Fear was still there, but so was something steadier. Trust maybe you're the start of it. Neither of them slept much. Cole sat near the door with a rifle across his lap, and Nia stayed by the fire until it burned down to Coohl's. When she finally laid down on the cot, she didn't wrap herself as tight in the blanket as before.
At first light, Cole went out to check the corral. The horses were unharmed, but he found boot tracks in the soft dirt, proof they had been closer than he liked. He erased them with his heel before Nia came outside. They worked together that morning, hauling water, feeding stock. Nia didn't speak until they sat down to eat.
"You not afraid?" she asked suddenly. Cole looked at her. Of what? Of them, she said. You took a long drink of coffee before answering.
I've been afraid of worse. Learn fears. Just something that keeps you awake. You don't let it run you. Nia nodded slowly, her fingers tracing the edge of the tin cup.
I try, she said. You did fine last night, Cole said. That brought the faintest hint of a smile to her lips. Small but real. By evening, the cabin felt different.
Less like a place they were hiding in, more like a place they were both holding together. Cole sharpened his knife at the table while Nia mended another shirt. And when the wind outside shifted again, they both looked toward the door at the same time, ready. Whatever came next, they wouldn't face it as strangers anymore. The day after the men came, the air felt heavier, as if the whole place was holding its breath.
Cole noticed that when he stepped out at dawn, the sky was flat and gray. No breeze in the cottonwoods. Even the horse moved slower, ears turning toward the ridge every few minutes. Inside the cabin, Nia was already awake, sitting cross-legged near the fire with the coat pulled around her. She didn't look as tense as she had the night before, but her eyes followed him when he moved, as if making sure he was really still there.
Cole brought in water from the well and set it to boil. We'll stay close today, he said. No need to ride out far. Just keep watch. Nia nodded.