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THE COWBOY FOUND A FROZEN APACHE WOMAN IN THE BLIZZARD—THEN SHE SAW THE PHOTOGRAPH ON HIS WALL

Chapter 4

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Her stomach betrayed her a second later with an audible, hollow growl that echoed loudly through the small cabin.Something almost like a faint smile touched the corner of Daniel’s mouth. He wisely said nothing, turning his attention back to his workbench near the door.Ayana sat down on the wooden stool beside the table.She ate slowly at first, taking tiny, cautious bites, testing the food as if expecting poison. But the heat of the rich broth and the sweet bread overcame her caution, and within three minutes she was eating with the quiet, desperate speed of a person who had not tasted warm food in days.Daniel remained near the doorway, keeping a broad, respectful distance between them to make it entirely clear she was not trapped or cornered.Outside, the snow continued to hammer against the glass panes with a low, dull thud.Inside, the roaring hearth turned the small pine cabin into an island of deep, golden warmth. For the first time in two days, Ayana felt the freezing chill leave her bones, the heat reaching all the way down into her hands and toes."How long?" she asked, setting her empty tin bowl down on the table."Since I found you?" Daniel asked, looking up.She nodded once."About eight hours," Daniel said. "It's long past midnight now."Her face changed instantly. The quiet calm vanished, replaced by a sudden, sharp shadow of intense anxiety."My family..." she whispered, her hands clenching into fists against her lap.Daniel waited, keeping his voice quiet. "Where were they?""We were traveling south toward the winter grounds before the storm hit," Ayana said, her dark eyes staring into the fire. "The wind came too fast... the white blindness hit the ridge in minutes. My horse panicked at a fallen branch, stepped into a snow hole, and threw me. By the time I stood up, the tracks were gone. The wind was too loud to hear their calls.""Were there others with you?" Daniel asked.Ayana's guard immediately returned. Her shoulders went square, her lips pressing together into a tight, defensive line. She looked at him with renewed suspicion.Daniel raised one hand, palm open, stopping himself."You don’t have to tell me," he said smoothly. "It’s none of my business."That surprised her again.In her twenty years of life, most white strangers she had encountered on the frontier demanded immediate answers—demanded to know how many warriors were in a band, where their camp was set, and what stock they carried. Daniel seemed almost determined not to pry into her life."The trails are completely gone anyway," Daniel added, looking toward the dark window. "Nobody could ride five hundred yards in this gale tonight without falling into a ravine. You'd kill your horse and freeze yourself before you reached the ridge."Ayana turned her head toward the glass.She knew he was right. The world outside the cabin was a howling, white nightmare that would swallow anyone who ventured into it.She hated that fact. Not because she feared the stranger’s cabin anymore, but because every hour she sat beside his warm fire was another hour her father, her mother, and her people would spend searching the white drifts, believing she was dead.Later that evening, Daniel pulled on his heavy wool coat, unlatched the pine door, and stepped outside into the howling gale to check the horses in the lean-to barn.When he returned ten minutes later, his beard was again dusted with white frost, and heavy snow clung to his broad shoulders. He stamped his boots by the door, took off his leather work gloves, and walked to the hearth to warm his hands.As the yellow firelight caught the backs of his hands, Ayana noticed something she had missed before.
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THE COWBOY FOUND A FROZEN APACHE WOMAN IN THE BLIZZARD—THEN SHE SAW THE PHOTOGRAPH ON HIS WALL

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