“Give Me the Fat One.” The Mountain Man’s Choice That Silenced the Town
“Give me the fat one.”
The words rolled across the crowded square like distant thunder.
Laughter died mid-breath.
Copper Ridge had never seen anything like this—not the spectacle, and certainly not the man who spoke. Ten mail-order brides stood in a stiff line beneath the noon sun, brought west in polished wagons and paraded like livestock. Ranchers, shopkeepers, prospectors—men with coin and confidence—stepped forward one by one, choosing quickly.
They took the young ones.
The slender ones.
The girls who smiled prettily even while fear flickered in their eyes.
And then there was only one left.
Cordelia “Dileia” Murphy.
Twenty-eight years old. Broad-hipped. Soft-faced. Too much woman for a world that only valued fragile things. Her plain dress strained slightly at the seams. Her hands were rough from work, her shoulders slumped from a lifetime of being told she took up too much space.
She had crossed half a continent believing—hoping—that somewhere out west there might be a man who could see her worth.
Instead, she stood alone.
A mistake.
An extra body.
A cruel oversight.
“Too fat to marry,” someone snorted from the crowd.
“She won’t last a winter up here.”
“Probably crush a horse before she reaches the ranch.”
The laughter cut deep.
Dileia stared at the dirt between her boots, cheeks burning, heart sinking lower with every word. She had survived mockery her entire life, but never like this—never with her future hanging in the balance.
Cornelius Weatherbee, the slick-tongued agent who’d arranged the whole affair, cleared his throat theatrically.
“Well, gentlemen,” he announced, “it seems we have one bride left. Surely someone here could use a… sturdy woman?”
The jeers grew louder.
Then came the sound that silenced them all.
Hooves.
Heavy. Deliberate. Slow.
A horse bigger than any in town stepped into the square, carrying a man who looked carved from the mountains themselves. Jeremiah Stone—called Thunder Peak in fearful whispers—swung down from the saddle.
He was massive. Scarred. Weather-worn. His beard was streaked with iron gray, his eyes the color of gathering storms.
And when he looked at Dileia, he didn’t smirk.
He didn’t pity her.
He measured her.
“I’ll take her,” he said again, calm and final.
“The fat one.”
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Weatherbee’s grin faltered. “Mr. Stone, surely you’d prefer one of the younger—”
Jeremiah’s gaze cut sharp as an axe blade.
“I don’t want a porcelain doll. I want her.”
He laid a heavy pouch on the table. Gold coins clinked loudly.
“Five hundred dollars. Double your price.”
No one dared argue.
Dileia’s knees shook as his shadow fell over her. No man had ever chosen her—not for marriage, not even for a dance. And yet this mountain giant had claimed her without hesitation.
“Come,” Jeremiah said, extending a calloused hand.
She stared at it, then at his eyes.
They held no cruelty. Only certainty.
Trembling, she placed her hand in his.
As they walked away, whispers followed like smoke. But for the first time since arriving in Copper Ridge, Dileia felt something dangerous bloom in her chest.
Hope.
The Road Into the Mountains
The wagon creaked as Copper Ridge disappeared behind them. Jeremiah drove in silence, shoulders squared, reins steady. Dileia clutched her satchel, unsure whether she was afraid of him—or afraid to believe this was real.
“You hungry?” he asked eventually.
She blinked. “A little.”
He handed her jerky and hard bread without comment. No mockery. No judgment. Just food.
The mountains rose around them. Pines thickened. Snow lingered in shadowed hollows. When the trail steepened, Jeremiah helped her onto a horse—careful, respectful, as though she were precious cargo.
“Why did you choose me?” she finally asked.
He walked beside the horse, gaze fixed ahead. “Because you look like someone who’s endured. Winter up there breaks pretty things. It doesn’t break grit.”
Her throat tightened.
No one had ever spoken of her body without cruelty. He hadn’t called her strong despite her size—he’d called her strong because she endured.
That night, by the fire, Jeremiah stood watch while she slept. Not once did she feel unsafe.
A Home Built With Hands, Not Lies
When the cabin came into view, Dileia stopped short.
It wasn’t a shack. It was a fortress of pine and stone, warm light spilling from wide windows. Inside were rugs, books, a violin resting gently on a table.
A home.
“This is yours,” Jeremiah said quietly, showing her a room prepared just for her. Clean linens. Quilts. Space.
She touched the bed like it might vanish.
No one had ever made space for her before.
The days settled into rhythm. She cooked. He chopped wood. He taught her to shoot. She taught him songs from home. Slowly, laughter found its way back into the cabin.
One night, he played the violin—soft, mournful notes filling the air.
“My wife,” he said when she praised him. “Before she died.”
Dileia took his hand.
“I’m sorry.”
He didn’t pull away.
When the World Came Knocking
Trouble came with whispers—then guns.
Men from town claimed she was property. Claimed Jeremiah had stolen her.
“They’ll come,” he said simply.
“They won’t take me,” she answered.
The siege came at dusk. Gunfire. Firebrands. Shouts filled with venom.
Dileia didn’t hide.
She loaded shells. She fired back. When Crawford forced his way inside, she stood firm.
And she pulled the trigger.
When dawn broke, silence returned to Thunder Peak.
The danger was gone.
Together
By the firelight, Jeremiah touched her hand.
“This mountain,” he said. “This life. It’s yours—if you’ll have it.”
Dileia leaned into him, tears soaking his shirt.
“For the first time,” she whispered, “I belong.”
Outside, the wind whispered through the pines. Inside, two wounded souls found something stronger than fear.
They found each other.
Together.
