His hands settled on both her shoulders.
Not rough.
Firm.
“This is not an argument.”
The Mountain Woman stared.
His eyes were different now.
Not angry.
Focused.
Terrified for her.
That mattered.
She whispered:
“How many?”
“I don’t know.”
Another crunch outside.
Closer.
The Mountain Man glanced toward the door.
Then back at her.
“Back room.”
The Mountain Woman nodded.
Not because she suddenly obeyed easily.
Because she understood.
She moved toward the hall.
Then stopped.
Turned.
The Mountain Man stood beside the fire.
Huge.
Bare-chested.
Fur vest open.
Every scar visible.
He looked exactly like every terrible story people told.
The Mountain Woman suddenly hated those stories.
Because none of them explained the look on his face now.
He was scared.
Not for himself.
For her.
She crossed back quickly.
The Mountain Man frowned.
“What are you—”
The Mountain Woman grabbed his face and kissed him.
Hard.
Unexpected.
His body froze.
She pulled away.
“If something happens, you are not spending your last thought believing I was afraid of you.”
His eyes widened.
The Mountain Woman continued:
“I am afraid of losing you.”
Then she walked toward the back room.
The Mountain Man watched.
For one second, the feared man of Wyoming looked completely undone.
Then the cabin door shook under a heavy knock.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
A male voice shouted from outside.
“Mountain Man!”
Silence.
The Mountain Man approached the door.
The voice came again.
“We need to talk.”
The Mountain Woman stood just beyond the hallway corner.
She knew the Mountain Man had told her to hide.
She also knew herself too well to pretend she would stay there if things went wrong.
The Mountain Man asked:
“Who?”
A laugh outside.
“You remember.”
The Mountain Man’s expression hardened.
The Mountain Woman saw recognition.
That frightened her more than the gunshot.
The voice continued:
“Open the door.”
The Mountain Man did not.
Another man spoke from farther away.
“At least three.”
The Mountain Woman counted voices.
Maybe four.
The first man shouted:
“We didn’t come for the woman.”
The Mountain Man went still.
The Mountain Woman felt cold.
They knew she was there.
The Mountain Man said nothing.
Outside:
“We only want what’s ours.”
The Mountain Woman looked at the Mountain Man.
His face told her nothing.