His arms were strong.
Warm.
Steady.
Lydia looked up.
He looked down.
Neither moved.
Then Gideon asked softly, "Are you all right?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
He released her immediately.
Lydia stepped back.
Her cheeks burned.
But she found herself wishing he had held her one moment longer.
Gideon looked toward the horses, suddenly embarrassed.
"There's a sheltered place by the rocks."
Lydia smiled.
"Lead the way."
They ate bread, cheese, and cold venison beside a small stand of pines.
Gideon made a fire in a sheltered hollow.
Lydia poured coffee from a tin flask.
For a while, they simply rested.
Then she looked toward the northern ridge.
"Is that where Elias died?"
Gideon's expression changed.
He followed her gaze.
"No. Farther east."
"Will we pass it?"
"Not today."
Lydia nodded.
Gideon studied her.
"Are you frightened?"
She considered lying.
Then decided not to.
"Yes."
He nodded.
"Good."
She looked surprised.
"Good?"
"Means you're paying attention."
Lydia laughed softly.
He smiled.
Then his expression grew serious.
"If the trail feels unsafe, we turn back."
"But the journal—"
"Can wait."
She looked toward him.
"What if I don't want to turn back?"
Gideon considered that.
"Then we'll discuss it."
She smiled faintly.
"Not order me?"
He looked almost offended.
"No."
Lydia studied him.
Then asked quietly, "Were you always like this?"
"Like what?"
"Careful."
Gideon looked toward the fire.
"No."
She waited.
He rubbed his hands together.
"When I was younger, I thought being strong meant never backing down."
Lydia smiled.
"And now?"
"Now I think sometimes it means knowing when not to push."
He glanced toward her.
"My father was a hard man. Not cruel in the way some are. But he believed every disagreement needed a winner."
Gideon looked toward the mountains.
"Elias argued with him constantly. I usually stayed quiet."
Lydia nodded.
"That sounds familiar."
Gideon's eyes softened.
He reached across the space between them.
Not quite touching her.
"Whatever happened before you came here, you don't have to live that way with me."
Lydia looked at his hand.
Then placed hers inside it.
"I want to believe that."
He nodded.
"Then I'll give you time."
For a moment, she wished she could tell him how much those words meant.