She looked toward her hands.
“Thank you.”
He nodded.
For a while they ate quietly.
Then he said, “When the storm passes, we'll need to discuss the forged marriage contract.”
Her stomach dropped.
“Of course.”
He studied her face.
“I didn't say I was sending you away.”
She looked up.
“What?”
“You've been here one night.”
“I know.”
“And already this house feels different.”
Her cheeks warmed.
Elias glanced toward the stove.
“You deserve a choice, Miss Higgins. Not a decision made by your brother, Caleb Ryland, or me.”
Lara looked at him for a long time.
No one had ever placed the question quite that way.
What did she want?
Not what her brother wanted.
Not what society expected.
Not what a stranger was willing to tolerate.
What did she want?
Before she could answer, hoofbeats sounded outside.
Fast.
Several horses.
Then a voice shouted through the snow.
“Montgomery!”
Elias immediately stood.
His expression hardened.
He moved toward the door.
Lara followed him to the window.
Three riders approached the cabin.
The man in front wore an expensive dark coat.
Caleb Ryland.
The same man who had laughed at her at the depot.
Elias reached for his winter coat.
“Stay inside.”
Lara looked toward the window.
“What does he want?”
“Trouble.”
He stepped outside.
Cold air rushed through the open doorway.
Caleb smiled from the saddle.
“Well, well. Looks like the happy couple survived their first night.”
Elias stood on the porch.
“What do you want?”
Caleb produced a folded document.
“Just checking whether you've decided to honor your marriage arrangement.”
“You forged my signature.”
“Can you prove it?”
Elias's jaw tightened.
Caleb smiled.
“Interesting thing about signed agreements. Once they're recorded, people start asking questions.”
“You don't have a valid contract.”
“Then perhaps the territorial court should decide.”
Lara gripped the window frame.
Caleb leaned forward.
“And while you're busy explaining why a woman arrived from Boston claiming to be your bride, perhaps we can revisit my offer for your northern pasture.”
Elias's expression hardened.
“The land isn't for sale.”
“Everything has a price.”
“Not that river.”
Caleb laughed.
“Then maybe the woman will prove more expensive than you expected.”
Inside, Lara stepped away from the window.
Her heart was racing.
Then she remembered something.
The folded letter her brother had given her before she left Boston.
She had hidden it beneath the protective lining of her mother's Dutch oven.