"Your mama is a very smart lady," Samantha said. Molly skipped along the road ahead of her and Jackie, the forest thinning out gradually to reveal a clearing. A cabin like the one where Rebecca and Molly Brigham had lived stood in one corner with a field of wheat growing nearby.
At the sight of the house, Molly broke into a run. "Mama, mama, guess what?" she called out. "Aunt Samantha is here!"
Prudence appeared on the front steps of the cabin looking even more pregnant than Samantha. As in her days as a fat child, she wore a plain gray dress with her stomach pressing against the fabric. Her face looked older than her years with lines at the corner of her mouth and eyes and silver hairs standing out from the auburn ones at her temples.
She came forward to embrace Samantha in an awkward hug. "It's good to see you again," she said. "I wasn't sure when you were coming or I would have met you at the beach."
"It's all right. Your daughter showed us the way."
Prudence strained to pick up a fidgeting Molly. She examined the girl's hair and then frowned. "You've been playing in the forest again, haven't you?"
"Yes, Mama."
"That's very naughty, Molly. You know what I said would happen if you did it again, don't you?"
Molly began to cry. "You can't cut all my hair off. The other kids will laugh at me."
"We'll talk about this later. Right now I need you to go find your father and tell him Aunt Samantha is here. We'll meet you in the park. Can you do that?"
"Yes, Mama." Prudence set Molly on the ground and the girl scampered off in the direction of the town.
"She can be quite a handful. Who's this? What's your name, sweetheart?"
"Jackie."
"That's a pretty name. I'm your aunt Prudence. I grew up with your mommy here." Jackie nodded at this. "Where's Joseph at? Didn't he make the trip?"
"He's in the middle of a project right now. Something very top secret and hush-hush. He can't even tell me what it is," Samantha said. "He really did want to come."
"It's all right. Where is he working now?"
"At Los Alamos in New Mexico," Samantha said. "Not too far from my old stomping grounds."
"So it's kind of a homecoming for you," Prudence said.
"You could say that." Prudence led them onto another path, this one composed entirely of crushed granite. "It brings back a lot of old memories. Kind of like this."
"What are you up to these days?"
"Since Joe started at Los Alamos I've been working with some businesses in Albuquerque to start the Pryde Foundation for abused children. Once I get my degree next year I'll be able to do more hands-on work with the children instead of just fundraising."