For a long time, he said nothing.
Then he folded the paper and placed it in his pocket.
"We're going to town."
"What about the ranch?"
"We'll rebuild."
"What if Crowe comes back?"
Elias looked at her.
"Then he'll find us waiting."
The fire changed everything.
The barn had contained nearly all the ranch's stored hay, most of the tools, and the last remaining possessions Elias had brought from his former home. The winter feed was gone, and the roof of the old stable had collapsed.
For two days, Elias worked without rest, moving the surviving animals into a temporary shelter. Clara cooked meals for the ranchers who arrived to help, and Samuel organized a group of men to guard the property.
No one said Crowe's name aloud.
They did not need to.
On the third day, the sheriff arrived with a warrant.
He arrested one of Crowe's hired men, a rough fellow named Harlan Pike, after a witness reported seeing him near the ranch on the night of the fire.
Pike denied everything.
But when Samuel discovered that Crowe had paid him a large sum of money shortly before the fire, the case against Crowe grew stronger.
The investigation widened.
A railroad clerk testified that Crowe had been negotiating to purchase land using forged deeds. A former bank employee produced records showing that several payments made by ranchers had been removed from their accounts.
Then a man named Joseph Bell arrived in Red Willow.
He was a doctor from Cheyenne.
He carried a small leather case and a letter addressed to Clara Bennett.
When Clara saw him, she nearly fainted.
"Do you know me?" she whispered.
The doctor removed his hat.
"I knew your husband."
Clara stared at him.
"Thomas?"
The doctor nodded.
"Before he died, he asked me to find you."
Clara's hands began to shake.
"Is Rose—"
She could not finish the sentence.
The doctor lowered his eyes.
"I'm sorry."
Clara covered her mouth.
For several moments, she could not breathe.
Then the doctor opened his case and removed a small wooden horse.
Clara recognized it immediately.
It had belonged to Rose.
She took it with trembling hands.
"Where did you find this?"
"At the clinic in Cheyenne. Thomas brought your daughter there last winter."
Clara stared at him.
"What happened?"
The doctor sat down.
"Rose was very ill. Thomas told me that Crowe had threatened to seize the property if he didn't pay the remaining debt. He said he had no money for treatment."
Clara closed her eyes.
The doctor continued.
"I did everything I could. But the fever was severe."
Clara began to cry.
The doctor placed a hand over hers.
"Your husband was with her when she died."
For a long time, Clara said nothing.
Then she whispered, "He told me he was taking her to a doctor."
"He was."
The words seemed to strike her harder than any accusation.
She had spent months believing that Thomas had abandoned their daughter. She had hated him for returning alone. She had hated herself for believing him.
Now she understood that he had tried to save Rose.
And failed.
The doctor handed her the letter.
Clara opened it slowly.
My dearest Clara,
If you are reading this, then I have failed to return to you. I have failed to protect Rose, and I have failed to give you the life I promised.
I want you to know that I loved our daughter. I held her until the last moment. I prayed that she would open her eyes, but she never did.
Crowe threatened me. He told me that if I did not sign the property papers, he would make certain we lost everything. I was afraid, and I made terrible mistakes.
I should never have borrowed money from him. I should never have let him control our lives.
Please forgive me.
If you can, leave this place. Find someone who will treat you kindly. Do not spend your life carrying the weight of my failures.
You deserve peace.