Blood From a Stone (50 page)

“We
l
l
I
g
uess
I
w
il
l
g
o
g
et
so
m
e
b
l
an
k
e
t
s
f
or
a
l
l
o
f us.”
S
he
w
h
i
spe
r
ed
l
oud
l
y
,
“
T
a
k
e
o
f
f
y
our
boo
t
s! M
a
k
e
y
ou
r
se
l
f
co
m
f
o
rt
ab
l
e.”

S
he hoped he
w
ou
l
dn
’
t
t
a
k
e
i
t
as a cue
t
o
r
e
m
o
v
e a
n
y o
t
her
a
rti
c
l
es
of
c
l
o
t
h
i
n
g
.
N
ot
j
ust
because
she
d
i
dn
’
t
w
ant h
i
m
t
o
g
et
t
he
w
r
ong
i
dea
but
j
ust
as
m
uch
because
she
d
i
dn
’
t
w
ant
t
o
ad
m
i
t
t
o he
r
se
l
f
t
hat
she
w
as
ha
v
i
ng
so
m
e no
t
-
so
-
l
ad
y
-
li
k
e
i
deas
as
she
no
ti
ced
how
t
he
m
usc
l
es
i
n
h
i
s
w
i
de
back p
l
a
y
ed
a
g
a
i
nst
t
he
m
a
t
e
ri
al
of
h
i
s
sh
ir
t
and
how h
i
s
a
r
m
s
fill
ed
t
he
s
l
ee
v
es
co
m
p
l
e
t
e
l
y
.
S
he
d
i
dn
’
t
w
ant
t
o
a
l
l
ow h
er
se
l
f
t
o
i
m
a
g
i
ne
w
hat
he
l
oo
k
ed
li
k
e
out
of
t
he sh
ir
t
and
y
et
t
he
i
m
a
g
e
w
ou
l
d
not
s
t
op
popp
i
ng
i
n
t
o
her
m
i
nd
of
it
s
o
w
n
fr
e
e
w
ill
.

Was
t
h
i
s
g
uy
f
or
r
ea
l
?
Men
t
hat
l
ook l
i
k
e
t
h
i
s
d
i
d
not ex
i
s
t
….at
l
east
not
ou
t
s
i
de
of
m
a
g
a
z
i
nes,
and
ce
rt
a
i
n
l
y not a
r
ound
he
r
e.
S
he
f
e
l
t
a
fl
ush
c
r
eep
i
ng up
her
neck
a
g
a
i
n as
she s
tr
u
gg
l
ed
t
o
con
t
a
i
n her
w
a
y
w
a
r
d
t
hou
g
h
t
s…and
             
t
he
acco
m
pan
y
i
ng
unde
r
cu
rr
ent  of  anx
i
e
t
y
fr
om
ha
v
i
ng
a
t
o
t
al s
tr
an
g
er
s
l
eep
i
ng
t
he
r
e at
her
house.

H
e
sensed
her
d
i
sco
m
f
o
r
t
and
f
e
l
t
t
he
need
t
o
r
ea
s
s
u
r
e he
r
.
D
esp
it
e h
i
s
ea
rli
er
f
an
t
as
i
es
of
bedd
i
ng
her
a
nd her
fri
end, a
ft
er
g
e
tti
ng
t
o
k
now
he
r
,
he
cou
l
dn
’
t
he
l
p
but
f
e
e
l
a
t
w
i
n
g
e
of
g
u
ilt
.

G
u
ilt
y?
C
h
ri
s
t
.
What
w
as
w
r
ong
w
it
h
h
i
m
?
S
i
nce

w
hen
had
he
g
i
v
en
a
sh
it
?
A
h,
w
e
ll
.
L
oa
t
he
t
o
ad
m
i
t
i
t
as
he
w
as,
he
had
i
n
f
act
so
ft
ened up o
v
er
t
he
decades
a
n
d
l
ea
r
ned a
f
ew
l
essons
about
m
anne
r
s
and
o
t
her
peop
l
e
’
s
f
ee
l
i
n
g
s
i
n
t
he sho
r
t
ti
m
es
he
w
as
a
ll
o
w
ed
t
o
li
v
e
as
a
m
an.
A
ft
er
a
ll
, h
i
s
l
ack
t
he
r
eof
w
as
w
hat
had
g
o
tt
en
h
i
m
i
n
t
o
h
i
s
m
ess
i
n
t
he
fir
st p
l
ace.
A
nd
a
lt
hou
g
h
he
w
asn
’
t
g
e
tti
ng out
of
it
, h
e’
d s
til
l
had h
i
s
m
o
m
en
t
s
of
‘
w
ea
k
ness’
w
hen
he
ac
t
ed
g
en
tl
e
m
a
n
l
y
.
O
r
t
ook
i
n s
tr
ay
do
g
s.