hours later, the Cartwrights were still sitting in Roy Coffee’s office. Adam and Hoss had rushed over to the office as soon as they heard what had happened. As the doctor patched up Marsh, Joe wrote out a statement about what he had seen. Roy had asked the Cartwrights to stay around the office until he could talk with them.  Ben sat in a chair next to Joe as Adam and Hoss stood against the wall. Ben was concerned about the troubled look on Joe’s face.

“Joe, you had to shoot Marsh,” Ben said. “He might have killed you if you hadn’t.”

“I know that,” Joe said. “That’s not what’s bothering me.”

“What is bothering you?” asked Ben.

Joe hesitated. “I feel responsible for Mr. Timmons’ death,” he admitted. “If I hadn’t told him to stand up to Brady and his men….” Joe shook his head. “It’s my fault that Timmons is dead.”

“Joe, you can’t say that,” Adam said. “You don’t know what Timmons said to Marsh before Marsh pulled his gun. Maybe Timmons said something that made Marsh angry.”

“I know how I feel, Adam,” insisted Joe. “If I hadn’t opened my big mouth, Timmons would still be alive.”

Roy Coffee came out of the cell block, and locked the door behind him. He walked over to the desk and sat down. “Joe, are you sure you wrote down everything you saw and heard?” he asked.

Joe nodded. “Everything. Why?”

“Well, Marsh refuses to talk. Won’t say what happened or why he shot Timmons,” answered Roy. “If he won’t talk, I can’t arrest Brady.”

“Why not?” asked Hoss. “You said he worked for Brady. Why can’t you arrest Brady for putting Marsh up to shooting Mr. Timmons.”

“Because I have no evidence that Brady did that,” Coffee replied. “Joe here only said that Timmons pushed Marsh and Marsh shot him. Joe didn’t hear Marsh threaten him or mention Brady’s name. I can have Marsh tried for murder, but I can’t do anything about Brady. I told Marsh if he would admit Brady put him up to this, I’d make sure he went to prison instead of hanging. But he said he won’t say anything until he talks to Brady.” Coffee shook his head. “Joe, I’m afraid Brady is going to try and keep you from testifying,” said the sheriff in a grim tone. “That’s the only way he can keep from going to prison. Because if you do testify, Marsh will talk.”

Just then, the door of the jail opened, and a heavy-set man in his early 40’s walked in. He was dressed in a suit and walked with the air of a confident man. “Hello, sheriff,” the man said pleasantly. “I understand you have one of my men in jail.”

“Hello, Brady,” Roy Coffee said. “Yes, Marsh is here.”

“Can I see him?” asked Walter Brady.

Roy hesitated. “I guess so,” he finally said. “You’re not wearing a gun, so I guess it’s all right.” Roy stood and walked to the cell block door. He unlocked the door, and led Brady to Marsh’s cell.  Marsh was lying on a bed in the cell, his right arm heavily bandaged. He sat up when he saw Brady near the cell.  Brady turned to Coffee. “I’d like to talk with him privately,” he said.

Coffee shrugged. “You have five minutes,” he said as he walked away. As soon as Brady heard the cell block door close, he leaned over to the bars of the cell. “What were you doing?” Brady asked in an angry voice. “Why did you shoot Timmons?”

“He wouldn’t pay up,” said Marsh. “I pulled my gun to make sure he paid.”

“You fool!” said Brady. “Timmons is dead. He’s never going to pay now.”

Marsh shrugged. “It was an accident. Timmons shoved me and I shot him before I realized what I was doing. Besides, what are you so upset about. The rest of your so-called ‘clients’ should be more than ready to pay up when they hear about Timmons.”

Brady studied the man in the cell. “You’re awfully calm for a man who is facing the gallows,” Brady said.

“That’s because I’m not going to the gallows,” Marsh replied.  “The sheriff offered me a deal. If I testify that you’re the one who told me to collect the money from Timmons, he’ll arrange it so that I go to prison instead of hanging.”

“That doesn’t sound like much of a deal,” said Brady. “You’ll get twenty years.”

“Beats hanging,” said Marsh.

“Now, wait a minute,” said Brady hastily. “We can work something out here.”

“I haven’t told the sheriff anything,” said Marsh. “And I won’t, at least, not until that trial starts. You get me out of here by then, I’ll just disappear. But if I go to trial, I’ll tell the sheriff everything.”

“How am I suppose to get you out of here?” said Brady. “This place is built like a fort. I could never break you out.”

Marsh grinned. “Mr. Brady, you just don’t think right,” said Marsh. “The only reason I’m in here is that Cartwright kid saw me shoot Timmons. If Cartwright don’t testify, then I’m a free man.”

Brady nodded. “It could take a little time,” Brady said. “Those Cartwrights don’t scare easy.”

“No, but they bleed easy,” said Marsh.

Brady looked alarmed. “Cartwright is a powerful man,” he said. “If I kill one of Ben Cartwright’s sons, he’ll have every lawman in the territory after me.”

Marsh laid back down on the bed. “It’s up to you, Mr. Brady,” he said. “I don’t care what you do. All I know is if I go to trial, you’re going to prison. Maybe we can share a cell.”

“There’s other ways of handling you,” said Brady in a threatening voice.

“Don’t try it,” Marsh said, sitting up quickly. He winced at the pain the sharp motion caused. “Billy and Fred, they’re friends of mine. Anything happens to me, they’ll come after you.”

Brady swallowed hard. Billy and Fred were two of the men who worked for him. He knew Marsh’s threat was no idle boast.

“All right, all right,” said Brady. “I’ll handle things. You just keep your mouth shut.”

Marsh laid back on the bed. “Fine with me,” he said with a grin. “I ain’t going anywhere. I got a soft bed and fine food until my shoulder heals. And until that trial begins.”

Brady turned on his heel abruptly and walked away from the cell. He left the cellblock and walked into the sheriff’s office. Roy Coffee and the Cartwrights looked at him curiously. Brady straightened his jacket.

“It appears this is all a misunderstanding,” Brady said. “Marsh tells me that Timmons threatened him, and he shot in self defense.” 

“That’s a lie,” said Joe in an angry voice. “Mr. Timmons wasn’t wearing a gun. All Timmons did was shove him. Marsh shot him down in cold blood.” 

“Now, son, you don’t know that,” said Brady. 

“I was there; I saw it,” Joe said. 

Brady looked at Joe. “Maybe that’s only what you thought you saw. Maybe after awhile, you’ll change you mind,” Brady said pointedly. 

Ben stood. “Don’t threaten my son,” he said in a grim voice. 

“Threaten? I didn’t threaten anyone,” Brady said. “All I said was maybe your boy would change his mind.” Brady turned to Sheriff Coffee. “When is Marsh’s trial?”

“I figure it will take about three weeks for the circuit judge to get here,” said Roy. 

“Three weeks,” said Brady. “That’s a long time.” Brady looked at Joe. “A lot can happen in three weeks,” he said. 

Adam and Hoss moved closer to Brady. “Nothing is going to happen,” said Adam in a grim voice. 

“You can count on that,” added Hoss. 

Brady just smiled. “We’ll see,” he said. With a nod to Roy, he walked out of the office. 

Ben put his hand on Joe’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Joe,” he said in a comforting voice. Joe just nodded. 

“Joe, I think it would be best if you stayed out of town until the trial starts,” said Roy Coffee. “You should be safe at the Ponderosa.” 

Joe turned to Coffee. “I can take care of myself,” he said confidently. “If Brady or his men come after me, I’ll take care of them.” 

“Joe,” said Ben, “I think Roy’s right. There’s no sense asking for trouble. Besides, we’ve got plenty to do at the ranch. You just stay out of Virginia City until the trial starts.” 

“Besides, little brother, think of all the money you’ll save,” said Hoss with a grin.

“That’s right,” said Adam, trying to lighten the mood also. “If you really get an urge to lose all your money playing poker, I’ll be happy to oblige you.” 

Joe grinned ruefully. “All right,” he said. “I’ll stay at the ranch. But, I think it’s going to be a long three weeks.” 

         ***********

Ben Cartwright was laying on his bed in a dressing gown, reading. Although it was late, he didn’t feel much like sleeping. The events of the day had him too agitated to relax.  When they left the sheriff’s office, the Cartwrights had quickly loaded their supplies and rode out of town. As they went down the Virginia City road, each of them had scanned the rocks and brush on the side of the road nervously. Even though none of them wanted to admit it, all four were worried that some of Brady’s men might be waiting in ambush for them. All of them were relieved when they reached the ranch without incident.   Ben was convinced that Brady would do something to prevent Joe from testifying against his man. He wished he knew what Brady had planned, and how best to protect his son. He knew Joe would chafe at being guarded, but that’s what he planned to do. No matter how old his sons got, Ben still thought of them as his little boys.  Ben frowned as he heard a noise from downstairs. At this hour of the night, the house should be quiet.  He grabbed his robe and the lamp from the table next to his bed, and went to see what had caused the noise.  Ben stopped at the landing on the stairs. He could see Joe, still dressed,  sitting on the low table near the fireplace. Joe was staring into the fire, an intense look on his face. 

“Joe? Are you all right?” asked Ben quietly from the stairs. 

Joe turned quickly to the stairs. “Sorry, Pa,” he said in an equally quiet voice. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” 

Ben descended the stairs and put the lamp on a table. He walked over to Joe. “You didn’t wake me,” he said. “Are you all right?” he repeated. 

Joe nodded. “Yeah, I just couldn’t sleep,” said Joe. 

“Worried about Brady?” asked Ben. 

“No,” Joe said with a shake of head. “I can take care of any trouble Brady might cause. I was thinking about Mr. Timmons.” 

Ben put his arm around Joe’s shoulder. “You can’t blame yourself for what happened to Timmons, Joe,” he said. 

“Pa, it wouldn’t have happened if I had kept my mouth shut,” Joe said. “I’m the one who told him to stand up to Brady. I’m the one who got him killed.” 

“Joe, it’s not your fault,” said Ben. “Timmons made his own choice.” 

“I don’t know, Pa, if I hadn’t encouraged him…” Joe’s voice trailed off. 

Ben sat down next to Joe. “Joe, listen to me,” he said.  “Timmons decided not to knuckle under to Brady any more, for whatever reason. Maybe he decided he had enough, maybe he just didn’t have the money. We really don’t know. But he decided to stand up to Brady’s man. Unfortunately, it cost him his life. The best thing you can do now is to pick up where Timmons left off. You must continue his fight.” 

“Sort of pick up the fallen flag on the battle field?” said Joe with a wry smile. 

“Something like that,” admitted Ben. “Don’t kid yourself that this is going to be easy. I know men like Brady. They’ll stop at nothing to get what they want. He’s going to do anything he can think of to convince you not to testify.” 

“I’ll testify, Pa,” said Joe firmly. “You don’t have to worry about that.” 

“I said Brady would do anything,” Ben said. “He might even try to have you killed. Are you willing to risk that?” 

Joe thought for a minute. “Timmons was willing to risk his life to stand up to Brady. I guess I can do the same,” he said. 

“Then you have nothing to feel guilty about,” said Ben. “Timmons was willing to risk his life, and so are you. You didn’t ask him to do anything you aren’t willing to do.” 

Joe nodded. “You’re right, Pa,” he said slowly. “I guess I didn’t think about it that way. Thanks.” 

Ben slapped Joe lightly on the back. “Come on upstairs,” he said. “Let’s get some sleep.” 

Joe and Hoss were checking fence in the north pasture the next day. Normally, checking fence was a one-man job, and it was Joe’s turn to do the work. But Ben insisted that Hoss accompany Joe. Given Brady’s threats, he was not about to let Joe ride around the ranch by himself.  So far the day had been uneventful. Joe and Hoss had ridden several miles, checking the fence, and stopped twice to repair broken sections. As they neared a section that shielded a steep drop into a gully, Hoss pulled his horse to a stop.

“Look at that, Joe,” Hoss said in disgust. “Another fence down. At this rate, we’re never going to get home in time for dinner.” 

“Tell you what, Hoss,” Joe replied. “We’ll fix this fence and then head for home. The rest can wait. I know you don’t want to miss dinner.” 

Hoss’ face brightened. “Good idea,” he said. “Hop Sing is making fried chicken for dinner. I hate cold chicken.” 

“You’d eat it, though,” said Joe with a smile as he dismounted near the fallen fence. 

“I would,” agreed Hoss. “But just so as not to hurt Hop Sing’s feelings.” 

Joe shook his head as he walked to the fallen timber. Hoss would eat Hop Sing’s chicken cold, hot, or anywhere in between. Joe bent to pick up a fallen piece of timber. Just as he bent, a bullet whizzed over his head and struck the fence post behind him. Joe dove into the brush behind him, pulling his gun from his holster as he fell. Hoss landed next to him about a second later, his gun also at the ready. Both men looked around. 

“See where it came from?” asked Hoss, his eyes searching the landscape. 

“No,” answered Joe. 

Another shot struck the ground in front of the brush. Joe and Hoss both ducked, then looked up. 

“I think it came from behind the tree up there on the hill,” Joe said. 

Before Hoss could answer, another bullet whizzed over their heads.  Joe and Hoss both fired their guns in the direction of some trees at the top of the hill. They had only fired two or three shots when Hoss grabbed Joe’s arm.

“Save your ammunition, Joe,” he said. “We can’t hit anything up there with handguns. It’s too far away.” 

“Whoever it is must have a rifle,” Joe said. 

Two more shots struck the ground in front of Joe and Hoss. 

“Whoever it is must be a bad shot,” grumbled Hoss. 

“Yeah,” agreed Joe. “The least Brady could do is spend some money to hire a decent gunman.” 

“You don’t know that’s Brady’s man up there,” protested Hoss. 

“Who else would it be?” asked Joe. “You made some enemies lately that we don’t know about?” 

Three more shots whizzed through the air. 

“Dagnabit, this ain’t getting us anywhere,” said Hoss. “We can’t just stay here. That fellow up there is liable to get lucky.” 

“I agree,” said Joe. “Why don’t you throw a few shots up there to distract him, while I try to flank him.” 

“Now wait, Joe,” said Hoss with a frown. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.” 

“Hoss, you’re too slow and too big a target to go,” said Joe. “Besides, if we wait here much longer, Adam will eat all that fried chicken.” 

“You be careful, you hear?” said Hoss, reluctantly agreeing. 

Joe nodded and pulled himself to a kneeling position. He waited a minute until Hoss started firing up the hill then ran in a zigzag until he reached some boulders to the right. The boulders were about ten feet up the hill from the brush. Joe watched the trees carefully, hoping the gunman would show himself. A minute later, he saw the front of a rifle stick out from the trees and fire. Joe couldn’t see the man behind the trees. He turned and waved at Hoss below him. Hoss fired two more shots up the hill as Joe ran closer to the trees, diving into a clump of bushes. His angle wasn’t much better, but he was closer to his target. Joe waited again.  He saw the rifle stick out again from the trees, but this time he could see part of arm with it. He took careful aim. As the rifle fired, Joe fired also.  Joe’s bullet struck true. He heard a yell and saw the rifle drop. Joe carefully crept up the hill, gun ready. As he neared the trees, he heard a horse galloping away. Joe stood and ran to the top of the hill. As he reached the trees, he could see a man on a horse, riding at top speed away from the trees. Joe fired twice at the man, but the rider was too far away.  

Hoss came panting up the hill behind Joe. “Did you get him?” he asked. 

Joe shook his head. “I think I winged him, but he got away,” Joe answered. “Come on, let’s go find our horses.” 

Ben and Adam were working on some papers at Ben’s desk when Hoss and Joe walked into the house. Adam looked at his brothers in surprise. “You finished already?” he said. “I figured you two had at least another couple of hours of work to do.” 

“We had a bit of trouble,” said Hoss in a serious voice. 

“What happened?” asked Ben, instantly concerned. 

“A fellow took some shots at us up by Sugar Creek,” said Hoss. 

“Are you all right?” asked Ben in alarm. 

“We’re fine, Pa,” answered Joe. “The guy was a pretty bad shot.” 

“Or maybe he wasn’t trying to hit you,” said Adam. “Maybe that was just a warning.” 

“Could be,” admitted Joe. “Whatever it was, the man got away.” 

“I thought you told all the hands to keep an eye out for strangers,” said Ben said in a demanding voice to Adam. 

“I did, Pa,” replied Adam. “But this is a big ranch. They can’t be everywhere.” 

Ben nodded and turned to Joe. “Joseph, I think that you should stay close to the house for awhile. No more riding out,” Ben said sternly. 

“But, Pa….”Joe began to protest. 

“No buts,” said Ben. “There’s plenty for you to do around here. The barn needs a good cleaning and that tack room is a mess. Not to mention wood that needs to be cut.” 

“Pa, I hate those jobs,” said Joe in disgust. 

“Nevertheless, you will stay around the house,” Ben repeated firmly. 

Joe’s shoulders sagged. “Yes sir,” he said in resignation. He looked at Adam and Hoss. “You know what? I am really getting to hate that Walter Brady,” he said. 

Joe spent the next week doing all the unpleasant chores his father had mentioned. The more he worked in the barn, and the more wood he cut, the more furious he became. He hated not being able to leave the area around the house. To make matters worse, it seemed every time he turned around he found his father watching him.  He knew his father was just keeping a watch, making sure nothing happened to him, but having Pa hovering over him didn’t improve his temper much.  He chafed at the thought of two more weeks of Ben keeping a careful eye on him. He knew his father was right, but that didn’t make things any easier. He was short with Adam and Hoss, and seemed to find everything irritating. Joe just wanted to get the trial over.  Joe was working in the tack room when he heard two horses come in at a fast pace. He looked out the door and saw Adam and Hoss dismount and walk toward the house. Adam seemed to be holding his arm. Joe quickly finished hanging up some bridles he had been sorting and walked to the house.    Adam was sitting on the couch as Joe walked in. Adam’s arm was extended toward Ben who was sitting on a low table facing the couch. Joe could see a cloth over Adam’s forearm and some blood was seeping through the cloth. As Joe approached the couch, Hoss came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of water. 

“Here’s the hot water,” Hoss said as he put the bowl down on the table. “Hop Sing is getting the medicine and bandages.” 

“What happened to Adam?” Joe asked. 

Hoss and Adam looked at each other, then Adam shrugged. “We were up by the herd. Two men came riding out of the trees, firing their guns. They stampeded the cattle. We tried to stop them, and I got nicked,” said Adam. 

Ben was unwinding the cloth around Adam’s arm. “Doesn’t look too bad,” said Ben as he examined the wound. “You’ll be all right.” 

“It was Brady’s men, wasn’t it,” said Joe. 

“Aw, Joe, we don’t know that for sure,” said Hoss. “Could have been anybody.” 

“And Adam could have been killed,” Joe said. “That’s the third incident in the last week. I heard about the fire up at the timber camp. I also heard about those rocks falling when you two were riding up by the canyon.” He shook his head. “It’s not worth it. I’m not going to risk one of you getting killed. I’ll tell Brady I won’t testify.” 

“Joe, you can’t do that!” said Adam. 

“Adam, you and Hoss didn’t ask to get in the middle of this,” said Joe. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.” 

“You don’t hear us complaining,” said Hoss. 

“That’s right,” said Adam. “If the shoe was on the other foot, and I was the one who had the testify, would you ask me not to do it?” 

Joe chewed on his lower lip. “That’s not the point,” said Joe. “The reason we’re in this mess is because everyone in Virginia City is too afraid to stand up to Brady. Well, fine. It’s their town. If they don’t want to stand up for it, then they deserve what they get.” 

Ben stood and put his arm around Joe’s shoulder. “Joe, remember what we talked about the other night?” he said. “About picking up the fight for Timmons? You can’t give up now, just because the going is a little rough.” 

“I know, Pa, but this is different,” Joe insisted. “If it was just me, I wouldn’t care what Brady did. But you and Adam and Hoss didn’t ask for this. I don’t want something to happen to you because of me. Timmons is dead because of me. I don’t want another death of my conscience.” 

“Joe, what do you think is going to happen if you don’t testify?” asked Ben. “Do you think Brady is just going to leave us alone? If he thinks he can scare us, it’s only a question of time before he’s asking us for protection money. We’re going to have to face him sooner or later. I’d just as soon do it now.” 

“Joe, nothing is going to happen to us,” said Hoss in a reassuring tone of voice.

“Besides, I’m getting a real big dislike for that Brady fellow.  Even If you don’t want to take him on, I do.” 

“I don’t much fancy the kind of town Virginia City would be if Brady sticks around,” added Adam. “I’ll take my chances if it’s going to get rid of Brady.” 

Joe looked at his brothers. “Are you sure?” he asked in an uncertain voice. 

“We’re sure,” said Adam firmly. “Don’t worry about us. You just testify against Marsh and let us worry about everything else.” 

Joe looked at father. “Sorry, Pa,” he said ruefully. “I guess I just got carried away for a minute. Don’t worry. I’ll testify.” Joe turned to Adam. “I’ll go see what’s keeping Hop Sing and those bandages.” 

Ben, Hoss and Adam watched Joe walk into the kitchen. 

“It’s starting to get to him, isn’t it,” said Adam quietly. 

Ben nodded. “I’ve been trying to keep him busy, but he knows I’ve been watching him like a hawk,” said Ben. “Staying around the house hasn’t helped things any. He’s used to riding out every day. He’s really on edge.” 

“What are you going to do, Pa?” asked Hoss. 

Ben sighed. “Nothing. I’m not going to risk anything happening to Joe. We’ll just have to put up with this for another two weeks,” said Ben. “That trial can’t start soon enough for me, though.” 

 **********

Walter Brady took a deep breath outside the sheriff’s office, trying to calm his nerves. He knew he had to talk with Marsh again, but hated the thought of another angry conversation. Brady took another deep breath and shook his head. Marsh was such a fool, he thought. They had a real sweet set-up here in Virginia City. His plan was to milk the town for another month or so and then move on. If he left now, Marsh would talk and he’d spend the rest of his life as a wanted man. Brady had no taste for that kind of life. But now he was faced with dealing with the Cartwrights. It was not a pleasant thought.  Brady took one more deep breath and opened the door. “Good morning, sheriff,” he said in a pleasant voice. 

Roy Coffee looked up from the papers he was reading on his desk. “Morning, Brady,” he said shortly.

“I’m here to see Mr. Marsh,” said Brady. 

Coffee nodded but continued to sit at his desk. “Ben Cartwright sent me a message yesterday,” Coffee said in a harsh voice. “Some mighty strange things have been happening at the Ponderosa. Yesterday, Adam Cartwright got winged by some men stampeding their cattle. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” 

Brady licked his lips nervously. “No, sheriff,” he said. “I don’t know anything about it. How is young Cartwright?” 

“He’ll be all right,” said Coffee. “Ben also sent a message saying that Joe is still going to testify against Marsh. You might as well save yourself the effort if  you think you’re going to scare the Cartwrights.” 

“I really don’t know what you are talking about,” said Brady smoothly. “But I would imagine that the Cartwrights are finding all these ‘strange happenings’ to be a problem for them.” 

“Not really,” said Roy Coffee with the hint of a grin. “Ben Cartwright’s been through a lot worse. These little incidents are going to bother him much.” 

Brady nodded. “I’m sure,” he said. “May I see Marsh?” 

Roy stood and took a ring of keys from a desk drawer. He opened the cell block and let Brady in.  Marsh was lounging on the bed in his cell. He grinned as Brady walked toward him. 

“Well, howdy, Mr. Brady,” Marsh said. “How are things going?” 

“They are not going well,” said Brady harshly. “That Cartwright kid is still planning to testify, despite all I’ve done to discourage him.” 

“I told you, Mr. Brady, there’s only one way to keep him from testifying,” said Marsh. 

“And I told you that killing a Cartwright would bring us more trouble than any of us have ever seen,” said Brady. 

Marsh shrugged. “Up to you,” he said. “One way or the other, I’m going to prison. The only question is: will you be going with me.” 

Brady grabbed the bars of the cell. “Marsh, listen, can’t we work something out?” Brady pleaded. 

“I don’t see how,” Marsh said evenly. “Either I tell the sheriff everything I know or I hang. Don’t seem I have much of a choice.” 

Brady banged his hand against the cell bars. “All right, all right,” he said angrily. Brady took a deep breath. “I guess I have no choice. I’ll have Billy get rid of the kid.” 

“Fred is a better choice,” said Marsh. “Billy can be a bit nervous. Offer Fred enough money and he’d shoot his own mother.” 

“All right, Fred, then,” said Brady with disgust. “Just remember to keep your mouth shut.” 

“I’ll remember,” said Marsh. “Just you remember that my trial starts in less than two weeks. You haven’t got a lot of time left.” 

Joe sighed as he finished cleaning the last rifle. Only about a week until the trial starts, he thought, only a week more and then he could leave the ranch house. Joe was really tired of doing all the mundane chores around the house. He never thought he would be eager to ride out and check fence or round up strays.  Joe sighed again as he got up from the small round table near the stairs. He had spent the morning cleaning rifles that probably didn’t need to be cleaned. He gathered up the weapons and carried them to the gun rack on the other side of the room. He carefully put rifles in the gun rack.  Joe stretched and started walking to the front door of the house. He was about half way to the door when a voice stopped him. 

“Joe, where are you going?” Ben asked in a pleasant voice. Ben had been sitting at his desk all morning. He was working on the books but also keeping an eye on Joe. 

“Just going out to the barn,” Joe answered. “There’s a saddle out there that I want to work on. It’s pretty stiff, and a little soft soap would help it.” 

Ben frowned. “It’s getting close to noon. Hoss and Adam will be back soon,” Ben said. “Why don’t you let that go until later.” 

“Pa, nothing is going to happen to me in the barn,” Joe said with a sigh. “I’ve cleaned every gun we own, and we have enough wood to last a month. I’ve run out of things to do around the house. At least let me do a few things in the barn.” 

“Joe, I know it’s been hard for you to stay around here,” Ben said sympathetically. “But it’s the safest thing until that trial starts.” 

“Pa, nothing has happened for almost a week now,” Joe replied. “I think Brady has given up.” 

Ben shook his head. “No, Brady is not the kind of man to give up,” he said. “He’s probably changing his tactics. He’s also running out of time. That’s why it’s particularly dangerous for you now.” 

“I understand that,” said Joe in an exasperated voice. “But I can’t spend the next week hiding under the bed!” 

“All right, all right,” said Ben. “Go to the barn, then, but keep your eyes open.” 

“I promise,” said Joe with a grin. “If my horse looks at me funny, I promise I’ll lock him in his stall.” 

Joe strolled out the front door. Ben watched with concern as his youngest son left the house. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Joe was in grave danger. He just didn’t know what to do about it. If he had his way, he’d lock Joe in his room for the next week. But Ben knew he couldn’t do that. Instead, all he could do is keep a close eye on Joe. He’d have to find a reason to go out to the barn shortly. Joe wouldn’t like it, but Ben would feel better if he checked on Joe. With a shake of his head, Ben picked up his pen and went back to working on his books.   

Joe soaped the saddle with hard, fast strokes, pressing the leather with more pressure than it needed. He was trying to ease the frustration he was feeling. He knew his father and brothers had his best interests in mind, but Joe was tired of being protected. All he wanted was to be able to jump on his horse and ride someplace…any place.  Joe was working on the saddle when he heard the footsteps behind him. He turned with a sigh, expecting to see his father. He froze when he saw the figure of a big man, holding a gun, standing just inside the barn.  

“Finally,” the man said with an evil grin. “I’ve been waiting almost a week to get you alone.” 

“What do you want?” Joe asked. 

“What do you think?” said the man. “I want you not to testify against my friend Marsh.” 

Joe said nothing. He was unarmed, with only a brush in his hand. He knew the man planned to kill him, regardless of what he said. 

“You’re going to testify anyway, aren’t you?” said the man as Joe stood silent. The man cocked his pistol. “Well, I know one way to make sure you aren’t going to testify.” 

As the man raised his gun, Joe threw the brush and hit the man square in the face. Startled, the man lowered the gun. Joe charged the man, and knocked the gun from the man’s hand.  The big man recovered quickly. With a quick motion, he brought a fist up and hit Joe square  in the stomach. Joe bent over as the punch knock the breath from him. The man raised his fist again, but this time Joe ducked the blow. Joe brought his own fist up and hit the man on the jaw.  The two grappled for a minute until the big man pushed Joe back. The big man grabbed some reins hanging from a peg and whipped the rawhide at Joe. Joe put his hands up to protect his face and felt the sting of the leather on his arms. Joe charged the man again, hoping to knock him off his feet. But the man was strong. He staggered back a few steps, then regained his balance. The man came at Joe again, fists flying. 

Joe felt the blows land on his face. His head snapped back and he fell to the ground. The big man pulled Joe to his feet and landed another punch on Joe’s face. Joe’s legs buckled. The man pushed Joe hard. Joe staggered backwards a few feet and fell to the ground, stunned.  The big man stood over Joe for a minute, breathing hard. With a satisfied grunt, the man turned and began searching the ground for his gun.  Joe shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs. He sat up and saw the man reaching down to pick up his pistol from the ground. Joe scrambled to his feet, just as the man turned to aim the gun. Joe dove into an empty stall as the man fired his gun.  Ben was still working at his desk when he heard the shot from the barn. He jumped to his feet and ran to the front door, stopping only to pull a gun from a holster laying on the table by the door. Ben pulled the door open, and ran to the barn, gun ready.  As Ben reached the barn door, he saw a man walking slowly toward a stall. The man was moving cautiously, gun poised. 

“Hold it!” shouted Ben at the man. The man whirled around, firing his gun as he turned. Ben jumped to the side, and heard the bullet whiz by. Ben fired twice, hitting the man in the middle of the chest. The big man grabbed his chest, then fell face forward. 

Ben moved forward slowly. He stood over the man and nudged him with his foot. Satisfied that the man was dead, Ben began to frantically look around the barn for Joe. 

“Joe! Joe!” Ben shouted as head went from side to side, searching for his son. He heard a voice answer from a stall to his right. Ben rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the stall. 

Joe was huddled in the corner at the back of the stall.  His body was tense, and he had a pitchfork in his hands, pointed at the front of the stall. When he saw Ben’s face, Joe’s body went limp. He dropped the pitchfork and rested his head against the back of the stall.  Ben stared at his youngest son for a minute. Joe’s face was bruised and a cut over Joe’s eye was bleeding. But even more alarming was a spreading patch of red on Joe’s thigh. 

“Joe! You’re wounded!” Ben cried as he rushed forward. He knelt next to Joe and started tearing open Joe’s pants over the wound. He looked at the bullet hole in Joe’s thigh. “The bullet is still in there,” said Ben in a worried tone. He looked at Joe’s face. Joe’s eyes were closed and his face was pale. Joe’s jaws were clenched in pain. “Hang on a minute, Joe,” said Ben. “I’ll get something to stop the bleeding.” 

Ben rushed out of the stall and ran to the front of the barn. He turned to his right just before he got to the door, rushing into a work area. He ran to a small cabinet in the area and pulled open the doors. He grabbed some cloth from the shelf and rushed back to the stall.  Joe’s eyes were open and he was breathing hard as Ben returned. Ben began wrapping the cloth tightly over Joe’s wound. 

“It was one of Brady’s men,” gasped Joe as Ben worked. “He said…” Joe groaned as Ben pulled the cloth tight. “He said he had been waiting for me,” finished Joe in a gasping voice. 

“Don’t worry about that now,” said Ben as he worked. He pulled the cloth as tight as he could, trying to stop the bleeding, even though he knew the tight bandaged was causing Joe pain. He knotted the cloth and sat back on his heels. He looked at Joe’s face again. Joe’s eyes were once again closed and his breathing was fast and heavy. 

“Joe, if I help you, do you think you can walk?” asked Ben anxiously. “I have to get you to the house.” 

Joe nodded and sat up. Ben reached down and grabbed Joe under his arms. He pulled his son to his feet. Joe grunted in pain as he tried to stand. He put his arm over Ben’s shoulders, and leaned heavily on his father. Ben grabbed Joe’s hand with his left hand, and put his right arm under Joe’s left arm. “Easy, now,” Ben said. “Let’s take it real slow.” Joe nodded again. 

Ben walked slowly out of the stall. Joe managed a few steps, dragging his injured leg behind him. He was breathing even harder as he tried to walk. Joe grabbed the front of Ben’s shirt with his free hand and hung on.  Ben dragged his son slowly out of the barn. The house seemed to be miles away. Ben held on to his son as tight as he could and started slowly toward the house.  He was about halfway to the house when he heard horses coming up behind him. He turned to see Hoss and Adam riding into the yard. Both men reined their horses to a stop. Hoss jumped off his horse and rushed to the pair. 

“One of Brady’s men got to Joe,” shouted Ben. “He’s got a bullet in his leg. Get to town and get the doctor.” 

“I saw the doc heading toward the Miller place a little while ago,” said Adam as he turned his horse. “I’ll get him.” Adam kicked his horse into a gallop. 

Hoss slipped Joe’s left arm over his massive shoulders. “I got him, Pa,” said Hoss as he shifted his brother from his father.  He reached down and put his arm under Joe’s knees. As he stood, he lifted his brother into arms. 

“I can walk,” said Joe in a weak voice. But even as he spoke, Joe’s head flopped against Hoss’ shoulder. 

“Sure you can,” Hoss said in a soothing voice. “But this will be faster.” Hoss nodded at Ben who ran ahead to clear the way for Hoss. 

As Ben ran into the house, he vowed to himself that Walter Brady was going to pay for what had happened to Joe. He promised himself that he would see Brady in prison. One way or the other, Brady was finished in Virginia City. 

**********

Doctor Martin pulled the blanket up under Joe’s chin, and patted Joe lightly on the head. Martin took a few steps back toward the end of the bed, where Ben, Adam and Hoss were standing in anxious anticipation. 

“He’ll be fine,” the doctor said, nodding at Joe. “It’s a painful wound, but fortunately, there’s no permanent damage. The bullet nicked the bone. It also nicked an artery, which is why he lost so much blood. He’ll need a few days in bed and a couple of weeks on crutches, but he’ll be fine.” 

Ben breathed a sigh of relief. He had had a hard time stopping Joe’s wound from bleeding, and was concerned that the injury might be worse than he thought. He was grateful that Adam had found Doctor Martin so quickly. 

“Just make sure I’m up and around in time to testify,” said Joe in a thick voice. His eyes were only half opened and had a glazed, unfocused look. 

“You stop fighting that sedative and go to sleep,” said the doctor sternly to Joe. “What you need now, young man, is plenty of rest.” 

Joe nodded as his eyelids grew heavy. “Just get me on my feet,” he said in a slurred voice as he began to fall asleep. 

“Will he be well enough to testify?” asked Adam anxiously. 

“When does the trial start? In about a week?” asked the doctor. “He should be on his feet by then. Just make sure he gets a lot of rest until then. He lost a lot of blood. He’s weak, and I don’t want him picking up any infections.” 

Ben nodded. “We’ll watch him, “ Ben said. He looked at the doctor. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t say anything about this to anyone.” 

“I don’t go around talking about my patients, Ben,” said the doctor in slight indignant voice. 

“I know that,” said Ben. “But no one knows what happened except the people in this room. I want to be sure it stays that way.” 

“Don’t you want to tell the sheriff?” asked Hoss. 

“Especially not the sheriff, at least not right away,” said Ben firmly. “If Roy knows about this, he’ll do something that will let Brady know his man failed.” 

“I don’t understand,” said the doctor with a frown. 

“Brady doesn’t know if his man got to Joe or not,” explained Ben. “If we keep this quiet for a day or so, that will buy us that much more time. Brady won’t do anything as long as he thinks his man still has a chance to get Joe.” 

“That makes sense,” says Adam. “But, Pa, we can’t keep this quiet for long.” 

“I know, I know,” said Ben with a sigh. “But every day we can prevent Brady from finding out about this is a day less that Joe is in danger.” 

Doctor Martin walked over to the table and picked up his bag. “I’ll stop by and check on him in the morning, Ben,” the doctor said. “I have to check on Will Miller anyway. I’ll let everyone know I’m heading to the Miller place so no one will think it odd if I’m heading in this direction. And don’t worry, Ben, no one will hear about this from me.” 

“Thank you,” Ben said quietly as the doctor left the room. Ben walked around the end of the bed and pulled a chair next to the bed. Ben sat down in the chair and stared at Joe. 

Adam nudged Hoss. “Let’s go downstairs,” he said to his brother. “I have something I want to talk with you about.” 

Evening was turning into night as Ben Cartwright left Joe’s room. Joe was still sleeping peacefully, and Ben felt he could leave his son for a short time.  Adam and Hoss were sitting in the living room, drinking coffee, as Ben descended the stairs. They looked expectantly at their father. 

“How’s Joe?” asked Hoss. 

“Still asleep,” answered Ben as he walked over and sat down in his favorite chair next to the fireplace. 

“Want something to eat?” asked Adam. “Hop Sing has been keeping something warm for you.” 

“No, I’m not hungry,” said Ben in a weary voice. “I could use a cup of that coffee, though.” 

Adam stood and walked over to the low table in the middle of the room. A coffee pot and several cups sat on the table. Adam poured a cup of coffee and handed it to his father. Ben nodded his thanks and sipped the hot liquid. 

“Brady’s man came close this time,” Ben said as he sipped the coffee. “Real close. We’re going to have make sure we keep the front door locked and everyone away from the house. I’m not going to let them have another chance at Joe. I’m going to do whatever it takes to protect him.” 

Adam and Hoss looked at each other. “We agree, Pa” said Adam. “That’ why we think Joe should be moved to Virginia City as soon as possible.” 

“What?” said Ben in astonished voice. “Are you out of your mind?” 

“Now hear us out, Pa,” said Hoss. “Adam and I have been talking about it, and we think moving Joe is a good idea.” 

“Look, Pa,” said Adam urgently. “Brady is going to get tired of waiting for his man to report back. There’s no telling what he might do. He could attack the house, even burn it. Joe’s liable to get hurt worse if he stays here.” 

“That’s right,” added Hoss. “On the other hand, if you announce in Virginia City that we’ve hidden Joe away, Brady won’t know where to look.” 

“And he would never think of looking in Virginia City, right under his nose,” said Adam. 

“I don’t know,” said Ben doubtfully. 

“Pa, Joe is going to have to get to Virginia City to testify,” said Adam. “If we wait for the day of the trial, Brady is liable to have his men waiting on the trail for us.” 

“We have enough hands to give Brady a fight,” said Ben stubbornly. 

“Yeah, but it’ll be a heck of a fight,” said Hoss. “People are liable to get hurt, even killed, on both sides. I know you don’t want that.” 

“No, you’re right,” admitted Ben. “I don’t want anyone hurt. But when and where would we take Joe to Virginia City?” 

“When would be as soon as the doctor says he’s fit to travel,” said Adam. “Where is the tough part.” 

“We’ve been talking about it,” said Hoss. “We just can’t figure out where to hide Joe.” 

“The jail’s no good,” said Adam. “For one thing, it’s a drafty and cold place. With the shape Joe’s in, I wouldn’t want to risk him in there. Besides, it would be too easy for someone to send a bullet through a window.” 

“And the hotel is no good, either,” said Hoss. “Too many people around. Someone’s bound to see Joe and report back to Brady. Joe would be too easy to get to if Brady knew he was in the hotel.” 

“What we need is someplace in Virginia City where no one would think of looking,” said Adam. “Someplace where Joe can hide out for a few days.” 

“And you haven’t been able to think of a place?” asked Ben. 

“No sir, we haven’t,” admitted Hoss. “Everyone we think of is either too scared of Brady to take in Joe or has a family or something that makes it too dangerous.” 

“If we could find the right place, we could get Joe to town safely,” said Adam.  Ben thought for a few minutes, then looked at Adam and Hoss. “I’m still not convinced this is a good idea,” he said. “But if Joe agrees to your plan, I think I know just the place.”   

**********

The streets of Virginia City were dark and quiet as a buggy drove quietly through down followed by two riders. The top of the buggy was up to prevent anyone from easily seeing into it. But at 3 am, there was no one around to look into the buggy. The saloons were closed and even the most raucous cowboys were sleeping it off.  The buggy and riders turned down a back street and came to a halt behind a big house. A single lamp shown in the window of the house, seeming even brighter than usual since all around it was in darkness. A dark figure climbed out of the buggy and walked to the other side, looking around cautiously. The two riders halted their horses behind the buggy and dismounted. Satisfied that all was quiet, the figure reached an arm into the buggy to help a second figure awkwardly climb down. The second figure teetered a bit as his feet reached the ground; his hand grabbed the side of the buggy to steady himself. The first figure reached back into the buggy and pulled out a pair of crutches. He handed the crutches to the figure next to the buggy.  It took a minute for the figure to steady himself on the crutches. Then the two figures moved forward as silently as possible, followed on foot by the two riders. As the four of them reached the back door of the house, the door opened. A woman holding a lamp was outlined in the doorway. 

“Come on in, Ben,” Maggie Corcoran said in a low voice. “You’re right on time.” 

Ben nodded and turned to help Joe up the low steps to the house. Maggie stepped back and pulled the door open as Joe swung himself up to the top step on crutches. He positioned the crutches inside the doorway, and swung himself in. As he moved into the house, Joe was followed by Ben, Adam and Hoss. Maggie quickly closed the door behind them.  The group was standing in a large kitchen in the back of the house. 

“Maggie, I always knew you would finally relent and let me move in,” said Joe with a shaky grin. His face was pale and sweaty. He was surprised how tired and shaky he felt after just those few steps from the buggy. 

Maggie looked at Joe with concern. She could see he was trying to put up a brave front and decided to go along with him. “Don’t be getting any ideas,” she said with a snort. The grins that appeared on the faces of the Cartwrights showed Maggie that her efforts to keep things from being too serious were being rewarded.  Maggie turned to lead the men through the house. “Follow me,” she said. “I’ll show you to your room.” Joe followed her slowly, grunting with  effort. Ben followed Joe, his hand ready to steady his son if he should falter. Adam and Hoss were behind Joe. A saddlebag was slung over Hoss’ shoulder. 

Maggie led the men from the kitchen, and through a narrow hallway.  A large room with a sofa and stuffed chairs was visible at the end of the hall. Maggie stopped in front of a door to her left near the end of the hall. She looked behind her to make sure Joe was managing all right, then pushed open the door. Maggie set the lamp on a table next to the bed in the room. Another lamp was on the table, and Maggie quickly lit it, making the room seem even brighter than before. Joe struggled into the room behind Maggie and made his way straight to the bed. He sat down quickly on the edge of the bed, sighing with relief. Beads of sweat were visible on Joe’s face as he rubbed his aching thigh. 

Ben, Adam and Hoss followed Joe and Maggie into the room. Hoss walked to the end of the bed and pulled the saddlebags off his shoulder. “This is really nice,” said Hoss looking around at the well furnished room. A dresser was pushed against the back wall, and a desk and chair were against the wall to the right. An overstuffed chair was positioned near the bed. A pitcher and basin were on top of a small table next to the dresser, and fresh towels hung over a bar attached to the side of the table. Several pictures dotted the walls. “Looks like you’re going to be living in the lap of luxury, little brother,” Hoss continued. 

“Glad you approve,” said Maggie with satisfaction. “When my husband was alive, he often had the men he was doing business with stay in this room. Said it made them easier to deal with than if they were staying over at the hotel.” 

Ben walked over to Joe, and put his hand lightly on his son’s shoulder. “Are you all right?” he asked anxiously. 

Joe took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said with a small smile. “Just a little tired.” 

“I’ll let you get Joe settled and into bed,” said Maggie, picking up the first lamp. ”I’ve got some coffee brewing in the kitchen if you want some.” 

Maggie busied herself in the kitchen. She took the coffee pot off the stove and put it on the center of the wooden table in the middle of the room. She was taking some cups out of a cupboard when she heard footsteps coming down the hallway. She was surprised to see Ben walking into the kitchen. 

“Joe kicked me out,” Ben explained with a smile. “Said I was hovering. He said he could manage fine with Adam and Hoss to help him.” 

Maggie nodded. “Well, sit down and have a cup of coffee,” she said as she placed the cups on the table. 

Ben sat at the table and poured a cup of coffee. “Maggie, I can’t thank you enough for doing this,” Ben said with a sober expression. 

“Pish,” said Maggie briskly as she sat down at the table also. “Anything I can do to help get Brady and his men out of this town is fine with me. Besides, you know how I feel about Joe.” Maggie looked at Ben for a minute. “Are you sure he’s going to be all right?” she asked. “He looked awfully pale.” 

“He’s not as strong as he thinks he is,” said Ben. “You’re going to have to watch him to make sure he doesn’t try to do to much.” 

“I’ll watch over him, Ben,” Maggie said in a reassuring voice. “Don’t worry.” She chuckled suddenly. “Remember the first time he asked me to marry him?” 

Ben smiled. “He was about seven or eight, wasn’t he?” said Ben. 

“Something like that,” replied Maggie. “I found him in an alley next to the general store, crying his eyes out. His shirt was torn and his face was bruised. He told me he had gotten into a fight with one of the other boys at school.”

Ben nodded. “As I recall, the boy made fun of Hop Sing when Hop Sing brought the lunch Joe had forgotten to school,” said Ben. “When the boy repeated what he said after school, Joe really lit into him.” 

“When I found him, Joe was afraid to go home,” Maggie continued with a smile. “He was afraid that you would be mad at him for fighting, even though he gave that other boy a good licking. I brought him here, cleaned him up, and fed him cookies while I mended his shirt. I finally convinced him that I would make things right with you so he would agree to go home.” Maggie’s face softened. “On the way to the Ponderosa, Joe said wanted to marry me. I’m not sure if it was me or my cookies he liked. But he was terribly disappointed when I explained I already had a husband.” 

Ben laughed softly. “You were always his first love, Maggie,” he said. 

“When my husband died, Joe stopped by the house every day for almost a month,” recalled Maggie. “He always had some excuse but I knew he was just trying to help me get through it. I don’t know if I could have managed without him.” 

Ben sipped his coffee. “Maggie,” he said in a serious voice. “You need to be very careful. If Brady finds out Joe is here, he’ll do anything to get to him. He’s liable to harm anyone who gets in his way.” 

“I know that, Ben,” Maggie replied in an equally serious voice. “And I know how hard it must be for you to leave him here. Don’t worry. I’ll watch over him as if he were my own. I’m honored you think enough of me to trust one of your sons