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To the background of hammering, Noemi sat on the front porch of the ranch two years later, smiling at her mother as she bounced her 18 month old daughter, Maya, on her knees.
“What’s the baby doing?” her mother said, giggling as the baby cooed and spoke words that made no sense. “Oh, is that so? Well, how interesting.” Her mother laughed. “She’s so talkative!”
Noemi nodded. “When she does start talking, she’s never gonna stop, I’m sure of it.”
“Are you planning to teach her Spanish? Hiaki?”
“Oh my no!” Noemi laughed. “Then she’d be talking constantly in all the languages. Maybe when she’s older, she can learn a language other than English. But I don’t think she will want to reside in a Yaqui village or in Mexico after being raised here in America. That would be too much of a culture difference.”
The hammering sounded again, echoing off the walls of the buildings around them. “Your husband is so wonderful for building a house for me and your brothers. We don’t want to live in Mexico anymore. After your father died, I found nothing but sorrow there. Just being there made my heart ache for him.”
Noemi felt a wave of sadness wash over her. She’d never asked how her father died. She didn’t want to know. The only thing that mattered was that he had been killed by the men who’d taken him prisoner. They had held her brothers and mother captive but after her father died, they’d been let go.
“I’m glad I was able to find you all,” Noemi said softly. “It is tragic that papa had to die. But I am glad you are still with me. And my siblings, too.”
Maya bounced hard and almost came off her lap.
“Oops!” Noemi grabbed her daughter, pulling her back up. The little girl held her arms out to be taken by Noemi’s mother. “You want to go to Nana? Here she is. Take her, Mama.”
“There’s my little girl!” Noemi’s mother set Maya on her lap, and Maya began playing with the woman’s bead necklace.
“So glad you’re here,” Noemi repeated. She leaned back in her chair and looked out at the house Finn was working on. He was hammering the roof on. He stopped and lifted up, stretching his back. He said something to Noemi’s oldest brother, who was eighteen. The young man laughed, shaking his head. They both went back to work.
“Papa would be so proud of the woman you’ve become,” her mother said, grabbing her attention back. She felt warm and tilted her head to the side.
“I came so close to disaster, Mama,” Noemi said, her emotions on the surface. “So close. I was rebellious. I didn’t know what I was doing. I regret my actions, thinking Emiliano Cruz was trying to save us all. I really regarded him as a hero!” Regret filled her, making her crinkle her forehead, drawing her brows together. “I was responsible for the death of many. It is something I’m not going to forget. Through all my life.”
“You cannot keep beating yourself for that, Noemi.” She could hear the compassion in her mother’s voice. “You were young and naïve. He was a very good manipulator. You aren’t the only one who believed him.”
“But so many people were hurt because of my actions.” Noemi kneaded her hands in her lap. “I was such a fool! Such a fool!” She shook her head violently, her words coming out strained.
“Mama!” Maya practically leapt from her grandmother’s arms but the woman held her tightly. “Give kiss! Give a kiss, Mama!”
Impressed with how smart her daughter was, forgetting her pain for a moment, Noemi smiled and leaned forward, puckering her lips. Maya put both hands on her cheeks and blew the kiss on Noemi’s lips instead of doing it the right way. Noemi laughed as she drew back. She instinctively lifted her hand and wiped the back of it over her lips.
“Sweet baby,” she said softly.
“You must forgive yourself, Noemi,” her mother spoke in a gentle tone, tilting her head to the side. Her dark brown eyes were so kind and loving. Noemi wished she could stop berating herself for the way she’d behaved when she was younger. If only she’d known then what she knew now. Her mother went on, saying what Noemi felt she really needed to hear. “If you had been wise to what was going on, you would never have met your husband. And we are all glad you met him, believe me! And you wouldn’t have this lovely girl here!”
Noemi giggled, delighted when Maya mimicked her. The little girl put both hands under her chin and lifted her eyes, tilting her head at the same time. It was the cutest pose Noemi had ever seen and her daughter did it frequently. She had no idea where Maya had seen that or if it just came naturally to her. Either way, she was filled with pride and an intense love that even surpassed what she felt for Finn.
Maya had a good mix of her looks and Finn’s. She was clearly Indian because of her thick dark hair and eyebrows, as well as her deep set brown eyes with natural eye shadow on her lids. But from the eyes down, Maya was all Finn. She had what was almost a permanent big smile, bulbous cheekbones and a smooth round chin. She was extremely good natured, another trait she’d gotten from Finn.
“I am glad I chose love over politics,” she remarked, her eyes still on her daughter. “I knew nothing about either one but I chose the one that would let me live my life fully and not to the detriment of others. I know more about Porfirio Diaz than I did before and though I still despise him, I think he is doing what he can to help the people of Mexico. Besides, I am an American now. I do not have to fear him or even think about him anymore.”
Her mother nodded. “Yes, that’s right my dear. You don’t have to worry about him. He cannot touch you ever again. I am also glad to have the protection of this country.”
Emiliano Cruz had been captured when he and his cohorts tried to blow up a train that was carrying gold and silver into the United States. He was executed along with his companions, who were also very active in the conflict with the Mexican government. Noemi didn’t let herself think about it often. It pained her to think how dumb she had been.
Finn’s friends had all embraced her as one of their own. She found herself missing his uncle more often than she’d expected. He’d been a central part of her escape from the brainwashing she’d suffered under Cruz’s leadership. His love for his nephew was so prominent, it reminded her of her own father and how he’d treated her and her siblings. When he was around, it was like having her father back. He visited every couple months and it was always a good time for her and Finn.
“Lunch is ready, Madam.”
Noemi looked up at the housekeeper who was holding the door open, smiling at her and her mother and daughter. “I have sent Pablo to get his brother and your husband.”
Noemi stood up. “Thank you, Maria. I can smell it and it’s got my tummy ready!”
Maria grinned wide, holding the door open as Noemi took Maya from her mother and the three women went into the house. It smelled of fresh baked bread, ham and a touch of cinnamon. The scent was very inviting.
Five minutes later, Finn came in the door, Noemi’s brother, Juan, following close behind. Both men were drying their freshly washed hands, their eyes on the full plates on the table.
“I am ready to eat!” Finn announced as if he had been starved for a week. Before he sat down, he walked to Noemi and bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek. Noemi’s heart filled with love for him. She had no doubt that admiration showed on her face. Before he stood up straight, he whispered, “Love you, doll.”
Noemi felt her cheeks flush as she gave him a side glance, fluttering her eyelids the way her heart fluttered in her chest. “Love you, too,” she responded in an equally quiet whisper.
Finn slapped his hands together once, eyeing the table again as he took his seat. “Well, well, well! I have made it now. My beautiful family around the table… hello, sweet baby…” he directed his words to Maya, who laughed and bounced in her tall seat with a small table he’d fashioned for her attached so she could eat with the family without spilling everything.
“Papa, papa, papa!” she cried out happily.
“I am truly blessed!” he stated proudly as he pulled his chair closer to the table. “Shall I pray for us?” he asked.
Noemi and her family nodded and she lowered her head. As Finn prayed, giving thanks for the food, the luxury of having an excellent cook and an excellent Maker, her thoughts strayed to how truly blessed she really was. The Lord must surely have forgiven her for her misdeeds, leading people astray and being responsible for the death of innocence.
As they ate, Noemi listened to the chatter of her family. Her sister, Sara, was telling their mother how much progress she’d made on the book she was writing about her childhood. Their mother looked highly interested. Her big smile told everyone who saw it how proud she was of Sara and how flattered she was to be a “star character”, as Sara described her in the book. Noemi was glad Sara didn’t know anything – or very little – about what Noemi had done to help Cruz and his men. She never wanted her siblings to know her role in having their village of Cocorit raided, their homes and possessions burned, their father eventually killed.
She was sure it would change the way they thought of her. They might hold her responsible. She was doing enough of that on her own.
Finn’s laughter captured her attention and she swiveled her eyes to him. He was chatting with Pablo, who was thirteen and Juan, the eldest of her siblings. Juan was recounting a funny story about fishing with Pablo and how they had both slipped on wet rocks, going into the water and bruising their back sides. It wouldn’t have been a funny story if they’d truly hurt themselves but they hadn’t and instead of fishing, they decided to swim, hanging off long branches and dropping down into the deeper part of the river, splashing each other until one or both nearly drowned.
Noemi shook her head. Boys were so rambunctious. She wouldn’t have thought it was so funny if she’d been playing with Sara and they nearly drowned each other. Her brothers thought it was the best part of their “fishing” trip.
Not to be left out, Maya was also looking around as she took small bits of bread and butter, placing the food in her mouth with her fingers, her eyes wide as she listened to all the voice. She interjected with babble every now and then and whoever she was talking to always gave her a big smile and agreed wholeheartedly with her before returning to their conversation.
How blessed she was! Her heart filled with love as she looked around her. They didn’t have to be talking to her. The sounds of their voices, their laughter, the smiles on their faces… there was nothing that could take this away from her. As her life went on, things would change as they inevitably did. She didn’t know what her life would look like in another five years.
The only thing she knew was that right then, right there, in her beautiful home with her beautiful family, she was happy. Happier than she ever thought she could be.
Blessed. That’s what she was.
OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!
Grab my new series, "Grit and Glory on the Frontier", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!
Hello there, I really hope you liked my new western adventure story and the extended epilogue! I would be very happy to read your thoughts below.
I really enjoyed this western novel. At first I kinda got turned around with the novel. My fault, I was trying to do more than 1 thing at a time. When I quit trying to do two things at once, I absolutely could not put it down. Oh what a story it is. My heart is so full the way the story ended. Don’t try to read it in a hurry because you’ll have to back up and reread again !!! Enjoy!
Hey Candy, I’m thrilled you loved it so much! Thank you for your kind words and support!