Chapter 14: The First Test
The thaw came slowly, like the mountain was reluctant to release its grip on winter. Each morning, Emery woke to the soft drip of melting snow sliding from the cabin roof, the sound rhythmic and strangely soothing. The world outside was still white, but patches of earth peeked through like shy promises of spring.
Inside, life had settled into a gentle rhythm. Emery cooked breakfast while Callahan Jr. chattered about the shapes he saw in the frost on the windows. Brent chopped wood or repaired small things around the cabin, always glancing toward Emery as though checking to make sure she was still there.
She always was.
But the outside world had a way of creeping in, even when unwelcome.
It happened on a Tuesday morning. Emery was sweeping near the door when
