The room seemed to tilt beneath him.
Eleanor?
Alive?
After all these years?
He folded the telegram and placed it inside his coat.
He intended to tell Clara.
He truly did.
But when he reached home, he found her standing in the kitchen wearing one of his old work shirts over her dress, flour on her cheek and an expression of determination as she attempted to rescue a loaf of bread she had forgotten in the oven.
“You’re home.”
She smiled at him.
Home.
One word.
And suddenly Caleb was terrified.
Not because Eleanor might be alive.
Because Clara mattered now.
That evening, he nearly told her twice.
Both times he failed.
Three days later, the matter of Silas Boon reached a turning point.
Sheriff Bell received sworn testimony from two men connecting Silas to intimidation around the railroad route.
Silas was summoned to Red Creek to answer questions.
He did not flee.
He did not threaten anyone.
Instead, he arrived with an attorney and denied ordering any crime.
The dispute became what real disputes often became.
Messy.
Slow.
Dependent upon witnesses, paperwork, and patience.
