Page 31 of The Truth

Until finally word came—twohealthy babies, one boy and one girl. Waiting for their daddy to come meet them.

She would never forget the love in Gunn’s brother’s eyes as they wheeled him past her.

But everyone was going to beokay.And that was what mattered most.

22

Dinah drovedown the winding driveway toward the Hiller Ranch. This barbecue was the biggest event in Value all year. She’d attended the last three years in a row. Last year there had been almost two hundred people there, including most of the people who attended the Church. The parking area in the field was packed—trucks, cars, even a few four-wheelers. Everyone came to the annual spring barbecue at the Hiller Ranch. She looked forward to it every spring.

Even her parents made sure to go, since Reverend Hiller… her father and mother were devoted to the Hope Life movement, after all. Just not… the Hope Life interpretation that some churches practiced.

They were True Hope Lifers, part of thesecretmovement, using the regular Hope Lifers as a way to hide themselves while they did the true work of the Lord. Her father spoke about their purpose all the time. Said they werethe calledto lead the chosen tothe truth.

Dinah’s calling was simply to find a husband who followed the same teachings and have as many children as she possibly could to pass the teachings on to someday. At twenty-seven, shewas her father’s biggest disappointment, his failure. She had yet to do this one thing, though she had come close once.

Her fiancé had been one of the men arrested in Nebraska. He’d died in prison over a year ago. It still broke her heart to think about Enoch and what had happened to him.

The charges had all beenlies.Enoch would never have hurt anyone like that. He just wouldn’t have. He had beengodly.He would not have done those horrible things—the federal government had framed him, had lied. She’d go to her grave believing that.

But she had grieved for him long enough. Her father had made it very clear of that. She needed to find a husband now. Her time was running out, especially if she was to have children someday. She wanted that more than anything. The only way that was going to happen was by going to the places where members of their church went. Her father said… True Hope Life only. She was never to date an outside sinner. Her father would beat her to death if she did. She fully believed that.

She could hear people everywhere. See them, too. Little children were running around, screaming and happy. It made her want to smile. She didn’t remember ever really being allowed to be free like that. Except maybe occasionally with other children in the True Hope Life Church, maybe? She couldn’t really recall.

Gunn Hiller wasn’t hard to find.

She walked around the crowd as she thought about her father’s words that morning. She… had to find her brother and his friends. Hezekiah had said… his friend Jeremiah was serious. About her.

And that was what her father had wanted to hear.

Jeremiah had been there that day, too. With Enoch and Hezekiah. In Nebraska. When Father Rei had been killed, when everything had just gone so horriblywrong.

The FBI had asked Dinah so many questions—like if her parents were herrealparents, and had she always lived with them. And… how old Judah was, and where her father was. About things Judah may have known about.

Their mama had lied that day, said she was widowed. Then, after keeping them for hours, they had let her and her mama and Judah leave. SayingJudahwasn’t the man they were looking for. That he was too young.

But… in her heart, Dinah knew thatJudahwas. Father Rei always had Judah do things for him. He just had.

She… didn’t want to marry Jeremiah. She just didn’t. He was ten years older than she was, and… he scared her. The way he looked at her, the way he touched her when her father and brothers weren’t nearby—no, she didn’t want to marry Jeremiah Holmes.

Dinah didn’t know what to do now. She just didn’t.

23

Today wasa day of many things. For one thing, it was her sister’s thirtieth birthday.Thirty.Aubrey was so old now—Ayla had been teasing her all morning. Aubrey had been captured by the Gorgeous Guthrie the instant they had parked the car. Ayla had to admit the man was getting extra hot where her sister was concerned.

She hoped he was serious and Aubrey was serious—she knew Aubrey was seriously confused by him right now. There was that.

Now that Aubrey had been dragged off to do wicked, wicked things with Greer’s beautiful big brother, that meant… Ayla was being Ayla-sat—she wasn’t naive here—by Gunn. Well, he had been waiting for her, just like she had suspected he would.

He seemed to have assigned himself to her. Which, she was totally okay with that. He made her laugh, he made her feel safe, and the man gave her those tingly butterflies from her head to her toes.

But what todoabout it next… no clue.

“You are being quiet,” a voice said beside her. She turned.Hewas there. Looking beautiful and perfect in a soft flannel shirt that made her want to touch. “You okay?”

“Just contemplating… things. There are a lot of people here.” And she didn’t see Aubrey or Greeranywhere.She’d admit it, that made her nervous. Maybe she was being a big wheenie here. But… Ayla had never liked big crowds. She just hadn’t.

“I know. Mom loves doing this. Thankfully, she just does it once a year. It started off as my great-grandparents’ anniversary. Now that they are gone… it’s tradition.”

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