Her words faltered, but she forced them through. They sell us like cattle. Use us. You paid too, but you are not like them. Clay froze, the cloth stilling on the barrel of his rifle.
Her words cut into him, sharp but true, he set the gun down slowly. I didn't buy you to own you. I paid to stop them. Her eyes searched his face for any sign of deceit. Finding none, she gave a small nod, though mistrust still lingered like a shadow.
She pulled the blanket around her shoulders and turned back toward the fire. Later that night, as the flames burned low, she shivered beneath the blanket. Clay noticed from a cot. He hesitated, fighting himself, then stood. He lifted another wool blanket from the trunk and walked over, holding it out.
She looked up at him, her eyes weary, but softer than before. "You'll be warmer with this," he said. Slowly, she reached out and took it, her fingers brushing his hand. The touch lingered longer than either expected. Clay's breath caught, his chest tightening.
He pulled back quickly, retreating to the cot, lowering himself stiffly. He lay there in the dark, staring at the ceiling, his mind storm. The next morning, something had shifted again. She moved more freely in the cabin, less like a cornered animal. She even asked him once, haltingly how to grind corn into meal.
He showed her, their hands brushing as he guided the stone. She pulled back quickly, but not with the sharpness of before. That evening, as they ate, she studied him across the table. You live alone long time. He nodded.
Since the war, since my wife and boy died, he said it plain without decoration. Her eyes softened for a moment. Why me then? He held her gaze, voice steady. Because no one should be left like that.
Not while I can help it. The silence that followed wasn't heavy. It carried something else. An understanding neither of them could put into words. Later, when the fire had burned low, Clay lay on the cot while Nia rested on the floor.
In a quiet, he heard her shift. Then her voice came soft through the dark. You are not like the others. He didn't answer. His throat felt too tight.