They climb the steps.  Sam is right behind her.  “Bart a relative of yours?” he asks in a low voice.

“No,” Megan says, turning back a little.  “I was hitchhiking out on 75 and he picked me up.”

When she comes to the door, she notices that Bud is back along the bottom of the steps, his arms no longer crossed.  He twists his hands together.  “So you never met him until today?”