These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901

Sarah begins a letter to Elliot, canceling their plans for July, but she never finishes it. Rather, she becomes preoccupied with how she will compensate the Maldonado boys for all their help on the ranch. Ruben Maldonado confesses he is happy to work for free because he is in love with Sarah. He proposes, but she refuses because she sees him as a brother, just as she once saw Jimmy. Sarah wants love like Savannah and Albert share.

Much of the chapter centers on an Indian raid that descends on the nearby Maldonado and Raalle homesteads. The properties are irreparably damaged, as the Indians set fire to buildings on both; they kill Ruben, Mrs. Maldonado, and Mr. Raalle, leaving his young daughter, Melissa, an orphan. Sarah and Albert are outnumbered as they try to defend their neighbors, until Elliot and the cavalry arrive. Sarah is nearly killed by an Indian when her rifle runs out of ammunition; however, she is saved at the last moment by a cavalryman, though it is unclear if he is Elliot. The event is devastating, and Sarah is ashamedly thankful no members of her own family were killed.

Sarah invites the surviving cavalrymen to clean up, rest, and eat at her ranch. Elliot goes with the men, and Sarah bandages his burned and wounded hands. He kisses her again, but this time the kiss is different; she resists at first but eventually yields to the long and passionate kiss. Jimmy never kissed Sarah this way, and she saw Albert and Savannah share such an embrace only once. The memory of Elliot stays with her days after the cavalry leaves; she cannot decide if the kiss was his way of mocking her or if it was out of love. She preoccupies herself with chores to stave off ruminating.

Sarah and her family make a trip to Tucson for supplies, and Harland accuses Sarah of looking for someone in the crowds of people. She denies the charge, though Harland spots Elliot; Sarah is relieved that he does not see her. She visits a church for the first time and publicly confesses to killing Indians and not dyeing her petticoats black when Jimmy died.

After they return home, Sarah learns that Albert and Savannah are expecting their third child. The news makes Sarah reflective, as she realizes that Jack Elliot is the only person who ever looked at her with affection like she sees Albert and Savannah share. She decides she might like to have someone court her. A few days later, Elliot arrives at her ranch to help with chores and repairs for a couple of days; he plans to stay at Albert’s house. The Maldonados have been busy rebuilding their homestead after the Indian attack, so Sarah needs the help. Elliot gets work done that Sarah could not have completed on her own. In place of payment, he requests they keep their planned date in Tucson for July 4, to which Sarah agrees.

Albert drives Sarah to Tucson for her visit with Elliot; she notices that Albert seems wise to something about Elliot’s intentions, but he tells her nothing. She spends a pleasant afternoon with Elliot, seeing parts of Tucson that Jimmy never showed her and enjoying a fancy dinner at a restaurant. They decline watching the fireworks, as Sarah does not like the smell of the black powder; instead, they ride in his rented buggy to a quiet road to look at the stars. Afterward, Elliot takes her to a hotel where he rented her a room. They kiss again and arrange to meet up in the morning.

The next morning, Sarah meets Jack Elliot, and they spend much of the day together. She learns from him that her Duchess of Warwick book is no longer readable, as it was damaged when he took it into battle. She wonders why he had the book on him at the time.

Following the trip to Tucson, she visits with Mama and Savannah and tells them she believes Jack Elliot is smitten with her. He returns for another visit and again plans to sleep at Albert’s house. While he is at Albert’s, the scoundrel Moses Smith returns to Sarah’s ranch while she is bathing with April on the back porch. He orders her into the house as April cries on the porch, and he tries to force himself on her. Sarah puts up a formidable fight until Jack bursts through the front door and descends on Smith, badly beating him. He takes Sarah and April to Mama’s house and hands Smith over to the sheriff in Tucson.

Soon after, Jack proposes to Sarah, but she makes him swear he loves her and not some other woman, as Jimmy had. She nervously shares the news with Savannah, asking if she thinks Jack loves her; she does not want to be deceived into getting married, as she feels she was with Jimmy. Savannah assures her that Albert asked after Jack’s character at the fort, and all the soldiers respect him. She also informs Sarah that Jimmy was not the man she thought he was: He started his ranch with horses he stole from Mr. MacIntosh and made regular trips to Maiden Lane in Tucson, which is why he rarely took her to town after they married. The chapter closes as Jack and Sarah discuss their wedding plans with Savannah and Albert.