Elizabeth Tells Will Her Past as a Child in Georgia (Book One, Chapter Six, Section 1)

Chapter Six

“I was born in Georgia in 1852 outside of Atlanta, in the town of Gainesville.” Elizabeth sighed, remembering the sunshine and joy of that time. “We had a very happy farm, where the family worked. We grew cotton and sugar, as many people did in that area, and raised both mules and horses.” She looked up at the ranch around her and smiled. “That was where I discovered my love for horses, you see.”

Will nodded, understanding. “Then the war happened.”

Elizabeth’s mouth tightened. “Indeed. Before the war, we had worked the farm as a family. My mother, Eliza, and father, Charles, raised my sister, Amanda and me to work the land with our older brothers, Jefferson and Oscar. We learned about the animals and how to raise them, and worked in the gardens with our brothers when we needed to. Our entire family worked – my mother would sing songs of the South for us as we dug and planted, to give us rhythm and happiness. Ours was a large farm, and extremely successful. We were happy. That all changed, of course, when war broke out.

“My father and oldest brother Jefferson went to war when the South left the Union. My mother, sister, brother and I did our best to keep the farm running during that time. People from neighboring farms would come and help, but they were struggling, also. Without my father and brother, though, we could not maintain running the farm. Our crops died in the fields, and we had to cut back our livestock. Before long, we were struggling to just feed ourselves.”

Will was quiet, allowing her to relive the pains of her past.

“My father came back from the war badly wounded. He had lost a foot and part of his right arm, and couldn’t work the fields anymore. He could handle the gentler horses, but only for a short time. He would tire easily. My brother did not return to us at all. He was only nineteen at the time of his death.” Elizabeth stopped and breathed deeply. Even after all this time, with all that had happened, it was difficult for her to think about that time. Her brother had been her world, and losing him – knowing that she would never see him again – had brought an end to her happy childhood and dreams. She had become a serious, brooding girl, prone to loneliness and long bouts of silence. She had also learned to lose herself in the fantasy of the written word, to forget about the pain that the real world brought with it. That love of fantasy had never left her.

“What did you do?” Will prompted gently, putting his hand on Elizabeth’s.

Elizabeth shrugged, her mouth turning up in a wry grin. “We did what many Southern families did at the time. Our world was collapsing around us. The land had been ravaged during the war, our way of life was no longer possible, and there was no money to start over. The area was full of angry people, and would never be the South of our memories. So we picked up and moved on. My mother had a sister in San Antonio, and her husband was relatively well off. They offered us room and board while we got back on our feet. We sold our family farm, got a little money, and came to Texas, to start a new life and try to forget the nightmares of the old.

Will Meets Carmen Who Cares for his Wounds (Book One, Chapter Five)

    Will looked up when he heard the doorknob turn, and adjusted himself in the bed. He had been looking forward to Elizabeth’s visit for most of the morning, and could feel the grin spreading across his face. He had not realized how lonely he was, but the simple act of reciting his story – and finding someone who was both intelligent and willing to listen – had opened his heart. He could feel the joy in his face at the thought of another day talking, and tried to firm his mouth.

When the door opened, though, he saw a stranger at his door. This was not Elizabeth, but a very young girl, no older than fourteen or fifteen. He frowned, wondering at the new presence. Had Elizabeth grown tired of him already? Had something happened? Was she hurt? Was one of the children hurt?

The girl at the door shook her head when he asked, though, and smiled gently. “It is nothing like that, Señor. Some of the sheep have gone missing, and my aunt is the best tracker on our ranch. She has gone to find them.” The girl noted Will’s face, which had fallen with disappointment, and continued. “She sends her very kind regards and deepest apologies, and promises that she will be back later today.”

Will smiled again at this, and asked the girl’s name.

“My name is Carmen,” she answered quietly. “Elizabeth is mi tía, and is very kindly teaching me to be a healer.” She paused. “She knows a great deal about healing, you know, and you are lucky to have her attention. I am learning the uses of the herbs, and how to sew up wounds. I’m also learning how to bandage those wounds.” She held a set of clean rags up, raising one eyebrow, and Will smiled again.

“Ah,” he said quickly. “I should have known. Elizabeth has sent you for the ever-present changing of bandages.”

Carmen smiled, nodding, and moved toward him. They talked as she removed the old bandages from his wounds, and Will was struck at how mature this girl was. She had seen her younger brother attacked by a bear, she said, and had helped her aunt through her grief when her husband failed to return from one of her journeys. The accidents around the ranch had led Carmen to understand the importance of a healer, and she hoped to take over the position at some point, to give her aunt more time for other tasks. This girl had seen much tragedy, Will realized, and could have turned bitter and disappointed. Instead, she was taking what she had been given and was growing. She saw that the world was a violent place, realized that it was in need of healers, and made the decision to move in that direction. Carmen tugged on one of the old bandages at that point, though, and he grimaced as the wound cracked under her ministrations.

Carmen saw the fresh blood and gasped. “Oh, Señor, I am sorry. I didn’t think that the wounds would bleed again.” She blotted at the wound with a clean rag, stemming the flow of blood, and looked up to his face. Instead of worrying, he saw that her mouth was turned up in a smile. “This is a good thing, though, this blood. The wound bleeds cleanly, which means that you are healing. It means that there is no infection.”

Will looked down at the wound, pleased that it was healing properly, and spoke quietly. “You have seen wounds go bad, then?”

She nodded, looking down at her work. “I have. It is not a good thing. You are lucky to have clean wounds, Señor."

After Carmen had dressed Will’s wounds, she moved around the room to tidy things up, and went to fetch him some food. She was to be his companion for the day, she told him, and would keep him company until Elizabeth returned. As she left, Will felt his mouth turning up in an answering smile. He had truly made an important friend in Elizabeth. Even when she was called away on an emergency, she had made sure that he would have food, clean bandages, and company.

Will Becomes Sheriff and Devises a Plan to Catch the Gomez Gang (Book One, Chapter Four)

Chapter Four

“When I arrived in Roma, I met the sheriff there – Sheriff Daniel Graham. He sat down with me and said that he had been close friends with Ed Hayes, as they’d worked together in the past, and had talked to him about me. Sheriff Hayes had told him that I’d worked in the courthouse and liked to look into the details of the cases. Sheriff Graham had taken that to heart and realized that he could use a mind like that – an investigator, if you will. Before I got there he gathered the files from past and present cases for me, so that I could study their process, and perhaps help with cases that were still open.”

The man had been very forthcoming, and had let Will in on all the details of the sheriff’s office. Many of the cases Will saw were solved long ago, while some concerned criminals and outlaws currently sitting in the jail. Will didn’t see anything that looked overly complex and thought that he would find the job very straightforward. When it came to one particular case, though, the sheriff had become very serious, and even reticent.

“He told me that he wanted to talk to me about the Gomez Gang. They had been causing a lot of trouble in the area, and he wanted to get them safely into a jail, to protect the citizens of the area. That was the first time I had heard of Pedro Gomez and his gang. Sheriff Graham was very intent, so I could tell that this group was something I needed to focus on. 

“He explained to me that the Gomez Gang was a Mexican gang, but came up into Texas regularly to rob American stagecoaches, trains, and banks. They were also responsible for attacking travelers on the roads between towns, and killing those who didn’t turn over their valuables. The gang had the locals scared to death about traveling from town to town, and those who lived on isolated ranches were in particular danger. Many of the ranchers had responded by hiring their own guards for protection. Since Roma was so close to the Mexican border, the town had more trouble with the Gomez Gang than most others. Over the last three years, many people had been killed in the gang’s robberies and mischief.

“I asked about the Mexican government and their involvement in the case, and the sheriff told me that the gang fled down into Mexico after each robbery, taking shelter in the valleys and caves around the Rio Grande. The Mexican government was disorganized and decentralized, and of little help regarding tracking or catching the gang. The sheriff didn’t believe that they, the Mexican government, had any real interest in finding the gang. Texas authorities, of course, weren’t allowed to cross the border after the gang. In this way, the gang was allowed to escape each time.”

Will Moves to Texas to Become a Ranger (Book One, Chapter Three, Section 2)

         “I finally arrived in Austin in the fall of 1873. I located the people Alex knew, introduced myself, and settled in. One of the families was kind enough to offer me a room and board, given my connections. They pointed me toward the Texas Rangers office, and I made my way there immediately."

  The Rangers office had not been what he’d expected. Instead of a room full of cowboys, he’d found a neat front office, complete with desk, bookshelves, and a sitting area. Behind the desk sat a young man, a few years older than Will himself, dressed smartly in a tweed coat and tie. Beside him sat a neat bowler hat.

        “I told him that I wanted to be a Texas Ranger, I showed him my letter, and he nodded,” Will told Elizabeth. “No one jumped out to offer me a badge and gun, as I’d expected. Instead, he told me that he would set me up with an appointment for an exam. I was told to come back the next morning.”

“You must have been extremely disappointed,” Elizabeth observed.

Will nodded. “I was, but I knew that I was following my destiny. You must also remember that this was my first time out of Boston, and in Texas. I was so excited to be in a new town that I could barely contain myself. I spent the entire day – and most of the night – exploring the town, meeting new people, and getting into trouble. I even believed that I fell in love with a girl, that day,” Will finished, smiling to himself. He glanced up at Elizabeth, blushing. “I was very young, and impressionable. The entire world looked new to me, and bright with possibility. The family I stayed with must have thought that I was crazy. The next day, though, I marched back into the Texas Rangers office, ready for my exam.”

Will' Grows up in Boston (Book One, Chapter Three, Section 1)

        Will glanced around the courtyard as the man set him down, noting that the ranch was a thriving enterprise. The courtyard measured at least 75 feet in each direction, and acted as the centerpiece for the ranch buildings. There were corrals – filled with young horses – across the yard from where they sat, and buildings on both sides. The courtyard itself was made of bricks, laid into the ground, and built to last through the ages.

“Your ranch is beautiful,” he noted quietly, taking in the number of people moving through the buildings and working with the horses. “Tell me more about it, then I will tell you my story.”

        “The ranch is over 100 years old,” Elizabeth started. “It was built by my husband’s great grandfather, Alfonso Arroyo and his wife Louisa. The bricks you see before you were brought in by hand, and laid out one by one.” She pointed to the opposite corner of the courtyard, where the brick ended. “The last brick in that corner holds a number of initials. When you are able to walk, I will show you. Initials were added for each of their children, and then each of their children’s spouses. We add new initials every time a child is born.”

        She paused, thinking. “That brick is growing quite full, now. I believe that we will have to start a new one soon.” She turned to Will smiling, and he smiled back. “The building to our right is the main ranch house, where my family lives. We added the second story many years ago, as the family was outgrowing the original house.” She pointed to the building next to it. “That is the traveler’s house, where we house any guests. Behind you is the hands’ house, where you are staying. The other buildings, but for the barn, are the houses of various other family members.”

Will nodded, looking around him, and looked toward the corral in front of him. He heard children laughing in the distance, and turned back to Elizabeth. “Are those the children who saved me?”

Elizabeth laughed. “Oh no, those are the children of my brother-in-law and his wife. Pilar and Santiago are much older, at 11 and 12. They are in the house now, with their teacher.”

Will looked back toward the main house. “I would very much like to meet them,” he said softly. “I owe them a large debt of gratitude.”

Elizabeth nodded, understanding. “I will bring them out when they are finished with their schoolwork. Now, since I have brought you breakfast, I believe you owe me a story.” She handed him a plate of rice, beans, and eggs, and told him to eat. 

As he took his first bite of the rich food, Will cast his memory back to the place where his life had started, and told her his story.

“I was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1849.” He sighed, remembering a lonely childhood. “I never knew my mother. She died just a couple days after my birth, when she was only 20. She had been married to my father for less than a year.”

Joseph Austin had been several years older than his bride, but he always said that Olive Perkins was the most beautiful girl in town, and had caught his eye when she turned 16. He, in turn, had been from one of the most established families in Boston, and the owner of one of the oldest general stores. It had been a perfect match.

 “They met when my mother came into the store as a customer, and fell in love immediately. My father proposed within months. They moved in with my father’s parents, who had a house a few blocks away from the store.”

Will and Elizabeth Meet on Rancho Arroyo (Book One, Chapter Two, Section 1)

        Will awoke cold and confused. He had no idea where he was or how he came to be there, though he felt both exhausted and weak, as though he had traveled a long distance. He turned his head to the side, seeking some clue about his location, and saw light streaming in through a window on the other side of the room. Indoors. He was in a room somewhere. The room was clean but sparsely furnished, with a table and set of chairs near the window. He was in a bed. There was an unknown woman sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, and he could not sit up.

He tried again to move, but stopped when he felt a sharp pain shooting from his left leg up through his right shoulder. He grunted in pain and fell back against the bed. Something was very wrong with his body. Moaning, he tried again. He was in unfamiliar surroundings, without a clue about how he arrived there, and it wasn’t safe for him to stay in this bed. It wasn’t safe for him to be at such a disadvantage. What if these people weren’t his friends? What if danger came through the door? He needed to be up and moving, ready for whatever came his way. He didn’t know how he’d come here, but he could remember that there had been danger, and recently. Something had been wrong, and he had been scared the last time he was awake.

Suddenly, though, the woman was at his side, no doubt roused by his struggles to rise.

“Hush, now,” she said, pushing him back down on the bed. “It isn’t safe for you to move. You’ve been hurt, and you’ll tear the stitches I put in.”

Will sank back onto the bed, registering the increased pain in his thigh and shoulder and trying to process what she had said. “Where am I?” he mumbled.

The woman smiled kindly. “You are on my family’s ranch.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Elizabeth Arroyo,” she answered quietly.

Will frowned, thinking. That name was familiar. Did he know her? Had she been his friend once, or had her husband helped him at some time? He tried to track the thought but had trouble focusing through the pain in his shoulder, and put the idea away for another time.

  “What is your name?” the woman was asking.

He thought briefly, forcing his mind to function. His head was terribly sore, as though he’d been drinking for weeks, and didn’t want to work the way it should. "Will,” he remembered suddenly. “My name is Will Austin." 

“Will Austin. Welcome. You are on my family’s ranch outside the town of Santa Maria, about 50 miles south of the border. You have been here for two days.”

Pilar and Santiago Bring a Wounded Man Back to the Ranch (Book One, Chapter One, Section #2)

            Pilar galloped ahead of the wagon on her horse, rushing toward the ranch. She was the faster rider, and had ridden ahead of her brother and the wagon to warn her mother and the other ranch hands about the situation. Carrying the American to the wagon had been very hard work, and she was already exhausted. She pressed on, though, fearing for the man’s life. Fearing for the possible consequences of his death. Santiago rattled along behind her, driving the wagon at a slower pace to avoid harming the already injured man.

Before long she was at the outskirts of the ranch, flying past the outbuildings, the barn, and the corrals where they held the horses. This was a large, well-established horse ranch, and took up over 500 acres on its own. Normally she found the size to be a benefit – it kept strangers away from the house at the center, and gave her plenty of areas to find privacy. Today, though, the ranch’s size was a detriment. She put her heels to her mare’s sides, asking for more speed, and began to scream for her mother.

“Mama! Mama! Necesito! Necesito!” she shouted, her eyes flying over the courtyard that served as the center of the ranch. Her mother ran the ranch with other members of her husband’s family, and had years of experience in treating injured people. She would save the American they had found. But where would she be at this time of day? Pilar hauled her horse to a stop and jumped to the ground, turning in a circle as she called.