Chapter 2
Moneta Esperon lead her horse to the shallow edge of the pond and allowed it to drink as she tried to catch her breath. Behind her Diego trotted up on his own horse looking no worse for ware despite impromptu race they just partook in.
"You cheated," Diego scolded, mockingly. Moneta gave him one of her most charming smiles.
"Why, Diego I did nothing of the sort. Your horse must have been tired." In truth, she did spur her mount on, giving her a small head start but she wasn't going to admit to that.
Diego steered his own mount to the pond, stroking the stallions neck as he drank. Moneta took the opportunity to study her riding companion. Standing over six feet tall with broad shoulders, he cut an impressive figure and it didn't hurt that he was extremely handsome and well read.
Moneta suppressed the urge to shake her head. Diego confused her; since his return from Spain he has changed so much, favoring music and poetry over the sword he loved so much as a child.
Many of the girls who would fawn over him before his time in Spain now turned up their noses in scorn at the man they considered too cowardly to wear a sword but Moneta didn't mind. She admired Diego for his ability to be who he was in spite of the ridicule he faced.
"There is one more place I wish to see," Diego said, helping Moneta back into the saddle. "It's not too far from here." Moneta wasn't even going to pretend like she didn't know what he was doing. Ever since the horrid affair with Emissary Basilio, she hasn't been herself.
She didn't mourn Basilio's death and in a way she was happy he was gone but that also contributed to her problem. Was she so cold that she could feel nothing for a man's death, even one as callous as Basilio?
She thought she was doing a good job of hiding her melancholy but when Diego showed up this morning with an invitation to go riding, her father all but pushed her out the door and she knew she hadn't been doing a good job of hiding it at all.
Diego hadn't asked her what was wrong or pushed her to talk and for that she was glad. She didn't want to admit her feelings out loud; she felt guilty for even thinking about them. But she had to admit, her time with Diego has lifted her spirts more than she could have hoped.
Diego watched Moneta from the corner of his eye, happy to see her smiling again. He knew all too well the turmoil she was facing and knew it did both of them some good to spend some time together, even if neither one of them were willing to share their troubles.
Diego knew he had nothing to do with Basilio's death. The man was foolish to be seen wearing Zorro's costume when he had ordered his lancers to kill him. But he still could help but feel guilty at the reilef he felt when he had been told of his passing. With Basilio's death the secret of Zorro's identity remained a secret.
They rode in comfortable silence as Diego lead them along a familiar path to Miguel Roverto's rancho. The sound of hammers against nails greeted them as the small wooden house came into view. Miguel sat on top of the roof, hammering away at a board, unaware of their arrival.
Miguel's home had burnt down a few months before hand during a drought. The small amount of rain they had then had done little to help them now. Diego just hoped they could avoid any situations like they had before, until the rains came.
"It's coming along beautifully, Miguel," Diego said, causing Miguel to glace up from his work.
"Buenos dias, Don Diego," Miguel called down from where he sat. "And to you senorita."
"We were out for a ride and wanted to stop in to see how you were coming along." Miguel looked at the little house he had built with pride in his eyes.
"A few more days at the most and it will be completed. It has been a long, hard road but I made it."
"And you deserve it," Diego said with a smile.
After bidding Miguel farewell, Diego and Moneta returned to the Esperon hacienda.
"I had a wonderful time," Moneta said as they dismounted. A groom came to take her horse back to the stables.
"The pleasure was all mine," said Diego, his voice deepening. His eyes flicked to her lips for the briefest of seconds, wondering what it would be like to kiss those lips and hold her in his arms.
He reigned in that line of thought rather quickly. When had his thoughts about Moneta taken such a turn? She had always been such a dear friend to him. Tagging along on adventures when they were children, often to the disapproval of both their parents. But recently he has seen her more than just a friend; he saw her as a woman and a beautiful one at that. He just wasn't sure what to do about it yet.
For the moment, he settled for taking her hand and placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles, away of the fact that her father was watching them from the window.
"Adios, Moneta." Diego gave a short bow, letting his eyes flick to her lips again. Maybe next time.
He mounted his horse and returned to the de la Vega hacienda.
Miguel placed a kiss on the forehead of his sleeping son, smoothing his hair back as he did so. It warmed his heart to know his son would grow up safe, in a home that belonged to them.
Miguel knew that he was not leaving his son much. He would never own a hacienda or have dozens of servants but he would be his own master and care for his own orchard, not have to work for another man from sun up to sun down the way he had and that was all that mattered.
Glancing one last time at the sleeping boy, Miguel quietly closed the door and walked by candle light to the room where he knew his wife would be waiting for him.
He had barely made it into the room and set down the candle when a pair of strong arms grabbed him from behind. A short blade pressing against his throat stalled any protest he was about to make.
Across the room he could see his wife sitting up in bed, tears staining her cheeks as another man stood behind her, softly caressing her hair.
"Senor Roverto, it is nice of you to finally join us."
"Who are you?" Miguel asked, his voice barely straining above a whisper. "What do you want?"
"I am Juan Carlos Esparza and you senor, you are going to help me."
"Why should I help you?" In a flash, Esparza whipped a hidden knife out from under his sleeve and pressed it against the woman's cheek.
"No, don't! Rosa!" Miguel struggled vainly to free himself. "I'll do as you ask. I will. Just please senor, don't hurt her." Esparza smiled, slipping the knife back into his sleeve.
"That's more like it. It's good to know you are a man of reason." Esparza came to stand in front of Miguel.
"Now, to business. You, Senor Roverto are going to help me catch the black fox, Zorro."
