Cedar Woman (186 page)

C
o
m
p
leti
n
g
h
e
r
t
u
rn, Le
n
a
wal
k
ed
i
n
t
o
Son
n
y’s
ar
m
s.
S
m
ili
n
g
with joy,
s
h
e
lifted
her
face
to
his
and
savo
r
ed
his
lips
as
they
met
hers.
She had n
e
v
e
r been so h
ap
p
y
.

Le
n
a
r
este
d
he
r
h
e
a
d
o
n
Son
n
y
’s
c
h
est
,
enj
o
yi
n
g
t
h
e
th
u
m
p
,
thu
m
p, t
h
ump
of
h
i
s
h
eart.
H
i
s
ha
n
d
m
oved
t
o
ca
r
ess
her,
h
i
s
s
o
ul
r
i
s
i
ng
as
he e
n
j
o
yed t
h
e
feel
o
f
h
e
r sil
k
y
hair e
n
t
wi
n
ed wit
h
in
h
i
s fin
g
ers.

Lena
s
i
gh
e
d
a
s
she
recalled
the
ev
e
n
ts
of
t
h
e
week b
e
fore.

Wher
e
d
id
I
fi
n
d
t
h
e
co
u
r
ag
e
t
o
w
a
lk
i
n
to
t
ha
t
a
p
ar
t
m
e
n
t?
s
h
e
a
s
ked herse
l
f
with
w
o
n
d
e
r.
F
r
om love
,
she
re
s
o
lved.
Of
co
urse
–
fr
om
l
o
ve.

The
wa
l
k
up
t
h
e
pa
t
h
t
o
t
h
e
f
r
ont
d
oo
r
h
a
d
see
m
ed
endl
e
ss.
Up
on reach
i
ng
the
front
stoop,
Lena
took
y
e
t
ano
t
her
de
e
p
brea
t
h.
Turning
the

d
oo
r
kn
o
b
slo
w
ly
,
s
he
op
ene
d
t
h
e
d
oo
r
a
n
d
step
p
e
d
i
n
t
o
th
e
d
iml
y
l
i
t i
n
teri
o
r of
B
o
y Lad
d
’s li
v
ing ro
o
m
.

S
o
nny
sat
at
t
h
e
far
end.
Ga
z
ing
t
h
r
ou
gh
a
s
h
ad
e-
dap
p
led
w
in
d
o
w,

he
a
ppe
a
r
e
d
t
o
be
c
on
t
e
m
p
l
at
i
ng
t
h
e
sc
e
n
e
be
f
o
re
h
i
m
.
A
s
Lena
s
lo
w
l
y approach
e
d
h
im
,
she
beca
m
e
aware
t
h
at
Sonny,
in
fact,
was
un
a
ware
of his
s
u
r
r
ou
nd
i
n
g
s.

Gray
f
r
om lack
of
sleep,
h
i
s
sk
i
n
sh
o
w
n
pale
u
n
d
e
r
a
la
y
er
o
f per
s
pirati
o
n,
h
is
e
y
es
were
r
ed,
t
h
e
li
d
s
s
wolle
n
.
S
h
e cou
l
d
feel
t
h
e
d
es
p
air
s
p
illing
fr
o
m
h
i
s
s
ou
l
,
a
n
d
t
h
e
air
in
t
h
e
ro
o
m was
h
ea
v
y
wi
t
h
h
i
s
gr
ie
f
.