“Don’t know,” he said. “But we’ll figure it out.”
“Together?” she asked.
“Together,” Blaze said.
The doctor’s door opened again, and Deputy Miles stepped out with his arm in a sling.
“Guess I still got one good shoulder left, kid,” he said with a grin.
“You did fine, Deputy,” Blaze said.
“Couldn’t just stand there and let that snake shoot you,” Deputy Miles replied.
“Well, next time, let me handle the snakes,” Blaze said.
The deputy chuckled. “You handled him plenty.” He turned to Rachel and tipped his hat. “Miss.”
“Thank you for trying,” she said softly.
“Just doing my job.”
He nodded to Blaze again before heading down the street, slower than before but walking tall. The light faded to gold.
Blaze walked over to the doctor’s office and sat down on the steps of the porch, the weight of the day finally pressing down. Rachel sat beside him. Marisol leaned on the rail, watching thehorizon. Meanwhile, Graycloud stood quiet as stone, his gaze turned toward the far hills.
“Strange thing,” Blaze said after a while. “You fight so long, then when it’s over, you don’t quite know what to do with yourself.”
Rachel smiled faintly. “Then maybe it’s time to stop fighting.”
“Maybe,” he replied.
Marisol turned. “You’ll find somethin’ worth building again. That’s what comes after the dust settles.”
Blaze met her eyes. “You sound like you’ve been there before.”
“I have,” she said. “And it’s a long road back.”
He nodded slowly. “Then I reckon I’ll start walking.”
The street had gone quiet again. It felt earned. For the first time in a long while, Blaze believed there might be something left to rebuild.
“Come on,” Rachel said softly. “Let’s go and get some food. I don’t think Mrs. Albright would mind.”
Blaze looked at her, then at Marisol and Graycloud. “Yeah,” he said. “That sounds good.”
The four of them straightened and walked into the fading light. It would take a while for things to get back to normal, but Blaze was ready for it.
Epilogue
Buckeye Ranch, Nevada, August 2, 1883
“Higher,” Blaze said.
Marisol tilted her head. “If I go any higher, you’ll have me hammerin’ the clouds.”
“Maybe that’s what I’m after,” Blaze replied.
She laughed softly, setting the nail and striking it cleanly into the new barn beam. The sound echoed across the empty plains. Blaze watched the swing of her arm and felt a flicker of warmth that had nothing to do with the afternoon sun.
