“She Talks Back to Men!” They Were Shocked—Mountain Man Said, “Good, She’ll Keep Me Honest Always”

…

The man’s eyes, a startling pale blue in his weathered face, fixed on Henry.

“How much does she make in a week here?” Henry stammered, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

I that is about $3 plus meals in a room upstairs.

The giant man reached into a leather pouch at his belt and placed several coins on the bar with deliberate precision.

The gold caught the lamplight gleaming.

That is $12 a month’s wages.

If Tucker causes trouble, you can tell him the mountain man Zeke Pearson does not appreciate men who threaten women for having a spine.

The name sent a visible ripple through the room.

Even Delilah, who had been in Willlets for only half a year, had heard of Zeke Pearson.

He was a legend in the mountains, a trapper and hunter who came into town perhaps three times a year to trade his furs and restock his supplies before vanishing back into the wilderness.

Stories about him ranged from the plausible to the fantastical, but everyone agreed on certain facts.

He was stronger than any two normal men.

He could track anything that walked or crawled, and he had once killed a grizzly bear with nothing but his knife when it charged him near his cabin.

Delilah found her voice, though it came out slightly softer than she intended.

“That is generous of you, Mr.

Pearson, but I cannot accept charity.

I work for my wages.

” Zeke’s pale eyes shifted to her, and she felt the weight of his gaze like a physical thing.

His expression was difficult to read behind the beard, but something in those eyes was not unkind.

“It is not charity.

I’m looking for someone to help me with a problem, and it seems you might be exactly the person I need.

” “What sort of problem?” Delilah asked, suspicion creeping into her tone.

She had learned long ago that men who offered help usually wanted something in return, and that something was rarely anything she was willing to give.

“The talking kind,” Zeke said.

and there might have been the faintest trace of humor in his grally voice.

Walk with me.

We can discuss it where there are fewer ears.

Delila glanced at Henry, who looked torn between relief at the potential solution to his Tucker problem and concern for her safety.

She made her decision in a heartbeat, untying her apron and hanging it on the hook behind the bar.

If you try anything untoward, Mr.

Pearson, I should warn you that I carry a daringer in my pocket and I know how to use it.

Good, Zeke said simply.

A woman should be able to protect herself.

They walked out into the cool evening air of Willlets, where the scent of pine and redwood mixed with the smell of woodsm smoke from a hundred chimneys.

The town sat in a valley surrounded by mountains thick with timber, and the logging industry had transformed it from a sleepy settlement into a bustling community of nearly 800 souls.

The main street was wide and muddy from recent rain, lined with false fronted buildings that promised everything from dry goods to legal services.

Zeke led her away from the saloon toward the edge of town, where the buildings gave way to scattered cabins and then to wilderness.

He walked with the easy groundeing stride of someone who spent most of his life on his feet, and Delilah found herself hurrying to keep pace despite being a reasonably tall woman herself.

You’re going to explain this problem of yours,” she prompted.

When they had reached a split rail fence that marked the boundary of someone’s property beyond it, the forest rose dark and deep in the fading light.

Zeke stopped and turned to face her, leaning against the fence with his arms crossed over his massive chest.

“I have a sister,” he said without preamble.

“Sarah, she’s 19 years old and she’s living with me in my cabin about 15 mi northeast of here up in the high country.

” Delilah waited, sensing there was more to the story.

Our parents died of fever 6 years ago, Zeke continued, his voice carefully neutral in the way of someone discussing old pain.

I was 23 then, already living in the mountains.

Sarah was 13.

Our uncle took her in, raised her in Sacramento, but 3 months ago he died, too.

Heart gave out.

Sarah had nowhere else to go, so she came to find me.

That seems reasonable, Delilah said carefully.

Siblings should help each other.

The problem, Zeke said, is that she’s been living with me alone for 3 months and people are starting to talk.

Not here in Willlets, where nobody knows us well, but in the smaller settlements closer to my territory.

A man and a woman living alone together, even if they are brother and sister.

It gives people ideas, bad ideas.

Understanding dawned, cold and unpleasant.

They think you are living in sin.

They think Sarah is my woman, not my sister,” Zeke confirmed, his jaw tight with anger.

“Last time I went to trade at Morrison’s post, the postmaster refused to sell to me, said he did not do business with immoral men.

When Sarah came with me to buy fabric for a new dress, the shopkeeper’s wife called her a to her face.

” Delilah felt a surge of sympathy.

She knew what it was like to be judged by people who knew nothing of your circumstances.

That is cruel and unfair.

Sarah is shy, Zeke continued.

She does not have your fire.

The accusation made her cry, and she has not wanted to leave the cabin since, but she needs to be around other people, especially other women.

She needs friends, conversation, things I cannot give her.

I thought if I could find a respectable woman to come stay with us, to be a companion for Sarah, and help with the household work, it would silence the gossip.

People could see that we have nothing to hide.

You want to hire me as a companion for your sister?” Delilah said slowly.

“Uh, and to help with the work,” Zeke added.

“Cooking, mending, the things I’m not skilled at.

I can pay you $5 a week plus room and board.

It is isolated living, and it will not be easy, but you would be safe.

” I give you my word on that.

$5 a week was significantly more than she made at the saloon, and the prospect of being away from men like Tucker held considerable appeal.

But living in the wilderness with a man she had just met, even if his sister was there as well, seemed like tempting fate.

“You do not know anything about me,” she pointed out.

“I could be a thief or a charlatan.

I could rob you blind the first night.

You stood up to Tucker knowing it could cost you your job,” Zeke said.

“That tells me you have principles, and you did not simper or play koi when I offered you money.

You were direct and honest.

Those are qualities I value.

I could still be a terrible cook, Delilah said, though she was already half convinced.

The idea of spending her days in the mountains, away from the noise and judgment of town life, appealed to something deep in her nature that she had not fully acknowledged before.

“Then Sarah and I will survive on burned beans and tough venison,” Zeke said, and there was definitely humor in his voice now.

“The mountain air will make up for it.

” Delilah studied him in the deepening twilight.

This giant of a man who had defended her without being asked, and who now stood offering her an escape from a life that had been growing increasingly difficult.

His face was hard to read, all sharp planes and heavy beard, but his eyes were steady and clear.

She had learned to trust her instincts about people, and her instincts said that Zeke Pearson, whatever else he might be, was a man of his word.

I would need to gather my things, she said, and I should tell Henry properly that I am leaving, not just disappear.

Something that might have been relief crossed Zeke’s features.

We can leave in the morning.

I have a wagon with supplies parked behind the general store.

There’s room for your belongings.

How did you know I would agree? Delilah asked.

Uh, I did not know, Zeke admitted.

But I hoped.

When I saw you face down Tucker, I thought to myself, “There is a woman with courage.

There is a woman who could handle mountain life.

And when you told him you would not apologize for defending yourself, I knew you were exactly what Sarah needs.

Someone to show her that women do not have to be silent or afraid.

” The compliment, delivered in his matterof fact way, warmed something in Delilah’s chest.

“The men in the saloon seemed shocked that I talked back to Tucker.

” They were shocked, Zeke agreed.

Good.

You will keep me honest always.

The words hung in the air between them, waited with a meaning that Delila did not yet fully understand.

But there was something in the way Zeke looked at her, something that made her pulse quicken in a way that had nothing to do with fear.

“I should get back,” she said, suddenly needing to break the intensity of the moment.

“I have things to arrange.

I will be at the general store at first light,” Zeke said.

If you change your mind, I will understand.

But Delilah knew she would not change her mind.

As she walked back toward the saloon through the darkening streets, she felt a strange sense of rightness about the decision, as though some hidden current of fate was pulling her in a new direction.

She had come to Willlet 6 months ago after leaving a bad situation in San Francisco, hoping to start fresh in a place where no one knew her history.

Working at the saloon had been a necessity, not a choice, and she had endured the casual disrespect of men like Tucker because she needed the wages.

But now, walking through the cool evening with the scent of pine in her nostrils, and the memory of Zeke Pearson’s steady blue eyes in her mind, she felt something she had not felt in a long time.

She felt hopeful.

He felt the next morning dawned clear and cold, with frost sparkling on the rooftops and breath misting in the air.

Delilah had packed her few belongings into a worn carpet bag, everything she owned in the world fitting into a single piece of luggage.

She had said goodbye to Henry, who had seemed relieved that she was leaving before Tucker could make good on his threats, and had left the room above the saloon that had been her home for half a year without a backward glance.

Zeke was waiting by the general store as promised, standing beside a sturdy wagon hitched to two massive draft horses.

The wagon bed was loaded with supplies covered by a canvas tarp, everything from bags of flour and coffee to coils of rope and boxes of ammunition.

He was dressed much as he had been the night before, practical clothes designed for hard use, and in the morning light, Delilah could see the true size of him.

His forearms, visible where his sleeves were rolled back, were corded with muscle and marked with old scars.

His hands were huge, calloused, and capable looking.

You came, he said, and there was unmistakable pleasure in his voice.

I said I would, Delilah replied, handing him her carpet bag, which he lifted as easily as if it weighed nothing, and placed in the wagon beside the other goods.

Sarah will be happy, Zeke said, offering his hand to help her up onto the wagon seat.

His grip was warm and solid, and Delilah felt the strength in it, even though he was clearly being gentle.

She has been lonely, though she tries not to show it.

They rolled out of Willlets as the town was waking up, shopkeepers sweeping their stoops and early risers heading to work at the sawmill.

A few people stared at Delila sitting beside the mountain man on the wagon seat, and she imagined the gossip that would follow her departure, but she found she did not care.

Let them talk.

She was moving towards something new, something that might actually be better than what she was leaving behind.

The road out of town was well-maintained, packed earth that showed the passage of countless logging wagons hauling timber down from the mountains.

But after about 5 m, Zeke turned the horses onto a smaller trail that wound upward into the forest.

The trees here were enormous ancient redwoods that blocked out much of the sky and made the air smell rich and green.

Ferns grew in thick carpets beneath them, and the morning sun slanted through the branches in golden shafts.

It is beautiful, Delilah said softly, almost afraid to break the cathedral silence of the forest.

This is nothing, Zeke said.

Wait until you see the high country.

They traveled in companionable silence for a while, the wagon creaking and swaying over the rough trail.

Birds called in the branches overhead, and once a deer bounded across the path ahead of them, white tail flashing before it disappeared into the undergrowth.

Delilah found herself relaxing in a way she had not relaxed in months.

Her shoulders dropping from their perpetual tension, her jaw unclenching.

“Tell me about Sarah,” she said after they had been traveling for an hour.

“What should I know about her?” Zeke considered the question, his big hands easy on the res.

“She is kind, maybe too kind.

She sees the best in people even when they do not deserve it.

She reads a lot, anything she can get her hands on.

Our mother taught her well before she died.

Sarah can quote poetry and discuss philosophy, but she has no practical skills.

Our uncle kept her sheltered, treated her like a delicate flower.

She cannot shoot.

She cannot ride.

She barely knows how to cook beyond boiling water.

And you want me to teach her these things? Delila guessed.

I want you to be her friend, Zeke corrected.

The skills will come if she has someone patient to learn from.

But mostly she needs to know that she is not alone.

That there is another woman who understands what it is like to navigate the world when men think they can dictate your choices.

Delila glanced at him surprised by his insight.

You seem to understand women better than most men.

I had a good mother, Zeke said simply.

She did not tolerate foolishness from my father or anyone else.

She taught me that strength comes in many forms and that respecting women is not weakness.

It is basic human decency.

Your father agreed with this philosophy.

Not always, Zeke admitted, but he learned to.

Mother had a way of making her point clear.

They climbed higher into the mountains as the day progressed, the trail growing steeper and narrower.

The redwoods gave way to pine and fur, and the air grew noticeably cooler.

Zeke stopped once to let the horses rest and drink from a clear stream that burbled over smooth stones.

He pulled out a canteen and a cloth wrapped package containing bread and cheese, offering half to Delilah.

How much farther? She asked, accepting the food gratefully.

Another 4 hours, Zeke said.

We will be there before dark.

Delila ate her portions slowly, savoring the sharp taste of the cheese and the satisfying density of the bread.

She had not realized how hungry she was.

“What made you decide to become a mountain man?” she asked.

It seems like a lonely life.

Zeke leaned against the wagon wheel, his eyes distant.

I like the solitude.

In town, there are too many people, too many expectations.

Everyone wants something from you, wants you to be a certain way.

In the mountains, I can just be myself.

The animals do not care if I am sociable or polite.

They care if I am skilled and respectful of their territory.

But you came into town for Sarah, Delilah pointed out.

Family is different.

Zeke said, “Sarah is my responsibility now, and I take that seriously.

I would do anything to protect her and give her a good life, even if it means compromising my own preferences.

” There was such simple certainty in his words that Delila found herself believing him completely.

This was a man who kept his promises, who honored his commitments even when they were difficult.

It was a quality she had rarely encountered in the men of her acquaintance.

They finished their meal and continued onward, climbing ever higher.

The views began to open up, offering glimpses of the valley below and the distant mountains beyond.

The world felt vast and wild up here, untamed in a way that made Delila’s heart beat faster.

She had grown up in cities, first Boston and then San Francisco, and she had always thought of wilderness as something vaguely threatening, a place where civilization ended and danger began.

But sitting beside Zeke on the wagon, watching the easy confidence with which he navigated the rough terrain, she began to see it differently.

This was not a place of danger.

This was a place of freedom.

The sun was slanting toward the western peaks when the trail finally opened into a small clearing.

A cabin stood in the center, built from massive logs chinkedked with clay and moss.

It was larger than Delilah had expected, a solid structure with a stone chimney and real glass windows that would have cost a fortune to transport this far from town.

A lean to stable stood beside it, and a cleared area beyond suggested a garden plot, though it layow now in the late autumn.

The cabin door opened before Zeke had even pulled the wagon to a stop, and a young woman emerged.

Sarah Pearson was slender and small-boned with the same dark hair as her brother, but worn long and braided down her back.

Her face was delicate, almost fragile looking, with large brown eyes that were anxious and hopeful at the same time.

She wore a simple calico dress that had been mended several times, and her feet were shot in worn boots that had clearly once belonged to someone much larger.

“Zeek,” she called, her voice soft and musical.

“You’re back.

I was worried.

I told you I would be back today,” Zeke said, swinging down from the wagon with athletic grace for a man his size.

He reached up to help Delilah down, his hands spanning her waist easily.

“And I brought someone with me.

” “Sarah, this is Miss Delilah Norton.

She’s going to be staying with us for a while as your companion.

” Sarah’s eyes widened as she looked at Delilah, taking in everything from her practical traveling dress to the determined set of her jaw.

“You’re truly staying here with us.

” If you will have me,” Delilah said, smiling warmly at the girl.

And she was a girl, really, barely out of childhood despite her 19 years.

There was something unformed about her, something that spoke of being sheltered from the harder edges of life.

“Your brother tells me you could use a friend.

” Tears suddenly brimmed in Sarah’s eyes, and she pressed a hand to her mouth.

“I am sorry,” she said in a choked voice.

“I do not mean to be foolish.

It is just that I have been so lonely and I was so afraid that no one would want to come all the way out here that we would always be alone and people would always say terrible things and I would never have anyone to talk to except Zeke and he is wonderful but he does not understand things like how much I miss having another woman to share thoughts with.

She ran out of breath at the end of the speech and a single tear tracked down her cheek.

Delilah felt her heart contract with sympathy.

She stepped forward and took Sarah’s hands in her own, squeezing gently.

“I understand exactly what you mean,” she said.

“And I am here now, so you do not have to be lonely anymore.

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