No one speaks as he rolls and lights his cigarette. He inhales deep savoring the flavor of the rough cut tobacco one last time. He tosses the cigarette, and all eyes follow it, and in that moment she sees his plan.
Everything seems to happen in slow motion. Cassie screams as Aiden tears open his shirt revealing the sticks of dynamite strapped to his body. He is holding his still lit match and grinning.
Everyone freezes. A small motion of his hand will ignite them and blow the surrounding group to a bloody pulp.
“Look familiar, Cassandra? Now you're going to give her to me, with a horse, or I am going to kill us all!” Aiden says in a low, hoarse voice.
Cassie steps toward Aiden, no longer thinking of herself, but all the people who will die if she doesn’t do what he demands.
“No!” Dalton snarls.
Cassie is weeping as she steps down the front porch towards him and his eyes show glee. He reaches for her and his body jerks as his head explodes in a spray of bone and blood. A sharp crack boom of the bullet's passage follows, and Dalton has Cassie in his arms as Aiden's dead body falls to the dirt. The lit match falls and burns out as everyone tries to determine where the shot came from.
From a small hill two hundred yards away, Solomon sighs. “It’s done.” He opens his Sharps carbine rifles breach and pulls the still warm cartridge from it. In a smooth, familiar motion, he slides the well-worn weapon into the sheath on his horse’s saddle and mounts up. Solomon rides towards the ranch at a trot and slows as he enters the main yard and finds all weapons trained on him.
Dalton lowers his gun and smiles. “Solomon?” he asks in disbelief.
Solomon smiles, “Thought you might need some help. Sorry about the mess, but he didn’t seem to be backing down.” He dismounts and shakes hands with Dalton.
Cassie hugs him through her tears and tries not to look at the body. “Thank you!”
“Now you are truly free, Mrs. Rivers,” he replies.
Dane calls to Dalton motioning for him to join him with the Chief.
“Give me a minute, Solomon. I have to thank the Shoshone.” Dalton thanks the chief while Cassie stares in shock around her. The two bodies are being removed by the ranch hands, and the Indians are leaving for their village. They must prepare for their trip to the winter festival. She's too stunned to think, and Solomon guides her to the porch to sit in a rocking chair.
“Thank you, Solomon. He was going to kill us all, even if I did what he wanted. I saw it all.” The trembling starts, and she buries her head in her hands, and Dalton returns with his father and brothers.
“Solomon you will forgive me, but I need to be alone with my wife. Please, feel free to stay with us.” Dalton picks up Cassie and doesn’t wait for an answer as he leaves for his small cabin while she buries her face in his neck and sobs.
“What does she mean she saw it all?” Solomon asks after Dalton leaves.
Dane sighs, “Come on inside. You can tell us your story, and we will tell you ours. I need a whiskey.”
Everyone laughs and moves inside all stunned by what almost happened. They all know how close they came to being killed.
Inside the small sanctuary of their cabin, Cassie can’t stop crying. Dalton holds her quietly in the chair by the fireplace and waits for the storm to pass. “It’s over now? Right? I am free?” she asks against his chest.
“Yes, babe. You're free, they will never hurt you again.” He says, squeezing her tight against his heart.
Cassie falls asleep in his arms, and he tucks her into the bed. Looking down on her he can't help but drop to his knees by the bed and thank his heavenly father for protecting them today. He throws another piece of wood on the fire and steps quietly from the cabin and heads back to the main lodge.
When he walks inside, he finds his father, mother and brothers all with Solomon.
“How is she?” his mother asks.
“She's sleeping now,” he answers pouring a glass of whiskey.
“I don’t know how she survived such evil for so long without breaking?” his father wonders.
“Oh, she broke alright, but that's the most amazing part about her. Cassie picked up the pieces of her broken heart and found a way to keep moving forward. She chose to live, and I will never be able to thank my father for guiding her to me,” he replies hoarsely and sits down hard.
Solomon smiles at his new friend. He feels Faith pulling him home, and he knows he must go soon. “You are one lucky man.”
Dalton grins at his family, and he sees his father pull his mother close, and his smile grows larger. “Yes, I am. Now what in the world are you doing here?” he demands needing answers.
“I guess you didn't get my telegram?” Over dinner, Solomon tells them his story. He tells them of the town, of the murder of Eustace and how Aiden had left a trail of dead across the state of California. “Such evil must be not be allowed to roam free. I did what I came to do. Your Cassie is not the only person he has been tormenting.”
After hearing the story of Faith and Hope, Solomon asks if he can stay for a few days to rest and let the snow melt. In the meantime, Pierce volunteered to ride to town and send a telegram to his family, to let them know he is alive
