"More times than I'd like to remember." She wrapped the cloth around his shoulder, tying it tight enough to make him wince. When she finished, she sat back, studying his face. "You saved us again," she said. "I saved the cargo."
"You three just happened to be nearby." "You're a terrible liar." Cole didn't answer. He stared into the fire, watching flames dance and twist, and felt the weight of the day settling over him like a heavy blanket. "Why'd you do it?" Kaya asked.
"In the canyon, I mean. You could have ridden away." "Already told you. Don't know." "I think you do. I think you just don't want to say it."
Cole looked at her, and for a moment, he considered telling the truth. That he'd helped them because he'd seen too much cruelty and needed to believe he could still do something that mattered. That he'd stepped in front of those guns because walking away would have meant becoming the kind of man he'd spent his whole life trying not to be. But the words stuck in his throat, and instead, he just shook his head. "Get some rest," he said.
"We've still got two days to Canyon Bend." Kaya stood, brushed off her pants, and walked back to where Lyra and Sani were preparing their bedrolls. Cole watched her go, then turned his attention back to the fire. He was starting to realize something he didn't like. Something that scared him more than bandits or bullets or any of the hundred other ways the frontier could kill a man.
He was starting to care. They reached Canyon Bend without further incident, delivered the cargo, and collected their pay from Hoskins, who shook each of their hands and told them they'd earned every cent. The women split the money evenly with Cole, despite his protests, and for the first time in years, Cole had enough coin in his pocket to feel something approaching secure. They spent a week in Canyon Bend, resting, resupplying, and trying to decide what came next.
The town was quiet, nestled in a wide valley surrounded by red rock formations that glowed like fire at sunset. It was the kind of place where a person could disappear for a while, and Cole found himself thinking maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing. On their last night in town, the four of them sat in a small cantina near the edge of the valley, sharing a bottle of whiskey that tasted like it had been strained through old boots. "So, what now?" Lyra asked, pouring herself another glass. "Don't know," Cole admitted.
"Could head back to Coldwater Springs. Hoskins said he'd have more work." "Or we could go somewhere else," Kaya said. "Somewhere new?" "Like where?"
"Anywhere. The frontier's big. There's always work if you know where to look." Sani spoke up, her voice thoughtful. "What do you want, Cole?"
The question caught him off guard. Nobody had asked him that in longer than he could remember. "I want to not get shot at for a while," he said finally. Lyra laughed. "Good luck with that."
"What about you three?" Cole asked. "What do you want?" The women exchanged glances. Then Kaya leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.
"We want to stay with you," she said. "Until the debt's paid." "Yes." Cole shook his head. "You've been saying that for months. When does it end?"