Trail of Golden Dreams (19 page)

He’d never met a
woman like her before, someone so young who could take care of herself, and
also wanted to take care of others.  He continued to be impressed by her
tough side, but it was her softness that stirred something deep inside
him.  He hadn’t wanted to stop and help the sheepherder with the lambing,
nor had he had the courage to help Molly and the dying man until Josie showed
him that sometimes a person has to risk everything for another human being.

He snuck a glance
at her as she whispered into Lightning’s ear.  Ever since he’d seen her
naked that day in the stream, he’d been dreaming about her at night.  Last
night was no exception.  Underneath those filthy work pants and shirt was
a luscious body that any hot-blooded man would want.  Chuckling silently,
he felt fortunate to have gotten a feel of her last night before she’d slapped
his hands away. 

When he’d kissed
her after the shoot-out with the marshal, it’d been a spur-of-the-moment
thing.  Mostly, he’d needed to release the tension that had been building
in him. But he’d felt a spark when their lips had touched.  And no matter
how hard he’d tried, he hadn’t been able to erase that kiss from his mind.
 His actions last night had not been premeditated, but kissing her again
had seemed the most natural thing in the world.  She’d acted like she’d
enjoyed him as much as he’d enjoyed her, even when he’d put his hands on her
body.  When she’d made him quit, he wasn’t altogether surprised, but that
didn’t change the fact that his blood had risen to boiling temperature, and his
desire for her had nearly burned him alive. Stopping before they’d made love
had been as hard on him as holding back a team of wild horses. 

Another man might
have forced himself on her, but he wasn’t that kind of man and never had
been.  His passion might flame hot when aroused, but Ma had taught him to
respect women.  It was a lesson he’d never forgotten.  Josie would
not be an exception, no matter how much he desired her. 

He strode to his
horse and stared at her over Lightning’s back.  The funny thing was, while
he dreamed about making love to her, he also considered her a friend.  How
could that be?  He’d never had a woman friend before, and didn’t quite
know what to make of his mixed up feelings. 

Her voice startled
him out of his daydreams.  “Grey, I said, can I have my map back
now?”  She sidled next to him and held out her hand.  It was the most
she’d said since telling him to shut up last night.  “You’ve been carrying
it for days, but it is
my
map, in case you’ve forgotten.”

Thinking it over,
he decided he didn’t need it anyway.  He expected they’d ride the whole
way together, but even if they got separated for some reason, the map led them
north to Nambe Falls.  That wouldn’t be difficult to find once they
reached Santa Fe.  When he handed her the map, her face lit up like the
morning sun.  She probably thought he’d give her a rough time about
wanting to keep it. She said nothing, climbed onto her mule’s back, and snuck
the parchment in her saddlebag as if she were a child hiding a piece of
licorice.

They spotted the
sign for the Gonzales Ranch mid-afternoon.  The two of them hadn’t spoken
much throughout the day, even when they stopped and shared the last of his
dried staples for lunch.  Grey could only assume Josie was still upset
about the way he’d touched her, or how he’d raised the question about the
mirror.  Hopefully, he’d made up for hurting her feelings when he told her
she was beautiful.  This morning he’d noticed she’d ripped off more of her
petticoats and wrapped the mirror in the fabric and tucked it safely into her
saddlebags.  He was glad Molly had given the mirror to her.  Josie
deserved nice things.

“We haven’t gone
as many miles as we normally do in a day,” he said, slowing his horse’s pace,
“but I think we should stop since your pa specified it on the map.  What
do you think?”

“You’re asking me
what I think?”  Josie shook her head, acting surprised that he wanted her
opinion.

“Yes, I am,” he
said.  “Should we stop?  Do you want to?”

“I guess so. 
You don’t think the marshal’s behind us, do you?  Have you gotten any more
bad feelings?”

He shook his
head.  “I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled and my ears open.  I think
the marshal and his tracker have given up on us.”

“I hope you’re right.
Let’s ride into this ranch and see what interesting things Pa has in store for
us.”

They loped under
the sign that said
Gonzales Ranch
and rode another mile along fenced
pastures before reaching the main spread.  On the west side of the
property was a large barn and corral, where a dozen Vaqueros and ranch hands
stood at the round pen watching a cowboy break a colt.  There was a lot of
cheering and whistling going on, and some laughing when the cowboy got bucked
off.

Next to the barn
stood a long bunkhouse and a stone well.  Parked inside a three-sided
building were a buckboard wagon and a carriage.  Stretching out as far as
the eye could see were acres of fenced-in land, where dozens of horses and
donkeys grazed peacefully.  And in the distance, there appeared to be a
big pond—unless it was a mirage.  Grey couldn’t be sure since the heat was
getting to his head.

He saw Josie’s
eyes grow wide as her gaze roamed around the property.  She slid off of
Traveler, stretched her arms and said, “This is quite a place.”  She
removed her hat and hung it over the saddle horn and then slicked back her
flyaway hair as best as she could.  “I want to look presentable when we
meet Mr. Gonzales.”

“You do.” Grey
kept his Stetson on, but brushed the dust off his pants after dismounting.

They tied the
animals to a hitching rail in front of an adobe wall, which ran the entire
length of the home, and walked through a turquoise painted gate along a
terracotta-tiled path, which passed through a placita. A bubbling Spanish-style
fountain was surrounded by a garden of rocks, agave, yarrow, oat grass, Mexican
feather grass, and various cacti.

Josie gasped,
turned in circles, and gazed in awe.  “It’s so beautiful.  I’ve never
seen any place like it.”

Nodding toward the
house, he grinned and said,  “If you like this garden, take a look at
that.”  The one-level Spanish colonial rancho had stout adobe walls, a
flat roof, rounded ends of log vigas protruding from the sides, deep windows,
and a portal facing the placita. 

“This isn’t just a
ranch, Grey.  It’s a hacienda,” Josie gushed.

He had to
agree.  The place was magnificent.  The front door was turquoise like
the gate. Lifting the brass knocker, he pounded it three times, wondering how
Leroy Hart was associated with the people who lived here.  A Mexican woman
dressed in a maid’s outfit answered the door.

“
Si, Señor
,
may I help you?”

“Yes, ma’am.
 My name is Grey Paladin, and this is Josephine Hart.  Her pa was
Leroy Hart.”  He waited for a response from the maid, but she didn’t give
him any reason to think she’d known the man.  “Would it be possible for us
to speak with the owner of this rancho?” he asked.

“
Si.
 
Please come in and wait here.”

“Thank you.”

As they stepped
over the threshold, Grey changed his mind and removed his hat. He peered around
at the luxury surrounding them in the entry as well as in the room beyond—high
ceilings, exposed peeled log vigas, terracotta-washed walls, a monumental
fireplace, stately antiques, flowers in glass vases, colorful art on the walls,
and warm textiles in a variety of colors covering the furniture.

“I can’t imagine
how my pa knew Mr. Gonzales,” Josie wondered out loud.  She’d read Grey’s
mind. 

“Maybe he worked
here for a while,” he suggested.

“Pa a
cowhand?  That’s a joke.  He never wanted to work that hard.”

Grey was about to
agree when a Mexican woman made her appearance from the back of the
house.  Her black hair was parted in the middle and worn low on her head
in a traditional chignon bun.  She looked elegant in an aqua green skirt
and white blouse, which was embroidered along the neckline with flowers and
winding vines.  Her dark eyebrows were heavy.  She wore exquisite
silver and turquoise jewelry around her neck and wrists, and she smiled broadly
as she approached and extended her hand. 

Grey considered
her attractive, for a woman her age, which he guessed to be in the late
thirties. She nodded at him formally and then her gaze moved swiftly to Josie
and stuck.  She greeted her as if she were a long lost friend. 
“Josephine.  I’m so pleased to finally meet you.  I’m Juanita
Gonzales.  Welcome to my home, my dear.”  The woman placed her hands
on Josie’s arms and kissed each of her cheeks.

Josie stood as
still as a statue.  It was obvious she was confused.  This woman,
Mrs. Gonzales, welcomed her like a long-lost friend.  Josie’s mouth seemed
to be frozen shut, so Grey stuck his hand out to shake with their
hostess.  “
Señora
Gonzales, I’m Grey Paladin, Miss Hart’s friend.”

“Pleased to meet
you.” The lady’s gaze remained glued to Josie.

Finally, Josie’s
lips thawed and she spoke.  “How did you know my name, ma’am?” 

“I knew your
father, Leroy.  He talked so much about you I would have known you
anywhere.”

“What? 
How?” 

“Leroy told me
you’d be coming this way soon.  I’ve been expecting you.  I’m so
sorry for your loss.”

“Ma’am?” Grey
began.  “Just how is it you knew Josie’s pa?”

Juanita swept them
both down the hall with an arc of her hand.  “Come in and sit down and we’ll
talk.  Marcella!” she called.

“
Si, Señora
?” 
The maid rushed into the room.

“Please prepare
tea for our guests.  Or are you a coffee drinker, Mr. Paladin?  We
have both.”  Her shapely eyebrow arched, and her thick eyelashes
fluttered.

“Coffee would satisfy
me, thank you.”

“Tea for you,
Josephine?”  Juanita offered the two of them a seat on a long couch with a
nod of her head.

“Yes, ma’am. 
I’ll try some tea.  It’ll be a nice change from the mud we’ve been
drinking on the trail.  Thank you,
Señora
Gonzales.”

The woman
dismissed the maid with a gentle wave of her hand.  “Bring some cookies,
too.  Josephine and Mr. Paladin look famished.  Thank you,
Marcella.”  She folded her skirt under her and sat in a chair across from
the couple and said, “Call me Juanita, both of you. 
Señora
Gonzales is much too formal.  Anyway, I’m not that old.”

“Is there a
Señor
Gonzales?” Grey asked with his usual directness.

She shook her
head.  “No.  He was killed many years ago on a cattle drive to
Texas.  After that, I sold all those filthy creatures and began to raise
horses and donkeys. They are beautiful animals, friendlier, they smell better,
and they earn me more money.”

 “Are you the
sole owner of this ranch?” Josie asked, clearly impressed by the Mexican
woman’s elegance and the opulent surroundings. 

She nodded. 
“
Si
, I am.  My husband had no other family.”

“
All
of
this is yours alone?  The entire hacienda?”

When Juanita grinned, a
perfect row of white teeth gleamed.  “You seem surprised that a woman can
manage an empire such as this rancho on her own.”

“I am, to be
honest with you,” Josie answered.  “You must be a very smart lady.”

She laughed. 
“I don’t know about that.  It wasn’t very smart of me to marry a man who
had such an adventurous spirit that he got himself killed six months after our
wedding.  Would you agree?”

Josie bent her
head and then offered a tentative smile.  “I guess so.  Or maybe it
was just bad luck,” she added quickly. 

Grey had not seen
Josie this way, shy and awestruck.  Wanting to get back to his original
question, he cleared his throat.  “
Señora
…I mean, Juanita. 
How did you say you knew Leroy Hart?”

Just then the maid
delivered the tea and coffee and some sweets.  After drinks had been
poured and cookies passed around, she finally answered his question.

“I knew Leroy
before I met my husband.  I was very young and worked in a cantina in Old
Mexico back then.”  She looked at Josie again, addressing her.  “I
don’t remember why your father was in Mexico.  I suppose he was looking
for work or fun, or both.”  She laughed, and the sound was like bells
tinkling.  “Anyway,” she continued, “after he finished the enchiladas I
served him one night, he asked me to dance.  An old blind man was sitting
in the corner strumming a guitar.  At first, I said no.  I was busy
working, and I was shy at the time.  But your father was very
persuasive.  Before long, he was swinging me around the cantina, and we
were laughing and everyone was singing.  Leroy had such a way of cheering
up a place.” 

Grey doubted
Juanita was referring to the same Leroy Hart he’d known in White Oaks. 
That man was nothing but a scoundrel, though he did have a way with
storytelling.  Still, he couldn’t imagine him sweeping any woman off her
feet, let alone the lovely
senorita
Juanita must have been when she was
younger.

“Leroy and I
became fast friends that night,” she said.  “He came to see me often when
he traveled to Old Mexico. I thought he might ask me to marry him, but I was
wrong.  He never did.”

Grey glanced at
Josie and saw her face register shock at that bit of news.  She sat still
with her hands folded in her lap, barely breathing, waiting to hear more.

Juanita
sighed.  “I finally tired of waiting, so I decided to accept the proposal
of Alamar Gonzales, a rancher from the New Mexico territory.  By that
time, Alamar had been coming to the village for months, pestering me.  I
believed it was Divine Providence when Leroy showed up one week before the
wedding was to take place.  When I asked him if there was any reason why I
shouldn’t marry Alamar, whom he intensely disliked without even knowing him,
Leroy said no.  I didn’t believe him, but there was nothing more I could
do or say, so I married Alamar.  Shortly after he and I settled in
together, I heard Leroy had married a Tewa Indian girl. She must have been your
mother.”