Elias kept his distance, offering her hot broth, dried venison, and fresh water. He noticed a deep, nasty gash on her left calf—likely from a jagged rock or a fall during her desperate trek through the mountains. He brought over a basin of warm water, clean rags, and a bottle of strong whiskey. He pointed to her leg, then to the water. Nita tensed, but slowly extended her leg. Elias cleaned the wound with gentle, practiced hands, pouring a splash of whiskey over the cut. Nita hissed in pain but didn't pull away.
As the days bled into one another, the heavy silence between them began to lift. They developed a rudimentary system of communication using hand gestures and broken words. Elias learned that Nita had been separated from her traveling band during a sudden ambush by outlaws, getting lost in the mountains as the storm rolled in. In return, he shared the story of his solitude—his wife had passed from fever years ago, leaving him alone with the cattle and the silence.
On the fourth day, the sun finally broke through the clouds, reflecting blindingly off the six-foot snowdrifts. Elias was outside shoveling a path to the barn when he heard the crunch of horse hooves.
Deputy Miller, a gruff man from the nearby town of Oakhaven, rode into the yard, his horse steaming in the cold air. "Thorne! Just checking the outer ranches. Storm took a toll," Miller shouted, dismounting. As Miller stepped into the cabin to warm his hands, he stopped dead in his tracks. Nita was standing by the stove, stirring a pot of beans.
Miller’s hand rested instinctively on his revolver. "Elias... what the hell is an Apache doing in your kitchen?" "She got caught in the storm, Miller. I took her in. She'd be dead otherwise," Elias replied, stepping between the lawman and Nita. Miller scoffed, a look of disgust crossing his face. "You know the unwritten laws around here, Elias. A white man harboring an Indian? The townsfolk won't take kindly to this. Some folks'll string you both up just for the suspicion of it." "She's a human being who was freezing to death," Elias said, his voice hard as iron. "Just warning you," Miller muttered, backing out the door. "If you're keeping her, you better be ready for the trouble that comes with it."