La Luna de Miel Chapter Six: Brother and Sister
"Manolito, I am so happy," Victoria began, taking her brother's arm and looking into his eyes with a loving and innocent expression, although his sister was never without guile of a sort. "I would like to have a word with you, though." He forced a tight smile. Of course you do, sister. She led him outside, to the back veranda, where they sat together on a wrought iron bench. Mano opened the conversation this time.
"Victoria, I am glad you are glad. But before you start, you should know that this word you wish to have with me has already been spoken by Padre Sanchez, the Doña Dolores, and Carmen herself. Even Buck, in his own way." What Buck had said was something rather crude, to the effect that Mano was no longer a stallion with many mares. And something about plowing only one row. Mano had gotten the drift if not the syntax and told him to keep his advice to himself. But Mano had listened to his friend.
"Oh? And what word is that?" Victoria asked.
"That I am to be faithful to her. Not to carouse. No other women. No mistresses, and so on. Please, Victoria, believe me. I will do this thing."
"I am so fond of her already, Mano. And now that you mention it, those are important things. But this is not why I wanted to talk to you."
"No?"
"No, Manolo. it is just that I have realized things have changed for us, for you and for me. And I wanted to tell you that I am so glad that you came to live at the High Chaparral when I married John, and that you stayed, my brother."
"Hermanita mía, that was my pleasure," Mano replied with a smile, patting her hand. "And probably my salvation, too, the way things were going." She nodded in agreement as he continued. "John Cannon is a good man and I know you are happy. This means the world to me. But I owe him much, too. It has been a good thing. And we will come often."
"I hope so, Mano. And I hope you and Carmen have many children and..."
"Hey, momento, hermanita…"
"Listen to me! And that they will know and love us in Arizona is very important to me, Manolito. I do not wish to be a stranger to my nieces, nephews, sister-in-law, or my brother."
"You could never be this, Doña Victoria de Soto y Velasquez de Montoya de Cannon."
"Good. Now all is said. John and I want you and Carmen to know that you are always welcome. He has said so himself."
"Gracias, hermanita mía. We will not stay away. You may well become tired of us. I still wish to help during large cattle drives. Our horses. Buck's and my rancho. Business and family will keep us in Arizona months of each year. And Carmen will love spending time at the ranch with you."
"I am glad."
He kissed her on the cheek. "Well what to do now? You have arranged for Buck to take away my Carmen for at least an hour, I am sure." She laughed as he continued. "John and Tío are playing chess. I think we had best not go near that game."
'No indeed, Manolo."
"Hey, what about?" he began, eyebrows raised.
"Oh yes!" she cried, eyes shining.
"Target practice!" they both exclaimed, laughing. He rose to fetch his gun belt and pistola, she to retrieve her derringer and to change into riding clothes and boots, something more suitable for walking outside. They would go beyond the corrals near the stables, as they had as niños, where they would prop up whatever they could find-old tin cans, blocks of wood, rocks-on a crate placed in front of a small hillock in back. They were careful to shoot away from the house and to have the stable hands stack old boards and even a few bales of hay behind their targets to absorb stray bullets. They were both good shots. Papá had first shown them; Mano, who caught on faster, had taken over Victoria's instruction when they were young. Soon she had become pretty good, almost as good as he when they were niños and better than any other girl he knew.
This day they placed bets on the outcome. Mano allowed Victoria to use his pistola part of the time. She owed him five pesos when the contest was over, a bet he would never even try to collect, but she had won a few rounds, too. They laughed as they had not laughed in some time, retelling stories from their childhood as they recalled them, reminiscing. They walked about the stables and grounds, still talking, when they tired of shooting. Two hours later, give or take, Buck and Carmen rode in and the four headed inside for the late afternoon meal, assuming John and Domingo's chess match had concluded. Ay yi yi, let us hope it was a draw, Mano thought, as he opened the door to the hacienda.
VKS & MJRod claim the creation of Carmen Navarro, although we took her first name from a David Dortort script proposal. We also are the creators of the Vargas clan , Rancho Navarro and its people including Delgado, and all of the characters in and around Hermosillo. We would have nothing to create were it not for our favorite western, "The High Chaparral," to which we pay tribute.