Chapter 14

After Victoria had returned from their talk, she had just served drinks to another table when Don Pablo Punzon entered the tavern, and Diego noticed how Victoria's expression changed from confusion to something like terror.

"Señorita Escalante, do you have a minute?" Don Pablo approached her, stopping near Diego's table.

"I will serve you at once, Don Pablo. Pick a table you like," she answered businesslike.

"I didn't come for a drink, but I'd like to invite you to accompany me to Don Emilio's birthday party on Saturday."

"I'm sorry, but I can't go with you to the party, Don Pablo. Maybe another time would be better," she said with a forced smile.

"Señorita, I heard that excuse from you before when the matchmaker told me that you were interested in getting married and convinced me to express my admiration for you by singing to you."

"Yes, I remember," Victoria bit her lips, and Diego suppressed a smile as he remembered how she had threatened to throw his guitar into the fire.

"Your treatment was quite humiliating, and the least you can do is to accompany me to the party," Don Pablo insisted. "I know you have the day off."

Victoria's expression became even more forced. "I'm sorry, Don Pablo, but I really can't go because I'm not feeling so well. I need to stay home and recover."

Diego smiled at her reply encouraging as Don Pablo didn't hide his displeasure. "You don't even have enough honor trying to make amends for your previous humiliation of me. Instead, you hide behind excuses. I wish you a good recovery." Don Pablo nodded slightly at her before turning around and leaving the tavern.

Victoria bit her lips at his disparaging words, but she knew what was at stake and obviously, Diego did too. She had been tempted to tell Don Pablo that Diego had invited her already but Diego had asked her not to do that. What did he know about Don Pablo and all that was going on? Siesta couldn't come soon enough.

Diego was relieved that Victoria had decided to stay home with an acceptable excuse since she was looking pale and unhappy, but was it enough not to go to the party to avoid getting killed? Would Don Pablo give up his plan to abduct Victoria so easily?

"Diego? Where are you with your mind again? We need to leave if we want to check the northern pastures today."

"I'm sorry, Father, but I can't accompany you. I know I promised, but I just remembered I have to finish an article for my newspaper. Now that the soldiers have captured the Ramirez brothers I need to write about it."

"Can't that wait until after their trial? Don't you know where our money comes from? The newspaper won't feed you but our cattle will," his father said angrily. "You're never there when I need you. You should get married and have children then you'll learn what is important in life." His father rose from the table and left the tavern. Diego saw him riding away while he went over to his newspaper, pretending to work on the article.

There was some time until siesta, and he needed to investigate the post coach robbery. Riding out as Zorro, he checked the road where the coach was robbed. Remembering where he had found the bounty the previous time, it was easy to retrieve it again. Tomorrow he would make his appearance as Zorro again and prove the guilt of the driver. Since his work as Zorro was done, he returned to the cave and changed into his other clothes to meet Victoria at the tavern for lunch.

Z~Z~Z

Dressed as himself again, Diego arrived shortly before the end of lunchtime and ordered his meal though he didn't taste much of the food. All he cared about was to see Victoria, though he tried to stare not too openly at her.

When all the other guests had left, to make sure they weren't disturbed. The moment Victoria had locked the doors behind the last guest, Diego pulled her into his arms.
"Now that we're alone, we have finally time to talk."

"Only talk? Did you think I wouldn't notice how you stared at me during lunch?" Victoria wrapped her arms around his neck, and their kiss left them breathless as in the morning.

"I think we were lucky the other guests paid more attention to their drinks than to us," Diego smiled. "Have I told you already today how much I love you and that I can't live without you?" He kissed her tenderly.

"And I love you," she whispered. "Having you in my arms is all I ever want." Looking at each other, they needed no more words. Diego picked her up and carried her up to her room, laying beside her on her bed. "I know we should wait, but life can be so short. I want to spend every minute with you."

"I know," she said with tears in her eyes. "I saw you die."

"And I saw you die." Victoria drew him into her arms.

Later when they were dressed again, they sat down at the kitchen table, holding hands.

"We need to talk," Victoria said. "I don't know what is going on, except that I saw you hang yesterday, but we are still here together. What do you know about this? You didn't seem surprised this morning."

"I don't know what is happening or why, but I know we had this talk before here in your tavern on the twenty-first of March, which was five days ago for me."

"Why five days for you?" she asked. "What did we talk about, and why don't I remember it?"

"Because for me you died yesterday, the twenty-fifth of March," Diego said with a shaking voice. "After you died, I can't remember anything until I woke up in my own bed today to find out it was Wednesday again."

"And I saw you die on the nineteenth of April only to wake up again today, and it's March again."

"You told me everything that happened though I don't remember anything of the weeks that led to my death just like you don't remember anything that led to your death. Both times we were back to today. This day seems to be the most important because it was the day Don Pablo invited you to the party."

"Yes, I know. I was so stupid to accept his invitation, and he abducted me to force me into marrying him," Victoria said ashamed. "If I hadn't done that, all of this never would have happened."

"No, it's not true. It's not your fault," Diego soothed her, gently caressing her cheek.

"How do you know that? I saw you die!"

"Because it happened again. Let me explain," he said, as Victoria stared at him confused.

"After I was killed, time was rolled back again, and last Wednesday, when Don Pablo invited you to the party, you told him you were going with me already. Later, you explained to me what had happened and how Don Pablo's initial invitation forced you to accept his proposal and when I tried to marry you instead, it resulted in my death."

"Yes, it was horrible," she whispered.

"We went to the party together, but Don Pablo abducted you from the party instead and when you tried to flee, he wanted to restrain you and you shot him."

"I don't remember anything of that," Victoria said horrified. "Was that why I died? Did the alcalde hang me?"

"Yes," Diego admitted, holding her hands in both of his as he remembered the moment. "We tried to trick the alcalde by dressing Don Pablo in Zorro's clothing and pretend that Don Pablo was Zorro, so you would go free for killing an outlaw."

"Why didn't it work?" Victoria asked. "Did we forget anything?"

"No, we did all we could except that Don Pablo is slightly shorter than me. The clothes were a little too long at the sleeves and the pant legs. The alcalde noticed it and since you had already admitted shooting him, he hanged you for it. There was nothing I could do," Diego admitted.

"It wasn't your fault," Victoria soothed him. "You did all you could." She rose from her chair to sit on his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck. "What are we going to do now? Will we be killed again?" she asked, scared.

"I don't know. All I know is that we have another chance, and we have to get this right because there might not be another."

"What can we do? Don Pablo abducted me twice and each time it led to a disaster. Do you think if we fail again we will be dead? I can't see you die another time."

"I can't witness your death again either." Diego held her tight in his arms feeling her warmth and her soft body. "I wished I could have you in my arms the whole day, so you would be safe from Don Pablo." Victoria wanted to protest, but he continued. "I know it's not possible, so I thought of something else."

"What is your plan?"

"Don Pablo wants to marry you because of your money, so we have to take that away."

"Do you want to take my money? How?" Victoria asked, shocked. "All I have is the tavern. Do you want me to give you my tavern? Not that I care for the money if it saves you but still..."

"I don't want your money or your tavern," he assured her, "but if you pretend that you lost your tavern, Don Pablo will no longer try to abduct you to force you into marriage."

"I understand. You're right. He'd no longer want me and nobody else either."

"Maybe you could consider marrying me for my money when you no longer have some?" he suggested.

"I think I would," she smiled, kissing him, "but I'm afraid, de Soto will hang you again if I marry you."

"Yes, I know, but it's the best I can come up with," Diego said miserably.

"We'll have to work on that, but I like to pretend that I have no more money to keep Don Pablo away. I can tell that my brother Ramon who inherited the tavern after our father's death gambled the tavern away, leaving me with nothing."

"It could also explain why you were so devastated today," Diego added.

"Yes, it's a good explanation."

"I hope that you will come around and marry me, now that you're penniless." Diego kissed her again.

"I will think about it, but we must make it believable. We can't be seen together. You have to go before someone sees you, and I have to catch up with my work after this long siesta."

"Our time together is always too short, Querida. If I could, I'd marry you on the spot."

"Yes, I know," she said unhappily.

"We'll find a solution on how to be together. I promise." Diego rose with her from his seat and held her tenderly for a moment before releasing her. "I love you." Quickly, he left the tavern through the back door and returned to his office where he had left his horse to ride home to the hacienda.