Total pages in book: 7
Estimated words: 6153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 31(@200wpm)___ 25(@250wpm)___ 21(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 6153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 31(@200wpm)___ 25(@250wpm)___ 21(@300wpm)
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
FAITH
People say I was raised in a cult, but I don’t think about it like that. At least it never felt like a cult to me. Sure, we were on a compound and we could never leave, but my life was simple, and I found joy in my chores.
Then one day the police came, and everything changed. Suddenly I’m being sent to live with an uncle I’ve never met or even heard of. He lives far away from where I was raised, but I’m told it’s on a farm. That’s the kind of work I’m used to, so hopefully it won’t be too hard to figure out what to do.
I pull the front of my dress up so that I don’t spill out of it. When I left the compound, I was only able to take one suitcase with me, and most of my dresses are a little snug. The man I was supposed to marry liked all his wives to dress this way, so I got used to it. Now I’m going to a new place with Uncle Amos, and I hope he doesn’t mind.
“This is your new home, Faith,” the lady from the agency says as she pulls up to the pretty country home and parks the car.
When we get out of the car, there’s a man that comes from the house wearing overalls and a cowboy hat. He’s dirty and bigger than any man I’ve ever seen. I swallow hard as he comes off the porch and shakes hands with the lady from the agency. They exchange a few words, and then she smiles at me before she departs.
I’m left alone with this giant, and I have no idea what to do.
“Come on, little lamb. I’ll show you to your room,” he says before he grabs my bag and walks into the house.
Little lamb? Does he not know my name? Instead of asking him, I follow along dutifully and keep my head bowed like I was taught.
Once we’re inside, I glance around and see the beautiful space. It’s a well-made home that might have been built by his own hands, and I instantly love it. Some of my fears are put to rest when he shows me to a bedroom that’s much bigger than the one I had before.
“How many people will be sleeping in this room?” I ask softly.
He’s quiet for so long I look up and watch him push his hat out of the way so I can see his face. He’s got a dark stubble over his chin, and there’s dirt along his brow like he’s been wiping away the sweat. His dark eyes rake up and down me before he shakes his head.
“I don’t know what they did with you before, little lamb, but it’s just you and me from now on. Okay?”
“Okay.” I try not to sound too excited. I’ve never ever had my own room before. My own room? This is like magic.
“You wanna see the farm?” His deep voice fills the space, and I nod quickly.
“Yes please, Uncle Amos,” I say, and I watch as his eyes move down my body. “My name is Faith, by the way.”
“I know,” he says and then shakes his head. “But you’re a little lamb if I ever saw one. Come on, let’s show you around while we’ve still got daylight.”
When we get outside, I see the big barn in the distance and the rolling hills around it. There are horses in the stable and cows in the fields. On the way to the barn, we pass some chickens, and I can’t get over how beautiful it is here. Could all of my fears have been for nothing? This place seems like a dream come true.
“They told me you were on a farm,” he says, and I wonder if he’s used to having people here with him. He seems like the quiet type, but at least he’s trying to talk while he shows me my new home.
“Yes, my parents left me there when I was a baby,” I say, and Uncle Amos stops.
“I didn’t know about you, or I would have come to get you.” His vow is solemn, and even though my time on the compound wasn’t all bad, I appreciate his concern.
“That’s okay. I made friends, and I liked living there.” I shrug as we go through the stables, and he shows me some of the horses.
“What kind of work did you do for them?”
“I was the milk maid,” I say proudly. “I also did the cooking and cleaning for our house, but that was because I was the new bride.”
“New bride?” Uncle Amos leans against the railing of the stable and watches me.
“Yes, the newest girl to be wed is responsible for the household chores. Since all the other wives take care of the children, the one that’s not been officially married yet does the rest.”