They held on with the desperation of people watching the water rise around them. "I am sorry," Eli whispered into her hair. "I am so sorry. I dragged you into this fire. " "No," she pulled back, framing his face with her hands, smearing soot on his cheeks. "We are in the fire together.
You are not leaving me. Eli Mercer, do you hear me? You are not leaving me. I don't know if I can stop them. Maggie, they have the judge.
The law. Then we will fight them. She said fiercely. But right now, right now, I need you to know. Know what?
That I am yours. Not because of a paper, not because of the ranch. Because I choose you. She kissed him. It was a kiss that tasted of salt and ash and terror.
It was a kiss that burned. Eli groaned, a sound of surrender. He pressed her back against the ladder of the hayloft. The handcuffs clinked, a sharp metallic sound that underscored the fragility of the moment. He couldn't use his hands freely, so she used hers.
She pulled his shirt open, her palms flat against his chest, feeling the heavy, frantic beat of his heart. They sank down onto the pile of fresh hay. There was no coyness, no hesitation, the shadow of the jail cell, the shadow of Silus, the shadow of death. It all stripped away the pretense. They needed this.
They needed to affirm life in the face of so much destruction. Eli kissed her throat, her shoulder, his face rough with stubble. Maggie held him, arching into his touch, claiming him with every breath. It was a fierce, frantic joining. It was an act of defiance by loving each other. here in the dirt in the dark.
They were proving that Silas owned nothing that mattered. He could burn the house. He could steal the cattle, but he could not touch this. The barn was filled with the sounds of their breathing, the rustle of straw, the low, desperate murmurs of a name spoken like prayers. Later, they lay tangled in the horse blankets.
The barn quiet again, save for the shifting of the animals. Eli's head rested on her shoulder. The handcuffs were still on his wrists. A cruel reminder. You have to go to the federal judge, Maggie whispered, her fingers tracing the scar on his eyebrow.
In Laramie or Cheyenne, I can't leave you here alone. I can ride. Eli, you taught me. Bess is fast. I will find a way.
Eli turned his head, kissing her palm. I love you, Maggie Orr, I love you, Eli Mercer. The door creaked open. Time's up, Eli. The deputy's voice called softly, filled with regret.