Through it all, I prided myself on remaining objective, never developing anything resembling romantic feelings towards any of the men John took in. Everything changed on January 6th, 1876.

I was doing mundane household chores when John came home from town, bringing with him a dark-skinned boy about my age.Tangled black hair flowed almost to his shoulders, an eagle feather tied in it. My respect for John doubled; not many people would take in Indians. It was true that I was half-Indian and had been living with John for two years, but being willing to house more than one Indian was just unheard of.

"I met this fine young man in town this morning," said John. "As we're short of help to take the cattle to winter grazing, I offered him work."

I felt a tug on my heartstrings as I looked closer at the boy. He was shivering violently and he was much too thin.

John took me aside and explained the boy's story. He was from the Navajo reservation, Red Sand Creek. Murphy and Company had purposely sent rotten meat to the tribe. The boy rounded up a few friends to trade in town for food, but the townspeople shot his friends. When he returned home, he found his entire family murdered in the snow.

I was shaking with suppressed rage by the time John finished his story. John added that he'd caught the boy just as the boy was preparing to stab Murphy in the heart. I certainly didn't blame him; in fact, I wished he'd succeeded.

John said, "The boy is in your charge. Take care of him," before disappearing to his study.

I turned to the boy with a kind smile on my face. "My name is Serena Riddle. What's yours?"

"J-J-Jose Chavez y Chavez," he stammered through chattering teeth.

"Encantado, Jose," I said, stoking up the fire.

I excused myself to put on a pot of chamomile tea. While it brewed, I went in the living room to sit with Jose. I looked out the window and admired the piebald war pony drinking from the trough.

"That's a beautiful horse," I said. "What's her name?"

"Sparks. Sparks Flying." Jose replied.

After a time sitting in total silence, the teapot began to whistle. I went in the kitchen to take it off the heat. I poured a bit into two mugs and collected two apples from the fruit bowl. John ordinarily had a strict rule about not snacking between meals, but since this boy obviously hadn't eaten in quite a while, I supposed that rule wouldn't apply to him.

Jose suspiciously sniffed the mug I handed to him. I supposed he'd learned to treat anything a white person offered him with extreme caution. He somehow managed to drink all the scalding tea in one gulp. Not more than ten minutes went by before he passed out on the sofa. I tucked a blanket around him so he would stay warm. Unable to stop myself, I tenderly ran my fingers through his hair.

I spent the next few hours in the process of cooking supper. I worried the noise the heavy dishes made as I set them on the table would wake Jose, but he slept on. Suddenly, the front door banged open. Jose woke with a start, holding a large knife before him.

Dick, Doc, Steve, and Charley stepped inside, carrying a large pile of firewood. Their heads turned as one toward Jose.

"What's that breed doing here?" asked Dick, eyeing Jose with distaste.

"He ain't a breed. He's a greaser," argued Charley.

"He could be a greaser and a breed," Doc reasoned.

"I hate greasers." grumbled Steve. "And I hate breeds worse."

I could hardly believe the stupidity on the part of the boys. They were insulting Indians when they knew damn well my father had been Apache.

'Had been?' I thought. 'Why did I think that? For all I know, my father is still alive and well.'

Shaking myself out of my musings, I sternly reprimanded them for talking that way, brandishing my rolling pin for effect. Then I turned around and said sweetly, "It's gettin' near to suppertime, Jose. Would you care to join us at the table?" He shook his head slightly. "Are you sure?" I inquired. "You look like you're hungry."

"You no can trick me into eat poisoned food," Jose said firmly.

Steve started to laugh his irritating donkey-like laugh. I glared at him. "Just laugh it up, jackass," I muttered under my breath.

"Did you just call me a jackass?" Steve snapped. When I didn't answer, he got in my face, so close I could smell the tobacco he was chewing. He grabbed my upper arm and repeated himself. "Did you call me a jackass!"

"Take your hand off me," I said in a warning voice.

"You called me a jackass!" he yelled. "My ma's the only one can call me a jackass!"

"Nice family you got," I said coolly. "I'll ask you again: Let go of me."

Steve refused to let go. Before I could take a swing at him, someone else punched him in the jaw, sending Steve sprawling on the sofa. It was Jose. His brown eyes were blazing with fury.

"Leave the lady alone, pendejo," he said.

"What the hell did you call me!" spat Steve.

"Dear me, what seems to be the matter?" said a deadly calm voice. It was John.

"Serena called me a jackass, Mr. Tunstall," whined Steve.

"Serena, we've been over this before," John said lightly. "A gentlewoman should never stain her lips with cursing." He looked at the clock and rubbed his hands together. "I believe it's time for you chaps to wash up for supper."

For the first time in my memory, we skipped the saying of Grace and started to eat right away. Jose hardly touched his plate, which worried me a bit. I reassured myself he would come around eventually.
--------
Jose, who after a while asked to be called by his surname, spent much of the next few weeks with me. It was my responsibility to teach him to speak better English so that he could participate in the nightly newspaper readings. While Chavez struggled to master his lessons, the two of us communicated using a bastard mix of Spanish, our native tongues, and sign language.

We became very close during that time. Even once he no longer needed tutoring, Chavez remained my constant companion. I was one of the few people with whom he was really comfortable. Chavez was always there when I needed help or just someone to talk to; he also saw it as his job to protect me. The feeling that comes from having a truly outstanding friend was new to me, but I liked it.