It was instinct for her to work to show she was no burden. She boiled the leftover beans, added a handful of dried herbs from her pouch, and set the pot on the stove so the smell would fill the room. She had learned long ago that people watched not only what you said, but how useful you were. Her mind stayed sharp with worry. She knew this kindness from Elias could end if the town pressed him too hard.
Still, she forced herself to act like she belonged, even if only for one day. By midmorning, the first sign came. The storekeeper's boy, no more than 12, wandered down the road with a sack of feed slung over his shoulder. He slowed when he reached the fence and peered at the stoop, his eyes widening when he saw Nielli sitting there in the sun. He lingered long enough to memorize her face before sprinting back toward the square.
Nielli saw him go, her stomach tightened. She had lived long enough near settlements to know how quickly whispers turned to stares and stares turned to trouble. Elias returned to the yard and caught her eyes as she shifted uneasily. He understood without needing words. "It started," he said flatly.
She only nodded. By noon, two men leaned on the rail outside the saloon, smoking and pointing toward the Carver place. They didn't approach, but their presence was a signal. The sheriff himself rode past an hour later, his horse moving slow, the dust rising in steady puffs beneath its hooves. Sheriff Burke was not a man of quick tempers.
He had served in the war, carried scars of his own, and ruled this settlement by patience more than force. Still, his badge carried weight, and when he stopped near the gate, it was clear he wasn't passing by out of chance. Morning Elias. The sheriff's tone was even, his eyes resting on the woman by the stoop. Nielli stood straight-backed, though her side still ached.
She met his gaze without lowering her head. Elias walked to the fence, resting one hand on the top board. "Sheriff, boy tells me you've got company," Burke said, his reins loose in his hand. "That right." "That's right."
The sheriff studied Nielli for a moment longer, his expression unreadable. Then he turned his eyes back to Elias. You know how people here will take it. Doesn't matter if she's hurt or not. He'll be talking and talk brings heat.
Elias kept his voice steady. She hasn't broken any law. Didn't say she had. Burke shifted in the saddle, the leather creaking. But I've got to keep order.
If men decide to take it into their own hands. Order gets harder to hold. Nielli listened without flinching. She had lived under suspicion too many times to be surprised. Still, she spoke, her tone quiet but clear.