Blood From a Stone (46 page)

T
he
cabb
i
e
chuc
k
l
ed
g
ood
-
na
t
u
r
ed
l
y and
shook h
i
s head.
“
L
uc
k
y bas
t
a
r
d,”
he
w
h
i
spe
r
ed under
h
i
s
b
r
ea
t
h as
he bac
k
ed up out
of
t
he d
ri
v
e
w
ay
and pu
ll
ed s
l
o
w
l
y
a
w
a
y
.

S
asha
and
t
he
i
r
new
f
u
rr
y cha
r
g
e
f
o
ll
o
w
ed
t
hem
t
o
t
he door
and
a
second
l
a
t
er
t
hey
w
e
r
e
i
ns
i
de
t
he
w
e
l
co
m
e
w
a
r
m
t
h of
W
ill
o
w
’
s
house.

W
ill
ow
fli
c
k
ed
on
t
he
li
g
h
t
s
and
t
ook o
f
f
her
coa
t
, o
ff
e
ri
ng
t
o
t
a
k
e
S
a
m
son
’
s
as
he
b
r
ushed
b
y
.
S
asha
l
oo
k
ed
at her
and
shook her
head
w
hen she he
l
d out
her o
t
her
hand and sa
i
d,
“
N
o
t
han
k
s…
I
’
m
k
eep
i
ng
it
!
I
‘
m
fr
ee
z
i
n
g
.”
S
he
s
m
il
ed and
headed
t
o
w
a
r
d
t
he
k
it
chen.
“
P
l
ease
p
l
ay
a
r
son
is
t
and
g
et us
a n
i
ce
fir
e
g
o
i
n
g
?”

W
ill
ow
nodded.

S
a
m
son
r
e
m
o
v
ed
h
i
s
coat
and handed
i
t
t
o her
wai
t
ing hands
as
he
l
oo
k
ed
a
r
ound
t
he
co
z
y
littl
e
house.
I
t
w
as
not
o
v
erl
y
l
a
r
g
e and
w
as
n
i
ce
l
y deco
r
a
t
ed
w
it
h
an
o
v
e
r
s
t
u
ff
ed
couch
and
t
w
o cha
i
se
cha
ir
s
w
it
h
o
tt
o
m
ans
i
n
fr
ont
of
a hu
g
e en
te
r
t
a
i
n
m
ent cen
t
er
and
l
a
r
g
e sc
r
een
t
v
.
T
he
fir
ep
l
ace
w
as
on one
w
a
l
l
and
t
w
o
or
t
h
r
ee
boo
k
she
l
v
es
fill
ed
w
it
h
v
a
ri
ous boo
k
s,
k
n
i
c
k
-
k
nac
k
s
and
o
t
her
it
e
m
s.
T
he
r
e
w
as
a
s
m
a
l
l
d
i
n
i
ng a
r
ea
w
it
h
an oak
t
ab
l
e
and
cha
ir
s
t
hat
w
as
ri
g
ht
next
t
o
a
k
it
c
h
en
t
hat
had an open
w
a
l
l
w
it
h a coun
t
er
and s
t
oo
l
s.

W
ill
ow
hung
t
he
coa
t
s
i
n
t
he
c
l
oset
and headed ac
ro
ss
t
he
li
v
i
ng
r
oom
t
o
t
he
fir
ep
l
ace
w
he
r
e
she
g
r
abbed
so
m
e
k
i
n
d
li
n
g
,
a
f
ew
ne
w
spape
r
s
and coup
l
e
of
s
m
a
l
l
w
e
l
l
-
seasoned
l
o
g
s
out
of
a
l
a
r
g
e
bas
k
e
t
.
W
it
h
i
n
a
m
i
nu
t
e
or
t
w
o
she had s
t
a
rt
ed
t
he
fir
e
li
k
e
a
p
r
o
and
i
t
w
as
c
r
ac
k
li
ng
w
ar
m
l
y
i
n
no
ti
m
e.

S
he
t
u
r
ned a
r
ound
t
o h
i
m
, s
m
ili
ng
and sh
r
u
gg
ed.

“We
l
l
t
hat
shou
l
d
he
l
p.
I
g
uess
I
’
d
be
tt
er
sober
up, a
lt
hou
g
h 
t
hat
fr
ee
z
i
ng
co
l
d  p
r
e
tt
y
m
uch
d
i
d
t
he
tr
i
c
k
!
I
’
m so
rr
y
I
f
e
l
l
as
l
eep
on
t
he
ri
de.
A
n
y
w
a
y
…do
y
ou
w
ant so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
w
a
r
m
t
o
d
ri
n
k
?
O
r
a
r
e
y
ou
hun
g
r
y
?
I
’
m a
l
w
a
y
s s
t
a
r
v
i
ng
a
ft
er
be
i
ng
ou
t
.”