The quiet one just stared at the horizon like he was waiting for it to do something interesting. Holden rode ahead on a roan gelding leading the way through the frozen landscape. The other three brothers followed on horseback spread out in a loose formation that felt more like a patrol than a family outing. The wind cut through Evelyn's coat like it wasn't even there. She pulled her arms tight against her chest and tried not to think about how far they were from town, how isolated this ranch was going to be, how easy it would be for six men to do whatever they wanted to a woman who had no one and nothing.
She'd been stupid to come. Stupid to trust. Stupid to think that just because someone offered help it meant they weren't planning to take something in return. But it was too late to turn back now. The ranch appeared on the horizon just as the sun started to set.
A cluster of buildings silhouetted against the darkening sky. The main house was two stories built from rough-hewn logs that looked like they'd weathered a hundred winters. The barn stood off to the left, its roof sagging in the middle. A chicken coop, a smokehouse, and a few other outbuildings dotted the property. All of them leaning slightly like they were tired of standing upright.
It wasn't much, but it was more than Evelyn had expected. The wagon creaked to a stop in front of the house and Holden dismounted. "Come on." He said, offering her hand down. Evelyn ignored the hand and climbed down on her own.
Her legs were stiff from the cold and she stumbled slightly when her boots hit the ground, but she caught herself before anyone could reach out to steady her. Holden didn't comment. He just led the way to the front door and pushed it open. The inside of the house was warm, not comfortable, but warm enough that Evelyn could feel her fingers start to thaw. A fire burned in the stone hearth, casting flickering shadows across the walls.
The furniture was simple, handmade chairs, a long wooden table, shelves stacked with mismatched plates and cups. Everything was functional, nothing was decorative, and the whole place smelled faintly of smoke and coffee and something Evelyn couldn't quite identify. Grief, maybe, or exhaustion, or both. "Kitchen's through there." Holden said, pointing to a doorway on the left.
"Bedrooms upstairs. You'll be in the storage room for now. It's small, but it's got a bed and a door that locks." Evelyn's chest tightened. "Locks from which side?"
Holden's expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes, something that might have been understanding. "Your side." He said quietly. "Always your side." She didn't know what to say to that, so she said nothing.
One of the twins, Caleb, she thought, the loud one, grinned and clapped his hands together. "Well, hell, we've got ourselves a housekeeper. When's the last time this place didn't smell like burned bacon? Yesterday, the quiet twin said flatly. That's because you burned stew instead.
Stew doesn't burn. It just gets concentrated. Concentrated into charcoal. Holden rubbed his temple like he was developing a headache. Caleb, Cain, shut up.
They shut up. Another brother stepped forward, younger than the twins, maybe early 20s, with a mess of dark hair and a nervous energy that reminded Evelyn of a dog that had been kicked too many times. I'm Levi, he said, not quite meeting her eyes. If you need anything, just I don't know, ask someone. Not me, probably.