Chapter 4

Lobo Negro unfolded the documents. He scanned the official seals, the survey lines, and the inked name MAVERICK COLE. He did not look surprised. He did not show anger, shock, or confusion.That bothered Maverick far more than a pulled gun would have."You’ve seen these papers before," Maverick said, his brow pulling together."Yes," Lobo Negro replied quietly."How?"Lobo Negro carefully refolded the documents, smoothing the oilcloth edges with his thumb. "Because I arranged for you to receive them."

Maverick stood frozen in the lush grass, staring at the leader. "You arranged it?"Lobo Negro did not immediately answer. He handed the folded papers back to Maverick, turned his body toward the cottonwood trees, and made a simple gesture with his hand."Walk," the chief said.They walked together toward the riverbank, leaving the armed riders and the quiet crowd behind.The closer Maverick came to the water, the richer the land appeared. The wild grass brushed against his leather boots, dark and succulent. The young corn growing upstream was planted in clean, irrigated channels fed directly by the clear river. Giant cottonwoods spread immense canopies of dark green leaves overhead, casting a cool, welcome shade across the damp earth.A man could raise three hundred head of prime cattle here without ever losing a calf to drought. A family could survive the harshest Arizona summer. A child could grow up believing the entire world smelled like cold water, sweet grass, and rich soil instead of dust and alkali.Maverick’s chest tightened with a sudden, painful ache of longing.Lobo Negro noticed. He stopped beneath the shade of a massive cottonwood, turning his dark eyes onto Maverick."You want it," the chief said softly.Maverick looked out over the sparkling water, then looked the chief straight in the eye. "I’d be a liar if I said otherwise. I’ve spent twelve years working other men's land. I’ve never seen a place like this.""The land is not for sale," Lobo Negro said flatly. "Not to strangers. Not to men who come with government papers.""Then why send for me?" Maverick asked, his frustration rising. "Why pay a clerk in Prescott to drop a fake claim into my hands and lure me three days across a dead desert?"

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Forced into Marriage with an "Ugly" Woman, a Man Is Stunned When He Sees Her True Beauty Revealed Beneath the Veil.