I don’t say it, but I wouldn’t go south anyway. Not for any reason. The Holy Compound is down that way, andthe Holy Rollers have been known to snatch up women alone and trap them until they submit to being elders’ wives.
It was less than two months ago that one had snuck into this area to grab that woman I saved with her son on the road.
I wouldn’t want to be anywhere close to their compound.
A woman might be taken there and never get out.
I sit up abruptly, my heartbeat jumping into a gallop.
“What is it?” Lilah asks, sitting up too but more slowly.
I open my mouth. Shut it again. Shake my head. The idea is too new. Too unformed. It would raise hopes and put things into motion that might end up crushing Micah again.
I’m not going to do that to him. Not until I know more.
If this was a truly good idea, someone else would have thought of it before.
“Nothing. Sorry. Just a weird start.”
Lilah doesn’t look like she believes me. “Are you sure? It looked like you were hit by a freight train.”
“It kind of felt that way, but I’ve got to talk to Micah first.”
“Okay.” She looks like she’s going to say more, but her eyes move to the cabin. Deck and Micah are coming our way.
“Why does Kat look tense?” Micah asks, frowning atLilah. “You haven’t been interrogating her or being pushy, have you?”
“No, I haven’t!”
“She hasn’t,” I add to Lilah’s denial. “In fact, if anything, I’ve been interrogating her.”
“Oh. Well, that’s okay then.” He extends a hand to help me to my feet. Then he pulls me into a soft hug. “I missed you.”
I laugh as I pull away. “You were inside exactly twenty minutes.”
“That’s too long, as far as I’m concerned.”
That evening,Micah and I have sex before bed—just simple, satisfying missionary because it’s been a long day and I’m still distracted by the thought that occurred to me this afternoon.
Maybe… maybe… Could it be possible?
Afterward, Micah holds me against him and strokes my hair and back. After a few minutes, he murmurs, “Aren’t you ever going to tell me what it is?”
“Whatwhatis?”
“You know what. Whatever got to you this afternoon when you were talking to Lilah. Did she upset you? Make you skittish about me?”
“No! No, nothing like that.” I’ve thought and thought and thought, and I’m simply not going to crush Micahagain by offering him hope that might not pan out. So I say slowly, “I was… I was asking her about what happened with Burgundy.”
He tenses briefly before he relaxes. “Oh.”
“I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have pried, since you haven’t wanted to tell me much.”
“It’s… it’s okay. It’s not that I don’t want you knowing details. It’s just that it’s… it’s really hard for me to talk about.”
“I know it is.”
I nestle against his big, warm body, and he tightens his arms like he needs to comfort.
