The 22nd Secret (96 page)

P
a
ula pulled h
e
rs
e
lf t
o
g
e
t
h
e
r
a
nd
J
im show
e
d h
e
r
how to
use
the
g
a
s s
t
ove
a
nd wh
e
r
e th
i
n
g
s w
e
r
e
a
r
ound the
c
a
bin.
He
made
a
pot of
c
o
f
f
e
e
on t
h
e
wood stove
a
nd
it
w
a
s quick
l
y
t
i
me for
him
to
l
ea
v
e
.
H
e
put on h
i
s
g
loves
a
nd
kissed
P
a
ula
g
ood
b
y
e
b
e
f
o
re
t
u
g
g
i
n
g
his f
a
ce
mask ov
e
r his h
ea
d.

P
a
ula spoke
soft
l
y
a
nd
g
az
e
d d
ee
p
l
y
in
t
o
J
i
m
’s
e
y
e
s.
J
i
m sens
e
d
P
a
ula
wa
n
t
e
d to be in
t
i
m
a
te.
“
J
i
m
, b
e
fo
r
e
y
o
u le
a
ve, do me o
n
e
fa
v
o
r
.
”
S
he
c
ont
i
nu
e
d without
wai
t
ing
f
o
r a r
e
sponse.
“
L
e
t
m
e
in
y
o
ur
m
i
nd.
L
e
t
m
e
t
a
ke
c
o
n
t
r
ol–”

“
P
a
ula, hon
e
y
w
e
don
’
t
h
a
ve
the ti
m
e.”

“
No, not that.
I
w
a
nt
t
o le
a
ve
y
ou
with something
s
p
ec
ia
l
.
J
ust close
y
our
e
y
e
s and
don
’
t r
e
si
s
t whi
l
e
I
kiss
y
ou
.
”
Th
e
ir lips c
a
me t
o
g
e
t
h
e
r.
J
i
m’s m
i
nd fill
e
d with
Pa
ula
’
s tho
u
g
hts.
No matter what
happ
e
ns al
w
a
y
s, alwa
y
s, fo
r
eve
r re
m
e
mb
e
r I lo
v
e
y
ou.

W
h
e
n their
kiss
e
nd
e
d
, she
w
a
s not sure
if s
h
e
h
a
d b
ee
n
a
ble to
c
omp
l
e
tely
block
J
i
m
’s memo
r
ies of
the sp
e
c
ial t
i
e
that
e
x
is
t
e
d b
e
tw
ee
n
them or of
his
s
p
ec
ial po
w
e
rs ov
e
r
h
e
r.
H
is thou
g
hts w
e
r
e
mudd
l
e
d
a
nd he
sta
re
d dis
t
a
nt
l
y
.
S
he
w
a
sn’t su
r
e
if she
h
a
d
b
ee
n
a
ble to
f
ree
him of
h
e
r sp
e
l
l
, l
i
ke
she
h
a
d
so m
a
n
y
of
h
e
r
p
a
st
love
r
s. H
a
d she m
a
de
it
e
a
sier
for
him
to
l
ose Paul
a
, Tino’s
g
irl
f
ri
e
nd, or
wou
l
d he
a
n
g
uish for
e
te
r
ni
t
y
a
t
t
he
loss
of P
a
m
?

“
I
b
e
t
t
e
r
g
o
,
”
J
im
said
w
i
thout
e
mo
t
ion as he turn
e
d
a
nd
w
a
lked out the do
o
r. He
sta
r
ted the sno
w
mob
i
le
a
nd
a
c
c
e
le
ra
ted
aw
a
y
f
rom the
c
a
bi
n
. A
f
ter
a
hun
d
r
e
d
y
a
r
d
s, he
turn
e
d b
a
c
k
a
round
to see
the
ca
bin
f
a
ding
f
rom view
in
t
he
s
now.
He
turn
e
d
a
round
a
nd f
e
lt
his
thou
g
hts sta
r
ting
to
c
l
e
a
r. Wh
a
t h
a
d h
a
pp
e
n
e
d to h
i
m
i
n those
last
mo
m
e
nts with
P
a
ula?
S
omething
w
a
s m
i
ss
i
n
g
, som
e
th
i
ng
v
e
r
y
i
m
port
a
nt he
c
ouldn’t r
e
memb
e
r.
H
e
r
e
memb
e
r
e
d
the l
a
st
t
hing
he h
ea
rd P
a
ula
s
a
y
. He
wou
l
d r
e
memb
e
r t
h
e
se
wo
r
ds
a
s if th
e
y
h
a
d just
b
ee
n
s
pok
e
n for
the
r
e
st of his
l
if
e
.
…
a
lw
a
y
s, al
wa
y
s
,
f
o
r
e
v
e
r
r
e
mem
b
e
r
I
l
o
ve
y
ou
.
The
c
loser
he
got
t
o the lod
g
e
the more
he
m
i
ssed Paul
a
.
H
e
re
memb
e
r
e
d how m
u
c
h
he
loved h
e
r,
n
ee
d
e
d
h
e
r
, how
g
ood it
w
a
s to be
with he
r
.
H
e
wond
e
re
d w
h
y
h
e
h
a
dn’t tri
e
d to
t
e
ll
h
e
r
w
h
e
n
h
e
le
f
t.

P
a
m collaps
e
d onto one
of
the dining
room
c
h
a
ir
s
.
S
he
h
a
d to pu
l
l he
r
s
e
lf
t
o
g
e
t
h
e
r. Pa
u
la w
a
s de
a
d
a
nd
P
a
t
t
y
w
a
s
100 m
i
les
a
w
a
y
f
rom the
Chines
e
.
J
ust 100
m
i
l
e
s f
r
om something
she h
a
d plann
e
d
a
nd
wo
r
k
e
d
so h
a
rd
f
or.
S
omethi
n
g
that w
a
s wo
r
th
lo
si
n
g
J
im
f
o
r
, worth l
o
sing
h
e
r l
i
fe
f
o
r
.
J
ust 36
hours
a
g
o
she
wa
s the most
pow
e
rf
ul woman on the
plan
e
t
.
S
he
w
a
s
in cont
r
ol of the d
e
st
i
n
y
of t
h
e
human
r
a
c
e
.
Now she
w
a
s s
t
r
u
g
g
l
i
n
g
to pr
e
v
e
nt
a
c
omp
le
te
e
mo
t
ional b
rea
kdown.

B
i
l
l
y
stopp
e
d the sn
o
w
c
a
t and
shut off
the
e
n
g
i
n
e
.

“
J
ust a
r
ound that b
e
nd
a
nd a
fe
w
y
a
rds o
f
f the
r
o
a
d
a
s
I
re
mem
b
e
r
, but
I
c
o
uld be
w
ro
n
g
. I
th
i
nk
w
e
b
e
t
t
e
r
w
a
lk up
the
r
e
slow
l
y
just
in c
a
se
I
’m
ri
g
ht
.
”