“Coffee, dear?” Rory asked.
“Oh. I’ve never had coffee. Is it any good?”
Rory poured her a cup. “Personally, I can’t live without it. There’s only one way to find out if you like it or not. Some people like it black, some with cream or sugar or both. Take a sip, and if you don’t find it to your liking, we can doctor it up until you do.”
Rhi took a small sip. It was hot and bitter. She shook her head. “Nope.” She added cream from a miniature pitcher and stirred it with her spoon the way Rory had. That was better, but she decided to try it with sugar. After adding a teaspoon, Rhi found it to be perfect. “Yes. I like it.” Ryker was watching her. Something about his expression was off, but she figured it was because she didn’t know how to act like a normal person. Rhi knew where she lived they didn’t do things like most other people. She hadn’t forgotten what it was like before her mom died and her dad carted her off to live with the church community.
“I’m not sure where to start,” Rhi admitted after taking a bite of pancakes. She didn’t want to talk right then. She wanted to enjoy her food while it was warm.
“At the beginning is always a good place,” Sutton suggested. Ryker’s dad was unlike any man Rhi had ever met. His voice was soft, like he didn’t want to scare her. He had greeted Ryker with a firm hand to the shoulder, but the affection was there when he looked at his son. Something Rhi hadn’t seen since her mother died. Where she’d been taken to live, affection had been discouraged. Only married couples were allowed to touch outside their cabins, and that was nothing more than holding hands. Even the kids didn’t receive hugs or words of encouragement from their parents. Rhi hadn’t had a hug in ten years, and as that thought hit her, she couldn’t hold back the tears.
“What’s wrong?” Ryker was kneeling by her chair before she could blink.
“Just thinking about my mom. Sorry.” Rhi wiped her eyes and blew out a breath. Ryker returned to his seat, but not before he shared a look with his parents.
“Nothing to be sorry for.” Rory patted her hand. “Talk can wait. Let’s enjoy our breakfast first, okay?”
Rhi nodded, thankful for the reprieve. While she enjoyed the best breakfast she could remember having, Rory talked about her newest grandsons, Major and Marshall. Rory told Rhi how they’d been kept from Maveryck for the first four years of their lives and how the family was trying to make up for lost time. Rhi was fascinated. So much so she wanted to meet the little boys. She’d been around other kids when she was younger, but hearing how their family almost fought over spending time with the boys was both wonderful and bittersweet. It was clear these people were nothing like those she’d lived with the last ten years. They reminded her of her mother, and Rhi knew she was going to be okay.
When breakfast was finished, Rory added more coffee to Rhi’s cup. Rhi mixed in more cream and sugar because black coffee was just nasty. The four of them moved to the living area. Rhi and Ryker took chairs, while Rory and Sutton sat next to each other on the sofa. Right next to each other. Rhi smiled at their closeness. That’s how her parents had been before her mom died. Even with her grandmother harping on her dad about Daisy being “of the devil,” David had loved her mom.
“My mom, Daisy, she was everything to me. She was what some liked to call a free spirit. My grandmother called her a witch. Grandmother didn’t like it that my mom was pagan. It caused more than one fight in our house. Not between my parents, because my dad, David, he loved my mom. He saw nothing wrong with her tending our garden. Or the candles she lit when she talked to the goddess and asked Her to bless our home. Our home was blessed until it wasn’t. Mom died when I was thirteen from a brain hemorrhage. My grandmother said it was God punishing her for having the devil in her. My mom didn’t believe in the devil, so I thought my grandmother was just being mean.
“Soon after we buried my mom, my grandmother convinced my dad he needed help with me, and she convinced him to take me to live with a group of super religious people. It was completely different from what I was used to. There were no televisions or radios. It was a little town all on its own where men and women had to keep separated unless they were married. Instead of living in a house with my dad, I was put in a cabin with two other girls. Both were older, and since they’d been there a lot longer, we didn’t get along that well. They did as they were told, but I just wanted to go home. The only thing there was that remotely reminded me of home was the gardens. I would sneak off and talk to the plants. For that, I was punished. The preacher said it wasn’t right, talking to the vegetables and herbs, but I knew better. Mom taught me they were living things, and living things thrive by being nurtured and cared for.” Rhi took a sip of coffee to gather her thoughts.
“Ryker told us the man you were with, James, called you his wife.”
“He wishes. Brother Josiah had approved our courtship. It was the only reason I was allowed to leave our community and accompany James to the city when he went on a supply run.” The mood in the room instantly changed. Rhi could feel the charged energy, and she knew it wasn’t good. “Please don’t make me go back. I don’t want to marry him. I don’t want to marry anyone there,” she whispered.
Rory stood and came over to kneel at Rhi’s feet. The pretty blonde took Rhi’s free hand in hers. “We would never make you go back. Rhi, do you know a young man named Elijah?”
Rhi stared between the three of them. How did they know Eli? “Yes. He came to live with us several months ago. Brother Josiah told the congregation Elijah was a troubled soul and none of us were to speak to him. Said he had to do his counseling in silence. How do you know Eli?”
“He used to live in a compound similar to the one you ran from. Elijah and my granddaughter – Ryker’s daughter – McKenzie, they fell in love. Mac had been promised to one of the guards, so they took Elijah away.”
“What happened to Mac?” Rhi was afraid to hear the answer.
Ryker stood and strode to the window, looking out. Rory stared after her son a few seconds before answering. “Long story short, she tried to run away. She was caught, but not before being attacked by the dog tracking her. Also, she had gotten pregnant, and Gideon, Josiah’s brother who was running their compound, took the baby and sold it to someone outside their group. Warryck was looking for a missing woman, and he found her when she was being chased the same way. He rescued her and then we went in and took down Gideon. Since you were also trying to escape, I’m going to assume you have no love for Josiah?”
“Not at all. I think he’s a creep. My dad…” Rhi blinked back the tears. “He changed once we went to live there. I’d always been closer to my mom, but Dad, he uh, he listened to what Josiah said. Became distant and allowed me to be raised with all these new rules. I went from having friends I played with every day after school to not being allowed to speak to the boys. I didn’t understand why things were so drastically different. I tried to talk to my dad about it, but I got in trouble for that too. I stayed in trouble for the first couple years, and I finally figured out how to keep my head down. I stopped talking. I did my studies. Learned all these stupid Bible passages I didn’t believe in. I became the perfect, submissive woman I was expected to be, all while biding my time. I prayed to the goddess every day like my mom taught me to, but I did it in my head. While Josiah was shouting about the wrath of God, I was inwardly seeking the blessing of the goddess. I’m sorry if that’s something you don’t agree with.”