“Is that right, Charley?” John Edwards asked. “What could that be?”

Charley turned toward the Quintanas, who were standing uncertainly by his trucks. “I brought you somebody you’ve been wanting to meet. Come with me.”

The two men strode across the lawn to the waiting family. “Pastor Jack, this is Mr. Manuel Quintana and his family from L.A. This is Cathy, Miguel, Ricardo, and Juan. These folks are getting to be kinda famous, you know. They’re the ones the army found sitting on a mountaintop after the meteor hit. They spent last night at my place, and I’ve been twisting Manuel’s arm to come up here and give you a hand. He’s a certified broadcast engineer. Until two days ago, he was in charge of engineering at a TV station in L.A. You may have to persuade him, Jack, but I think he may be the one you’ve been looking for.”

John Edwards extended his hand and smiled broadly. “You folks are an answer to prayer. The Lord must have a very special plan for you all, to bring you out of that inferno alive and looking so fit.”

He reached over and grabbed Miguel, the oldest son, by the shoulder, then drew all three boys together in his arms. “You fellows are very, very special. Do you know that?” They nodded, looking up into John Edwards’s shining eyes. “You are all very welcome here, my friends. Welcome to my ranch, and welcome to what I believe God has called us to do in the wake of this week’s disaster.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Manuel. “We were so lucky to meet Mr. McAtee and Mr. Busby last night. The boys couldn’t believe it. They got to shoot baskets with one of their all-time favorite Lakers stars this morning. But really, our heads are swimming from all that’s been going on the last couple of days.”

Just then, Carl and Lori Throneberry came out of the house and walked across the driveway toward the group. They were wearing well-worn jeans, cowboy boots, and work shirts that John Edwards had come up with, and they looked more like a couple of ranch hands than displaced Angelinos.

Lori threw her arms around Charley’s waist, and Carl walked over and gave Dave Busby a bear hug. “What’s going on, Charley?” Carl asked. “Looks like you’ve brought some more homeless wanderers our way!” He and Lori introduced themselves to the Quintanas and made a mental note of the names and ages of each of the boys.