“I’m not worthy.” Tears burned her eyes. That wasn’t what she intended to say, but she couldn’t seem to stop. “For Jesus. I want… so much. Need a Savior. Don’t know how.” She looked at the priest through a blur of tears.
“Ah child.” He leaned back against the pew. “Tell me why you are unworthy.”
She struggled for the words. This man of God ought to be able to tell just by looking at her. “They said I’m worthless.”
“Who said that?”
“My…” She hesitated, not knowing what to call Diego and Lupe. They weren’t her parents, but all her life she’d thought they were. “My family.”
He frowned, his bushy eyebrows drawing together. She wanted to turn away. He must understand now and would tell her they were right. She would never have a Savior.
“I think there is a misunderstanding.” Slipping his hands in his sleeves, the priest straightened. “In the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul tells us that salvation is through the grace of God. That way, we won’t have anything to boast about.” He pursed his lips in a thoughtful expression. “Do you know about Jesus and His death on the cross?”
Chiquita nodded. “My husband. He read the story.”
“You see, if there were something we could do to earn our way to heaven, then Jesus died for nothing.”
“There’s no hope?” Her eyes burned. She blinked hard, trying to stop the tears.
“Oh, there is always hope, my child.” He smiled. Kindness shone from his eyes. “You are no different from anyone else. We are all unworthy.”
“But… my husband… he’s good.”
“According to the Bible, none of us are righteous on our own. In fact, we all have wicked hearts.”
“How do people become saved?”
“It’s really very simple. You have to admit your worthlessness. Once you do that and you see the truth of who Jesus is, then you simply ask Him to forgive you and be your Savior.”
“But, I think I did that.” Warmth filled Chiquita as she recalled the night in Eduardo’s hospital room and the feeling of peace she experienced. She related the account to the priest, and his smile widened.
“I would say you already have Jesus as your Savior, child. Trust me, He loves you more than you’ll ever believe or understand.” He patted her shoulder as he stood. “I’ll leave you alone now. Spend some time listening for Him to talk to you.”
Tears of joy ran down her cheeks. Chiquita stumbled to the altar and knelt. With her head on the rail, she stayed quiet. There weren’t words for the praise and thankfulness in her heart. Jesus loved her. She didn’t have to become worthy on her own. He made her acceptable. Never again would she be a complete outcast. She would always have Jesus.
She didn’t know how long she knelt there, basking in the tumultuous emotions pouring over her. The sense of utter joy and peace made her weep until she thought she couldn’t cry another tear. When she heard the door open, she thought the priest must be returning to tell her she had to leave. Wiping the moisture from her face, she stood.
Eduardo faced her, his shoulders bowed as if he carried the weight of the world. His face looked haggard and worn. Even from across the room, she could see the despair in his eyes. As his gaze found her, the despair turned to relief, then joy.
“Chiquita, I’ve looked everywhere for you. I was so worried.” In a few steps he held her in his arms, her face pressed to his shoulder. His hand caressed her hair while he murmured of his love.
“Eduardo.”
He froze. His hand stilled. She thought he quit breathing.
“Eduardo, I love you.” Her whisper filled the quiet chapel.
In a rush of movement, he pushed her back until he could cup her cheeks and gaze into her eyes. “It was you.” Wonder filled his voice. “You talked to me in the hospital. I heard someone calling me, but I didn’t recognize the voice. That’s because I never heard you speak before.”
“Forgive me.” She brushed her fingers across his brow. “I want to talk, but I’m afraid. At first, I couldn’t speak. After the hospital, I thought you would be angry. Maybe think I tricked you.” She blinked. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh sweetheart.” He pulled her back into his embrace. “I can’t promise to never be angry with you, but I don’t want to be. I’ve prayed about this, and I believe God has helped me overcome my tendency to fly into a rage at the least little thing. I should be the one asking your forgiveness. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He kissed her, a long, lingering kiss that made her pulse race. “Why did you run today, Chiquita?” He led her to a pew and snuggled her next to him.
“When the man said Lupe wasn’t my mother, I knew the truth. I’ve always been different, but I didn’t understand why.” She leaned against Eduardo. “It hurt so much to know even my real mother didn’t want me. She let Diego raise me. I felt like the whole world rejected me.”
“Oh my love.” He stroked her shoulder, letting her draw comfort from his closeness.
Taking a deep breath, Chiquita began to tell Eduardo about her experience with religion. Starting from her childhood and ending with her discussion with the priest, she told him all that had happened. Through it all, he stayed silent, holding her tight.
“My life is changed. I don’t need approval. Jesus loves me. That’s enough.” She tilted her head back to gaze up at him. “So glad you love me, too.”
He grinned. “I’m glad you love me.” He stood and lifted her to her feet. “I hate to end this time together, but we need to get back to Quinn’s house. He’s been helping me look for you. They’re worried.” He kissed her nose. “Don’t fret. They’re not mad at you.”
She shivered in the chilly wind as they walked out the door. He wrapped an arm around her, trying to share his warmth.
“Eduardo, please?”
“What, my love?”
“I want to go home.” He stopped. She turned to face him, her gaze serious. “I’ve seen the city. I miss our house and garden. I want to see the horses.”
“It may not be safe.” His brow furrowed in concern. “We don’t know that the gunman who got caught in the flood was working alone.”
She traced the strong line of his jaw. “You can protect me.”
Eduardo nodded. This afternoon, Conlon sent word to Quinn that the gunman’s body had been found. According to Conlon, he was unidentifiable. Whoever he was, Eduardo prayed this was the end of the troubles. “Then let’s go home.”
The first rays of the sun peeped through the window. Eduardo rolled over and looked at Chiquita, still sleeping. They’d been home from Tucson for three days—three peaceful, marvelous days, full of catching up as she told him about her childhood and all the dreams she had that she hadn’t been able to share with anyone. They’d talked for hours. He’d been afraid to leave her alone, although he wanted to find Diego and discover what he and his cousin, José, were hiding. He’d tried to find them in Tucson, but they’d already left town. Today, he would ride over to the Garcia place and confront Diego.
Chiquita stirred, rolling toward him. Since she’d lost her fear of him, she’d proved to be very affectionate. She loved to snuggle up next to him at night. Many times during the day she would touch him, as if she couldn’t get enough of the connection between them. He smiled. That went both ways. He loved touching her, too.
Her nose twitched. He almost laughed. Her lips pursed, and he resisted the temptation to lean down and kiss her. For a moment, her eyelids quivered. Soon she would open her eyes, and the first thing she would see would be him smiling at her. They’d done this the past few mornings. He loved to see her delight in such little things. She was like a child, discovering a whole new world.
Her eyes opened, shut, then opened again. She gave him a slow, sweet smile. He knew he would never tire of her tawny gaze. The yellow flecks in her eyes were a constant delight. He’d discovered gold, and this gold he could keep for his whole life.
“Good morning, my love.” He gave her a
tender kiss, wishing he didn’t have to get up and do chores. He gave her another kiss before forcing himself to get out of bed.
When he came inside with the milk, she had breakfast ready for him. They held hands as he prayed over the food. He waited until after the meal was over to tell her his plans for the day.
“Chiquita, I’m riding over to visit Diego today.” At her stricken expression, he hurried on. “I have to find out what he and his cousin were talking about. You need to know, too. Can you trust me on this?”
She bit her bottom lip and nodded. He wanted this pain to end for her. She deserved to know who her parents were and what Diego was hiding from her.
CHAPTER 19
The midmorning sun shone bright as Eduardo cantered away from the barn. El Rey, eager to run after being cooped up for the past two weeks, gave a couple of little jumps as he started off. Eduardo patted his copper neck, relishing the feel of the silken coat. As soon as they reached the smoother part of the road, he would let the stallion have his head for a few miles to run off his orneriness.
His gaze roved constantly over the hills as he rode. Since coming home, they hadn’t seen any sign of anyone watching the ranch. On the trip back from Tucson, Conlon and Quinn both accompanied them. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. Eduardo did his best to convince Chiquita that the man swept away by the flood had been working alone. He couldn’t explain why a stranger would want to kill her, but she seemed to accept his theory.
This morning, Eduardo had Tomás and Lucio work close to home. Rico and Jorge were off checking on some of the cattle, a job that had to be done. The niggling doubts that assailed Eduardo made him keep at least part of the crew where they would be close enough to help Chiquita should she need them.
El Rey snorted and tugged on the reins. During Eduardo’s musing, they’d reached the road. The horse was eager to be off. Loosening the reins, Eduardo relaxed, letting his body move with the horse’s easy gait. Although El Rey raced like the wind, he still flowed smoothly, rather than in a jerky motion some horses had at a dead run.
Over an hour later, Eduardo pulled El Rey to a stop on the hill overlooking Diego’s small house. Although he’d alternated between walking and cantering to keep El Rey from overheating, a light sheen of sweat darkened the stallion’s coat. Eduardo could see one of the girls hanging the wash on the line. Another worked in the garden. He couldn’t see the other girls, Diego, or Lupe. He didn’t know if Diego’s cousin was staying with them still.
Nudging El Rey, he headed the horse down the rocky slope. He’d chosen to leave the road a ways back, hoping to surprise Diego. He didn’t fully understand why he felt this was necessary, but the feeling was too intense to be ignored. All morning, he’d prayed that he wouldn’t lose his temper here. He wanted to act in a godly manner, not according to his human nature.
The girl pinning the clothes on the line glanced up. She shaded her eyes with a hand to her brow trying to see him. Dropping a clean piece of clothing in the dirt, she raced for the house, shouting for her mother, followed by the sister who’d been in the garden. El Rey snorted a second time, shaking his head as if he were commenting on what might be happening inside the house.
Lupe stepped outside as Eduardo rode into the yard. Chickens scattered through the refuse cluttering the ground. A mangy dog gave a high-pitched sound, halfway between a bark and a yelp, before slinking under the sagging end of the porch. A scrawny cat hissed and batted at the retreating dog. Eduardo reined in El Rey and took his hat off, giving Lupe a nod.
“Is Diego at home, Señora Garcia?”
Lupe folded her arms across her chest and pinned Eduardo with a glare designed to make him uncomfortable. Although she stood less than five feet tall, the woman was formidable. Eduardo could only imagine how difficult a time Chiquita had living with this woman. Most likely, Diego wasn’t the only one who abused her.
“My husband has no business with you anymore.” Lupe’s tone could have frozen boiling water. “He paid our debt to you when you stole our daughter. You aren’t welcome here anymore.”
“I have some other unfinished business with Diego. I need to see him.” Eduardo refused to allow Lupe to intimidate him. “If he isn’t home right now, I can wait.” He swung down off his horse.
“He’s gone.” Lupe took a step back. “I’ll tell him you were here. He can come to your house.”
“That won’t do. My wife doesn’t need any reminders of what she suffered when she lived here.” He took a step forward. “If Diego isn’t here, may I speak with José?”
Lupe’s confidence seemed to melt away. She gave a fearful glance toward the house as she took a couple of shuffling steps back.
“I met Diego’s cousin, José, in Tucson a few days ago. I’d like to talk to him, too.”
“He’s not here.” She grasped the post at the edge of the porch, causing it to creak as she hauled herself up a step. “Neither one of them is here. Now go away.”
Eduardo stayed where he was as Lupe edged into the house. The woman was lying and scared to death about something. He would almost be willing to bet that José, at least, had stayed at home today. Eduardo swung up on El Rey. Staying here didn’t make sense. Lupe wouldn’t allow him in the house, and he couldn’t force his way in. As he left, he deliberately followed the road until he couldn’t be seen from the house. Then, he cut up into the hills until he had a perfect view of the place, yet couldn’t be seen. Tying the stallion where he would be out of sight, Eduardo picked a good place and hunkered down to watch what Lupe would do.
He didn’t have long to wait. About ten minutes passed before José exited the house in a hurry, Lupe on his heels. Even from this distance, Eduardo could see from her movements and gestures she was giving him orders about something. José saddled a horse, mounted, and raced down a path that would take him to the river. Eduardo scrambled back to El Rey. He would follow José, who would hopefully lead him to Diego. Maybe then he could get the truth from the two of them.
Lucio had done a good job caring for her garden while they were in Tucson, but Chiquita was glad to be back. She carried water for the plants, moistening the ground where the weeds grew. After they soaked awhile, they would be easier to pull. In the dry ground, the roots merely broke off rather than coming up.
She carefully examined the plants for any bugs or worms that might do damage. The summer squash were already blooming. She touched a yellow blossom with her fingertip. In a few days, there would be enough flowers that she could afford to pull a few to fry for their supper. By tomorrow, one of the baby squash would be big enough to use for their meal. Her mouth watered at the thought.
Humming a wordless tune, Chiquita began to pull the weeds from around her tomatoes. When asked about them, Lucio shrugged and said tomato plants made him sneeze. He’d done well with the rest of the garden though. Pilar apologized for not helping. She hadn’t been feeling well for the past week. Today, Rico said she felt better, but he insisted on her resting most of the time. Chiquita missed spending time with her friend.
Since marrying Eduardo, Chiquita couldn’t believe how many friends she had. After spending her growing-up years virtually alone, having Eduardo and all his friends accept her made her happier than she thought possible. When they returned from Tucson, she realized, for the first time, that she belonged here. She had a bond to this place and these people.
A shout came from the direction of the barn. Chiquita sat back on her heels and shaded her brow, wondering what the commotion meant. From here, the big mesquite tree blocked her view, so she couldn’t make out much. She heard Lucio shout again and decided to investigate. She needed a drink anyway.
After taking a long sip from the dipper beside the water bucket, Chiquita walked to the front of the house where she would have an unobstructed view of the barn. Lucio was running across the pasture where the mares and foals were kept. Tomás followed after him. Across the field, the horses stood in a group, facing away from the house. Chiquita couldn’t see wh
at they were looking at, but she knew something was wrong.
Picking up her skirt so she wouldn’t trip, she trotted across the yard to the fence surrounding the pasture. Lucio and Tomás were pushing the mares to one side. In the center of the group something struggled on the ground. Dread crept through Chiquita. She hurried to the gate and dashed across the field.
Two foals were tangled together in a mass of rope and ocotillo fence. Their white-rimmed eyes reflected their panic. One began to struggle, and the other joined in, causing the thorny cactus to dig deeper into them.
“Hold this one still, Lucio.” Tomás held a knife. With his knee and his left arm, he tried to hold the second foal.
“What happened?” Chiquita reached for the filly and tried to soothe her.
“The fence broke.” Lucio’s expression was grim. “Somehow these two got caught in the rope when they ran past. The whole thing wrapped around them.”
“How could this happen? You just checked this fence.” Chiquita knew Eduardo wouldn’t allow any of the fences to be in disrepair.
“I walked this line myself, yesterday.” Lucio ground out the words. “I’m not sure how this happened, but when I get the chance, I’ll do some checking.”
Tomás seemed to take forever before he began to cut. Chiquita found herself wanting to yell at him to hurry before the foals bled to death.
Tomás glanced at her. “If I cut the wrong way first, they’re likely to struggle more. If the fence digs in too deep, they’ll lose too much blood and die.”
Chiquita stroked the small head. She thought of all the times she looked out her window and watched these babies buck and gallop around the pasture. Seeing them hurt made her heart ache. She knew Eduardo would feel the pain, too.
“Is there something I can do?”
“In the barn.” Tomás motioned with his head. “In the tack room is a jar of salve. When I clip the rope, it will help if we put that on to slow the bleeding.”
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