*This is a fictionalized story, and the following chapter is for entertainment purposes only. The events in this chapter have no bearing on the actual lives of the real Jose Tapia or his family.*

Diego found himself stirring awake in an unfamiliar barn. He had arrived at the Rancho before the sun had risen. He'd had the strangest dreams since he had arrived. Exhaustion had overtaken him after he had found shelter there. Before daybreak there was not much of a chance of receiving hospitality without waking everyone up. He didn't mind getting a bit of rest in a rugged building as long as it provided shelter from the night.

He had been sleeping with his head resting on the sack that he had quickly packed last night as if it were a lumpy pillow after he had concealed himself. The time had come to put his plan into motion. With a determined effort, he reached into the sack and withdrew a clean piece of parchment and his charcoal for sketching. From memory he began to sketch the face of the woman who had accused him of fathering a child. As her face began to stare back at him he felt disdain and irritation. He would much rather not be spending his time drawing someone who had caused problems for him, but it was necessary.

When his sketch was completed he carefully placed it beside him and began to enjoy a portion of the provisions that he had brought. He could hear the sound of sheep as well as cattle calling out as they were being fed. The day had already begun on the Rancho and no one knew that he was hidden in the shadows. Diego found that even though he enjoyed the taste of the food that he had brought with him, he was feeling restless as he wanted to begin asking questions about the mystery woman. He quickly checked on Fenix and made sure that she would be comfortable in the barn until he was able to take advantage of the courtesy that would be freely given to him and his horse by the owners of the Rancho after he had introduced himself.

Diego quietly exited the barn and shielded his eyes from the sun. As he peered around the bustling area he spotted an older Chumash vaquero who was seated on a stool as he was intensely braiding rawhide that would be used to make the reins for a horse. He decided to begin his investigation by questioning the older gentleman who was sitting.

"Buenos dias, que hermoso dia," he called out to the vaquero.

The man looked up from his intricate project. "Si, lo es," he agreed with Diego. Discussing the weather usually seemed to be a decent conversation starter with people whom he had not met.

He approached the elder vaquero and introduced himself, "My name is Diego de la Vega and I am wondering if you might recognise this woman." Diego held the sketch up for the man to see.

The man seemed to ponder over the woman's face and then nodded.

"Si, la reconozco," he replied to Diego's relief.

This man did know who the mystery woman was.

"She worked in the kitchen before disappearing," the vaquero added.

Diego thanked him for the information and allowed the man to continue working with no further interruptions. It seemed that his next set of questions might be better answered by the person who had been entrusted with the land and oversaw the various dealings each day.

Diego observed the laboring vaqueros going through their daily chores as he walked through the courtyard and on to the main house. It was a proud adobe structure standing tall before him. He knocked sharply on the door and waited patiently for it to be opened. His fox-like hearing was sensitive to subtle sounds and easily picked up on the footsteps coming towards him from the inside.

The door before him opened and a well dressed gentleman promptly greeted him, "Buenos días, jovencito."

He certainly did not feel like a young man, but he guessed at the man's age everyone seemed younger.

"Would you like to come inside Senor?" the gentleman asked him.

Diego nodded his head and stepped forward as the gentleman closed the door behind him.

The gentleman began to escort Diego to a formal sitting area. The exposed wooden areas of the chairs before him were made of hand carved wood. The mid section of the chairs were covered in leather. The chairs most likely had been made by someone who worked within the rancho with leather that had been shaped and dried by the vaqueros. An inviting bookcase spread across the wall before him. The books seemed to be calling his name. The gentleman gestured for him to sit down in one of the chairs. Diego settled himself in one of the chairs opposite from Jose. His back immediately thanked him.

"Welcome to Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit, my name is Jose Bartolome Tapia," the well mannered Don formally introduced himself.

Diego shook the man's outstretched hand.

"I am Don Diego de la Vega, and I have come to discuss a matter of great concern to me," he informed his host.

His host let go of his hand and he dropped it to his lap. He was a bit nervous about telling the man about the woman's lies as the man might not believe his innocence. He had to take the chance to find out if the gentleman or anyone else had any helpful information for him.

"How may I be of assistance?" Jose asked.

He retrieved the folded sketch from his pocket and showed it to the man before him. The recognition in Jose's eyes was undeniable.

"This woman has falsely accused me of fathering her child," Diego informed Jose, who didn't seem to be shocked or surprised by his revelation.

Jose let out a long sigh. He knew that he was about to find out something important from the body language of the Don who quickly sat down in a chair which faced him.

"In my desk are several wanted posters for Senorita Ladron," Jose began to inform him.

Diego opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted as Jose continued to explain what he knew about the woman.

"Apparently she has been accusing young wealthy caballeros in various pueblos and garrisons throughout California of being the father of her child," the Don informed him.

"What would she have to gain from the accusations?" he asked the older Don.

Diego felt that proving his innocence might not be quite as hard after what he had just learned.

"Most of the caballeros whom she has targeted have given her large amounts of pesos to disappear and never bother them again," Jose replied.

"I regret to inform you that I am her current target," Diego replied as the disgust that he felt could clearly be heard in his voice.

Jose's body language indicated that the subject had made him rather uncomfortable. He cleared his throat as Diego continued to observe him.

"I believe that my son was her first victim as she claimed that he was the father of her unborn child before she was made to leave the area," Jose disclosed.

He wondered how many men other than himself had been accused by the woman. He was not going to pay the woman to leave Los Angeles or risk DeSoto having him captured again. He would come up with a plan to provide as much evidence as possible when he returned to show that he was her latest victim.

"Senorita Ladron is a very sore subject for my family," Jose admitted as he attempted to change the subject.

They were interrupted by a woman who had entered the room. Jose looked up at the woman and smiled. "Don Diego de la Vega, allow me to introduce my wife Maria," he announced as his wife seemed to be observing their conversation.

The woman seemed to half smile as the conversation that she had overheard had affected her mood.

"It's nice to meet you Senor de la Vega," she softly spoke.

Diego feigned a smile.

"Likewise," he returned the greeting.

"Will you be needing a place to stay tonight?" Maria asked him.

The typical hospitality extended to travelers in California was a blessing as there were no other places where he could find a room for the night.

"Yes, I would appreciate the opportunity to sleep in a warm bed tonight," he answered.

Jose's wife nodded her head in affirmation.

"I will have a room prepared for you," she replied.

Diego's mind was racing as thoughts about solving his delima swirled in his head.

"Would you like a tour of my land?" Jose's voice broke through his thoughts.

"I would like that very much," Diego quickly responded.

He needed a distraction. Jose vacated his seat and waited for Diego to join him. With a renewed sense of purpose he rose from the chair, thankful for the relief he felt from the chance to relax for the first time in almost a full day. Jose turned and began to lead the way back to the courtyard. He followed his host as he observed the decor of the home. Jose had definitely done well for himself.

Once outside again Diego found his eyes adjusting to the sun's brightness.

"I first discovered these lands while I was traveling through them during my time serving in the army," Jose proudly announced.

He imagined the Don as a soldier before time had aged the man.

"It reminds me of my home," Diego responded.

Jose smiled as Diego's response seemed to please him.

"I acquired it in 1804 as a retired soldier," he seemed to fondly remember as he shared the information with Diego.

"I'm in the process of planting a vineyard to go along with the cattle and sheep raised here," he continued to speak.

Jose began to walk towards the area where all of the various vaqueros were busy performing their daily activities. Diego quietly followed along behind him. He observed a pair of cattle dogs jumping into a water trough. They frolicked in the water for a few moments before jumping out of it and rapidly shaking the remaining water from their fur. Just beyond the water trough he observed several of the vaqueros using a branding iron to mark the young cattle. Suddenly a distressing sound fell upon Diego's ears, snapping him out of his relaxed state of mind. He turned his head towards the sound. What he saw made his heart sink. Diego had always believed in the fair treatment of animals. The vaqueros across from him were in the process of forcefully training a stubborn horse.

Diego approached Jose and asked, "May I have a chance to work with that horse?"

The Don turned to him with a surprised look on his face as he thought about Diego's request.

"Do you think you are up for the challenge?" Jose questioned him. Diego nodded his head.

His host walked over to the vaqueros surrounding the distressed horse as Diego continued to observe the situation.

"This Caballero would like to try his luck with the horse," Jose informed the frustrated vaqueros.

The vaqueros began to laugh loudly as they looked at Diego and judged him by his appearance. As Diego began to walk towards the frightened horse the men around him began to place bets on what would happen to him when he attempted to work with the horse. Most of the bets were against him.

"Easy there boy," Diego said calmly as the horse began to rear up in fear from how the men had been forcefully training him.

He stood calmly in one spot as he continued to reassure the horse that he meant no harm. Finally after realizing that Diego did not pose an immediate threat the horse quietly stood facing him without looking away. Diego began to slowly walk towards the horse with very soft footsteps while he held hands at his sides with his palms up. He spoke to the horse very softly, virtually inaudible for the rest of the men to hear what he had said.

The horse continued to remain calm for the moment. He applied light downward pressure to the lead rope which had been abandoned by the vaquero who had been attempting to shout commands to the headstrong horse. As the horse began to lower his head Diego placed his hand behind the horse's ear and gently pressed as he attempted to convince the horse to continue lowering his head. The horse showed that he did not quite trust him yet as the frightened animal resisted making any further movement. Diego began to lightly rub the horse's head. He could sense that the horse was beginning to relax. He allowed his hand to move down to the horse's neck where he lightly began to scratch it. The horse began to lower his head slightly with a cautious stare. Diego then crouched down to the ground. The horse fully lowered his head and began to sniff Diego. Diego remained calm and quiet as the horse continued to stretch his neck to examine him and the ground.

Once the horse seemed to trust him, Diego slowly stood up and took the lead rope in his hand. He pointed in the general direction that he wanted the horse to move in and gently tapped the horse on the neck which resulted in the horse calmly backing up. He gave the horse a gentle pat on the hip which resulted in the horse beginning to trot in a circle around him, guided by the lead rope he was using for control.

After the horse had completed four laps around him he gently pulled on the rope and looked towards the horse's hind end as he tapped the ground with his right foot. The horse stopped moving and faced him. Once again he tapped the horse lightly on his hip. The horse began to trot in a circle around him. He grasped the rope with his other hand and slid his hand down the rope while pulling it towards him. He stepped out from the horse and looked towards the rear end of the horse once again. The horse stopped moving.

He switched the rope to his other hand and gently tapped on the horse again. The horse began to trot around him again. After the horse circled him four more times he took the rope in his left hand and gently pulled it which resulted in the horse stopping and facing him. Diego had always admired how quickly horses were able to learn with patience and persistence.

He cautiously walked towards the horse and began to gently scratch the horse's sweaty neck. The horse lowered his head in response. Diego quietly leapt into the saddle which had previously been placed on the horse by the vaqueros. He grabbed the rein and brought it back to his hip while squeezing with his leg on the side which he wanted the horse to pull towards. He disengaged the hind end of the horse by getting the hind legs to step one in front of the other and over so that the horse walked in a tight circle and released the rein. He had taken the power out of the horse's hind end to keep the horse from bucking and rearing or bolting. He continued working with the horse through a few rounds of serpentines.

Diego had gained the trust and respect of the horse. He began to ride the horse around the training area allowing him to trot in a circle past the stunned vaqueros who had placed bets against him. He had become one with the now well behaved horse. After circling the training area a few more times he woahed the horse and dismounted.

"Thank you my friend," he calmly thanked the horse who now stood quietly in front of him.

He turned to face a smiling Jose who was waiting for him by the gate.