Jackson by Leigh Talbert Moore Page A

up and pushed his body forward. “You stop acting like this. Now! I’m going to find out what we need, and you’re going to hang on with me until I do.”
    He took a deep sigh, and I heard the ache in it. I leaned down and hugged him again. “Just stay with me, brother.”
    * * *
    T he next morning after breakfast, when I entered the barn, Gallatin stood at the back wall waiting for me. In spite of all my plans to be strong and not care, I couldn’t stop the smile spreading across my face at the sight of him. He made a signal, and I stepped away from the group to meet him. When I got closer, he caught my arm and pulled me through the door.
    “Will you come with me to the creek this afternoon? After lunch?” I didn’t understand the urgency, but he was leaning very close to me. His cheek brushed my temple as he spoke close to my ear, and my eyes closed.
    Lemony soap mixed with hay filled my nose, and I wanted to reach out and hold his waist, make him tell me these new fears of mine were ridiculous. He’d never betray me. We were truly friends... But what was I doing?
    I stepped back and turned to go back into the barn. “Yes.”
    But he caught my hand. “It could be our last time.”
    I glanced up, and the light in his golden-brown eyes was gone. He meant it. Something had happened.
    * * *
    O ur chores were finished when I arrived after lunch. The cows were milked, the butter churned, and he was waiting for me at the back door. I ran over to join him, and quickly we dashed past the buildings at the base of the hill, stopping for the backpack, and then out the fence in record time.
    We scrambled up the first hill, and the only sound was the swish of our feet scumbling through the leaves. Just over the peak, I stopped to catch my breath, and as he waited, Gallatin looked around the brown and green woods.
    “I never, ever thought I’d like this place,” he said. “The climate, the setting—”
    “Are you saying now you do?” I glanced up at him.
    He looked back at me and smiled. “I do.”
    That squirmy tightness was back in my stomach, and I felt my cheeks flush. I was thankful we’d just been running, so my face was already pink. He stepped to me and placed his hand on the sapling I was using for balance, right above mine, almost touching.
    “Remember how you said being with Jackson was... how did you say it? Like a promise of a better life for you? A home?”
    He watched my face, my expression, so I nodded. Then he slid his hand down to cover mine. “That’s how it’s been for me here, these last few weeks.”
    “Gallatin...” I pulled my hand free. “How do I know you’re not trying to trick me? That you’re not doing all this to spy on me or to keep me under control?”
    The change in his expression told me all the answer I needed. “What?” His voice cracked.
    “It was a thought I had yesterday...”
    In a flash, he pulled me to him. I tried to resist, but he wasn’t letting go this time. “Prentiss,” he said softly. “I don’t want to control you.”
    “Stop!” My heart beat like hummingbird wings as I squirmed out of his arms. “Then how are you keeping us here? What are your people doing?”
    He sighed and started walking again toward the little pool, away from my questions, but I was determined this time. Today I was getting the answers I needed.
    “Why is everything changing?” I demanded. “Why is this our last time?”
    “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. And you don’t need to know, so stop asking.”
    “Tell me!” I cried. “If you really care so much, you owe me the truth.”
    I watched his back as he stopped walking and lowered the pack. Then he dropped to a squat with his hands resting on his knees. “You really want to know this?”
    “Yes!” I ran forward and squatted in front of him, placing my hands on his. “What’s going on? Why are you here?”
    He stood and pulled the t-shirt over his head. “Let’s cool off while we talk.”
    I chewed my lip