A Rio Grande for Christmas

by jfclover

Chapter 1

Joe

We should’ve been home before noon.  Our job was simple.  Spot a turkey, shoot the turkey, and return to the house.  Nothing to it.  Pa wanted us home in time to trim the tree before supper, but Hop Sing’s words had been clear.  If we planned to eat Christmas dinner, we needed to fetch the bird today.

Hoss and I tipped our hats to Pa before we rode out of the yard and headed for the hills.  We didn’t have time to mess around.  If we were lucky, the job wouldn’t take long, and we’d ride back home with a big fat Rio Grande hanging off my saddle.  But that’s not what happened, and the joke was on us. 

Snow began to fall the minute we mounted up and rounded the barn.  We were dressed for cold weather, but precipitation added a different challenge to our day.  Our travels would become that much harder.  Our mounts could slip and fall.  There was always the worry of a landslide, but we tried to put every obvious obstacle out of our minds.  Grab a bird and ride home.  That was the plan.

“Dadburnit, Joe.  It’s freezing out here.”

“Don’t you think I know that?”

“The dang snow’s gonna cover any tracks.”

“Snow’s coming down so hard the darn turkey’s going to have to stand right in front of us and say, ‘Shoot me!’”

“That ain’t gonna happen.”

“I know.”

The mountainside became dense with lodge and ponderosa pines, but it didn’t slow us down.  With a darkening sky and flakes of heavy snow blinding the two of us, we didn’t dare separate and rode side by side when possible.  With two sets of eyes scanning the woods for a nice fat bird, we were bound to get lucky soon, but the forest was quiet.  Nothing stirred.  Not a deer or squirrel or bird and definitely not a turkey.

Almost every step took Cooch by surprise.   When his hooves slid on patches of icy shale, I could feel a slight shiver course through him, but  Chubb didn’t fare any better.  There wasn’t much we could do to remedy the situation and with the weather growing worse by the minute, Hoss had become antsy.  He shifted in his saddle as if that might help.  Of course, it didn’t, but I noticed my big brother’s movements and every transfer of weight sent a little tinge of fear through me that no man liked to admit.

I told myself there was nothing to be scared of and that I was being silly and should man up and not let my anxiety show.  If we could find a damn bird, we could turn our horses toward home and be done with the annual task. 

“See anything?”

“Dadgummit, Joe.  Your eyes are as good as mine. No bird’s gonna be caught dead showing hisself in weather like this.”

“Yeah.  Maybe we can find a deer instead?”

“Maybe.”

Our noon deadline had come and gone.  There would be no tree-trimming and Hop Sing would be cursing in Cantonese, but nothing could be done about the disappointment we’d caused.  Even if we turned our mounts around and rode home empty-handed, we’d be lucky to make it back before dark. 

Nothing about the trip had gone well.  We were traipsing through a foot of newly fallen snow at a snail’s pace.  It had piled up so fast, we were doomed before we ever left the house.

“We best find a place to bed down, Joe.  No way can we make it home.”

Just as I opened my mouth to answer, the earth began a thunderous rumble and Cooch and Chubby began sidestepping to relieve their unease.

“What the hell?”

“Hang on to that horse of yours, Joe.”

“I’m trying, Brother.”  But the earth never stopped moving.  Trees shook and, in the distance, a massive cloud of snow appeared against the darkened sky.

“Avalanche, Joe!  A dadblamed avalanche!”

We kicked our horses’ flanks and moved away from the sound of death.  I pulled my hat low on my forehead and followed right behind my brother, but with the entire side of the mountain roaring like thunder, with rocks and layers of frozen ice sliding faster than a desert whirlwind, I ducked low in the saddle.  The wind had picked up which may have caused the landslide.  I didn’t know for sure, but Hoss and I wanted to be as far away as possible.  Being buried alive wasn’t my idea of a fun Christmas.

Our lives had been spared, and we were grateful, but as we trekked west and farther from home, we both knew that getting back to the house would be challenging.  The fallen snow could’ve blocked any road we would take.  How far south we’d have to travel was anyone’s guess, and it had become difficult to see what was right in front of our eyes.

When the rumbling subsided, Hoss and I pulled up our mounts and gloried in the stillness.  We each thought the same thing. What now?  When my brother motioned to a clearing in front of us, I nodded and followed.  If we didn’t want to freeze to death, we needed to find shelter and soon.

“Do you see what I see, little brother?”

“If my eyes aren’t playing tricks, I sure do.”

A fine stream of smoke came from a chimney in the near distance and we beelined in that direction. Surely whoever started that fire would let us stay over till morning. There was no way we could make our way home in the dark. It was either find the cabin with a warm fire or play Eskimo. My heart was set on the cabin.

After pulling up in front of the small shack, I glanced at Hoss.  “What do you think?”

“I guess we should walk up and knock, Joe.”

“Let’s go together.”

Hoss gave me an odd look.  “You scared, Little Brother?”

“No!  I’m not scared.  Just think we should walk to the door together.”

“Let’s go.”

We tied our mounts and started toward the cabin door, and that’s when a deafening sound had me plunging sideways into my brother, but there was more than just the blast that echoed through tall, thick pines. I grabbed my shoulder and fell to my knees and as I tried to catch my breath, I could feel my brother’s hands grabbing the lapels of my jacket.

“What the…. Joe?”

“Get me outta here, Hoss.”

“You’re hurt.”

“Yeah.  I’m hurt.”

When the front door squeaked open wider, a gray-haired woman stood with a scattergun pointed straight at my brother’s head. I didn’t think she’d shoot that gun again, and she didn’t.  She lowered the barrel to her side and barked out instructions that made me leery and afraid.  Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand as though she was in shock, but it wasn’t her that lay wounded.  It was me.

“Bring the young’un inside.”

“Why’d you shoot him.  He didn’t do nothin’ to you?”

“Get him inside ‘fore he freezes to death.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Hoss slipped a hand under my shoulders and the other slid under my knees.  When he had a good hold, he lifted me as if I weighed nothing more than a feather floating in the wind.  Before I knew it, my brother laid me on the only bed, which was inches from the fire, and rather than cursing the old woman, I didn’t much care that her shot could’ve ended my life.  I’d been cold for so long that when my body began to thaw, I was thankful that she’d let us come inside.

Somewhere in my mind, I heard Hoss grumbling and then the clatter of pots and pans. I couldn’t decipher much.  Maybe I was dreaming.  I couldn’t make sense of anything that was happening around me.  Not only did my shoulder burn like fire, but I could feel a swell of heat run through the rest of my body.  Sweat beaded, and I wanted to scream, but I remained silent. 

The clattering began again and I looked left to find Hoss sitting beside me.  “I’m sorry, Joe.  I’m real, real sorry, but I gotta get them pellets out of your shoulder.”

“Just do it.”

“Hold as still as you can.  This is gonna hurt.”

Hoss asked the woman for laudanum or whiskey, but there wasn’t an answer.  I took that as a no, and after gritting my teeth, all I could do was wait and hope the damage wasn’t too severe.  The longer my brother had to dig, the worse off we’d both be.  And, if something dreadful happened, Hoss would never forgive himself and it would tug like a noose around his neck until the day he died.  I couldn’t let that happen.

The tip of the knife was cold against my fevered skin, almost a blessing until I remembered what came next.  As gentle as my brother tried to be, he’d have to cut.  He had to feel underneath the single layer of skin with his thick fingers until he located all the little pieces that would kill me if left inside my shoulder.  I wondered which was worse – his job or mine.

Chapter 2

Hoss

My young brother was wide awake, his eyes pleading for relief from the pain he couldn’t control.  As soon as I plunged the blade through his skin, I’d hurt him more than I could bear.  I wasn’t cut out for days like this, and that’s when the woman’s hands covered mine.

“Let me.”

What does a man make of a woman like this?  Was she trying to redeem herself?  Should I give her the knife and let her dig into my brother?  As I stared into her deep-set eyes, I tried to make a decision I wouldn’t regret.

“You done this before?”

“More’n  once.”

“All right.”

I set the knife and clean cloth on the bedside table, but I stayed within reach just in case.  If the woman had plans I didn’t like, I’d be ready to grab her and set her straight.

Joe’s face showed more worry than I could stand to see.  “It’s okay, Little Joe.  My hands is too big or I’d do it myself.  Don’t you worry none.  I ain’t leaving till it’s finished.”

Joe didn’t look too happy with my decision, but I think it was the right thing to do.  If the woman hadn’t lied to me about playing doctor before, she could do a better job than me.  Her hands was the right size for a task like this, and I didn’t think she’d do anything stupid.  She understood I’d only be inches away.

After plunging the knife through the outer layer of skin, a soft bleating noise slipping from Joe’s pain-filled body nearly sucked the air from the room.  I stayed as calm as I could and hoped the woman would also.  Too much digging too far in the wrong direction could put an end to my little brother’s life.  I gritted my teeth and prayed.

Chapter 3

Ben

“I give those two one simple job to do, and now it’s suppertime.   They should’ve been home hours ago.  I had plans for the three of you this afternoon and now the day’s shot just because Joe and Hoss thought they’d waste an entire day playing around in the high country.”

“Maybe turkeys are scarce this year.”

“You and I know better, Adam.  Those two are galivanting—in fact, they’re probably in Virginia City seeing how many beers they can consume and make it home in one piece.”

“I’m not sure they’d go that far.”

“Then where are they?  It doesn’t take eight hours to shoot a turkey.”

It wasn’t just the length of time my sons had been gone.  Snow had begun to fall early in the day and there could be a foot or more higher up.  If they ran into trouble, I could only pray they turned around and headed for home, but they should’ve been here by now.  Adam knew why I was upset, but he was the only one I could take out my frustrations on.  I couldn’t even send him out looking.  Storms like this were deadly, but I had to let that go.  My sons were smart young men.  They knew what to do in a storm.

“We might as well eat, Son.”

“Sure, Pa.”

Did I mention to be careful?  Did I mention that the Carroll brothers might be in the area?  Did I tell them anything at all?

Chapter 5

Joe

As morning sun crept through a threadbare curtain, it left the room dotted with specks of light, but a strange haze fogged my head and distorted my surroundings.  I stared at an older woman and tried to figure out where I was and why I was there.  Wearing several layers of workworn clothes, the skirt that covered her full hips matched the dirt floor and the remaining items of clothing didn’t coordinate like they should.  Maybe years ago there was logic to her fashion sense but she’d lost that air of style a long time ago.

When I tried to move off the bed, a violent pain shot through my shoulder, and the miserable hunting trip came back as clear as day.  I remembered the woman, the shotgun, and the knife. I remembered Pa saying something about the Carroll brothers although I don’t remember why.  Perhaps I should feel lucky, but with beads of sweat sliding from my forehead, I wished the almighty would swoop down and carry me off to his world.  A world without pain, but as I tried to move away from the pressure that was building faster than I could keep up with, it didn’t make things better.  The pain was there to stay.

“Hey, Little Brother.”  Hoss peeked under the strips of cloth that had been wrapped this way and that and a big grin covered his face.  “Looks good.  She did a mighty fine job.  Better’n I could’ve ever done.”

I tried to find the right words, but how do you thank a woman who sprayed your hide with buckshot in the first place?  Praising her abilities as a doctor wouldn’t come easy.  Maybe I’d leave that job up to Hoss.

“Here.  Drink this.”

Hoss held out a tin cup of water.  I was as dry as dust, and the cool, clear liquid tasted like heaven.  “Thanks.”

“I trapped a rabbit this morning and he’s cooking now.  You’ll have something to eat real soon.”

I nodded.  I wasn’t starving, but I would please my brother by eating whatever he put on a plate.  “It’s morning?”

“Sure is.”

“Christmas Eve?”

“Yep.”

“Bet Pa’s mad as hell.”

“Yep.”

“Bet Adam’s sick and tired of listening to …”

“Yep.”

“Wish we were home.”

“I bet you do, Little Brother, but we can’t leave till you’re healed up some.  Too risky.”

“I know.”

Though I tried to smile at my big brother, I couldn’t force myself to feign happiness.  I was so miserable, I wanted to scream, but that wouldn’t help either.  Nothing would ease the torment but falling back to sleep.  And so I tried.  And tried, but the woman wouldn’t stop staring at me.  Even when she moved around the small cabin, her eyes were on me.  It was odd, eerie, and I hated that she made my life so miserable.

Maybe Hoss was wrong.  Maybe I could ride tomorrow.  I didn’t want to remain inside a cabin where the woman could pull out her shotgun and finish me off whenever she had a mind to.  But the question was why?  She nearly killed me and then she saved my life.  What kind of person does that?

Hoss filled a battered tin bowl with soup and spoon-fed me like I was an invalid and maybe I was.  How much could I really do for myself?  Nothing.  Nothing at all.  I was worthless and my brother would have to do everything.  I couldn’t share in the chores.  I couldn’t stable my horse or anything else.

Hoss sat on the edge of the bed.  “I gotta chop some wood for the fire, Joe.  I’ll be just outside the door and I won’t be long.  You be okay?”

“Yeah.  I’ll be fine.”

Hoss pulled the woolen blanket up to my chin before he stood and left the room, and that’s when the woman set her gun aside and slid her rocking chair next to the right side of the bed.  My heartbeat picked up.  Would she dare try to kill me while my brother was outside doing chores she hadn’t done herself? 

“Think you’re gonna live, Young’un.”

“Maybe.”

“You got a name?”

“Joe.”

“Got a last name?”

“Cartwright.”

“Cartwright?”

“That’s right.”

“Ben Cartwright’s boy?”

“Yeah.  I’m the youngest.”

“How old are you?”

“Why?  Why do you care?”

“You remind me of someone I used to know.  He’d be ‘bout your age.”

“I’m eighteen, and I’ve been shot in the shoulder.”

“That was a mistake?”

“It’s too late for mistakes, Lady.”

“Would it help if I said I was sorry?”

“What do you think?”

The woman shook her head.  “You got a little fire inside you, don’t you, Joe?”

“Some might say that.”

“Ben Cartwright?”

Why did the well-worn woman think we could chat like we’d been lifetime friends?  She was the last person I wanted to lay around and talk to.  My shoulder ached and Hoss wasn’t there to protect me.  In the time it took him to chop a load of wood, she could see me dead.

Chapter 6

Ben

“What do you think, Son?  Should we hitch up the sleigh?”

“And go where?  Which direction do you plan to head?  North?  South?  We have no idea where the two of them planned to hunt.”

“Something’s wrong, Adam.”

“I know that, Pa, but I don’t see that taking the sleigh on a while goose chase is a wise thing to do.”

“What then?  We can’t just sit and wait.  What if they’ve had an accident.  A bear?  A mountain lion?”

“Pa, you have to stay calm.  You can’t let your heart rule your thinking, and you can’t “what if” all day.  Hoss isn’t stupid.  I’m sure he found somewhere to spend the night and they’ll come riding into the yard later today.”

“You’re more optimistic than I am, Son.  It’s Christmas Day and two of my sons are missing, and you expect me to stay calm?  It doesn’t work that way.  Last night with our neighbors gathered around the fireplace was hard enough, but I can’t sit here all day and pretend that nothing’s wrong.”

“You’re twisting my words, Pa.  I’m just as worried as you are, but we both need to keep our heads. We can’t leave the house with this much snow on the ground.”

“There’s nothing we can do, is there?”

Chapter 7

Hoss

My little brother lay with his arm thrown over his eyes, and I took that as “I’m in no mood for conversation.”  I chopped enough firewood for the next couple of days, and I’d taken time to trap a couple more rabbits for supper.  Joe should be ready to eat real food rather than soup, and I didn’t want to use any of the woman’s store.  Even though she was the reason we were cooped up together inside her cabin, I didn’t want to take advantage, but when I started outside to skin the rabbits, she grabbed my arm and stopped me.

“That’s women’s work.  Stay with your brother.”

She slipped a woolen coat over her gray cardigan and since the buttons were gone, she pulled the garment tight across her chest.  It’s the best she could do and it made me wonder how long she’d lived on the mountain and had to make do.  There were always reasons for how people chose to live their lives and something in her past made her choose to isolate herself from the rest of the world.  I did as she asked and sat down next to Joe’s bed.  He moved his arm enough that he could see her walk out the door then looked up at me. 

“She stares at me all the time, Hoss.  It’s not right.”

“Don’t let her get to you, Little Brother.  She probably ain’t see nobody for a long time.”

“She never stares at you.”

“What can I say?  You’re the pretty one.”

“That’s funny.  Real funny.”

“Sorry, Joe.”

“Yeah.  I bet you are.”

Joe was beginning to heal.  He was out of sorts and I took that as a good sign.  His mind wasn’t on the buckshot the lady put into his shoulder, but why had this happened in the first place?  Why did she shoot my brother?  Maybe I should come right out and ask.  It confused me and it confused Joe.  Both of us wanted to know why she’d done such a fool thing.

“I’ll be right back.”  I stood, but Joe wasn’t satisfied with my announcement.”

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t you fret none.  I’ll be right back.”  The woman owed us an explanation and what would be better than Christmas Day to lay it all out on the line.  Before we tried to ride home, I wanted to know why she shot Little Joe, and I was determined to get a straight answer.

““`

Three days passed, and Joe had become grumpier by the minute.  He wouldn’t be able to lay in bed too much longer without driving us all crazy.  His shoulder was healing and at least five times a day, he begged me to take him home.

 “I can sit a horse.  I know I can.”

“It ain’t the smartest thing I’ve ever done, but we’ll leave in the morning.  The snow’s melted some and if we can find a decent trail, we’ll be in good shape.”

Like always. I gave in to the kid’s demands.  It was too hard for me to say no.  At seventeen, he weren’t quite a man but maybe that’s just the way me and Adam and Pa thought of him.  Some men were married at seventeen and some men were bank robbers at that age so maybe we was wrong when we thought of him as a boy.  Then again, maybe it was his size.  He weren’t as big as Adam or me and he never would be.  He was the size of a boy and maybe that swayed our thinking.

We hadn’t brought much with us, and packing up only took minutes.  With the horses saddled, we were ready to head down the mountain,  Whether the avalanche had made the road impassable, we wouldn’t know until we got there.  I dreaded the trip.  A sick brother and unpredictable weather.  None of it made for a great holiday season.

Part of me felt bad about leaving the woman alone, but without an extra mount, we couldn’t get her down to the Ponderosa without endangering all three of us.  Besides, this was her home and I didn’t think she was eager to leave.

She was an odd bird, and her priorities was all wrong.  I didn’t tell Joe what I found out.  The woman explained why she’d pulled the trigger, but that could wait till we were home.  The ride would be desperate enough, and I needed him to concentrate on the trail, not the woman and her reason for filling him full of buckshot.

Chapter 8

Joe

A one-handed cowboy was a joke, and I couldn’t have mounted my horse without Hoss.  I couldn’t do much of anything without a helping hand, and that grated on me worse than lying in bed all day doing nothing.  I wasn’t my jolly self and my brother would take the brunt of my bad temper on the trip down the mountain.

We hadn’t gotten the job done.  We hadn’t even seen a turkey much less taken aim.  The whole trip had been a disaster, and I wish we’d never left the house in the first place.  Next year, we’ll settle for a good Ponderosa steak and not fool with a dang bird that doesn’t exist.  Rio Grande.  Rio Grande.  Rio Grande.  That’s all we’d heard the week before we left the house, and I was dang sick of hearing Pa and Adam’s comments.

“Can’t wait to sink my teeth into a Rio Grande.”

“There isn’t anything more delicious than a Rio Grande.”

I might never eat turkey again.

““`

The woman stood in the doorway as Hoss pushed me up into the saddle.  Even though she probably saved my life, I couldn’t force a grin for the woman who started it all.  Was she the devil in disguise, a would-be murderer, or a would-be surgeon?  Which would she rather be?  I didn’t have an answer and I couldn’t care less.  I just wanted to go home.

“Thanks for everything, Ma’am.”

The woman didn’t smile or do anything to acknowledge my brother.  Hoss tipped his hat as we rode away, but all I could do was divert my eyes to a faraway place where women didn’t shoot strangers for no gall darn reason.  I was glad to be out of that cabin, and I could begin to forget the last few days.  When we were miles away maybe I could relax and dwell on the holidays rather than a woman aiming her sights on me.

Hoss was right.  Much of the snow had melted but because of the landslide and without a main thoroughfare, it was slow going.  No more than a lazy walk—and it was cold, colder than a witch’s tit, but no matter.  We couldn’t control the weather, and we’d be searching for somewhere to spend the night once again.  We’d never make it home in one day.

Hoss didn’t say much.  He’d taken my rein and all I had to do was hang on to the pommel, but when my teeth began to chatter, I didn’t tell my brother.  I ducked my head and let my hat hide my discomfort.  We couldn’t stop.  That would be the death of us for sure and that’s why Hoss kept a steady pace.  He was well aware of the danger of frigid air and an ice-covered landscape.

Though I didn’t remember the line shack halfway between the old woman’s cabin and home, my big brother did and as we drew close to the small structure, I lifted my head and smiled.  Outside the shack set a sleigh—a Cartwright sleigh—and that only meant one thing.  Pa and Adam were inside.

Hoss turned his head and winked.  “Looks like we’re gonna celebrate Christmas after all.”

“Looks that way, Big Brother.”

When the ground is covered in snow, hooves are noiseless and after pulling up in front of the shack, Hoss helped me off my horse and we plowed into the warmth of the cabin before Pa and Adam knew we were near.

Chapter 9

Hoss

“What on earth?”  Our Pa had never been so shocked.

“Hey, Pa.”

“Hi, Pa.”

“How did you … I mean where in the world did you come from?”

“It’s a long story, and as soon as I get the kid warmed up, I’ll tell you everything.”

After moving Joe closer to the fire, I set him down and helped him remove his winter coat.  I tossed his hat on the table but left his scarf hanging around his neck.  A little added warmth never hurt.  Pa was right on my heels and when he saw the sling holding Joe’s left arm tight to his chest, the questions came rapid fire.

“I’ll explain, Pa.  Why don’t you and Adam sit down and I’ll tell the story from beginning to end.”

Pa slid a chair next to Joe’s, and his eyes never left the kid.  While he waited for the story to begin, he covered every inch of my brother.  From his head to his toes, Pa’s hands slid down his arms and torso.  He wanted to see and hear and feel everything that had happened to his youngest son.  Adam and I were used to such carrying on.  Whenever one of us was hurt or wounded in some way, Pa was nearly on top of us wanting to know every detail of the story.

As I gave an account of our last few days, my words sounded foreign, as though I was telling a bedtime story, not a real-life story.  It wasn’t until I got to the woman’s name and the reason she shot my brother that the story made as much sense as it ever would.

“Her name is Eliza Carroll.  Her sons are Jess and Oliver Carroll—the bank robbers that Roy Coffee thinks are somewhere in the area.  She saw Joe and thought he was Oliver, her youngest, and leveled her shotgun. ‘I taught them boys better than that,’ she said.  ‘I raised a couple of killers and I couldn’t watch them hang.’ When she saw Little Joe, she shot before she got a good look.  Oliver wore a dark hat and blue jacket, and that’s what got Joe shot.  His blue jacket became a target.”

I glanced at Adam.  His mouth hung open and his eyes were squinty.  Pa didn’t fare much better.  He also seemed baffled by my story, but sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.  I learned that from Adam so I’m not sure why he looked so bewildered.

“That’s it.  That’s the end of the story.”

Joe was shocked too, but maybe he was relieved to finally understand why he was shot by a woman he didn’t know.  “She would shoot her own son?”

“Rather than see her boy hang.  That’s what she said.”

After resting his hand on Joe’s knee, Pa tried to explain Mrs. Carrolls’ rather odd way of dealing with life in a way that would satisfy the three of us.  “No one wants to see their child hang.  I understand that and I accept that, but her method of dealing with sons who have broken the law isn’t right either.  It must be a miserable  existence knowing your sons have chosen that way of life.”

“Why are you siding with the woman who shot me?”

“I’m not siding with her, Joe.”

“What then?”

“I’m just saying that I understand how she must feel.”

“You mean you’d shoot one of us if we—”

“Of course not.  Changing the subject, I better look at that wound.”

“It’s fine, Pa.”

“Joseph, indulge me.”

Chapter 10

Joe

None of us will forget Christmas this year, especially me.  With my arm in a sling, I was relieved of any outdoor chores.  Both brothers groused and carried on, but Pa smiled with delight that his youngest was still alive and not a casualty of Eliza Carroll.

Even though we stopped at Doc’s on the way home, we didn’t see the sheriff.  It seemed that Mrs. Carroll had enough troubles without being sent to prison herself.  Her sons would be caught eventually and hung for killing a bank clerk in Carson City.  She would have to live with that for the rest of her life.

The day after we arrived home, we celebrated Christmas.  Pa and Adam had decorated the tree, and I tried to imagine how thrilled they were about that.   Pa had been adamant that we be home by noon on that fateful day so we could trim the tree with elder brother, but we didn’t make it home by noon and I bet Pa was livid.

When we sat down for dinner, Hop Sing carried out a big, fat Rio Grande.  When Hoss and I smelled the bird cooking, we assumed he was roasting chickens.  What we didn’t realize was that not long after Pa and Adam left the house in the sleigh, a big, fat turkey crossed the road right in front of them and Adam took aim.  Hoss and I never had to leave the house.  Our trip to the high country was all for naught.

My brother and I rolled our eyes, but we enjoyed the day—just family—no visitors and no unexpected problems.  I played Santa, and we ate until we could do nothing else but find a comfortable spot, put our feet up, and rest our eyes.  Being home with my family made this year’s holiday more special than most.  Even with my arm in a sling, I was grateful for Hoss and Pa and Adam.  As a family, we could conquer most anything.  Heavy snowfall, an unexpected landslide, or a crazy mountain woman.  As always, we beat the odds.  We were family and besides all the problems that separated us on that special day, we celebrated the perfect holiday after all.

Epilogue

Three days later, most of the Christmas snow had melted, and Hoss and I headed to Virginia City for supplies and a beer at the Silver Dollar Saloon.  I’d eaten enough Rio Grande—turkey stew, turkey hash, and sandwiches—to last a lifetime, and lunch at Daisy’s Café was in order.  Hoss wouldn’t say no to that, and I could enjoy a turkey-less meal.

As we drove the buckboard down the muddy street, Roy stood in front of his office waving his hat over his head.  “Hoss!  Little Joe!”

Hoss steered toward the Sheriff’s office and pulled the horses to a stop.  “What’s up, Roy?”

“Glad to see you boys made it home.”

“Yeah.  We’re glad too.”

“Got some good news.  The sheriff down in Carson captured them Carroll brothers on Christmas Day.  He’s got them locked in his jail awaitin’ trial.”

“That’s good to hear, Roy.”

“Something else happened.”

“Yeah?  What’s that?”

“Seems there was a cabin just west of the Ponderosa, close to where that landside happened a couple of weeks ago.”

Hoss made no move to acknowledge what we knew about that place.  “Yeah.  Go on.”

“Seems it burned to the ground.  Lock, stock, and barrel.  Jim Addison come riding by when it happened.  He didn’t know if anyone was inside or not—you know … still smoldering pretty good and he figured the worst and thought I should know.  Any ideas who lived there?”

Hoss looked my way, but I remained stone-faced and silent.  “No, Roy.  Can’t say I do.  Probably empty this time of year.”

“Yeah, probably.  Oh well.  Happy New Year, Boys!”

“Happy New Year, Roy.”

Hoss nodded and I tipped my hat.  I didn’t know if Hoss and I did the right thing or not.  Maybe we should’ve told the sheriff, but what would it help.  Eliza Carroll knew her boys would die and there wasn’t anything she could do to stop the hanging.  Life was like that sometimes.

We drove home in silence.  Neither of us spoke of the woman who’d shot me and then patched me up.  The rest of the world didn’t need to know the story.  Mrs. Carroll had suffered enough, and Hoss and I would let our story fade into the sunset.  The woman had nothing and now, she was probably dead.  Ruining her name didn’t serve any purpose and keeping quiet would be our Christmas gift to a woman we barely knew but knew all too well.

The End

Christmas Challenge 2024