Nia stayed close, her knee almost touching Cooh's where he sat on the floor. She didn't speak much, but when he stood to check the latch on the door, she watched him like she trusted him to keep it closed. Later, when Cole lay down on the floor roll, Nia stayed awake a while, staring into the fire. Then she rose, crossed the room, and spread her blanket on the floor closer to where he was. Cole glanced at her, but didn't speak.
She didn't explain herself. The fire crackled, the wind picked up outside, but inside the cabin, there was a stillness that hadn't been there before, the kind that meant she was no longer just a guest, but someone beginning to belong. Cole stared at the ceiling until sleep took him, one hand still near the rifle, the other near enough that if she reached out, she would touch it first. The wind shifted just after sundown, carrying with it a smell of wood smoke that wasn't from their fire. Cole noticed at first, standing out on the porch after supper with a lantern in one hand, listening to the night.
The horses were restless in the corral, ears flicking toward the ridge. Inside, Nia was cleaning the table, her dark hair tied back with a strip of cloth. When Cole stepped back in, she saw his expression and went still. "What?" she asked. "Smoke," Cole said quietly.
"Someone's camped near the north trail. Nia's face tightened." She glanced toward the rifle, leaning near the door. "Them could be," Cole said. "Could be just Dvers passing through." He didn't believe that, and neither did she. Cole took the rifle and checked the chamber, then nodded toward the lamp.
"Blow that out," he said. She did without question, plunging the cabin into near darkness, except for the low glow of the fire. Cole stepped outside and crouched near the edge of the porch, scanning the tree line until his eyes adjusted. An hour passed before he saw movement. Two figures low to the ground moving along the fence line.
Two careful to be strangers just passing through. Cole eased back inside and closed the door without a sound. Two of them, he said. Nia stood near the hearth, her face pale but steady. Clay, don't know yet, but they're watching.
Cole barred the door then motion her closer. If they try for the horses, we wait till they're near the corral. Then I'll step out. You fight? She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
If I have to, Cole said. You stay behind the door. Rifles ready if they come for the house. Nia nodded, swallow hard, then moved to the wall near the door and crouched low. The next hour stretched slow.
The sounds outside came and went. A horse snorting, boots scuffing on dirt. Once Cole heard a low laugh and knew for certain who it was. When a shadow moved near the corral gate, Cole acted. He unbarred the door, stepped out fast, rifle leveled.
"Leave the gate," he said, voice like iron. The figures froze. "One of them was Clay." Cole recognized him in the moonlight, hat pulled low, but face still smug. "Evening, Merrick," Klay said, his tone too casual. "Didn't mean no harm.
Just passing through. You're a long way from the saloon," Cole said. "Turn around and keep walking." Clay didn't move. Heard you got company. Thought we'd see for ourselves.
Cole's finger stayed near the trigger. "You saw enough. Go." The other boy shifted nervously, glancing toward the trees. "Come on, Clay," he muttered. "Ain't worth it." Klay stared at Cole a moment longer, then spat in the dirt.
"You can't keep her forever," he said. "Watch me," Cole said. Klay finally backed off, muttering under his breath. They disappeared into the trees and Cole stayed there until he couldn't hear them anymore. When he went back inside, Nia was still crouched near the door, the rifle clutched in her hands.
Her breathing was quick, but her eyes were steady. "They gone?" she asked. "For now," Cole said, setting the bar back in place. She stood slowly, set the rifle back near the wall. For a moment, she just stood there, arms cross tied over her chest.
Then she said, "They come back." "Maybe," Cole admitted. "But they know I'll be waiting." Nia moved closer to the fire, staring into it like she was trying to see past it. "You could send me away then. No trouble." Cole leaned against the door frame, shaking his head. "Not happening.
Trouble's not you, it's them." And running only makes it worse. Nia looked at him for a long moment, something in her expression shifting. She didn't say thank you. That wasn't her way, but she reached for the coat he'd given her the first night and pulled it around herself again, like she had that night by the creek. Cole saw the change in her.
Fear was still there, but so was something steadier. Trust maybe you're the start of it. Neither of them slept much. Cole sat near the door with a rifle across his lap, and Nia stayed by the fire until it burned down to Coohl's. When she finally laid down on the cot, she didn't wrap herself as tight in the blanket as before.
At first light, Cole went out to check the corral. The horses were unharmed, but he found boot tracks in the soft dirt, proof they had been closer than he liked. He erased them with his heel before Nia came outside. They worked together that morning, hauling water, feeding stock. Nia didn't speak until they sat down to eat.
"You not afraid?" she asked suddenly. Cole looked at her. Of what? Of them, she said. You took a long drink of coffee before answering.
I've been afraid of worse. Learn fears. Just something that keeps you awake. You don't let it run you. Nia nodded slowly, her fingers tracing the edge of the tin cup.