Early in the morning, before sunrise, everyone from Rancho Arroyo met at their wagons and double-checked their gear and supplies and food for the day. Pilar said one last good-bye to her new colt and to Augustino, who met them at the wagons.
“Adios, amigos. See you in a few months, when I bring the new colt to Pilar.”
“Augustino, you are welcome anytime, and we look forward to your visit,” Elizabeth stated proudly from her place on the front bench of one of the wagons. “Adios!”
Everyone waved goodbye to their new friends, and Pedro brought the new colt to the courtyard with his mom, to see his new owners off.
The day was long, hot, and dry. There were few shade trees under which to take breaks, and they pressed on, everyone eager to get home and sleep in their own beds. Elizabeth thought about what she had waiting at home, and hoped fervently that it included not only her own bed, but also a letter from Will. It had been too long, she thought, and she’d been too distracted with the race, and then her new friends, to remember him. Now she found that she couldn’t put her mind to anything else.
They arrived at the gates of Rancho Arroyo after midnight, and found the hands they’d left at home there and ready to help unload the wagons and take the horses. Elizabeth told them that the wagons could wait until morning, but insisted that the horses be rubbed down and cooled off before they went to bed. Putting them to bed hot and sweaty could lead to sickness, and the last thing she wanted after their long journey was fatalities amongst her herd.
She told the hands about the new horse, Capitan, as they worked, and made sure that they put him in a stall far from the others, so that he wouldn’t cause trouble in the night.
“He’s one of Pilar’s prizes for winning the race,” she bragged. “We want to make sure he’s safe and secure, or she’ll be heartbroken.”
“Just one prize?” one of the hands asked, surprised.
“Si, Juan. Another prize, a newborn colt, will be coming when he is old enough and able to travel. He was only days old when we were there.”
The ranch hands looked back and forth between themselves with questions, but decided not to ask tonight. So Elizabeth shared the other good news.
“We also got a box full of gold coins. It’s already in my room, tucked into the safe,” she said with a grin. And with that, she turned, handed her own reins to one of the hands, and walked toward the house. She was tired, and it was time to turn in for the night.
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