Joe’s Courage in Tough Days.

By Marcella Petillo

PROLOGUE

The day was warm, and they had been traveling for hours now. The sight of a group of trees and a stream running through them made Joe smile, reviving him. He turned to Adam with a flash of defiance in his eyes:
“Last one in takes care of the horses and cooks dinner!”
Adam wasted no time, spurred Sport on, inciting him with a yell, and set off at a gallop.
Joe launched himself in pursuit, shouting in turn. Cochise stretched out into a gallop that took him into the lead. The Pinto went along with the thrust that Joe’s whole body transmitted to him. Horse and rider were one, moving in unison, perfectly in tune.
Adam’s lips hinted at a smile. His young brother and horse were a sight to behold, and Adam knew he couldn’t hold a candle to them. No one rode like Joe! He was what they called ‘a natural’.

Besides being a precocious and instinctive rider, Joe had become an outstanding bronc buster. Adam had to hand it to him. He was a good wrangler, but Joe’s method and style had slowly become established at Ponderosa and had made a lot of money. The horses supplied to the Army, the working and saddle horses, were paid a handsome sum if they had been broke by Joe. When he was still very young, Pa had put him in charge of the horse section at the Ponderosa, and the men on the ranch respected him.

Joe combined his instinctive affinity for horses with certain Indian methods for gentler, more natural training. He let them calm down after they were captured. He walked among them, allowing them to recognize his scent and his voice. He caressed and touched them, speaking in a low voice, almost in a sing-song tone. He blew into their nostrils while offering them a piece of carrot or apple. He never broke their spirit, never brutalized them, and in the end, he obtained more cooperative, trusting, and reliable animals. He started with Cochise and then refined his technique.

They were just returning from a business trip in which they had delivered two stallions and four mares, highly bred and perfectly trained, to a ranch far out in the territory.
They had gotten the money they requested without any trouble, and Joe had also received compliments on his work on the animals, accepting them with a big smile.

Adam looked at his brother with pride. Hard to believe; only a few years earlier, tensions between them often marred their relationship. It was hard for Adam to forget his twelve-year age difference with his feisty younger brother, but Joe was no longer the irritating, overly impulsive boy who always acted before he thought, capable of getting on his nerves like nobody’s business!

He had turned twenty-three a few months earlier. He had matured, worked hard, taken responsibility on the ranch, and although his temper was still quick to flare up, Joe tried to control himself.

Since Adam had finally noticed that his brother had grown up, since he had stopped forcing him to do things his way, leaving him free to decide how to get the results, since Adam had finally begun to listen to Joe’s opinion and ideas, many differences had smoothed out.

Oh, not that it was always sunshine and roses between them, but certainly their relationship had improved. Proof of this was this trip during which they had enjoyed each other’s company in a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere.

Joe dismounted from Cochise, without waiting for the horse to stop. With long strides he continued toward the creek, laughing.

Adam followed closely behind him, but Joe was younger, agile, and fast. The young man stopped after seeing that the creek had formed a placid, calm pool at that point. He turned to Adam with a wild flicker in his eyes, laughed, and frantically began to undress.

Off came his boots and socks, which landed disheveled on the bank, close to the water.

Off came his belt and gun belt.

Off came the jacket and almost ripped the shirt off, then it was the turn of the pants, which went to everything else.

Naked, tanned, his body young and lithe, Joe dove in, letting out a scream as his skin touched the decidedly cold water! He swam with vigorous strokes to get the cold off him, then shouted to his brother to join him. On the shore, Adam had taken off his shirt, and was washing, but answered that he had no intention of freezing in that icy water!

A little later, Joe came out too; the water was definitely too cold to be comfortable. He shook out his mane of thick, curly hair, ran his hands over his naked body to remove as much water as he could, threaded his fingers through his wet hair to try to comb it out, and lay down on the blanket in the sun to finish drying off.

Meanwhile, Adam prepared dinner and set up camp. As he cooked beans and bacon, he looked at his brother, then looked at him better, with interest,“Since when do you have all those muscles?” asked Adam in a casual tone.

“Me?” Joe was surprised by the question. “Since when do I have muscles? I don’t know what you mean,” Joe looked at his brother with the dumbfounded face of someone who really didn’t understand.

Adam explained further, “You have always been thin, and when you are dressed, you still look thin, but now that I look at you I see muscles I didn’t know you had. I didn’t notice how muscular you have become in the last period. I haven’t been paying attention.”

Joe glanced down at his body. His eyes wandered over the broad shoulders and strong arms, the smooth, muscular chest, the flat stomach and belly, the long, slender legs. Joe had never had a problem with his nakedness, but now, feeling he was being watched, he turned onto his stomach exposing his back and butt to the sun, shielding his manhood from stares.

“The work, I suppose. So much work on the ranch, so much work with the horses, so much work splitting wood…what’s the matter with you, Adam? You look like you’ve never seen me!” Joe was bewildered and even a little embarrassed. They had always bathed naked, the three brothers, laughing and swimming for as long as Joe could remember. Now, Adam’s remarks had surprised him.

“It’s that you’ve grown up, little brother, you’ve really grown up!” Adam winced and continued, “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but I’m realizing that Little Joe, who you’ve always been to me, has grown up without me really realizing it. You really are a man…even though you still don’t show your age!” Adam chuckled at Joe’s grimace of disappointment and resumed. “…But it’s the truth, you look younger than your years! I almost find it funny that I have noticed the change in your character and not how much your physique has transformed over the same period! Now get dressed because the air is getting cold!”

He was always going to be a big brother!

Adam smiled at him. A smile that expressed respect. A smile that Joe appreciated. As a kid, he had tried to imitate that big brother of his, wanting to look like him, then he had realized that he couldn’t, and wouldn’t, do that. They were completely different; they loved each other, but they felt things differently, so Joe had found his way out of his brother’s shadow. That appreciation from Adam, however, had pleased him.

CHAPTER 1

The next morning, at first light, they were on their way home. There was still a long way to go to reach the Ponderosa, but the two brothers rode together, alternating chatting with moments of comfortable silence. It was toward early afternoon that it happened.

Adam and Joe stopped to eat and rest, before resuming their journey. They had watered their horses and filled their canteens with fresh water, knowing that they would not find any more for several miles. The area they were crossing was a barren landscape.

A group of Bannock Indians sprang up from behind a stone rampart and launched themselves in pursuit of the brothers. They were out of their territory, but it still happened that rebel groups raided ranches or assaulted travelers, mostly to get weapons.

The Bannocks were fierce, cruel, and hated whites. To end up in their hands was almost certain death, but to become their prisoner was even worse.

Adam and Joe launched their horses at a gallop to distance themselves, but it did not take long for the Indians to gain ground.

Cochise was much faster than Sport, and Joe was lighter than Adam, but Joe stayed by his brother’s side as they galloped toward a group of rocks for shelter.

The Bannocks screamed like madmen, shooting arrows that passed over their heads without doing any damage, but suddenly Adam heard a grunt beside him and saw Joe arch backward and then fall forward on Cochise’s neck. An arrow was lodged in Joe’s right shoulder.

It was sheer force of will that allowed the young man not to fall and lose consciousness, despite the excruciating pain in his shoulder.

Adam shot blindly into the screaming group and had the satisfaction of hearing a shout behind him. Spurring on the horses, they ducked among the rocks for cover.

Joe managed to dismount on his own, but when his feet touched the ground, his knees began to give way, and Adam grabbed him around the waist for support. He sat him on the ground with his left side leaning against a rock. The arrow was still in one piece and protruded from Joe’s shoulder in its full length. Adam took the rifles from the cases on the horses and stood next to Joe, firing at the Bannocks who hid among some rocks in front of them.

Joe did not make a sound. His eyes tightly closed, his head down and his breathing panting. Drops of sweat were beading on his forehead, blood was running down his back, and his face was pale and slick with sweat.

Adam was torn between the need to shoot to defend himself and the urgent need to help Joe, check his wound and get that damn arrow out of his shoulder. He did not notice that behind him, among the rocks, a Bannock was about to shoot an arrow.

He gasped when Joe’s gun fired so close to him, he turned sharply and saw the Indian fall. Joe had opened his eyes just in time and hit him full in the chest.

A wild flash in those green eyes. A small, trembling smile on his face, which bore the marks of the pain that pierced him, a sigh, “Adam… please… take it out.”

“Joe…I know, I know it hurts! You have to hold on a little longer, we have to fix those damn Indians, then I’ll get it out! Hang on!”

Joe collapsed against the rock trembling in pain, and Adam kept firing, hitting two more Indians, but there were still three of them, hiding in the rocks.

Suddenly the attack ceased. Evidently the Bannocks were regrouping, but Adam took advantage of the momentary calm to check on Joe. He wanted to get that damn arrow out right away!

With the knife, he widened the hole a little in the fabric of Joe’s jacket and shirt, which were soaked in blood, and bared the wound.

He had Joe lying on his stomach and was grateful that his brother could not see the expression on his face when he realized the situation. The arrow had gone very deep and it would be difficult to get it out by pulling it outward. The Bannocks used triangular-tipped arrows for hunting, and pulling it out would have further torn and damaged muscle and flesh.

That arrow was designed to do as much damage as possible. The pain for Joe would be unbearable.

Adam took a piece of bandage from the medical supplies he carried in his saddlebag, rolled it up, and put it in Joe’s mouth so that he could bite it hard when it would hurt.

He spoke to him in a calm but firm voice. He explained the situation to Joe without hiding the difficulties. He would have given anything not to have to do what he was about to do!

Joe mentally prepared himself for the pain he knew was coming, closed his eyes, and bit down hard on the cloth pad.

Adam snapped the arrow shaft and a wave of pain went through Joe who gritted his teeth. He cut around where the arrow had penetrated to allow the tip to exit more easily, and Joe groaned but did not move. Finally Adam firmly grasped the wooden stump of the arrow and began to pull upward.

Joe’s body twisted, his muscles contracted, his hands clenched into fists until his knuckles whitened. Finally his scream of agony told of the unbearable pain he was experiencing.

Adam paused. He was shaking with tension. He put a hand on Joe’s head and slid it over his uninjured shoulder, which he squeezed. “Joe…Damn it!…Joe…I can’t take the arrow out! Not like this! I’ll risk killing you! If at least the tip had gone out the front! It would have been easier to pull it out. We need to find a doctor…”

And as Adam finished his sentence, the Bannock rebels attacked again from another side. Adam moved quickly and began firing.

Joe stayed where he was, breathing hard, trying to control the pain that ripped through him. The wound burned internally like fire, as if the wooden shaft of the arrow was glowing metal.

Joe was losing consciousness, but something Adam said kept buzzing in his head.

“If at least the tip had come out in front… “

One Indian fell under Adam’s fire. Two remained. Joe slowly began to move, groaning softly, with great effort, but he managed to sit back up with the rock behind him.

“If at least the tip had come out in front…”

He looked toward Adam, intent on shooting, and began to undo his jacket and shirt buttons. He shrugged with a trembling hand at the fabric, exposing his chest and right shoulder.

“If at least the tip had come out in front…”

Sweat bathed his face and chest. Joe’s jaw was clenched tightly, and with stubborn determination, he got into position.

“If at least the tip had come out in front…”

Adam screamed after killing the second rebel and turned toward Joe. In a flash, he understood what he intended to do and shouted again. “Joe! Don’t! Don’t! Joe, for heaven’s sake! No!”

At that moment. Adam turned, shot, and killed the third Bannock. It was over.

At the same moment, Joe leaned forward, held his breath, and pushed backward with all his remaining strength. His back struck the rock violently, he felt the stump of the arrow penetrate all the way through. He felt the arrowhead pierce the flesh, saw the arrow shaft come out high on his chest, bloody.

He screamed. A terrible, agonizing scream, as of a mortally wounded animal. With a hoarse groan and panting loudly, Joe slid sideways, leaving a bloody trail on the rock he was leaning against.

He slumped to the ground at the same moment Adam reached him with his face petrified with horror. “Joe! Oh, Lord! Joe…”

He had the strength to stretch his lips into a lopsided smile. Green eyes fixed in Adam’s dark ones, eyes full of confidence despite everything. “Now…you can…get it out…” And he surrendered, overcome, to the oblivion that claimed him.

Emotion threatened to overwhelm him, but Adam forced himself to become lucid again, quick and efficient. Carefully, he laid Joe on the blanket, then Adam wrapped the handkerchief he had around his neck around his palm to increase his grip and keep from slipping on the blood soaking the wooden shaft. When he was ready, he pulled the arrow to himself forcefully but slowly. Joe’s whole body tensed with contracted muscles, but he did not jerk or wake up.

With an obscene suck, the arrow exited the flesh and the two wounds began to bleed profusely. Adam washed them thoroughly with water, then let alcohol run over them. Joe gasped violently.

He made two swabs with cotton bands, laid them on the front and back, and pressed hard with his hands to stop the bleeding. Then she bandaged Joe’s shoulder and chest tightly He groaned, but did not regain consciousness.

Finally, he closed his shirt and jacket in front, covered Joe with another blanket, and sat beside him, completely exhausted.

CHAPTER 2

The next morning, Adam prepared some kind of broth with the spare dried meat and made Joe drink it.

The night had passed in relative calm. Joe had gone from unconsciousness to an exhausted and agitated sleep that had lasted until almost dawn. Waking up was not as good. Joe had a high fever and was in great pain. Adam had checked his wounds, but had seen no evidence of infection; it would have been too early for that anyway.

All he had left of his medical supplies were cotton bandages; he had nothing to relieve Joe’s pain as he complained of that constant burning inside his wounds. Adam did not understand what it could be caused by, but Joe was in pain, and it showed.

He let him rest as much as possible, giving him water and broth regularly, but Joe was unable to travel, so they spent a second night camped among those rocks.

The young man was really sick.

He alternated moments of wakefulness in which he struggled not to complain, resisting the piercing pain, with periods of drowsy stupor in which he lost control and groaned softly from the suffering that was tearing him apart.

They left again at dawn the next morning.

Adam was worried and wished Joe could be seen by a doctor. He had already done all he could, but it surely had not been enough. He had thought of building a travois to carry Joe, but the journey would have been much slower. Additionally, in the arid area where they were, there was no suitable vegetation for their purpose.

They rode in doubles all day, alternating between Sport and Cochise, and in the evening, they set up camp. Fortunately, they had come out of the barren area and found a grove and a stream. Painful memories had tormented Adam along the way. Another circumstance in which he had carried his brother, accidentally wounded by one of his bullets.

Adam dressed Joe’s wounds and then placed wet compresses of cool water on his forehead, burning with fever.

For the past few hours, the young man had been alternating between moments of wakefulness and long periods of unconsciousness. He had certainly gotten worse, and Adam feared for his life.

The next day, they rode again without finding help. Adam was discouraged and exhausted. He was holding with only the strength of his arms, the weight of Joe in the saddle in front of him.

When Joe was himself, he leaned back on Adam’s chest, keeping his head on his older brother’s shoulder, but when he lost consciousness, he slumped forward, and it was harder for Adam to support him.

Despite stops to rest, check wounds, and change mounts, Adam was growing tired, and Joe was getting worse and worse. In the afternoon light, on the road to Carson City, the structure of a large ranch suddenly appeared.
On the sign was written, Golden Star, with a J and an L intertwined with a large M. Adam had only heard of it and did not know it, but he rode toward the house, calling aloud for help.

Out of the stable came a couple of men and from the house a girl, drying her hands on her apron. Adam quickly spoke up: “I’m Adam Cartwright, and this is my brother Joe. He needs help! He is badly hurt, and I need to find a doctor!”

The girl looked at the injured young man slumped in her brother’s arms. His face was pale and shiny with sweat. She immediately realized the seriousness of the situation: “Josh, quickly, take him into the house!”

The two men sidled up to Adam’s horse. Adam passed Joe into their waiting arms, then dismounted himself and the three of them carried Joe toward the house.

The girl threw the door wide open for them to pass through and led the way to a room on the ground floor with two beds.

Joe was lain on one of the beds, and the girl immediately approached him. She touched his forehead, opened his shirt, and unwrapped the bandages from the wound on his chest, then checked the one behind on his shoulder, “What happened to him? Arrow?”

“An arrow, yes!” replied Adam breathlessly, ”We ran into a group of Bannock. They hit him from behind. I removed the arrow, but he is very sick and has a high fever! He says the wound burns like fire, that he feels burning inside!”

The girl turned to Adam “I’m Linda Miller, this is my brother Josh”, pointing to the younger of the two men, “And this is Bill, our foreman. You are on our ranch. There is no doctor near here. The nearest one is in Carson City, half a day from the ranch, but you are lucky. Our father was a doctor, a very good doctor. He died a year ago, but I learned from him. I’m as close to a doctor as you could find in the area. I’ll take care of your brother, partly because he’s certainly in no condition to get to Carson”.

Adam was not entirely convinced, but Linda was right. Joe was no longer able to travel, especially not for another six hours at least, so he agreed that the girl would lend him a hand.

Linda quickly organized what needed to be done and explained it to Adam: “Your brother has a very high fever, too high, we need to bring it down, so we will give him a bath with just lukewarm water, then cool him from time to time with ice while Joe is in the tub. In the meantime, I’ll be able to check the wounds and if it is as I think, give him a treatment that will decrease the burning he feels. He’s right, poor boy, the Bannocks poison their arrows!”

Adam gasped, “Poisoned arrows? Will Joe die?”

“It’s not a deadly poison, but an irritant and corrosive substance that causes severe tissue inflammation. That’s where the burning comes from. The substance starts to take effect right away, causes a high fever in a short time, and the wound becomes inflamed…then it all depends on the constitution of the person affected.” Linda lowered her voice as she looked at Adam with understanding “Your brother is young; he looks strong and healthy to me. He will have to fight, but I think he will make it! Now let’s get the bath ready! Josh, Bill, I need your help!”

CHAPTER 3

A metal tub was brought into the room where Joe had been placed. It was filled with lukewarm water and Linda dissolved soothing powders and herbs in it, then turned to Adam and asked him to undress his brother while she would wash and prepare her father’s tools, then wrap his hips in a towel so that he would not slip in the bathtub even if he lost consciousness completely.

The second reason not explicitly stated was that Linda had to take care of him and his injuries, and it would not be appropriate for a girl to have a naked young man in plain sight! Adam understood exactly the point without another word being said.

He undressed Joe, who was still semi-conscious, then had Josh and Bill put him on his feet while he tried to wrap his hips with a towel before lowering him into the tub.

Linda found herself passing by the slightly open door and caught a glimpse of Joe from behind, supported by Josh and Bill, and the first thing she noticed was that he was completely tanned, including his buttocks and legs.

A moment later, she couldn’t help but notice the harmony of that young, slender, muscular body. His broad back, slim waist, narrow hips, firm butt, and long, strong legs.

It was only a moment, but Linda felt a dip in her heart, as if she had missed a beat. Not that she had never seen a naked man before. In assisting her father in the medical profession, it had happened to her before, but never had she had such a reaction.

When she heard the sound of stirring water, Linda entered the room.

Joe had been submerged in the tub; he had reacted to the almost cold water with a little throaty cry, but now he was silent and motionless, his head reclined to the side. Josh and Bill left the room to tend to the Cartwrights’ horses and shelter them for the night.

Linda touched the young man’s hot forehead, his body also radiating a strong heat. On contact with the cold water, he had reacted with goose bumps, and a long shiver shook him. Carefully, Linda removed the temporary bandages from the wounds and examined them carefully, then began washing them with soap and water. As slowly as she did, Joe moaned, arching his back, but Linda continued with her work, explaining to Adam what she intended to do

“We have to wash him well, including his hair. You’ve been on the trail for days, and by now, the dust is everywhere. The cleaner his body is, the less risk of infection. Then I will do an internal wash of the wound with a solution that is first a cleaning wash, then soothing and calming. This will take away from his tissues the irritant that causes him so much burning and fever. We will do this now and tomorrow, finally, I can suture the wounds. Tonight I will do it here while your brother is in the water. You can also start adding a little ice at a time to bring down his temperature.”

Together, they washed Joe’s entire body thoroughly, then Adam watched intently as Linda filled a rubber pump with an amber substance and connected it to a rather long rubber tube.

The girl began to slowly insert the small rubber tube into the chest wound. Joe immediately stiffened and moaned loudly, but Adam held him still, watching the maneuver in amazement.
Linda began to squeeze the pump and spray the wound internally, then did the same thing to the wound behind, on the shoulder. When she removed the small tube, the water in the tub began to color with the medicinal amber liquid, and some blood dripping from the wounds.

After flushing the pump and replacing the medicine inside, Linda did the whole operation all over again. Joe moaned, shaking his head. Meanwhile, Adam had also continued to cool the water with ice.

While performing the internal washings of the wound, Linda told Adam that it was her father who had found the remedy for the poisoned arrows of the Bannocks, who had made many forays into their area. Fortunately, things had changed for the better, but a few bands of rebels still circulated, and Adam and Joe had had the misfortune to encounter them.

Some time passed, Linda periodically checked Joe’s temperature, and when he began to shake and chatter his teeth, Linda called Josh again and left the room so that he and Adam could dry Joe off and put him back to bed.

She returned a short time later to find the young man motionless in bed, with the sheet covering him. Linda put disinfectant ointment on the open wounds, then bandaged them tightly. She placed a hand on Joe’s forehead and smiled smugly. His fever had dropped quite a bit.

Unfortunately, among her father’s medical supplies, he no longer had any pain-relieving powders, but he still had a remnant of Laudanum. She lifted Joe’s head and put a spoonful of the right amount of the medicine between his lips.

He swallowed without opening his eyes, immersed as he was in his painful limbo. At least he would sleep for a few hours. It was obvious that he was in pain, even though he was not much in himself. Even without wishing to consider the poison of the arrow, his was still a serious wound, and it would take time to recover, hoping no complications would come.

Joe had never opened his eyes, but now his chest rose and fell in regular breathing and he slept soundly. They let him sleep soundly as they set the table for dinner. They all needed a break!

CHAPTER 4

It was a relaxing dinner. Linda and Josh were pleasant company. Adam discovered that he and Josh were almost the same age, Linda was twenty, and they raised thoroughbred horses for the eastern market. Josh promised Adam that he would give him a tour of the ranch and show him his finest horses, which were selected based on demand from wealthy eastern cities.

They had a thriving ranch, a beautiful home, and Adam wondered why he’d never met them before. Perhaps it was only because their interests and markets were so different.

In contrast, the Millers knew about the Ponderosa, the Cartwrights, and the vast expanse of their land, but they had never had a chance to visit, and Adam vowed to invite them as soon as possible.

He wanted to reciprocate their kindness and hospitality and was sure the Millers would like Pa and Hoss as well.

Adam told about his trip with Joe, how his brother, although so young, was a great expert on horses, and how he knew how to train them. How he, too, would have liked to see the Golden Star horses as soon as he could.

Then he told about their encounter with the Bannocks.

Josh and Linda were impressed by the bravery shown by Joe when Adam described to them, still shaken, what his brother had done to allow him to extract the arrow from his body.

“Joe is the bravest man I know, but he is also determined, loyal, and generous. He will not be stopped by anything or anyone if he decides to intervene in a good cause! His stubbornness is well known in the family!” Adam smiled, then resumed. “I’m the eldest, he’s the youngest of three, but Joe is always on the move, unstoppable, inexhaustible…often prone to trouble! Sometimes, we wonder how he managed to reach adulthood!”

Josh laughed and winked toward his sister “I know what you’re talking about! Here I have a female copy of what you described!”

And they all laughed heartily as Linda complained to her brother about the bad impression he was giving of her, but her big iridescent eyes shone with affection as she tapped Josh’s shoulder with her napkin, apparently indignant.

Linda had prepared some broth to give Joe as soon as he woke up, and having finished dinner, with great authority, despite her young age, she sent Adam to rest on the other bed in Joe’s room. She would take the first shift, and then Adam would take over.

Linda wanted to monitor Joe’s reactions to the treatment. She hoped that the fever would not return dangerously high and that Joe would be able to rest, but she also knew that could happen. Gingerly, she had warned Adam to keep his brother’s temperature under control just in case. If nothing else, they had gotten a few hours of quiet rest for Joe.

Exhausted by the fatigue and excitement of the last few hours, once in the room, Adam covered Joe with the light bedspread that stood at the foot of the bed. The days were warm, but the evenings were still cool. He touched his forehead to check the temperature, moved the sweat-damp hair from his heated forehead, and placed a cloth soaked in cool water on it.

He watched him sleep, noticing the signs of pain he was in, wishing that he could be well soon.

He placed a hand on the side of his neck and ran her thumb over his cheekbone as he whispered, “Don’t give up, Joe, you have to fight! You’re a fighter, you always have been, don’t give up now, you can’t, do you understand me? You don’t have to!”.

When Linda entered the room, Adam was lying on the bed fully clothed and had already fallen deeply asleep. It was she who laid a bedspread over him so that he would not get cold.

Linda took a seat in an armchair next to Joe’s bed. She checked him first with a serious and professional air, then the nurse in her stepped back and emerged the young woman she was.

By the faint light of the lamp, he observed the sleeping, suffering young man. She noticed his features so finely sculpted, those high cheekbones, the pure line of his jaw, twitching with pain, the small, straight nose, the soft lips, the shape of his eyes, which she had not yet seen open, but which were equipped with long, thick, curved lashes. Linda smiled to herself.

No man should be allowed to have such eyelashes when so many women did not have them so beautifully!

She remembered his slender, tanned body before the bath, blushed as she thought of his nakedness before Adam covered him with the towel, and smiled, resting her cheek against his palm, sighing.

As Linda watched him, Joe suddenly stirred in the bed, his hands became restless on the sheet. With his left hand, he grabbed the sheet and pushed it down, uncovering his body from his belly to and hips.

The spasm made him arch his back and clench his teeth, his head tipped back on the pillow, his eyes closed and clenched tightly. A weak moan escaped his throat. The pang he felt was so evident on his contracted features that Linda felt a squeeze in her heart. The panting in his chest became even more evident. Shiny with sweat, he shook his head on the pillow, but almost immediately became still again, as his body slumped and lay limp on the bed. Adam didn’t notice anything.

Linda’s eyes wandered over the smooth, muscular chest, over that flat, hard, taut stomach and belly, over the slender hips where the relief of the pelvic bones and the junction of a thigh could be seen. The piled and crumpled sheet and bedspread hid his manhood, but Linda blushed anyway.

The girl carefully freed the part of the sheet that had been enclosed in Joe’s fist and covered him again, slowly and carefully, leaving her arms uncovered and resting on the bedspread.

Oh, yes, Joe Cartwright was really a handsome young man! Linda admitted that she had never seen a more handsome man in all her young life!

She placed her hand on Joe’s and squeezed it lightly. She was amazed when she felt Joe weakly return the squeeze and even more so when a faint whisper came from his lips, a barely audible plea, “Pa…” Joe moved his head, sighed, and fell back into sleep with a small groan.

Linda smiled to herself and then became emotional as she thought of the deep love she had held for her father. It had been a year since his death, and several more since the loss of her mother, but Linda remembered them each day with love.

Evidently, Joe also had a close relationship with his father, and Linda imagined that he was a much-loved son.

About three hours passed, and Linda gave way to Adam and retired to her room to get some sleep. Up to that point, Joe had been fairly quiet, although his pain was evident, but as the hours passed, the young man began to stir and moan. His temperature had risen again, and Joe was in a sweat bath.

Adam alternated cold compresses on his forehead and wiped the sweat on his body. He desperately wished Pa was with them in that circumstance. He knew that Ben had a calming effect on Joe, especially when he was sick. His father’s closeness made him feel safe and protected ever since he was a child.

Joe had a special relationship with his father. A deep, total, shadowless love of complete trust in him. Now, in his suffering, Joe called his father, and Adam could do nothing to make him feel better.

Finally, dawn came, and Joe’s fever came down enough for him to get some rest. Adam also fell asleep, drained.

When Linda entered the room softly, the two brothers were sleeping an exhausted and troubled sleep.

CHAPTER 5

Adam slowly lifted Joe, and Linda placed several pillows behind his shoulders, almost sitting him up. Joe let it happen without resistance, keeping his eyes closed, physically challenged and lost in a world where sounds came to him muffled, aware only of the pain he was in.

Linda managed to get him to swallow some warm broth, which Joe swallowed almost automatically, then administered the last remaining drops of Laudanum. They would not be enough to put him to sleep or even take away the pain, but perhaps they would keep him as calm as possible.

Linda gave the young man the treatment again to remove the irritant with which the Bannock arrow was smeared, and finally prepared to suture the two wounds on his back and chest.

Joe had moaned as the rubber tube was pushed inside the wounds, and Adam had held him down, but eventually he had regained his senses completely, and despite the calming effect of the little Laudanum he had been given, he was awake and alert for the first time since they had arrived at the ranch. His fever was almost gone.

He looked at Linda questioningly, then looked at Adam, who was smiling at him,“…Adam…where?…Who?…”

“Don’t worry, Joe, we’re at Golden Star, a ranch half a day from Carson City, you’re safe now, you’ll be fine!”

“Water…please…” asked Joe in a broken voice and a parched throat; Linda hastened to place a glass of cool water to his lips, which he drank to the bottom, thirsty.

Adam was relieved to see Joe’s evident improvement.

“This is Linda Miller; this house is hers and her brother Josh’s. She saved your life, Joe. Linda really saved your life! How are you feeling?”

A small smile stretched Joe’s lips as he decided to tell the truth, “It hurts, it hurts…damn it, but I don’t feel that burning inside the wound anymore….”

Adam explained about Linda’s treatment of him and the Bannocks’ poisoned arrow, then added, “Joe…it’s not over yet. Now Linda has to suture your wounds, so you will heal faster and there will be less risk of infection. It will hurt, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, but we have no other choice. There is no more anesthetic to put you to sleep.”

As Adam explained to Joe what they had to do, Linda was struck by the injured young man’s large green eyes, which she saw open for the first time. Eyes of iridescent color, changing from bright green to hazel depending on the light that hits them. Beautiful, expressive eyes, framed by those long, curved lashes he had admired before.

Joe sighed, closing his eyes. The pain was already so much to bear. He had no real awareness of the last two days, except that he had been immersed in a kind of muffled and painful limbo. Now he would be conscious, and he was so tired…so tired of so much pain.

He opened his eyes, misty with suffering, and looked at Linda, who stood beside him, “Just do it…”

Linda smiled at him, gently brushed his furrowed brow, then leaned over Joe, looking at him with understanding, “I’ll do it as soon as I can, I promise, but you hold on! It will hurt, but you must hold still, as still as you can. Do you understand?”

Joe nodded slowly and tried to prepare himself for the new pain.

It had been hard for Joe, but Linda had kept her word. She had been quick, and her skilled hands had sutured the edges of the two wounds with precise, quick stitches, then she had bandaged his chest and shoulder.

To distract Joe from the pain, she had talked to him the whole time, in a low, soft voice, while her hands worked with precision. It had worked, although a few muffled moans had escaped his control.

Adam had held a hand on his uninjured shoulder to make him feel his presence, but was ready to intervene if his brother became agitated.

Several times, Joe had turned his head to rest it on his brother’s arm, panting loudly as the needle went in and out of his flesh and his muscles twitched in pain, gritting his teeth on that cloth swab.

His hands clutched the sheet, locking it in his clenched fists as his back arched and a few stifled moans escaped his throat. Then, finally, it was all over, and Joe was resting in the dimly lit room.

He had eaten a light meal and had been asleep for a while, but now he was awake and looking around the unfamiliar but carefully and soberly furnished room. The furniture was fine, the pictures on the walls showed majestic landscapes or horses of all breeds, some of which Joe had not been able to recognize. It was a room that revealed a certain comfort. Joe had not yet seen anything of the house or the ranch, but surely the Golden Star was a thriving and well-kept ranch.

His mind wandered among disparate thoughts. The Bannocks, their escape, the arrow that had hit him, and his somewhat foolish gesture for Adam to take it out. Everything else was blurred in a haze of which he remembered only the excruciating, continuous pain.

He touched his bandaged chest. The pain was always there, but now he could bear it better, and that terrible burning inside the wound was gone.

He was reminded of Linda’s face, leaning over him as she sutured the wounds and to which he had clung to take his mind off the pain.

A sweet face, the golden skin of someone who lives a lot outdoors, a sprinkling of freckles on the small, sassy nose, a mouth with full, soft lips, two immense gray-green eyes, glistening with golden straws, and a mane of long, soft, antique copper-colored curls. Probable inheritance from some Irish ancestor. A beauty that radiated from within, that stood out in the sweetness of her smile with perfect white teeth, the expression of her changing, iridescent eyes. A person who made you feel good, Joe thought, smiling to himself.

He had not yet had a chance to get to know her better, but Joe suspected that Linda’s personality was one to be discovered and appreciated.

A down-to-earth girl who could be counted on, not one of those endowed only with the charm of a pretty face and body, which in the past had attracted the attention of the dashing young Joe.

With these pleasant thoughts, he fell asleep again. A natural and healing sleep at last, for the first time since he had been wounded.

CHAPTER 6

Three days later, when Linda had entered the Cartwright brothers’ room with Joe’s breakfast, she had found the young man sitting on the bed, leaning back against the pillows, dressed in his clean pants and a spare shirt still open over his bandaged chest.

Adam stood beside him, wondering if he felt all right, if he could trust him to leave him alone because he wanted to travel to Carson City with Josh. He wanted to stock up on supplies, get the necessary medicines, and send a telegram home to alert the family of what had happened and their subsequent delay.

Joe smiled, rolling his eyes, reassuring Adam that he would be fine. He was not alone; there was Linda and the men from the ranch; he could safely hold out until evening, when his brother and Josh would return.

As Linda entered the room, Joe turned to her and smiled again, one of those shining smiles of his that was like magic, and Linda gasped, stopping short with the tray in her hand.

Adam looked at her, raising an eyebrow, shook his head, and smiled. His brother’s charm had struck again, evidently.

Linda blushed, tried to pull herself together, placed the tray on Joe’s lap, and dignifiedly left the room. Adam watched Joe and realized that he was unaware of the emotions he had aroused in Linda,

“Interesting situation…” thought Adam, as he said goodbye to his young brother and walked out of the room, ready to leave.

When Linda returned to the room some time later, she found Joe pensive, his face serious and attentive, a shadow of sadness in his eyes so evident that Linda felt compelled to seek a solution, “Joe…how are you feeling? Do you think you can get up a little? I’d love to take you to see our thoroughbred horses! I can bring the buggy out front so you’d only have to walk a few steps, and then I’ll give you a tour of the ranch. What do you say?”

Joe’s face instantly revived, and he smiled with joy and immediately accepted the proposal! He had to laugh, remembering that he was usually the one who took the pretty girls for a buggy ride through the enchanting landscapes of the Ponderosa, but really, he was grateful to be able to get out in the fresh air after so many days of bed and suffering. His shoulder sent back a dull, continuous pain that still plagued him, but he was able to manage, so he moved to get up.

He threw his legs to the side, but he had not reckoned with his actual condition. As soon as he got to his feet, he found himself staggering, suddenly seized by dizziness, and he felt his knees give way beneath him.

Linda was quick and instinctively grabbed him so he would not fall. One arm around his slim waist, the other on his back, her hand on his bare skin, under his still-open shirt. She held him against her, steadying him as Joe grabbed her shoulders, almost hugging her, his eyes closed tightly.

A small moan of surprise escaped his throat as he regained his balance. It was like a jolt, an intense vibration that ran through his entire body, a complete mind-body fusion that stunned him, and then he realized it had been the same for Linda.

Linda looked up at him with eyes that had become immense with surprise, her trembling hands resting on his skin as a tender blush began to spread across her worried face. “Are you all right, Joe?” she tried to play it cool, to get over that moment, that blush that embarrassed her, but she was also genuinely worried about him.

Joe roused himself, lowered his arms, releasing her from his grip as Linda did likewise. The young man sat on the edge of the bed and automatically began to button his shirt, leaving it outside his pants. Linda procured a sling to support his right arm and left him sitting down to fetch the buggy.

Left alone, Joe thought back to the intense sensation he had felt. He could not remember ever having felt such a connection with another woman before.

Something similar happened when he found himself in his father’s arms after a danger he had run, after a long absence from home, when his father held him close if he had been hurt, but he was the person he loved most in the world all his life!

It didn’t make sense…or did it?

He let go of his thoughts when shortly thereafter he found himself sitting in the buggy driven by Linda, on a perfect late spring day, happy just to breathe in the pure air rich in olfactory stimulation. A mixture of the smell of sun-warmed hay, the scent of flowers and pine resin, the strong smell of horses, filled his senses.
Then to his nostrils also came Linda’s scent, a fresh aroma of Lavender, as she sat beside him, dressed in a light green cotton dress that set off her eyes and the dark copper of her hair. She wore no hat, and a few strands of hair had broken free, falling down her sun-gilded face. The breeze danced around her face and shoulders, and Joe found himself staring at her adorable freckles, her sassy nose, her full mouth opened in a smile, as if seeing them for the first time. Then he gasped in wonder.

In several adjacent corrals, Joe saw magnificent horses, and his attention was completely captured. His expert eyes darted from one to the other, admiring their coats, their proportions, and their shapes.

These were not wild Mustangs or Quarter Horses, typical of western cattle ranchers and prized for their versatility in work, nor were they large Morgans, like Hoss’s horse, which were also suitable for pulling. These were refined animals of rare beauty, and Joe stood watching them open-mouthed, spellbound.

Linda laughed when she saw his reaction and approached a particular enclosure where large horses with shiny jet-black coats stood. Soft tufts of hair covered their hooves, and their gait was as graceful as a dance. Their superb, distinctive feature was their long, thick, wavy tails and manes that reached the ground. They were statuesque, powerful, and overwhelmingly beautiful.

Joe was completely fascinated!

A graceful mare with a long, heavy, perfectly wavy mane broke away from the group in the enclosure and approached the fence, neighing softly. Linda leaned out of her seat on the cart and called her, introducing her to Joe, “This is Lady Morgan, she’s my mare, do you like her?”

“Oh, Linda, she’s magnificent! Wonderful! Where do these beautiful horses come from? Are they Friesians?”

Linda smiled, admiring Joe’s expertise, as she stroked her mare’s velvety black muzzle: “Originally from Friesland, yes. The first specimens came from Europe and are still rare here! In the cities of the East, they want them for rides in the large city parks, for elegant carriages, to show off their wealth.”

Joe was fascinated: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in real life before! They’re magnificent!” A flash, a distant memory formed in his mind, interrupting his words.

Linda saw the change in Joe’s face and his effort to remember,

“Maybe, maybe I’ve seen one before, but I was so little! I think the black stallion my mother rode, and which killed her when it fell, was a Friesian! He was a beautiful animal, even though I don’t remember him very well…” Joe’s face darkened for a moment, then he resumed looking at the beautiful horses in the paddock, “Oh, Lord! I’d love to ride one!”

Linda laughed heartily at the look of pure desire on Joe’s face, “As soon as you’re back in shape, you can come back and do it!” She laughed again at the look of enthusiasm she saw on his face.

“You bet! You bet you can!” Joe’s eyes sparkled in anticipation of that moment.

Late in the evening, Adam and Josh returned to the ranch after their long trip to and from Carson City with their load of supplies.

Joe was in bed resting after a pleasant but tiring day. Linda was next to him, and the two young people were chatting quietly when Adam entered the room, eager to see Joe.

His face was tired and pale, but he was laughing at something Linda had just said, with that typical, infectious laugh of his, then he suddenly stopped, bringing a hand to his injured shoulder, “Stop making me laugh! It hurts! Damn, it really hurts!” and his face contorted into a grimace of pain.

Adam noticed the change in Joe and Linda’s behavior compared to that same morning, much more relaxed and at ease, but he was concerned and asked them, “Joe, how are you? What happened today? Are you in so much pain?”

Linda explained to Adam that she had taken Joe to see the horses, then apologized because perhaps they had overdone it a bit and Joe had gotten more tired than he should have.

Linda was sorry, so much so that Joe intervened, “It’s not your fault! I’m the one who wanted to enjoy the day outdoors after so many days cooped up in bed! I’m fine, I just need a good night’s sleep”.

He smiled at Linda and Adam, who was staring at him with that typical big brother look.

It was that ‘I’m fine’that alerted Adam. Joe would have said he was fine even on his deathbed so as not to worry anyone! So he decided to give him a painkiller, which they had finally stocked up on. Joe deserved it after so many days of severe suffering, and he finally had a peaceful night.

The next morning, he claimed to be really fine after sleeping without pain.

CHAPTER 7

The next two days passed quickly as Joe and Adam were shown around the ranch by Josh and Linda, who were proud to show off their magnificent specimens to the two Cartwrights.

In addition to the magnificent English Thoroughbreds, bred for racing, the noble Arabians with their strong temperament, and the wonderful Friesians, they saw horses they had only read about in books, and some they didn’t even know existed.

They were fascinated by the large and powerful Percherons, imposing draft horses, originally from distant France, which the Millers bred for transport and heavy work: 1763,7 Pounds of powerful muscles, large size, with a gray dappled coat, and a docile character. An extremely calm and intelligent animal. Their size commanded respect, but they were energetic animals that liked to work and were easy to get along with.

The Cartwright brothers admired the beautiful Andalusians with their harmonious, elegant shapes and regal gait, which made them look as if they were dancing as they walked. These were also requested by wealthy landowners in the South to show off on walks and for sport. It would have been nice to give one to their father, remembering the loss of the Great White years earlier, which had almost cost Joe his life, but the ranch did not need horses for show, but working animals that could interact with livestock, strong and resilient, so they shelved the idea of the Andalusian with a sigh of regret.

But the surprise for them was yet to come, and it would be overwhelming.

The Miller ranch was extensive, well-organized, and dotted with paddocks and stables where the horses were kept according to their breed.
Josh and Linda accompanied Adam and Joe to a stable near a small wood crossed by a stream.
The stable opened directly onto a paddock, half of which was shaded by the woods, while the other half was sunny.
The carriage with Linda and Joe stopped in the shade, immediately followed by Josh and Adam on horseback.

The paddock was empty, but from inside the stable, they could hear neighing, and among them, Joe immediately recognized the higher-pitched sound of a foal.
Josh went to open the stable and shortly after brought out a stallion, followed by two mares and a newborn foal. From where he stood, he enjoyed watching Joe and Adam’s amazed faces, literally open-mouthed at the sight of these absolutely incredible horses.
Linda smiled proudly and winked at her brother. No one could remain indifferent to these wonders of nature!

The stallion ran around the paddock, passing from the sun to the shade and back again, his golden coat flashing in the light, like metallic reflections on precious metal.

It looked like it was made of pure gold!

He was slender, graceful, refined, aristocratic, with a supple gait and long legs, and an expressive head. Of the two mares, one was shiny like silver with almost pink hues, while the other looked like it was made of shining copper. Even the foal was sparkling gold like its father, but with a darker shade.

Joe was literally speechless. Adam watched those beautiful horses closely, wondering how they could have a coat that looked metallic. They didn’t know the breed; they didn’t even think animals like that could exist. With wide eyes, the two brothers watched those living wonders.

Josh and Linda let them admire the pride of their ranch, giving them time to take it all in, then Josh whistled softly and called the stallion, “Mida, come here!” He reached into the enclosure with his hand holding a sugar cube.

The golden stallion approached immediately, shaking his mane, his tail high, neighing, snorting, and dancing on his hooves. With a gentle touch, he took the sugar, then willingly allowed Josh to stroke his neck.

Joe could no longer resist and got out of the carriage to approach the splendid Mida. With sweet, almost sing-song words, he approached the fence and stroked his long neck, his noble and proud head, his velvety soft lips, enjoying the contact as much as the horse did. He was so excited that his eyes became watery.

Linda sensed his feelings, so similar to her own, and she liked that emotional side of Joe, who was not ashamed to show his involvement.

Josh said that the breed’s name was “Akhal-Teke” and told them about the peculiarity of the coat, which took on a metallic effect under the light, and why.

He explained that these were rare and precious horses, originally from Central Asia, bred since ancient times by Turkmen tribes, also called “Celestial Horses” and “Desert Greyhounds” because of their raised bellies, just like greyhounds.

The horses’ coats could be of various colors, light or dark, but always with that incredible metallic effect.

Adam was familiar with greyhounds from seeing them when he was at college in Boston, and he immediately understood the reference.

Josh went on to say that their hooves were very sturdy, with nails so hard that they often did not need to be shod. Furthermore, by nature, they were horses that bonded deeply with their owners, establishing a relationship of loyalty, fidelity, and devotion.
Joe immediately thought of his Cochise and smiled.
Finally, Linda chimed in, saying that legend had it that Alexander the Great’s legendary horse, named Bucephalus, was actually an Akhal-Teke.

CHAPTER 8

Joe and Adam were overwhelmed. They never thought they would see horses like these in their lifetime. In the Wild West, horses were selected for different purposes, and although the beauty of an animal was an added bonus in saddle horses, the main focus was on training them for the work they had to do.

Working ranches like the Ponderosa also depended on the ability of their horses, and Joe had become a master at training them. The ease with which he related to them, his instinct, the lightness of his touch, and the gentleness with which he treated them made him an undisputed and expert trainer.
The four young people stayed for a long time talking and comparing notes.

Joe was impressed to hear that Linda was not only a skilled horsewoman but was also active in training saddle horses for the wealthy Californians. The more he got to know her, the more he found they had in common, and the more he spent time with her, the more he found himself interested in her.

Joe was certainly not stupid. He understood that Linda liked him, as she was no longer able to hide her interest in him, but strangely, after the strong feelings of that morning when they had physical contact, Joe did not rush into a relationship that seemed almost inevitable.

He liked Linda very much and was learning to appreciate her for who she was. Linda wasn’t just beautiful. Linda was a solid, practical, competent girl, perfectly integrated into her working world. A girl who was on equal footing with her brother Josh and who had the respect of the men on the ranch. Linda wasn’t the little princess of Golden Star, all spoiled and capricious; she was the beating heart of the ranch and its balancing force.

Joe was gradually realizing all this and was attracted to her…and also a little intimidated. The girls he had dated, and even loved, had never been even remotely similar in character to Linda, nor had they ever made him feel that complete fusion, that connection, that he had experienced with her. So Joe reflected, thought, and questioned himself, afraid of making a misstep or hurting Linda, who was so taken with him.

Through it all, Adam watched, almost able to hear the mental processes of his younger brother, who was usually more impulsive than this. Joe was holding back. It wasn’t like him. Adam watched and waited.
It was late afternoon when everyone returned home. They had been out all day, touring the ranch and looking at the horses. They had had a picnic sitting by the stream, near the paddock where Mida and her mares were kept.
Joe had even taken a nap, lying on the grass, overcome by tiredness and emotion. He had fallen asleep without realizing it, while contemplating those spectacular horses over and over again.

Now, returning home, Joe felt tired, almost overwhelmed, and remained silent, distancing himself a little from the conversations that were going on around him.
He leaned back in the carriage and closed his eyes, letting Linda take him home. Their voices became an indistinct murmur that lulled him and accompanied him to sleep, but he did not fall asleep. Instead, he began to feel a general malaise that he could not name.

Adam was busy discussing breeding and plans with Josh, while Linda was busy keeping the horse at a steady pace as they made their way home, avoiding ruts and uneven ground that could have caused Joe further pain. No one noticed anything.

When they arrived in front of the house, Joe was in real pain. Emotionally involved, physically debilitated, and undermined by the pain that had tormented him day and night, He jumped out of the carriage with a sudden movement, taking a couple of steps to the side.

His head was spinning frighteningly, and he staggered as he turned pale. He let out a faint moan and collapsed.

Adam lunged forward and managed to catch him in his arms just before he hit the ground. Kneeling on the ground with his brother in his arms, he held him against his chest.

Joe’s head fell back on his shoulder, one hand clawing at his shirt sleeve,

“I… Adam… I feel sick…” and he fainted with a small moan, letting his head fall onto his older brother’s broad chest.

Linda had screamed when she saw Joe collapse to the ground. She then crouched down next to Adam, who was holding his brother in his arms, and immediately examined him.

She touched his forehead and felt the heat of his fever, saw his exhausted and pale face, and noticed beads of sweat forming on his forehead. His skin was shiny and wet, but there was no trace of blood under the bandages covering his shoulder and chest. Linda sighed with relief.

Efficient as always, she had Joe carried to the bed, where Adam removed his boots, jacket, and shirt.

They began to wet his forehead with cold compresses to lower his fever. They wiped the sweat from his chest, and Linda checked his wounds more closely, finding nothing wrong. They were healing well, and there was no sign of infection. So why?

Adam was keeping his cool, as always, but he was worried.

Linda answered his unspoken questions, “Joe still has Bannock poison in his blood. With treatment, I’ve relieved the burning sensation and removed most of the substance, but while the arrow was in his flesh, his blood absorbed some of it. Joe is struggling with the effects of the poison; he is still weak, and I was stupid not to take that into account. He has tired himself out too much over the last three days, and I shouldn’t have allowed it! He kept saying he was fine, and I believed him! Now he will have to rest and recover. I know you were thinking of heading home, but Joe is not yet ready for a long journey. It will take a few more days.”

Adam ran a hand over his face and shook his head, “My father and Doc Martin would skin me alive if they knew I let Joe get out of bed and walk around as much as he wanted! You haven’t known him long, so you can’t know this, but I’ve known him all my life, and when Joe says he’s fine, that’s when you have to be careful! I didn’t do that. I was out with Josh and neglected Joe, leaving him in your care.

I know the signs, and I didn’t pay attention to them. It’s my fault he’s sick now. Keeping Joe confined to bed has always been a battle, often a very tough battle! He’s impatient, stubborn, and so full of life that he can’t stand being stuck in bed for days or weeks. He’s always on the move, he has boundless energy, he never gives up, he has an iron will, and a great capacity for recovery. This usually allows him to heal in less time than the doctor himself would have predicted. I hope it works this time, too.”

Linda listened carefully to Adam’s outburst and gleaned more information about Joe. She liked what she heard; she liked Joe and his multifaceted personality. She realized she loved everything about the Joe she had met so far, and she felt increasingly involved and attached to him. She wanted to know everything about him. Joe was charming and handsome, his smiles took her breath away, but Linda had already gone beyond physical beauty, now she wanted to get to know him deeply, delve into his personality, discover what he liked and what could make him suffer. Perhaps this latest incident would give her the opportunity to do so.

When Joe opened his eyes again, he found himself in bed. Adam and Linda were with him, watching him closely.

“What happened? I don’t remember much…”
“You went down like a rock, little brother!” Adam joked to ease the tension. “You got out of the carriage and passed out. Your fever has returned, but fortunately, it’s not very high. The truth is, you’ve been overexerting yourself these past few days, and this is the result! Linda says you still have poison in your blood and you’ll be weak for a while, so don’t move from that bed or I’ll tie you down, mark my words!”

Joe’s eyes widened, then he smiled, one of his crooked, mischievous smiles, but Adam was serious and didn’t let himself get drawn in. Joe gave up, “Uh! Are you serious? I can’t get up? But I’m fine!!!”

Adam roared with laughter and Linda laughed until she was almost in tears, then left the brothers to sort things out for themselves and went to prepare dinner.

CHAPTER 9

Realizing that it was still too early for Joe to make the journey home, Adam decided to leave with the promise that someone would come and pick Joe up after a week.

Joe grumbled that he didn’t need a nanny, but Adam was adamant. He wouldn’t allow Joe to travel alone, having to camp on the trail for at least one night, cook, remove, and replace Cochise’s saddle, straining his injured shoulder. Adam also feared that his brother might fall ill with no one around to help him.

After getting assurances from Josh and Linda that they would not let Joe leave alone, Adam thanked them for their hospitality, made them promise to visit the Ponderosa, said goodbye to everyone, and set off for home.

He had carved out a moment alone with Joe, and as he was being escorted to his horse, he put his arm around his younger brother’s shoulders, pulling him toward him, then joked,“Lucky man! You still have a week to spend with Linda! She adores you, I think you’ve noticed, she only has eyes for you!” Then he became serious, “Joe, she’s a good girl, and she’s also very beautiful. You seem made for each other. What’s been holding you back so far? Because it’s obvious you’re torn! Is something wrong?”

Joe lowered his head, his chin on his chest, his eyes fixed on the ground. Adam felt him trembling under the arm that was around his shoulders. Joe spoke in a whisper, “I don’t know, Adam, I don’t know… I like Linda very much and I know she’s in love with me. I’m experiencing new feelings, different from the usual, so intense that they almost scare me, and I don’t understand. I don’t want to hurt her, Adam. I have to figure out my feelings for her before I risk hurting her. I don’t want to lead her on. I haven’t even kissed her!”

Adam was surprised to sense Joe’s real torment. He advised him to take all the time he needed, without rushing or pressure, to figure out what he really wanted and only then make his decision. After an understanding look and a final squeeze on Joe’s shoulder, Adam left.

The week passed quietly, with some much-needed rest, a few picnics near Mida’s enclosure, which Joe couldn’t tear himself away from, and regular visits to the newly broken horses. Joe’s suggestions had been invaluable in some difficult cases, and the ranch hands had immediately respected him. He looked so young, but he was definitely a great horse expert, and they acknowledged that.

His injuries were improving day by day, and Joe no longer wore the sling to support his arm. He felt stronger and more like himself, but his thoughts about his feelings for Linda did not make as much progress.

Joe was confused. He felt comfortable with Linda, they got along well because of their shared interests, and a deep friendship was definitely developing, which Joe was reluctant to jeopardize… but he was also aware that Linda felt much more than friendship toward him.

Joe was strongly attracted to Linda, and he found himself desiring her when their bodies brushed against each other or their hands accidentally touched. Each time, his young body reacted instinctively and powerfully, and Joe found it difficult to maintain control. Sometimes he called himself stupid. In other circumstances, with other girls he liked even less than Linda, he had felt free to satisfy that desire, but with her it was different, and Joe didn’t understand what was really holding him back.

His father’s words, spoken a few years earlier, now echoed in his ears, “Joe, are you sure that what you feel for her isn’t just a kind of sentimental attraction to each other?”

But he was sure he wanted to marry Laura; he really loved her… and then he lost her tragically, before their dream could come true.

His world had been turned upside down, and the wounds in his soul had taken a long time to truly heal. Why was he thinking about it now? Pa also told him that a wife is something special, not just a desirable woman, but the woman you choose to build a life with and start a family; she is the one who knows how to weave bonds of love within her family, who sustains and supports. She is the woman with whom you want to have children. Joe thought about all this for the first time in years and tormented himself trying to understand.

Linda, for her part, understood Joe’s confusion, his unspoken doubts, his restrained desire, his inner torment, and respected them in silence. She had decided to give him time to understand what he was feeling and hoped that Joe would soon discover that he was in love with her.

As far as she was concerned, there was no doubt about it. She loved him with all her heart! Madly, tenderly, deeply. Every fiber of her being was in love with him. She couldn’t hide it from herself or from him. And Linda waited, sighed, hoped, and wondered anxiously… what if Joe didn’t…?

CHAPTER 10

The week was now over, and the next day, someone would arrive from the Ponderosa to travel home with Joe.

That morning, Linda was at the Friesian enclosure, pampering her Lady Morgan with caresses and sweet carrots.

Joe joined her while Linda was working on her mare’s mane, dividing it into many braids to form a geometric diamond pattern. The mane, thus worked, looked like a large shawl draped over Lady Morgan’s neck. The effect was magnificent, and Joe complimented Linda on her work and creativity.

It was not only for beauty, but considering the great length of the Friesian’s mane, it made riding more practical without the wind blowing the mane onto and into the faces of their riders.

As they talked next to the mare, two young males began to fight with each other and, in their agitation, pushed Lady Morgan, who bumped into Linda, causing her to fall to the ground in a dangerous domino effect.

Joe was quick to lift Linda off the ground and move her away from the danger of being accidentally injured by the hooves.

He found her in his arms, pressed against him, her large eyes wide with fear at the danger she had faced, which softened as she looked at him.

Joe lost himself for a moment in those eyes and, almost without realizing it, leaned over her and kissed her, long and hard, then shook himself, staggered, asked her forgiveness, and moved away from her, apologizing.

Linda touched her lips with her fingertips, a little shaken, disarmed, but she smiled to herself, sensing a possible change in Joe. he had seen him upset, but she had read something in his eyes that filled Linda’s heart with hope.

Joe had quickly walked away, his heart pounding in his chest, his body in turmoil, his breath labored, and that feeling he had already experienced the first time he and Linda had come into close contact. A full and incredible sense of connection and belonging that Joe felt only partly when he was embraced by his father.

He’d been stupid to give in to his desires and kiss her… but that kiss had shaken him, forcing him to face the fact that he wanted to be with Linda, but also that he didn’t want a casual relationship, he didn’t want to hurt Linda, who he knew was in love with him, and what Joe was trying to figure out was whether he was finally ready for a total, serious, deep, and lasting commitment.

Was he ready to consider Linda as a wife? In the past, he had asked himself far fewer questions and more than once had thought he had found the right girl for him, the one to marry, and he had sincerely believed it, or forced himself to believe it.

It hadn’t worked out, for various reasons, but those failures weighed heavily on his heart and had made him cautious, perhaps too cautious, Joe reflected, still savoring the memory of the kiss with Linda.

In the hours that followed, he had deliberately kept away from the ranch. He had isolated himself on purpose and spent most of the day with Mida and her mares. He had brushed their metallic coats until they shone with every glint of light.

He had thought, reflected, and agonized, knowing that the next day he would be leaving for home and not wanting to leave things unresolved.

Finally, at sunset, tired and heavy with thoughts, he decided to go to the river to swim and clear his head. The river flowed not far from Miller Ranch, so Joe took Cochise and headed there.

CHAPTER 11

The young man shivered in the cold water and began to swim vigorously; perhaps physical exhaustion would bring him relief, perhaps it would ease the tension and confusion in his mind.

He swam for a long time in the placid current of the river, which formed a quiet bend in that stretch. The air was ablaze with the sunset, the tops of the rocks were all reddened, and the trees along the bank stood out dark against the sky, which was already beginning to turn violet. The magnificent and imposing spectacle of Creation cheered him up a little, but his soul was so torn that the pleasant feeling soon faded.

The swim had invigorated him; he felt physically better than he had in days, but his mind continued to send him confusing messages.

His feelings, the strong sense of duty he felt towards Linda, with her loving eyes, locked in her silence. His family, his work, and his life on the Ponderosa; Josh and Linda, his gratitude to them for the help they had given him, all the care and attention that had saved his life; all this, and much more, troubled and shook him violently.

The flood of emotions overflowed in a sigh, and he realized that tears were streaming down his cheeks. For a few moments, he let them flow silently, bowing his head in shame at his own feelings. He saw them fall silently into the water in which he was immersed up to his waist, forming small concentric circles that slowly widened. He understood that every action, every decision he made, would inevitably provoke a reaction in the lives of those around him, just as he could not prevent those circles in the water from forming one after another.

He had decisions to make that could not be postponed any longer. With a sudden movement, he dived in, swam below the surface holding his breath, letting the cool contact with the water wash his face, erasing the signs of crying. He resurfaced near the shore and walked out of the river in the shallow water.

That was how Linda saw him as she was catching up with him.

Naked, with agile, strong legs, like the long stride of a young puma, the harmonious movement of his arms and shoulders accompanying his loose, elastic gait. The light of the sunset lit up his shiny, wet skin, his hair falling down his neck, dripping with water; he had the absorbed look of someone immersed in his thoughts and oblivious to his surroundings.

Linda held her breath, brought her hands to her throbbing throat, and, surrendering to her love, made the most important decision of her young life.

Joe had just pulled his pants on over his still-wet body when he looked up and saw Linda in the distance.

She moved towards Joe, her steps soft and slow, her gaze finally free to express the promises she wanted to keep, her smiling mouth still remembering that one kiss. Raising her arms, she loosened her hair, which fell like a living wave over her face, reddened by the intensity of feelings she no longer wanted to resist.

So womanly in her sensual innocence that Joe, seeing her advance toward him, luminous in the last rays of the sun, stopped suddenly, savoring with amazed eyes every step, every expression, every movement.

He couldn’t resist her and almost unconsciously opened his arms wide, waiting for her with unfamiliar anxiety.

Linda took refuge in his chest, and his arms closed protectively around her, but she didn’t want protection, not now, not yet.

Slowly, she ran her hands down Joe’s wet back until she reached his neck and the nape of his neck. Gently, she took his head in her hands, her fingers sinking into his wet hair, and forced him to look her in the eyes. In that gaze was her whole life, her love set free to reveal itself, and her desire for him, for his kisses, for his love. Joe read her eyes like an open book; chained to those eyes, almost lost in the turmoil of feelings stirring within him, he heard her voice coming from afar.

In a whisper, she said softly, “I can’t stop you, I wouldn’t know how, and I don’t have the right; I won’t ask you to stay, even though it’s what I want most in the world; I only ask you for one night, this night is for me, it’s mine alone. Tomorrow you will leave to go home, but tonight you will love me and you will be mine for one night only, and I will be yours for the rest of my life. I won’t ask you for anything more, just love me, love me tonight, love me now, just this once… pretend to love me.”

Tears of love and pain flowed from her eyes, shiny and bright as if with fever, and wet her cheeks, reddened by the violent emotions that struggled within her. Now she felt no shame, no shyness, in openly showing the intensity of her feelings, making her even bolder.

Linda’s hands, clasped behind his neck, didn’t wait for an answer, moving gently but determinedly. Without taking her eyes off his, she pulled him slowly toward her.

Something broke inside Joe, his heart pounding in his chest, his breath breaking into a faint moan, a wave of heat running through his body. With a long sigh, he surrendered to her completely. Guided by her hands, he bowed his head toward her as she looked at him lovingly, her heart in her eyes, waiting for him, only him.

It would be so easy to love her, so easy.

He kissed her soft mouth long, slowly, tenderly, and then passionately; he kissed her closed eyes, her broad forehead, her cheeks wet with tears. He tilted her head back and kissed her neck and throat, offered up to his kisses and caresses, making her tremble in his arms. Tender and passionate, she responded to his kisses and caresses, returning them with the ardor of a young woman in love.

He kissed her mouth again, and the kiss became deep and demanding. Overwhelmed by his desire for her and by a new, unknown, profound emotion, Joe sank with her into the realm of pure sensation, clinging to each other like shipwrecked people in a storm.

The darkness of the evening fell complicitly upon them, protecting them from the sight of anyone. They loved each other, giving themselves to each other as only those who truly love can do. Only the night heard the sighs and moans that tell of love, the secret words exchanged by lovers, the tender phrases of love whispered softly, and spread over them a blanket of stars that seemed like a miracle.

Later, rising brightly, the moon caressed them with its rays as they rested embraced and defeated.

In its glow, Joe looked tenderly at Linda, curled up in his arms in search of warmth and protection. Woman and child, sensual and innocent, a shocking revelation for him, who now saw her with new eyes. In her abandonment, there was fulfilled love, but also resignation and pain. One night, just one night.

He held her close, burying his face in her fragrant hair, overwhelmed by the new and profound emotions he was feeling. No one in his entire life had ever made him feel what Linda had made him feel that night. His mind tried to rationally analyze the facts, emotions, and sensations, but his heart needed no explanation.

Finally, he knew, he understood,“I love you,” he murmured, almost to himself, into Linda’s hair, “I love you.” Excited and confused, overwhelmed by the truth, surrendering to the truth.

No answer came from her, apparently asleep in his arms, but a small smile, hidden her hair, stretched her lips.
“I know,” thought Linda with the certainty of a woman in love, and she was almost afraid that he might hear the thumping of her heart, mad with joy; then she let sleep overcome her, curled up in his strong arms as if in an impregnable fortress.

It was already dawn when Joe suddenly woke up and opened his eyes. Linda was sleeping next to him with her head on his chest, her hair spread out, her tender, sensual mouth slightly open in her sleep. He touched her gently, waking her softly, and felt her lips brush his chest softly, sweetly, like butterfly wings; she raised her head, her face hidden in her hair, beautiful.

With her eyes still closed and her voice sleepy, she sighed softly, “Good morning, love.” She sought his mouth for a first kiss.

He realized that it could be like this every day of his life, if he wanted it to be, if he decided that Linda was truly the woman he wanted to marry and start a family with.

Joe felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, his breathing became lighter, and a powerful and strong feeling of love pulsed in his heart. He surrendered completely to this new sensation. His mind had no more questions that his heart had not already answered. The confusion that had tormented him for days vanished like snow melting in the sun. His eyes suddenly filled with tears of joy, and his heart beat fast in his chest.

He touched Linda again to wake her up completely, and she sat up next to him, looking at him intently through her loose hair that fell over her face and shoulders, already feeling a twinge in her heart thinking that Joe was going to leave, out of her life, but he was smiling at her, his eyes shiny with unshed tears.

Joe raised himself on his elbows, then knelt in front of her and took her hand. “Linda, I love you, I love you with all my heart and as I have never loved before, now I know! Will you marry me?”

And she said yes.

CHAPTER 12

It was mid-morning when Ben and Hoss Carwright arrived at the Golden Star, tired and dusty, but eager to see Joe, hoping he was really well after the difficult days he had been through.

Adam had told them everything, and Ben was anxious to see for himself how well his youngest son had recovered from his serious injuries.

Josh welcomed them into the house, giving them fresh water to drink and the chance to wash and freshen up. Then, while they drank fragrant coffee, he informed them that Joe was with Linda at Mida’s corral to say goodbye and see those spectacular horses one last time.

Ben and Hoss had heard about Mida and his mares from Adam, who was also fascinated by those horses, and asked if they could go to the corral right away.

From early morning, on the lawn at the edge of the grove, enveloped in pleasant shade, Joe and Linda lay on a blanket.

They talked and planned their future together at the Ponderosa. Between kisses, Joe told Linda where he would like to build their new home.

He would ask Adam to design it according to Linda’s wishes, and as soon as it was ready, they would get married!
Linda listened to him, smiled at him, looked at him, and kissed him.

Then they stopped talking, and their kisses became greedy and deep.

Linda was not a girl intimidated by her feelings and openly showed her love and desire to an increasingly involved Joe. Protected by the shadows, they let their long-held desire explode and made love again with great passion and transport.

Joe was an experienced and passionate lover, thoughtful and attentive to a woman’s timing. Linda entrusted herself completely to him, returning his kisses and ardent caresses, letting their young bodies find their natural rhythm in that dance of love, letting him bring her to the height of her pleasure.

Linda cried out, calling Joe’s name several times, as her body arched and reached orgasm with him.

With a deep, hoarse groan, Joe collapsed trembling on top of her, his head resting on her shoulder, his face hidden in her hair. Both sated, defeated, and satisfied.

A sense of total connection overwhelmed them and enveloped them completely. They felt they belonged to each other for life and that they would never be separated again.

Linda looked at Joe, asleep in her arms after making love. His beautiful, serene face, his slow breathing, his soft mouth slightly open in sleep.

Excited, she murmured to herself, “He’s not just the man I love. He’s a fortress. A promise. A living wall against anything that could hurt us.”

Later that morning, as they stood near Mida’s fence, they heard the sound of three horses’ hooves approaching. Joe moved, curious to see who it might be, a joyful anticipation already in his heart.

His cry rang out loud: “Pa!!!…Hoss!!” and he moved toward them.

Linda saw the imposing gray-haired man dismount from his horse and embrace Joe tightly, who did not push him away, but rather let himself be completely enveloped in those strong arms, resting his head on his father’s shoulder. His body relaxed at the contact, clinging to his father, whom he had missed so much, as he returned the embrace.

Ben held him close, then pulled him away to get a better look at him.

“Joseph, are you okay, son? How are you feeling? Adam told us, and I know it’s been really hard for you.”

“I’m fine, Pa, honestly, it’s over, it’s done, I’m fine now!”

Hoss’s bear hug took him by surprise, and Joe laughed as he looked at his brother. “Hey, Hoss, you’re not going to break my bones, are you? I’ve had enough of being in bed!”

They laughed together, while Josh watched them smiling, then Joe became serious and went back to get Linda, who had kept a little apart, letting the family get together.

He took her by the hand and led her to his father and Hoss: “Pa, Hoss, this is Linda. She saved my life after that poisoned arrow from the Bannocks. I wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for her!”

Linda blushed, but at the same time looked at Ben and Hoss’s imposing figures with respect and admiration.

This was Joe’s family, a family that loved him deeply and whom Joe loved back with fierce determination and unconditional love.

She felt an immediate liking for Ben and Hoss, an affection that made its way into her heart. She had loved her father deeply and missed him terribly, but she felt that Ben and his family could fill that void. Joe had never let go of her hand, and now she felt him pull her toward him and put his arm around her waist,

“Pa, a moment please, it’s important!” He turned to his father and Linda’s brother, “Pa, Josh… I love Linda, I love her deeply, with all my heart, I asked her to marry me and she said yes!”

Ben smiled broadly, Hoss whistled, and Josh laughed! The Cartwrights had also been informed of this by Adam, who personally hoped that Joe would realize that Linda was the perfect girl for him. Hearing Joe introduce Linda as his future bride made them happy.

Ben approached Linda, hugged her, and held her close, then kissed her forehead, deeply moved: “I can’t wait, my daughter!”

Hoss also hugged Linda gently: “I’m finally going to have a sister! Yes, I know you’ll be my sister-in-law, but I prefer to think of you as the sister I never had! Congratulations, Joe and Linda, I know you’ll be happy!”

Josh hugged his sister tenderly, held her in his arms for a long time, rocking her emotionally, and wished her happiness with Joe.

They spent some time shaking hands, congratulating each other, hugging, and patting each other on the back. Then Ben and Hoss finally realized what they were seeing inside that enclosure and fell silent.

Mida, the two mares, and the foal shone in the sun like molten metal, watching the unusual commotion with attentive eyes.

Joe laughed at their surprise, saying that it had been the same for him and Adam when they had first encountered them.

Ben wanted to know everything, and Josh recounted the story of the Akhal-Teke, from their origins to the legends surrounding them, leaving Ben and Hoss literally spellbound.

Later, they visited the ranch and were amazed by the wonderful specimens of the various breeds that the Millers raised on their thriving ranch.

CHAPTER 13

It was decided that the Cartwrights would stay the night and leave with Joe the next morning, and it was at dinner that Ben had an idea and made a proposal.

Why not leave together? Josh and Linda could get to know the Ponderosa, and after all, there was a wedding to plan and a house to build! Once they had chosen the location and made the plans, they would quickly build the house, and in no time, the two young people could get married!

Joe looked at his father with teary eyes, smiling emotionally. He hated the idea of separating from Linda, now that he had just realized he loved her so deeply that he wanted to marry her; this trip together gave him a few more days, and he would cherish every minute spent with her.

Of course, Linda would have to return to the Golden Star soon to organize her final departure, gather the things she cared about most to take with her, and find a good housekeeper for Josh to take care of the house and food. Linda had heard about Hop Sing from Joe and Adam… perhaps one of her countless cousins would agree to take care of Josh and their home? But in the end, everything would be ready, and she would become Mrs. Joseph Cartwright!

The weeks that would separate her from living with him forever would seem very long, but there were so many things to prepare, and the wait would only increase their desire to spend their lives together!

Early the next morning, with their bags packed, orders given to their foreman and the ranch hands, and the pack horse loaded with the necessary supplies for the journey, the Miller brothers were ready to leave with the Cartwrights.

Joe had eyes only for Linda, riding her shiny black Lady Morgan. Cochise had immediately taken a liking to that mare with her long, artistically braided mane, and now he moved alongside her perfectly at ease.

The black and white Pinto and the black Friesian mare had found their stride and moved smoothly together, their movements synchronized. It was a real sight to behold!

Linda was a true horsewoman, riding as naturally as Joe, at one with her mount, and Ben found himself admiring them both.

He had always been proud of Joe’s ability to relate to horses, but seeing the same ability in Linda, the same smooth attitude and elegance in riding, filled him with joy and amazement.

He already loved that girl like a daughter, and in his heart, he knew she was the right choice for Joe.

Linda would know how to stand by him, support him, sustain him in his choices and his work, doing her part as the wife of a successful rancher, which Joe was destined to be.

Above all, Ben had seen the loving way Linda looked at Joe; she certainly loved him, very, very much, and Ben had no doubt that Joe reciprocated with the same intense feeling of love.

They would form a family, and Ben was certain that, when the time was right, little Cartwrights would tread the soil of the Ponderosa with their restless, quick little feet. Just the thought made him smile; the idea of becoming a grandfather softened his heart, and Ben was surprised to find himself moved.

Turning back as he rode alongside Linda, Joe caught that emotion on Ben’s face, their eyes locked, and Joe smiled at him.

Then he looked at his father with a soft, warm light in his eyes, and Ben felt the flow of love passing from his son to him, felt his unspoken gratitude, and felt that his boy was grateful to him for those extra days to spend with Linda, for the chance to deepen their understanding in preparation for the wedding.

Hoss and Josh, riding alongside Ben, caught that look and that conversation, as if it had been spoken aloud, and both were moved.

Hoss coughed, bowed his head to hide his teary eyes, and the deep emotion that had overcome him. He knew the intensity of that love, and now Joe, his beloved little brother, whom he had loved and protected all his life, was about to get married.

Now he would have another task: To love and protect Linda alongside Joe!

Josh recognized in Joe’s eyes the same love that he and Linda had felt for their beloved father, whom he still missed fiercely. He regretted that Linda would walk down the aisle without her father to accompany her, but he promised himself that as her older brother, he would do everything he could to make her feel calm and serene.

They stopped after about three hours of travel to rest a little, then continued for another three hours and finally came within sight of Carson City, where they could eat a good hot meal, rest the horses, and send a telegram to Adam announcing their arrival.

Linda asked Joe to accompany her to a special tailor’s shop in town, but recommended that he wait outside. She wanted to choose her wedding dress and have her measurements taken so that when she returned home to prepare for the wedding, the dress would already be ready.

And Joe waited willingly for his Linda to choose the dress that he would only see on their wedding day, but knowing in his heart that she would be beautiful!

Peering through the shop window he saw innumerable white fabrics, shiny satin, delicate lace, being handled by the seamstress and Linda. Then he sat down on the sidewalk, not wanting to see any more, ready instead for the surprise he would receive that day. He smiled to himself until Linda reappeared, happy and excited, at the shop door. He kissed her there, in the middle of the street, holding her tightly in his arms, not caring who might see or disapprove.

As they returned to the others, who were waiting for them a little further on, Joe stayed a step behind Linda, and Ben noticed that his son had instinctively put his hand to his injured shoulder with a grimace of pain. A moment later, he was laughing and joking with Linda, but Ben decided that they would spend the night in Carson City, using the excuse that he was really tired and no longer young enough for such long journeys.

They believed him, Joe included, and booked rooms at the Palace Hotel, where both the Cartwrights and the Millers were known.

They spent a pleasant evening together and retired early to their rooms to rest, knowing full well that another long journey awaited them the next day.

Ben and Joe shared a room, and it was when Joe took off his shirt to go to bed that his father saw his scars, still fresh and reddened.
He remembered what Adam had told him at home.

What Joe had been able to do so that his brother could pull out the arrow. He thought of his son’s fierce determination, the pain he must have felt, the courage it must have taken him to make that decision and carry it out.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Does it still hurt? It must have been hard for you…”

Joe answered him sincerely as he slipped under the covers, “A little, but only when I’m tired”… and suddenly he understood why his father had wanted to stop for the night!

Joe looked intently into Ben’s eyes, while his father tried to keep a neutral expression, then smiled at him, and his eyes flashed mischievously. Ben realized he had been found out!
Joe’s gaze softened, as did his smile: “Thanks, Pa, you’re the best!”

They had spent some time talking to each other. It was rare now that they had time alone together, and Ben had seen and felt, in Joe’s eyes and words, the deep love he felt for Linda.

With all his doubts now cleared up, he wanted nothing more than to marry her as soon as possible.

Those precious minutes between father and son strengthened their exclusive bond even more, if possible. Joe had opened his heart and told his father all his emotions and feelings, how solid and mature they were, not a sudden flash in the pan, not a fire that would burn out quickly.

Later, Ben watched his son drift off to sleep and felt happy and blessed for the man Joe had become and for the deep love and trust they shared.

CHAPTER 14

The next morning found them on the road again. Ben had accompanied his reluctant son to the town doctor for a checkup and to stock up on painkillers and medicines that might be useful on the trip. Once they had confirmation that Joe was fit to travel, they set off.

Leaving Carson City behind them, the group rode several miles into the territory.

The air smelled more and more of resin, and the tall Ponderosa pines, which gave the ranch its name, towered toward the clear, deep blue sky.

In the distance, the mountains rose imposingly, and the high peaks of the Sierra still glistened with the white snow that had fallen in winter.

Linda and Josh fell silent when they were told that for some time now, and for many miles, they had been riding within the boundaries of the Ponderosa, entering the vast territory that Ben Cartwright could claim as his own.

They stopped near a stream to water the horses and rest for a while.

Joe, helped by Linda, made coffee for everyone. Suddenly, in the valley below, they heard the sound of hooves running, and a large herd of wild mustangs galloped across the green valley.

Their coats were of various colors, and among them were several spotted Indian ponies. The horses ran with their heads and tails high, their nostrils flared, sniffing the wind. They were the very image of freedom.

Josh and Linda were fascinated by the spectacle. Their type of breeding was necessarily different, and it was the first time they had been able to admire a wild herd running free in such a vast territory.

At the Golden Star, foal births were planned according to demand, and these were horses that, for better or worse, had already grown up in contact with humans, knew them, and were not afraid of them.

For them, taming a horse meant getting the horses to accept both the saddle and the weight of the rider, while the subsequent training served to make them reliable and docile saddle horses for riding and sport. In the case of working horses, this meant understanding the commands given for the task at hand.

The capture of horses that ran free as the wind on the prairies and had no contact with humans was quite different. The figure of the bronco buster, who had to tame and train a wild horse without breaking its spirit, convincing it to cooperate with humans in the various tasks to be performed on a ranch, was not necessary at Golden Star, but essential at Ponderosa.

As they ventured into the heart of the Ponderosa, Josh and Linda admired the beautiful views, the clear, crisp air, the scents of resin and flowers, the backdrop of the mountains, and the brilliant sapphire blue of Lake Tahoe seen from above.

Suddenly, a vast green prairie opened up before them, sloping downwards, and at the bottom, nestled among the pine trees, was the Cartwrights’ large house, the beating heart of the Ponderosa.

Joe looked at Linda, who was thrilled by the view, and urged her to follow him. Cochise galloped off, and Lady Morgan was immediately by his side. The two horses stretched out into a fast gallop, enjoying the ride as much as their respective riders.

Joe shouted, urging Linda to stay by his side, and she didn’t need to be told twice. She shouted back, caught up in the frenzy of the ride, and stayed close to Joe’s side. They ended their ride in a meadow near the house, where they reined in their horses and then led them at a walk into the yard.

Adam threw open the door. He had heard the shouts and seen the last stretch of the two young riders’ mad dash, and now he waited for them with a smile as the rest of the group caught up with them.

He gave Joe a firm handshake with an affectionate pat on the shoulder, but he gathered Linda in his arms and held her close, happy to see her again, happy that she would become Joe’s wife, his sister-in-law, like a sister.

The telegram received from Carson City brought the good news, and Adam was pleased that Joe had made the right decision and that he, first of all, had understood that Linda was the right girl for his brother.

They laughed together, Joe playfully jealous, urging Adam to let go of Linda, who moved into the arms of her beloved, hugging him tightly, her heart bursting with happiness.

Finally, Josh and Linda were introduced to Hop Sing, who emerged from the kitchen in a cloud of delicious and stimulating smells.

The little cook had words of loving welcome for Missy Linda while congratulating his third son on his good choice.

EPILOGUE

That afternoon, around sunset, Joe took Linda by the hand and asked her to follow him somewhere. Ben looked up from the armchair where he was sitting, reading, and looked at Joe.

“Pa, I’m taking Linda to the lake… You know where…”
And Ben smiled at his son, nodding his head in understanding.

The two young people took their horses and headed for the place where Joe wanted to take Linda.

They tied their horses to a tree, walked a short distance uphill, and found themselves in a small green clearing by the lake, surrounded by pine trees.

A wooden bench was placed against a tree, in front of a large tombstone.

Joe took Linda’s hand and kissed it, then led her to his mother’s grave, “Mom, this is Linda, the girl I’m going to marry. I love her, Mom, I love her with all my heart, she’s the one for me! Oh, you would have loved her too, I know it! Soon she’ll be my wife, and we’ll be a family, and we’ll have children that we’ll love immensely. I wanted you to meet her…”

Joe placed his hand on the large gravestone, caressing it gently, touched the wild lily he had picked with his lips, and placed it on the stone.

Linda picked some wildflowers nearby and carefully placed them on the grass under the gravestone, tears of emotion streaming down her face, touched by Joe’s gesture and thinking also of her mother, so beloved and lost years before.

“Don’t worry… I love him so much, I will always love him with all my heart. I promise I won’t hurt him and I will always be there for him…”

She whispered so softly that no one heard her, but she felt a great peace in her heart.

Joe walked back to the wooden bench with Linda, sat her down, and sat down next to her. He put his hand in his jacket pocket and pulled out an exquisitely crafted antique ring with a large, transparent aquamarine that sparkled with a thousand reflections.

He placed it on Linda’s finger, his eyes shining with happiness, “This ring belonged to my mother, and I give it to you as a token of my love. Now we are officially engaged, and soon I will marry you! I love you, Linda, I love you like I have never loved anyone in my life!”

He took her face in his hands and kissed her long and hard to seal his promise.

Linda was overwhelmed by the emotion and love she felt for him and hugged him tightly as she returned his kiss.

“Joe, you are my most precious treasure. I love you, I will love you forever! Your family will be mine. I already love them all, including Hop Sing! Marry me soon, my love, marry me soon!…”

They laughed, moved, hugged each other, kissed again and again, unable to hold back, feeling their souls merge together, their bodies responding to desire.

Suddenly, the sunset set the lake ablaze with gold and red. Standing on the shore, side by side, hand in hand, the two young lovers stood out against the rays of the setting sun.

The golden light sparked metallic glints in Linda’s shiny copper hair and danced in Joe’s green eyes as they both gazed at the glory of that sunset, the first of many they would see together.

The End.

*********

Episodes Referenced: The Storm: Written by Denne Petitclerc.

The Brother Keeper: Written by Seeleg Lester

Many thanks to June Baker for her invaluable assistance.