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their good wishes.
    Once everyone had been seated around the table, with plates filled and thanks given for their meal, the conversation turned to the upcoming election. Thomas offered to help if there was anything he could do to assist Moses with his campaign.
    Before her husband could reply, Truth scooted to the edge of her chair and leaned forward. She wanted to make eye contact with her brother-in-law when she told him exactly how he could help. By the time Truth had articulated her plan, both Thomas and Jarena were visibly bewildered. They looked, in fact, utterly astonished that Truth had asked them to leave their own home and move to town—into her house.
    She could not understand their reluctance. The home she and Moses had built was nearly new, and it simply should not sit empty and deteriorate while they were gone. To have some unknown family move in was out of the question. Thomas would still be able to maintain his farm; his acreage wasn’t far from town.
    Jarena clamped an unrelenting gaze upon Truth. “I see. If you must endure a scrap of unhappiness in your life, you want to be certain we all suffer with you.”
    How could Jarena say such a thing? Truth was offering a very nice home! Much nicer than the soddy Jarena and Thomas lived in on their land. She couldn’t let her sister’s remark go unchallenged. With the confidence of a skilled debater, she reminded her that they had all expressed their desire for Moses to serve as a state official and had avowed the importance of his election. If they had been declaring the truth, surely they should be willing—even want—to sacrifice on his behalf.
    Though she’d expected them to intervene, her father and Moses remained surprisingly silent throughout her exchange with Thomas and Jarena. She could only assume they agreed with her stance. Empowered by that belief, Truth continued. Perhaps knowing Jarena was caring for her house would dispel her fears over being uprooted.
    As her argument drew to a close, she focused on Grace. “Also, I want Grace to accompany us to Topeka and stay with me until after the baby is born.”
    Her second appeal was met with immediate arguments from both Silas and her father. Once again, Truth waged a remarkable debate against her family. Grace remained silent, seemingly thunderstruck by her sister’s request. Finally, Moses clanged his spoon on the table and pointed out that Grace might wish to offer an opinion in the matter.
    Grace’s big eyes flitted from Silas to Truth to her father. “Unless you divide me in thirds, I don’t see how I can make all of you happy. How am I supposed to decide? If I make one person happy, the other two will be unhappy.”
    Ezekiel leaned forward, obviously prepared to take command. “I’s gonna be lots happier if you stays in Nicodemus.”
    Truth frowned at her father. Hadn’t he been one of Moses’s strongest advocates, pushing her husband to accept Governor St. John’s appointment as the Graham County clerk, encouraging him to represent the Republican Party at the state convention, lauding the fact that his name would be on the ballot for state auditor? Was it truly so difficult for all of them to understand Truth’s concerns, her desperate need to have family around her if she had to move to Topeka?
    My father is willing to see others take a risk or change their lives in order to serve a noble cause, but only if such change comes at no expense to him . And as her fears continued to escalate, she politely pointed out that fact. Her comment only served to escalate the argument to another level until Moses reminded them that the family might not be together for Sunday dinners much longer. He suggested they enjoy their coffee and dessert in a more peaceable fashion.
    Though all of them complied, the remainder of the meal was strained. Truth was glad when the meal ended and the women retreated to the kitchen by themselves. There was little doubt she needed to reinforce her arguments to