Brenda fell asleep the minute she climbed into bed but it was a restless sleep filled with dreams of a home and family that no longer existed. She woke briefly and reached out but all she found was the extra pillow. She hugged it close and cried softly until she drifted back to sleep.

A few hours before dawn, Ellis entered the Lodge. He removed his boots in the hallway, then entered Brenda's room. He crept through the doorway in bare feet, trying to make as little noise as possible. He was relieved to hear her soft rhythmic breathing and hoped she was in a deep sleep.

In the moonlight streaming in from the skylight she looked so peaceful—and achingly beautiful with her hair spread out across the white pillows. He wanted to rip off the covers and finish what they'd started last night. But he was torn. She would have had time to think about what little he'd told her yesterday and he knew she was going to have questions he wasn't ready to answer. He decided not to wake her.