Monday's Tale

Hi everyone.  Hope you all had a great weekend.  It finally stopped raining here on Saturday but more is expected today.  Must say, so far, I wish we had stayed in Arizona another two weeks.  It's been unusually cold and wet here.

I'm doing something different today.  I usually post a new story on Monday and this is a new story but it is an excerpt from my latest release Taming Maria.  It gives me a chance to promote my book while still providing a story. 

Parties and festivities filled the Christmas season and Maria Elena accepted every invitation she received. She had never attended so many parties before and her presence really set the tongues wagging among the other members of her set. She was the belle of the ball, with her stunning outfits and charming manners. She drew all of the eligible young men to her like bees to honey, they couldn't believe the change in her demeanor. All the young ladies silently wished she had stayed home. She flirted and danced with every man that asked. Everyone except Juan Antonio Cabrillo, that is. She refused his every request. He stood by and watched, calm and placid on the outside. On the inside, his blood was on the boil and his palm was very itchy. Oh, how I want to take her over my knee and spank her silly. She is trying my patience.

Diego Bartolá always celebrated Christmas Eve with an open house. He opened his home to everyone and it was always a highlight of the season. His home was a typical Spanish style hacienda. A two-story whitewashed adobe building sporting a red tile roof with verandas running the length of the house surrounding the large courtyard. On the ground floor, the rooms ran off the courtyard on three sides with a large terraced area at the open end. This area was covered with a trellis like fence covered by bougainvillea vines. Bedrooms were on the second floor with a balcony along the length of the structure and a staircase at both ends. Evergreens, adorned with red and white poinsettias and red bows, festooned the balcony railing and the entrance archway. The pathway into the courtyard was alight with luminaries leading to the center fountain flowing with sangria made with the fruits of his vineyards. A mariachi band played in the corner, the braziers lit to warm the cool of the evening, and candles and lanterns provided a soft glowing light to the rest of the area.

Everything met with Maria Elena's approval. She wanted this night to be perfect. She wanted to prove to Juan that she was a grown woman who demanded respect and knew how to fulfill her obligations as a hostess and wife.

For the evening, she chose a beautiful red velvet gown showing as much of her beautiful breasts as possible without incurring her father's wrath. With her long shiny black hair brushed over her left shoulder and a red rose pinned behind her left ear, she felt pretty and was determined to make Juan so jealous he would come begging her to forgive him. These parties were getting tiring and being on her best behavior was boring. It was time to let Juan back into her exceptionally warm for this time of year with a slight breeze coming off the ocean. The sangria and other spirits along with the dancing and the number of people warded off any chill and the party was in full swing when Maria Elena finally entered the courtyard. Her father had sent someone to fetch her. Her absence was noted and it was considered extremely rude of the hostess not to be on hand to greet them.

"I am here Papa," she said as she glided next to him.

"It's about time," he chided her.

"Am I not beautiful and was it not worth the wait?" she teased.

"Behave yourself," he admonished.

The next guests in the receiving line were the Cabrillo family. Señor and Señora Cabrillo and their five sons along with their assorted daughters-in-law greeted them warmly. Juan was not among them.

"Good evening, we are so happy you came. We trust all is well with everyone?" her father inquired.

"Yes, all is well. It is a beautiful evening for your gathering," Señora Castillo replied.

As Maria Elena greeted all the Cabrillo's she remarked to Joaquin Cabrillo that she didn't see Juan.

"No, nor will you. He sends his regrets and hopes his absence doesn't prove to be a hardship," he replied.

Maria's smile disappeared and Joaquin could clearly see this bit of news did not sit well with her. He couldn't wait to tell Juan that the señorita was very upset by his absence. This was a game she was playing, just as Juan suspected. Joaquin was thinking that Juan was going to have his hands full managing this spitfire. She needed a good hiding and he wouldn't mind being the one to administer it or to bear witness to her getting what she so richly deserved for this and all the other times she had it coming.

Maria stayed in the receiving line until all guests were personally welcomed. She barely concealed her anger at Juan. How dare he not show up to our party. I'll show him that his presence was not missed. Maria proceeded to flirt with every eligible man at the gathering. Others began to notice her outrageous behavior and her father overheard the comments spreading among the partygoers.

He walked over to where she was flirting with one of the ranch hands; he tapped her on the shoulder. She looked and was surprised to see it was her father. Diego turned to the man who looked embarrassed by all the attention turned on him.

"Do you mind if I borrow my daughter for a dance?"

"Not at all, Senor," he managed to get out.

"Maria Elena, may I have this dance?" her father asked.

"Of course, Papa."

The music began and he whispered into her ear. "Stop behaving so badly. You should be ashamed, you are making a spectacle of yourself, and you are embarrassing us. Now behave yourself."

She could hear his displeasure. "Go to the kitchen and check on things. See to your duties. Don't forget you are the hostess."

They finished the dance and she did as her father requested. When her assistance wasn't needed in the kitchen or anywhere else, she left the party.

Feeling chastened, she decided to go for a walk to calm herself down. She had not walked very far beyond the gates of the compound when she heard a noise behind her. She turned to look and saw no one. She continued a little further

toward the stables. Talking to Domingo always calmed her down. Entering the stable, all the horses peered out of their stalls to see if the visitor had any treats for them. When she reached Domingo's stall, someone grabbed at her and twirled her around. It was one of the vaqueros she had flirted with earlier. He started pulling her toward him.

"Let go of me," she told him.

"No, Señorita. I watched you go and followed you so that I could collect what you promised earlier."

"I didn't promise you anything you fool. Let me go."

She tried pulling away from him but his hand was on her neck and pulling her face toward him.

 "Let me go!" she yelled and then spit in his face.

"Whore," he called and slapped her face hard.

She didn't even hesitate. Her knee jerked up and hit him squarely in the groin.

His hands dropped to clutch himself and she ran from the stable. She stumbled and felt a hand catch her. Thinking it was that vaquero, she screamed.

"Hush Maria Elena, it is me, Joaquin Cabrillo. Are you all right? What happened and why are you out here alone?"

"I came out here to cool off and when I entered the stable, Antonio Muñoz, tried to make me kiss him."

"Did he hurt you?" Joaquin asked.

"No, I kicked him in the groin and ran out here."

"Let's get you back to the house. I will have your father deal with Muñoz. I'm sure he won't bother you again."

"Thank you for rescuing me."

"You wouldn't need rescuing if you behaved better. You were flirting with him and everyone else earlier. You brought this on yourself."

"How dare you speak to me that way?"

"Speak to you that way - I'm just stating the truth. You need to be taught a lesson. If you belonged to me I would take a switch to your backside."

"Then it's a good thing Joaquin Cabrillo that I don't belong to you," she said, and walked toward the house with as much dignity as she could muster. On the way, she met her father and others coming to see what the commotion was about.

"Ask him," she said as she sailed past them on the way to the house.

The party continued outside but having had enough of the party, Maria retired to her room. She removed her gown and readied herself for the night. After a while, she dozed off and was awakened by a knock at her door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Papa. Who else would it be at this time of night?"

"Come in, Papa."

"I've come to say good night and to tell you I was very disappointed with your behavior this evening. For that reason, I have made some decisions tonight that will affect you. There are arrangements being made and I will explain more in the morning. For now I just wanted to say good night and sleep well." With that, he kissed her cheek and let himself out of the room.

Maria was stunned and felt horrible. She loved her Papa and hearing of his disappointment in her behavior hurt more than if he had physically chastised her. With her feelings all in turmoil, sleep was now impossible. She tiptoed downstairs and walked out into the garden. It was a chilly night and with the braziers now extinguished, she felt the cold and wrapped her ruana tightly round her body to keep warm. The stars numbered in the thousands on this moonless night. It was silent except for the distant mewing of the livestock and the gentle breeze through the trees. If she listened closely, she could hear the sounds of Monterey Bay in the distance. It was a sound that always stilled her soul. Why can't I be more like my mother? Why do I always have to be so headstrong?

These were the thoughts rolling around in her head as she walked. Finally succumbing to the cold, she headed home but as she neared the stables, she became aware of the distress of the horses. They seemed to be frightened of something. As she reached the entrance, she hesitated a moment reliving

the evenings earlier events as the ground began to shake. It took her a moment to realize it was an earthquake and when it registered, she stood in the doorway until the shaking stopped. It had lasted a good sixty seconds but there didn't seem to be any visible damage. She entered the barn to quiet the horses when the shaking began again. This time it was more of a jolt than a shake. It was the last thing she remembered.

Hope you enjoyed and if you want to read more, click here or Amazon

This week's new story will be on Friday - it's a Valentine's story. See you later for more Aimless Ramblings.