The woman looked toward the fireplace.
The flames blurred.
She had known her husband was once married.
She had believed that marriage ended in death.
She had accepted his grief.
Even his hesitation.
But now a living woman existed somewhere beyond the mountains.
A woman who might still be his lawful wife.
A woman he had loved before her.
The visitor glanced toward the woman in blue.
"I'm sorry, ma'am."
She looked up.
"For what?"
"For bringing this to your door."
She drew a slow breath.
"Don't apologize for telling the truth."
The stranger stared.
Then lowered his eyes.
The mountain man sat across from him.
"How did you find me?"
The visitor hesitated.
"Your old surveying records."
The mountain man's expression changed.
The stranger continued.
"They showed where your father bought land near the upper ridge. The old surname appeared in a property transfer before you started using the name everyone knows now."
The woman looked toward her husband.
He had always avoided questions about his life before the mountains.
Now she understood why.
"Who followed you?"
The visitor looked toward the door.
"Men working for the railroad construction superintendent."
The mountain man's hand tightened.
The woman noticed.
"Do you know him?"
Her husband laughed once.
There was no humor in it.
"I know him."
The visitor leaned forward.
"He knows the woman survived. He knows she's talking. And he knows the original surveys weren't destroyed."
The mountain man went completely still.
"What surveys?"
"The eastern watershed maps."
The stranger lowered his voice.
"The ones you were supposed to burn."
A long silence followed.
The woman looked between the two men.
She understood enough about accounting and property records to recognize that something serious was happening.
But she refused to remain excluded.
"Gentlemen."
Neither looked at her.
She spoke more firmly.
"Whatever this concerns, it has entered my home. I would appreciate an explanation I can understand."
The stranger stared at her.
The mountain man looked ashamed.
She continued.
"And before anyone suggests I should leave the room, I want to remind you that two armed men may be following this gentleman through a snowstorm."
The visitor glanced toward the rifle.
The woman folded her hands.
"So please stop speaking in fragments."
For several seconds, nobody answered.
Then the mountain man slowly nodded.
"You're right."
He looked toward the stranger.
"Tell us everything."