Gold Raven (16 page)

With her heart pumping from emotion, Hope stood watching as Maria greeted her husband upon his return. Despite all her brother had said against men, she could not help the feeling that surely there was one out there for her. It felt good to see his safe return but she knew that it held something much deeper than this for Maria.

She watched her hug and hold onto him as if he were a lifeline; his children jumping up and down eagerly awaiting their turn to be hugged by him. She shook her head, how could he be so staunch as to speak about weakness and showing a strong front at all times, when he publicly showed affection to his wife and children. She decided he was a contradiction. He glanced up happy and smiling, to see her watching them, and to her surprise, he winked at her. A smile burst upon her face as he walked up to her, she noticed that he gave a relieved sigh. “So you’re still here?!” He commented grinning.

She was surprised by the question, he must have worried she might depart in his absence, “Where exactly is there for me to go?” She returned, realizing that he must care for her more than he showed.

“
You miss me?” He asked, still joyful.

“
Ha! Not the tiniest bit! Be gone for weeks more for all I care!” She shot, turning into their small home. She could hear him chuckling behind her. “Not a chance little girl, I’m back and anxious to see if you’ve learned anything in my absence. So get ready, the real lessons will begin.” He warned.

She turned back sighing with dread, at the same time her eyes gave the true evidence of what she felt for his return. He saw the glimmer of moisture and again felt happiness fill him. Granting himself a couple of days rest he waited for his men, and on the third night they showed up with the cargo. Quietly they conducted their business in the wee hours of the morning. With that wrapped up and complete, he could turn his attention to Hope.

True to his word, he commenced her intensive training. As he’d said he would, he put her through the ropes to see what she’d learned in his absence. Mike initiated wrestling practice with the knife, his aim was to see if she would leave an opening for him to disarm her. Unfortunately, for Hope ,taking the knife from her was much too easy.

Juan got a scolding for not training her better, and her lessons went up another level in intensity. He went on to showing her the methods of carrying arms, loading them, getting accustomed to the weight of them, and not jumping from the powder blast. To the dismay of others, she was eager for this instruction…all learned early to clear the area when she began shooting. Twice Mike yelled at her, slapping her on the back of her head for pointing the gun carelessly, then for shooting it and dropping it at the same time because the discharge scared her.

Naturally, neither Maria nor his children were allowed anywhere near when he taught her, that is…until she gained the knowledge and confidence needed to trust others near when handling the firearm. When she finally reached the point of shooting without wincing from the noise, she jumped for joy. Her garb when training resembled that which was worn by the men in camp; tanned breeches and flared sleeved shirt and vest. Her hair was tightly braided and pinned under a broad brimmed sombrero, shielding her from the sun.

Riding became the one thing she tried to avoid, but to no avail…Mike was determined. Her riding lessons consisted of learning to control her horse without use of her hands on the reigns. She was to use the shifting forward or back of her body weight and knees only. Too often, she found herself flat on her back looking up from the ground at her impatient brother, who stood snapping his fingers and barking for her to get up, without his assistance of course. “Up…now!” He held the reigns of her horse as she resignedly rolled herself into a sitting position, then stood.

“
Now – as I said…are you listening?”

“
Can we not come back to this later and work on my shooting?”

“
What good is shooting if you cannot ride your horse to safety? Now stop whining and pay attention to what you’re doing! When you climb on this horse, you are one with it!”

“
You must trust that he knows how fast he is to move if you give the right signals! When on his back, he begins where you end, you are one – do you understand? When riding, the two of you are one…just - one!”

Hope groaned, holding onto the saddle horn to pull herself up.

“
What are you waiting for … mount up!” He ordered without sympathy.

Hope pulled herself up into the saddle and sat listening as he barked with repetition what he expected of her. “As an extension of him, it is your brain and movements he uses to know what you want! Left knee in, using your body’s weight, leaning right to turn right, right knee and body weight left to turn left. Drop low and lean forward and he will take off! Pull your body slowly upright and back, standing in the stirrups and he will slow or stop!” He finished from below.

“
Please, my thighs are blistering, they hurt and my legs are throbbing. My butt is tired of hitting the ground and my back is beginning to ache.” She whimpered.

“
Here, here’s your club, and don’t drop it again. Someday this will be a rifle. Always have firm control of your weapons at all times, ready to fire off a shot! Now get ready!” He rapidly fired a volley, ignoring her plea to discontinue, and strode away back to his own horse mounting up in one swift motion.

“
Grab your reigns Hope, and holster your rifle for now-…”

“
It’s not a rifle; it is a god-damn club!” She shot, growing angry for having to do it again.

“
Well holster your goddamn club!” He scolded, riding up next to her, noticing the rebellious frown on her face, her eyes were growing moist from pooling tears.

“
You let one tear fall and you’ll be out here until the sun sets! Now get ready! When we get to the other end, ready to make the run, one hand tucks the reigns in your belt as the other pulls the rifle! You don’t have to aim at anything, just hold it over your head for now - so that I can see you free of the reigns. Steer your horse to the left of the stone table, and between it and the pit. To the right at the pit, between it and the well, and left again around the well clockwise twice … follow me and do as I do. Don’t you – dare - drop that club to pick up the reigns! Now let’s go!” He rode ahead of her, Hope followed pouting angrily. Some of his men, the women and a few children stood watching, laughing as she made faces behind his back and poked her tongue out at him. Lined up side by side once again, making eye contact with her, he expected her to read him and prepare to take off doing as he stated. When he felt she should be ready, he shouted, “Now!”

He darted forward at such a speed, one moment she was looking for the signal, and the next he was off. Watching him, she admitted to herself that he rode with an ease of being born in the saddle. With his rifle overhead, he demonstrated how he and his horse were one. His body rolled and swayed in perfect unison with the beast.

“
Let’s go Hope!” He called back, knowing she hadn’t moved from the spot they had temporarily parked in. She made an angry scowl at his back thinking,
‘Your legs are longer, so it’s easy for you to hold on to that stinkin’ animal! My legs are too short!’

“
Now! Right now Hope!!”

She closed her eyes trying to get a mental picture in her head, concentrating, so as to focus and succeed to be done with it. She reached for the club and tucked the reigns as she leaned forward to urge the horse on, and he lurched off with her forgetting to follow through with him. Fear shot through her, her adrenaline took over and she squealed!

Squeezing her thighs and knees, she straightened them to stay on but the horse thought she wanted to stop so broke his speed sending her forward towards his neck, she squealed again as she felt herself being thrown forward up and off the saddle. Tossing the club she grabbed for his mane, and he danced irritated shooting forward again.

The small crowd roared with laughter as she squealed and rocked back and forth, scared to death of getting thrown again; ever changing expressions of shock and fear contorting her features, making many laugh all the more.

The horse, quite confused by its rider's inability to make up her mind from the continuous changing commands, finally had enough and decided to unseat the pest. Rearing and clawing the air, he stood whinnying until she was off. Hitting the ground back first, knocked the air out of her as the momentum and weight threw her feet over head to land on her stomach causing a grunt. There she stayed as the horse took off having no more to do with her. The laughter doubled around her with some eyes watering and crying from the hysterics. Hope’s head rose and she looked around her with squinting eyes, finding nothing funny. She rose from the ground dusting her front as her brother rode up with her horse’s reigns in hand trying to look into her eyes. For a moment he had swallowed a fast surge of fear afraid that she might have been hurt. Witnessing how fast she’d gotten to her feet released the fear making him exhale.

“
You’re okay.” He started, “Here, this time-…”

Her head snapped back to glare up at him, halting his words. With a dusty face and nose held high, she marched off with nothing to say, and was certainly done with riding lessons for that day.

With a deep, loud command Mike demanded,
“Hope! You get back here! Do you hear me!! I said-…”

“
Go ta’hell!!” She yelled back.

Mike grinned, shaking his head and turning their horses to lead them to the corral.
‘Goodness she’s cute when she’s mad.’
He thought chuckling.

Later that afternoon as they all sat at the big table eating, with Maria passing tortillas to her husband, Hope could not help but wonder. “Why is it you push me so hard to shoot and ride, when you do not push Maria?” He stopped chewing and looked at her a moment, thinking of the best possible answer, then turned to his wife. Removing his gun from his holster he passed it to her. Reaching for the wine decanter, he poured himself some, poured what was left in Hope’s cup, then turned and tossed it into the air.

Spinning airborne, following one shot it shattered.

Maria gently passed the empty weapon back to her husband, and with sympathy smiled in understanding saying, “He loves you.”

Mike tore apart his tortilla to swipe up some beans and meat biting into it. While chewing, he stared at his little sister. Swallowing, he picked up wine and took a drink. Setting it down he said, “When you’re at the very least, as good as she is now…I will no longer push…as hard, that is. No one – that I love – will be left unprepared and unprotected as Mrs. Lawrence was. Not if I can help it.”

Hearing that, Hope’s belligerence deflated, until he rudely belched in her face. Rising from his seat, he walked off leaving them to get on with their day.

Dusk was upon them when Hope helped Maria gather water for the children’s bath. Esteban was somewhere with his father, so she was left on her own to raise water from the well. Upon arriving there, she was stunned for a moment, unsure of what to do; Santiago stood there drinking from the well.

Mike had constantly warned her to stay away from him; time spent in the camp observing his behavior told her all she needed to know about him, she understood brother's warnings.

He sent shivers of fear and disgust down her spine, and every once in a while, when she’d rise early to go to Maria’s and Mike’s dwelling, he would catch her eye from across the way; staring boldly with a look very much like that of a wild beast stalking its prey for the kill. Once eye contact was made, he would blow a kiss, licking his lips, his hand at his crotch, where he would stroke the bulge there, making her shudder and speed her steps. She’d learned to ignore him…but now – there he stood.

She froze like a mouse caught in the hypnotic gaze of a snake, holding the bucket before her as if it were a shield.

Santiago couldn’t believe his luck. Slowly, with his eyes intensely staring, he brought the ladle of fresh well water to his mouth and drank, the water trickling down his chin as he did so. A sinister grin crossed his features as he returned the ladle to the hook. The gleam of hunger growing in his eyes as Hope stood before him.

“
Buenos noches, Senorita; I see you wish to draw water, come – I will help you.”

He reminded her of a ravenous buzzard waiting to strike and devour. Hope swallowed nervously. She knew she should turn back; but she was no coward and he of all men would not cause her fear.

“
I’m in need of help from no one, especially you.”

“
Ahhh, what have I done to receive such coldness senorita? No need to fear me, ven aca chiquita – you must get to know me first.”

“
First of all, what you see is not fear – second, what you don’t see...is any interest on my part…to get to know you.” She shivered as she spoke - his eyes were boldly crawling over her body like hungry ticks.

He wanted her, with an ever increasing yearning within. Despite her drastic bun and hair pulled so primly back, it did nothing to take away her soft beauty, in fact, it served to stir his desires even more. Never had he been so captivated by any woman, as Hope who held him spellbound. He did not care if the look she gave him was filled with disdain; that too strangely enough, made him want her more.

Her eyes were bigger than usual because they were tinged with fear that she denied – but he saw it…he could smell it, mixed with the clean scent that emanated from her.
‘Cat-eyes…what I would give to have this one as mine.’
He thought, burning with desire as his manhood ached to feel her velvety softness sucking him deep.

Suddenly the spell was broken as the bucket was wrenched from Hopes arms, startling them both. She gasped looking up beside her, to see her brother angrily glaring down at her as he passed the bucket to his son who stood at his side.

Esteban carried it to the well as Mike’s glare turned to Santiago, threatening as it did so. The look begged Santiago to say one word, it was clear that Mike wanted nothing more than to know the pleasure of beating the hell out of him. Santiago knew to battle him would be suicide. With a snake’s smile, he turned muttering low. “One day, one day she will not have you near. That day…she will become mine; all mine.”

Esteban pulled the filled bucket from the well and walked back towards his family’s dwelling, leaving his father alone with Hope. “Is it your desire to see bloodshed?” He asked with low warning.