About two days later, we reached the little border town of Juarez. A woman grinding corn spotted us and called toward the nearest house. "Mira! Mira! El Chivato! El Chivato! El Chivato y Furioso Criba!" Townspeople began to flood into the square, chanting our names over and again. I grinned and sat up a little straighter in the saddle. The children gaped at Storm Cloud. It was doubtful they'd ever seen a horse like that before.
"Hola. Como estas?" said Billy, tipping his hat to some of the ladies.
The girls giggled and blushed in response. Some men hauled buckets of water out to our horses, who buried their noses in them at once. I glanced back at the other members of our gang, who looked confused. They were used to being welcomed into town with bullets and death threats; these people were treating us like heroes.
The children swarmed Billy and I, chattering rapidly in Spanish. The gist of it was they wanted to ride our horses. I didn't see harm in leading each of them around a few times, so I lifted the first child who'd asked onto Storm's back. The kids bubbled with joy, unable to believe they were riding a horse that belonged to a real live outlaw.
After the kids were through, the men tied our horses to the hitching post at the cantina and pressed bottles of tequila and whiskey on us. I decided the thing I wanted most was a hot bath and set off to find one. A hand shot out of a rickety wooden building to grab my wrist. A Mexican woman pulled me inside the place, where a tub of hot water was already waiting.
"Mirada al estado usted; usted es asqueroso," she fussed. "Debo limpiarle antes de que la fiesta comience." (Look at the state of you; you're filthy. I must clean you up before the fiesta begins).
The woman practically tore my clothes off and shoved me into the tub. She bustled off and returned with a dress in her arms. It was of traditional Mexican style with short, puffy sleeves and long, full skirt. I thanked her warmly. She told me her name was Manuela, left a towel and a cake of soap with me, and exited the building.
I rubbed my arms vigorously with the soap, nearly taking skin off in places. Then I leaned back in the tub to relax. The hot water soothed my muscles, which were aching from endless days of riding. I dozed off briefly before the sound of splashing woke me up. Suddenly, I heard Billy's voice.
"You comfy in there, 'Rena?"
I gasped and yanked the towel so it covered the tub, making sure Billy couldn't see anything but my head. Billy was sitting in the bathtub next door to mind, totally naked and not caring if I saw everything he owned. I fought to keep my face straight and eyes on his. Then Billy turned to Doc and began dictating a letter to Governor Axtell. Satisfied he wouldn't bother me, I removed the towel and applied the soap to my hair. I ducked under the water to rinse.
I came up for air just as the door banged open. "Charley's gettin' married!" Dirty Steve yelled.
Billy jumped out of the tub in surprise and I was treated the sight of his bare backside. Then Dirty Steve glanced to his left. "Hot damn, Billy! Is 'Rena naked?"
Billy walked in front of Steve to block his view. Chavez crept behind and held a knife to Steve's throat. "You need to treat this lady with some respect. She's not some whore you can have your way with," said Chavez. "Now I would appreciate it if you would turn around and give her some privacy."
Billy followed to make sure Steve obeyed, his naked butt shining in the sunlight. I chuckled slightly under my breath. Since all the men were gone, I hurriedly got out of the tub and put on the borrowed dress. I toweled my hair dry and combed it. I snatched two small pieces of leather I found on the floor so I could braid my hair once it dried.
As I walked through the town, I half-expected to run into Billy, but hoped he had enough sense in his head not to walk around in the nude. It was hard to tell how much sense the boy had at times. I passed by Steve, who was drinking from a bottle of whiskey next to a pair of mules. Chavez was chewing him out for being perverted to me earlier. I wondered why Steve was still smiling. If Chavez had been lookin at me that way, I'd be running the opposite direction.
Chavez stomped off, quietly pissed, but brightened suddenly as he saw me. "That dress looks nice on you, Querida. Brings out those pretty blue eyes."
I blushed; I've never taken compliments well. Chavez took the leather strips from me and began to braid my hair with exquisite care. When I asked how he became so skilled at it, he said, "I was my mother's only son. Five sisters." We talked for a long time afterward. Once I had a braid on either side of my face, I excused myself. I loved talking with Chavez, but I was desperate to find something to eat.
I looked around for anything resembling a cantina or eating house, then noticed the streets of town were deserted. Men in sombreros were napping on doorsteps and outside buildings. I found Billy, clothed again (thank God), in the shadiest spot in the square, his hat low over his face. He seemed to be nodding off against the wall behind him.
"What you up to?" I asked.
"Siesta. Damn, I love these border towns," said Billy.
"Siesta?" I repeated. "Just fargin' perfect."
"Take it you're hungry?" Billy said lightly. He produced a small paper bag from behind his back. "Here. Have one of these."
I tentatively reached into the bag, which was oddly damp. My fingers closed on a small, round object. I withdrew my hand. A pink gumball. Leave it to Billy to keep gumballs in his saddlebag. I popped it in my mouth and immediately noticed an odd, sort of bittersweet flavor. I slowly sucked on the gum. The sugar coating burned as I swallowed. I spit the gumball onto the ground, making a face.
Billy grinned devilishly. "Sorry. Forgot to tell ya. My whiskey bottle sorta broke in my bags."
"Damn you, Billy." I scowled.
Church bells began to peal, signaling the start of Charley's wedding. The Regulators gathered in front of the church. Charley's bride Manuela was wearing a dress that looked like a set of lace drapes (which, I reminded myself, it probably was). I recognized her as the girl who'd set up my bath and loaned me the dress I now wore. Charley grinned broadly, like he thought he was the luckiest man on earth.
The ceremony, which I'd assumed would be simple, dragged on and on. Dirty Steve fell into a stupor. I kept my arms folded tightly over my stomach, hoping that nobody else would hear how loudly it was growling. Regulators and townspeople alike cheered as Charley kissed the bride. Now it was time for the fiesta!
I immediately headed for the buffet table, which was laden with delicious looking Mexican dishes, plus ample amounts of sangria and tequila. Charley appeared at my elbow and downed a shot of tequila.
"You reckon anybody heard?" he asked nervously. "My damn belly started rumblin' like a canyon rockslide when that preacher man was tryin' to read us our vows. Nobody heard it, did they, 'Rena?"
Truthfully, I had heard it throughout the entire ceremony. But, not wanting to spoil Charley's big day, I shook my head. Manuela grasped his hand and the two of them cut the enormous wedding cake. A mariachi band started to play cheerful tunes. Charley's eyes were alight with happiness as he danced with Manuela. Steve paused dancing with Manuela's mother to spit his tobacco out. How pleasant. Chavez held one of Manuela's younger sisters in his arms, gracefully weaving through the other couples.
'How sweet,' I thought. 'What a great father he'd make... Where the hell did that come from?'
"This," Billy said thickly, "is terrific cake. This is a hell of a party, 'Rena." He noticed my eyes on the other couples. "Would you like to have this dance?" He extended his arm.
Billy's hand was sticky, but I took it. He knew the Spanish style of dance quite well. I took it he was no stranger to border towns. Chavez stopped dead and stared at us with something in his eyes. Was it jealously? It must have been, because he put down Manuela's sister, walked over to us, and announced he was cutting in.
Billy reluctantly let go of me. Chavez swept me into his arms. His grip was firm, but not overly restrictive. He smelled nice, very clean. When Chavez wasn't nervous, he was quite a competent dancer. We spent the remainder of the evening dancing to song after song, just enjoying life.