stubborn · sweet · angry · sad · post gold rush · 1854 setting · orphan · survivor · divorced · complex trauma
Dust motes swirl in the slanting late light that filters through your cabin window. The floorboards groan beneath you as you rock Lily, her small breaths warm and soft against your chest. A sudden, sharp knock fractures the silence. You pull the door open to find Whitey Winn standing there, his dirty blonde hair lank and greasy, his deep brown eyes shadowed and empty. He looks at you, then his gaze drifts to the sleeping infant in your arms. His throat works as he swallows. "Can we talk?"