Wolf Creek Widow. Penny Richards

      “We always have a big garden and I have an orchard,” Nita told her. “What I don’t can or dry for winter, we sell to Gabe at the mercantile. Some of the people in town who don’t garden depend on us for fresh fruit and vegetables. A while back, he traded out some work with Caleb Gentry for a hog, and we’ll slaughter it when it turns cold. With our other smoked meat, we’re pretty much set for winter.”

      Meg couldn’t imagine being so well prepared.

      “Ace keeps a lot of needy folks in food, too,” Nita added, almost as an afterthought.

      That bit of news was not surprising. Meg offered the older woman a wan smile. “I know. When I saw the basket with the dried beans yesterday, I figured out that I’m one of them. Thank you.”

      Nita laughed. “Several people suspect he’s the one, but no one knows for sure. He never brags on what he does. I know I sound like a boastful mother, but he’s a good man, and he’s been through a lot, like you.”

      Meg supposed Nita was talking about Ace’s two prison stints. Meg had never thought about the two of them having anything in common, but now that it had been pointed out, she could see similarities in their pasts. She wondered what prison was like and what sort of things he had suffered there. More important, she wondered how he’d come away from the experience with his faith, peace and decency intact.