Read Online Favorite Wife by Susan Ray Schmidt - Free Book Online

control of my voice. “And what about you? I suppose your feelings in the matter don’t count!”
    â€œAlma reminded me again that the young girls in the church were being raised to be plural wives to the older men. I’m supposed to go out into the world and convert me a wife.” Jay’s laugh was a tight, unnatural sound. He leaned against the door and looked ready to cry.
    â€œWell!” I yelled suddenly at Jay’s bowed head. “What are you gonna do about it? Just sit back and watch both your lives be ruined? Go after her, dammit! Tell that mean old Alma to kiss your you-know-what!”
    Jay tried to give me a look of big brotherly reproach for being so disrespectful about a leader, but he couldn’t pull it off. A flash of humor momentarily lit up his eyes. “Here’s what I want you to do,” he said abruptly. “Go to Carmela’s and sneak her over here so I can talk to her. I’ve got to convince her to elope with me.” His blue gaze fastened on mine. “Will you do it?”
    â€œElope!” I breathed, my eyes widening. “Elope?” No one I knew had ever done such a thing. Alma’s face flashed before my eyes, that thin, hard face that was so unlike his brother Verlan’s kind and handsome one. “Jay,” I said, my voice rising in panic, “Alma would kill you!”
    Jay soberly regarded me, “Now, let’s not be melodramatic. Sure, he’s gonna be mad. I’m counting on that. But at this point I don’t have any other choice.” He ripped at his fingernail, glanced at it, tore at it with his teeth, then sighed. “I just wish Brother Joel were here. He wouldn’t back Alma in this, and he would tell me how best to handle the situation. But he’s not, and things with Hector are happening fast. Now, I want you to sneak her over here tonight. Her family won’t think anything about you going to see her because they know the two of you are friends. Just act like you’ve invited her to go for a walk or something, and try to get away without anyone knowing.”
    â€œBut where will you go? What will you do? Jay, the brethren will ban you from the colony, or cut you off from the church, or something. Alma won’t take this lying down. He’ll consider it a slap in the face of his authority.”
    â€œSuze, just trust me. I’ve got it all planned out. I’ll tell you about it later, after I’ve talked to Carmela. Just go get her, okay?”
    The spirit of adventure grabbed me, and I slowly nodded, my eyes shining. Nothing would make me happier than to have a hand in beating Alma LeBaron at his own underhanded schemes. “Right. I’ll leave right now!” I bounded off the bed.
    Jay grinned at my enthusiasm and gave me a hug. “I’ll cover for you with Mom. Get back as soon as you can.”
    It was dark enough for me to jog through the streets without anyone noticing. I stayed close to the trees as I ran, so if someone drove by I could duck out of sight. I followed the same route I had taken earlier that day, toward Grandma LeBaron’s, then past the dim lights of her house and on toward the big ponds the LeBaron men had dug to store irrigation water.
    Surrounded by old willow trees, Carmela’s house looked dark and scary. As I scampered up the hedge-lined path at the rear of the house, two big dogs started to bark. They dashed around the corner of the house and leaped toward me, snarling and yapping.
    â€œHere boy, here boy. Down!” I tried to sound commanding and unafraid, but the dogs continued to howl and circle me. Susan, you idiot, I told myself, they’re Mexican dogs. I crooned to them in Spanish, my voice shaking.
    The screen door at the back of the house slammed. “Perro! Ven a ca.” Carmela’s older brother Ernesto ambled toward me, peering at me through the blackness. The dogs trotted to his side, their tails