"Because every other man came here to tell me why I should choose him."
Ethan waited.
"You were the only man who did not."
He smiled.
"That's all?"
"No."
She returned to her work.
"You looked tired."
Ethan laughed.
"That's your reason?"
"You looked honest."
That stopped him.
Ayana continued,
"Strong men often spend their lives proving they are strong."
She looked at him.
"You did not."
Ethan had no answer.
For the first time, he understood why she had chosen him.
She had not been searching for the strongest man.
She had been searching for the man who did not need to prove anything.
Red Hawk's Anger
Red Hawk did not leave.
He remained in the village.
He spoke little.
But Ethan could feel his anger.
One evening, Red Hawk approached.
"You took what should have been mine."
Ethan frowned.
"She wasn't yours."
Red Hawk's jaw tightened.
"She should have chosen me."
"But she didn't."
Red Hawk stepped closer.
"You are not one of us."
Ethan remained calm.
"No."
"You have no family here."
"That's true."
"No land."
"Also true."
"No reputation."
Ethan looked at him.
"Probably true."
Red Hawk seemed almost confused.
"Then why are you not afraid?"
"I am."
"Of me?"
"Of making a mistake."
Red Hawk expected anger.
Instead, he found honesty.
That made him uncomfortable.
He walked away.
Ayana had watched the entire exchange.
"You handled him well."
Ethan looked at her.
"I was trying not to get killed."
She smiled.
"That is sometimes wisdom."
The Riders from the East
Trouble arrived in June.
Five riders appeared on the eastern ridge.
They were not Apache.
They were American.
Their leader was a former army scout named Caleb Mason.
He had been traveling through Arizona searching for a group of missing cattle.
But when he saw the village, his expression changed.
He recognized Ethan.
"You."
Ethan stepped forward.
"What do you want?"
Mason smiled.
"I heard you married the chief's daughter."
"That's none of your business."
Mason laughed.
"Everything becomes my business eventually."
Ayana stepped beside Ethan.
Mason looked at her.
Then at Whitehawk.
"I have a proposition."
Whitehawk said nothing.
Mason explained that several cattle belonging to settlers had disappeared.
He claimed the Apache were responsible.
Whitehawk denied it.
"We did not take them."
Mason shrugged.
"Then perhaps you won't mind if we search."
Ethan immediately stepped forward.
"No."
Mason's eyes narrowed.
"You don't decide that."
Ethan answered,
"I do when you're standing on my wife's land."
The riders reached for their guns.
The village warriors raised their bows.
For several tense seconds, nobody moved.
Then Mason smiled.
"This isn't over."
He turned his horse.
Ethan watched him leave.
Ayana whispered,
"He will return."
"I know."
The Missing Herd
The truth emerged two days later.
The cattle had not been stolen by the Apache.
They had been driven north by rustlers.
Ethan followed the tracks.
Ayana went with him.
They found the herd in a narrow canyon.
Six men were guarding them.
Ethan counted the rifles.