“It’s not loaded,” Joaquin told him. “Eliza was worried there’d be an accident.”
And then, with deliberate steps, he closed the distance that separated them. Smiling down at her, he took his place on her right. In front of a church full of witnesses, they spoke the words that joined them as man and wife.
Afterward, once they’d managed to break away from the crowd and congratulations, Joaquin took her to the house. Not the widow Redwoods house any more. Their house.
“You don’t mind that your father died here?” he asked as he unlocked the door.
“No.” She admired the way his black hair glinted in the sun. When he turned and swung her into his arms, she gave a little startled cry. “Wait,” she said before he stepped over the threshold. “I want to tell you something.”
He paused and waited.
“When you found me sleeping in the stagecoach, I feared my life would become a living hell. Instead, you’ve made it as close as there can be to a heaven on earth.”
“As you have made mine,” he said, and then he carried her inside.
THE END
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About the Author:
Tatiana March studied economics and enjoyed a successful career as a finance director in several international corporations. Now a full time writer, Tatiana lives in the UK near the river Thames with her boyfriend of more than two decades. No kids, no pets, apart from spiders and other forms of wildlife seeking temporary shelter.
You can read more about Tatiana and her books on her blog
www.tatianamarch.blogspot.co.uk
Tatiana loves to hear from readers. You can contact her at
[email protected]
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Other books by Tatiana March
Contemporary Romance
Project Seduction
Trouble with the Law
Home for a Soldier
Le PACS
Learning to Forgive
Lies and Consequences
How Cat Got a Life
Reckless Encounter
Rugged
Sing That Song for Me
Trading Favors
Cosmic Forces
Woman Trap
Romantic Suspense
The Layton Prophecy
Angelheart
Secrets of the Past
Historical Romance
Saints and Sinners
Circle Star
The Virgin’s Debt
Submit to the Warrior
Surrender to the Knight
Klondike Dreams
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~ Historical notes ~
The 1870s were a difficult yet exciting time in the history of the Arizona Territory.
Native Americans were defending their traditional lifestyle. The United States army was slowly bringing the Indian Wars to an end, but fierce battles raged for another decade. In the Camp Grant massacre in 1871, more than a hundred Apaches were killed in 30 minutes. Only eight were men. The rest were women and children. During the preceding months, the Apaches had raided homesteads and murdered settlers, stirring up the hatred that triggered the attack on the encampment.
The Indian Wars in the Arizona territory didn’t end until the surrender of Geronimo in 1886, when the last renegades were confined to reservations.
In 1869, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads had joined, crossing the continent further north. The ease and convenience of train travel gradually put the stage coach lines out of business. The Butterfield Trail through the south had ceased operating in 1861, at the onset of the Civil War, and attempts to reestablish a regular service after the war were unsuccessful. The Southern Pacific Railroad was under construction and didn’t reach Tucson until 1880.
The lack of transport links, together with the fear of Indian attacks, and the arid climate that required the building of irrigation canals for agriculture left the area sparsely populated.
Arizona officially became a US Territory in 1863, and Tucson became the territorial capital in 1867. According to the US census of 1870, there were 9,658 residents in the territory at that time (this did not include the Native Americans). The population in Tucson, the largest concentration, was 3,224. There was no school in Tucson until 1872. The first hospital was established in 1880.
Lone Gulch is a not a real place. It only exists in my imagination. Originally developed around a Butterfield Trail stage coach depot, the town clings to life as a service hub for the ranchers and miners in the surrounding areas. Like any landlocked location, Lone Gulch owes its existence to the rivers and creeks that provide water, and to the hardy pioneers who populate the valleys.
Although Lone Gulch is situated further south than Phoenix, I have loosely based some aspects of the town on information that is available on the Phoenix of this period. However, Phoenix was primarily an agricultural center, with irrigation systems to grow crops. In Lone Gulch, the ranchers raised cattle or bred horses. Other locals engaged in commerce, prospected for gold and silver and copper in the surrounding hills, or spent their time in the town’s two saloons, drinking, gambling, and generally looking for trouble.
In the 1870 census, Phoenix and the adjoining Salt River Valley had 240 inhabitants. Around half were of Hispanic descent. One third were female, two thirds men. I have used a lower ratio of Hispanics and women for Lone Gulch, reflecting the fact that it was not an agricultural community, but a town with a more transient population, resulting in a greater influx of drifters, gunfighters, and men down on their luck.
Until the war between the US and Mexico in 1846-1848, this corner of the continent was part of Mexico. In the Guadalupe Hidalgo treaty of 1848, Mexico ceded much of its territory to the United States. According to the original draft of the treaty, the property rights of the Mexican citizens would be protected, and they would have a right to become US citizens within two years. These clauses were watered down in the final version of the treaty, and although the property rights remained, the US courts made enforcing them difficult. As a result, many Mexican families lost the lands they had held for generations, and it took until the 1930s for all residents of the ceded territories to be granted citizenship rights (the Native Americans being the last).
Despite the bitter economic blow to many Mexican landowners, there was little racial tension between the Hispanic and Anglo populations in those days (for the sake of simplicity, I’m including all European immigrants in the Anglo population). Racially, Mexicans were classed as white. Although the two groups tended to remain socially separate, often for language or religious reasons, there was plenty of intermarriage, and opportunities were equal. Many Mexicans were prosperous ranchers or successful merchants, or respected professionals, such as doctors, newspapermen, or teachers. Some stood as candidates and were elected to government posts. In Tucson, the old Mexican families were regarded as the social elite.
Towards the end of the century, with the continued influx of Anglo settlers, the balance shifted. Many Mexicans ranchers and merchants lost their wealth, and began to suffer from discrimination, eventually becoming a disadvantaged minority in their former homelands.
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