Bannister was a tall man whose blond hair had only begun to gray. He dressed impeccably and moved with a sort of graceful precision.Distinguished,that was the word to describe William Bannister.
“I’m in a great deal deeper than that,” he said. “Don’t worry, McCloskey will come through.”
As the horses rounded a large granite boulder that mapped the final turn, the crowd gasped in unison and Carly surged to her feet. The palomino had stumbled and nearly gone down, but he was back in his stride and running flat out. She could almost feel the animal’s proud determination… or perhaps it was the don’s.
Whatever it was, the pair seemed even more driven to win.
“My God,” Fletcher Austin said, “that stallion of de la Guerra’s is incredible.”
“Yes,” said Bannister, and in that moment Carly felt certain even William Bannister wanted to see the gallant horse win. “I’ve never seen anything so magnificent.”
“The gray will be the victor,” Vincent said stubbornly, but the palomino was closing fast, his strides lengthened so far out at times his nose and feet were nearly touching.
The finish line loomed ahead. Everyone was standing, shouting and cheering, including Fletcher and Carly. “You can do it,” she whispered, “you can do it—I know you can!”
And they did, the magnificent palomino and its graceful rider pounding across the finish line just inches ahead of the gray. Carly was shouting with joy, laughing, her eyes suddenly stinging with tears. For a moment Vincent Bannister looked horrified, and Carly flushed with guilt.
She was afraid to look at her uncle—or worse yet William Bannister. When she did, she saw her uncle frowning, but Bannister was smiling.
“Incredible,” was all he said.
“Cost me a thousand,” her uncle said with a heavy sigh, “but it was damned near worth it.”
“Let’s go down to the finish line,” Carly suggested, hoping the men would agree, and surprisingly they did. By the timethey got there, Don Ramon was surrounded by dozens of joyous vaqueros, his smiling mother and aunt, the Montoyas, Herreras, Estradas, and several other Californio families.
He glanced up at their approach and the smile slid from his face.
“Congratulations, Don Ramon,” Bannister said. “Once more you have proven that you ride California’s most magnificent horse.”
“You are very gracious, Senor Bannister. I did not expect it… coming from a man who tried to win by cheating.”
Bannister stilled and her uncle went tense. “What are you talking about?” William demanded.
“I am speaking of this.” He handed over a short-handled object with three sharp prongs on the end. The prongs held a slight trace of blood. “Your man, Senor McCloskey, used this on my horse as we rounded the final turn. Unfortunately for him, I was able to jerk it from his hand.”
The crowd parted as Bannister moved toward Rey del Sol. He saw the slight puncture marks beneath the animal’s ribs, the blond hair covered with a small amount of blood. He turned, stiff and red-faced, to Ramon de la Guerra.
“I give you my word as a gentleman, I knew nothing about this. I hope one day to own Rey del Sol. I would never wish to see such a fine animal injured.”
The don said nothing.
“I am deeply sorry, Don Ramon,” William continued. “I promise you I will deal personally with McCloskey, and I sincerely hope that you will accept my humble apology.”
The Spaniard studied him for long, tense moments. “The injury is a small one. I am glad to learn you had no part in what happened. I accept your apology… and your two thousand dollars.”
A roar went up from the crowd. The don was smiling again, that incredible blinding white smile that turned Carly’s stomach all hot and liquid. Especially when he was looking at her the way he was right now.
“Congratulations, Don Ramon,” she said to him softly. “Your ride was magnificent.”
A bold black brow arched up. He watched her with renewed interest, realizing she was pleased that he had won. “Muchas gracias,senorita. You are interested in horses?”
“I have read a good deal about them on the ship as I traveled from the East. I am only just learning to ride, but yes… I am greatly interested in horses.”
He seemed surprised at her words. It occurred to her that most fashionable ladies learned to ride very young. She flushed and hoped her small mistake would go unnoticed by the others among her uncle’s wealthy friends.
“It seems most of us here have an interest in horses,” William Bannister put in, handing over the winner’s share, a leather pouch filled with gold coins. “I still wish to purchase your stallion. I’ll pay double whatever reasonable price you name.”
The don just shook his head. “Rey is among the last of my father’s Andalusian horses. He must be saved for breeding.” Carly had read about such horses, the same animals brought to the New World with Cortez.