And I should have killed him for it. No. Mara grabbed his hand. No, you shouldn't have because then where would we be? You'd be dead or in prison and I'd be right back where I started, alone.
Silas was quiet for a long moment. Then I lost control. I never lose control. You were protecting me. I was protecting my pride.
He set the rifle aside, scrubbed his hands over his face. That's how men like me get killed, Mara. We let our pride make decisions our heads should make. Then what do we do? Mara asked, hearing the desperation in her own voice.
How do we fight someone with money and lawyers and the law on his side? We make sure the law stays on our side. Silas stood, helped her to her feet. Today I'm writing into Rock Springs. Going to talk to Judge Thompson.
File papers making me legal guardian of your children in case anything happens to you. And I'm going to ask around, see if Thomas Avery has any skeletons we can use. What kind of skeletons? The kind that makes a judge think twice about giving him custody of anyone. Silus's smile was grim.
Every rich man has something he doesn't want people knowing. I just need to find it. Mara wanted to argue, wanted to tell him it was too dangerous, that poking around in Thomas Avery's business would only make things worse. But she looked at the cabin behind them at the windows where her children slept safe and warm, and she knew they were out of options. "Be careful," she whispered.
Silas kissed her forehead. "Always am." He left an hour later, riding hard for Rock Springs with a promise to be back before dark. Mara watched until he disappeared, then turned to face the day ahead. The children were subdued at breakfast. Even the twins were quiet, pushing their porridge around their bowls without eating.
"Is P Silas coming back?" Abigail asked in her small voice. "Of course he is, sweetheart," Mara said, forcing brightness into her tone. "He just has business in town." "Is the mean man going to take us away?" Thomas's eyes were huge, terrified. Mara knelt down, gathered him close. No, baby.
No one is taking you anywhere. I promise. But Jonah caught her eye from across the table, and she could see he didn't believe her. He was old enough to understand that some promises couldn't be kept. That sometimes the world took what it wanted, no matter how hard you fought.
Later, while the younger children played outside under Eliza's watchful eye, Jonah helped Mara wash dishes in silence. Finally, he spoke. Ma, what happens if that man comes back when Paw Silas isn't here? Mara's hand stilled in the washwater? He won't.
But what if he does? She looked at her son, 12 years old and already carrying the weight of a grown man on his shoulders. Daniel's eyes, her determination. Then you take your brothers and sisters and you run. You go to the creek, follow it east to the Miller farm like P Silas showed you.
You tell them what happened and you let them help. You understand? Jonah's jaw set. I'm not leaving you, Jonah. I'm not.