Laureana, her parents, and Luke ate lunch together in the dining room. Anselmo and Maria felt the tension between their daughter and Luke. "Mr. and Mrs. Quinteras, I am happy to say that your daughter and I have settled our differences this morning. "We agreed to have a ride and get to know more with one another."
Anselmo raised his eyebrows. "Really? I am shocked."
"Well, that is wonderful. At least she let a man near her," said Maria.
When Luke finished eating, he stood from his seat. "I will be going to the horse stables. I look forward to seeing you when you finish eating, Laureana." He walked out of the dining room.
"¿Que acaba de suceder? (What just happened?)" asked Maria.
"¡Un milagro! (A miracle!)" Anselmo looked at Laureana, who ate in silence. "You're done eating; go to Mr. Luke Bixby."
"I haven't finished."
"You're done. Go to him, now!" Laureana glared at her Father as she took a piece of bread and left. "Mr. Luke has an interest in Laureana."
Maria sipped from her cup. "A Gringo nonetheless. Why does it matter?"
"Laureana is our one hope to keep our lands and home."
"Are you saying Laureana should marry him to keep our land?"
Anselmo sat thoughtfully. "If he marries Laureana, she will become the lady of these lands. We will be able to stay here."
The matriarch sighed while sipping her tea. "Laureana will never agree to such a thing. She hates him."
"Her feelings aren't important. She will eventually do what needs to be done. She deeply loves these lands and will do anything for them."
"I have nothing else to say." Maria stood from her seat and decided to go water her garden.
Meanwhile, Laureana strolled towards the horse stables. She wanted the ground to take her down, not bring her back to the surface. "I can't believe that I have to spend time with that Gringo!" She arrived at the horse stables; Luke stood before his horse, brushing its hair.
He noticed her. "Why, hello there, Miss. Laureana. Glad to see you."
"Like I had a choice."
"You did have a choice; you chose to save your skin. Happy you did; the horses are ready." He motioned his right hand and was ready to help Laureana get on her horse. She walked past him and got on the horse without trouble. Once on their horses, they rode out of the horse stables and toward the path that led them to crops and workers. They waved to Laureana. She smiled and waved back as she commanded the horse to slow down. Luke did the same; they were next to one another. They kept riding on the plains as they viewed the grass and the mountains afar. "What kind of man was your brother like?"
"He was a gentleman, strong-willed, and he loved us all. Even the people who work for us loved him since he treated everyone with respect. Tomas chose to join the army because he was worried for our safety and well-being. It was pointless in the end." The memory of Tomas came to her; tears formed. They were wiped away.
"I'm sorry for your brother." Luke didn't receive a response. "Do you and your family know where you will live?"
"Juarez, Mexico. We have family there."
Luke gave a slight nod. "You don't seem happy about that."
She gave him an annoyed expression. "You aren't as bright as you think you are."
He shook his head amusingly. "You are the most difficult woman I have ever met. The other ladies I've been acquainted with don't have mouths like yours."
"Are we done now? I'm becoming bored of this conversation."
"Already? Don't tell me that you can't stand me." Laureana rolled her eyes as she commanded her horse to turn and walk back to her home. Luke blocked her way. "Let us race back to the house. If I make it before you, I will have more of your company."
"What if I win?"
"Then, I'll leave you alone."
Laureana smirked. "Deal."
Luke also smirked. "Overconfident and stubborn," he thought. The two were side by side, readying themselves and their horses. "When I count to three, then we go. One. Two..." Before he counted to three, Laureana commanded her horse to gallop away. "Dang it!" Luke commanded his horse to go; he was getting closer. He laughed as he noticed the hint of nervousness on her face. "You decided to cheat! I'm going to get you back!" Both were getting closer to the ranch. They were next to one another. Laureana commanded her horse to go faster, but the horse seemed tired. "Ha! Ha! The poor horse! It can't handle you!"
She growled and kicked the horse on its sides; it ran faster. She felt hope as she got closer to the ranch. The two galloped by the fields; the people watched as the two went by. Laureana didn't notice a hole in the ground; her horse stepped on it, making it fall. "Aah!" As the horse fell, Laureana flew mid-air and landed on the right side of her body.
The onlookers watched with horror. Luke stopped his horse, immediately got off, and ran towards Laureana. "Good God! Miss. Laureana, are you alright!?"
"My arm! It hurts!"
Luke knelt beside her. "I'll take you inside the house!" Some of the workers ran towards them with concern. "Please send for a doctor!"
"Sir, the doctors, will not come here; they are prejudiced towards the owners and us."
"Does anyone know to at least heal!?"
"Yes, Ekta knows!" one of the workers answered.
"Then inform her to go to Miss. Laureana's room!" Luke carried her bridal style. Laureana yelped in pain as she was lifted from the ground. Luke tried to be careful as he ran toward her room as fast as he could. Once inside, Ekta stood by the bed with a bucket of water, bandages, and herbs; he gently and slowly put her down on her bed. "Will she be alright?"
"She has a dislocated shoulder." The older woman glared at the two. "What were you two doing?" she asked in a low, angry tone.
Laureana began to sweat, and Luke cleared his throat. "We were racing."
"Racing!?"
Luke laughed nervously. "Anyway, what can we do for her?"
"We have no choice but to put her shoulder back in place. I am not strong enough, however..." She looked at Luke. "You can do so."
Laureana gasped. "No! No! No! No! He will not be touching me! He got me into this situation, and I don't want him to worsen it!"
"Pardon me; you got into this situation because of your stubbornness! Don't forget that you cheated and weren't looking where you were going!" responded Luke. The two were argued; Ekta massaged her forehead. She then pulled Laureana's right cheek, making her squeal. The elderly lady got her sandal and threw it at Luke, hitting him on the chest. "By golly! What was that for!?"
"You two are acting like children! Both of you are at fault!" She glared at Laureana. "You should have known better, young lady! This man will fix your shoulder, or you will live with the pain!" She then motioned the young man toward Laureana. "As for you, I will tell you how to put her shoulder back in place. Now, you will gently get a hold of her arm."
Laureana glared at him. "Sorry, lady's orders." Luke gently grabbed her arm and felt her shaking in pain.
Ekta examined Laureana's arm and shoulder. "It is not too severe, or there would be extra painful steps that must be done. Alright, young man, you know what needs to be done."
He took a deep breath and felt Laureana tense up. "Laureana, you are too tense. You need to relax."
"Just do it."
"Not when you're tense."
The young woman was getting annoyed. "I am not!"
"Are too."
"Am not!"
"Are too."
"Am not!"
"You're yelling."
As Laureana was about to respond, Luke pulled her arm with full force; a loud crack echoed throughout the room. She yelped. "Well done, young man. Her shoulder is back in place."
Laureana glared at Ekta for a while and then eyed Luke. "You could have warned me!"
"If I did, you would have tensed up; the pain would've been worse. I had to distract you. It's quite entertaining to get you all worked up." Luke laughed.
"Stop laughing! I got hurt because of you!"
"You accepted the race, cheated, and didn't look where you were going." He looked thoughtful for a bit. "Now that I remember, you lost the race; I won the bet!" Luke couldn't stop smiling.
Ekta growled in annoyance. "Enough! You!" She pointed at Luke. "Stop acting like a lad! Her shoulder must heal, so I suggest you leave!"
Luke gave a slight bow, his smile never wavering. "I will visit you tomorrow to see how you're feeling."
"Don't ever come back."
"You lost the bet. Hold your pride and follow through. I would've if you won."
Laureana bit her lower lip as she watched Luke walk away. She laid back down on her bed while Ekta mixed herbs with water, soaked a cloth, put it on Laureana's shoulder, and strapped it. "You mustn't overexert this arm for a couple of days. It must heal." Ekta sat beside her. "Now, explain to me your bet with that man."
"Nothing important."
Curiosity overwhelmed the elder. "Nothing important? You accepted a race and dislocated your shoulder; there is always a reason. Now tell me."
"The bet was if I won, he would leave me alone, and if he won, he would still bother me."
The older woman couldn't help but laugh. "Well, he has determination; I'll give him that. He's also handsome too." She stood from the bed. "I think you should eat here for dinner; I will explain this to your parents."
The young woman was left alone. She lost the race and had to keep her word. Tomorrow would be another day.