The Mountain Woman’s stomach turned.
The Sheriff approached.
Not the Mountain Man.
One stranger.
Alive.
Groaning.
Another sat against a tree holding his shoulder.
The Deputy restrained him.
The Mountain Woman moved toward the cabin.
The Sheriff grabbed her arm.
“Wait.”
Then the door opened.
The Mountain Man stood there.
Blood on one side of his face.
Shirt still absent.
Fur vest torn.
But standing.
Alive.
The Mountain Woman forgot every instruction.
She ran.
The Mountain Man stepped outside.
She reached him.
His arms opened.
This time, he did not hesitate.
He caught her.
Held her.
Hard enough to tell her everything he had been refusing to say.
The Mountain Woman buried her face against his chest.
“You came back.”
His voice shook.
“You came back too.”
She pulled away.
Hit him once in the chest.
Not hard.
“You promised.”
“I tried.”
“Terrible promise.”
“Yes.”
She kissed him.
In the snow.
In front of the Sheriff.
The Deputy looked away.
The Rancher did not.
He grinned.
The Sheriff sighed.
“Can we deal with the criminals before this becomes a wedding?”
The Mountain Woman pulled back.
The Mountain Man looked at him.
“Maybe both.”
Her eyes widened.
The Mountain Man realized what he had said.
The Rancher laughed loudly.
Even the Sheriff smiled.
The Mountain Woman stared at the Mountain Man.
“What?”
He became visibly uncomfortable.
Wonderful.
She folded her arms.
“No.”
His expression fell.
The Mountain Woman smiled.
“You don’t get to propose while bleeding in the snow with three lawmen and two half-frozen idiots watching.”
The Mountain Man looked toward the strangers.
“Four.”
The Sheriff pointed toward the trees.
“Found another.”
The Mountain Woman nodded.
“Four half-frozen idiots.”
The Mountain Man almost smiled.
“Later?”
She touched his cheek.
“Much later.”
That night ended slowly.
The Sheriff arrested the surviving men.
One had fled.
Tracks suggested he made for lower country.
A posse searched later.
The Mountain Man explained what happened.
The men tried to force entry.
He refused.
One came through the rear window.
Another tried the roof access.
The Mountain Man fought them inside and outside.
No heroics in his telling.
No boasting.
Simply necessity.
The Sheriff knew the history.