Laurie’s Wolves(36)
“There haven’t been any I’ve been aware of since the casino site shut down. And before that there was the year gap after the earthquake. So, it seems the spirits make their presence known each time there’s another mating among us. And by us, I mean our two families.”
“That’s so weird. Do you think it’s possible the forces that be are opposed to our matings?”
Melinda shook her head. “Not a chance. In fact, when I first spotted one of these black smoky shadows, it was clear to me it was aggravated by how long I was taking to complete the mating. The spirits are impatient. I think Fate is bringing us together at precise moments in time for a reason.”
“Fine. If that’s the case, do you believe Cooper and Sawyer are destined to mate with the other two Masters? Logan and Sharon?”
“Perhaps. Seems pretty likely. Don’t you think?”
“Well, Sharon’s convinced. And she wants nothing to do with it.”
“Really?” Melinda giggled. “She’s not alone. Cooper and Sawyer fled Miles’s house like their pants were on fire. I don’t think it matters what they want. When Fate is ready for them to merge, She’ll have her way, with or without their consent.”
“It’s crazy. I know I keep saying that, but it’s true. No wonder people are freaked out about our strange arrangements. Not only are we mating in threes, but someone is bound to realize soon that we’re basically two families merging. That’s the craziest crazy of them all.
“Hell, it probably looks like we’re plotting to take over the world.”
Melinda laughed and leaned in conspiratorially. “Maybe we should.”
»»•««
“We cannot permit this to happen,” someone shouted.
Mary sat near the back of the room and listened as several members of the church continued their rant.
“And we won’t.”
“Can we bring this up with the town council?”
“Cecil? What leverage do we have?”
A man in his late sixties stood slowly and headed for the pulpit. The church had called this impromptu meeting by mass email that morning.
Mary felt like she was at a lynching. Something didn’t sit right with her. She had spent her entire life living by the very doctrines of this church and one exactly like it. This was the denomination she was raised in. Something felt off. She didn’t know how to explain it, but her skin crawled. Her world was off-kilter.
In theory, she had always learned it was wrong for a woman to lie with two men. It was against human nature. However, in reality, who was she to judge? Her world had so altered in the last months that she wasn’t sure about any of the teachings of her church lately. And how was the relationship between three people going to hurt anyone else in the community?
On the other hand, if this was the third such family to form of three people—two men and one woman—where would it stop? She didn’t want an entire community of polygamists sprouting up between Sojourn and Cambridge any more than anyone else in this room. The concept made her uncomfortable.
It was an abomination to the teachings of the Bible. Right? She shuddered as she questioned her beliefs. It seemed like everything she’d ever been taught was shattering around her like broken glass. But threesomes? Wasn’t that going too far?
What gave Mary the most pause was the issue of race. She knew for a fact in her heart that no one should be arguing that somehow this new woman in town, Laurie Hamilton, should be shunned for being mixed. That was ridiculous. Jesus would not have agreed with that idea.
It seemed to her that what the church really took issue with was Laurie’s mixed blood, and they were using her chosen way of life as a smokescreen to cover their racism.
Cecil cleared his throat and leaned into the microphone. “Calm down, folks.”
“We won’t calm down until those people are run out of town,” someone shouted. “They’re a mockery to our way of life. We can’t tolerate it.”
Pastor Edmund stood from his chair next to the pulpit and raised his hands. “Sit. Everyone, please. Let’s hear what Cecil has to say.”
A hush fell over the audience. Well, a partial hush. There were about a hundred people in the room, and most of them were still grumbling to their neighbor.
Some sat in silence like Mary, but not many. She glanced around to see a few heads bowed and lips pursed. Would the silent few keep quiet even if the majority suggested something abominable?
Hell, would she?
Cecil held the mic in one hand. “Folks, I was a lawyer in this town for thirty years, and though I’ve been retired for ten, I can tell you times haven’t changed that much. Unless someone comes forward and tries to actually marry more than one person, we don’t really have a leg to stand on.