Nia stayed close, her knee almost touching Cooh's where he sat on the floor. She didn't speak much, but when he stood to check the latch on the door, she watched him like she trusted him to keep it closed. Later, when Cole lay down on the floor roll, Nia stayed awake a while, staring into the fire. Then she rose, crossed the room, and spread her blanket on the floor closer to where he was. Cole glanced at her, but didn't speak.
She didn't explain herself. The fire crackled, the wind picked up outside, but inside the cabin, there was a stillness that hadn't been there before, the kind that meant she was no longer just a guest, but someone beginning to belong. Cole stared at the ceiling until sleep took him, one hand still near the rifle, the other near enough that if she reached out, she would touch it first. The wind shifted just after sundown, carrying with it a smell of wood smoke that wasn't from their fire. Cole noticed at first, standing out on the porch after supper with a lantern in one hand, listening to the night.
The horses were restless in the corral, ears flicking toward the ridge. Inside, Nia was cleaning the table, her dark hair tied back with a strip of cloth. When Cole stepped back in, she saw his expression and went still. "What?" she asked. "Smoke," Cole said quietly.
"Someone's camped near the north trail. Nia's face tightened." She glanced toward the rifle, leaning near the door. "Them could be," Cole said. "Could be just Dvers passing through." He didn't believe that, and neither did she. Cole took the rifle and checked the chamber, then nodded toward the lamp.
"Blow that out," he said. She did without question, plunging the cabin into near darkness, except for the low glow of the fire. Cole stepped outside and crouched near the edge of the porch, scanning the tree line until his eyes adjusted. An hour passed before he saw movement. Two figures low to the ground moving along the fence line.
Two careful to be strangers just passing through. Cole eased back inside and closed the door without a sound. Two of them, he said. Nia stood near the hearth, her face pale but steady. Clay, don't know yet, but they're watching.
Cole barred the door then motion her closer. If they try for the horses, we wait till they're near the corral. Then I'll step out. You fight? She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
If I have to, Cole said. You stay behind the door. Rifles ready if they come for the house. Nia nodded, swallow hard, then moved to the wall near the door and crouched low. The next hour stretched slow.