Cedar Woman (98 page)

Ju
li
e
pe
e
red close
l
y at
t
h
e
tw
o beaut
if
u
l
,
y
o
u
n
g p
e
op
l
e, a
n
d no
ti
ced so
m
e
t
h
i
ng,
whi
ch
she
h
a
d
o
nl
y seen
once
b
ef
o
re
i
n
her
lif
e,
as
she
had ob
s
e
r
ved L
e
na t
h
at
m
o
rni
n
g.
Lena
s
t
o
o
d wit
h
in
a
ni
m
bus
o
f
li
g
ht.

B
o
y Ladd step
p
ed to
t
h
e
m
i
k
e.

“
As
y
o
u
see,
I
h
a
ve
repl
a
ced
our
illus
t
rious
e
m
cee
ton
i
ght to announce
the
Ugly M
a
n
Dance,”
he
stated.

“
So
nn
y
,
you
will
no
tice,
is
t
h
e
ug
ly
m
a
n
:
a
r
o
le
to
which
h
e
is
well

s
u
ite
d
.”

Lau
gh
t
er filled
t
h
e
air
as
S
o
n
n
y
hu
gg
e
d
t
h
e
br
oo
m to
h
i
s
c
h
est,
k
issing
t
h
e fan
n
ed o
u
t
b
ristles in
m
o
ck r
o
m
a
n
tic
p
ass
i
o
n
.

Julie’s
eyes began
to
tw
i
n
kle,
as
an
i
d
ea for
m
ed
in
her
m
ind. Placing
her
right
ha
n
d
be
t
w
een
Le
n
a’s
sh
ou
l
der
blade
s
,
and
gr
ab
bi
n
g

M
ichael’s
h
an
d
with
her
lef
t
,
she
pu
s
h
e
d
t
h
e
yo
u
n
g
g
i
rl
i
n
to
t
h
e
ar
e
n
a
,

w
h
ile
pu
lling Mic
h
ael to
sta
n
d
b
e
si
d
e
h
er.

“
Def
en
d
your
man!”
she
called
as
M
ichael, quick
t
o
u
nd
e
rsta
n
d
h
e
r i
n
tenti
o
n
,
gr
ab
bed
Le
n
a
by
t
h
e
ha
n
d
s
an
d
beg
a
n
t
o
dan
c
e
ar
ou
n
d
t
h
e aren
a
.

Lena
tried
to
con
t
rol
h
e
r
tr
e
m
bling, but
it
was
i
m
possi
b
le.
She cou
l
d
n
’t brea
t
h
e,
a
n
d
h
e
r
t
hou
ghts
w
h
irled
a
r
o
un
d
in
h
e
r
h
e
ad
li
k
e a
bird trap
p
ed in
a ca
g
e
w
h
ich
it c
o
ul
d
n
’t esca
p
e.

He
w
a
s
h
o
l
d
i
n
g
h
e
r ha
n
d
s
,
a
nd
t
h
e
se
a
r
i
n
g tou
c
h of his
s
k
in
a
g
ainst hers
was
m
o
re
than
she
could
bear.

She
c
o
u
l
d feel
h
i
s
sh
o
u
l
d
e
r, h
i
s
h
ip
,
h
i
s
t
h
i
gh
a
g
ainst
h
er
s,
as
t
h
ey
p
r
o
cesse
d
a
r
ou
n
d
t
h
e
a
r
e
n
a
i
n
d
o
sid
o fa
s
h
ion.

“
Little
Bir
d
,
y
o
u
m
u
st
p
r
o
t
ect
m
e
fr
o
m t
h
e
ug
l
y
m
a
n
,”
Mic
h
ael
t
eased.
He
he
l
d
h
i
s
brea
t
h.
He
h
a
d
y
et
t
o
hear
h
e
r
v
o
i
ce.
S
o
m
eho
w
,
he