Dangerous Woman (eBook)

A Novel of the Mexican Revolution

Josie Wilson (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023 | 1. Auflage
271 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-0876-3 (ISBN)

Infos

Can love survive when revolution and revenge collide?

Josie Wilson is a retired librarian who was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, she returned to the Valley to teach high school English and later became a middle school librarian. After retirement, she went back to school to earn a master's in English Rhetoric and started writing. As she began reading about people who were able to self-publish, she decided to get serious and write her first novel at the age of 73. Josie still lives in Texas but has moved to Houston to help take care of two precious granddaughters. She welcomes feedback and looks forward to studying reader reviews! If you wish to chat or ask a question, you can email her at [e-mail].

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Can love survive when revolution and revenge collide?1913 El Paso, Texas. Ranch-raised Katherine O'Brien is no stranger to danger, but when her violent fiance threatens her life, she escapes across the Rio Grande into the heart of a war-torn Mexico. Taken in by Elena Gonzalez, a widowed doctor's wife with her own sorrows, Kate begins to heal but the chaos of the Mexican Revolution closes in fast. Enter Rodolfo Fierro, Pancho Villa's most feared soldier. Ruthless, brilliant, and battle-scarred, Fierro is drawn to the fierce gringa, unlike any woman he's known. To shield her from the dangers of war and his enemies he offers her marriage. But for Kate, swapping one man's control for another's protection is no easy choice. Though Kate is captivated by Fierro's intensity, she's no docile bride. Her independent spirit clashes with his deeply rooted beliefs about a woman's role. As Villa's army charges through a fractured nation, the couple's fiery bond is tested by betrayal, cultural collision, and the brutal realities of war. When the Revolution crumbles and Fierro disappears, Kate must take charge fleeing with her found family into the unknown, with her vengeful ex-fiance on her trail. What began as a marriage of convenience becomes a journey of survival, transformation, and hard-won love. Blending sweeping historical drama with a riveting romance, this unforgettable novel brings to life the passion and peril of revolutionary Mexico.

Textauszug

CHAPTER SEVEN

Elena looked up from the work she was doing at her desk. She had brought home paperwork to finish while waiting to talk to Villa’s soldier. She saw that Kate was dressed and ready for her ride. The girl’s nervousness, however, was evident in the way she paced the floor and twisted her hands together.

“I don’t think I can do this,” she muttered.

“Of course you can. You are the woman who crossed the river hidden in a wagon and created a whole new life for herself. You can go on this ride, and you can learn to shoot that gun. Just think—it will make you more able to defend yourself. Don’t worry about Major Fierro. I’ll take care of him. He will not want me to complain to General Villa.”

Just then, Elena heard riders outside and moved to the window. Looking out, she saw Fierro, accompanied by four men, at the front gate of her house. He was a large, handsome man, dark complexioned with high cheekbones, and a carefully trimmed mustache. She guessed his age to be around thirty. Clearly an accomplished rider, he sat tall in the saddle, reins held easily in one hand, guiding the horse with pressure from strong thighs. He was dressed in a dark suit, white shirt, and silk tie. Leather boots rose past his knees, and his white Stetson hat was expertly shaped to a point. He dismounted easily and after a few words to his men, strode through the gate and up to the house.

Before he could reach the door, she stepped out and walked to meet him. Kate watched from the window as Tía Elena explained matters to the major. His men waited, lounging outside the gate. He stood, listening respectfully with his hat in hand, and then answered quietly. Elena nodded and turned to walk back to the house. She opened the door and motioned for Kate to come out.

With a stern glance at the major, Elena spoke to her ward. “Major Fierro has assured me of his intention to treat you honorably and to keep you safe. He has bodyguards who will accompany the two of you this afternoon and also serve as chaperones. I will expect you back before dark.”

Kate nodded her agreement and gave her guardian a quick hug before turning her attention to the major and his entourage. Her face lit up with pleasure when she saw the two horses tethered outside the gate. One was the white stallion he had ridden and the other a lovely palomino mare. Completely ignoring the men, she walked out to meet the horses. First, the stallion, since he would surely be the boss. She crooned softly to him, telling him how wonderful he looked and how much she admired his strength and beauty. Then she leaned in, gently blew into his nostrils and patted his shoulder. He listened to her carefully and accepted her praise and touch as if it were his due. She turned to the mare and whispered to her, reaching up to scratch her behind one ear. The mare stretched out her neck to nuzzle the side of Kate’s face, and Kate reached both arms around her neck and leaned against her. The men watched with great interest, and Fierro’s eyes registered both surprise and approval at her obvious affinity for his horses.

“I was going to offer to help you mount up, but something tells me that you won’t require my assistance,” he said from behind her.

Kate glanced up at him with a confident smile. She might not know how to respond to his teasing, but, with horses, she was sure of herself. She needed no one’s help. Knowing instinctively that Fierro was the only one who could ride the stallion, she unhitched the mare’s reins and reached for the saddle horn. Stretching to put her foot in the stirrup, she pulled herself up and settled into a comfortable seat.

Fierro walked around and mounted the stallion in one easy movement. Before he turned the horse to start their ride, he glanced over at Kate and said softly, “I’m guessing this will not be the last time you surprise me. I look forward to more such occasions.”

She didn’t know how to answer that, so she pretended not to hear.

The two of them walked their horses down the road leading out of town and picked up their pace as they moved into the countryside. The flat desert, baked hard by the relentless sun, stretched out endlessly in front of them, punctuated sparsely by mesquite, cactus, and chaparral. His men followed behind at a distance, joking and laughing with each other, paying little attention to the couple. The two rode in silence until Fierro spoke.

“You were raised with horses?” he questioned.

“My father owns a ranch outside of El Paso. My two older brothers taught me how to ride as soon as I could stay in the saddle. I’ve always understood horses. They are loving and loyal. If you make a horse your friend, it is with you for life.”

“I agree. It is unfortunate that we soldiers become so attached to our horses. In battle, anything can happen and we can lose them in an instant. Or, if they are badly injured, we would have to shoot them. We must harden ourselves to such difficult decisions.”

“That’s very sad. Is it that important to you, to fight?”

He paused for a moment before answering. “I am mestizo, part Mayo Indian. Our people have been on the bottom rung of the ladder for centuries, always suffering the cruelties of foreigners and of our own wealthy and powerful masters. We finally have a chance to change all that and give the people their own land, a chance at education, and personal freedom. That is what General Villa fights for.”

“Do you think he will win?”

“Who can say? I’m just a soldier, not an educated man or a politician. All I can do is follow my general and hope for his success.”

“I think you are being modest. You say you are not educated, yet you speak English perfectly.”

He smiled. “Well, maybe a little educated. Look ahead.” He pointed. “There is a straight path here for at least a mile or so. Let’s let the horses stretch their legs and get some exercise.”

He increased his mount’s pace slowly to a trot and then finally a gallop. Kate followed his lead and encouraged the mare to keep up. It was wonderful to feel the horse stretch out underneath her and to feel the wind blowing in her face. She flattened herself against the horse’s neck and urged her on, trying to overtake the stallion. For a moment she edged ahead, but the stallion was just too strong and took over again. Fierro pulled him up a few yards in front of her, and she followed suit. As they walked the horses slowly to cool them off, he watched her with a speculative look in his eyes. She felt uncomfortable under his gaze and avoided looking at him.

Finally, he spoke, more to the men than to her. “Here is a good spot to stop and have our shooting lesson. There is plenty of shade here for the horses to rest in.”

Everyone dismounted. The men took the horses into the light shade of a stand of mesquite trees and hitched them there. Fierro and Kate found a log to sit on and he asked for her gun. Taking two bullets from his pocket, he showed her how to pull the hammer one notch down to put the gun on safety. Holding it up so that she could see, he rotated the two barrels forward and loaded the bullets into their chambers. He then closed the gun and pulled all the way down on the hammer to make it ready to fire.

With the gun loaded, he stepped behind her and reached around, properly positioning her hands on the gun. When his calloused hands touched hers, she caught her breath and started to tremble. Ignoring her reaction, he talked calmly about centering the front sight in the notch of the rear sight and then gently squeezing the trigger. As soon as the gun fired, he stepped away and gave her time to regain her composure. She felt grateful to him for not commenting on her nervous reaction and made a valiant effort to have a normal conversation.

“I’m aware of the kickback of guns from firing a shotgun,” she said, “but I’m surprised at the strong recoil of such a small gun.”

He nodded. “You have to take that into account when aiming, since your hand will naturally jerk up a little when you fire. It is difficult to keep completely still. Now I want you to load the gun yourself and go through the steps that I have showed you.”

As he watched, she picked up more bullets, loaded the gun herself, and practiced aiming and shooting a few more times. He pointed out objects for her to shoot at and nodded approvingly as she improved with practice.

“Just remember that, if you are being attacked personally, you must fire quickly and accurately before the gun is taken from you. You must be close to your target for the shot to be effective. Aim from your midpoint and a little up since your attacker will probably be taller than you. You must be absolutely ruthless and willing to kill if you are to survive. Once you pull that gun, you will kill or be killed.”

“What if I don’t pull the gun?”

“Then you might survive, but you might wish you had not.”

She looked up at him with grim determination in her eyes.

“I’m pretty sure that I can kill any man who tries to hurt me. I’ve suffered once. I won’t again”

“Ah, such serious thoughts. I think you must have an interesting story to tell.” He stood up and stretched. “We should start back to town. I promised your Tía not to keep you out too long this first time.”

“First time? We are doing this again? When?”

“Tomorrow. I will not have too many days here in Juárez before we have to move out.” He called to the men who were lazing in the shade with the horses. Everyone mounted up and they started on the road back.

When they reached the house, he walked...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 10.7.2023
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Historische Romane
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-0876-3 / 9798350908763