Ramon chuckled softly. The stallion danced at the end of his lead rope and tossed his beautiful head, rippling his long, pale mane. “Rey is eager to meet his opponent. It is time for me to leave.”
“There is just one last thing.” Andreas glanced uneasily down at his feet, and Ramon knew in an instant this was the matter his brother had come to discuss.
“Go on.”
“I have only just learned that in three days time, Fletcher Austin will be bringing in a large herd of horses.”
“Si,I know this already. His men have been rounding them up for the past several weeks.”
“Then why did you not say so? We must have time to gather the men, to make plans, preparations. We will need—”
“I did not tell you because raiding del Robles is too dangerous. We will not take the horses.”
“Do not talk nonsense. Supplies are low; we need those animals very badly.”
A corner of Ramon’s mouth curved up. “Surely with all of the gold you stole last week—”
“You know I did not—” He broke off at the smile on his brother’s face. “That is not funny.”
“No, I do not suppose that it is,” Ramon conceded, bothered as much as his brother by the deeds they were blamed for that they had not done. He glanced toward the group of vaqueros making wagers on the race, then returned his gaze to Andreas. “Austin will be ready. He has hired a number of extra men. The horses will be heavily guarded all the way in from the range.”
Andreas grinned, etching deep grooves in his cheeks. “That is why we will wait until they reach the hacienda before we go after them.”
Ramon grunted. “Your need for a woman has clouded your brain.”
“Think about it, Ramon. Once the horses reach the rancho, Austin will let the extra hands go. He will not be expecting us to come after them so close to the house. We can sweep down, steal the horses, and be gone before he discovers what has hit him.”
Absently patting Rey’s sleek neck, Ramon mulled over his brother’s words. It wasn’t such a bad idea, but it would be extremely dangerous. Then again, as Andreas had said, there were hungry mouths to feed and they might not get another chance like this for a very long time.
“I have already spoken to the others,” Andreas continued. “The men have all agreed. We are going after the horses, Ramon.”
He stared hard at Andreas, then swore an oath beneath his breath. As head of the de la Guerra family, in most things his word was law, but he could not command his brother in this.
“If you are that determined to go, then I will be the one to lead the men.”
“No. Your rancho lies too close to Austin’s. It is better if you stay home.”
Ramon shook his head. “You went the last time. If we are going to steal the horses, it is my turn to lead.” He started walking the stallion toward the starting line, but Andreas caught his arm.
“I have a personal interest in this, Ramon. Every time we have raided del Robles, I have been the one to stay behind. I have waited long enough for my revenge. This time I am going, no matter which of us is in command.”
It was as close to a compromise as he would get.“Muy bien,”he said, though he wasn’t about to let Andreas face such danger alone. He had failed his family once. Because of it, his father was dead and his lands had been stolen. He loved his younger brother—he would do whatever it took to protect him.
He would not fail his family again.
“Then we will both ride on this one.”
Andreas smiled, the tension easing from his long-limbed body. “When do we strike?”
“Just before dawn five days hence,” Ramon said, starting to walk away. “We will rendezvous at the creek.”
Andreas nodded, and Ramon led the stallion off toward the start of the race. Rey’s thick neck bowed and his nostrils flared as they approached the noisy crowd, then a tiny brown-and-white dog not much bigger than a well-fed squirrel yapped twice and fell in step at Ramon’s feet. He chuckled, reached down, and picked the animal up in the palm of his hand.
“So you have missed your friend,” he said. Pausing for a moment, he set the little dog up on the saddle and immediately the stallion nickered with contentment, then began to quiet. Rey and Bajito had been born within days of each other. They hadbeen raised together in a stall in theestablo,and had formed an odd sort of friendship.
Ramon smiled as he thought of the bewildering pair and continued walking toward the spot where Bannister’s magnificent Thoroughbred, Raja, pranced impatiently near the starting line.
***