Her revolver cracked. Gus jerked backward and fell from the horse. The shotgun slipped from his hands before his body struck the dirt hard. Cade wheeled his mount around. Blood darkened one sleeve.
"I'll burn this damn place to the ground." He raised his revolver. Cal fired. One clean shot. Cade's gun flew from his hand and struck the dirt.
Then there was only Boone. Bleeding and furious, he climbed unsteadily from the saddle. The revolver shook in his fist. He lifted it toward Tala. Hatred twisted his face.
"You should have stayed in chains." Cal started to move, but Tala's voice cut across the yard first, strong, unshaken. "Never again." Her revolver fired. Smoke curled from the barrel.
Boone staggered backward. Shock crossed his face. Then his knees gave way. He collapsed into the dust. Silence returned.
The echoes of gunfire rolled away between the trees until there was nothing left but nervous horses shifting their weight and the heavy smell of powder hanging over the yard. Cal lowered his rifle. His chest rose and fell hard as he searched the clearing for another threat. Gus Talbott lay motionless. Cade Varner did not move.
Boone Kersey was stretched across the dirt, dead. It was over. Tala remained beside Cal. Her revolver hung loosely from one hand. Her breathing was fast and uneven.
Then her dark eyes found his. And for the first time since Cal had discovered her bleeding beneath the pines, there was no fear in them. Only fire. Cal lowered the rifle completely and stepped toward her. You're free now.
Tala slowly shook her head. When she answered, her voice was quiet. But certain. We're free. Behind them, the cabin no longer looked like a place built for a man waiting to die alone.
It looked like a home reborn through blood and fire. A home built not only from one man's grief, but from the strength of two people who had refused to surrender. Cal looked toward the ridge one final time. Then he turned back to Tala.
For the first time in many years, the silence surrounding him carried no weight. It did not feel empty. It felt alive. And so did he.