Chapter 5 - Shadows on the Ridge
The night was pitch black, broken only by the pale, icy glow of the moon reflecting off the jagged snowcaps.
Inside the smokehouse, the heat was intense. The massive brick firebox roared, radiating waves of dry warmth that contrasted sharply with the sub-zero temperatures outside. The air was thick with the yeasty, comforting scent of rising dough and baking crusts.
Eli Mercer wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his massive, calloused hand, sliding another heavy wooden peel loaded with three round loaves of dark rye into the mouth of the brick oven.
"I’ll be damned, Claire," Eli muttered, shaking his head in disbelief as he watched the crusts turn a golden, blistered brown. "Two weeks ago, I couldn't walk across the yard without blacking out. Now I feel like I could pick up a bull by the horns and throw it over the fence."
"That's what happens when you stop eating sawdust and start eating real food," Claire said, expertly kneading a fifty-pound mound of flour on the heavy steel table. Her arms moved with rhythmic, practiced efficiency, muscles defined under her rolled-up sleeves. "Keep those loaves moving, Eli. Toby’s packing the sleds outside. The Miller ranch needs that flour before sunrise, or Vance’s agents will intercept the trail."
Suddenly, the heavy oak door banged open.
Toby stumbled inside, breathless, his face pale in the dim light. "Boss! Boss, you need to come outside right now!"
Claire stopped kneading instantly. Dominic, who had been sharpening a heavy hunting knife by the corner of the firebox, was on his feet in a fraction of a second, the blade vanishing into his belt with a dull metallic thud.
"What is it?" Dominic demanded, his voice dropping into its most dangerous register.
"Vance’s men," Toby panted, clutching his side. "They’re at the lower gate. Three trucks. They’ve blocked the access road with a grader, and Victor Vance himself is standing by the cattle guard with two armed enforcers. He says he’s here to inspect the property for 'fraudulent bankruptcy proceedings'—and he brought county sheriff deputies with him."
Eli cursed, dropping his wooden peel onto the stone floor with a loud clatter. "The bastards are moving in early. They think we're too weak to fight back."
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Claire looked from Toby to Dominic. Her expression didn't panic; it hardened into pure ice.
"Let them come," Claire said quietly, wiping her flour-dusted hands on a cloth. "They want to inspect the property? Let's show them what Hale Ridge is cooking up."
