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‘Really? That’s good, Maria’

Henext to Maria as he read the letter over her shoulder to assure her of his interest The letter confirmed that Lizzie Fane was a member of that year’s new student intake He s how Lizzie had teased hiht hi her mouth form the words more than the words the new, but Lizzie had assured him that he was her best student

Her only student, he thought now, his hackles rising when he thought back to her parents, who hadn’t liked Lizzie to have any friends—in case they talked about what they saw at Rottingdean House, he had presuet rid of hieted Chico, levelling theEduardo to buy them off

At the tirand him away before he’d had chance to clear his na head to head with the establishment, which, back then, was a battle he could never have won The only thing he didn’t understand about that time hy Lizzie hadn’t stepped forward to defend hiht they were friends, but blood was thicker than water, it turned out, and she had chosen her lying, cheating family over him

And now Lizzie was here on his ranch, hoping to benefit fro? It was so incredible it was al

‘My success is thanks to you, Maria, and to the wonderful staff you have gathered around you,’ he said, determined to look forward, not back

Maria turned to give hi smile ‘And to you, Chico,’ she insisted proudly ‘Without you none of us would be working in this world-class facility’

He watched fondly as Maria busied herself filing the letter aith all her other treasured possessions, as she referred to the many letters of praise they received

‘As soon as we receive the official certificate I’ on the ith the rest,’ she told him proudly

‘And I’ to treat you and the staff to a party to celebrate, and thank you all for everything you’ve done for

‘We’ve coether, Chico’

As he released Maria and stepped back he could see in her eyes that Maria was thinking how easily Chico could have taken a very different path His road out of the gutter had begun the day he wandered into Eduardo’s recruitht scornfully, contemptuous of the rapt faces all around his that caesse in the sluht viciously Ten years old and all fired up, he had been on his way to confront the drug pushers who had killed his brother and Maria’s son, with a loaded gun stuck into his belt andof this in his eyes and had called him forward Chico had remained stubbornly planted, but Eduardo wasn’t so easy to refuse, and Eduardo was big, and hard, and fir venom from his eyes when Eduardo took a firm hold of him He hated authority What had authority done for him? Where were the police when his brother was shot? He hated the privilege that brought individuals like Eduardo sightseeing to the barrio and bought rich boys out of trouble And he hated Eduardo for no better reason than the estee on Chico’s territory, confronting issues Chico was so sure Eduardo couldn’t understand But Eduardo had his arun was soon in Eduardo’s pocket There would be no murders committed that day

‘I owe it all to you and to Eduardo, Maria,’ he said now ‘Everything I have is because you two believed in me’

‘And eren’t wrong, e?’ Maria planted her capable hands on her aainst all the odds, the poor boy from the barrio finds himself here’ She said this expansively, as if they lived in a palace, rather than on a ranch as she gestured around ecstatically with another of her bea smiles

His face softened too How could it not? Every day he relished this life, for Maria’s sake as much as his own It couldn’t have happened if Eduardo hadn’t treated hi in his for Eduardo And Chico had h he had idolised his mentor He still couldn’t believe how lucky he was, to have been chosen to work for such a fa taken him out of the barrio, Eduardo had shown hiuns and war, and when he’d died Eduardo had left Chico everything, knowing his devoted charge would pick up Eduardo’s causes and infuse them with new life

He had used the money Eduardo left him to buy and develop a hand-to-mouth scrub ranch, which after years of hard labour he had transforious polo centre in the world He had accomplished this because he was meticulous and driven, and because, as Eduardo had noted, Chico had a special ith horses This gift ca for Eduardo, Chico believed When he could confide in no one else the ponies listened to hiave him their trust This interaction between man and beast had led owners and players alike to think he had soic Polo ponies were coave them every reason to trust him, so they obeyed his s out the best in the, but unlike the ani his time or his emotions on women

‘Chico?’ Maria proht

‘Maria?’ He gave her an encouraging smile

‘Would you like h this year’s intake of scholarship students?’