Dutch unbuttoned his leather riding gloves, pulling them off with quiet deliberation. He tucked them into his belt and walked with heavy, measured steps across the tavern floor.
Chapter III: The Unbroken Shield
Dutch stopped two feet in front of the shivering boy, gently closing the heavy tavern door to block out the howling snowstorm.
He looked down at Leo’s pale face, at the tears freezing on the boy’s eyelashes, and at the baby girl clinging to his collar with tiny, blue-tinted fingers.
"You're not leaving tonight," Dutch said, his deep, gravelly voice carrying an unmistakable warmth that seemed to thaw the room.