Ethan looked at the spring.
Then at the children.
Then at Tomas.
“Water concerns everybody.”
Crane's eyes narrowed.
“You're willing to fight over this?”
Ethan looked toward the three sisters.
Lena stood with her rifle.
Mara held the records.
Sela had three horses ready.
For the first time that evening, Ethan understood what Tomas had meant.
The chief had not offered him three women.
He had offered him a family.
And Ethan had already made his decision.
Not because he wanted a wife.
Not because he wanted land.
Not because he wanted power.
Because he had seen what Crane intended to do.
And Ethan Cole had spent his entire life believing there were some things a man simply did not walk away from.
He raised his rifle.
“I think you've come to the wrong valley.”
Crane lowered the white cloth.
The shooting began.
The first exchange lasted less than a minute.
Ethan and the Apache defenders used the rocks surrounding the spring for cover.
Crane's men fired from the ridge, expecting the settlement to panic.
Instead, Lena directed the defenders toward the eastern slope.
Mara moved between the shelters, shouting instructions and helping the families reach cover.
Sela rode through the chaos, carrying ammunition from one position to another.
Ethan watched all three women work.
They were not helpless daughters waiting for a man to rescue them.
They were defenders.
And they knew this land.
By midnight, Crane's men had retreated.
But Ethan knew the battle was not over.
The company would return.
And next time, Crane would bring more men.
The following morning, Tomas called a council.
“We cannot remain here,” he said.
Mara shook her head.
“If we leave, Crane gets exactly what he wants.”
Lena agreed.
“We defend the valley.”
Sela looked at Ethan.
“And our cowboy?”
Everyone turned.
Ethan sighed.
“I suppose I'm still here.”
Sela smiled.
“That sounds almost like a commitment.”
Ethan ignored her.
Tomas looked toward the eastern mountains.
“There is an old canyon beyond Red Mesa. We can move the families there.”
Mara shook her head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because that's what Crane expects.”
She opened the leather case.
Inside were maps.
“I found something.”
Everyone gathered around.
Mara pointed to an old boundary line.
“The company's lease ends two miles east of this ridge.”
Ethan leaned closer.
“So Crane's claim is false.”
“Not just false.”
Mara's voice lowered.
“Forged.”
The room went silent.
“Who signed it?” Ethan asked.
Mara pointed to the bottom of the document.
A territorial official.
A man who had been receiving payments from Crane for months.
Ethan understood immediately.
“This isn't just a land dispute.”
“No,” Mara said.
“It's a conspiracy.”
That changed everything.
If they could reach the territorial capital with the original documents, Crane could lose the entire operation.