The hired girl concentrated on her chore as she pulled a wet shirt out of the laundry basket, then hung it on the clothesline at the side of the ranch house. Suddenly she stopped her work and stared out at the road at the three riders approaching. She watched them until they drew closer, then she turned and ran to the house. “Señora! Señora!”
Mrs. Slattery came to the door and stepped out on the porch. “What is it for heaven’s sake, Victoria?”
The maid pulled her off the porch and pointed to the riders. “Look!”
Mrs. Slattery strained her weak eyes until they widened with happy surprise. “Freddy! Freddy!”
Her son, stacking bales of oats in the barn, stopped his work. He looked out the door toward the house. “Whataya want, Ma?”
“Go fetch your pa!”
“What for, Ma? Is something wrong?”
“You go fetch your pa right now or I’ll switch your britches, you hear?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Freddie ran out of the barn toward the corral where his father was supervising a crew breaking in some horses destined for sale to the army.
While Freddy was fetching his father, Loretta Slattery led the way into the ranch yard with Raul and Angel following. “Aunt May!” she called out.
“Oh, Loretta, I’m so happy to see you!” Mrs. Slattery exclaimed. “Just wait’ll your uncle gets here.” Loretta dismounted and greeted her aunt with a heartfelt embrace. Mrs. Slattery was so overcome she could barely form words. “Sweet Lord, child…we thought we’d never…that you had…” She dissolved into happy tears.
“You can thank these two gentlemen who rescued me,” Loretta said. “You already know Raul. The other is Angel Moreno. He doesn’t speak any English, but he was right there with us all the way.”
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Slattery,” Raul said.
“How do, Mr. Mackenzie,” she replied. She took another look at Loretta, then turned back to him. “You did proud.”
“I’m pleased you think so.”
Slattery ran up breathing hard, his face red with the effort of exerting himself. “Loretta darling!” He hugged her hard. “How are you, sweetheart?”
“I’m fine, Uncle Fred.”
Freddy, bashful, hung back. He waved timidly at his cousin, then looked up at Raul. “Howdy, mister. Who’s the Mezkin?”
“His name is Angel,” Raul answered. “If it wasn’t for him, we’d never had made it back.”
Slattery pulled Loretta to him again, then held her at arm’s length. “Well, let’s have a good look at you.”
She stepped back. “See, Uncle Fred? I’m just as fine as can be.”
“You sure are. You go on in the house with your aunt, and get settled in now.” He turned to Raul. “Is that your horse she rode in on?”
“Not really.”
“Freddy, take Loretta’s horse into the barn. Unsaddle it, rub it down and water it. He’s been rode a spell.”
“It has at that,” Raul said.
“Ya’ll c’mon in the house with me.”
“Sure, Mr. Slattery,” Raul replied. He motioned to Angel and the two men swung out of their saddles.
Slattery took them through the house and offered them seats in his office. He poured three tumblers of rye whiskey and gave them each one. Then he took a drink from his own. “Who’s this Mezkin?”
“His name’s Angel Moreno,” Raul told him. He pointed to Slattery. “Es el tio de Loretta — he’s Loretta’s uncle.”
“Mucho gusto, señor,” Angel said politely.
“You didn’t say nothing about a partner,” Slattery said. “We had a written agreement, remember?”
“The entire payment goes to Angel,” Raul explained. “He’s the one responsible for getting Loretta out of there.”
“Out of where?” Slattery asked.
“It’s a long story,” Raul said. “And I’m not in the mood for any extended conversation.”
“Well,” Slattery conceded, “in that case I’ll have to ask Loretta about all the details later.”
“Good idea,” Raul remarked.
“How much did you have to pay for her?” Slattery inquired.
Raul thought of the gunfights, the duel and his near execution among other things. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Slattery laughed. “Why, hell’s bells, Mackenzie, you’re a damn sight slicker’n I gave you credit for. Let’s see how much I owe you then.”
Raul pointed to Angel. “You owe him.”
“Fine with me,” Slattery said. He fished around in his desk drawer and found the contract they had agreed on. “Let’s see here. It says five hunnerd for you — for him now — and any amount under a thousand for the ransom.”
“We’re a thousand under a thousand,” Raul said.
“Well, sir, you’re right about that. It appears I owe this feller a total of one thousand, five-hunnerd dollars, don’t it?”
“That you do,” Raul agreed.
“And I always pay what I owe,” Slattery said, going to his safe. “You might tell him that’s a motto them Mezkins oughta adopt.”
“What did he say, patron?” Angel asked.
“He said you did a good job and he is most happy to pay you.”
“He seems a fine gentleman,” Angel opined with a smile.
“Oh, he is,” Raul dryly agreed.
Slattery counted out the money and handed it to Angel. The young Mexican took it, saying, “Muchas gracias.”
Slattery looked at Raul. “That means ‘thanks’, don’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Hell,” Slattery said. “Why cain’t he just say it in plain English and be done with it?”
“It’s a custom,” Raul explained. Slattery offered a handshake to Raul. “You done a good job Mackenzie.” He hesitated, then held out a hand to Angel.
Angel shook with the man, grinning happily
“Well!” Raul said. “I’d like to say goodbye to Loretta.”
“Surely,” Slattery said. “She’ll be in the living room.”
“I shall wait outside, patron,” Angel said, sensing the meaning of the words he didn’t understand. “Give the señorita my farewells.”
“I will.”
Raul went into the living room, and saw Loretta seated on the sofa with her aunt When May Slattery noticed the two looking at each other, she stood up. “Well, there’s some things that need doing in the kitchen.”
Loretta smiled at him. “Oh, Raul, I don’t know what to say.”
She looked beautiful sitting there and if he had ever wanted her before, it had never been so much as at that moment. But he knew it was useless. He wasn’t destined to settle into one place and forge any permanent arrangements. At least not at that moment, and probably not for many years.
“I just wanted to say goodbye.”
She stood up and walked to him. “You did more than just bring me to freedom, Raul. You saved my soul. And my self respect.”
“How’s that?”
“After the last time they caught us, I spent a lot of time thinking. Perhaps I wasn’t as soiled or disgraced as I thought if a fine young man like you would risk his life for me. And that includes Angel. I knew then that if I returned home I would be able to take up a normal life again.”
“I’m glad you’re at peace with yourself,” Raul said with deep sincerity. “That means a lot to me.”
Loretta smiled. “I never said thank you, did I?”
“You did in a lot of ways besides speaking out.”
The couple looked into each other’s eyes, conscious that each of them were on the verge of a decision. Loretta started to speak, but she could see that Raul had suddenly come to a realization of what was best for them both. She stepped forward and kissed his face, then threw her arms around his neck. She could sense her loss and hated accepting it. “Raul, you’re very special to me.”
“Then it’s all been worth it,” he said, knowing it was time to leave. He gently freed himself and went to the door. There was nothing left to say except the obvious. “Goodbye, Loretta.”
“Can’t you stay? Even for a little while, Raul?”
He put on his sombrero. “No. I can’t stay, Loretta. Angel is waiting for me.”
Loretta showed her understanding with a nod of farewell. “Goodbye to you, Raul Mackenzie-Mendoza.”
~*~
The fork in the road offered two choices; north or south. Raul and Angel sat on their horses in the middle.
“I think we should split the money, patron.”
“No,” Raul insisted. “You keep it, Angel.”
“You are very generous,” Angel said. “Just like your brothers when they took that poor girl home with them.”
“They were also grateful,” Raul said. “She was the one who took me down from the gallows. Roberto said she could work in the ranch store. Her father had a tienda, and she knows how to keep books.”
“She feels she cannot go home, eh, patron?”
“Sadly, yes,” Raul said. “But she will be happy at Rancho San Andres. No doubt she will find a husband there.” He shifted in his saddle. “So you are going south, eh?”
“Si, patron. I must. I am sorry, but…” He patted his pistol. “…I have learned things that will prove helpful to my people if they are to fight for their freedom.”
“You have taken on quite a challenge.”
“Yes,” Angel agreed. “We will not be so many at first. But I shall go from village to village, gathering young men to the cause. I think we might become an army, patron.”
“They are fortunate you are going to be their leader. I think bandidos and wealthy oppressors will learn to fear your name.”
“Perhaps. Adios, Don Raul.”
“Adios, Don Angel. Vaya con Dios.”
“And you also,” Angel said. “Go with God.”
Raul watched as his friend took the south road back to Mexico. He stayed there for several long moments lost in deep thought, then looked toward the north. Finally he took up the reins. “Let’s go see what we can find up there, Borrasca.”
The horse snorted and turned as his rider settled in for a long ride.
The End of
A Piccadilly Publishing Western
By Patrick E. Andrews