struggled to keep up in her wedding dress and satin shoes. She stopped. When Domingo’s hand tore away he skidded to a stop and came back to her. Hastily stripping the dainty shoes from her feet, she gripped them in a fist as she hiked her skirts.
“Now I can keep up,” she said. And she did.
Once inside the gates most of them kept running, on up the hill away from the walls. Domingo stopped and pointed.
“Go up there with the others. I will stay here and do what I can to help. Go!”
Terrified, she did as her husband said and ran up the long hill to join the wedding party by the stables. When she finally looked back her heart leaped. A flood of Amish poured through the gates in wagons and hacks and buggies and on horseback—all the Amish in Paradise Valley. Something truly horrific must have descended upon them.
When the last of them were behind the walls one of the haciendado’s men closed and barred the gate. Diego Fuentes, the superintendent, stood in the back of a wagon down near the wall, handing out rifles and ammunition. Domingo’s tall figure was easy to spot in his wedding finery, already manning a parapet on the crenelated wall with a rifle at the ready.
She spotted her dat, driving up the hill in a farm wagon—the last one through the gate before it closed. Mamm sat beside him, and the rest of her family was safe in the back of the wagon—Ada, Harvey, Rachel, Barbara and Leah. Caleb turned the wagon aside near the stables and stopped less than twenty yards away from her. Standing among a crowd of locals and dressed as she was, no one in her family even noticed her.
Except Ada. Ada stared straight at Miriam with a widechildish grin on her ample face. Ada’s grin finally caught Rachel’s attention and she too spotted Miriam.
Rachel did a double take, but then she glanced at Mamm and Dat on the bench up front. They were looking the other way, watching the walls. Rachel beckoned with her fingers.
Miriam shook her head. I can’t face Mamm and Dat. Not now. Not dressed like this.
Rachel took another quick peek at her parents, then jumped down from the back of the wagon and trotted over to the stable. Miriam ducked behind a wall.
Rachel rounded the wall and ran right into her. Miriam grabbed her shoulders.
“What’s happening?”
“Bandits,” Rachel said, breathless. “El Pantera attacked us, and it looks like he brought his whole army.”
Horror-stricken, Miriam half wailed, “Is everyone all right?”
“Jah. Jake was watching from the ridge and warned us in time. They chased us all the way to the village—and shot at us too, but no one was hit.”
Miriam’s knees almost buckled. “What will happen now?”
“I don’t know. Dat said we are safe here because there are not enough of them to storm the hacienda.” Rachel took a deep breath and added, “But they will probably go back and burn our houses and barns.”
Miriam started to answer, but her words were drowned out by a booming barrage of rifle fire, thick and close—the men on the hacienda walls.
The bandits were attacking the hacienda.
Chapter 6
W hen the rifles roared Caleb instinctively herded his family down off the wagon and into the stables, where the smoothly stuccoed walls were plenty thick enough to stop stray bullets. Townspeople and Amish alike ran for cover, screaming, crouching as they ran. Some gathered behind the superintendent’s house and a great many ran clear up the hill to take cover behind the main mansion. Caleb and his family mingled with the panic-stricken throng pouring through the big double doors of the stables.
He rushed his brood to the other end of the long building, mother and daughters huddling together in sheer terror. The guns thundered steadily. Men were fighting and dying right there on the other side of the hacienda walls—an unimaginable horror.
Counting heads, Caleb suddenly missed Rachel. Scanning the crowd in the stables he saw several white kapps, but only one with flame red
“Now I can keep up,” she said. And she did.
Once inside the gates most of them kept running, on up the hill away from the walls. Domingo stopped and pointed.
“Go up there with the others. I will stay here and do what I can to help. Go!”
Terrified, she did as her husband said and ran up the long hill to join the wedding party by the stables. When she finally looked back her heart leaped. A flood of Amish poured through the gates in wagons and hacks and buggies and on horseback—all the Amish in Paradise Valley. Something truly horrific must have descended upon them.
When the last of them were behind the walls one of the haciendado’s men closed and barred the gate. Diego Fuentes, the superintendent, stood in the back of a wagon down near the wall, handing out rifles and ammunition. Domingo’s tall figure was easy to spot in his wedding finery, already manning a parapet on the crenelated wall with a rifle at the ready.
She spotted her dat, driving up the hill in a farm wagon—the last one through the gate before it closed. Mamm sat beside him, and the rest of her family was safe in the back of the wagon—Ada, Harvey, Rachel, Barbara and Leah. Caleb turned the wagon aside near the stables and stopped less than twenty yards away from her. Standing among a crowd of locals and dressed as she was, no one in her family even noticed her.
Except Ada. Ada stared straight at Miriam with a widechildish grin on her ample face. Ada’s grin finally caught Rachel’s attention and she too spotted Miriam.
Rachel did a double take, but then she glanced at Mamm and Dat on the bench up front. They were looking the other way, watching the walls. Rachel beckoned with her fingers.
Miriam shook her head. I can’t face Mamm and Dat. Not now. Not dressed like this.
Rachel took another quick peek at her parents, then jumped down from the back of the wagon and trotted over to the stable. Miriam ducked behind a wall.
Rachel rounded the wall and ran right into her. Miriam grabbed her shoulders.
“What’s happening?”
“Bandits,” Rachel said, breathless. “El Pantera attacked us, and it looks like he brought his whole army.”
Horror-stricken, Miriam half wailed, “Is everyone all right?”
“Jah. Jake was watching from the ridge and warned us in time. They chased us all the way to the village—and shot at us too, but no one was hit.”
Miriam’s knees almost buckled. “What will happen now?”
“I don’t know. Dat said we are safe here because there are not enough of them to storm the hacienda.” Rachel took a deep breath and added, “But they will probably go back and burn our houses and barns.”
Miriam started to answer, but her words were drowned out by a booming barrage of rifle fire, thick and close—the men on the hacienda walls.
The bandits were attacking the hacienda.
Chapter 6
W hen the rifles roared Caleb instinctively herded his family down off the wagon and into the stables, where the smoothly stuccoed walls were plenty thick enough to stop stray bullets. Townspeople and Amish alike ran for cover, screaming, crouching as they ran. Some gathered behind the superintendent’s house and a great many ran clear up the hill to take cover behind the main mansion. Caleb and his family mingled with the panic-stricken throng pouring through the big double doors of the stables.
He rushed his brood to the other end of the long building, mother and daughters huddling together in sheer terror. The guns thundered steadily. Men were fighting and dying right there on the other side of the hacienda walls—an unimaginable horror.
Counting heads, Caleb suddenly missed Rachel. Scanning the crowd in the stables he saw several white kapps, but only one with flame red
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