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belonged to Ben. She felt a twinge of excitement upon hearing it.
    â€œI think James must be at a meeting with Otto. I get cold without him in the bed.”
    Ben nodded. “I’m the same way.”
    She didn’t ask why Eugenia wouldn’t be in his bed, but she wondered nonetheless.
    â€œNice night,” he said after a few moments.
    â€œIt is.”
    â€œYou reckon James will be back soon?”
    She blushed. “It’s hard to say.”
    â€œOtto don’t ask me to those meetings, but I figure they’re pretty serious and all.”
    She nodded and then remembered the darkness and said, “Yes. James never speaks of them.”
    â€œShame about that man, G.L.”
    â€œYes. I thought that was cruel.”
    â€œHe wasn’t right,” Ben said, “but that don’t mean he was wrong necessarily. You follow me?”
    She did. “I think he was harmless.”
    â€œHow do you reckon he knew about that shelter?”
    â€œWell, he said he’d lived here before.”
    Ben was quiet. “See, that’s the thing I keep trying to figure. When we found this place, it didn’t look like anybody had ever been here before. But that shelter. . . . Did you get a look at it? There was concrete and iron. Now, who would have brought that way out here?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    â€œMe neither. But I been thinking on it real hard.”
    â€œMaybe,” she said, after a long silence had passed, “it belonged to some other race, some ancient people that lived here a very long time ago.”
    He laughed. “Sounds like foolishness to me. You better not let Otto hear you talking like that. Or your husband.” He whistled. “They wouldn’t like it one bit.”
    â€œWhat are they going to do? Punch me?”
    Ben laughed. “You know why I like you, Trudy?”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œYou got more balls than any man in Broken Branch.”
    She grinned, thankful now for the darkness, so he couldn’t see how much this pleased her.
    â€œI’ll bid you good night now,” she said.
    â€œAw, I didn’t mean to insult you, Trudy . . . I just—”
    â€œGood night,” she said and went inside, still smiling.

15
    James shook her awake gently. She rolled over, pretending to be asleep. He wouldn’t be wanting her body, so why else would he wake her? She found that she didn’t really want to know.
    He shook her again. “That boy run off,” he said.
    She sat up. “Boy?”
    â€œYeah, Simpson. He’s gone. Otto found his bed empty. He left a note. Said he was leaving because he thought another storm was coming and didn’t want to die with the rest of us.”
    â€œThat doesn’t sound like Simpson,” she said and instantly regretted it.
    â€œWhat do you know what Simpson sounds like?” he said quickly. “He was a sinner. Probably better for us all with him gone. Sometimes the real strength comes when you get rid of the chaff,” he said, but Trudy was barely listening. Instead, she was thinking a single thought over and over again:
Good for Simpson.

16
    Trudy had expected a gathering the next morning, but there was none. Her only glimpse of Otto was brief, and the man seemed focused solely on getting the others out to the meadow to continue work on the church.
    She waited for someone to speak of Simpson, but no one said a word.
    At lunch, James ate in silence, and Trudy was fine with that.
    That evening, another storm blew through the woods. It was violent but brief. James stood from the dinner table and said he and Otto would be heading over to make sure the church was okay.
    Trudy said nothing, but she was secretly thankful to see him go.
    â€œMomma?”
    She turned and saw Rodney standing in his nightshirt.
    â€œYes, baby?”
    â€œWhy doesn’t Daddy love me?”
    Jesus,
Trudy thought.
Where is this coming from?
    â€œHe