Waiting.
“Hey,” I said, staying where I was, keeping my voice low and gentle. “You don’t have to worry. We’re not gonna hurt you.”
She didn’t move. Stetson cleared his throat.
“Dogs are friendly,” he said. “All bark, no bite. Classic farm dogs.”
She opened the door just an inch wider. Nickel wagged her tail.
“I won’t go back,” she announced.
My eyebrows went up. “Agreed. We’re not gonna make you. We want to help.”
“Why?”
“Because you slept in a hunting blind and it seems like you wouldn’t have done that if you weren’t in trouble.”
She absorbed that. Looked down at Nickel, who had been slowly walking toward the blind and now had her nose pressed to the base of the ladder, tail wagging slowly, puppy eyes trained directly on the girl.
Then she climbed down.
Nickel gave her space for just as long as it took her to hit the ground, then she was licking the girl’s hand. I realized now she was definitely older than I’d thought—early twenties, maybe, butit was hard to tell. Still…she was wearing that dress that made her look all out of place, and she was?—
She was barefoot.
Bleeding.
“You’re hurt,” I blurted out.
“I’m fine,” she said. She obviously wasn’t fine.
“Don’t think she should be walking on that,” Stetson muttered. “I’m gonna go find Haven?—”
“Sheis right here and you can speak directly to her,” the girl interjected. “And—don’t. Don’t tell anyone?—”
“She’s not just anyone,” I said. “Haven’s family. She can bring the first aid kit.”
“And shoes,” Stetson added.
“I don’t think you’re helping,” I hissed.
He looked from me to the girl, who was now scratching Nickel behind the ears.
“I’ll go,” he grunted.
He whistled for Buck and headed back up the path without another word, rifle over his shoulder, the big dog falling in beside him until the fog swallowed them both.
Then…I was alone with this strange woman. And my dog. Who seemed much more likeherdog right now.
“Haven," she said. "That's a woman?"
"My cousin's wife. She was a ranch hand here before they got married." I kept my voice easy. "She's good people. She's not going to ask you anything you don't want to answer."
She considered that. Her hand moved through Nickel's fur.
"And you?" she asked. "Are you going to ask me things I don't want to answer?"
"No."