“How far?” Ethan asked.
“Two days.”
“Through Crowe's territory?”
“Yes.”
Ethan sighed.
“That means we won't make it.”
Rosa looked at him.
“Unless we don't use the road.”
Mara looked toward the mountains.
“There is another trail.”
“It crosses the old canyon.”
“The canyon is dangerous.”
“So is Crowe.”
Keona looked at Ethan.
“You don't have to come.”
Ethan smiled.
“I know.”
He turned toward his horse.
“But I'm coming.”
The journey began before sunrise.
Mara led.
Elena carried the documents.
Rosa rode beside Ethan.
Keona stayed with the families.
They traveled through narrow mountain passes.
Twice they heard riders behind them.
Twice they hid.
On the second night, snow began falling.
Ethan looked at Rosa.
“You all right?”
She nodded.
“Are you?”
“I'm a cowboy.”
“That wasn't my question.”
He smiled.
“You always ask difficult questions?”
“Yes.”
“Then I might be in trouble.”
She laughed.
It was the first time Ethan had heard her laugh without restraint.
He realized something then.
He liked it.
More than he wanted to admit.
The next morning, they reached the canyon.
Halfway through, they were ambushed.
Crowe had predicted their route.
Riders appeared above the cliffs.
Bullets struck stone.
Horses panicked.
Ethan pulled Rosa behind a boulder.
“Stay here.”
She glared at him.
“Don't tell me what to do.”
“Fine.”
“Good.”
“Please stay here.”
She smiled.
“Better.”
Then she disappeared.
Ethan shook his head.
“Impossible woman.”
Mara moved along the upper ridge.
Elena protected the documents.
The defenders fought from cover.
The battle lasted nearly an hour.
When Crowe's men finally withdrew, the canyon was silent again.
But someone was missing.
Rosa.
Ethan searched frantically.
He found her near the river.
She was injured.
A bullet had grazed her shoulder.
Ethan knelt beside her.
“You're hurt.”
“I noticed.”
“You could have died.”
“So could you.”
“That isn't the point.”
“It is to me.”
He looked at her.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Rosa whispered,
“Why did you come back?”
Ethan knew exactly what she meant.
“Because I couldn't leave.”
“Because of my father?”
“No.”
“Because of the land?”
“No.”
She looked into his eyes.
“Then why?”
Ethan swallowed.
“Because of you.”
The wind moved through the canyon.
Rosa looked away.
Neither of them said anything else.
But something had changed.
When they reached Fort Mercer, the gates were already closed.
The commander refused to listen.
Crowe had sent a messenger ahead.
He claimed Ethan and Keona's people were trespassers.
He claimed the documents were stolen.
He claimed the entire story was an attempt to seize valuable territory.
Elena stepped forward.
She placed the original records on the commander's desk.
“These are not stolen.”
The commander examined them.
Then his expression changed.
“This seal…”
“What?”
“I've seen it before.”
He opened a locked cabinet.
Inside were government records.
He compared the documents.
“The original survey says this valley belongs to the local communities.”
Elena smiled.
“Then Crowe's claim is false.”