Every year, dozens of teenagers are cast out of their homes in polygamous compounds throughout southern and eastern Utah, cruelly thrown into a world they're entirely unprepared for. Jarom and his brothers are four more boys who have no choice but to grow up before their time. 

A Bigger Love: Book One

Liahona

Copyright 2011 Rainbow Trail Press

Smashwords Edition

Licensing Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The events in this story are works of fiction and any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental.

This work contains sexually explicit scenes and is intended for an adult audience.

Chapter 1

Brett thumbed his Stetson up his brow and surveyed the ribbon of highway stretching ahead. He spotted the figure on the horizon easily, but it was still too far away to make out in the shimmering haze. His Dodge ate up the miles easily, and before long he realized that it wasn’t one figure--it was four. They were walking in a single file line with their heads down, only one, the leader, sticking his thumb out to wave down a ride. Brett slowed without debating, leaning across the seat to open the passenger door.

The one in front looked to be the oldest, the baby fat and dimples gone from his face, his blond hair hanging in shaggy curls past his ears and down the back of his neck. He had a bag flung over one shoulder and one hell of a shiner on his right eye--the left was an expressive shade of grey.

“Where you boys heading?” Brett asked.

The blond pointed north, the direction Brett just came from.

“Where you coming from? You have a flat? I’ve got a spare and some tools.”

The blond shook his head. “Co…” He stopped and licked his chapped lips. “Colorado City. But we don’t know where we are.”

They were getting smarter, dropping the boys off further and further from any land they’d recognize. “Get in.”

The blond smiled gratefully at him, clearly relieved that he didn’t have to try to explain further. He helped his companions crawl into the back, each of them looking filthy and haggard, more than exhausted. Brett only had one bottle of water with him, but he passed to the back seat of the truck, keeping an eye on them as they shared the bottle. The blond climbed into the passenger seat and dropped his head back with a sigh. The bottle nudged his shoulder and he took it without opening his eyes, allowing himself a relatively conservative sip before handing it back.

“Thanks, man. We really appreciate it.”

“Sure.” Brett was only sorry he didn’t have more, but there was a gas station not too far north. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Jarom Smith. That’s Zac, Bryce, and Ogden.”

“Oggie,” the boy in question croaked.

“Good to meet you. I’m Deputy Sheriff Ure.”

“If you could just drop us off at a gas station.”

“And what are you going to do there? Do you have anybody to call?” He already knew the answer. “Do you have anything besides the clothes on your back?”

“No.”

Brett nodded. “Okay, we can get you sorted. The nearest town is Blanding; it’s about two hours from here. You boys should try to get some sleep.”

He blasted the A/C, trying to cool their red and parched faces and turned the radio on softly. Within five minutes, they were all asleep, the three boys in the back resting on each other, Jarom with his head propped against the window.

He radioed ahead to let Susie know he had four new companions, barely keeping his anger in check as he told her the details. The youngest, Oggie, seemed to be around fourteen or fifteen, with Jarom being closer to twenty. All four seemed to be in relatively good health, heat exhaustion, sun stroke, and dehydration notwithstanding, and showed no other signs of abuse or mistreatment. When Jarom woke up, he’d probably volunteer his story, perhaps assuming that Brett hadn’t already heard it a dozen times.

“I’ll call in Dr. Cedar and Marybeth,” Susie promised.

“Thanks. Also run over to the diner and get enough food to feed a small army. Cheeseburgers, shakes, anything else you might be dreaming about when trudging through the desert.”

“Roger that. How are they doing?”

“They’re asleep now.”

“They’re lucky you found them.”

“Yeah. Call Reed, will you? Let him know that I’ll have to come out tomorrow.”

The boys, likely safe and comfortable for the first time in days, slept without stirring, though when Oggie groaned softly, Jarom started and seemed to reach for him. He’d probably been responsible for the other three boys since he was a child himself. It was probably second nature to want to comfort and sooth.

They could have easily traveled a hundred miles since they found themselves sudden outcasts. Brett didn’t have to imagine what it felt like to wake up to a strange, horrible new world where nothing made sense and the only thing you understood was that you had to leave the only home you ever knew. He knew exactly what that was like. Knew how it felt to stare at the harsh, unforgiving red desert and wonder if he’d live to see the other side. Had these boys been given a chance to say goodbye to their family and friends? Or had they been thrust out, like Lucifer cast out of heaven?

Jarom woke five miles outside of Blanding, looking like the child he was as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. But as soon as his vision cleared, it all came back to him, and the weight of the world settled on his fine features once again.

He immediately twisted his neck to look over his shoulder, visibly relieved when he saw the three boys were still sleeping peacefully.

“Here, have a few more sips of water.”

“No, I’m good.”

“There’s plenty, Jarom.”

He nodded and upended the bottle, his throat working as he swallowed.

“Easy there. You don’t want to make yourself sick.”

“I’ve never been so thirsty in my life.”

“Just remember you need to pace yourself.”

Jarom nodded again and looked around. “Where are we?”

“Blanding. Have you ever been here?”

“No. It’s not near St. George, is it?”

“No, it’s on the other side of the state. Did you think you were still over on the west corner?”

Jarom shrugged his narrow shoulders. “It was really hard to tell, you know? We just hoped that if we kept walking in one direction, we’d find help sooner or later. Thank God you found us. He must have heard us praying last night and sent you along.”

“I don’t think god has anything to do with this fucked up situation, kid. It’s been the work of man from the start. I was out on that road because there’s an angry old drunk in the desert I’m required to check on. And you were on that road because your daddy and your uncles are evil men.”

Jarom looked at him curiously. “They said it was God’s will.”

“Yeah, they say that a lot, don’t they? Ever stop to ask yourself what made God so fucked up? Do you think it was God’s will for you to nearly die in the desert?”

There were more questions Brett could have asked, but that wasn’t necessary. Jarom would reach these conclusions on his own, sooner or later. He probably already had and just didn’t know it yet.

Brett’s voice softened. “But there are people who can help you. And it might be hard now, but this is probably the best thing that ever happened to you.”

“Losing everything? How can that be any good?” Jarom shook his head. “I’ll never…I’ll never see my mothers again.”

“I know,” Brett said, an old pain in his chest flaring. The wound had mostly scarred over at this point, but he still couldn’t think of his own mother without feeling that twinge. Was she still alive? Did she ever think about him? Had she ever tried to find him or reach him? Did she know about his efforts to reach her or did she think he disappeared off the face of the planet? “But you didn’t lose everything. You’re gaining the world.”

Jarom didn’t respond, distracted by the approaching town. Blanding wasn’t particularly impressive or big, but it boasted the comforts of civilization--McDonald's, a Smith’s Grocery, two gas stations, and even Wal-Mart.

“So what’s going to happen to us? Is there really somebody who can help?”

“There are lots of people who can help,” Brett assured him. “I know it feels like it’s you four against the world, but there’s a community for you.”

The Lost Boys is what everybody called them (though the group included a fair share of girls), and it wasn’t said with a hint of whimsy. This wasn’t Never Never Land, and the boys had never had proper boyhoods, anyway. The polygamous compounds sprinkled throughout eastern and southern Utah couldn’t very well support the endless offspring in perpetuity. And the clan patriarchs couldn’t risk the sexual competition. So several times a year, homeless, frightened, exhausted kids wandered into towns with no money, no belongings, no education, and no family or ties. Completely unprepared for the real world after growing up in a cult situation, they often needed more help than Brett could provide.

Fortunately, he wasn’t the only one who offered.

“How do you know so much about it?” Jarom asked, suddenly suspicious. Brett looked over and realized the boy’s eyes looked clear for the first time. With a little rest and water, his brain was firing on all cylinders. Brett didn’t take it personally.

“You’re not the first boys who’ve been found wandering on the side of the road,” Brett pointed out, his voice surprisingly gentle. “And I’m the deputy sheriff, so I’m the one who usually finds them.”

“Oggie was crying.” Jarom swallowed hard and turned to gaze out the window. Brett slowed down as they entered the town limits, keeping one eye on the younger man and the other on the road. “When they stopped the truck. He knew. We all knew. But he was the only one who’d cry. I wasn’t going to let them see me…”

“It’s okay,” Brett said softly. And it was. Holding back the tears you desperately wanted to shed, shaking with anger and resentment, choking on guilt that couldn’t quite be named. Not holding back those tears, shouting with anger, pushing back the guilt that was all okay, too. “I wouldn’t let them see me cry, either.”

They lapsed into an understanding silence for the final mile to the sheriff’s office. Brett helped Jarom wake Zac, Bryce, and Oggie, then walked all four through the process that was becoming rote for him. Many of the children they found not only lacked proper identification; they lacked birth certificates or any official record of their existence. But that was a minor concern in light of the bigger issue of getting them housed, clothed, and fed--which was partially solved through volunteers and safe houses.

Once they were fed and in Susie’s capable hands, Brett adjusted his hat and nodded at Jarom. “I’ll be around to check on you boys and see to anything I can. You focus on resting up. You got a big adjustment ahead of you.”

“You’re leaving?”

Brett nodded. “Duty calls. But you’re in good hands. You’ll be fine.”

“Thanks. If we could repay…”

“No. Just do me a favor.”

“Yes,” Joram said quickly. “Anything.”

“Your sisters need your help. Don’t forget about the ones who are trapped there, alright?”

Joram nodded solemnly. It was impossible to save every girl from forced marriages and a quick succession of unwanted pregnancies, but Brett extracted this promise from every boy who asked what they could do to repay him, and it actually seemed to work. A handful of victories wasn’t nearly enough, but a mountain could be moved a pebble at a time.

As he sped back into the desert, Brett stayed on the alert, but saw nothing other than a few rabbits on the road and a few hawks circling high over head.

Chapter 2