The sounds outside came and went. A horse snorting, boots scuffing on dirt. Once Cole heard a low laugh and knew for certain who it was. When a shadow moved near the corral gate, Cole acted. He unbarred the door, stepped out fast, rifle leveled.
"Leave the gate," he said, voice like iron. The figures froze. "One of them was Clay." Cole recognized him in the moonlight, hat pulled low, but face still smug. "Evening, Merrick," Klay said, his tone too casual. "Didn't mean no harm.
Just passing through. You're a long way from the saloon," Cole said. "Turn around and keep walking." Clay didn't move. Heard you got company. Thought we'd see for ourselves.
Cole's finger stayed near the trigger. "You saw enough. Go." The other boy shifted nervously, glancing toward the trees. "Come on, Clay," he muttered. "Ain't worth it." Klay stared at Cole a moment longer, then spat in the dirt.
"You can't keep her forever," he said. "Watch me," Cole said. Klay finally backed off, muttering under his breath. They disappeared into the trees and Cole stayed there until he couldn't hear them anymore. When he went back inside, Nia was still crouched near the door, the rifle clutched in her hands.
Her breathing was quick, but her eyes were steady. "They gone?" she asked. "For now," Cole said, setting the bar back in place. She stood slowly, set the rifle back near the wall. For a moment, she just stood there, arms cross tied over her chest.
Then she said, "They come back." "Maybe," Cole admitted. "But they know I'll be waiting." Nia moved closer to the fire, staring into it like she was trying to see past it. "You could send me away then. No trouble." Cole leaned against the door frame, shaking his head. "Not happening.
Trouble's not you, it's them." And running only makes it worse. Nia looked at him for a long moment, something in her expression shifting. She didn't say thank you. That wasn't her way, but she reached for the coat he'd given her the first night and pulled it around herself again, like she had that night by the creek. Cole saw the change in her.