The Runaway and the Farmer's Daughter Read online

  “And you made it through two days?”

  “Yes, I did,” Andrew said proudly. “It wasn't easy, though.”

  “You must have been a hard worker for José to keep you on. Most people don't last a whole day, let alone two,” the bartender informed him.

  “You could say that I'm motivated,” Andrew admitted. “I don't have much of a choice but to tough it out.”

  “Just fuel up on rice, beans, and beer. Your body will get used to the work before you know it. So, did you see José's daughter while you were there?” the bartender asked.

  “Josefina? Absolutely. She's a beautiful girl, isn't she?” Andrew pointed out.

  “She's gorgeous. José is quite protective of his daughter, so don't even think about it,” the bartender warned. “I don't want to see you without work because you made a bad decision.”

  “I won't jeopardize anything,” Andrew assured him.

  The dinner and the beer satisfied Andrew more than a meal had ever satisfied him before. His body accepted the nourishment with great enthusiasm. When he finished, all he wanted to do was sleep.

  “Thank you so much for everything,” Andrew told the bartender, leaving his tip on the bar. “I'm going to head to bed. I have work early in the morning.”

  “Good-night,” the bartender said.

  Chapter Three

  The third day at work proved to be easier for Andrew. It was definitely easier than the second day. His bones and muscles didn't feel as sore as they did the day before. He was getting more and more used to working on a farm as well. Even Josefina recognized this when she brought him water.

  “You look great today,” Josefina observed. “Are you getting used to the work?”

  “Absolutely,” Andrew said.

  “Well, good. Maybe if you're feeling up to it, you can meet me down by the river after dinner,” she whispered. Then she immediately went away to give the other workers water. Andrew spent the rest of the workday wondering why she wanted to meet him. Was she inviting him to hang out with her and a bunch of friends? The family? Was it just going to be the two of them? Did she think that he was attractive? What would José say if they did get together and he found out? Andrew got lost in his work, but the questions still ran through his head.

  After twelve hours, Andrew got to retire for the day. José once again complimented him about how hard he worked. He left with the other workers and got his pay for the day. He didn't even know where the river was, so he decided to stay behind and find it while Josefina had dinner with the family.

  He finally found it, and he sat down by the river, waiting. He knew that it would take some time for Josefina to arrive. He was surprised to see her in just about an hour. She looked gorgeous. Her hair was in two braids, and she wore a simple dress with short sleeves. Her smile illuminated the dark river.

  “I'm glad that you came,” Josefina told him, sitting down next to him on a log.

  “I didn't think that there was a river around here. I'm glad I know where this is,” Andrew said.

  “This is my favorite place in the area,” Josefina said. “It's pretty.”

  “You're very pretty,” Andrew said bluntly.

  Josefina looked surprised, but she smiled shyly.

  “Thank you very much,” she said. “You look nice, too. I've never seen an America boy before.”

  “You've really never seen an American boy before?” he asked.

  “No. There's never been an American here that I've seen. I've heard about a couple of Americans going through town, but I was always too busy at school or at home to see them.”

  “And what do you think?” Andrew asked.

  “I think that your skin will get a lot darker in the sun,” Josefina said. “But I like the lighter hair.”

  “Well, I like your dark hair. I like your dark eyes, too,” Andrew told her.

  “Do you think that I'm too plain for you?” Josefina asked. “I've never had a computer or anything. I've never been to a big city.”

  “I don't care,” Andrew laughed. “You are a sweet girl, and you're very pretty. Maybe I can show you some of those things, though.”

  “You would show me a city? And a computer?” she asked.

  Andrew realized that he wasn't making enough to buy a computer, or go to the city, either.

  “Well, we will try. Maybe you will just teach me your way of life for a while.”

  “I've never talked to one of my father's field workers before,” Josefina admitted.

  “Is your father going to be mad if we tell him?” Andrew asked.

  “I don't know,” Josefina said. “Why don't we not tell him? It's not like we've kissed yet.”

  At that moment, Andrew gently lifted Josefina's chin and kissed her softly on the lips. She tasted like a mixture of spices and something sweet. At that moment, Josefina jumped up and started to head back down the road toward her house. Andrew was left in astonishment, but she quickly turned around and gave Andrew a hug. Then she ran back down the road again.

  Chapter Four

  The next days at work, Josefina and Andrew secretly flirted as often as they could. When she would bring him water, he would give her a small kiss on the cheek. She even came out once and handed him a small note that said, “You are handsome.” She punctuated it with a smiley face. His small encounters with Josefina always made his day. He wanted to spend more time with her again, but the life in a small, Mexican town was quite busy. Work went as late as it could possibly go, and Josefina had a lot of domestic responsibilities. Andrew decided that it would be best to wait for Josefina to ask him to meet her again instead of imposing. She would know when she was able to.

  Finally, it happened again. Josefina asked Andrew to meet her at the river once more. Andrew decided that the river was going to be their spot. He went to the river after work and waited for her. This time when she saw him, she ran up and instantly gave him a kiss. Josefina was adorable and sweet. Her excitement at the kiss made him feel like he was the most desired man in the world.

  “It's good to see you too,” he said, looking into her brown eyes.

  “I've wanted to see you again for days now,” Josefina said. “I didn't want my dad to find out, though.”

  “I think that we should just tell him. I'll talk to him,” Andrew suggested.

  “I don't know if that's the best idea. He can be a mean man sometimes,” Josefina told him.

  “I don't care. What is he going to do? Fire me? He knows that I'm a great worker. I will also tell him how much I care about you. I'm not going to hurt you.”

  “That's nice. I just don't know if he's going to believe it,” Josefina said.

  “I'll just have to convince him,” Andrew said.

  “You can't do it tonight,” Josefina said. “It's too late, and he's too tired. He will not be easy to talk to now. Plus, I told him that I was going out for a walk. He'll be mad that I lied.”

  “Fine. Just give me one more kiss. I'll talk to him tomorrow,” Andrew promised.

  Josefina threw her arms up and gave him a passionate kiss. Her arms gripped around his neck even after the kiss, and it felt to Andrew like she didn't want to let go. He kissed her on the forehead.

  “I'll talk to your father tomorrow,” Andrew whispered.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I hope that you do.”

  Andrew and Josefina reluctantly parted ways, and Andrew went to the saloon in town again.

  “I did what you told me not to do,” Andrew told the bartender immediately.

  “Don't tell me you are trying to start something with Josefina.”

  “You would do it too if you were me,” Andrew told him. “She invited me to meet her at the river. She kissed me.”

  “She kissed you?” the bartender asked.

  “Absolutely! She kissed me. Several times. She didn't want to let go of me,” Andrew said. “She's beautiful, and I just can't say no.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “I'm thinking
of giving a present or something. A ring? Some flowers? Ask her father for permission to court her properly,” Andrew suggested.

  “That might work,” the bartender told him. “However, you should be careful with your money around here.”

  “What are you talking about? Is there a lot of theft?” Andrew asked.

  “Well, another American told the authorities that there was a murderer who came through these parts recently. He said that he killed his partner and came here to hide. You know, some of the people in town are thinking that it is you. I told them that it couldn't be. But be careful. You might get questioned. You might also want to be careful not to run into this murderer. If he's willing to kill somebody, he's willing to steal from you.”

  Andrew had been preoccupied with working and Josefina. For days, he forgot about his status as a fugitive on the run. Who could have possibly told on him? Brian, his driver, was the only person who knew anything.

  “Well, hopefully it is just a bunch of talk,” Andrew said.

  “The informant did get a significant reward for the information. He could have lied,” the bartender said.

  It must have been Brian who informed on him. The rat just wanted to get even more money by turning him into the authorities. Andrew quickly excused himself from the bar, and went back to the inn to hide and decide what to do. He realized that he should probably leave. The police were going to come after him. He was wanted for murder, and he didn't have nearly enough money to bribe the police or anything.

  He couldn't help but think of Josefina, though. In his entire life, he had never met a woman as beautiful and as sweet as Josefina. She made him feel so desired, too. He also made a promise to her that he was going to talk to José. If he left, he would break her heart. He couldn't possibly do that to her. However, he also couldn't go to jail for the rest of his life.

  Andrew stared up at the ceiling again, thinking about Chris and his murder. There was so much blood. Andrew watched the entire thing, too. He watched the murderer frame him, even. Andrew hated thinking about that night, and he simply wanted to work and build a life with Josefina. He was going to have enough trouble talking to José about his relationship with Josefina. He didn't need to worry about going to jail on top of it. Andrew drifted off to sleep, still unsure of what to do.

  Chapter Five

  Andrew made the decision not to run the next morning. He woke up at the normal time, and he went to work like every other day. As he went down the path, he almost kept walking past the farm. He made his turn, though. Instead of knocking on the door of the house, he went to the field with the other workers. He went about his routine as normal. When he saw José walking out to the field, he felt fear run through his veins. Was it Andrew's imagination, or did José give him a mean look?

  “Hey, Andrew,” José said. “You're doing very well, as usual. I'll be back later.”

  “Thanks, sir.”

  Andrew was convinced that José didn't know anything about his being a fugitive, but he realized that he had to talk to him about courting his daughter. He also didn't have a present with him. He was too preoccupied the night before about Brian to even think about a gift. What was he going to do?

  Andrew hoped that he could find some flowers on the farm. He wasn't sure if he would be yelled at for pulling the flowers out of the ground, though. The last thing that Andrew could think about was offering up his services for less money. He couldn't take too much of a pay cut, but it was all he had to offer at the moment.

  Josefina came out like every other day to give the workers water.

  “Are you going to talk to my father today?” Josefina asked with hope in her eyes.

  “I don't have a gift to offer,” Andrew said meekly. “I don't know if I should find one after work first.”

  “He doesn't care about a present. Just ask his permission,” Josefina insisted. “You said that you would do it today.”

  “I know. I know. I want to make sure that he says yes when I ask,” Andrew told her. “I want it to be perfect.”

  “I think that you're just afraid!” Josefina said a little too loudly. There were others workers not too far away.

  “Be quiet! I don't want anyone to hear about us before we tell your father,” Andrew hissed.

  “You are afraid!” Josefina hissed back. She then left and proceeded to give everyone else their water. Andrew felt horrible. He did promise that he would talk to José today, so he was going to have to do it. Present or not.

  When the end of the day came, he tried to wait behind the other workers. He wanted to be the last one so that he could talk to José alone. He was lucky to time himself properly.

  “Good job today,” José said.

  “Thank you, sir. You know, I was hoping that I was going to be able to talk to you,” Andrew said.

  “Of course. Please don't tell me that you're planning on leaving us,” José said.

  “Absolutely not!” Andrew said. “I was interested in talking to you, um, about Josefina, actually.”

  José's eyebrows rose.

  “Oh yeah?” José asked.

  “I think that she's absolutely beautiful, sir. I was hoping that with your permission that you would allow me to date her. Of course, if she's interested,” Andrew said.

  “Are you sure that she would even be interested?” José asked.

  “I don't know. I'd like the opportunity to ask her,” Andrew said.

  “We don't know much about you, Andrew. How do we know that you plan to stay for more than just a season?”

  “Josefina is one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. I also think that she's extremely sweet. I would love to build a life with her here,” Andrew said.

  “Are you sure you can adjust to this world for the rest of your life? It's fun now, but is this something that you can do forever?” José asked.

  “I would give up electricity for Josefina,” Andrew said.

  “This isn't the safest neighborhood, either. You know, they say that some American murderer is in the area,” José informed Andrew.

  “I heard a little something about that. I plan to protect Josefina and the rest of the family to the best of my ability,” said Andrew.

  “You and Josefina can go on a little walk tonight and you can talk to her. I'm not sure what she's going to say. However, you're a hard worker, and I'd be happy to allow you to date my daughter,” said José. “You can go to the house and ask her now.”

  Andrew smiled and quickly headed over to the house. Josefina answered.

  “You talked to him?” she whispered.

  Andrew nodded.

  “And what did she say?” Josefina asked.

  “He said that I could ask you out. So, Josefina, will you go out with me for a walk right now?” Andrew asked.

  “Absolutely!” Josefina screamed. “Mama, I'm heading out for a little bit.”

  “Don't be too long, Josefina!” Lupe said with a sing-song tone to her voice.

  Josefina and Andrew walked next to each other. They immediately headed in the direction of the river without saying a word about where they were going.

  “I didn't think that you were going to ask him,” Josefina said.

  “You were right. I was afraid,” Andrew admitted.

  “I knew it!” Josefina teased.

  “I had to do it, though. I didn't want you to be mad at me. You're too pretty to let slip through my fingers,” Andrew said.

  “You're what they call a sweet-talker, no?” Josefina laughed.

  “Well, that's only because you're so sweet,” Andrew said.

  The couple laughed and sat down by the river again. Andrew put his arm around her, and they listened to the gentle sound of the water in silence.

  “This is lovely,” Josefina said.

  “Isn't it?”

  “Will we do this all the time?” Josefina asked.

  “I think so,” Andrew said. “I don't see why not.”

  Andrew took a small flower from the ground and han
ded it to Josefina. It was a white flower, and it was striking next to her black hair and dark skin.

  “Thank you,” Josefina said, putting the flower in her hair.

  The two enjoyed sitting together, just being in each other’s presence.

  “I've never dated a boy before,” she said. “I've had other boys court me, but I didn't like them. That or my father said no. You're the first one.”

  “Are you afraid?” Andrew asked. He was certainly not new to dating by any means. He had his first girlfriend when he was significantly younger than Josefina. And while being a magician wasn't the biggest chick magnet, he was able to bring a couple of women home after his gigs.

  “I just don't want to disappoint you,” Josefina said.

  “There's no way for you to disappoint me. Let's take our time, though. I don't want to pressure you at all. We can wait for as long as you'd like,” Andrew reassured Josefina.

  “You're right. I am afraid,” Josefina laughed. “Thank you for letting me take my time.”

  “Of course,” Andrew said, squeezing Josefina lightly. “Do you want to go back now? We will hang out more and more.”

  “That sounds great,” Josefina smiled.

  They walked hand in hand back to the house. Lupe was outside cleaning, but Andrew suspected that she was trying to keep an eye out for them. She waved when she saw the couple walking up the road.

  “Hi, mama!” Josefina said, releasing her grip from Andrew's hand.

  Andrew walked Josefina up to the house and smiled at Lupe.

  “It's good to see you again, Lupe,” Andrew said. “And it was great to take a walk with you, Josefina.”

  “Hope to see you again!” Lupe said.

  “Bye, Andrew!” Josefina said.

  “Bye, ladies!” Andrew said and made his way down the road back to the bar.

  Chapter Six

  When Andrew got to the bar, he saw that there were a lot more horses outside than normal. In fact, there seemed to be several more horses scattered throughout the roads. Andrew walked into the bar and noticed that there were men that looked like police officers.