There were no nearby houses and no neighbors close enough to help. She quickly asked Elias whether anyone else lived there. He told her that he usually worked alone, occasionally receiving supplies from a small settlement several miles away. Nia became unusually serious. She asked him when he had last seen strangers near his property.
Elias thought about it. two days earlier, he had discovered fresh tracks near the northern fence, but he had assumed they belonged to travelers. Nia immediately asked him to describe the tracks. Elias explained that there had been several horses, possibly four or five, moving toward the mountains. Nia's expression changed. She stepped closer and quietly told him that the men who had attacked her group might have followed her trail.
Elias felt a sudden chill despite the warm morning air. He reached for his rifle and walked toward the fence. From the porch, Nia watched him carefully, knowing something dangerous might already be approaching. Elias returned a few minutes later with a worried expression. Near the edge of his property, he had found fresh hoofprints pressed deeply into the soft earth.
They were heading directly toward his ranch. Nia stood beside him and looked toward the distant mountains. "They are not only looking for me," she said quietly. They are coming for your ranch. Elias stared at the empty horizon.
Until that moment, he had believed helping Nia was simply an act of kindness. Now he understood that bringing her home might have placed a target on his own property. Somewhere beyond the mountains, someone was already coming. The next morning, Elias woke before sunrise and stepped outside with his rifle in hand. The ranch was strangely quiet.
As he walked toward the northern fence, he noticed fresh horse tracks pressed deeply into the damp soil. There were several of them, and they were heading directly toward his property. Elias crouched beside the tracks, studying them carefully. Nia had been telling the truth. Someone had followed her, and those men were getting closer.
When Elias returned to the house, Nia was already awake. One look at his face told her that he had discovered something. She quietly asked what he had found, and Elias explained that several riders were approaching. Nia lowered her eyes, knowing exactly what it meant. "You should let me go," she said.
"If they find me here, they will believe you are helping me." Elias looked toward the mountains and then back at the injured woman. For years, he had lived by one simple rule. Protect his land, protect his cattle, and never trust anyone who could bring danger to his door. But that morning he realized another rule mattered more.
A frightened person standing in front of him deserved a chance to survive. Elias packed food, water, ammunition, and a small medical bag. He saddled two horses and told Nia that he would take her to the mountains. She protested, warning him that the trail was dangerous and that the men might be watching the ranch. Elias simply replied that staying would be even more dangerous.
Before leaving, he secured the stable and released several horses into a distant pasture to make the ranch appear occupied. Then he and Nia disappeared into a narrow trail behind the property. The path led toward an old mining route that Elias had not used in years. Rocks covered much of the trail, making it difficult for horses to move quickly. Nia knew the wilderness better than he expected.