Blood From a Stone (254 page)
Read Blood From a Stone Online
Authors: Cynthia Lucas
S
he
nodded,
her
e
y
es
m
i
s
t
y
w
it
h
unshed
t
ea
r
s
as
he
r
o
ll
ed
o
v
er
on
t
o
h
i
s
s
i
de
and
l
ay next
t
o
he
r
,
occ
a
s
i
ona
ll
y
tr
ac
i
ng
t
he
cu
r
v
es
of
her
body
w
it
h
h
i
s
fi
n
g
e
r
s,
a
n
d
t
as
t
i
ng each p
l
ace
t
he
y
’
d been
w
it
h h
i
s
li
ps.
S
he
p
r
opped
he
r
se
l
f
up
on
an
e
l
bow
and
l
oo
k
ed
h
i
m
i
n
t
he
e
y
e.
“
Y
ou
k
no
w
….
m
a
y
be
w
e
w
il
l
do
a
l
l
t
hose
t
h
i
n
g
s. I am
not
g
i
v
i
ng
up and
y
ou
’r
e not
e
it
he
r
.”
“
A
lri
g
ht
Ms.
C
ap
ri
co
r
n.
S
t
ubbo
r
n
g
oa
t
,
” he s
m
il
ed. “
I
’
d
de
fi
n
it
e
l
y say
it’
s
not
o
v
e
r
….and ne
it
her
i
s
t
h
i
s
n
i
g
h
t
.
N
ot by a
l
ong sho
t
.”
H
i
s
t
u
r
quo
i
se
e
y
es
spa
r
k
l
ed
w
it
h
d
e
v
i
l
i
sh cha
r
m
.
S
he
s
m
il
ed
as
h
i
s
li
ps
cap
t
u
r
ed
he
r
s
a
nd he
pu
ll
ed her
i
n,
c
r
ush
i
ng her
i
n
t
he
w
a
r
m
t
h of
h
i
s
a
r
m
s
and bod
y
.
H
e
tr
aced e
v
e
r
y
cu
r
v
e
of
her
w
it
h
h
i
s
hands
and
h
i
s
v
e
l
v
e
t
y
t
on
g
ue,
and she
i
n
r
e
t
u
r
n,
as
t
hey be
g
an
a
con
ti
nued
exp
l
o
r
a
ti
on
of
t
he
i
r senses
t
hat
w
ou
l
d
g
o on
i
n
t
o
t
he
w
ee hou
r
s of
t
he
m
o
r
n
i
n
g
, un
ti
l
t
hey
l
ay da
m
p
w
it
h
s
w
ea
t
,
and
exh
il
a
r
a
t
ed
i
n
t
he a
f
t
e
r
g
l
ow
of
t
he
i
r
l
o
v
e.
C
H
AP
T
E
R
T
W
EN
T
Y
-SI
X
T
he
r
est
of
t
he
w
eek
fl
ew
by
i
n
a
w
h
irl
w
i
nd
as
t
hey en
j
o
y
ed
qu
i
et
d
i
nne
r
s,
w
a
l
k
s
a
l
ong
t
he
bay and
trip
s
out
i
n
t
o
t
he
coun
tr
y s
i
de
t
o
exp
l
o
r
e
t
he
m
any cas
t
es,
h
i
s
t
o
ri
cal
l
and
m
a
r
k
s,
anc
i
ent
r
u
i
ns,
S
t
onehen
g
e
and
t
he
v
a
r
i
ed
l
andscapes
a
l
l
a
r
ound of
h
ill
s,
v
a
ll
e
y
s
and
m
oun
t
a
i
ns
near
t
he
N
a
ti
onal
P
a
r
k
.
T
hey dec
i
ded
t
o
s
t
ay
t
w
o
ex
tr
a
da
y
s
af
t
er
W
i
l
l
ow
f
ound
a
g
r
eat
deal
on
cheap
r
e
t
u
r
n
fli
g
h
t
s
and
on
t
he
l
ast
day of
t
he
i
r
tri
p,
S
a
m
son
r
en
t
ed
a
car
and
t
hey headed
out
i
n
t
o
t
he coun
tr
y
s
i
de
a
l
ong a
w
i
nd
i
ng
r
oad
bo
r
de
r
ed
on
each
s
i
de
by open
fi
e
l
ds, b
l
an
k
e
t
ed
i
n a
li
g
ht
coat
of
sno
w
.
T
hey d
r
o
v
e
a
l
ong
t
he
r
u
r
al
r
ou
t
e
f
or
s
o
m
e
ti
m
e b
e
f
o
r
e he
fi
na
ll
y ca
m
e
t
o
a
s
t
op
at
t
he
peak of
a
l
a
r
g
e
h
i
ll
.
O
ut
ac
r
oss
t
he
fi
e
l
d
on
t
he
i
r
ri
g
ht
s
t
ood
a
ba
r
n,
t
w
o
ponds
t
h
at
w
e
r
e
fr
o
z
en
o
v
er
and
a
b
r
ea
t
h
t
a
k
i
ng
v
i
ew
of
t
he
B
l
ack
M
o
un
t
a
i
ns o
f
f
i
n
t
he d
i
s
t
ance.
S
a
m
son
g
ot
out
and opened her
doo
r
, of
f
e
ri
ng
h
i
s hand as
she s
t
epped ou
t
.
“Whe
r
e a
r
e
w
e?” she sa
i
d. “
I
t’
s beau
t
i
f
u
l
.”
“
Y
ou
sa
i
d
y
ou
w
an
t
ed
t
o
see
w
he
r
e
t
h
i
s
a
l
l
s
t
a
r
t
ed.”
H
e
po
i
n
t
ed
t
o
a
l
a
r
g
e
h
il
l
t
hat
pee
k
ed
up
fr
om b
e
h
i
nd
a
w
ooded
a
r
ea
p
r
obab
l
y
a
g
ood
t
h
r
ee
or
f
our
m
il
es
fr
om
w
he
r
e
t
hey
s
t
ood.
“
T
hat
i
s
w
he
r
e
m
y
s
t
o
r
y
be
g
an,”
he
said
so
ftl
y
.
“I
w
as bo
r
n
he
r
e
i
n
t
hose
h
ill
s.
T
he
r
u
i
ns of
w
ha
t’
s
l
e
f
t
of
t
he es
t
a
t
e a
r
e
back
t
he
r
e…but
ti
m
e…
m
a
y
be
l
ocal
s
k
ir
m
i
shes
and
w
ho
k
no
w
s
w
hat
e
l
se
t
ook
t
he
i
r
t
o
l
l
and
on
l
y a
r
e
m
nant
of
w
hat
i
t
w
as
s
til
l
s
t
ands.
My
pa
r
en
t
s
a
r
e
l
a
i
d
t
o
r
est
c
l
ose
by
I
‘
m su
r
e,
t
hou
g
h
i
t
w
ou
l
d be d
iffi
cu
lt
,
i
f e
v
en poss
i
b
l
e at
all
,
t
o
l
oca
t
e
t
he
i
r
g
r
a
v
e
m
a
r
k
e
r
s
a
ft
er
a
l
l
t
hese
cen
t
u
ri
es
out
i
n
t
he
open
a
i
r
and e
l
e
m
en
t
s.”
