When Pilar opened her eyes again, it was very dark out—past midnight, she thought—and they were rumbling through the front gates of what must have been the Vargas ranch. Ahead of her, she could see pasture after pasture in the moonlight, with horses standing here and there, the light reflecting off their shiny coats. In the distance, she saw a field that held dams and foals, the young ones curled up in the grass at their mothers’ feet, and no doubt sound asleep.
On the slight rise in front of them, she saw the ranch house, flanked by several barns. As they drove toward the house, she realized that it was far larger than any of the buildings on Arroyo—even the most massive of the barns. In fact, the Vargas house looked as though it could hold the Arroyo house and its barns, and still have room left over. She gasped quietly. This was, indeed, a rich operation.
And they would have horses to match.
But though her heart quailed a bit at the thought, she straightened her spine and lifted her chin. She and Prince were the fastest pair here. She knew it. She would just have to prove it to everyone else.
When they arrived at the house, a man stepped forward, followed by several ranch hands and women.
“Bienvenido, everyone. Welcome! I am Victor Vargas, Martin’s son. Welcome to my ranch,” he said in a sleepy voice. “I am certain you are tired from your journey, but there are many beds inside. Please, come this way.”
One by one, each person slowly and sleepily climbed down from the wagons or their horses. A couple of the younger children were still asleep, and were passed off to adults already on the ground. Pilar, however, felt wide awake now, and gazed around her, straining to see more of the ranch and its people. She could make out numerous other buildings around them, and heard the sound of horses in the barns, stirring at this new presence.
“Excuse me, Señor Victor, my name is Pilar, and this is my horse, Prince.” She walked to Prince, who was still tied to the back of the wagon. “He is very tired from his long trip, and I’d like to walk him to his barn. Can you show me where that will be?”
Jorge and Victor exchanged quick glances, and Victor smiled at her.
“Señorita, I see you know how to care for your horse. I will be happy to show you where Prince will be staying. Follow me.”
He walked quickly through the courtyard, toward the largest horse barn Pilar had ever seen. Before she knew it she was grinning, her eyes moving up and over the enormous entryway and down the aisles of the structure. There were so many horses inside—in stalls made of stone—that she couldn’t count them. Victor stopped next to the end stall and turned back to her.
“Does this barn meet with your approval, Señorita?” he asked, smiling.
Pilar led Prince into the stall and took his halter off. “Oh yes, yes. It’s magnificent! Prince will be very happy here.”
“Esta bien. But if he doesn’t like this one, there are five more barns that we could show him.”
“Five more?” She stopped in her tracks and stared at him.
“Si, cinco mas. Would you like to see them?”
“Oh, gracias. Maybe tomorrow in the daylight. Can I stay with Prince in his stall until he falls asleep?”
Victor laughed. “I have never met anyone who cared so much for their horse! Certainly, you may.” He gestures to an older man down at the end of the barn, and the man came toward them. “Señor Tomas, this is Señorita Pilar and her horse Prince. They just arrived tonight, and will be staying with us for a few days. Please make sure they are comfortable and have what they need.”
“Si, Señor.” Tomas waved his hand and says, “Bienvenidos, Señorita. I hope you and your family have a wonderful stay here at Rancho Vargas.”
“Gracias, Señor Tomas. Gracias. I know I’ll have a great time. I’m really looking forward to the big race.”
“Excellente, Señorita. Tomorrow, after desayuno, I will personally escort you and your family around the ranch and show you the track. Buenas noches.”
“Buenas noches, Señor Victor. Buenas noches, Tomas,” Pilar murmured, overwhelmed.
Tomas nodded, then turned and walked back to his end of the barn, and Pilar turned to Prince, who was munching on a pile of carrots and apples.
“This is what we should have all the time, isn’t it, Prince?” she asked, laughing and rubbing his nose. “Don’t eat too much. We need to sleep. We have a big job ahead of us.”
She gave the barn around her one last look, shook her head, and then bedded down in the straw at the edge of Prince’s stall, ready to sleep in this wondrous place.
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