The Ranger Takes a Bride (5 page)

A middle-aged woman holding a child's hand passed them on the sidewalk and flashed them both a wide smile. The people here were so kind, even if some of them did look a little strange. Maybe they'd come to a good place after all. A place where she and Mama Sarita could start a new life.

Something flashed across the street. Just the glimmer of sunshine on metal, but it grabbed Alejandra's attention. A wagon passed, obstructing her vision for a few seconds. When it moved on, her heart froze. The sun had glinted on metal pinned to the shirt of a man. Tall and burly, with dark hair covering his face. And a gun hanging from his side.
El
Soldado
.

Even in this town that seemed so friendly, they hadn't escaped the presence of soldiers. Alejandra gripped the package in her hands tighter and lengthened her stride. Soldiers had killed Mama, Papa, Luis, and Papa Ricardo. There was no way she'd let them separate her from Mama Sarita.

No way.

~ ~ ~

Alejandra
slid the brush through the long coffee-colored strands of Mama Sarita's coarse hair, as they prepared to start the day. With all the tangles gone, she wove her fingers through, melding the hairs into a secure plat at the nape of her neck.

How should she make her request this morning?
Mama Sarita, I feel I'm a burden to
your sister and her husband. Won't you please let me inquire about a job at the hotel?
  That hadn't worked the first time, nor any of the other days this past week since she'd first seen the sign at The International Hotel. But maybe today Mama Sarita would consent.

She gathered her nerve and tried to keep her voice casual as she asked, "Mama Sarita, do you mind if I leave you for a short time this morning to inquire about work at the hotel?"

Mama flicked her hand in a careless wave. "There will be time for that later. Today we go to see my sister's niece. Anna lives on a ranch outside of town and is great with child. She's about your age, I think. Or maybe a little older." Mama Sarita turned to pat Alejandra's cheek. "You will like her, mija. It's good for you to meet new friends."

Alejandra inhaled a breath to calm her clenched muscles. Friends she could do without. Work she needed. "How long will we be gone? Perhaps I can go to The International when we return?"

Mama Sarita's shoulders raised in a slight shrug. "I can't say. My sister said it's two hours to the ranch. Let's just go and enjoy the day with our new friends. Sí? We'll worry about the other when the Lord directs." And with that, Mama rose and tied an apron around her slender waist, signaling an end to the discussion.

Alejandra turned to the window as she fought back tears. Why was Mama Sarita being so difficult about this? Didn't she understand they needed to build their own life in this new land? Did she really want to rely on the hospitality of others for the rest of her life? Alejandra couldn't live that way.

The door clicked closed behind her, and Alejandra released a shaky sigh, then stood to don her own apron. She'd already started coffee on the stove before coming back to help Mama Sarita dress. She usually loved the special time each morning with Mama Sarita, but not today. Somehow she had to find a way to convince the older woman….

Chapter Six

Would
she ever understand enough of the American language to follow a conversation? Words flowed around the breakfast table that morning, and from what Alejandra was able to pick up, it seemed the topic focused on their upcoming visit to the ranch. Mama Sarita would sometimes turn to Alejandra to interpret an important comment, so she could keep up. But for the most part, she found herself studying the faces of each person when they spoke. Each time Tía Laura mentioned Anna's name, a warmth settled over her face and voice, and her smile shown in her eyes.

When the meal ended, Alejandra began scrubbing dishes. Around her, clean-up and preparations for the outing took place in a whirl of bustling skirts and rapid-fire strings of American words.

Not thirty minutes after she stood from the breakfast table, Alejandra found herself seated on the outside edge of a wagon bench, with Mama Sarita in the middle, and Tía Laura perched on the other end, holding the heavy leather reins. She drove the team like a woman on a mission, clicking her tongue and snapping the reins if the horses slowed.

The sun had just risen high enough to break through the winter gray, when they turned off the road at a lone fencepost onto a smaller dirt track. A house nestled in the distance, with a barn and a few other buildings nearby. Lines of wood fence spread out from the structures like ant trails in the sand. They crisscrossed each other in funny shapes, with some sort of animals inside—probably horses.

A man met them when they pulled into the ranch yard. Underneath a wide-brimmed sombrero, his black hair was tied with a strap, revealing deep lines in his leathery face. Such a face could only have come from a lifetime of hard work in the Southern sun. The lines creased deeper when he smiled in greeting. "Laura. Is good to have you visit."

His accent made the American words easier to understand, and the familiar angle of his features started a bubble of excitement in Alejandra. This man hailed from Mexico. The first countryman she'd met since arriving in Seguin.

He bowed slightly to Mama Sarita and Alejandra, a twinkle lighting his dark eyes. "Señora. Señorita. Señora O'Brien será tan feliz de tener que visite."

Alejandra could have jumped down and hugged the man. Finally, someone besides Mama Sarita who could speak words she understood. She'd never take such a blessing lightly again.

She responded in Spanish, with a pleasant nod. "Thank you, Señor. We are looking forward to our visit with Señora O'Brien."

As soon as he helped them down from the wagon, the man led the horses away, and Tía Laura herded them all toward the front door. The home was larger than it looked from the road, with two levels and a wide porch spanning the front.

Tía Laura pushed the door open without knocking. "Anna? Emmaline?" She stepped inside a long hall, untying her cloak as she gazed around.

A clatter of footsteps echoed from one of the rooms, and a tiny whirlwind of brown hair and blue fabric burst from a side doorway, flying into Tía Laura's arms.

"My Emmy-girl!" Tía Laura squeezed the child tight, then held her at arm's length. "Emmaline, I'd like you to meet my sister, Mrs. Sara, and Miss Alejandra."

The child turned to them, her chin dipping toward her chest, creating the cutest folds in her neck. Alejandra had to pinch her skirt so she didn't reach forward and tweak the adorable little button nose. The child couldn't be more than four or five. As cute as she was, though, it was the girl's eyes that were truly spectacular. A clear crystal blue, the color of the sky on a spring day. "Hello." Her voice dropped to a mouse-like level.

Alejandra squatted to meet the girl's gaze. "Hello, Emmaline." If only she knew more American words to speak to the child.

But she was saved the effort by a female voice calling from one of the side rooms. "Emmaline?"

The child came alive, babbling non-stop as she took Tía Laura's hand and led her in the direction of the voice. Alejandra glanced at Mama Sarita, who shrugged and followed her sister.

They entered a large room with several comfortable chairs positioned in a half-circle around a massive stone fireplace. A woman struggled to rise from a double-wide chair, her round belly protruding so she could only stand by pushing herself away from the chair seat.

Tía Laura scurried to the woman, who must certainly be Anna, and enveloped her in a hug. When she pulled back, Tía Laura bent down to Anna's swollen abdomen, speaking softly. It was such a tender moment, Alejandra had to swallow a lump in her throat.

Anna looked past her aunt and smiled at Mama Sarita and Alejandra, then said something. Tía Laura jumped in, and rattled off a string of American words. Alejandra smiled politely anytime someone spoke her name or pointed to her. The dialogue moved too fast, though, for her to keep up with the conversation. Would she ever be more than an outsider?

Mama Sarita, in her everlasting kindness, must have sensed Alejandra's frustration. She turned to speak in Spanish. "Anna says the child inside her has moved a lot lately. She is sure it must be a boy."

"Sí," said Anna, her eyes brightening as Spanish rolled off her tongue. "Él es grande y activa, al igual que su papá."

Alejandra stared at the woman, then closed her open jaw. Anna spoke almost perfect Spanish. But how? She looked so…American.

"How is it you speak Spanish?" Alejandra finally asked in her native tongue.

Anna smiled, laughter lighting her brown eyes. "Most of our ranch hands are from Mexico. Juan and the others have taught me much over the last ten years."

A smile parted Alejandra's lips, too, and she didn't try to hold it back. Two people now who could speak her own language. It was a good thing she came to visit this ranch after all.

Anna reached for Alejandra's hand and led her to the couch. She had to let go so she could use both hands to lower herself. But when Anna was settled, she patted the seat next to her. "Come and tell me about yourself, Alejandra Diaz. In which part of Mexico did you live?"

Time moved without notice, as Anna peppered Alejandra and Mama Sarita with questions. None of it seemed like prying, though. How could it when such innocent interest widened her eyes?

It wasn't long before Emmaline started to squirm in the chair beside her mother. Tía Laura rose and spoke something to Anna in American, then extended a hand to the little girl, and they left the room.

Anna turned back to Alejandra with an apologetic tilt to her mouth. "My aunt says she's going to have to learn Spanish to join our conversations."

Oh my. The last thing Alejandra wanted to do was displease Tía Laura. She started to ask Anna to call her back, but the woman placed a hand on Alejandra's arm. "She was teasing. Emmaline misses her aunt, so they've gone to prepare lunch together."

Mama Sarita scooted to the edge of her seat. "I should go try to help, too. Or is there something else I can do, Anna? Housework or laundry?"

Anna shook her head, but a double line pinched her brow. "Our neighbors' daughter has been coming to help after school. We get enough done to keep things around here working. My husband, Jacob, keeps telling me I need to hire a full-time helper to handle either the house or cooking for the vaqueros. I just can't bring myself to do it, though." A soft smile touched her lips. "Cooking for the men is why I came to the ranch all those years ago. It's special to me."

Mama Sarita rose, releasing a tiny groan as her limbs unfolded. "I'll go see what I can do to help my sister then."

Alejandra started to join her, but Anna pressed a hand to her arm. "Stay and visit with me. Please? I haven't had company in so long, and I can't get out like I used to."

Anna's face looked so hopeful, it forced down the guilt of sitting while the older women worked.

Alejandra nodded. "Sí. I am happy to talk to you."

They chatted for a while longer until a tantalizing aroma captured Alejandra's senses. She stopped in the middle of her question to Anna about how much land the ranch covered. "Do you smell that? I think Mama Sarita's made her famous chicken tortilla soup."

Before Anna could respond, the front door opened and boot thumps echoed in the hallway.

"Who is it?" Anna called in American, as she watched the open doorway.

A man strode through it, tall and lean and dressed like a vaquero, with a leather vest over his long work shirt. He said something in American as he strode toward Anna. A smile lit his crystal blue eyes as he gazed at her. No doubt about it, this had to be Emmaline's father. Anna's husband. Her suspicion was confirmed when he leaned over Anna and lowered his mouth to hers.

Alejandra turned away to give the couple privacy. And to fight the moisture building in her eyes. Would she and Luis have been like this, if he'd lived longer? He'd never looked at her the way Señor O'Brien looked at Anna. But Luis
had
seemed to enjoy being with her. Now she would never know.

Anna's voice broke through Alejandra's thoughts. In Spanish, the other woman said, "Jacob, I'd like you to meet Alejandra Diaz. She just moved here from Mexico with Aunt Laura's sister, Mama Sarita."

Señor O'Brien smiled from his place beside Anna's seat, as he answered in Spanish. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Señorita Diaz. Any friend or family of Walter and Laura is always welcome here."

Alejandra allowed a smile to bloom over her face. So many people that spoke her language here. "Thank you, Señor."

~ ~ ~

Señor
O'Brien joined them for the midday meal. But he left again soon after, and Mama Sarita urged her sister to leave the kitchen and spend time with Anna and little Emmaline. While they cleaned the dishes in the kitchen, Alejandra eyed the room. Dust and leaves had gathered on the floor in the corners, and rings of dried liquid marred the smooth surface of the table against the wall.

"Mama Sarita, do you think Anna would mind if I swept and wiped the tables? Should I ask her?"

A smile lit Mama's face. "I was just thinking the same. Poor girl is so big with child, the cleaning is hard. We'll do all we can, and let it be a surprise."

They set to the tasks, but it was amazing how cleaning such a grand house didn't feel like work. Alejandra had swept all the downstairs rooms, dusted the furniture and drapes, and emptied ashes from the stoves, by the time Mama Sarita began preparations for the evening meal.

"Can I help you, Mama?" Alejandra asked as she tucked the whisk broom into a corner of the storage room off the kitchen.

"Sí, mija. We'll have beef tamales tonight, with
frijoles refritos
. And maybe we can find some dried pears or apples for sweet tamales after the meal. Will you shred the meat while I cook the peppers?"

They worked for over an hour, preparing the food in tandem. They made such a great team, she and Mama Sarita. Warm, spicy aromas filled the house, bringing Tía Laura, Anna, and Emmaline in to peek at the food.

"Those tamales look amazing," Anna said in Spanish. "I've never been able to make mine stay wrapped in such neat bundles. The men are going to beg you to come cook for them every day."

Mama Sarita dismissed her comment with a wave. "Not at all. But we've made plenty so they can take some for the noon meal tomorrow." She stepped back from the work counter to examine the food laid out there. "I think we are almost ready. Just the table to prepare. How many places should we set?"

Anna's brows scrunched. "Let's see, there are sixteen men including Jacob and my brother. Plus the five of us ladies." A merry grin spread over her face. "It's a good thing our table is so large."

The lines deepened on Mama Sarita's forehead. "Alejandra and I can eat here in the kitchen." She motioned to the round table by the wall. "We don't want to crowd your family."

"Absolutely not. You're honored guests in our home. If I thought there wasn't room I would let Emmaline eat early. But that's not the case."

"What's not the case?" A deep voice resonated from the dining room, and moments later Señor O'Brien appeared in the kitchen doorway.

"I was telling Mama Sarita and Alejandra we wouldn't dream of letting them eat alone in the kitchen. There's plenty of room at the big table for us all."

Señor O'Brien's brows lowered and his blue eyes darkened. "Of course there's room. You'll eat in the dining room with all of us." Then his face softened. "You're family, after all."

As he left the room, Alejandra set back to work organizing the apple tamales on a clean tray, so they would be ready after the meal. Without warning, a rumbling sounded, along with the bang of wood on wood from the front of the house. The floor beneath her vibrated, and it took her a few moments to realize the rumble was the thud of many boots in the hallway. Tiny clinking noises sounded from the shelf where the serving dishes were stacked, as they, too, started to vibrate. Was this the vaqueros coming in for the evening meal? How did the house stand up to so many men filing through every day?

Anna stuck her head in the door. "Alejandra, we're ready to sit down for the blessing."

"Sí. Coming now." She settled the last two tamales on the tray, wiped her hands on her apron, and scurried toward the door.