Morning arrived, and the inhabitants of the town began to wake up and start their day. Laureana finished bathing, and Ekta assisted her in dressing and combing her hair. "Are you feeling a little better?"

"Un poco." (A little.)

Ekta finished combing her hair and braided it. "I know all you feel is anger and pain. Life will never be easy now until the end of your days, but you will eventually find your strength and use it."

Laureana smiled. "Thank you."

There was a knock on the door; Etka went to open it. Maria entered. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Laureana didn't look at her Mother. "I have nothing to say, Mamá."

Maria grabbed Laureana's cheeks and forced her to look. "You embarrassed your Father and me! You acted out of terms in front of the Gringo! Whether you like it or not, we have no choice but to sell this land!"

"Enough! There is no need for harsh words early in the morning!" Ekta motioned Maria away from Laureana's space.

"Your Father and the Gringo are meeting one another. Behave yourself, or your Father will make you regret it." Maria walked out of her daughter's room.

Ekta turned her attention to Laureana, who sat motionless. "Why do you still anger your Mother?"

"I will not go back to what I said, Ekta. If I did, I would be lying to myself." She stood up. "Well, it is time that I eat. I don't know how long my family and I will be here, so I want to make the most of it." They walked to the kitchen, where they cooked food for themselves. Female cooks were in the kitchen but worked silently; Laureana noticed their uneasiness. "If you wish to speak, then do so."

One of the cooks stepped forward. "Miss. Laureana, we heard that this land is to be sold, is this true?"

"Yes."

They gasped. "What will happen to you!? To us!?"

Laureana sighed as she finished cooking an egg. "There is a possibility that my Father may want us to go to Juarez, Mexico; my Mother has family there. As for you all, there's the possibility that you can all still work here." The cooks looked at ease, but Laureana didn't know what would happen. When finished cooking, the two ate in the kitchen, enjoying each other's company. When finished, the two women went on their separate ways. The young woman decided to go out and practice her knife-throwing. She got her knives and empty bottles from one of the wooden cabinets and went off. Her parents didn't like when Laureana used weapons; it was unladylike.

There were decent-sized rocks, and Laureana put the bottles on top. She kept her distance and eyed all the bottles carefully. The first knife was thrown towards the first bottle, which hit and dropped it from the rock. The second and third knives hit their targets.

Laureana got her last knife and threw it, where it shattered the bottle into pieces. She smiled, got her knives and the three unbroken bottles, and placed the remaining three bottles on top of the rocks again.

"You got skill with those knives," said a voice. Laureana slowly turned and saw Luke watching her on a light brown horse. "Top of the morning, Miss. Laureana." She glared at him and didn't respond as she began to walk away. Luke shook his head and followed her with his horse. "It's a lovely morning; I just spoke with your Father as he showed me around. It's beautiful here." He was still ignored. "I also wanted to speak with you about yesterday's dinner and apologize; I made you uncomfortable." It annoyed him that he wasn't getting any response; he commanded his horse to block her. "I won't let you leave until you talk to me."

"Get out of my way, or I will stab you."

Luke raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "You spoke; at least that's something."

A knife was thrown toward Luke without any warning; he dodged it. "Are you cracked!? You could've killed me!" He noticed her slight smirk.

"That was my intention. Now, move out of my way if you don't want to end up six feet underground."

He didn't move; Laureana was about to throw another knife.; Luke got out his pistol and shot the knife off her hand. "You will not leave until you answer all my questions. You can throw your knives at me, but I still have bullets to strike them out." The young man got off his horse but kept his distance. "Do you hate me because your Father is selling me the land? If it is, I'm sorry. I never meant to cause you pain."

"Yet, you're still buying the land. You know that we would have to leave our home that has been in our family for years."

"I would be angry if I were in your situation too. I have my reasons for buying this land. Either way, your Father was in debt; I'm paying the price he requested. Others would try to rip him off." Luke watched her as she walked towards a tree and sat by it. Luke followed but gave her space. "Do you have siblings?" 

"I became an only child when my older brother was killed during the war."

Luke slowly paced back and forth. "I'm sorry for your loss. Were you close with your brother?"

"Yes. My brother, Tomas, was the one who taught me how to throw knives. He taught me many things that my parents wouldn't." She bit her lower lip and slowly looked at Luke. "Why do you want this land?"

"Opportunity to have a good life. My Father always worked hard to give me a better life. Now my Father's health is deteriorating; I want to make something out of myself before he passes." They were silent momentarily, but Luke cleared his throat. "Miss. Laureana, I was wondering if I could have more of your time. Maybe I can teach you how to shoot."

She glared at him as she crossed her arms. "If I refuse?"

Luke let out a playful smirk. "Then I'll tell your Father that you wanted to kill me. I'm sure you won't hear the end of-" He was interrupted.

"Like I care what my Father thinks or says."

"You didn't let me finish. I will tell your Father, and I might not pay him the money he requested. Do you think he will get another chance to get the requested price? The land will still be taken away to pay his debts."

Laureana's eyes and lips became wide. "You wouldn't dare!"

"That's up to you. I have nothing to lose." There wasn't a response; Luke felt victorious. "Then it's settled. After lunch, we'll go horseriding."

Two knives were suddenly thrown toward him; they were dodged. "Bastardo (Bastard)." She walked away, leaving Luke alone.

He whistled as he felt his heart beating faster than usual. Luke turned and saw the two knives deep in a tree trunk. "This woman is something else." 

..................................

 Cracked: (slang) meaning crazy.