Blood From a Stone (57 page)

“H
e
j
ust
l
e
f
t
a
n
i
ce
‘
t
hank
y
ou’
and
sa
i
d
he
’
d ca
ll
,” she sa
i
d matter-of-factly
.

S
asha
r
a
i
sed
her
e
y
eb
r
o
w
s.
“
U
h
huh. 
T
ha
t’
s
w
hat
t
hey a
l
l
sa
y
.
A
t
l
east
y
ou
d
i
dn
’
t
s
l
eep
w
it
h h
i
m
.”
S
he paused. “
D
i
d
y
ou?
I
w
as
sno
ri
ng
be
f
o
r
e
t
he
m
o
v
i
e
e
v
en
g
ot
s
t
a
rt
ed.”
S
he
duc
k
ed,
l
au
g
h
i
ng
p
l
a
y
f
u
ll
y
as
W
ill
ow
s
l
apped
th
e
back of her
head.

“
S
t
op
it
!
I
k
now
y
ou
d
i
dn
’t
.
N
ow
g
et
o
u
t
…I ha
v
e
t
o pee.”
S
asha
l
au
g
hed
a
g
a
i
n
as
she
pushed
W
ill
ow out
t
he
door and s
l
a
mm
ed
it
.

W
ill
ow
w
a
l
k
ed
t
o
t
he
k
it
chen
t
o
put
on
a
fr
esh
pot
of co
ff
ee.
S
he
pu
ll
ed
back
t
he
b
li
nds
and
pee
r
ed
out
a
t
t
he
sno
w
- co
v
e
r
ed
s
tr
ee
t
s,
w
h
i
ch
w
e
r
e
bu
ri
ed
under
at
l
east
a
f
oot
and a ha
l
f
of
sno
w
.

S
he
w
onde
r
ed
how
S
a
m
son
had
g
o
tt
en ho
m
e
or
w
he
r
e
v
er
he
’
d
g
one. 
S
he sh
r
u
gg
ed
and
pu
ll
ed
her
s
w
e
a
t
er
ti
g
h
t
er
a
r
ound
he
r
.
O
h,
w
e
ll
.
I
t
w
asn
’
t
her
p
r
ob
l
em she su
p
posed,
a
lt
hou
g
h
she
cou
l
dn
’
t
he
l
p
but
w
onder and
m
a
y
be
w
o
rr
y a
littl
e.
S
he
ba
r
e
l
y
k
new
h
i
m
, but
he had
g
o
n
e out
of
h
i
s
w
ay
f
or
t
he
m
,
seen
t
hem
sa
f
e
l
y ho
m
e
and
s
t
a
y
ed
t
he
r
e
at
her house.
A
nd
w
ho
cou
l
dn
’
t
f
a
l
l
f
or
h
i
s s
m
il
e…
t
hose b
l
ue e
y
es…h
i
s
s
m
a
r
t
ass
sense
of
hu
m
o
r
.
S
he
had
t
o
ad
m
i
t
t
he
r
e
w
as
so
m
e
t
h
i
ng
about
h
i
m
t
hat
m
ade
her
ho
l
d
on
t
o
a
s
m
a
l
l hope
t
hat
he
w
ou
l
d
i
ndeed ca
l
l
her
f
or
t
hat
cup of
co
ff
ee.

B
ut
f
or
now
she had
t
o
w
o
rr
y
about
g
oing
t
o
g
et
t
o her ca
r
.
T
he
c
it
y
w
o
r
k
e
r
s
w
ou
l
d
be
out
soon,
and
hop
e
full
y
by
m
i
d
-
a
ft
e
r
noon
t
he
y
’
d
ha
v
e
t
he
s
tr
ee
t
s c
l
ea
r
ed enou
g
h so she cou
l
d
ca
t
ch
a
t
axi
back
t
o
V
e
l
v
et
t
o p
i
ck
i
t
up and
t
hen head
t
o
w
o
r
k
.

S
he
f
e
l
t
w
a
r
m
b
r
ea
t
h
on
her
k
nee
and
l
oo
k
ed
do
w
n
t
o
see
F
i
do
or
w
ha
t
e
v
er
h
i
s
na
m
e
w
as, 
w
a
gg
i
ng
h
i
s
t
a
i
l
and ac
ti
ng
li
k
e
he
needed
t
o
g
o
ou
t
.
S
he
opened
t
he
ba
c
k door
and he
r
o
m
ped
out
i
n
t
o
t
he
sno
w
-
co
v
e
r
ed
y
a
r
d
and
happ
i
l
y d
i
d
h
i
s bus
i
ness
and
ca
m
e
back
i
n
a
f
ew
m
i
nu
t
es
l
a
t
e
r
.
H
e ce
rt
a
i
n
l
y d
i
dn
’
t
act
li
k
e
a
co
m
p
l
e
t
e
s
tr
a
y
.
H
e
m
us
t’
v
e
been
s
o
m
eone
’
s pet
at
one
ti
m
e
and
e
it
her
g
ot
abandoned or
l
os
t
.
T
he
t
hou
g
ht
m
ade her
sad, but
at
l
east
he
w
as
he
r
e no
w
,
w
a
r
m
a
n
d
f
ed.