A House United Book 1: The Hardest Goodbye

Chapter Seven

The following days passed in much the same way. Once Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe had finished their chores, often assisted by Josie, the foursome would ride off around the ranch. Josie was still a little unsteady on horseback but making progress. On July 2, the family celebrated Little Joe's eighth birthday with a big chocolate cake after supper, and Adam presented him with the .22 rifle he'd bought in San Francisco. The little boy wanted to go outside and start shooting it right away, but Adam told him it was getting too dark and he had to wait until the next morning. Little Joe stuck his lower lip out in a classic pout, but Hop Sing cheered him up with a second piece of cake.

The next morning, Little Joe bolted his breakfast and dragged Adam outside before he'd even finished his coffee. Josie decided to tag along. She had no experience with guns and was curious to see what all the fuss was about. As the trio marched across the yard to get some distance from the house, Hoss glanced out the window and exploded in laughter.

"What's so funny?" Hannah asked.

"Adam!" Hoss exclaimed, laughing so hard he clutched his sides. "He looks like a big ol' mama duck!"

The three adults rose from the table and joined Hoss at the window where they saw that Adam did indeed look just like a mother duck. He led the way across the yard with Josie and Little Joe skipping along in single file behind him, all three of them clad in dark trousers, red shirts, and black boots and hats.

Jacob smiled and shook his head. "Would that we were all so popular." 

A few minutes later, the report of a small rifle let them know the lesson had begun. It wasn't long, however, before the shots ceased and the group indoors heard heavy footfalls racing toward the house. Alarmed, Ben, Hannah, and Jacob rushed out the front door, nearly colliding with Adam who was on his way in, eyes wild and sweaty hair plastered to his forehead. He clutched Little Joe's new .22 in his right hand.

Fearing the worst, Ben grabbed Adam's shoulders and demanded to know what had happened.

"Pa!" Adam shouted in his father's face. "Pa, you've gotta see this! She's a crack shot!" With that, he spun on his heel and sprinted back to where he'd left Little Joe and Josie.

When the adults finally caught up, they found Josie beaming triumphantly next to a downcast Little Joe.

"Show them, Josie!" Adam said, handing her the gun.

Josie pulled the rifle to her shoulder, took careful aim at the first of five cans sitting on a fence rail about twenty yards away, and fired off five quick shots, each one blasting a can from its perch. Three sets of eyes went wide.

"God save any man who breaks her heart," Ben said.

"I can shoot good, too," Little Joe asserted. "I was just lettin' her use my gun to be polite."

"And that was very nice of you," Aunt Hannah said, patting Joe's head.

Josie cottoned on to Little Joe's feelings. "Especially after I fell off my horse yesterday," she offered.

Joseph was only slightly mollified and spent the rest of the day pouting. Josie wisely gave him a wide berth and helped Hoss clean out the barn that afternoon while Adam and Ben rolled out Adam's blueprints for the new house and began planning how much labor and lumber they would need to have the house completed by winter.

The next day, the six Cartwrights and Hop Sing left bright and early to travel into Carson City for the Independence Day festivities. Hannah had coaxed Josie into a dress for the occasion, and even the typically disheveled Hoss had slicked down his hair. Little Joe was still pouting, but he recovered quickly when he found himself in need of a partner for the three-legged race. When he and Josie took first place, all was forgiven, and the two youngest Cartwrights were a team once more.