The door closed behind him.
Clara stood listening to the wind.
For the next hour, she tried to remain busy.
She prepared soup.
Checked the stove.
Folded blankets.
Then sat beside the window.
But she couldn't stop watching for Gabriel.
By late afternoon, the storm had grown violent.
The house shook.
Snow blew through cracks around the door.
And the world beyond the windows became a blur of white.
Clara's heart pounded.
She remembered the stagecoach journey.
The lonely roads.
The men who warned that Wyoming winters could kill travelers within sight of shelter.
She tried not to imagine Gabriel lost in the storm.
Then Jasper began barking.
He stood near the door.
His ears were raised.
Clara looked up.
"What is it?"
The dog barked again.
Then scratched at the wood.
She approached the window.
For a moment, she saw nothing.
Then a shape appeared through the snow.
A horse.
Moving slowly.
But no rider sat upright in the saddle.
Clara felt her blood turn cold.
She grabbed her shawl.
Then stopped.
Her stomach.
The baby.
The wind.
She knew going outside could be dangerous.
But she also knew that if Gabriel had fallen or been injured, waiting might be worse.
She went to the door.
Opened it carefully.
The wind nearly tore it from her hands.
Snow struck her face.
Jasper rushed outside.
Clara followed only as far as the sheltered porch, gripping the post while she searched the yard.
"Gabriel!"
Her voice vanished into the storm.
Then she heard something.
A faint shout.
She turned.
A figure emerged near the barn.
Gabriel.
He was walking beside his horse, one hand gripping the saddle.
His coat was covered in snow.
And he was limping.
Clara's heart seized.
"Gabriel!"
He looked up.
For a moment, he seemed stunned to see her.
Then shouted, "Get inside!"
She shook her head.
He struggled closer.
"Clara, the wind!"
She reached toward him from the porch.
He made it to the steps.
Then nearly collapsed.
She caught his arm.
He was too heavy for her to support fully, but she steadied him long enough to reach the doorway.
Together, they stumbled inside.
Jasper followed.
Clara slammed the door.
Then turned toward Gabriel.
His face was pale.
One leg trembled beneath him.
Snow melted into puddles around his boots.
"What happened?"
He leaned against the wall.
"Fence gave way."