The Reaper 0f The Rio Sangre: Special Edition HBH Version (Half Breed Haven Book 10)

by A. M. Van Dorn

  Cassandra smiled, “Actually, you can, I will be glad to join you. There is no way you’re going to Mexico looking for a murderer without me, Peppercorn!” Catalina reached out and patted Cassandra’s arm as a way of thanking her for their support.

  “I was hopin’ you’d say that! Gentlemen, if my sister is goin’ down too, then ol’ Segador’s life expectancy just dropped into a matter of days. We ride at sunup!” she exclaimed.

  “Gracias, Señorita Wilde, and Señorita Wilde! We will ride back ahead of you. We dare not be away from our families for any length of time. You shall be guests at my villa when you reach the valley,” Suarez told them happily. The other men were nodding with relief as well.

  "I will walk you out," Cassandra told them graciously.

  “If you gentlemen go on ahead and prepare the carriage, I would linger a moment to have a private word with Señorita Catalina,” Hernandez-Kelly said. The men nodded and followed Cassandra out of the living room.

  “You have our deepest gratitude for your willingness to travel to Mexico to come to our aid,” Hernandez Kelly said when the others were gone.

  “We Wildes don’t like to see wrongs no matter which side of the border it might be happenin’ on,” Catalina told him honestly.

  “My Lord, the same noble spirit,” he said softly.

  “I’m sorry?” Catalina asked confused.

  "You have the same noble spirit your mother had. It is more than that though. You are what you Americans call the "spitting image" of Mercedes. It is as if she was standing here in front of me. You look just as she looked when I knew her,” He told her.

  "It sure is nice to meet someone who knew my mamacita. I kinda got robbed of the chance to know her." Catalina admitted softly, surprising herself she had revealed this to a man she had just met.

  “A tragedy of the highest order, dear lady. The woman I knew would be proud of the many wonderful things that you have done in the name of righteousness,” he told her grandly and honestly. Catalina was touched as she always was with compliments about her mother.

  “Thank you … thank you for sharin’ that with me, Señor Hernandez-Kelly,” she told him.

  "It is a truth you deserve to know. Thank you for allowing me the time to speak it. I must join the others now. I will see you in Mexico," he said, and he took her hands and squeezed them before bowing and leaving the room. Catalina walked over to the great fireplace. In the center of the mantelpiece, there was a bottle of wine. Then she slowly walked to a desk by one of the windows. She gently pushed it open and listened to the sound of fiddle music floating on the air from the party. Glancing down she saw a picture and picked it up. It was of Whip and Catalina standing in front of Cedar Ledge while under construction. Their broad smiles were blissfully unaware of the tragedy soon to come. She held it close and wiped a tear from her eye.

  ***

  Cassandra watched the men get ready for their return journey home. Her primary focus, however, was a very handsome man, muscular with dark hair and chiseled features writing something down on a piece of paper. Cassandra admired the coach they had journeyed in as well as this man.

  "Now that is a beauty. I am kinda glad my pop is tied up at his party. If he saw that coach, he would be green with envy. He is proud to have the best coach in the county," She told the Mexican.

  “It is a product of Ybarra Coach Makers in the Verde Abundante Valley. I am Canizarra by the way,” he told her smiling and looking her over. Cassandra returned the favor, again.

  "As said earlier, my name is Cassandra, and that's where Pop got his from! I know they make everything from buckboards to stagecoaches, and even the finest carriages like Pop's and this one. Is it yours?" she asked.

  “Alas no, it belongs to Señor Suarez. My friend is the richest and most powerful man in our valley. He has the trappings to prove it. Now please take this, Señorita Cassandra Wilde,” he said handing her the paper he had been writing on. “It is a map with complete directions to all the villas in our valley,” he told her. She accepted the map, glancing down at it for a first impression. The haciendas all seemed to be generally located along the banks of the Rio Sangre.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “No, thank you for doing this. I must say as well that it is a pleasure and honor to meet the beauty who helped bring down Esteban San Cristobel. He was a blight on the entire Sonora region, “he said.

  “It was actually my sister, Honor Elizabeth, that had a hand in that, but It was good to see that cross-border rustling operation come to an end,” she said honestly.

  “Nonetheless, still a pleasure.” He took her hand and kissed it delighting Cassandra to no end. “I shall await your arrival in the valley, Señorita Cassandra,” he told her gallantly.

  "You can count on it," she answered with a smile. He had almost brought a blush to her fair cheeks, and that never happened! She enjoyed the moment as the coach was loaded and moved off.

  “I best be getting down to the party to tell Pop that Cattie and I will be turning in early. We have a big ride ahead of us,” she said to no one in particular before heading towards the barn.

  The Blue Danube, a Strauss waltz, was now being played for the guests at Judge Wilde's yearly gathering of the upper crust of Alamieda. The people were dancing merrily, enjoying the event. Dutch and his love were dancing as well, but she was having a challenging time matching what the people around her were doing. Formal waltzes were not something her people ever did.

  Lijuan watched from the side with her arms crossed, annoyed with Bright Feather, as usual. The brother that both she and Bright Feather shared, Blue River, was standing next to her eating a slice of apple pie, enjoying the flaky treat.

  “Whenever I am with my tribe this is one of the things I miss most about Cedar Ledge, Mrs. Chow’s cooking,” he said cheerfully. Lijuan glanced at him and smiled lightly.

  “Perhaps I can introduce you to some of the traditional Chinese dishes that she can make,” she said to her brother.

  “I will stick with pie,” he said well aware the exotic food from that far off land was not his cup of tea.

  “Your sister is embarrassing herself out there, you know,” she told Blue River with a snort of amusement.

  “There is not much opportunity among our tribe to waltz,” he pointed out wryly.

  “I suppose not. Still, I’m sure Honor Elizabeth would have given her some lessons on how to do it. She’s going to embarrass David as well,” she said in disgust, not liking the idea that her beloved David would be embarrassed by this woman.

  “I don’t think that anything Bright Feather does would ever embarrass our-” Lijuan waved her hand interrupting his words.

  “I’ll show her how it is done!” she declared and marched across the dance floor to intrude on the couple dancing.

  “I see the dance is giving you some trouble, Bright Feather. Let me show you how you go about it,” she told the young Indian woman.

  “Lijuan …” Bright Feather began.

  “It’s fine. Shall we, David?” she asked. Dutch did not smile, but he nodded to his lover, and she joined Blue River at the side as Dutch and Lijuan waltzed together. Bright Feather was now equally annoyed with Lijuan. Even more than usual.

  “She is such a … what is the word the white men use … a bitch?” she asked and then realized what she had said and blushed looking at her brother stricken at her own words. “I am sorry, Blue River. I do not know what I was thinking. I know she is your sister,” she said embarrassed at her behavior.

  “As are you,” he said stiffly. It was obvious he was uncomfortable being caught between two families.

  “I do not know why she has to call attention to the fact that I am not skilled in the ways of white men’s dancing,” her unchecked frustration bubbling over.

  “It’s okay, Bright Feather, if you ask me, waltzing looks silly. You will not see me out there on the dance floor like that,” he told her reassuringly and she smiled at him.

  “N
ot even with that pretty little party decorator from Mexico City?” she asked him teasingly. She liked to tease her brother. The two were very close as they had mostly kept each other company as children as they traveled along with their mother and her husband who served as traders for the Hala tribe.

  “It seems I am too late,” he said, and Bright Feather knew immediately who had beaten him to the woman. She smiled.

  “Cattie?” she asked. He nodded.

  Out on the dance floor, Lijuan danced with her head pressed against Dutch’s chest. It felt so natural and right to her to be in that position. The waltz reached a movement where she was spun away and then back. She grinned happily doing the dance expertly. This will show Bright Feather, she thought.

  “This is so much fun!” she exclaimed to Dutch.

  "What was not fun was what you did before! What was the matter with you?" he asked in a hard voice. Lijuan felt a coldness from Dutch for the first time in her life and was shocked by his tone.

  “David, I am sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I just got caught up and …” he interrupted her in irritation.

  “And that’s another thing. Don’t you think it’s time for you to get in step with the rest of the world and call me Dutch? Like everyone else I know!” he asked. She felt he was being cruel. He had never been like that with her before and it left a lump growing in her stomach

  "Dutch, that’s someone else. David is the person who saved me from bullies at the schoolhouse and protected me from their harassment. David is the one who knocked out three of Rooster McCarthy's teeth when said he was hungry and he told you that you should send your chink sister back to China to make him some rice. David is the one …" Dutch cut her off as her lump in the pit of her stomach seemed to grow tenfold.

  “Stop, just stop!” Dutch demanded. Bright Feather appeared then and cut back in. She had seen the tension on her lover’s face.

  “Thank you for the lesson, Lijuan. I can take it from here now,” she said, and suddenly Lijuan was alone as Dutch danced away with his Indian love.

  She started to take a step to follow them when a vice-like grip tightened on her arm. Instinctively she raised a hand ready to unleash an offense karate chop but froze instead, when confronted by Cassandra’s fury filled face. Her emerald eyes were blazing angrily, and it took Lijuan back to her childhood. She remembered how angry a young Cassandra had been at Lijuan’s presence in the family. Her jealousy of the newcomer had been intense. It started a wilting feeling inside she hadn't felt in years. As an adult, Cassandra's angry, green eyes were more powerful than ever.

  "Don't! Let them be. Let them enjoy the party, and you do the same." Cassandra told her firmly. Lijuan nodded her head quietly. She was usually defiant of orders, but that look in her sister's eyes had stilled her reaction. Lijuan watched as Cassandra left her to join their father.

  “You look like a lady in need of a dance partner,” a voice said from beside her. Lijuan felt a rush of irritation and turned.

  “I don’t need …” she began in anger until she saw the dashing man who had spoken to her. He was tall and strong with bright blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. He was extending his hand to her. She glanced around, and the first thing she saw was her brother dancing with Bright Feather. She returned her gaze to the good-looking man and smiled.

  “That is a kind offer, stranger,” she said and took his hands, beginning to dance with the handsome man. He was a good dancer and quite polite in the way he held her for the movements.

  “It seems rescuing damsels in distress is my calling for the evening. I couldn’t leave such a lovely lady stranded on the dance floor, now could I?” he asked conversationally.

  "I don't know what you are talking about, other rescues, but your timing in my case was flawless, Mister," she told him, pleased.

  “The name is Kincaid, Killian Kincaid,” he told her formally with a little bow before resuming the waltz.

  "Please to meet you, Mr. Kincaid. I'm Lijuan. You know, I feel as if I've heard your name before," she said, looking at him curiously. He really was quite the handsome man.

  “I’ve appeared handling some cases in your father’s court. Perhaps that is where,” he offered.

  “Must be,” Lijuan answered. He nodded, and she was unaware that he was thankful his name didn’t come up by way of Catalina. Kincaid knew nothing good would have been said about him from that source.

  “My but you are good at the dance, Lijuan … not like everybody,” he said looking over to where Bright Feather was dancing with her brother. The woman was still having trouble keeping up.

  "I think I like you already, Mr. Kincaid!" Lijuan exclaimed as he insulted Bright Feather. They continued to dance the waltz, and she found it a pleasant diversion until the dance swept them past Dutch and Bright Feather. Dutch gave her a stony look causing her new-found good spirits to start fading along with the music for the waltz.

  “Thank you very much, Mr. Kincaid, but I think I have had enough of this party,” she told him in her sudden melancholy. He bowed and kissed her hand.

  “It was my pleasure to have met you, Miss Lijuan,” he said effusively.

  Kincaid watched her heading for the door, saw her wave to her brother, but the army officer appeared to ignore the gesture. He turned away with a slight smile. His opportunistic mind was already wondering to what use he could put the apparent discord between family members.

  Outside Lijuan stopped as there was lightning in the sky. She looked up at the heavens, and tears started to flow down her cheeks. A minute later the rain began and poured down on her, mixing with her tears of loss she always felt when she was around her brother and Bright Feather. She forced herself to stifle her sobbing and crossed her arms. Lijuan walked back to the ranch house as more lightning and thunder boomed over her head having no idea she was being observed from the shadowy bushes.

  Several hours passed as Honor rode rapidly across the Arizona landscape but she hardly seemed to notice the passage of time at all. Long had she loved the feel of wind on her face during a ride. It helped her free her mind and think about whatever she pleased. Before leaving Cedar Ledge, she had reluctantly put away her party dress and slipped into one of her everyday dresses, more suitable for riding. The other girls liked to chide her for her proclivity for wearing dresses even though it wasn't always practical. Honor enjoyed all the trappings that came with being a lady, especially a lady born into a family that had gained a comfortable living and reputation through challenging work.

  Honor knew in her heart that there would always be those in the community of Alamieda who would never accept her and the majority of her family as equals. She had conceded that wasn't going to change anytime soon, but that didn't stop her from attempting to forge ahead and assume the role she believed was rightfully hers. She believed that for all practical purposes, she had to be the woman of the house.

  Who else was going to do it, she wondered? Cassandra was often away doing her undercover work for their uncle, the governor of the territory. Lijuan buried herself in the business end of running Cedar Ledge. Cattie was squarely in charge of all things related to the actual physical operation of the Wilde's cattle business. That left Honor as the Dame of the family, and she refused to be anything but excellent at it. The role was made for her.

  Sure, wrangling the ornery Mrs. Chow could be trying, but the rest of the small household staff cheerfully went about their duties in deference to her directions. It did feel a little strange sometimes that she didn’t have any sort of specific work relating to the family’s businesses. Her sisters loved the roles they had, and Dutch had a promising career in the military ahead of him. Even Blue River had recently taken charge of the ranch’s lucrative timber business when the mill supervisor retired.

  Honor had always liked to study and learn different things that caught her attention. Currently, she had taken an interest in telegraphy and using her father's connections; she was being mentored in a couple of the local telegraph offices.
She knew, even with the telegraphy, she would soon lose interest. It was what happened with any new endeavor she became engaged in. None of them in any way ever translated to some type of actual line of work for her to enter. She had a degree from a university for the colored in New York City, but in her mind, it was going to waste. Honor would never admit it to Cassie, but she was immensely thankful for all the adventures her sister dragged the rest of them into. Until she found some clear direction for her life, it kept things interesting, despite the danger.

  No matter how much of a front she put on by complaining during their adventures, Honor relished how alive and vital she felt when the sisters were engaged in their daring for the benefit of a compelling cause. It was her escape from the fair amount of tedium that simply running the ranch house brought with it. She sighed and brought her horse around on the high ground to look back.

  It was impossible to see Alamieda, of course, since it was far over the horizon. Still, in the direction that she knew the town lay, she could see the tiny flashes of light that were probably the thunderstorm she had managed to avoid by leaving Cedar Ledge when she did. Turning her horse, Nina, back around she looked down into the distance at the few lights that burned at this late hour in Godspell.

  Honor remained motionless as her thoughts returned to how the life of adventure the daughters of Half Breed Haven led, came at a cost. Most notably in her case had been her relationship with the man in the distant town that she had come to see. He had made her an offer that forced her to choose between a way of life that she loved and a man she loved. It has been an impossible choice, yet she had made it.

  She gave Nina a tap with her heels and began making her way down the treacherous path, hugging the canyon wall. Years earlier she had been held hostage along with Quillan, Katie and her sisters in an old mine that abutted the canyon. That had been the day she had met the strapping young stagecoach owner. On that day the Wildes had saved not only the Dodges’ business from ruination, but their very lives.