He almost smiled.
Then mounted and rode into the rain.
Rosa waited until he disappeared.
Only then did she carry the tin inside.
The repaired roof held.
Not one drop entered through the north corner.
That irritated her.
She wanted at least one thing about Gabriel Moreno to be poorly done.
Nothing was.
She fed the babies.
Ate beans alone.
Placed Julián’s ring beside the candle.
Then read his letter again.
And again.
By midnight, the rain became a storm.
Wind shook the shutters.
Tomás woke twice.
Lucía once.
Rosa slept perhaps an hour.
At dawn, hoofbeats came again.
This time there were three horses.
Rosa rose immediately.
Her heart knew before her eyes did.
Silas Mercer.
He arrived wearing a black coat and a smile.
His nephew rode beside him.
A third man remained near the road.
Silas dismounted without permission.
“Morning, Rosa.”
She stood in the doorway.
“Gate is closed.”
He looked toward it.
“So it is.”
He opened it anyway.
Rosa’s jaw tightened.
Silas approached.
He was fifty-six, carefully groomed, with silver threaded through dark hair and the kind of posture that made ordinary conversations feel like negotiations.
“I heard the storm damaged several roofs.”
“Mine is fine.”
His eyes moved upward.
He noticed the new tiles.
“Someone helped.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Rosa did not answer.
Silas smiled.
“Keeping secrets?”
“It is my roof.”
His nephew laughed under his breath.
Silas ignored him.
“I came about our conversation.”
“There is no conversation.”
“You owe money.”
“Not to you.”
The smile remained.
“Your husband signed papers.”
Rosa felt the tin hidden beneath a loose floorboard.
“Did he?”
Silas studied her.
A small change.
Too small for most people to notice.
Rosa noticed.
“You’ve always known that.”
“Show me.”
“What?”
“The debt.”
Silas smiled wider.
“I’ve shown you documents before.”
“Show me the original note.”
His eyes sharpened.
“Why?”
“Because I asked.”
Silence.
Silas looked toward the spring.
There.
Julián had been right.
Silas could not stop looking at it.
Rosa stepped slightly to block his view.
“That water runs well after rain.”
She said nothing.
“Runs well without rain too.”
Still nothing.
Silas walked closer.