Page 57 of The Enchanted Land

Morgan wrote the note with trembling hands. She knew she was writing the end to her marriage. Seth would never want her again.

Quickly, Joaquín took the note from her, retied her hands, and replaced the gag. As he removed the sapphire necklace and earrings, he kissed her neck and she flinched. His eyes hardened, and he raised a hand to strike her.

“No. I will not mar your lovely skin. I have plans for you. I am sure there will be many men who will do more to that lovely body than just strike your cheek.”

Her eyes had gone dead. She didn’t look at him, but held her eyes on the note he carried in his hand.

He left. Morgan felt that her life went with him.

Joaquín’s two men led Seth west, away from the Montoya ranch. The pain in his shoulder had intensified, and the loss of blood was making him weak. Eventually they came to the walls of a crumbling adobe hut. Here the two men dismounted, and painfully Seth did also. It was close to dawn, and the sky was beginning to lighten. He stuffed a handkerchief against the wound to try to stop the blood.

The two men said nothing. They just watched him, pointing a revolver at him continually.

When he saw Montoya riding up in the faint morning light, he used his rapidly draining strength to rush at him.

“Where is she? What have you done with her?”

Roughly, the guards pulled Seth to the ground. One of them kicked him in the ribs. He raised his foot to strike again but Joaquín halted him.

Seth regained his breath and pulled himself into a sitting position, leaning against the mud wall.

“Such concern for your little wife. Too bad she does not return that feeling for you. You see, she and I have been planning this, er … meeting … for a long time.”

“I don’t believe you,” Seth’s voice was hoarse. Breathing hurt, and he knew his ribs were cracked.

“Somehow, I knew you wouldn’t. So I brought you a little note from my beloved. Read it.”

Seth winced. He read the note twice. It said very simply that she had always loved Joaquín and that she was leaving with him.

Seth remembered the time on the wagon train when he had seen her kissing Joaquín. Yet he also remembered the four days they had spent in the canyon, and the weeks since then. How could anyone have been such an actress? He had believed she loved him. He crumpled the note.

“I see you sense the truth of her note,” Joaquín sneered. What fools thesegringosare, he thought. Colter couldn’t see that the woman lived only for him. She adored him and the dolt was blind to her devotion.

“Now I will take your horse and leave you.”

Seth put his hand to his bleeding shoulder. As he did so, Joaquín noticed a ring on Seth’s little finger. It was surely a woman’s ring.

The three men mounted their horses. When they had ridden a few yards, Joaquín turned, aimed his pistol at Seth’s head, and fired. Seth’s head slumped forward onto his chest.

Joaquín turned to the man on his left. “He has a ring on the little finger of his left hand. Bring it to me.”

When he had the ring, the three of them rode toward the east. After Joaquín had given the two men exact instructions, he rode to the little house where Morgan was.

For hours, she had worked at the rough rope fastenings until her skin was raw and bleeding. The sound of the opening door set her heart pounding.

“Well, little one, I see you are still here.” He removed the gag from her mouth. “It is too bad to have to cover up such a lovely mouth.” He bent to kiss her and frowned when she turned her head away.

He slumped in a chair, ignoring the tight ropes that held her wrists and ankles together. “It’s over,” he sighed.

She turned fear-filled eyes toward him, too afraid to ask what he meant.

“Oh, yes, I have something for you.” He rose and untied the bindings on her wrists. As she rubbed her numb wrists and hands, he held out the ring. Instantly, she knew what Joaquín meant. Her eyes flew to his.

“I believe you recognize the ring? I seem to remember seeing it on your lovely little hand when we were on the wagon train.” He tossed it into her lap and returned to his chair.

Gingerly, she picked up the ring. Her mother had given it to her just before she had died. After she and Seth arrived at the ranch, Jake had taken it into Santa Fe and had it made to fit Seth’s much larger finger. Seth had never taken it off since she had put it on his finger. That Joaquín had the ring meant that Seth had believed her note.

“He believed it,” she whispered, more to herself than to Joaquín.

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