Chapter 20

"Victoria, you can't go in there. It's too late. There's nothing you can do!" Ramon tried to get through to her, but she didn't listen.

"Diego! Diego!" Hysterically, she continued to call his name.

"I'll take care of her," she heard a hoarse voice. Suddenly, she was held by different arms and when she looked up she saw that it was him.

"Diego?" she whispered, disbelievingly.

"Sh, Querida, it's alright. I'm safe," Diego said soothingly as she slumped against his chest.

"I thought you were dead!" Victoria began to cry. "I thought I had lost you!"

"I escaped through the back door and I'm unharmed," Diego assured her, lying.

"But wasn't the back door on fire too?" Ramon questioned. "How did you escape?" he asked suspiciously.

"You smell of smoke," Victoria stated as she continued to sob.

Diego grinned a bit. "That's no surprise. I was in the middle of that fire. We need to get home and I'll fix that." He wanted to join the chain of the many helpers who tried to extinguish the fire, but Victoria wouldn't let him go and continued clinging to him. It soon became clear that the tavern could not be saved, all they could do was extinguish the fire at the neighboring houses before they burned to the ground, too. With stinging eyes Victoria watched her tavern burning down as the men in the plaza gave up to fight the fire. "My tavern..my tavern.. it's gone. There's nothing left..," she whispered. "I worked so hard for it..."

Diego scooped up Victoria, who had her arms wrapped around his neck while silently wetting his shirt with her tears. He carried Victoria to the carriage, picking up a look from Ramon, who signed that he'd stay longer to help with extinguishing the remains of the fire and salvage what was possible. Diego nodded, signing that he'd send back the carriage later.

Not far away the little boy was hugged by his mother, who threw Diego a grateful look. De Soto organized the soldiers to help to fight the fire while Mendoza led Gonzalez to prison.

A servant drove the carriage while Diego rode beside it on Toronado. "Good boy," he patted the horse, "I'll give you a treat when we get home."

Diego thought how Toronado had once more saved his life. He had managed to get to the boy in Victoria's former bedroom, but when he opened the door again, the stairs were on fire.

He had grabbed the boy in his arms, who was too afraid to offer any resistance, and climbed through the window on the roof. Just as he had crossed it and arrived on the neighboring house, the tavern roof collapsed. Despite the noise from the burning house, Toronado had heard his whistle and Diego had jumped from the roof on his back with the boy in his arms.

At the hacienda Diego helped Victoria out of the coach and carried her into the library, setting her down on the couch. "How do you feel? Do you want to lay down, Querida? It has been a lot of excitement for you today."

"I think I'm alright, Diego. But please stay with me," Victoria clung to him. "It was so horrible when I saw the roof of the tavern fall down. I waited for you to come out but you didn't.. I thought you were dead and I had to see my tavern burning down..," she cried.

Diego took her in his arms and soothed her, telling her that everything was alright. He would never tell her how narrow his escape had been. If not for Toronado to save him before the other roof started to burn as well..

After a long and tender kiss he released her again. "I'll be back soon, Querida, after I have taken care of Toronado and gotten out of these reeking clothes." Diego assured her and Victoria let herself sink into the couch cushions.

While she waited for Diego to return, a servant arrived a few minutes later with some lemonade that she drank thirstily after the smoke she had inhaled.

When Diego came back into the library he still hadn't changed.

"You're still reeking," Victoria stated. "I thought you were so fast changing clothes?"

Diego grinned mischievously. "You're reeking, too, from standing so close to the burning house and I thought I could help you change. Coming?" He opened his arms for her and she stepped into his embrace.

"Are you playing maid?"

"I'd love to." Diego held her close. "I love you, Querida and I want to hold you and love you."

"Love me, Diego." Victoria knew that he hadn't told her exactly how he had escaped the fire. It must have been closer than he had admitted or he wouldn't be so shaken himself. Maybe he'd probably tell her ... later. But all that counted now was to be in his arms, to feel him.. to know that he was alive... Diego distracted her thoughts with his kisses and touches and she gave in to her feelings..

Z Z Z

The next day Señora Gonzalez drove by the hacienda with her cart and knocked at the door.

"Señora Gonzalez," Diego was surprised to see her.

"Don Diego, I wanted to thank you for saving my son. You risked your own life for him when my husband took away the tavern from your wife. I can't tell you how grateful I am. I know I can never repay you, but I will try to make amends." She pointed at some boxes that she had put in front of the door. "My husband ordered me to pack the cart with everything we had and he also loaded some stuff from the attic that he found. I think they belong to your wife."

"Thank you, Señora. What will you do now?" Diego asked her.

"I'll go with the children to live with my brother while my husband serves his term in prison for thievery and arson."

"I wish you good luck for your future, Señora."

"Thank you, Don Diego, I wish you the same. You have a great heart. I'll try to be a better woman and raise my children well. I know that it was wrong what we did and I should have resisted my husband when he decided to come here and take over the tavern though it wasn't really ours." Leaving the boxes behind, she returned to her cart with her children and drove away.

When he told Victoria of his meeting with Señora Gonzalez, she couldn't wait to look at the boxes.

"Diego, it's the nativity scene we always put on display at Christmas!" Victoria beamed. "My father carved it and I thought I had lost it." Happily, she held the box on her lap, moved to tears.

Z Z Z

At dinner they talked with Ramon about his future plans.

"What do you want to do now, Ramon?" Victoria asked. "Will you stay in Los Angeles even though the tavern is no longer standing?"

"Diego agreed earlier that he would lend me the money to rebuild the tavern," Ramon looked at him who nodded in assurance. "I want to stay here in Los Angeles and have a family, too."

"So who is she, Ramon?" Victoria couldn't hide her curiosity. "I knew you were meeting with someone when I heard of your picnic plans."

"Her name is Mercedes Morales. We have been in correspondence ever since I left Los Angeles together with Francisco. Lately, we have come to an understanding and she agreed to marry me."

"That's wonderful, Ramon. My congratulations," Victoria exclaimed. "I think I remember her from school. She was always very shy and we didn't talk very much. Doesn't her father own some land in the southern valley?"

"Yes, that's right. She's not so shy anymore. She has matured since becoming responsible for the care for her younger siblings. It's also the reason why she isn't married yet," Ramon smiled happily. "I had wished to marry soon, but now we have to wait until the tavern is rebuilt."

"Congratulations from me, too," Diego added. "I think the padre will insist on an engagement of at least two months before the ceremony and the tavern will be up again, very soon."

The rest of the evening was spent with talking about Ramon's wedding plans and when his bride-to-be would come for dinner.