All the things that arrived before their lips could meet.
She lowered her eyes.
"You don't have to say anything."
Caleb touched her cheek.
She looked up.
He swallowed.
"I spent months telling myself I should stay away from you."
Her lips trembled.
He continued.
"Because I thought loving me would put you in danger."
A faint smile crossed her face.
"Apparently danger found me first."
He laughed softly.
Then became serious.
"I don't know what happens next."
She nodded.
"Neither do I."
"But I know I don't want to keep pretending you mean nothing to me."
Tears filled her eyes.
She stepped closer.
He rested one hand gently against her waist.
For a moment, both hesitated.
Then Clara whispered, "You mean a great deal to me too."
Caleb closed his eyes.
The words seemed to hurt and heal him at once.
He leaned down.
Clara lifted her face.
Their lips met softly.
It wasn't a grand kiss.
Not the kind described in sentimental novels where the world disappeared and every difficulty resolved itself in an instant.
It was careful.
Uncertain.
And deeply felt.
Caleb kissed her as though he were afraid she might vanish if he moved too quickly.
Clara rested her hands against his chest.
She could feel his heart pounding.
When they separated, they remained close.
Their foreheads touched.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Caleb whispered, "I've wanted to do that for a long time."
Clara laughed through tears.
"So have I."
He smiled.
For a moment, the danger outside seemed less overwhelming.
Then Trouble barked from beside the door.
Caleb sighed.
"He's got terrible timing."
Clara laughed harder.
The dog wagged his tail.
And for the first time since the riders arrived, laughter returned to the cabin.
They reached Willow Creek shortly after noon.
The storm had left the road difficult, but Caleb's bay horse knew the trail, and the wagon moved steadily through the snow.
Clara sat beside him beneath a heavy blanket.
Her traveling case rested behind the seat.
She carried only selected copies of the survey records.
The originals had been sealed in oilcloth and hidden inside a locked storage chest in the cabin's cellar.
Caleb had also written a note describing their location and given instructions for what should happen if he failed to return.
He placed the note in an envelope addressed to his longtime friend Reverend Elias Talbot.
Clara watched him prepare it.
For a moment, she felt a chill.
"Do you think something will happen to you?"
Caleb looked toward her.
"I don't know."
She swallowed.
He continued.
"But I've learned not to leave important things dependent on one man making it home."
She understood.
Her father had made a similar decision.
The thought hurt.
But it also reassured her that Caleb was thinking carefully rather than simply preparing for a fight.
The town looked almost peaceful beneath the snow.
Smoke rose from chimneys.