He looked up.
For several seconds, they stared at one another.
Then Nathaniel laughed quietly.
“You don't make things easy.”
Clara smiled.
“I never promised to.”
He reached for her hand with his right.
She placed hers in it.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he whispered.
“I'm frightened, Clara.”
The admission startled them both.
Nathaniel Carter rarely said such things aloud.
He'd spent most of his adult life believing fear was something a man overcame privately.
But the woman sitting beside him had made privacy feel less necessary.
He swallowed.
“I've worked this land since I was a boy. I don't know what I'd be without it.”
Clara's expression softened.
She held his hand.
“Nathaniel, losing a ranch would be terrible.”
He looked down.
She continued.
“But it wouldn't make you worthless.”
His eyes filled.
For a moment, he couldn't speak.
Then he whispered.
“I've forgotten how to believe that.”
Clara gently touched his cheek.
“Then perhaps we can learn together.”
They remained beside the fireplace for a long time.
The house was quiet.
Outside, the autumn wind moved through the pines.
And for the first time, Nathaniel allowed another person to see how frightened he had become.
Two days later, Hawthorne's workers began building a temporary obstruction near the upper channel.
The work affected the flow toward Carter Ranch.
Nathaniel learned about it from a surveyor who had been inspecting a legally accessible portion of the stream.
The surveyor documented what he could observe.
Frey immediately prepared the necessary application for temporary court protection.
The request was supported by the historical records, current flow measurements, and evidence of potential harm to the downstream ranch.
A territorial judge issued a temporary order restricting certain diversion work while the dispute was examined.
Nathaniel received the news in Frey's office.
For a moment, he stared at the paper.
Then looked toward Clara.
She smiled.
“It's a beginning.”
He nodded.
“Not a victory?”
She shook her head.
“Not yet.”
Frey laughed.
“She's right.”
Nathaniel sighed.
“I was hoping at least one of you would be cheerful.”
Clara reached for his hand.
“I am cheerful.”
He looked at her.
She smiled.
“I'm simply cheerful with reasonable expectations.”
Nathaniel laughed.
He wanted to kiss her.
The realization came so suddenly that he almost forgot where they were.
He looked toward her lips.
Then quickly looked away.
Clara noticed.