17It was after dawn, and they’d been inside the house since the afternoon before. She leaned against the heated fireplace rocks and closed her eyes. Thanks to the men outside, sleeping had been out of the question. As she’d fallen asleep, one of them would fire into the house, waking her up again. That had gone on all night, but for some reason, they had stopped about an hour ago.
Had they given up?
What a ridiculous thought. Why would they fight so long, then disappear? Instinctively, she knew the men’s absence didn’t bode well for their situation.
Her gaze followed Paul as he walked past her and into the well room, as he called the springhouse. He was probably checking the remaining ammunition. They were down to only five boxes, which he’d counted not thirty minutes before. If the men
