Karim al-Zib

Wild in the country book one

CHAPTER ONE

"Are you ready yet, DesirЋe?" her mother called from down the hall. "You don't want to be late."

DesirЋe patted her golden hair into place, smoothed her modest, Sunday suit down over her flat belly, and adjusted her bra again. Her breasts were a liability to her, big and melon-like, the kind of feature that screamed "Slut!" to everyone who looked on her. That was why she always wore a jacket to conceal them when she went to church. It was because Pastor Hemmings, who was also the local MD with a practice on Main Street, depended on her to sing a spiritual aria – or two – at every weekly meeting that she was in such a hurry this morning. She had been out late with Mark, her fiancee.

Since DesirЋe had moved to Pickford's Meadows and begun singing for the pastor's congregation, attendance had grown so much that he had begged her to make her vocal contribution a regular performance. She didn't mind, for she rarely missed Sunday meetings. Indeed, when they had moved from Chicago to the country, Thurston Mitchell, her father, had chosen the community based on the church that they regularly attended at home.

At home. She still thought of Chicago as her home, but father had taken her away from that, and she was too dutiful a daughter to defy him and go it alone. It had been difficult to leave her young friends and life behind, her university education and her music studies, and she often wondered why it had had to be. But she was an obedient daughter.

But she was eager to get there today and see Mark again. He was her love, and it had been hard to kiss him goodnight at the door last night and leave him for the night. It was so hard to be away from him for even an hour. Today was an easy, restful day, and they always enjoyed a picnic somewhere out on her father's enormous ranch.

"Are you ready?" Mother was at the door, a smile on her face. She was proud of her young, sweet-faced daughter with the elegant soprano singing voice.

"Yes, Mom," she said, following the older woman through the large, rambling house. Dad was waiting in the crescent-shaped driveway in the big Mercedes. DesirЋe got in the back and they moved smoothly away in the direction of the small town that had become the center of their lives since having moved here.

Mark would be there, waiting for her.

***