Paloma and the Horse Traders (9 page)

Maybe he had overplayed his hand, maybe not.
Two
reales
would have bought the best horse in the traders’
remuda
. He had no money for those matched bays
now.

Great Owl gave him such a stare, as if
memorizing his face and storing up his vision of this bold New
Mexican for use in the future.
So be it
, Marco told himself.
Our lives are all in the hands of God
.

He held his breath until the Comanche shifted
in his saddle and lip-pointed toward the child, who hadn’t raised
his eyes from the space between the horse’s ears, so cowed was
he.

The captor looped the rope around the child’s
arm and playfully lowered him to the ground as the little boy
struggled to loosen the noose around his neck. Marco ran forward
and grabbed him. He lifted off the rope and the boy clung to him,
his arms so tight around Marco’s neck that Marco thought of
Soledad’s farewell hug and nearly began to cry himself. He held the
reeking, filthy little slave, murmuring to him as he would murmur
to Claudio.

Marco stood there until another priest came
forward and took the child from his arms. “We’ll tend to him,” the
priest whispered. “May God and all the saints bless you forever for
what you have done, Señor Mondragón.”

“
He blesses me every day, Father,”
Marco said. He gave the frightened child a gentle pat. “You will be
well cared for,
muchacho
.”

With a sigh of his own, Marco returned to the
circle, faintly embarrassed at the deferential looks cast in his
direction by men and women alike. The lawyer was on his feet now,
brushing off his good suit and cloak and trying not to look at
anyone.

“
Tell Governor de Anza exactly what
happened, leaving out nothing,” Marco ordered him. “You can be
certain that other reports are probably already winging their way
toward him, so it will not profit you to lie.”

The lawyer was a broken man. He nodded and left
the circle, his head down, the better to avoid the scornful looks
aimed at him.

Marco felt a soft hand on his arm. He turned
around to see the young girl he had saved prostrate herself in the
dirt at his feet, her face in the dust. Gently he lifted her to her
feet then took her by the shoulders.

“
I am sorry for those things I had
to say,” he began, “but—”

She shook her head. “You saved my life,
Excellency,” she said. “I will do whatever you wish, because my
body belongs to you.”

It was Marco’s turn to blush. He shook his
head. “Oh, no! Your body is yours, although it is true that I own
you.” He smiled, thinking of Paloma. “Actually, you belong to my
wife, who is kind and gentle and needs a servant for our children,
since she is with child again. Will you help us?”

Tears welled in brown eyes much like his own.
She leaned forward and kissed his hands. He took her by the hand
and led her to Toshua. Her hand trembled and she tried to shield
herself behind Marco. He coaxed her out.

“
This is Toshua, my great good
friend. The only fear you should have now is if my Claudio and
Soledad pester you to play with them, or make you hunt for tadpoles
in the spring. Will that suit you?”

“
Beyond all measure, Excellency,”
she whispered.

“
Just señor,” he told her. “In that
I am firm. What … what is your name?”

“
Graciela Tafoya,” she said, rubbing
the red mark around her neck.

“
Where are you from?”

“
The cloud land of the Utes.
It … it is a long story, Exe … señor.”

“
It can wait then.” Marco looked
behind him, surprised to see that the Comanches had slipped away as
quietly as they had come. He thought again how Great Owl had
studied the very bones of his face, then put away the disquiet such
an act caused him. Why borrow trouble? Wasn’t there enough already
in New Mexico?

“
Toshua, you see a penniless man
now,” he told his friend. “
Pabi
, Do you think I am charming
enough to talk three dirty traders out of a horse or
two?”

“
You can try, Little Brother,”
Toshua said. He sheathed the knife he still held.

“
What would you have done, if Great
Owl had made a move toward me?”

“
He would be a dead man.”

Marco looked at his empty pouch, opening it
wider. “I think a moth just flew out,” he joked, which made
Graciela smile. He looked toward the horse traders, curious to know
if they truly had been followed by that unwholesome band, and
wondering if he should attempt a purchase with more money no closer
than three days away at the Double Cross. They didn’t look like men
filled with much milk of human kindness, but all they could do was
deny him.

He still stood there, watching the crowd that
had followed the horse traders start to melt away, apparently no
longer interested in livestock. Comanches could do that to a
person. He looked toward the distant plaza, startled to see some of
the vendors hurriedly packing their goods, the better to leave Taos
and the Comanches behind.

A few prospective buyers, hardy types, still
lingered by the horses. Marco didn’t notice any of them eyeing the
matched bays, so he took heart. “Come along,” he called over his
shoulder to his friend and his slave. “They’ll either laugh me away
or we’ll make a deal.”

In
which a reeking trader is kinder than a stupid lawyer

M
arco stopped suddenly, which
made Graciela gasp and draw back.
I must remember not to startle
this one
, he thought.
Do we even want to know what she has
been through?

“
I will do this fast, which will
probably make me a fool fit for plucking, especially with these
hard cases,” he said, eyeing the horse traders. He looked back at
Toshua. “
Pabi
, there is something about what happened …
I want to start for home as soon as possible.”

Toshua nodded. “I feel it, too.” He gave Marco
a shove, which made Graciela gasp again. “Get those horses, if you
can.”

Marco walked to the matched bays, admiring the
look of them. He ran his hand down the broad chest of the closest
horse, which did not shy away from him or draw back his
ears.

“
You like what you see?”

Marco looked over his shoulder at the younger
of the traders, who had put his hand on the other bay, repeating
Marco’s gesture. The man smiled, and Marco saw his own love for the
horses.

“
I do,” Marco said, and made no
effort to even begin the usual haggle of walking away, and arguing
and walking back, and giving the disgusted headshake, the mournful
look—all the tricks of trading that would take hours. He knew the
trader would think him a green fool, but so be it. “I like them
both. Have you trained them to work as a team?”

“
I have. They are brother and
sister, and work well together.” The trader gave him a long look.
“You are the countryman who bought the woman.”

“
I didn’t have a choice,” Marco
said, faintly embarrassed. “I can use her, though.”

A sour look crossed the trader’s face.
“Hopefully not as hard as her captors did.”

“
Hey, wait! My wife needs help with
our two children, and next spring, our third child. I am an
honorable man.”

The trader nodded, and his eyes lost their hard
stare, which had the effect of making him look vulnerable, if only
for a second. “These Comanches! They fought us, killed one of us,
then followed, just staying far enough back but close enough to
keep the hairs standing up on my neck.” He gazed into the distance.
“God willing, we will not see them again. I’d prefer that they
blend into someone else’s landscape. Do you want these
horses?”

“
I want to use this team to pull a
light carriage. My wife will travel better that way with our little
ones.”
Here I go
, Marco thought. “I gave away my entire
purse to save that woman from death. Would you consent to trailing
these horses with me back to my ranch, so I can pay you
there?”

Marco watched the man’s face to see if his eyes
hardened again. He saw some wariness, but more interest and a
little sympathy.

“
Are you good for it, if I go some
distance—” the trader began.

“
Three days, moving
fast—”

“
With you?”

“
I would never suggest it, if I
could not do what I say,” Marco assured him. “You only have my word
for that, though.”

The trader looked toward Toshua. “And you
travel with what I think is a Comanche, who looks as though he does
not suffer fools gladly.”

Maybe humor wouldn’t hurt. “He doesn’t suffer
fools at all,” Marco replied.

The trader left without a word. Marco’s heart
sank, because he wanted the horses.
I tried
, he thought.
I suppose I can find horses closer to home and take the time to
train them myself
.

He stroked the other bay this time, pleased
with the way the horse whickered then pressed his great head
against Marco for a moment, nuzzling like a big dog. “And you are
gentle,” he said softly, not wanting to be heard, because talking
to a horse would only make him look like a bigger fool than he
already appeared. “Paloma would have liked you.”

After another look toward the trader, now
standing close to his
compadres
and arguing, Marco walked
toward Toshua and Graciela. He patted his empty pouch and sighed,
suddenly wondering how he would pay the innkeeper, who had been
highly suspicious of Toshua and had demanded a larger deposit.
Maybe I am just a foolish countryman
, he thought, with a
rueful shake of his head over his own idiocy.

“
Señor, you are too
hasty!”

Surprised, Marco turned around to see the young
trader walking toward him.

“
I’ll do as you wish. My
compadres
aren’t exactly thrilled ….” He shrugged. “I
do not think you will cheat me.” He gave a short, awkward bow. “My
name is Diego Diaz.”

“
I won’t cheat you. Thank you.”
Marco felt his face go red. “I have another problem: I gave away
everything and can’t pay the innkeeper either.”

Diego Diaz stared at him, then laughed that
throw-back-your-head kind of laugh which a tightly laced man like
that lawyer would scorn. “
Everything?
Señor, must I pay your
bill at the inn, too? Answer me this: how were you planning to get
to wherever we’re going without money for another inn or a
meal?”

“
Toshua and I have no trouble
flushing out
conejos
or shooting the occasional deer, and
who needs an inn in August, if there even were inns on the trail we
take?” Marco said, striving for a little dignity. “Señor Diaz, I
can see this will not work. My apologies for wasting your valuable
time.”

“
Don’t be so proud! And call me
Diego.
I’ll
pay your bill at the inn, and trust you to trap
a
conejo
.” He glanced back at the other traders, who were
glaring at both of them now. “Maybe I’d like a change of scenery,
myself. Shall we?”

Marco nodded, satisfied. “You’ll not be
sorry.”

“
I’m sorry now!” Diego Diaz joked.
“I can’t think of the last time I trusted anyone. This is a new
experience.”

They looked at each other and nodded. “Which
inn?” Diego asked.

Marco told him.

“
I’ll meet you there, after I pull
my kit together and get these horses.” He stopped, and shook his
head. “I am a fool, too! I can’t leave just yet. I promised a woman
near where we were attacked that I would find her husband and tell
him to hurry home.
Dios
, find a man in the middle of the
great trade fair! I am too susceptible to a pretty face, I suppose.
This may take a while.”

“
We’ll be at the inn, and ready.
Would I know him?”

“
Your guess is probably as good as
mine.” Diego started to where his own horse waited patiently, his
reins on the ground. He stopped. “I suppose I can ask you. It was a
juez de campo
, someone we traders try to avoid.”

“
I can understand that,” Marco said,
wanting to laugh, even as his little seed of worry started to grow
into a big weed. “Name of Mondragón?”

“
I think that was it. Something
unusual.”

Marco grabbed Diego, who gaped at him,
startled. “Young and yes, she does have a pretty face. Did a
pockmarked older Comanche woman ride with her?”

Diego nodded. “These same Indians who sold you
the woman ambushed us near Santa Maria. Only there were more
Comanches. We think some of them stayed there in … where was
it … Valle del Sol, to cause trouble.”

“
I am Marco Mondragón.” He had not
released his grip on Diego Diaz. “We must hurry.”

“
For her, I will speed along,” Diego
said. “Kindly unhand me.”

“ ‘
For her’? Why do you say
that?” Marco let go of Diego, but not without a little shake.
Surely he wasn’t jealous of this smelly, bearded fellow?