Chained Apache Woman Begged Him to Do Anything — The Cowboy Did the Unexpected Thing
Chapter 10
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"What do we do until dawn?" Ayla asked."We rest. We prepare. We make peace with whatever comes next.""I don't know how to make peace with this.""Neither do I. But we've got until sunrise to figure it out."They settled into positions: Caleb by the window with his rifle, Ayla at the door with the revolver. Outside, the night pressed close, full of unseen watchers and promised violence.Hours crawled by. Caleb found himself thinking about the choices that had led him here: the war, the drifting, the decision to build a life in this harsh, unforgiving land. Had any of it mattered? Had any of it meant anything?Maybe not. Or maybe this was exactly where he was supposed to be, doing exactly what he was supposed to do. There was a certain poetry in dying to protect someone's freedom. His father would have approved, at least."Caleb." Ayla's voice was soft in the darkness."Yeah?""Thank you. For giving me one more day of freedom. For not treating me like property. For..." She paused. "...for seeing me as human.""You don't need to thank me for basic decency.""In my world, basic decency is rare enough to warrant thanks.""Then your world needs to change.""Maybe it will. After tonight, one way or another, it'll change."The eastern sky was just beginning to lighten when they heard it: the sound of many horses. Not trying to hide now, not being careful—just coming, certain in their numbers and their strength.Caleb counted at least 30 riders, maybe more. They spread out in a semicircle around the cabin, just beyond rifle range, waiting.The same voice from before, Jacob Carver, called out again: "Last chance, Roark! Send out the woman and we'll make it quick! Keep her and you both burn!"Caleb looked at Ayla. She looked back: no words needed.He called back: "Come and take her!"The response was immediate. Riders surged forward, some carrying torches, others with rifles raised. They were going to burn them out and shoot them as they ran.Caleb fired. His first shot took a rider from his saddle.Ayla fired from the door, and another man went down.But there were too many, far too many. Arrows began slamming into the cabin walls. They wanted the fire to spread slowly, wanted to savor this."This is it," Ayla said, her voice steady despite everything."We made them pay. That's something.""It's everything."More shots, more arrows. Smoke began filling the cabin as the walls caught fire. They'd have to run soon, and when they did, they'd die. Caleb reloaded, resigned to making their last stand as costly as possible.That's when he heard it: new gunfire coming from behind the attackers, and screaming—not screams of attack, but screams of surprise and pain.The riders wheeled in confusion as new forces swept into them from three sides: riders in different colors, fighting with coordinated precision. The Carver men scattered, caught between the cabin and this new threat.