RANCHO REYES Chapter 7 Good bye Old friends

Giggling Girls Love to Tease
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The big brave motioned that he wanted to take part of one of the steers with him.  Juan decided it would be better to kill one of the calves and let him have as much as he could carry than to deny him and have to argue about it.

He had the feeling that the brave didn’t like to be told no.  Juan knew he could kill the brave in a split second no matter how big he was but it just wasn’t worth it.

Juan watched as his guests left, and disappeared out of sight.  It was like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders.  The things he had been subjected to the past few weeks was still laying heavy on his mind.

Thinking he was rescuing a man only to find it was a woman.  The seeing of her naked several times a day while doctoring her; having to clean her up both, from her elimination, and her natural female monthlies.

He had faced men in shoot outs that never fazed him like this did.  Several times he pledged to himself if he ever found anyone else hurt, he would just walk away like he never saw them; but he knew that wouldn’t be the case.

The weather was warming up and grass was beginning to peek up where the snow had melted.  

Horse finding grass in the snow
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He hobbled his horse and let him nibble on the grass a couple hours a day.  He had to begin to swing a larger loop when he was checking on the cattle for they were scattering.  

It was time to let them go but he wanted Senior to see the whole herd before he headed for wherever he would be going.  

The day after his guests had left Senior arrived with his sons and a couple of his daughters.  Juan moved out of the cabin and packed up his few belongings.  

After showing senior the herd or what hadn’t scattered he was satisfied for the other herds had taken a harder hit than his.  

Back at the cabin the girls had found some things that a woman would need and the older one began to question him about them.  After spending the afternoon teasing and laughing at him he had enough.  

Finally he told them he had three women with him until this morning.  They got out just in time.

He said, “If you don’t believe me just check the trail out of here for tracks.”

They said, “Why should we want to do that?”

He said, “Well, maybe you wouldn’t but you could ask Pablo if there were any Indian pony tracks leading away from here.”

The girls couldn’t keep it back forever and they asked Pablo if he saw anything.

He said, “Yes, I saw two Indian pony tracks one of the horses must have had two people on for the tracks were deeper.”

Senior wanted a fuller report so he and Juan went for a walk by themselves.

After their talk, Senior said, “You had quite a time didn’t you?”

Juan said, “It seems kinda funny now that it’s over, but the squeezing the big fellow gave me was almost too much for me.  He said the wind was blowing and No-nee was wandering around, but that was no excuse for letting him slip up on me.  He was quiet as a mouse and once he grabbed me it was all but over.  

If she had not seen what was going on, it would have been the end of me.”  

He told Senior about giving the Indian Brave part of the calf and that their supper would be some of what was left.  Juan said, “You can take the price of the calf out of my wages.”

Senior said. “I reckon we got off cheaply and I can afford it.”

There wasn’t enough room for everyone in the cabin so they ate outside.

Juan noticed the girls were looking at him differently than before for some reason.

 

This made Juan uncomfortable so he asked if it would be alright if he got paid and went to Santa Fe for new clothes and a full bath on the morrow.

Senior agreed but wanted him to take the girls with him and watch over them.  Juan was too tired to argue but said he would like for Luis and Pablo to go with them for the girls could be a handful.

Senior agreed, but Juan figured the girls had overheard his conversation with Senior and it was after that they decided they wanted to go with him.

From all their teasing he thought of a lot of ways he could get back at them but decided not to do it.  He felt not paying any attention to them was the best way to go.

The girls couldn’t figure out why he became so withdrawn and didn’t pay any attention to them.  Most of the young men they met were enthralled with them especially after they found out their father was the richest man in the state.  

When they arrived in Santa Fe, he decided to do one thing to satisfy their desire for wild thinking.  He set it up where the girls could overhear him talking to Pablo.  Juan said, “I’m going down to the house of pleasure for a few hours so you will have to watch over the girls until I get back and promise me you won’t tell Senior where I went.”

Pablo promised not to tell and Juan said, “Thanks for I need to go down there.”

Naturally the sisters overheard and were talking so fast among themselves that neither could understand what the other was saying.  The oldest finally said, “I never would have believed he would do such a thing.”  

The other came out with; “He’s just as rotten as all the rest.”

This conversation lasted most of the night.  The youngest said, “Do you think we should tell Papa for he has the right to know?”  They argued for an hour about this.

 
When they decided they should tell Papa, they couldn’t decide who should do the telling.  Juan could hear them talking and he enjoyed all the discussion about him and his wild ways.  

During all this dialogue between the girls, Juan and Luis went for a walk and it was difficult to see for the town hadn’t yet installed street lights.

Alley courtesy
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Juan suddenly ducked into an alley and pulled Luis in there with him.

Luis said, “What did you see?”

Juan said, “I thought I saw someone I didn’t want to talk to.”

Juan continued, “I will leave before daylight and you will have to take over watching the girls.  I will go by the Hacienda and explain to your father but I don’t want anyone else to know why I have to leave in such a hurry.”

After telling the stable man about needing to leave early he went straight to bed and slept until the early morning hours.

To be Continued