Rancho Navarro Chapter Ten: A Woman's Prerogative
"Oh, Miz Montoya, this is jest about the purtiest bedroom I ever been in. Ev'rythin's so white an' soft, like goose down or chicken feathers," Charly Converse exclaimed as Carmen showed her to her guest room at Rancho Navarro. The morning after receiving word from her husband that he and Buck were tracking down Charly's rig, Carmen had arranged for a driver to take her to Cajeme where she learned from the doctor that la Señorita Converse could be moved. With that, Carmen gathered up Charly and brought her back to the rancho, refusing to take no for an answer. Now Charly stood gawking at her accommodations and glanced down at the tan men's britches and plaid shirt she wore. "I ain't dressed fit fer this place, ma'am." She shoved her cowboy hat back further on her head and wiped nervous sweat off her brow with the forearm that was not in a sling.
"Carmen. You will please call me Carmen, Charly. And you are dressed fine. However, I may have some things you could wear, if you prefer."
"Naw. You cain't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, Carmen."
"You are not a sow's ear, Charly. You are a very pretty woman."
"Purty? Ha. Well, Buck did tell me I was pretty one time. An' he liked these clothes I'm wearin', too. Said they was what made me diff'ernt. That wuz after Miz Cannon-Victoria-gussied me all up in this real fancy dress, low in the front with all these ribbons an' ruffles. I hadta wear a corset and my, my, my, that was the tightest type o' torture you kin imagine. I could not eat a blamed thing."
"Corsets can be most uncomfortable. I do not wear mine very tight. Too restricting. And your clothes do make you, ah, different: I should have to agree with Buck there," Carmen chuckled. "Still, perhaps I have some things you can wear. You know, Charly, certain riding outfits are feminine but comfortable. Let me show you...here, in this trunk." Carmen opened a foot locker under the window and removed a brown jacket and split skirt. "Mira, this looks like a skirt but it is really more like trousers. Wear this with boots and you will look like a lady who can ride anything."
"Oooh. I ain't never seen such a thing. These ain't yours are they?"
"No, this outfit and the things in this trunk belonged to the mother of my first husband. She died several years ago. I gave away most of her things but some of her riding outfits and a few dresses I kept, to remember her, and because it made me sad to go through them. She was very kind and an excellent horsewoman. Look Charly, here are three riding outfits: tan, blue, brown. Please take them and try them on. She was about your size."
"Oh, I couldn't…"
"Of course you can. My mother-in-law would be so pleased if you would. She has some blouses in here as well to go with them. And even a few dresses. You will see...and you will make Buck Cannon see also."
"Whew, these is nice, real nice. Thank you, Miz Carmen. Thank you very much."
"But first, shall I have the servants draw a bath for you?"
"Oh yes. that'd be right nice."
"And your hair...it is so pretty. I shall help you style it later."
"All right. Jest don't make me look like somethin' I'm not." Carmen pursed her lips and wondered if that were even possible. Then she moved to another subject.
"Buck and you, you have known each other for quite some time? I neglected to ask Manolo to explain the whole story."
"Well, Carmen, Buck an' me, we was fixin' to get married. I was runnin' freight from Tucson to Nogales then, an' Buck knew ol' Fargo, my main driver. This skunk Pardee was tryin' to run me outta business, but Buck an' Mano an' Blue an' the Chaparral boys helped me outsmart that ornery cuss."
"Why did you not get married, Charly? What happened?"
"Oh Carmen, I happened. I was jus' too usedta bein' on my own. We'd a butted heads and argued an' wound up hatin' each other. I was too bossy. I embarrassed him in front of the men."
"Manolo did say something about the fact that you, cómo se dice, that you could pack quite a punch. I think that is how he put it."
"Yeah, that's me. I ain't cut out for no cookin' nor keepin' house. I know freightin', whiskey, an' horses. If there's two things the Irish know, it's whiskey and horses."
"But Charly, my husband and Buck have a horse breeding business now. Perhaps you could help them?" Carmen exclaimed, then paused a moment before continuing. "Do you think you would be willing to give Buck another chance?"
"Carmen, I ain't thought of much else for nigh on two years. The thing is, I don't know if he'll give me another chance."
"And where is he now?"
"Trackin' down my team and the hombres that conked me on the head and stole my shipment."
"Buck would not do this if he did not care for you."
"Well, he did kiss me when he left me at the ho-tel…"
"Do you not see? The man loves you, Charly. You must give him another chance. What have you to lose?"
"How long you an' Mano bin married, Carmen?"
"Oh, almost one month now. And every day I love him more. I never thought I would feel this way about another man after my husband died. But I think of Manolo almost every minute he is away. I do wish they would return soon."
"I been missin' Buck for two years."
"Charly, you do not need to cook or keep house to make Buck happy."
"I don't?"
"No, just be by his side. Listen to him. Love him. As the horse business thrives, you can hire a housekeeper and a cook. He is not marrying a domestic. He wants to marry a partner."
"If he wants to marry at all."
"Well, I say that we get you in a bath...and into some of Señora Navarro's riding clothes. We do something with that hair of yours. We apply some of my cosmetics to your pretty face. Oh, Buck Cannon will want to marry you, all right. Of that I am sure."
"You know, I ain't never had no suitors, no gennelmen interested in me before," Charly said, then added after a pause. "I, uh, I ain't never been with a man."
"Oh, that is something you will discover can be quite pleasant," Carmen smiled. "Much more so than the nuns ever revealed to Catholic schoolgirls like us. Manolo is a gentle and considerate lover. In fact," she paused and her face reddened. She bit her top lip the slightest bit. "I think of him far more in that manner than I would have anticipated."
"Well, you is still on yore honey-moon, ain't ya? That's only nachural."
"I guess so," Carmen continued, regaining her composure. "But do not worry, Charly. You have to be willing and you must also inform Buck about what pleases you. Do not be afraid of this. A lo que vinímos. This is why we are here, Charly! And once he sees you looking like, forgive me, a woman...an attractive woman, he will not be able to resist. You will soon be Mrs. Buck Cannon. If you want to be."
"If I wanna be. Hmmm. I'm thinking mebbe I do, Carmen. But we'll jes see."
"Yes we will."
The day passed in bathing and trying on clothes. After a late lunch, Carmen called for the stable boys to saddle two fine mares and they rode about the property to pass the time. The next day, Delgado showed Charly the stables and barns. Her eyes grew wide at the horses and the equipment. Whoowee, this here's some operation, she thought. Her jaw dropped when she spotted Toronado, the finest stallion she had ever seen. She plied Delgado with endless questions. "La Señorita knows much," the foreman even commented. Her arm soon felt better and she discarded the sling. Carmen and she rode often.
Evenings they passed talking as women talk, but Charly also gave Carmen pointers on poker and blackjack. "You must play Tío Domingo sometime," Carmen laughed. The days waxed and waned, and the women worried. To alleviate the tension, Carmen and the cook tried to show Charly how to make a pie crust, but the lumpy dough and flour on the floor and walls soon convinced them all that la señorita truly had no talent in the kitchen. Still no word came from Mano and Buck. Carmen decided that when Manolo returned, she would make wild and passionate love to him and then she would kill him for making her worry so much.
VKS & MJRod pay tribute to the actors, creator, and writers of "The High Chaparral" with our season 4 continuation. We do claim the creation of Carmen, although we borrowed her name from a David Dortort script proposal. Delgado and the entirety of Rancho Navarro are our creations as well.