Marked by years of work.
She turned his palm upward and studied the old scars across his fingers.
Then she looked toward his chest.
“May I?”
He swallowed.
“Yes.”
She lifted one hand.
Very gently, she touched the upper edge of the old scar.
Caleb closed his eyes.
For a moment, his breathing changed.
Eleanor withdrew immediately.
“Did I hurt you?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
She searched his face.
“Then what?”
His eyes opened.
They were wet.
“Nobody has touched it kindly before.”
Eleanor felt her heart ache.
She rested her hand against his shoulder.
Then whispered, “You don't have to hide from me.”
His mouth trembled.
He looked toward her.
“Eleanor, I don't know how to be a husband.”
She gave a sad little smile.
“Neither do I know how to be a wife without being afraid.”
For a moment, he stared.
Then she continued.
“Perhaps we could learn.”
Caleb closed his eyes.
A tear slipped down his cheek.
He nodded.
“I'd like that.”
Eleanor smiled through her own tears.
“So would I.”
They were standing close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body.
For the first time that evening, the blizzard seemed far away.
Then something struck the cabin door.
Both turned.
A second impact followed.
Not wind.
Not a fallen branch.
A deliberate knock.
Caleb moved immediately.
He stepped between Eleanor and the entrance, one hand reaching toward the heavy lantern hanging beside the wall.
Outside, a man's voice rose above the storm.
“CALEB MERCER!”
Eleanor froze.
The voice was unfamiliar.
Caleb's expression changed.
The man shouted again.
“WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!”
A horse whinnied.
Then another voice called out.
“SOLOMON WHITMORE SAYS THE WIDOW BELONGS BACK IN TOWN!”
Eleanor felt her stomach turn.
Caleb looked toward her.
For several seconds, he seemed to be listening to something only he could hear.
Then the first man shouted.
“AND THIS TIME, MERCER, WE KNOW YOU DIDN'T DIE IN THAT RIVER!”
The silver heart slipped from Caleb's fingers.
It struck the wooden floor with a small, clear sound.
Eleanor stared toward the door.
The men outside knew who he was.
They knew she'd married him.
And they had crossed a blizzard-covered mountain to reach them on their wedding night.
Whatever Solomon Whitmore feared, he feared it badly enough to send armed men into a storm.
Caleb looked back at Eleanor.