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Author's Chapter Notes:
I just wanted to thank Devin, Kimber, Mariana, SarahandJamesFanatic, Amelia-Jane and Meagan for your reviews and to let you know that although I’m very aware that in the original story, William’s father dies, that won’t happen here. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it when the time came, so you'll be learning what will happen to him in later chapters.



Thank you, Jen, for betaing this chapter for me and for letting me brainstorm with you my ideas for this story.
Glossary:
Peón: farmhand.

Chapter 5

Snyder cautiously got out of his hiding spot and walked over to where don Rodrigo De Alcazar had been thrown by his horse. He seemed to be at least unconscious and judging by the blood that was beginning to cake on his hair; he had taken a considerable head wound. The foreman circled his patrón’s body as he made a quick inventory of his hopefully mortal wounds, checking for any signs that he might still be alive, while at the same time hoping he wasn’t so he didn’t have to go through with the rest of his plan. He had no problem with aiding the fates with a little ‘accident’ like he’d done today, but he was not a killer and he refused to become one, not even to get in the good graces of doña Darla De Alcazar.

He moved closer and it was then that he noticed the slight movements on don Rodrigo’s chest each time he drew a breath. Damn! The man was still alive, although after that fall, maybe he could still take a turn for the worse? He hovered over the injured man, thinking how easy it would be to put his hand over don Rodrigo’s nose and mouth and cut his life then and there; but no, he couldn’t. Even if he wanted to, he just couldn’t. If there was one thing he knew, he knew he could never come back from consciously killing another human being, even it that human being was a man like don Rodrigo. Not even if he’d hurt the beautiful doña Darla so badly, and had always treated him as a measly peón.

He straightened up suddenly, trying to get as far away as he could from the temptation of ending this man’s life and went to retrieve his horse from the place he’d left it hidden and, with a bit of work, he finally managed to put don Rodrigo over it. He would take him to the abandoned shed he’d found on the northern pastures of the hacienda and then he would put the rest of his plan in motion.

He moved to the other side of the horse to climb on it, when he noticed the envelope that had fallen from don Rodrigo’s coat. He picked it up, turning it in his hands while he deciding if he should open it. After a minute he tore the envelope and as he read the letter he’d found inside an evil smile drew on his face.

Things were about to change in Campo Real.

*~*~*

“Doña Darla! I need to speak with Doña Darla!” Pablo called as he entered the main house.

“Shush, lower your voice, Pablo; you know Doña Darla does not like it when anyone shouts in her house. She is in Don Rodrigo’s study, but you can’t go in, she doesn’t want to see anyone at the moment,” María, Campo Real’s housekeeper, said.

“This is important, María. I have to talk to her. It’s about the patrón…”

“What about the patrón?” Doña Darla said, coming out of the study.

“I’m not sure, señora, but his horse came back a few minutes ago and there’s no sign of don Rodrigo a-and I found this under the saddle,” Pablo added, showing the broken spur to Darla and María.

“Well, what are you waiting for then? Go look for him!” Darla prompted.

“Sí, señora,” the peón said before running out of the house to gather a searching party.

“I will be in the study if there is any news about my husband, María,” Darla said coldly, before walking over to the room and closing the door after her.

She reclined on the door and a little smile graced her face as she wished for what had to be the thousandth time in the day that Rodrigo De Alcazar was dead. A fall from his horse could be fatal after all, and that’d definitely make things simpler for her. How dare he try to force her to accept his bastard? And worse, threaten her with telling everyone that he wasn’t really married to her. That had to be a lie, though, a lie especially designed to make her cave in and accept that whore’s son. Not even Rodrigo would be so evil as to do that to her, would he?

She was so immersed in her thoughts that she started when she finally noticed that she wasn’t alone in the room.

“What are you doing here? How did you enter?”

“I’m here to talk with you, doña Darla. And I came in through the window since I figured you wouldn’t receive me if I asked for you. I take it you already know that our dear patrón is missing, don’t you?”

Darla nodded, before adding with a hint of curiosity laced in her voice, “What does that have to do with your being here?”

“Well, doña Darla, I have some business to discuss with you.”

“Business? I have no business to discuss with you, Mr. Snyder,” she said derisively.

“I want you to name me the new Administrator of Campo Real.”

“What?! Are you crazy? As long as my husband is alive, he would never allow that.”

“What if he weren’t alive? Or, what if he’d disappeared from the face of the Earth?”

“I don’t understand, what are you trying to tell me?

“I’m trying to tell you that thanks to me, your status as the only wife of the honorable don Rodrigo De Alcazar would never change; that thanks to me your son’s place as firstborn and heir to De Alcazar fortune would never be threatened; that no one would ever have to know that he has a bastard. And the only thing I want in turn is to be named Administrator of Campo Real.”

“What did you do to my husband? How did you find out about all that?”

“I did nothing that you wouldn’t have done if you’d had the chance, doña Darla, and I know more things than you’ll ever imagine.”

“Is he alive?”

“He was when I left him. But I’m not sure if he will be when I come back to where he is.” Snyder sneered evilly. “You see, I made this plan where don Rodrigo will disappear from the face of the Earth forever and I put it in motion today and you’ll help with it, because it’s in your best interest to do so. You might have to say a few lies to help me with the cover up, but other than that, I’m taking care of everything.”

“I have to help you? I think you’re forgetting who you are talking to.”

“No, I’m perfectly aware of who I’m talking to, doña Darla. Just as I’m perfectly aware of the contents of a certain letter don Rodrigo carried with him.”

“You have it?”

“I do.”

“Give it to me then and I’ll make sure you’re named Administrator of Campo Real.”

Snyder snorted. “Please, doña Darla, give me a little more credit than that. That letter is my only warranty that whatever we’re going to talk about today, will stay between us until the day I die.”

“All right, I’ll listen to what you have to say,” Darla finally accepted.

“I knew you’d see things my way, doña Darla,” Snyder sneered.

tbc





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