Karen Whiddon - Wyoming Undercover

“Great. We eat supper at six. I’ll cook tonight and then we’ll work out a schedule for chores.”

Before Jack could respond, Phillip closed the door and left him alone with his thoughts.

* * *

The next day Sophia reported to work, unable to keep from wishing her handsome former patient was still there. She needed a distraction, and she told herself it was only because she liked having someone to look after. The clinic had no current patients at all, and she didn’t expect any to show up today. Dr. Drew spent one day every two or three weeks visiting each family groups’ assortment of children and this was that day.

Often, Sophia went along with him. She had fond memories of her childhood family group and of all her parents. In COE the close connection between mother and child was severed once the child was a week or two old, when the infant was passed among a small group of nursing mothers so the child didn’t bond to any one in particular. Despite this, Sophia often dreamed of the day when she, too, would have her own baby. The thought had always filled her with so much longing and joy. Of course, that dream, like so many others, didn’t seem destined to come to fruition now.

For the first time she wondered about Ezekiel’s children. He had many, she knew. Grandchildren, too. He paraded them all in front of everyone when the Chosen had celebrations. Ezekiel took pride in his offspring, along with his numerous wives. Of course, some of his children were actually twice as many years older than Sophia, of an age to be her own birth parents. And while she knew Ezekiel had a lot of wives, she knew nothing about them as he tended to keep them hidden away from the general populace.

While she loved the way her COE family raised children as a group rather than with only a small, singular couple, she wasn’t sure how she felt about being one of many women married to one man.

Check that. Okay, she knew how she felt. She didn’t like it. At all. Or wouldn’t have, had her new spouse been anyone other than Ezekiel. On the plus side, maybe being one of many would mean once the newness wore off, he would let her disappear into the crowd and forget she existed.

The prospect of a loveless, unfulfilled life made her feel even worse. Tears pricked the backs of her eyes and she let herself wallow in self-pity.

“Girl, you’re not going to believe this!” Ana rushed into the room, waving her arms in excitement. She skidded to a stop, eyeing Sophia askance. “Are you crying?”

“No,” Sophia lied, wiping at her eyes. “My allergies are bad today.”

“Oh.” Ana accepted her explanation with a shrug. “Listen. Deirdre has asked to see you.” Ana spoke the words as if giving Sophia a great and unexpected gift. “You’ve got to get yourself cleaned up pronto. She wants you at the main house in thirty minutes and you know it’s at least a five-minute walk.”

The main house. Sophia swallowed hard. Deirdre was Ezekiel’s first wife. As the first and the eldest, she was in charge of all the others. Sophia had never met her, though she’d certainly heard of her and seen her at her husband’s side.

Generally, Deirdre was regarded as a woman of importance, second only to her husband, Ezekiel, and his assistants.

Though she suspected she knew, Sophia asked anyway. “Why?”

Ana frowned. “No doubt to give you all the rules you’ll have to follow once you’re a member of the Anointed One’s household.”

Rules. Sophia winced. When she’d dreamed of her life as a married woman, not once had she thought it would be upended so completely. Usually, the married couple chose which household to join—some became part of the wife’s and others chose the husband’s. Clearly, wedding someone of Ezekiel’s stature meant Sophia would move into the big house and become part of what she’d always privately thought of as the harem.

“Sophia?” Ana’s voice cut into her thoughts. “Are you there?”

“Yes. Sorry, I was just thinking.”

“Well, you can think later. Right now, you’d better run home and change,” Ana urged. “You can’t go meet Deirdre dressed like that.”

Sophia looked down at her work dress. “Since she sent for me while I’m at work, I’m thinking she probably knows what I do. I think this will be just fine.”

Though Ana actually gasped, she didn’t argue. “At least wash your face and take your hair down.”

Actually, Sophia thought the opposite. The less attractive she could make herself look, the better. If she looked at things from an aging first wife’s viewpoint, she imagined the older woman would be extremely tired of dealing with an influx of younger women. Therefore, Sophia wanted to appear as insignificant as she could possibly make herself.

Once in the clinic’s small bathroom, she splashed water on her face and redid her bun, making it as tight and severe as possible.

Glad she’d chosen to wear the dull gray work dress that morning, she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and marched back into the clinic area to let Ana know she was leaving.

But someone sick had come in and Ana was doing her best to tend to him without Dr. Drew on staff, so Sophia slipped out without saying goodbye.

She took her time on the walk to the big house, nervous despite her resolution not to be. She hadn’t asked for any of this, so perhaps Deirdre would cut her a break.

All of the dwellings inside the encampment were the same, except for Ezekiel’s home, a structure befitting that of the leader, which had been built with an outer courtyard and a tall, stucco wall surrounding that, and the homes for his entourage. Native landscape—firs and oaks—had either been brought in or left in place when the structure had been built years before Sophia’s time.

The wrought-iron gate was locked. Heart pounding, Sophia pressed the call button, giving her name to the man who answered. With a buzz and a click, the gate was unlocked.

Hoping someone would show up to direct her, Sophia stepped inside. She clasped her hands together to keep the trembling from being noticeable. She wasn’t afraid, not exactly. More like uncertain and uncomfortable. She hated being put in a situation where she didn’t know what was expected of her.

She let the gate clang closed behind her, not surprised when it locked. Standing just inside the courtyard, she took in the stone bench and the large water fountain crowned with a massive cement angel.

And still no one came to fetch her. She had to stifle the urge to shake her head. Seriously, she really wanted to turn around and go back home. And she would have, except one did not ignore a summons from someone like Deirdre.

Fine. Following the stone path, she made her way toward an elaborate wood-and-iron door. First she knocked and, after waiting for a response, she tried the handle. Not sure if she should be surprised to find it unlocked, she pulled the heavy door open and entered.

Just inside, she found herself in a large, two-story foyer. Her shoes squeaked a bit on the glossy marble floor. Turning slowly, she took in the luxurious surroundings—so unlike those she knew.

She cleared her throat loudly and waited. While she could see how someone might expect her to find her way through the gate to the front door and even inside, no way in heck did she intend to start wandering around the house alone. As a matter of fact, if someone didn’t come for her soon, she planned to take it as bad-mannered rudeness and go back home.

“There you are!” a cultured, feminine voice exclaimed. “I apologize for not being there to greet you, but I had to discipline one of the younger women. Welcome, darling.”

Registering the word discipline, Sophia looked up. The white-haired woman making her way down the stairs so gracefully she appeared to float smiled warmly.