Hoss tossed the last fifty-pound bag of grain into the bed of the wagon, giving it a satisfied pat.  Wiping the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his shirt, he looked up at the cerulean sky, unblemished by all but the occasional wisp of a cloud.  After a solid week of rain, the weather had finally broken.  Two days of steamy sunshine, and it looked like there might be a third in the making.

Hoss looked up the street.  Joe had had plenty of time to finish the business at the bank, get Pa’s telegram sent, and pick up the mail.  He was probably in the saloon with his friends; he sure hadn’t made it back to help load the supplies.  He considered his next move, glancing from the saloon to the restaurant in contemplation.  Sure would be nice to sneak over to the eatery without listening to his little brother commenting on his love life, or more accurately, his lack of one.  Joe had been teasing him about his frequent stops for coffee for a month now, accusing him of being sweet on Miss Laura.  He couldn’t even deny it.  He’d been sweet on her from the moment they’d met, almost a year ago.  Joe was convinced she returned the sentiment, and nothing was going to change his mind.

Hoss leaned contentedly against the counter, sipping his coffee.  Miss Laura breezed past, delivering a late lunch to the table in the corner.  Hoss watched the men flirt with the young woman, silently commending them on their good taste.  Miss Laura certainly had changed in the time she’d been in town; he liked to think his friendship had something to do with it.  When she’d arrived late last spring, she’d been afraid of her own shadow. He’d seen her standing at the stage station, looking lost.  In true Cartwright fashion, he’d gone to see if she needed help.  When she’d nearly fainted in front of him, he’d bundled her into the wagon and taken her out to the house.  With a few days of Hop Sing’s fussing, she’d rallied her resolve and spilled her story to the Cartwrights.  Her husband had beaten her down, both mentally and physically, before being killed in a gunfight.  She’d taken the meager funds they had in the bank and gotten as far away from her memories and his family as she could, landing in Virginia City with a suitcase and little else.  She had been amazed that the Cartwrights didn’t consider the whole situation her fault; her husband’s family certainly had.  After finding a job, she’d moved into the boarding house.

He smiled as she returned to the counter, wiping the already spotless space near his perch.  She smiled back; as always, he was speechless at the way her smile lit her whole face.  He knew their conversation continued, but couldn’t have recalled exactly what they talked about if his life depended on it. Anyone listening would consider their discussion ordinary, mundane even.  It didn’t really matter what they talked about; he just enjoyed spending time with her, listening to her voice, hearing her thoughts.

As she moved down the counter to take another order, Hoss noticed the poster advertising the barn dance Saturday night.  Joe, never one to miss an opportunity, had been after him to ask her to the dance.  Actually, Joe had been after him to ask her to every event on the calendar in the last month.   Hoss had tried explaining that they were just friends, and she didn’t care for him in that way, but Joe wouldn’t buy it.  He kept telling Hoss to open his eyes and pay attention.  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to think she could care for him.  He was… afraid… to find out, not that he’d be admitting that out loud anytime soon.  He’d not had a lot of luck in the romance department.  Truth was, he was tired of offering up his heart only to have it shattered into pieces.  It got so it was easier just not to try.  Besides, after what Miss Laura had been through, he figured she’d want someone genteel, someone civilized, like those traveling men at the corner table, the ones who’d been flirting with her. Someone wearing a suit and living in town.  She’d told him once her husband had been a big, strong man, easily able to overpower her.  He couldn’t imagine she’d want to put herself in that kind of situation again.

Joe watched Hoss exit the restaurant, hearing Miss Laura’s “Have a nice day” waft after him on the light breeze.  He saw Laura lean against the doorframe, the longing on her face clearly visible as she watched Hoss walk away from her.  Her hand, outstretched in a wave, slowly fell to her side, as if hesitant to acknowledge that he was moving out of reach…again.

“You didn’t ask her, did you?” Joe accused, as Hoss reached the wagon.

“No…and I ain’t gonna.  Drop it.”  Hoss moved to the rear of the wagon, checking the security of the load one last time.

“No, I won’t.  I know you care about her.”  Joe moved to stand in front of Hoss.  “Why won’t you ask her?”

“I’m a friend, Joe.  I’m always a ‘good friend’.”  He sighed.  “She ain’t gonna see me as more.  I’m tired of hearing it.  Especially with her history, she’s not gonna think of me that way.”  He moved around Joe, hoping to end the conversation.

It slowly dawned on Joe exactly what his brother was saying… no, more what he wasn’t saying.  He was scared.  Hoss, who wasn’t afraid of anything or anybody, was scared. Joe silently cursed every woman who’d ever hurt his brother by failing to see what a fine man he was.

He moved to stand near Hoss, placing a hand on his arm to draw his attention.  “Hoss, look at me.  I know I’ve pulled you into some crazy schemes, played some tricks on you in the past.  But you do know I’d never play fast and loose with your feelings, don’t you?”  Joe watched as Hoss nodded, knowing he had his brother’s full attention.  “Laura cares for you Hoss.  I know she does, and you KNOW I can read women.  Maybe you do share some physical qualities with her late husband, but trust me, she sees beyond that.  In every way that matters, you are nothing like him, and Laura knows it.”

“What if you’re wrong, Joe?”  Hoss asked softly.

“I’m not.  But even if I am, think about it.  You don’t want to take the risk because you might get hurt, am I right?  Is it going to hurt any less if she moves on or marries someone else and you have to live with the knowledge that you didn’t even try?”  Green eyes held blue for a long moment before Hoss turned and walked to the front of the wagon.

“Joe, you get these supplies back to the house.  Tell Pa I’ll be home later. I’ve got a few things to take care of here in town.”

Through the door, Hoss watched Miss Laura idly rearrange silverware in the nearly empty restaurant.  She smiled as the last customer rose from the table and prepared to leave.  Hoss entered as Mr. Haskins left, standing by the door without speaking.  Feeling eyes upon her, Laura turned.  Hoss watched as she caught sight of him, seeing her smile, the one that lit up her entire face, bloom like a flower in the spring.  That smile was for him, he realized, and no one else.  The knowledge gave him strength and courage.

“Miss Laura, I got a question to ask you…”

*I took the liberty of changing this one word to better fit the Cartwright time period.  The original word is factory. I also took the liberty of repeating the last chorus a second time.