Chained Apache Woman Begged Him to Do Anything — The Cowboy Did the Unexpected Thing
Chapter 31
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The attacks increased: small, vicious raids on isolated farms, ambushes of council supply wagons, nighttime fires that destroyed crops and buildings. The loyalists couldn't win a direct confrontation, so they waged a campaign of terror, trying to make life under the new system unbearable.Catherine Bridger lost another ranch hand to a sniper's bullet. David Martinez's supply depot was burned to the ground. Even Clara's fortified ranch came under attack, though the raiders were repelled before doing serious damage.Each attack strengthened the resolve of council supporters, but it also wore them down. Fear became a constant companion. People started questioning whether the new system was worth the cost.The temporary council met every other day, trying to balance defense with governance, trying to prove they could handle both crisis and normalcy."We need to strike back," Thomas argued during one particularly heated session. "Show them that attacking us has consequences!""We have been striking back," Rachel replied. "We've repelled every attack, killed or captured their raiders. What more do you want?""I want to take the fight to their base, end this once and for all!""And lose how many people in the canyon country?" Clara shot back. "They know that terrain; we don't. It would be a slaughter.""So we just wait? Let them pick us off until we're too weak to resist?"Ayla raised her hand for quiet. Over the past weeks, she'd become the council's unofficial mediator—the one person everyone seemed willing to listen to, despite her initial reluctance to take on that role."Thomas is right that we can't just absorb losses forever, but Clara is right that a direct assault is too risky." She stood, moving to the map that had become the center of all their strategic discussions. "We need to change the equation: make them come to us on our terms.""How?" David asked."We announce the first official council election. Make it a public event. Invite every family in the territory, including those still sitting on the fence. We turn it into a celebration: not just of voting, but of what we've accomplished—the redistributed land, the returned rights, the justice we've delivered.""That makes us a target," Catherine said."We're already a target. But this way, we choose the ground. We prepare defenses. We make it so costly to attack that even the fanatics will think twice."Thomas leaned forward, interest sparking in his eyes. "You want to use the election as bait?""I want to use it as a statement: that we're not cowering, that we're building the future regardless of their threats. And yes... if they're stupid enough to attack, we'll be ready."The debate continued, but Ayla's logic was sound: they couldn't hide forever. Better to force the confrontation on their terms, in a place they could defend, surrounded by witnesses who would see the truth of who was fighting for the people and who was fighting against them.The vote was close, but it passed: the election would be held in three weeks at the mission. Every family would be invited. Every voice would count. And they would dare the loyalists to try to stop it.