Free Capture the Sun (Cheyenne Series) by Shirl Henke Page B

he went, then sent for me. It has been a good life, even if the winters are cold. I have two sons who are vaqueros for Don Noah, and a daughter who works here in the house.”
           “The girl who served our dinner last night? She's very pretty, Feliz. Your husband, has he passed away?” Carrie asked gently.
           Reassuringly Feliz replied, “Si, he was killed five years ago in a stampede on a trail drive. I miss him, but I am grateful for all our blessings while we were together, thirty-two years.”
           Carrie started at that, imagining herself and Noah married that long. Why, she'd be fifty and Noah would be—
           As if reading her mind, Feliz inquired, “Did you know Don Noah long before you married?” The difference in age was startling to Feliz, and it was hard for her to imagine them as a couple.
           Carrie hesitated for an instant and then decided to speak openly to this guileless woman. “No. It was an arranged match, I'm afraid. Noah's cousin Patience and my uncle Hiram are married. They were my guardians, and decided I should accept his kind offer.” She hesitated again, then plunged on when she saw a leap of sympathy, even pity, in Feliz eyes. “I am sure we will be happy, but everything out west is so new and strange to me. I just need some time to learn all the customs. Then perhaps Noah and I can grow closer. Right now, you're my first friend, Feliz.”
           “Gracias, señora. I am proud to be your friend.”
           “Please call me Carrie, Feliz.” Carrie reached out her pale, slim hand and grasped the plump, brown one. Instantaneously, a bond was forged between the two women.
           Feliz chatted about the help at the ranch, explaining to Carrie what the names and duties of all the domestic workers were.
           Carrie said, “It certainly is a big place, even larger than I could imagine when we arrived yesterday. I'm overwhelmed by all the new faces.”
           Feliz smiled and then added knowingly, “Si, so many people to know. And having Hawk home, that was a surprise, too.” She was certain neither was aware of the other's existence before yesterday afternoon.
           Carrie's guilty flush gave her away once again. “More than that, I fear. I never knew Noah had a grown son, and I certainly didn't expect to meet him the way I did. Is he always so...”` Carrie searched for words, “so caustic and menacing?”
           Ah, so they had tangled already, had they? Feliz was not surprised. “You cannot blame Hawk for being bitter, Carrie. He came home after being away over a year. He left to escape that woman Don Noah had married. She was evil. Each time he returns, he never knows what kind of welcome to expect.”
           “Certainly not a replacement for the old stepmother, I bet,” Carrie burst out in stung pride, recalling his rudeness.
           “No, he did not. But then, you know what you represent to him, don't you? If your husband has a white son by you, he will disinherit Hawk, Carrie.”
           Carrie was taken aback. She had not thought of it that way. Of course Noah wanted her to give him children, but he already had one son. “That can't be true, Feliz! Hawk is his firstborn. Even if they don't get along, he is still Noah's son. Surely he wouldn't...”
           Her words trailed off as she realized the obvious. How stupid of her! Hawk was a half-breed, a drifter and gunman, for all his education in the white world. If Noah could get pure-blooded children from her, he would discard Hawk ruthlessly. She did not doubt it for a minute. Then another thought occurred to her.
           “Feliz, were...were Marah and Noah married—I mean legally, by white custom, not Cheyenne?”
           Feliz smiled serenely, going back to a long ago time. “Si, they were married by a missionary minister. It was not a tribal ritual, Carrie. Marah was a beautiful young