Three men approached the porch.
Rusk knocked.
“Miriam?”
His voice sounded warm.
Kind.
“Miriam Vale?”
Silas whispered, “Don’t open it.”
Rusk knocked again.
“We became concerned.
Reverend Pike said you weren’t at Sunday service.”
Miriam almost laughed.
She had not attended because her children were too weak to walk through snow.
Rusk continued.
“We brought supplies.”
Silas’s mouth twisted.
“How charitable.”
Miriam glanced toward the sacks he had brought earlier.
Then she remembered something.
Rusk controlled nearly every freight wagon entering town.
He knew who purchased food.
He knew who owed money.
He knew which families depended upon church relief.
A colder realization followed.
“He knew.”
Silas looked at her.
“What?”
“That we were starving.”
Rusk knocked again.
Miriam whispered, “His wife came three weeks ago.
She saw the empty shelves.”
Silas’s expression hardened.
“And still no food arrived?”
“No.”
“Because he needed you desperate.”
“For what?”
Silas looked around the cabin.
“To sell this place.”
Miriam stared at him.
That made no sense.
The cabin sat on eight poor acres beside a frozen creek.
Nothing grew properly.
There was no valuable timber.
No mine.
Nothing.
Unless—
Silas looked toward Isaac’s knife.
Rusk knocked a fourth time.
“Miriam, I know Silas Crowe is inside.”
Silas went still.
“How?”
Miriam whispered.
“He followed me.”
Rusk’s friendly tone vanished.
“Open the door.”
Silas positioned himself beside it.
“No.”
Rusk laughed softly.
“Eleven years, Silas.
You still haven’t learned when something is finished.”
Jonah moved closer to Miriam.
Silas shouted, “Go home, Alden.”
“Can’t do that.”
“Then freeze.”
Another voice called from outside.
“Mr.
Crowe, we’re authorized to collect property belonging to the Red Ash Bank.”
Miriam recognized Deputy Colter.
Rusk spoke again.
“Mrs.
Vale has defaulted on her loan.”
Her heart sank.
“I had until April.”
“According to the revised note,” Rusk called, “payment was due yesterday.”
“I never signed a revised note!”
Silas looked at her sharply.
Rusk answered.
“Your husband did.”
Miriam froze.
Isaac had been dead almost two years.
Silas almost smiled.
“Alden.”
No response.
“Isaac Vale died twenty-two months ago.”
Silence outside.
Silas continued.
“So either the dead have started signing bank papers, or you’ve become sloppy.”
One of the riders shifted nervously.
Rusk finally spoke.
“This doesn’t concern you.”
Silas raised the revolver.
“It does now.”
What followed happened quickly.
One of Rusk’s men moved toward the rear of the cabin.
Silas heard him.
He kicked open the door and fired into the darkness.
A gunshot answered.
Glass exploded.
Peter screamed.
Miriam dragged both boys toward the floor.
Silas fired again.
A horse shrieked.
Someone cursed outside.
Then Rusk shouted, “Enough!”
Silence.
Snow blew through the shattered window.
Rusk’s voice became cold.
“You think you’re protecting them?”
Silas’s jaw tightened.
“I know what’s in that house.”
Miriam looked around wildly.
