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144 Tamale Ridge by: Chuck Cusimano

As Patron of Rancho Seco, the teenager had settled down to hard work and was resolved to

taking care of the Rancho. He told of how Ramon relied on Raul to help the young man to make

the right decisions.

I thanked the man for sharing his camp with me and for all the information. Romaldo was

nowhere to be seen. I caught up my horses and rode away to make my own camp.

I didn’t sleep all that well that night and woke up just before daylight, broke camp and rode out.

I checked my back trail often and never quit looking. For what, I did not know.

My thoughts were with Rosemarie and I felt bad for her suffering the loss of her father, as I

rode toward Rancho Seco. I was now riding a familiar trail and determined that I would have

with me, when once again I rode back, the one that matters!

It was then I spotted the mounted vaqueros. I wondered aloud,

“What would be their mood? .. would I be welcome?”

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

Juan sat in the chair looking into the total blackness, drinking his coffee. He thought about

how quickly his life had unraveled in the last sixty-seven years. No one knew for sure just how

old he was, or when his actual birthday was. His people didn’t record a lot of information and he

was born into a large family at home. His oldest sister had delivered him and two younger

siblings. Juan left home when he was about eleven and worked at any kind of job to keep him

alive. He tried his hand at a lot of different jobs but was always happier and more pleased

working with cows and horses. He really liked working for Señor Trent because of the way the

man treated him. He admitted that he liked this young Sovrino of the señor as well. “Señor

Geel” was a good man also. Juan sometimes wished he could have found a woman that could be

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