Every Time You Change It
1166 Words
Clara’s stomach dropped.
The list had changed. And now the Jenkins family was on it.
She and Noah had already tried something. They moved the cattle. Hidden them deeper into the trees where they couldn’t be seen from the ridge. It should have worked.
It didn’t.
Clara leaned closer to the screen, her pulse rising. The names had shifted… and now more people were going to die.
Clara sank back into her couch, the smell of overly sweet coffee filling the room as she stared at the map spread across her table.
Names. Farms. Red marks where people died.
She had drawn it all out. Tracked it like numbers. Like something she could control. But the pattern had changed. She leaned forward, marking new Xs in red, scratching out the old ones. The Jenkins. All of them. Even the children. Her throat tightened.
“What did I do…” she whispered.
She forced herself to think. That’s what they had changed. The cattle, of course. So the rustlers… changed course. Her pen moved again, slower now. Stream. Cabin. Noah’s land. The grove. Then she froze, with the pen mid-air.
“They’re not coming from the east…”
Her breath hitched.
“They’re coming through town first.”
The realization settled in cold. The story hadn’t changed. Just the path.
“I have to tell Noah,” she said.
The words came out steadier than she felt.
She reached for the ring hanging at her neck, fingers closing around it. For a moment, she hesitated.
Then slid it back onto her finger.
As soon as Elijah had given her a deep kiss goodbye and headed out to the field, and her morning chores were done, she went to find Noah.
She found him in the barn, winding up a rope. His sleeves were rolled, his shirt open just enough to expose his chest. Her breath hitched. She stood there a second too long, caught staring. He looked like something straight off a romance cover.
“Ya needin’ somethin’?”
Noah’s voice cut through her thoughts.
“I need you… now.”
The words came out breathless. He dropped the rope. Walked straight to her. There was something in his eyes. Sharp and hungry.
“They changed it,” she said quickly, her breath coming fast. “The path, it’s different now. They’re not coming from the ridge. They’re coming through town first.”
Her hand caught his wrist as she looked around for something to draw with. Noah’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t interrupt.
Clara grabbed a piece of charcoal from a dead firepit and moved to the wall, sketching fast, messy lines.
“Here. This is us. Jenkins is here. The town’s north…” she scratched harder, the lines crossing over each other “...and they hit here first, then swing down. That’s why the names changed.”
Noah stepped in behind her. His heat pressed into her back, his breath brushing her neck.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes,” she snapped, then softer, “I mean… I think so. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
He leaned in further, looking over her shoulder, his cheek brushing hers as his arm came around her to tap the map.
His voice dropped.
“You moved the cattle… so they moved their prize.”
Her breath caught.
“Yes.”
“That means we ain’t fixin’ it,” he said quietly.
“We’re chasin’ it.”
Clara swallowed hard.
“It’s not a guess..”
“Clara.”
She spun at her name and found herself in Noah’s arms. Way too close. Her gaze lifted over Noah's thick arm and froze. Elijah stood in the barn doorway. Hurt carved plainly across his face.
“Am I interruptin’?”
Clara shoved past Noah as he turned to face his brother.
“It’s not what you think,” she said, the words tumbling out fast.
Elijah didn’t move.
“What do I think?” he asked.
The question was soft, but it carried weight. And betrayal.
Noah stood slowly, unhurried, brushing his hands off as if nothing had happened.
“We were talkin’,” he said.
Elijah’s eyes flicked to him. Then back to Clara.
“Looked like more than that. I know women are sparse in these parts, and if I hafta share, at least be honest with me.”
Clara shook her head, stepping toward him.
“It’s not… Elijah, we weren’t.”
She stopped, frustrated, then forced herself to try again.
“This isn’t about that. Something’s wrong.”
That got his attention. She took a breath and then made the choice.
“In three days,” she said, her voice tightening, “men are coming through here. Cattle rustlers. They’re going to hit the town first… then come down through the valley.”
Elijah stared at her.
Not understanding.
“Clara…”
“They kill people,” she pushed on, her hands curling into fists. “Todd Wilson, the Jenkins… his wife, the kids… You and Noah. Everyone in their path.”
Silence stretched. Elijah’s gaze searched her face.
“You know this how?”
Clara’s throat tightened.
“I just do,” she said. “I know it sounds crazy… but I wouldn’t lie to you about this.”
Noah shifted behind her. She could feel his eyes watching. Elijah exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.
“This is… a lot,” he said quietly.
“I know,” Clara said quickly. “But we don’t have time to figure out how I know. We just need to act.”
He looked at her again.
“Alright,” he said.
Clara blinked. “What?”
“If you’re sayin’ it…” he shrugged slightly, one corner of his mouth lifting, “then we best be figuring out a way to save all them people.”
Relief hit her so fast she swayed. Behind her, Noah let out a quiet breath. Elijah’s gaze flicked between them once more.
A shadow passed through his expression. Gone just as quickly.
“Next time,” he said calmly, “maybe you tell me first.”
Clara winced.
“Yeah… that’s fair.”
Elijah turned back to the wall where the map was drawn.
“Let’s see this map of yours,” he called over his shoulder.
Clara didn’t move right away. She felt Noah step closer behind her. Close enough that she felt his lips graze her ear.
“You told him sooner than I expected,” he murmured.
She let out a slow breath.
“He deserves to know.”
Noah didn’t answer. When she glanced back, his eyes were already on her.
“Careful,” he said quietly.
“About what?”
“Every time you change somethin’…”
His gaze flicked briefly to Elijah, then back to her.
“…it changes back.”
Clara’s stomach tightened.
From across the barn,
“Clara?”
She turned toward Elijah.
But the unease stayed.
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