Joe's New Pony
This was written in response to a fiction challenge from another list ($3 to the NY Red Cross appeal for every story posted before Friday) but came from an idea in one of CJ's stories so many thanks to her for letting me run with it and to Joey for her usual fantastic beta skills
Warning: Involves the corporal punishment of a minor
With everyone away or out working for the afternoon, Joe thought he was safe to visit the, so-called, unbreakable horse in the corral beside the barn. Adam and everyone else had said that the horse was mad and dangerous but Joe was convinced they were wrong. Joe, of course, had been forbidden to go anywhere near her but, being Joe, he had ignored the restriction. Had his family but realised it, it was actually the restriction that drew his attention to the horse in the first place. Until then he'd not taken much notice of her.
Being careful to do so only when no one else was around Joe had gradually got to know the horse. She had initially distrusted him as she did everyone else but, as he made no attempt to mount her, but just sat on the fence and talked to her, bringing interesting treats with him from time to time, she gradually settled down. For his part, Joe was fascinated by her. It seemed amazing that such a relatively small pony could be causing his high and mighty brothers so much trouble. He felt that he and the pony had a lot in common.
"We, neither of us, like being pushed around, do we?"
As the feeling of fellowship between the boy and the black and white pony grew, Joe began to spend more and more time with her. He was taking greater and greater chances as his need to see the pony he was starting to consider 'his' overcame his common sense and his instincts for self-preservation.
That afternoon, Adam had said he was going up at the lumber yard and his father and Hoss were away in San Francisco so Joe, who was actually supposed to be clearing out the barn, took the chance to finally slip through the fence and approach the horse directly. She was a little restless at first at finding him suddenly on her side of the barrier but was not unduly frightened and quickly quietened down. All was going well and Joe was enjoying a quite moment of triumph and closeness with the horse he was starting to consider his own when she suddenly shied and took off, knocking him off his feet.
As he stumbled backwards he had a moment to wonder what on earth had startled her before the answer was presented to him. All 6 foot of it, dressed in black with a face like thunder and a vice like grip on the scruff of his neck as it dragged him back through the corral fence.
"What in heavens name do you think you are doing?" His nemesis demanded. "You could have been killed! Why can't you just do as you are told for once in your life"
Had Joe had his wits about him he would probably have tried to talk his way out of the situation. He might even have succeeded, given how well he was getting on with the pony but be was still somewhat thrown by the abrupt end of his peaceful idyll and the roughhousing he had received in being dragged out of the corral and his mouth opened before his brain could take command.
"Why can't you mind your own business?"
He brain was still wondering who had made such a stupid comment when a brief look at his brother's face provided the answer. And a brief look was all he was permitted, before he found himself upended over Adam's thigh.
When he had seen his 11-year-old brother in the corral with the most dangerous horse on the ranch Adam had been more terrified than he could ever imagine. Then, when the horse had shied away and he'd seen the boy fall, he'd thought he could forgive Joe everything if he could just find him unhurt. Once he'd got the boy to safety however and had seen the smart aleck attitude kick in, he found he'd been mistaken. Grabbing the boy, he'd propped a leg up on the bottom rung of the corral, slung Joe over his thigh and proceeded to work out his fear and fury at the boy's disobedience on the seat of his pants. Completely forgetting the reason for his unusually early return home.
That reason duly arrived, just as Adam was winding down, and was treated to an excellent view of Joe, backside foremost, receiving a dose of much needed correction from his eldest brother.
Their reaction was instantaneous and laughter erupted over the yard, surprising Adam into releasing Joe who fell back onto his already sore backside causing more merriment.
His brother momentarily forgotten, Adam strode over and swung the young lady down from the buggy and hugged her before turning to her companion.
"How wonderful to see you both. But I was just coming into town to meet you. How come you're here already?"
"Well you obviously got a little distracted." He replied, grinning over a Joe "We weren't sure that our letter would get here before we did so we borrowed the carriage and just came on out."
"Aren't you please to see us?" The woman interrupted impatiently.
"Of course I'm pleased to see you and it nearly didn't. The sheriff was over at the logging point and mentioned you were in town and asking for me. When I got back here I found it in the post my rapscallion little brother collected from town this morning and, talking of which, Joe come over here and say hello."
As he had fallen from Adam's leg Joe had realised that these strangers, whoever they were, had seen everything that had happened and was deeply embarrassed. He'd climbed to his feet and was just considering how best to slide away without being seen when Adam turned and called him over. Reluctantly he obeyed.
"Joe this is my best friend from college, Jack Bennett and his wife Melinda. Jack's come to start work in the newspaper office in Virginia City and he's going to stay with us for a bit till their settled. Jack, Melinda, this grubby urchin is my baby brother, Little Joe."
"Well hello Little Joe" smiled Melinda whilst her husband said " I see you're still keeping big brother on his toes. What's he got worked up about this time?"
The embarrassment at being seen and then laughed at by two complete strangers for getting spanked like a baby together with Adam's apparent insensitivity in joining the throng of people making fun of him proved too much for Joe. Picking up a handful of horse manure recently left by Adam's horse, he threw it at Jack and Melinda screaming " Leave me alone!" He then stamped hard on Adam's foot when he tried to grab him and finished "I hate you all" before running for the house and the relative safety of his room.
"Why you little...."Adam started after him but then remembered his guests and turned back to them. " Jack, Melinda, I am so sorry. I can't imagine what's come over him but I promise you he will be punished and he will apologise for his behaviour just as soon as I get my hands on him."
Melinda at least seemed more amused than anything else. Borrowing Adam's bandanna to brush off her dress she said.
" I'm not saying I like having horse muck thrown at me but he did have reason to be upset. He must have been terribly embarrassed. Poor little boy. We really shouldn't have laughed at him." Then, seeing Adam limping, asked "How's your foot"
"Sound enough to carry me upstairs to deal with that little brat." Though he was responding to Melinda's question his answer was directed to an upstairs window in the ranch house, setting Melinda of giggling again. "Poor little boy indeed!"
Jack's feelings however more closely matched his friend's than his wife's and, having taken his turn with Adam's bandanna, he handed it back saying
"Under the circumstances I think we'd better head back to the hotel in town. You obviously have unfinished business here and we need to get cleaned up."
"Look I'm really sorry about this. I can't apologise enough for my brother's behaviour. But please don't let it put you off. It's getting late. At least stay for tonight"
" We'd be delighted." Said Melinda firmly " I'm looking forward to meeting your brother properly when he's feeling a little better." A quick glare at her husband forced him into agreeing too.
"Delighted." Agreed Jack, sounding anything but. However Adam's assurance that it would be a long time before Little Joe was feeling in any way better brightened him up tremendously and then, having handed them over to Hop Sing, Adam headed upstairs to deal with his brother for the second time that day.
Another trip over Adam's knee, this time with his brother wielding a belt, left Joe feeling bitter and angry and very, very sore. He'd desperately wanted a chance to talk to Adam, to explain how he'd felt and to apologise, but the man had been too angry to listen. A short, sharp and very loud lecture had been followed by a severe tanning. Adam had then stormed off leaving his little brother sobbing into his pillow.
He was back again, however, as soon as he'd cleaned up and changed for dinner. Joe looked up hopefully, anticipating a reconciliation but he was to be disappointed. He was instructed to come downstairs immediately to make his apologies. He was then to return to his room. He wasn't then to be seen or heard again that night. Was that understood? The cold hard tones coming from the brother standing in the doorway not even bothering to look at him were almost more that Joe could bear.
His whispered "Yes Sir" was barely audible.
Joe slowly followed the angry man downstairs and, with his eyes fixed firmly on his boots, stumbled through the semblance of an apology. He was then curtly dismissed to bed.
Creeping slowly up the stairs Joe was still within earshot when Melinda remonstrated with Adam over his treatment of the child.
"Adam don't you think you're being a little hard on him?" She said. "He's obviously very sorry and he's been punished. Couldn't you forgive him now? He seems so unhappy."
"He deserves to be. Disobedient little brat. He's been a pain in the neck since the day he was born and I sometimes wish he never had been!"
Unable to bear any more, Joe dived for his bedroom and slammed the door. The noise reverberated around the house, stunning the three people downstairs to silence as they realised that Joe had heard his brother's comment.
"Adam how could you?" exclaimed Melinda "You've no right to say something like that. You go and apologise to that little boy right now!" Seeing similar condemnation in Jack's eyes, though he typically said nothing, and feeling somewhat shamefaced himself at what he'd said, Adam slowly climbed the stairs trying to work out what he could possibly say to his brother to explain that comment.
He needn't have worried. No answer came when he knocked on Joe's door and, when he opened it and looked inside, expecting to see his brother sobbing on the bed, he found instead the window open and the room empty. He dropped onto the bed holding his head in his hands. What had he done? How would Joe ever forgive him?
Then the practical side of his nature took hold. First he had to find Joe, then he could set about re-building their relationship. And dusk was setting in. It was no time for a little boy with his mind on other things to be roaming around alone.
AS he thought through where best to start searching, Adam automatically reached out to close the window. Staring into the distance, an unfamiliar movement in the corral caught his eye. He could see the black and white pony that had started the whole thing off but there seemed to be something else there too. It looked like someone standing with their arms around the pony's neck. Surely not. That pony wouldn't let anyone near it let alone...but, obviously it had. It seemed that even a stubborn little black and white pony wasn't immune to his little brother's charm. "Disobedient little brat." But this time a wry smile went with the comment.
Adam walked slowly out into the corral, not wanting to frighten either the horse or the boy. After watching them for a short time he called softly
"Joe"
The reaction was almost a re-run of their earlier meeting. Joe jumped, the horse reared and Adam grabbed his brother just in time to save him from being crushed under the horse's hooves.
Joe fought like a tiger, punching and kicking, terrified of what he thought was going to happen. Adam did his best to hold onto the violently struggling child while all the time attempting to minimise the damage being done to his own shins and chest and chanting a mantra of "Its ok Joe, everything is going to be ok. Just calm down Joe. Its ok."
At one point he thought he was going to lose the boy but, eventually, his superior strength won out and Joe collapsed against him exhausted.
Pulling his brother with him, Adam sank down into the dust and leant back against a fence post. He carefully drew the child into his lap and leant back, holding the curly head against his chest, giving them both a chance to calm down a little before they tried to talk.
Typically, Joe was the first to recover.
"Why do you hate me?" he asked tentatively, his head tucked firmly into Adam's chest so he didn't have to look up into his face.
"Joe I am so sorry for what I said. I honestly didn't mean it." Adam gently lifted Joe's chin so he could see into his eyes. "You're my baby brother. I couldn't hate you."
"Why did you say it then?" Joe's eyes were curious but almost detached. As if the answer didn't really concern him.
"Because I was angry." Unusually for his smooth talking eldest brother, Adam was finding it hard to find the right words to explain his actions to the little boy in his lap. "I've seen what that horse can do and you were right beside it. I thought you were going to be killed. Then, when you threw that muck at Jack and Melinda I was furious again but for a different reason. I'd told them so much about you, how proud of you I was and I wanted them to see what a great little boy you were but it didn't exactly come over like that did it? " He paused to see how Joe was taking it before continuing "And then, once I'd punished you I couldn't put it down. It all kept bubbling back up again and again until it all came out in that horrible comment."
"You really don't hate me?" The uncertainty was almost more than Adam could bear.
"I really don't hate you." He promised.
"And you forgive me for chucking that horse muck at your friends?"
"If you'll forgive me for what I said?"
Joe grinned. "Deal" They shock on it.
Then, looking tentatively up at his brother again, Joe asked "What about the horse?"
"What about it?" Adam asked cautiously, knowing the signs of a trap when he saw them.
"She really does like me you know."
"Does she indeed." Adam could see where this was going and couldn't for the life of him see how he was going to get out of it.
"And I really do need a bigger pony."
"Joe I can't give you a pony, particularly that pony, without Pa's agreement. You know that." Adam knew he'd give his brother anything he asked for just at the moment but fought a valiant rearguard action anyway.
"No, but you could help me work with her a bit. You know, so that when Pa gets back he'd see what she's really like. Couldn't you?" Scenting weakness in his usually implacable brother, Joe put everything he had behind the green eyes looking so pleadingly up at his brother.
"Tomorrow we'll come and see her together and you can show me how far you've got. Then we'll see. Ok?" They both knew he'd do it but he needed that slight sop to his dignity. Having got his own way Joe was willing to concede the pretence. He rolled off Adam's lap onto his knees and offered his hand again to shake on the deal.
As they walked back to the house Adam felt Joe's had slip into his and, looking down, saw his brother's usual bright grin shining up at him out of the grubbiest face he's seen in a long time. Even so, he couldn't help grinning back. Joe might be a pain in the neck sometimes but he couldn't really imagine life without his little bundle of trouble.
End