Never Let You Go by Emma Carlson Berne Page A

the drawer, as her grandmother used to put it.
    Megan stirred the eggs with the spatula, and a half-cooked chunk slopped out of the pan. She winced and grabbed a sponge from the sink.
    Anna noticed, of course. “Eww, Megan,” she said. “Those can be yours.” Megan flushed at Anna’s loud tone and shot a glance toward Jordan, who wasn’t paying any attention. She focused on stirring as the familiar anger at Anna welled up, then subsided. Really, it wasn’t any different from how Anna always treated her.Except that it seemed worse with everyone—okay, with Jordan—sitting right there.
    Thomas tramped in near the end of the meal, carrying the scent of the outdoors with him. His sleeves were rolled to the elbow, and his hands were stained with grease. A large monkey wrench stuck out of his back pocket. “Hello, all,” he said in a cheery voice. He was obviously one of those people who loved mornings. But that was probably a requirement for all farmers.
    Thomas bustled around the kitchen busily, fixing himself a cup of coffee. Then he pulled a list out of his pocket. Megan pushed her eyelids open wider. Farm work was great in theory, but the big breakfast had made her sleepy, and what she really wanted was to wander back to the cabin and take a postbreakfast nap.
    Thomas leaned back against the counter and perused his list with relish. “So, this morning, we’re going to have Robert and Isaac feeding and watering Samson, throwing hay to the sheep, feeding the pigs and mucking the pigsty, and collecting eggs.” He looked at the boys. “You boys will have to take the hay to the sheep in the truck. You know how to drive a stick?”
    Robert nodded.
    “Megan, Anna, and Jordan will do the horse barn.”
    “Okay,” Megan said. She glanced at Anna, who preened as if she herself had made the assignment.
    “Feed, dump and scrub water buckets, strip the stalls, scrub, and put down fresh shavings,” Thomas told them. “Also, please groom both horses and the donkey. Check their feet, turn them out, and sweep the barn aisle and the feed room. Throw downtwo flakes of hay to each horse, one for the donkey. This will take you up to lunchtime, if you’re doing it thoroughly.” He looked at his niece. “Anna will show you where everything is. She’s done the job a few times.”
    “A few!” Anna rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. “Try a hundred. You’re such a slave driver, Uncle Thomas.”
    He laughed. “Dave and I will be out harrowing the oats most of the morning. I’ll come by to check on you all, see if you have any questions.” He waved at them as he headed back outside.
    There was a general scraping and chattering as everyone pushed back their chairs and carried their dishes to the sink. “I’ve got dishes,” Sarah said.
    “You guys want to walk over together?” Jordan asked.
    Megan felt almost blinded by his gaze as he smiled at them. She tried to reply, but her throat was suddenly dry. She coughed. “Sure,” she managed.
    “Great.” Once again, he met her eyes square on. Heat zinged through Megan’s belly. She cut her eyes away fast and turned to the table, stacking up random silverware, just to give her hands something to do. She prayed Anna hadn’t noticed the moment.
    But her friend was beaming up at Jordan. “Of course we can walk together,” she simpered. She didn’t take his arm as they all clattered down the porch steps, but she might as well have.
    The air outside smelled freshly scrubbed. As they passed the garden, the pumpkin vines and tomato stakes were silvered with moisture. A gentle mist lingered near the ground, hiding in the low places as if it were reluctant to leave, despite the steadilybrightening sun. Megan felt like she’d never really seen any of these things before, like she had super-vision now that she was on the farm and could notice things like the tiny balls of dew on the grass. She watched a finch hop up to a puddle and hesitate at the edge, like a tiny diver,