Chapter 6

CHAPTERSIX

Tal was relieved when he was able to catch three rabbits without too much difficulty. He made his way back to the cave, praying Sunset hadn’t left. He didn’t think she would, but at this point, he didn’t want to make any assumptions.

He hadn’t lied when he’d told her he thought she was amazing. She was so bloody strong, it was scary. She didn’t need him, or anyone, to survive. She’d been doing just fine on her own. But it made him want to cry—or fucking kill the men who ran that cult she was forced to join—when she struggled with something most kids easily understood. Like tying her shoes. Or reading. Or knowing what a cell phone was. On one hand, she was knowledgeable about things most people had no clue about, and on the other, she was as naïve as a small child.

His gut soured when she’d explained what marriage meant to her. And to hear her talk about children being “adopted” and brought into the cult almost made him puke. Every single man in that cult should be arrested for child abuse, kidnapping, rape, and probably dozens of other charges. Tal had no doubt they were stealing children to bring to the cult. They were raising boys to be rapists and polygamists as well. Everything Sunset had survived made him equal parts devastated and more impressed.

He hated the way she tensed whenever he got too close. Or how she’d assumed he went back on his word and entered the cave without being invited. Coming right out and telling him she wouldn’t sleep with him made him proud of her, yet bloody well furious that she even had to concern herself with such a thing.

He didn’t care how many times he had to remind her that he wouldn’t hurt her, that she could trust him. He’d repeat it every day, every hour, until his last breath if necessary. No one would hurt this woman ever again. Not on his watch.

It was an insane thing to think, because there was no guarantee she’d agree to come back to Fallport. And if she did, if she was really Heather Brown—with every minute that passed, he was more and more certain she was—she had parents who would be overjoyed by a reunion with their long-lost daughter. Yes, they’d moved away and then divorced, but they would surely still want their daughter to move wherever they’d relocated.

The thought of Sunset moving away made his heart hurt, but Tal pushed the feeling down. She was an adult, and he was honored to have this chance to get to know her. If he could help her assimilate back into society, not the fucked-up way of life the bloody cult had taught her, he’d be satisfied.

Trying to ignore the voice inside that told him he was full of shit, Tal walked back to the cave. When he arrived, he was somewhat alarmed not to see or hear Sunset.

“Hello?” he called out.

Within seconds, Sunset’s head peered around the canvas door he’d fashioned. “You’re back.”

“I am,” he said with a grin. Holding up the three rabbits he’d attached to a sturdy stick, he said, “And with food.”

“Yum!” she exclaimed.

For a split second, Tal envisioned the same scene years from now. They were on a camping trip with their kids and Sunset was welcoming him back to their campsite and eager to show their children what their father had brought them to eat.

But then reality set in. This wasn’t a fantasy, and he and Sunset didn’t have a future together.

“I’m thinking we should probably cook the meat up tonight, before the weather gets too bad,” he said.

“I agree,” Sunset said, walking toward him hesitantly. “I’ll do it.”

Tal wanted to protest, wanted to be the one to prepare her meal. But he didn’t want to take away any of her hard-won independence. He simply nodded and handed over the rabbits. The smile on her face made his decision worth it.

She quickly set about skinning the small animals. She set their pelts aside and had a larger fire going outside the cave in an impressively short amount of time. By the time they sat down to eat, fat snowflakes had begun to lazily fall from the sky.

As he ate, Tal spoke about nothing and everything. He told Sunset about Fallport, about the citizens he’d gotten to know over the years. He recounted more stories about Tony and about all the men on his team, and their women. She didn’t ask many questions, but he could see the interest in her eyes.

He was running out of things to talk about when he finally resorted to telling her about his job at the barbershop.

“When I got to Fallport, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. My job with the search and rescue team is great, I was excited about it, but I knew it wouldn’t take up all my time. It’s kind of hit or miss. There are some months when we’re extremely busy, especially in the summer, but there are other times when we might not get called out for thirty days or more. I knew I needed something to occupy me. Back in England, I was the go-to guy on long-term missions to trim my buddies’ hair. So I went into the barbershop on the square and asked Harvey—he’s the guy who owns the shop—if he needed any help. I have to give him credit for hiring me, not only a newcomer to town, but a foreigner at that, with no professional experience. I don’t work full time, but I do enjoy talking to the men, and the occasional women, who come into the shop.”

Sunset stared at him for a moment. “You cut hair?”

Tal wanted to chuckle. Wasn’t that what he’d just explained? But when he thought about it for a moment, he realized she might not understand what a barber was. He just smiled and said, “Yup.”

She looked down at her now empty plate, the one he’d brought her, then at the fire, then off into the forest. Tal didn’t think she was going to get up the courage to ask whatever it was she was thinking…but then he saw her square her shoulders and knew she’d overcome her embarrassment or shyness to ask what she wanted to know.

“Will you cut my hair?”

Tal blinked in surprise. “What?”

“I know women are supposed to have long hair but…I don’t like it.”

“Women can have whatever length hair they want,” Tal countered gently. “Wait until you meet Caryn. She keeps her hair cut very short. Says it gets in her way if it’s long.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” Tal hesitated before asking what he was thinking, but in the end decided to just be blunt. “How come you haven’t cut it yourself?”

She sighed. “I did once. Just a little bit off the ends. Cypress noticed, and he whipped me as a warning to the other women. We weren’t allowed to cut our hair. Ever.”

Anger threatened to overcome Tal. The life this woman, and everyone else in that damn cult, had endured was more than abusive. It was bloody sadistic. He took a deep breath in through his nose, praying for calm and the right words to help this woman.

“I don’t have any scissors here,” he finally said.

Sunset’s lips pressed together, and she nodded.

“But I can use my knife. You can trust me, and I won’t hurt you.”

“I think I’m beginning to believe that,” she said softly.

Tal’s belly clenched at her admission. No one’s words had ever affected him so deeply.

“But…maybe I shouldn’t. I mean, I’ve always had long hair…it’s just hard to keep clean and it gets in my way a lot. I appreciate the hair ties you gave me but…I just don’t know.”

She sounded so unsure when just a moment ago, it seemed as if she was all for chopping off her hair. But the more Tal thought about it, the more he realized she might want to have shorter hair, but the repercussion of what happened last time was obviously still fresh in her mind.

“How about we take things slow. We can start with taking off just a little bit. Maybe the length of the tip of your finger. Then tomorrow we’ll see how you feel, and if you wish, we’ll do that again. We can continue to take it slow until you’re comfortable with the length. It’s just hair, Sunset. It’ll grow back if you hate it short. And if you decide we’re going too slow, and you want me to cut more off, we can do that too. Your hair is gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. It reminds me of the beautiful sunsets back home in England. But you’re no longer under their thumb. If you want to wear pants, cut your hair, and sleep on a comfortable bed, do it.”

Sunset stared at him intensely the entire time he was speaking, and Tal couldn’t tear his gaze from hers. There was so much emotion swirling through her eyes.

“I want it shorter…but I’m scared.”

Tal was so damn proud of her. The men she’d lived with, and had probably been kidnapped by, hadn’t broken her. They’d tried, that was obvious, but by some miracle, she’d been able to retain a shred of independence. She wouldn’t have been able to survive the last year alone in the woods if she didn’t have a spine of steel.

“You can trust me,” Tal repeated softly. “Your hair is your own. Your body is your own. You have the right to decide what to wear, or eat, or say, or who to have sex with. No one should force you to do anything you don’t want to.”

He saw tears swim in her eyes, but she beat them back. “Okay.”

“Okay what?” Tal asked.

“Okay, I want to do what you said. Cut a little bit of my hair today. And tomorrow. And the next day.”

“So damn brave,” Tal muttered, then nodded.

She looked surprised. “You think I’m brave?”

“Hell yes,” he said.

“I’m not, you know,” she said, as if she was commenting on the weather.

“You’re wrong,” Tal told her bluntly.

Sunset shook her head. “I wanted to go to town, but it was forbidden. And I’ve heard so many stories about how the people there don’t like outsiders. How they’d hurt me if I dared show my face. I’ve wanted to cut my hair for the last year, but didn’t have the guts to do it myself. I saw a bear a couple of months ago and it scared me so badly, I came back here and hid in my cave for days. I’m not brave, Talon.”

Tal wanted to hug this woman so bloody much, but he forced himself to stay right where he was. Though he did lean forward as he spoke. “You’ve been fed a pack of lies for twenty years, sweetheart. The men you lived with were abusers, plain and simple. They told you lies to control you and the other women. How were you to know what they were doing was wrong? You were simply trying to protect yourself by not going to town or cutting your hair. It’s called self-preservation. And the bear? Bloody hell, anyone would be scared to come face-to-face with one.”

“Including you?” she asked quietly.

“Yes. Where I come from, there aren’t any bears. I saw one when I was in Russia once…I thought it was cute until it rose up on its back legs and roared at me. I swear I pissed my pants. My mates all laughed their arses off and said they’d never seen anyone move as fast as I did to get away from it. Self-preservation isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s the most important trait to have as far as I’m concerned. That feeling deep down inside you that says ‘not a good idea’ or ‘don’t go that way’ or ‘stay quiet and don’t look him in the eye,’ has probably saved your life more than once.”

Sunset looked at him as if he was giving her the keys to her freedom. She slowly nodded.

“Right, so no more talk about you not being brave. Okay?”

Her lips turned up in a small smile. “Okay.”

“Good. Now, how about I clean up our meal, then I’ll cut a teeny-tiny bit off your hair. After that, you can settle in for the night before this storm ramps up.”

“I can clean up,” she said, looking worried.

“I know you can. But so can I. Let me take care of you, Sunset. Please.”

Yet again, she looked startled by his words.

“I’m thinking no one has taken care of you in a very long time. Give me this gift, sweetheart,” Tal said softly. He was relieved when she gave him a small nod.

The snow was still falling but Tal ignored it as he picked up the pan she’d used to cook the rabbit and headed for the stream. He brought along the bucket as well to refill it. He had a feeling once the storm fully moved in, neither of them would be going anywhere.

He returned and saw Sunset sitting on his sleeping bag with the Narnia book in her lap. She was staring at it, and her lips were moving silently. She hadn’t heard him return, so he cleared his throat to avoid startling her too badly.

Her head came up, and she gave him another small smile.

Tal felt as if he’d been given the best gift in the world, seeing her welcoming expression. He placed the bucket of water near the entrance to her cave. She still hadn’t invited him in, and he wasn’t going to push the issue. He’d be okay in his small tent. He’d weathered storms in it before, he’d be fine with this one too.

“Are you enjoying it?” Tal asked, nodding to the book in her lap.

She sighed and looked down. “It’s hard.”

Tal wanted to kick his own ass. He hadn’t even thought about her not being able to read. If this was Heather, she was in the third grade when she’d disappeared, old enough to read, but if the cult she was taken by hadn’t wanted the women to read or write, it had been twenty years since she’d seen a book.

As if she didn’t want to offend him, she added, “But of what I can understand, it’s good so far.”

“You want me to read it to you?” Tal offered. He belatedly realized the offer might not be the best idea. He wasn’t a reading-aloud kind of guy, and he didn’t want her to feel bad about not being able to read and understand it herself.

But she surprised him by enthusiastically asking, “You wouldn’t mind?”

“Not at all,” Tal said. “If it’s okay with you, I want to move my tent closer to the entrance to your cave. If it does start snowing hard, I want to be able to hear you if you need anything. And you’ll be able to hear me better too.”

She bit her lip and looked back down at the book in her lap.

“No pressure, Sunset. I’m not going to enter your space. I won’t hurt you. You can trust me.”

Her shoulders straightened in that telltale way she had, and she looked up at him. “Okay.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Tal knew he should probably stop calling her that, but the word just kept popping out. “Give me a few minutes and we’ll get started.”

It didn’t take him long to move his tent, and while the ground was a bit harder near the mouth of the cave, it seemed more protected from the wind that had started to pick up in the last hour or so, thanks to the surrounding trees. He staked his tent down and pulled out his high-powered flashlight and made sure he had his stove handy for later. It was useful for cooking food, but it would also provide heat for his small tent when the snow really started to fly.

He had a couple extra emergency blankets, and he spread one on the ground before walking over to the entrance of the cave. Not entering, he said, “If you come and sit out here, I’ll get the first hair trim out of the way, then we can read.”

While he’d been getting situated, Sunset had moved her own bed to one side of the cave nearer to the open canvas flap. He wanted to tell her to move it back to the farthest corner, where she’d be more protected against the elements, but he refrained.

He was glad to see no reticence in her movements as she stood and walked closer. She sat a few feet away from where he was, then scooted backward toward him.

Her back was ramrod straight, and he could see and feel the tension in her body. Tal pulled his razor-sharp knife out of the sheath at his thigh and lowered to his knees behind her. He’d much prefer to do this with the high-quality scissors Harvey had at the shop, but he’d make do.

“I’m not going to hurt you, and you can trust me,” he reminded her softly as he reached for a lock of her hair. As he did, he immediately realized this wasn’t going to work. Her beautiful but listless red hair was in countless tangles hanging down her back.

“Will you let me brush it first?” he asked quietly.

If anything, Sunset’s body got even tenser. She didn’t turn her head as she shook it and said, “It hurts.”

Tal closed his eyes in frustration and fury. Those fucking men who’d abused her needed to die. A slow, painful death. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath before saying, “Not the way I do it, it won’t.”

He waited patiently, not rushing her as she considered his words. Then she moved forward and stood, walking over to her things stashed against the back wall of the cave. She pulled out the brush he’d given her and walked back toward him. She looked as if she’d rather be anywhere else, and she was obviously dreading this.

She sat back down after handing the brush to Tal and squeezed her hands together in her lap, focusing her stare on the back wall of the cave. He wanted to reassure her again, tell her that he’d be careful, but he knew actions spoke louder than words, so he picked up a small lock of her hair and went to work on the ends, careful to hold her hair tightly so there was absolutely no pressure on her scalp as he worked.

After a moment, Tal saw her shoulders relax a fraction when she realized no pain was forthcoming. With every tangle he was able to brush out, she relaxed even more.

It took a while, but eventually he was able to tenderly run the brush through her hair from her scalp all the way to the ends. She’d closed her eyes at one point and tipped her head back as he worked.

Tal had never thought brushing a woman’s hair could be so…intimate. He continued to run the brush through her hair long after he’d gotten the tangles out. As the light began to fade, the snow continued to fall, and the early evening got even colder, he knew he needed to get this done. Reluctantly, he put down the brush and picked up his knife. They hadn’t spoken while he was brushing her hair, but the silence wasn’t awkward in the least. It felt…comfortable.

Very carefully, Tal cut off the ends of her hair. As he’d promised, he only took off about half an inch. He gathered the hair in his hand and held it out to her when he finished, so she could see. “All done,” he said.

Sunset looked down at his hand, then twisted her neck to look at him. He couldn’t read her expression, but he saw her hand shaking as she lifted it to his. Tal put the hair in her hand, and she sat there and stared at it for a long moment.

“It didn’t hurt,” she whispered.

“What didn’t?” Tal asked.

“You…brushing my hair. Every time Arrow made one of his other wives brush it, it always hurt.”

Fucking assholes she’d lived with.

“I told you, I won’t ever hurt you. Whether it’s simply brushing your hair or using words as weapons…I won’t do it. And I won’t let anyone else hurt you either.”

She sighed and looked back down at the ends of her hair. “You really don’t care if I cut my hair?” she asked next.

“It’s your hair, sweetheart. You can do whatever you’d like with it.”

“I don’t want to be ugly,” she whispered, still not looking at him.

Tal wanted to put his finger under her chin and force her to meet his gaze, but he curled his hands into fists instead. “You could never be ugly,” he said a little too forcefully, taking a breath to try to control his anger.

“They said short hair is ugly,” she argued.

“They were bloody wankers who took delight in crushing others under their thumbs,” Tal retorted, the words bursting from his mouth. “They were abusive assholes who took delight in raping defenseless women and children, and pretending it was normal to have six fucking wives. Hair doesn’t make someone ugly, Sunset. Neither does the clothes someone wears or the size of their bodies. Actions do. And the actions of those you were forced to live with were not only ugly, they were repulsive, criminal, and downright wrong.” There was so much more Tal wanted to say, but he knew he needed to calm down before he scared the woman.

He stood and stalked away from the cave, not knowing where he was going, just that he needed to get his fury under control.

He didn’t go far, and he didn’t stay away for long. He was drawn to Sunset like she was the air he needed to breathe. He didn’t understand it but didn’t want to analyze the feeling. It just was.

“I’m sorry,” he said when he returned. Sunset was still sitting, now facing the forest near the front of the cave. She had her arms wrapped around her legs and didn’t seem to even notice the snow that was building up on her boot-clad toes.

“You’re the first man who has ever apologized to me,” she said almost conversationally. “In The Community, the men were always right. Their word was law. Even when they messed something up, they claimed it was on purpose…to teach us women a lesson.”

Her words weren’t helping Tal calm down any.

“I always thought something was wrong. That it wasn’t right how the women and girls were treated. But I couldn’t do anything about it. It was my life, and I was stuck there. Thank you for being honest with me. Thank you for finally saying the things I’d always thought deep in my heart.”

She was killing him. “You’re free of them,” Tal told her.

The chuckle that came from her throat wasn’t a humorous one. “I’ll never be free of them,” she said.

“Wrong,” Tal told her. “You already are. You’ve seen through their bullshit and the best thing you can do to make sure they get what’s coming to them is to tell your story. With no shame. Because what happened to you, how they treated you, that wasn’t your fault. It was all on them. They took advantage of you and abused you for years. Getting away from them and living your life the way you’ve always been meant to is the best revenge. Show them that they might’ve held you down for a while, but they have no control over you now. You’re stronger than their mind control, and you’ve come out the other side.”

“You make me want to believe you,” she said softly.

“Good. I’m not saying it’ll be easy. They’ll be there in the back of your mind, trying to pull you back. But you’re strong enough to push their evil words away and come out of your shell.”

Sunset tilted her head as she stared at him. “How do you know?”

Tal nodded at the small pile of hair he’d cut from her head, which was now sitting by her side, and said, “Because of that. You were scared to let me cut your hair, but you did it anyway. It’s things like that, choosing for yourself and acting, even when you hear those voices in your head telling you it’s wrong, or that you’ll be punished.”

Sunset looked down at the small pile of hair, then up at him. “You’re right.”

“I know.”

The smile on her lips was more genuine now. “Are all men like you?” she asked. “I mean…outside The Community?”

Tal sighed. “I’m not sure what you mean, but if you’re asking are all men as supportive and encouraging toward women, the answer is no. There are just as many assholes out in the regular world as there were in the damn cult you lived in. But the good news is, now you know how to identify them. If anyone tries to force you to do anything, you tell them to fuck off and walk in the opposite direction. And I’ll teach you to defend yourself. So if any of those assholes try to use their strength against you, you can fight back effectively.”

Tal was practically growling by the time he finished speaking, but the thought of anyone touching this woman against her will made him feel downright feral.

To his surprise, she wasn’t frightened of what he was saying. She nodded instead. “Can I wear a knife like you do?” she asked, looking at the sheath strapped to his thigh.

Tal chuckled. “If you want, sure. Although there are laws about being armed in some establishments.”

She merely shrugged.

If wearing a knife made her feel safer, Tal would absolutely not only teach her how to use it, but he’d buy her a hundred knives and sheathes to wear.

“Do you still want to read?” she asked.

“Yes,” Tal said. He was tired, and heavy emotions still swam in his veins, but if this woman wanted him to read to her, that was what he’d do.

Reaching behind her, Sunset picked up the book and held it out to him. Tal stepped forward and took it, then backed up once more. There was about half an inch of snow on the ground, and, with the way it was still falling, by the time they woke up tomorrow it would be much higher.

He unzipped his tent and scooted inside. He lay down on his belly with his head at the entrance. Looking up, he saw that Sunset had scooted backward until she was sitting on the sleeping bag he’d given her.

“Can you hear me?” he asked.

She nodded.

Tal cleared his throat and began to read.