She laughed through happy tears. “You may, handsome.”
He kissed her tenderly, and the people gathered beneath the pines cheered. She heard none of them clearly. For that moment, she knew only the warmth of his hand, the softness of his beard against her cheek, and the wonderful relief of affection offered without fear.
That winter, snow returned to the Wyoming mountains. The cabin still had its glowing stove, its brass lantern, and the reinforced oak chair beside the fire. But now there were two cups on the table, two coats by the door, and the gentle noise of a home inhabited by people who expected to share tomorrow.
One night, she approached her husband as he sat reading in the chair. He looked up, smiling, and set his book aside.
“Do you remember when you were too frightened to kiss me?” she asked.
“I remember being foolish enough to think silence would keep you safe.”
She carefully settled beside him across the broad chair, and he adjusted the cushions so both could sit comfortably. This time his hands did not grip the armrests in panic. He opened his arms, waited for her smile, and held her close.
“Still afraid?” she whispered.
“Of the blizzard? No.”
“Of me?”
He brushed her cheek with his thumb. “Never of you. Only of failing you again.”
“Then keep telling me the truth.”
“I will.”
She kissed him before he could say anything more. Outside, three sharp branches tapped against the window in the wind. Once, that sound would have sent terror through the cabin. Now he glanced toward it, smiled, and drew the blanket around his wife.
The people in the settlement would remember the forged deeds, the mysterious survivor, and the terrifying name shouted through the storm. They would remember that the mountain wolf had faced armed men and cleared a reputation ruined by lies.
But the woman in blue remembered something else. She remembered that even a man strong enough to face a blizzard had needed to learn the courage of honesty, and that loving him had never required surrendering her own choices.
She rested her head against his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat. The chair held them securely. The fire warmed their faces. Neither had anywhere else they wished to be.
And when he bent to kiss her again, nothing interrupted them.
The End.