Chapter 5

Lobo Negro stopped walking. He turned his body fully, looking directly into Maverick’s eyes with a gaze that seemed to cut straight through to his bones."Because there is one way you may remain," the chief said.Maverick waited, his body tense, expecting a challenge—a test of strength, a demand for gold, or a requirement to fight.Lobo Negro spoke calmly, his voice as steady as the flowing river beside them. "Marry my daughter."

Maverick blinked. For three full seconds, he genuinely believed his ears were playing tricks on him after three days of baking under the sun."Your... daughter?" Maverick stammered."Yes.""And then what?""Become family," Lobo Negro explained smoothly, "and fifty acres beside the eastern bend of the river will become yours. Permanently. Recorded by our people and recognized by your government papers."Maverick let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Marry a woman I’ve never spoken to, just so I can put my boots under a cabin table on your river?"No one else laughed.Behind them, at the edge of the camp, the surrounding people had gone entirely silent. The laughter of the children near the water had died down.Maverick’s dry amusement vanished instantly. He looked at Lobo Negro’s unyielding face, then around at the solemn expressions of the warriors standing twenty yards back."You’re serious," Maverick said quietly."Completely.""I rode three days across a furnace because I wanted to buy land," Maverick said, his voice rising slightly. "I didn't come here looking for a wife!""Then get back on your horse," Lobo Negro replied calmly, "and ride away."Maverick slowly removed his hat, running a hand through his dust-caked hair. "All right. Let me understand this. You invited a stranger across thirty miles of dead rock because you want him to marry your daughter."

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