by Dan Sears
Ophelia looks into the eyes of this quiet man and says, “Daniel Mesa, you are welcome at this house any day. I think I can speak for Napal and the girls when I say think of this as your second home.”
Daniel Mesa just looks at the two of them and smiles and says thanks.
Mardi and Amelia grab Mesa and give him a big hug and a kiss, saying, “That is for Sonia and for us. Thanks for finding the ones responsible for her death. It took a lot out of you, we know, but you kept your promise, and we will never forget it. You have friends in the family for life. Now we have a dinner party planned for you, so don’t get all bashful on us. Get rested and get ready for a hot time in the old town tonight.”
“I’d like to go riding out there for a while,” Dan says. “Will you loan me a horse for a few hours? I will be back.”
He saddles a roan and rides out, remembering to take along his pistol.
As he rides, he spies a lone coyote and says, “Old fella, I sometimes wish I was you, and then I would just run free with no worries.”
Mesa rides on, enjoying the cool air on his face. Suddenly, the smell of Chanel No. 5 is present. He slows down to a walk and looks around carefully. He rounds a bend, and there sitting on a log is Monica Saint Jacque.
“Lady, you do appear in some of the strangest places. What brings you out here?”
“I came to see you. I knew you’d be riding in this direction. Dan, you kept your promise, and I thank you for that. I will always be there looking out for you. The big guy is worried about you. You need to take it easy for a while.” Suddenly, Monica becomes Sonia, and she smile at him. “Yes, it is me, and yes, I know it is confusing, but just accept the fact that some things are not to be understood but just accepted. I love you now as always.”
In a flash she is gone. Mesa feels a touch of sadness.
A voice says, “Don’t be sad. I need you to smile and remember me as I was.”
He rides on until he reaches a creek. He stops and waters the horse. He takes out his pipe and smokes it. Then he rides on at a gallop.
Two hours later, he is back at the ranch. He unsaddles the horse and brushes him down, whispering softly to the horse. He gives him water and some grain and hay.
Mesa goes inside and takes a long hot bath and dresses for dinner in black slacks, a soft beige shirt, black boots, and a white hat. When he walks into the family room, several guests have arrived but no one he knows, so he finds the coffee and pours a cup.
A voice says, “Tis a grand thing they be doing for you. I am happy to be here in honor of you. My boy you don’t know it yet, but there are better times in store for you.”
Mesa turns to see a very big gentleman wearing a collar.
“I am Father Bishop of Holy Trinity Catholic Church,” he introduces himself. “I’ve known the Perdenales families since the girls were born. Sonia was a special person as are Mardi and Amelia. Sonia had a way of making you smile in spite of yourself. Tis a rare gift she had. There I go, talking incessantly again.”
“Hello, Father,” Mesa says. “It is my pleasure to meet anyone who was a friend of Sonia’s. She did have that rare gift of bringing sunshine wherever she went. For a short time, she brought sunshine into my life.”
Amelia sees Father Bishop and goes over to say hello.
“Well, I see the two of you have met,” Amelia says. “That is good and as it should be. Father Bishop is somewhat psychic; He has known about you from the very first meeting between you and Sonia, and he approved of you. It seemed as if God had other plans for both of you.”
Father Bishop smiles and says, “Young lady, I am not psychic. I am just blessed with a sense of understanding what people need. Yes, I did approve of the two of you,” he says to Mesa. “But sometimes the boss has a different plan for us. I do know that she loved you, Dan, and I know how you felt about her. Now, I also know that you have a hair-trigger temper, and you must learn to control it. Stop blaming yourself for what happened. It was not your fault, and there isn’t anything you could have done to prevent it. What happened is the fault of Antonio Blackbear, and he will answer to a higher power. Daniel Mesa, you still have a life to live, so get started living it, because that is what she wants you to do. That I have on very good authority.”
Father Bishop smiles and walks away to join another group.
Amelia looks at Mesa and sees that lone wolf look in his eyes.
“Dan, what do you plan to do now? You can’t just cut yourself off from the world. You are a great guy, and there is still happiness for you if you go and look for it. Sonia was my sister, and I loved her dearly; I know she would want you to be happy. You have to find a way of moving on. We will always be here for you.”
Mesa knows Amelia is right but deep down in the recesses of his mind he still thinks of what would have happened if he had done things differently.
He decides to sample the food. Ophelia has baked his favorites: banana nut bread and bread pudding with vanilla sauce. The coffee is excellent and has a strong aroma. He finishes the coffee and walks out to the horse corral and lights his pipe. He stands smoking and watching the horses. He is deep in thought, but he is instantly aware that someone is approaching. He moves to a position so that he may see anyone approaching. Ophelia brings him another cup of coffee laced with brandy.
“I thought you could use this,” she says. “Dan, what do you plan to do with your life? I know you won’t give up the rangers and I don’t want you to. But when I look into your soul, I see much torment, and a man like you needs some peace in his life. You have avenged Sonia’s murder. Now what do you do with all that pent-up anger? I am worried about you. I just want you to be happy, and I know she’d want the same thing. You still see and talk with her, don’t you?”
Mesa smiles a weak smile and says, “Yes, ma’am, I do. I don’t know why, but every time I find myself in danger she is there to warn me. I listen, and I am saved. Suddenly, there is the smell of Chanel No. 5 and she is there, but she isn’t always wearing her own face. There is this other person who appears, but somehow I know they are the same. I guess you must think I am crazy. Sometimes I think I have lost my mind, but then she is there and I know better.”
“Daniel Mesa, you are not crazy, because we experience the same thing around here. We all know when she is present because we sense the strong smell of Mexican coffee and apple pie. I know my baby is present. It is comforting in a way,” she says. “You still did not answer my question and that is what do you plan to do with your life now?”
“I will go on being a ranger and trying to protect the innocent. It is what I do. As for my private life, I just don’t know. I have lots of female friends, but it isn’t the same. Sonia was special, and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be with. I promise I will try to be as happy as I can. If it is okay with you guys, I’d like to come by from time to time. I like all of you, and this ranch is very peaceful.”
“You are always welcome here. What are you doing for Christmas?”
“I am going home to see my mom and visit with my brothers, but come New Year’s Eve, I will be back.”
Mesa returns home to Nogales to prepare for his trip to see his mother. He has not spent much time in Louisiana these last five years. He arrives in town, visits old friends, and spends days with his mom, brothers, and sisters. To his nieces and nephews, he is something of a hero. To his mom, he is just a little boy, still playing cowboys and Indians. He enjoys the holidays, but he knows he must return and face the future, such as it is.
Meanwhile things are moving fast back in Tucson, and the changes surprise Sergeant Dan Mesa.
When Mesa arrives back in Nogales, he checks in with the major.
“Sir, I decided to check in and see how things are going.”
“Sergeant, I am glad to see you, but what I have to tell you isn’t easy. Alana and her mother left tow
n. Their lawyer came by and left this package for you. Alana called and said good-bye. She told me to tell you not to try to find them. In time, they will find you. I think you’d better open this package.”
Mesa slowly opens the package, which contains several legal papers and documents. One document in particular reads:
We, Matilda Osborne and Alana Osborne, leave our ranch located in Yuma, Arizona, for Daniel Mesa to oversee in our absence. If anything should happen to us, the ranch is to become the personal property of Daniel Mesa. We, being of sound mind and body, do affix our names to this document in the presence of witnesses. There is one stipulation: Daniel Mesa must agree in the presence of witnesses to never try to find us. If he does, this document becomes null and void.
As Mesa reads the papers, the major notices a change in Mesa’s face. That old wolf demeanor returns, and his friend becomes what he feared all along. How can a man with so many people who respect him and like him be so alone?
“Dan, what do you plan to do? Are you going to sign the document and accept the stipulations?”
“Yes, sir. I will sign it. It is what they want, and I won’t stand in their way. I wish that I could have been here. There were so many things I wanted to apologize for.”
Mesa signs the document, and Major Johnson witnesses it along with Sergeant Bonefacio Hernandez who has been standing by observing. Mesa walks away into the night.
In an apartment in Tucson, the girls are gathered around Marilyn’s bed, and all eyes are filled with tears.
Marilyn speaks in a weak voice, “It has been grand knowing you guys. Please don’t cry for me. I’ve had a good life, and this is just the beginning. Now promise me you will not fall apart. Also, no more banks. I want your promise.”
“We promise to go straight, and we also promise to visit you often.”
Dr. Burke walks into the room and ushers the girls out.
“Marilyn how are you feeling at this moment?” he asks.
“Doctor, I don’t hurt anymore. I am at peace. Thanks for everything you did for me. I guess sometimes it just has to be this way. Tell the girls good-bye for me. I love them all.”
Suddenly, she is gone. Dr. Burke becomes very sad, and he knows why. He has seen too much death and hurt in his life. He walks out of the room with gloom.
Susan, Jane, and Sophia are crying softly as they look into Dr. Burke’s face.
“She is gone,” he says. “She said to tell you that she loved you all dearly and good-bye.”
The girls are sad and they lean on each other for support as they leave the hospital. They must contact Marilyn’s parents. When they arrive at Jane’s place, Susan places a call to Marilyn’s parents.
Funeral arrangements are made for Marilyn for after New Year’s.
In Yuma at the Osborne’s’ ranch, Daniel Mesa is watching the sun set over the desert. He remembers the faces of Matilda and Alana. He especially remembers how much hatred Alana had for him the last time he saw her. A tear rolls down his cheek though he is unaware of it.
Epilogue
Mesa awakens to what he thinks is December in the present day and walks outside, but it is a strange day. It is not the present. It is the year 1904, and it is approaching Christmas. He rushes back inside and looks into the mirror. He discovers he is still Daniel Mesa, but he looks different. He is wearing brown jeans and a faded green shirt with a star pinned to his chest. He is carrying an old .44 single-action revolver.
Another ranger walks in and says, “Dan, the captain wants to see you right away, something about a bank in Tucson that was robbed and the teller killed.”
Mesa walks into the room and sees a familiar face. It is Colonel Grant, but he is not Colonel Grant. He is Captain Josiah Grant.
“Sergeant Mesa, I want you to go to Tucson to investigate that bank robbery. The robbers were the Russell brothers. There are five of them, and they have hit banks as far east as San Antonio. I want them stopped.”
Mesa saddles up his horse and heads out to Tucson. The terrain is totally different. He is trying to get used to his new surroundings when suddenly there is a fragrance that is familiar to him.
A familiar voice calls out, “Hey, ranger, wait a minute.”
He turns, and there is Sonia.
“Yes, ma’am, what can I do for you?”
“I am Monica Saint Jacque, and I am the editor of the Nogales Sentinel. I would like to accompany you to Tucson to cover that bank robbery. I spoke with Captain Grant, and he said it was up to you whether I go or not. So, what is your opinion?”
Mesa is aware that all this must be a dream, but he plays his hunch.
“Ma’am, I don’t mind you going along, but are you aware that it is a sixty-mile trip, which is rough enough for a man on horseback but even more so for a lady?”
“Yes, I am aware of the distance, but I have a spring wagon, and that will make it a bit easier, but I am willing to take the chance. I am a crack shot with rifle or pistol.”
She smiles at Mesa, and his face lightens up a bit.
Mesa looks at the lady for a moment and smiles, saying, “Okay, you can come along. Do you need help with your wagon and supplies?”
“No, it is packed and ready to go. I packed with the hope that you’d say yes. I didn’t want to hold you up.”
“Lady, I like the way you think about things. If you will get your wagon, I will wait here for you. It is cold, so I hope you have dressed for the trip. I have coffee and some beans and bacon. I’m not much of a cook, but I get by.”
“I’m a great cook, and I’ve brought along enough food to last for the trip. I even brought along some doughnuts. The captain said you have a taste for them. He thinks very highly of you.”
“Ma’am, your face is very familiar. It is like a blast from the past or a blast from the future.”
The Author
I thank you for buying this novel and reading it. Someone once said “you should write about things and situations you are familiar with.” I write about things and people I am familiar with. I hope you will continue to read about the characters in this novel. There are other books on the horizon about Dan Mesa. It is a joy to develop the character of each person in the novels. As a retire Air Force Officer and now a retired teacher, I find I have a lot to write about. Best wishes.
Dan Sears
