I threw it away. To show God I meant to cut all the ties to the past and to be happy here.”
“But you aren’t happy here,” Aaron said softly, looking up at her, his dark brown eyes filled with understanding far beyond his years. “You love us and you want to do what is right. But you aren’t happy.”
“Neither are you. We are all sad. It’s a sad time in our lives.”
Aaron shook his head. “I don’t mean Father’s dying. With you, it’s different.” He pursed his lips together. “Father always said I grew up a lot when I was with him at Crow Creek. He said I had a gift for understanding other people’s problems.” He looked down at the grass. “I think maybe Father was right.”
Gen put her arm around Aaron’s shoulders. “I know he was right. Someday you are going to make him very proud by doing wonderful things for other people.”
“Let me start with you.” He cleared his throat. Pushing himself away from her motherly embrace, he said, “We want you to go home where you belong. We’ll come visit. It’s not like we’re saying good-bye or anything. I’m going to the military academy next year. Uncle Elliot said he would help me get in. Meg loves her Aunt Jane. She’s going to be very happy tending her rose garden and living here with Grandmother. And Hope—”
“Hope would forget me,” Gen said, her voice breaking. She swallowed hard. “She’s too young to remember.”
“We won’t let her forget you,” Aaron said abruptly. “We’ll never let her forget.”
Suddenly Aaron grabbed Gen. He hugged her fiercely. “You belong in Minnesota with Two Stars. Father wanted you to go. And so do we.” When Gen said nothing, he asked to see the necklace Two Stars had sent and quickly slipped it over her head. “You always told me to do what God wants. I think God wants me to become a soldier so I can go west and help as an interpreter. Sometimes it scares me, but I’m going to do it.” He looked at her again, his dark eyes shining with courage and honesty far beyond his years. “It seems to me God has gone to a lot of trouble for you and Two Stars. How can you say no?”
When Gen still did not speak, Aaron said, “Will you at least think about it?”
She nodded. “But I don’t think I will be able to change my mind.”
“He’s happy, Gen. He’s with Mother. Why shouldn’t you be with Two Stars? You aren’t abandoning us. We like it here in New York. And we want you to be happy.” He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
Gen shook her head slowly and stood up. “Your father used to do that.” She rumpled Aaron’s hair. “Although he didn’t have nearly as much hair to mess up.” She smiled. “Walk me back to the house.”
“What are you going to do?” he demanded as they opened the iron cemetery gate and stepped onto the road.
“I can’t leave.”
He pulled the gate closed and offered his arm. “Do you remember telling me about the time you argued with your father about coming to our house to school?”
Gen nodded, slipping her hand beneath his arm, realizing that he was taller than she.
“Do you remember what you yelled at your father?”
She let out a little breath of frustration and looked away. She nodded.
Aaron said it for her. “You said, ‘I’m not going and you can’t make me!’ And you said you finally realized your father knew what was best for you, even though at the time you didn’t understand it.”
Gen put her hand on Aaron’s arm. “All right, Mr. Thirteen-going-on-thirty. I understand what you are trying to say. Now hush and walk me home.”
“I can’t,” Aaron said. “I can’t walk you all the way to Minnesota.”
Together, they made their way back to Leighton Hall.
He wasn’t ready. Brushing away the sweat running down his face with the back of his sleeve, Two Stars squinted toward a farm wagon coming up the road from the direction of Fort Ridgely.
“You expecting company?” Jeb Grant teased, tossing another ear of corn into the back of his wagon and staring toward the newcomer. He clucked his tongue. “Hoo-ee. Neighbors must know some hi-falutin’ people. That there’s a parasol. I ain’t seen one of them since Marjorie’s ma carried one to our weddin’ back east.” He wiped the palms of his hands on his backside and headed back into his stand of corn