Josie leaned back against the headboard, still holding his hand. Caleb remained beside her, his shoulders relaxed. For a few minutes, she let herself enjoy the quiet without searching for the moment when it might turn against her.
Then a sound came from the roof.
A heavy thump, followed by a scraping rush of snow.
Josie stiffened.
“Probably a drift sliding off the western slope,” Caleb said.
“Probably?”
He listened. “Yes.”
The storm pressed against the cabin. The wind seemed to find every seam in the logs, sending thin whistles through the corners. Caleb glanced toward the hearth and then the window, calculating how much wood remained and whether the snow would block the door by morning.
Josie watched him.
“Do you think the storm will last all night?”
“Likely.”
“Will the road be passable tomorrow?”
“Not if the wind keeps filling it.”
“What if someone comes?”
Caleb looked at her. “Someone?”
She hesitated. “Someone from Chicago.”
He did not dismiss the fear.
“Are you expecting anyone?”
“No.” She looked down. “But there is someone who might come looking for me.”
Caleb's hand remained open beneath hers. “Who?”
Josie felt the old dread gathering in her stomach.
“His name is Silas Rourke.”
Caleb's expression sharpened. “Who is he?”
“He was a business associate of my former guardian. He arranged the last place I worked before I left Chicago.”
“What sort of work?”
Josie drew a slow breath. “I was a companion to his sister. I read to her, helped her dress, and kept the household accounts when she was ill. But after she died, he said I had no reason to remain.”
“Did he mistreat you?”
She hesitated, searching for a way to explain something that had never been easy to name.
“He was not always cruel,” she said. “Sometimes he was generous. He bought me books and brought me tea when I was sick. But he expected me to be grateful for every kindness. He said I owed him because he had given me work.”
Caleb's jaw tightened.
“When I told him I wanted to leave, he said I was being ungrateful. He said no respectable household would employ a woman who had abandoned a position.”
“And your aunt arranged the marriage after that?”
“Yes. She believed it was the safest way to get me away from him.”
“Did he know about the marriage?”
“I don't think so.”
“Did he ever threaten to come after you?”
Josie closed her eyes. “He said I would regret leaving without his permission.”
Caleb went very still.
She continued, voice barely audible. “He called me Josephine Mercer whenever he was angry. My aunt called me Josie. I thought that once I came west, I could leave the old name behind.”