They went inside and Pieter sank onto a kitchen chair as if his legs could no longer hold him. “I must have walked a hundred miles to get here,” he said. “It was so late when I arrived that I didn’t want to come into the house and frighten you, so I slept in the barn.”

“Are you hungry? We don’t have much, but I’m sure I can find something. I gave almost everything to the shadow people.”

“Is there any milk? I would love a glass of milk.” Lena poured him one and watched him guzzle it down. Her tears of joy were still falling. “Best milk I ever had,” he said.

“Oh, Papa!” Bep laughed. “It’s just milk!” She tugged his hand, dancing with delight until he lifted her to his knee and kissed her forehead. He gazed at Bep for a long moment, then looked up at Lena.

“Any word . . . ?” He was asking about Bep’s parents. Lena shook her head. “And Ans?” he asked. “Have you heard from her?”

A knot of sorrow choked Lena, making it impossible to reply. The news of Ans’s imprisonment had been difficult for her to hear, and she hated to spoil Pieter’s joy by sharing it. But she had to.

“Wolf told me she was arrested and sent to Vught . . .” She swallowed and reached for his hand. “And . . . the Nazis took Wim, too.”

The color drained from his face. “When?”

“Months ago. Wolf said they were grabbing men off the streets to dig trenches and build earthworks.”

“We’ll find them, Lena. If we have to spend the rest of our lives searching, we’ll bring them home.” He squeezed her hand, then released it.

They talked while Pieter ate the last of the watery bean soup Lena had warmed. He insisted that the stale rinds of bread —all that was left of the loaf —were the most delicious he’d ever tasted. Lena didn’t want to let Pieter out of her sight and neither did the girls, but she saw how weary he was. “You look as though you could use a bath and a shave and a long nap. I think we have hot water today.”

He pulled himself to his feet, leaning against the table, and gathered Lena in his arms again. “I love you,” he whispered. “I love you so much!”

After he’d bathed and changed his clothes, Pieter went into the barn to tend his cows while Lena looked for something to fix for their dinner. She was searching through the cupboard when she heard Pieter shouting, “Lena! Lena, come here! Quick!” She left the sack of withered apples on the kitchen table and hurried out to the barn. Pieter stood in the open doorway, pointing down the road. “Look! It’s Wim!”