He folded his arms.
“I wasn't saying you didn't.”
She looked toward the drawings he'd begun making.
“Then why have you decided to rebuild half the cabin without asking me?”
He opened his mouth.
Then stopped.
He had no good answer.
He looked toward the damaged wall.
“I'm trying to help.”
Her eyes filled.
“I know.”
“Then why are you angry?”
She swallowed.
“Because every time someone looks at my body, they decide my life must need fixing.”
The words struck him.
He became still.
She looked down at her hands.
“I know I move slowly. I know I need furniture stronger than most people. I know I can't simply climb onto a horse and ride away whenever the weather changes.”
Her voice trembled.
“But I've built a life here.”
He said nothing.
She continued.
“And I need you to see that before you start tearing it apart.”
The rancher's jaw tightened.
He felt defensive.
He had spent hours working in freezing weather.
He had risked his strength repairing the roof.
And now she seemed angry at him for wanting to make her home safer.
For a moment, he almost said something cruel.
Then he looked at her face.
She wasn't rejecting his help.
She was asking him to respect her independence.
He took a breath.
Then slowly lowered his arms.
“You're right.”
She looked up.
He nodded.
“I should've asked.”
Her expression softened slightly.
He continued.
“I know how it feels when somebody decides what you need without listening.”
She watched him.
He glanced toward his injured hand.
“People did plenty of that after I got hurt.”
She nodded.
He looked back.
“I'm sorry.”
She swallowed.
Then she gave a small smile.
“Thank you.”
He returned to the table.
He looked at the drawings.
Then he picked them up.
“What would you change?”
She blinked.
“What?”
“If this were entirely your decision, what would you build?”
For a moment, she seemed uncertain.
Then she smiled.
“Well.”
He pulled out a chair.
She leaned forward.
“First, I'd move the storage shelves closer to the kitchen. But not the stove.”
He nodded.
“Why not?”
“Because the chimney draws properly where it is, and the floor beneath it has already been reinforced.”
He considered that.
“Good reason.”
She continued.
“And I'd add another broad entrance near the central room. In an emergency, I don't like depending on only one practical exit.”
He looked at her.
“That makes sense.”
She smiled.
“I've been thinking about it for years.”