Pilar jumped off the fence top, where she has been sitting and talking to young Augustino.
“Will you join me later for a dance, Señorita?” he asked sheepishly.
Pilar makes a mock curtsy in her dusty riding boots and jacket. “The honor would be all mine, Señor.” Then she turned back toward the courtyard, and the food. She’d waited long enough, and was famished. When she arrived, she was glad to see that plenty of food remained, and fixed herself a plate of meat, cheese, soup, and stew. She moved along the tables, slowly picking her choices and remembering what to come back for on her second plate. Before leaving, she grabbed a couple of powdered cookies and a slice of jam cake. Behind her, she heard her mom’s laugh, and turned around to find Elizabeth sitting at a table with several other ladies. They all appeared to be engrossed in what Elizabeth was telling them.
“Hola, Mama!” Pilar shouted, waving her hand as she approached the table.
Elizabeth looks away from her new friends to the voice she recognizes. “Hola, Chica!”
Rita stood up and pulled another chair from a table behind her. Each person shifted to one side to allow space for Pilar to sit down with her food and join the conversation.
Elizabeth stood up and introduced Pilar to each lady. “This is my daughter, Pilar.”
“Join us, Pilar,” offered Rita, directing her to the new chair.
Pilar sat eagerly, ready to eat and listen to whatever story her mother was telling.
*************************
The afternoon turned into evening, and someone walked around and lit up all the lanterns in the courtyard and inside the house. A large fire was started, and a couple of young ladies came out to dance and entertain in their bright dresses. Each started to dance one by one around the fire to the music, and then each lady picked one young man from the crowd to dance with her. The couples danced together for the rest of the song, and then the young men stepped back into the crowd. The ladies danced again by themselves, and then picked another suitor from the crowd. This continued for several songs, until everyone jumped in and picked a partner of their own.
Augustino found Pilar still sitting with her mom and friends. He walked slowly up to the porch, dropped to one knee, and asked Pilar if she would join him in a dance. She put her plate on the table and her hand out, and he led her down the wooden steps and to the courtyard.
One of the ladies sitting next to Elizabeth nudged her slightly and said, with a huge smile on her face, “That’s my grandson that your daughter is dancing with.”
Elizabeth smiled back. “He is very handsome, and a good dancer.”
The grandmother responded with a nod. “He appears to have taken a liking to your daughter. He has good taste, and is also a very good horseman. They seem to have something in common.”
Elizabeth smiled to the compliment, but was soon lost in a dreamy daze of good food and good thoughts and comfort. She was also thinking of Will, and wondering when she would see him again. She hoped that his arm was better, and that he was doing well.
“Señora, would you like to dance?”
Elizabeth looks from the table to see a very tall, handsome man in black pants, shiny black boots, and a clean, white shirt standing in front of her.
“Señora, are you alright? Are you feeling OK?”
Elizabeth blushed slightly, feeling embarrassed about being unaware of someone approaching her.
“I was just lost in thought, and wondering how my ranch was doing and thinking about a friend. This is the first time I have been away from the ranch in many years.”
“Ah. May I introduce myself? My name is Eduardo Sanchez. I am—”
Elizabeth interrupted him politely. “You run the Rancho Adobe about two hundred miles south of here.”
Proudly, and in a deep voice, he said, “I do. You are correct. You are familiar with my ranch?”
“Señor, your ranch has some of the best and strongest horses in all of Northern Mexico, and your family has been in this area longer than the Arroyos.”
“Again, you are correct. At least about the length of the family’s history. The comment about the horses is your opinion, of course, but we are proud of them.”
Elizabeth laughed at this understatement. “Indeed! It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is—”
“Elizabeth Arroyo, and it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I have heard nothing but great things about your ranch, and, obviously, if the race I saw this morning is any indication of your type of horses and children, it is my honor to be in your presence.”
He took Elizabeth’s hand and gently kissed it. “May I escort you to the dance floor for some music and dance?”
Elizabeth let him guide her to where the music was playing, noticing how many people watched them. It was well known—even to her—that Eduardo Sanchez was a wealthy widower, and the fancy of many of the ladies in the area. And she, it seemed, had caught his eye.
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