Page 18 of Entangled with a Mountain Man

The back room is even more chaotic than the front, with boxes and bins overflowing with donations. But there's a method to the madness, I can tell—everything is neatly sorted and labeled according to some system Steph created.

"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it before too long," she says with a wry grin, clearly reading the slightly overwhelmed look on my face.

I nod gamely, rolling up my sleeves. "Just show me what needs doing, and I'm on it."

For the next couple of hours, Mel walks me through the process of sorting, pricing, and organizing the various donations. It's tedious work, to be sure, but there's something almost meditative about it that I find calming.

Then we assembled a box of clothes, toiletries, and toys for the family Steph went to pick up from the town over. It must be so cool to do work that impacts so many people. Just being here today makes me feel like I'm doing something that matters.

As I work, my mind can't help but drift back to my earlier confrontation with Paige. Her words ricochet through my brain on a loop—homewrecker, tramp, whore. I grit my teeth, fighting against the familiar wave of shame and self-loathing that threatens to crest.

No. I'm not gonna let that piss-ant rich girl get to me. Not anymore.

Mel was right—if I want to make it in this town, I gotta toughen up and stand my ground. I've spent too damn long letting people like Paige Hawkins walk all over me.

Well, no more.

A new sense of determination settles over me as I refocus on the task at hand. I may have made some mistakes in my past, but that doesn't define me. Not anymore.

This job, as small and unglamorous as it might seem, is my fresh start. My chance to build something for myself, to finally put down roots after so many false starts.

I pause, a soft smile tugging at my lips as I run my fingers over the spines of a box of donated books. Who would've thought little ol' me would end up in a place like Silver Ridge, Montana?

As I turn back to the sorting table, my gaze lands on a framed photo hanging on the wall. It's Steph and Mel, arms slung around each other's shoulders as they grin at the camera. But they're not alone—a hulking man with a bushy beard and kind eyes stands beside them, one massive hand resting on Steph's shoulder.

Mr. Joseph, or Big Bear, as everyone calls him, is the epitome of a gentle giant.

I study his face. There's something... familiar about him. Like I've seen that gentle smile before, a lifetime ago.

"Everything okay over there, sugar?"

I jump a little and see Steph's back. I blink rapidly, tearing my gaze away from the photo.

"Yeah, sorry," I say quickly, mustering up a smile. "That’s a great family photo."

She follows my gaze, her own expression softening. "Ah, yes. That was taken at the Founder's Day festival a few years back."

Her eyes crinkle at the corners as she gestures to the man beside her. "Who would have thought that I'd move all the way to Montana to marry a big ole country White man."

Steph laughs in a way that only she can. Full and warm, and it makes me smile like I've heard the story before. But I quietly wait for her to continue.

"That man's the light of my life and the biggest teddy bear you'll ever meet, despite his size. And I wouldn't trade that man for all the money in the world."

"How'd you two meet?" I lean in, eager to hear Steph's love story. Her eyes sparkle with memories as she begins.

"Well, sugar, it all started with a letter," Steph says, her voice warm with nostalgia. "I was in a bad place, trying to escape an abusive marriage with little Mel on my hip. I'd seen an ad in the paper for pen pals and thought, why not?"

She chuckles, shaking her head. "Lord knows I needed a friend. So I wrote this letter, pouring my heart out to a stranger. Didn't expect much, you know?"

I nod, understanding all too well the desperation that comes with feeling alone.

"But then, a week later, I got a response. This big, burly man with the gentlest soul you've ever seen had read my words and felt compelled to write back. That was my Bear."

Steph's smile widens, her eyes distant as she recalls those early days. "We wrote back and forth for months. He told me about his ranch and his dreams of expanding it. I shared my hopes for a better life for Mel and me."

"Did you fall in love through the letters?" I ask, caught up in the romance of it all.

Steph laughs, a rich, full sound that fills the room. "Oh honey, I was halfway there before we even met in person. But when I finally scraped together enough money for a one-way bus ticket to Silver Ridge? That's when I knew for sure."

---