Chapter 6
For the next couple of days, Kevin and Anita were very busy sorting things out at the farm. Anita seemed happy with the dairy that he and Kyle had built attached to the scullery off the kitchen with access to the cold cellar.
There was a sink in the dairy, lots of shelf space where it was cool and dry, just as she had specified in her letters, and a large stone countertop for her to work on.
It was all new and clean, but she spent a day scrubbing every inch of the place and then another day cleaning every pot and utensil she planned to use in making cheese.
You couldn’t ever get things too clean, she told Kevin, no matter if it might seem a little excessive to non-cheese-makers.
He chose not to argue, even if he didn’t understand so vigorously scrubbing pans that had just come off a store shelf very recently.
By Friday, Kevin thought that they needed to go to the lone dairy farm in the region. It was about an hour’s ride away, and since it was a lovely day, they could take their time.
Anita wore a pretty blouse with blue flowers on it and a green skirt. She had a straw hat to keep the sun off, and when she emerged from the kitchen door, she was carrying a basket.
“I thought we could stop for a picnic somewhere,” she said.
Kevin smiled. “You read my mind.”
They climbed onto the cart’s driver’s seat and set off.
The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and Kevin’s heart was full of gratitude to God.
He thought that over the last couple of days, he and Anita had grown less awkward around each other.
There were fewer moments where they were blushing or tongue-tied, staring at their boots and the floor instead of each other.
Looking over at his wife, he smiled.
She smiled back, and today there was no uncertainty in her eyes.
“You look lovely,” he said.
“Thank you. You look very handsome,” she said, and moved a little closer to him so that their legs brushed against each other on the seat.
It was nice that she was initiating some affection.
He had been quite nervous about it, not wanting to make her feel that he was pushing.
Now he was certain that holding her hand from time to time would be acceptable to her.
They drove on out of town and down a dusty track that wound around a wood and through some open fields. The view was magnificent. On the horizon, a smudge of clouds was forming, but for the moment, it was far away, and the day was lovely.
“It’s so warm here,” Anita sighed. She tilted her chin up and let her face get a little sun, probably unaware of how sweet and enticing her freckles were in the soft light.
Kevin was gazing at her when the horse, which had been plodding along at an easy pace, suddenly shied, whinnied, and then reared up.
Stunned, Kevin tried to hold onto the reins, but the horse shook his head and bolted. One of the reins slipped from Kevin’s grasp as Anita let out a scream. She toppled over backward, falling from the seat into the bed of the cart with a thud as they took off at a breakneck gallop.
Suddenly, the world was passing at a crazy speed, the horse running as though his life depended on it.
Kevin cried out, “Whoa!” but the horse wasn’t listening. He tried pulling on the one rein he was still clinging to, but the horse just shook his head again and the other rein slipped from Kevin’s fingers.
“Kevin!” Anita called from the back. “What’s going on?”
They had left the track and were heading out over the field. It was bumpy, and they were being tossed about like corn in a kettle, getting ready to pop.
“Something scared the horse!” he called. “Just hold on.”
She said no more, and Kevin tried to take his own advice. He held on, but there was a problem. Without the reins, there was no stopping the horse. He was just going to gallop until he couldn’t anymore.
Kevin needed those reins, and the only way to get them was to lean down to the horse’s back and grab them.
They were both there, draped over the frightened animal’s back.
But if he reached for them, all it would take was one slip and he would be under the wheels of the cart.
That would mean death, most likely. Visions of his father’s crushed chest filled his mind and made him queasy.
“Kevin!” Anita called. “Why does the ground end there?”
Kevin looked up. For a moment, he wasn’t sure what he was looking at, and then it registered.
“That’s … a ravine.”
“Wonderful!” Anita said. It was the first time he had heard her use sarcasm. He turned to her, but she waved his look away. “We need to stop this cart now!”
“I know!” he said. “I’m going to lean down and get the reins. You just need to hold onto my feet. Okay? Don’t let go.”
“Okay,” she said.
Finding his courage and wiping his hands on his trousers, Kevin positioned himself to lean out over the front of the cart.
The space between them and the ravine was growing shorter and shorter, and the horse didn’t look like he was planning to slow down. Kevin reached out and touched the leather of the reins. One slipped down and began to drag.
This was ridiculous.
Okay, new plan.
“Let go of my feet!” he called to Anita.
“What?” she called back.
“Let go!” he called.
She did.
Kevin gritted his teeth, trying not to look at the dip that was coming closer and closer every second. He closed his eyes for a moment and then, before he could think about it, he launched himself onto the horse’s back.
His hands grabbed the harness, but his legs slipped off, and for a moment he was dragging his boots in the dirt. It took all his effort and strength to pull himself up and onto the horse’s back. The edge of the ravine was right there, mere feet from him.
Grabbing the horse’s bridle, he turned the beast’s head so the horse began to gallop parallel to the edge of the ravine. Kevin’s heart was thumping in his chest so hard he thought it might jump right out.
They turned, and he managed to get the horse to finally slow down and come to a halt.
When the ground was no longer moving at any speed by him, Kevin slid off the horse’s back and lay on the ground panting.
He felt as though he had run a marathon, or wrestled a bull, or possibly as though he’d done both.
Anita was suddenly there beside him, leaning down and looking into his eyes with a worried look on her suddenly pale face. His poor new wife had gotten so many frights lately, he thought guiltily.
“Kevin, are you okay?” she asked, stroking his forehead.
He nodded. “I’m okay,” he said. “You?”
“Just a few bumps and bruises,” she said, taking a deep breath. “What got into the horse?”
Kevin shook his head. “I have no idea. He’s never done that before.” He sat up, and Anita threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly to her.
“Don’t do anything like that again,” she said, speaking into his neck.
“Okay,” he whispered into her neck, thanking God they were both okay.
They sat like that, holding each other for a while, and then they broke apart. The horse, for his part, was cropping the grass as though nothing had happened.
“And now he’s as calm and docile as you like,” Kevin said, shaking his head. “I wish he could tell us what upset him like that.”
They set off again at a much gentler pace. Luckily, Kevin knew this area quite well, and he was able to find the track they had been on without much trouble.
Soon they were trotting along calmly again.
This time Anita sat wedged close against him.
It seemed to Kevin that she needed reassurance, and he put his arm around her.
When she immediately leaned into him, he somehow felt that all the chaos of the previous days had been worth it for this one precious moment.
They rounded a stand of trees and soon arrived at their destination. They rattled into the yard and stopped beside another cart that had arrived before them.
They had milk cans in the back of the cart, tied down with rope. They undid the ties and took them out.
Kevin led Anita to a line of folks outside the barn. An older man sat behind a table and was conducting business, selling milk and eggs to the folks lining up.
When it was their turn, Kevin spoke to the man behind the table.
“Morning, we’d like to fill six cans, please,” he said.
The old man nodded and made a note in his notebook. “All right.”
“What breed of cow is the milk from?” Anita asked. “I didn’t see the animals in the fields on the ride in.”
“They’re out back,” he said. “They’re Holsteins.”
“Oh?” Anita sounded surprised. “I wouldn’t have thought they liked this climate.”
“Well, they do fine,” the old man said. He eyed her. “You some sort of cow enthusiast? Because, little girl, this is a working dairy farm, and we don’t have time for?—”
“I know a working farm when I see one,” Anita replied with such confidence that Kevin grinned with pride. “My father and his father and his father before him were all dairy farmers. So, I know my way around them.”
Maybe she was still reeling from the scare they had had, but she was being very bold indeed. Kevin found it quite appealing.
“I would like to sample the milk before we buy six cans,” she said.
“Sir, you need to speak to her,” the old man said.
“The lady is a cheese maker,” Kevin replied. “She has to approve the milk.” He shrugged.
The old man sighed. “Fine. Nicholas, bring me a ladle of milk!”
A couple of moments later, a boy of around fifteen appeared with a dripping ladle. The old man nodded to Anita, and she took the ladle. She inspected the milk and then took a sip. She nodded. “It’s good. Okay, six cans, please.”
The young Nicholas took the ladle and the six cans and went into the back.
They stepped to the side and let the next person in line have their turn.
“Ah, Mrs. Lewis,” the old man said. “Seems you will have competition in the cheese-making business soon.” He inclined his head to Anita.
“Yes, I couldn’t help but overhear,” Mrs. Lewis said.
She was a tall, thin woman with reddish hair and dark eyes.
She looked Anita up and down and then turned back to the old man.
“My usual, please. Where do you plan to sell your cheese?” she asked Anita.
“Because everyone around here knows to buy from me.”
“Well, shouldn’t that be up to them?” Anita asked.
Mrs. Lewis pursed her lips and shook her head. “You are adorable. Enjoy making your cheeses at home. But if you want something with real body and flavor, ask your man. He knows where to find me. He and I go way back, you know.”
Clearly stunned at the woman’s brazen put down of her just two minutes after they’d been introduced—and before Mrs. Lewis had even sampled some of Anita’s cheese, no less—Anita kept her mouth shut.
“If you can’t say anything kind, my mother always said, don’t say anything at all,” she muttered to Kevin under her breath—then she stayed very quiet indeed.
Their cans were ready, and as they picked them up, Kevin felt Anita casting a questioning look at him.
“Yes, I have met Mrs. Lewis before,” he said, guessing her unspoken question. “She sells cheese. We’ve had to buy everything from the farmers in the area.”
“She made it sound so sordid, like you knew her,” Anita said, that look of uncertainty back in her eyes.
It was so absurd that he almost laughed. Almost, but not quite, given how worried she looked. He loaded the cans into the cart and then took her hands in his. “Please. I could never.” He shuddered. “Absolutely not.”
She smiled, and he found himself flattered by her jealousy. “Okay.”
They decided to have their previously planned picnic on the move since Anita wanted to get the milk into the cold cellar as soon as possible.
Kevin was eager to get home too, because he was going to try to see Andrew. Despite Andrew saying he would have time the other day, he had been busy with something at the mine when Kevin went by.
Hopefully, this afternoon he would be available. Apart from telling him about Mr. Santiago and his associate in black, Kevin wanted to run an idea by him.
The ride home was thankfully a lot less eventful than the ride out to the farm. They got back and took the milk into the cold cellar.
“I think I’m going to get started on some cheeses right away,” Anita said, smiling happily.
“Go on then.” Kevin boldly leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. She blushed and beamed, then disappeared into their new dairy.
He decided to take a walk to Andrew’s office in the new office block that had been built along with a sheriff’s office and a general store that had no one to run it yet.
Kevin mounted the steps and went to knock on the door.
Robert answered. “Hello, Kevin.”
“Hi. Where is Andrew?” Kevin asked.
“He’s down in the mine,” Robert said. He had been newly appointed part-time sheriff of the town with no name. “Is it urgent?”
Kevin considered it. “Well, maybe I should tell you while I wait for Andrew.”
“Sure,” Robert said. “Let’s go into my office and we’ll talk. It’s been a while. How is married life?”
It still felt so odd to realize he was somebody’s husband. “It’s good,” Kevin said. “Anita is a great blessing. I’m a lucky man.”
“So I’ve heard. People are talking about her already. Saying they like her style.”
In a rugged town like this, first impressions counted for even more than they did in other places, and Kevin was grateful people had immediately seen what he did in his new bride. She was shy, yes, but strong and brave and intelligent. It was obvious to anyone who bothered to look at her twice.
Robert led Kevin to a pair of rocking chairs on the porch of his office, and they both sat down.
“So, what’s bothering you?” Robert asked.
Kevin’s thoughts turned back to the Lucky Bull. “When I was in San Antonio, I ran into a man who looked familiar, but not in a good way.”
“What do you mean?” Robert asked.
Kevin sighed. “I think that I ran into one of the bandits who have been giving us so much trouble. And he was with a man who was clearly his boss.”
“You think this might lead us to El Aguila?” Robert asked, sitting forward, his eyes wide in surprise.
Kevin nodded. “The more I consider it, the more it seems possible.”
“Well, knock me over with a feather. You have to tell me the whole story,” Robert said. “Just let me bring you out some iced tea real quick. It’s a hot one.”
As he hurried inside, Kevin considered the repercussions if the man he’d seen in town really had been El Aguila. What would that mean for the town?