"And I'm not going to let him decide what happens here."
Martha swallowed.
For several seconds, she couldn't speak.
Then she asked the question that changed everything.
"How did he know I was your bride?"
Caleb stared at the letter.
He had been wondering the same thing.
And now he suspected the answer had been waiting in the matrimonial agency's correspondence since the day Martha boarded the stagecoach.
Caleb read Harlan's letter again after Martha went inside.
There was something almost cheerful about the language. Harlan had always enjoyed dressing threats in the manners of ordinary business correspondence, as though a carefully chosen greeting could make intimidation seem respectable. Even the phrase bad debts carried a familiar cruelty. He had used it for workers who questioned their pay, families who couldn't meet inflated charges, and anyone who stood between him and a profitable arrangement.
Now he was using it to describe Martha.
Caleb folded the letter and placed it with the copied accounts.
For the rest of the afternoon, he repaired the lower gate while considering what to do. The snow had begun settling, and the main road might become passable within several days if the weather remained clear. Traveling to Bitter Creek would still be difficult, but waiting for Harlan to arrive at the cabin without understanding his plans seemed worse.
That evening, he told Martha he wanted to visit town.
She looked frightened.
"Will you go alone?"
Caleb considered the question. "You can come if you'd like. But I won't ask you to travel through dangerous weather simply because I'm worried."
Martha studied him.
Then she said, "I want to come."
He nodded.
"All right."
She hesitated.
"I don't want you speaking for me about what happened in Missouri."
Caleb looked at her.
For a moment, he felt the instinctive urge to promise that he'd handle everything. He wanted to protect her from another confrontation, especially one involving Harlan's business associates.
But Martha had spent years being told when she could speak and what others were allowed to know.
Caleb understood that deciding for her would be another version of the same mistake.
"Then you speak for yourself," he said. "I'll be beside you if you want me there."
Martha's eyes filled.
She nodded.
"Thank you."
They spent the next day preparing for the journey.
Caleb checked the wagon, repaired a loose harness fitting, and packed tools in case the road was blocked. Martha prepared food, filled a small medicine pouch, and wrapped the account papers in a waterproof covering.
She also packed a change of clothing.
Caleb noticed.
He didn't ask whether she planned to remain in town.
He knew she needed to feel free to make that choice.