Caleb agreed to inspect it the next morning.
Martha listened.
Then she asked whether the family had enough firewood.
The boy looked embarrassed.
"Some."
She nodded.
After he left, she began gathering a bundle of dried vegetables, flour, and several pieces of cured meat.
Caleb watched her.
"What are you doing?"
"Sending food."
He frowned.
"We haven't got much."
Martha looked toward him.
"We have more than they do."
Caleb stared.
She continued gently, "A child doesn't eat that quickly unless he's learned not to expect another meal."
For a moment, Caleb said nothing.
Then he went outside and returned with a small sack of potatoes and two pieces of smoked venison.
He placed them beside her bundle.
Martha looked up.
He shrugged.
"May as well make it worth the trip."
She smiled.
Caleb looked away before she could see how pleased he was.
The following morning, they traveled together to the neighboring ranch.
Martha sat beside him on the wagon, wrapped in her heavy shawl. The road was difficult, but she handled the cold without complaint and helped guide the horses through a narrow passage where the snow had drifted deep.
At the ranch, they found an exhausted family struggling to repair a fence while keeping several animals sheltered from the wind.
Caleb worked beside the father.
Martha helped the mother prepare food and organize supplies.
By afternoon, the family's stove was burning steadily, the damaged fence had been repaired temporarily, and a small pile of dry wood stood beside their door.
The rancher's wife took Martha's hands.
"I don't know how to thank you."
Martha smiled.
"You don't have to."
The woman looked toward Caleb.
"Your husband is a good man."
Martha's smile faded slightly.
Caleb noticed.
Neither corrected her.
They weren't married yet.
And the word husband still carried uncertainty for both of them.
On the journey home, Caleb looked toward Martha.
"You were good with them."
She shook her head.
"They needed help."
"Not everyone would've given it."
She looked toward the mountains.
For a moment, she seemed thoughtful.
Then she said, "When you've needed kindness and not received it, you remember what that feels like."
Caleb looked at her.
He wanted to ask what she meant.
But she was staring toward the darkening sky, and he sensed the conversation had reached a boundary she wasn't ready to cross.
So he remained quiet.
By the time they reached the cabin, snow had begun falling again.
Martha went inside to prepare supper while Caleb secured the horses.
He watched her disappear through the doorway.
Then he looked toward the mountains.
He had written to a matrimonial agency because he believed he needed a woman strong enough to survive his life.
Now he was beginning to wonder whether he'd been the one who needed to learn what strength really meant.