Marisol knelt in front of him. Her eyes were fierce. “And you believe that man?”
“I don’t know what to believe,” Blaze admitted. “All my life, I thought Pa died fighting for what was right. Turns out maybe he was the one who needed stopping.” He crumpled the paper in his fist, breathing hard. “Everything I done was for him,” he said. “For what I thought he was.”
Marisol placed her hand on his. “And what you are ain’t changed, Blaze. You fight for folks who can’t fight for themselves. That’s who you’ve always been.”
He didn’t look up. “Even if my blood says otherwise?”
She squeezed his hand. “Blood don’t decide the man.”
“A tree grows where it’s planted,” Graycloud said, nodding. “Not where the seed came from.”
Blaze gave a tired laugh. “You two make it sound easy.”
“It ain’t,” Marisol said. “But it’s the truth.”
The wind gusted again, carrying the faint scent of gunpowder from the cliffs. The morning sun broke through the dust in thin rays, lighting the wreck of the mine like a grave.
“Maybe Pa did wrong,” he said quietly. “But he taught me one thing that still holds true.”
“What’s that?” Marisol asked.
He looked toward the mountains, eyes hardening. “Patience wins a gunfight.”
She smiled faintly. “Seems it already did.”
He slipped the wanted poster into his pocket again. “Let’s get off this mountain.”
They started down the slope together, slowly and carefully. Loose stones clattered beneath their boots. Every breath came shallow. It was part exhaustion, part disbelief that they were still alive.
After a while, Graycloud spoke. “You said your father was friends with Kane once.”
“Yeah,” Blaze said. “Makes sense now. Guess Kane knew who Pa really was...Maybe even worked jobs with him.”
Marisol frowned. “Then all this . . .”
“Maybe it’s been a long time coming,” Blaze said. “Wilder, Kane, the Riders...they’re all the same breed. My father might’ve been one too.”
“Or he left it behind,” Marisol said. “Men change. You ever think of that?”
Blaze didn’t answer right away. “If he did,” he said finally, “he paid for it.”
They reached a narrow ridge overlooking the valley. The morning light stretched across the desert floor, painting everything in soft gold. From up here, the world almost looked peaceful again.
“Rachel’s still in Red Rock,” Blaze said. “If Kane’s behind all this, he won’t stop with Wilder gone.”
Blaze scanned the land in front of him. Their horses should have been waiting for them nearby.
“Then we go after her,” Marisol said.
Graycloud nodded. “We’ll move once the dust clears.”
Blaze sank to one knee, resting his weight on a rock.
“I’ll go ahead,” he said. “You two catch up.”
“You’re in no shape to go anywhere alone,” Marisol said firmly.
He gave a faint grin. “You sound like Ma.”
