Jonah crossed the room. He knelt beside her. "Millie," he said. She hit his chest with her fist weakly, then harder. "I hate them. " She choked out.
"I hate them. I hate them. " Jonah caught her hand. He pulled her into him. He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hare. "I know. " He whispered.
"I know. " He held her while she shook. He held her while the rage poured out of her. And for the first time, he let go of his own caution. He let go of the idea that he could just survive this. "I won't let them take you," Jonah said.
He pulled back to look at her. His eyes were fierce. "I don't care about the law. I don't care about the claim. I won't let them put a hand on you again. " "If they come back, I will kill them. " Millie looked at him.
She saw the truth in his face. He meant it. he would die for her. The realization settled her. She wiped her face with her sleeve. She took a breath.
Clara was packing her bag, her hands shaking slightly now that the danger had passed. "You have to leave," Clara said quietly. "He will be back, Jonah. " Griggs will ride straight to Pritchard. "They won't bother with a warrant next time. They will come at night, and they will bring fire. " Jonah nodded.
He looked at the cabin. It was strong, but it was a coffin. "We can't stay here," he said. "That night, the cabin felt different. The illusion of safety was gone.
They were exposed. " Jonah packed the saddle bags. He cleaned the guns. Millie sat on the bed, sewing the tear in her dress where Griggs had grabbed her. She looked up at Jonah. "He wanted me to be his mistress," she said suddenly.
Jonah stopped wiping the revolver. He looked at her. Pritchard. She said he didn't just want the land. He told me.
He told me that a woman like me should be grateful for the attention of a man like him. He said I was too pretty to be poor. He said he would keep me in a house in town and I would never have to work again. All I had to do was be available when he visited. She pushed the needle through the fabric, her voice devoid of emotion.
When I said no, he hit me open hand across the face. He said I was dirty, that I was a half breed [ __ ] who didn't know her place. Jonah put the gun down. He walked over to her. He knelt between her knees.