Read Never Let You Go for Free Online

have someone this summer.” She squeezed Megan’s hand. “You look gorgeous. Your hair is perfect like that. I mean it.”
    Megan smiled reluctantly. “Stop.” But her voice lacked conviction, and Anna laughed as if she knew she’d won. She wrapped her arm around Megan’s waist, and matching their footsteps, they went down the path together.

CHAPTER 3
    In the side yard, the long picnic table was spread with a blue-striped tablecloth, which was anchored at each end with a large stone. Plates and yellow cloth napkins were stacked at one end, silverware in mason jars at the other. In the middle was a giant pitcher of iced tea, sweating moisture, and a cluster of tall glasses. The leaves on the big oaks rustled coolly, throwing their flickering green light over everything. The scene looked like some illustration of Classic American Farm Life, Megan thought. Subdivisions, four-lane highways, SuperTarget, and Starbucks felt very far away. It was nice. She was ready to be out of her old life for a while. It wasn’t like there was anything particularly great back in suburban Cleveland.
    As they walked up, Sarah came out of the kitchen with a big wooden bowl of salad. She had uncombed her braids, and her long, wavy hair hung down her back. Megan thought she lookedbeautiful. Sarah handed the salad to Linda, who was arranging items on the table. Dave, now clad in a shockingly bright red T-shirt, sat by himself on one of the benches, drinking a glass of tea and looking like he’d rather be back on his tractor. Thomas stood talking to two guys who were about Anna and Megan’s age.
    Megan stiffened at the sight of them and Anna nudged her in the ribs. “There! One of those is yours. Probably the bigger one.”
    “Nooo!” Megan hissed. The situation felt familiar. Anna was always picking out guys for Megan, but after a few minutes, it was usually clear that they preferred Anna instead. Anna would gracefully let it drop that she had a boyfriend, and then Megan would steel herself for the look of reluctance on the guys’ faces as they turned to her, the second choice. Always the second choice.
    “I don’t see Jordan,” Anna said anxiously just as Thomas waved them over.
    “Girls!” he called. “Meet Robert and Isaac, the other summer hands. I’m sure you’ll all enjoy working together.”
    “Hey.” The guys nodded. Robert was hulking, with hands like softball mitts and a sheaf of blond hair falling over his forehead, while Isaac was thinner, with heavy dark eyebrows and a brooding expression.
    “Thomas!” Linda called. “Can you light the bug candles?”
    Thomas walked away, and they all stood around in awkward silence for a minute. Megan crossed her arms in front of her chest, then uncrossed them, then clasped her hands behind her back. She wondered if her dress really did look like a granny dress. Come on, Anna, say something. It was like every partythey’d ever been to. She was hiding behind Anna, as usual.
    “So, have you guys ever worked on a farm before?” Anna asked, smiling easily.
    “Hell, no,” Robert answered. He had a big grin with lots of white teeth. “I never even had a pet. How about you? You ever worked on a farm?”
    She rolled her eyes a little playfully. “Only, like, every summer since I was ten. This farm. But Megan’s never been here before.”
    Megan jumped as Anna poked her in the side. “Um, yeah. I’m new too.” New too? How very Dr. Seuss of you, Megan.
    “Nice!” Robert’s gaze fixed on Anna as if nailed there. “Isaac and me are freshmen at OSU. Our horticulture prof told us about this job. I worked construction last summer, so anything’s better than that.”
    “Oh, Megan, you love horticulture, don’t you?” Anna burbled.
    Megan glared at her. Robert looked from one girl to the other as if trying to decode something.
    “How about you?” Megan asked Isaac hurriedly. “Do you know anything about farms?”
    He regarded her. “I’ve worked at the garden center some