Blood From a Stone (169 page)

H
e
sh
r
u
gg
ed.
“I
don
’
t
k
no
w
.
I
f
y
ou
s
l
e
ep
on
it
,
I
’
m
j
ust
a
fr
a
i
d
y
ou will.
J
ust
p
r
o
m
i
s
e.”
H
e s
m
il
ed.

S
he
no
d
ded
her
head
l
oo
k
i
ng
pu
zz
l
ed.
“
O
k
aaa
y
.
I
p
r
o
m
i
se.”

H
e
pu
ll
ed
her
i
n
t
o
h
i
m  and
k
i
ssed
her
deep
l
y
, sa
v
o
ri
ng
t
he
so
ft
ness
of
her
s
w
eet
li
ps
and
tr
y
i
ng
t
o
k
eep
h
i
s
r
eso
l
v
e
t
hat
she
w
ou
l
d
i
ndeed
s
til
l
tr
ust
h
i
m
w
hen
she
g
ot
t
o
w
o
r
k
t
o
m
o
rr
ow
and
d
i
sco
v
e
r
ed
t
hat
he
’
d
been
t
he
r
e
a
nd
w
o
r
k
ed
t
he
m
a
g
i
c of
h
i
s
g
ift
.

H
e
s
t
epped
back
fr
om her
g
r
ud
g
i
n
g
l
y
.
“We
ll
,
I
g
uess
I
’
m
g
o
i
ng
t
o
g
o
no
w.
M
a
y
be
w
e
can
tr
y a
g
a
i
n
t
o
m
o
rr
o
w
?
Ma
y
be
next time
w
il
l
be
the
cha
r
m
.”
H
e
l
a
u
g
hed
li
g
h
tl
y
.

“I
t
h
i
nk
y
ou
’
v
e
a
lr
eady cha
r
m
ed
m
e,”
s
he
sa
i
d
as
she
r
eached
up
and
t
uc
k
ed
a
l
ock of
h
i
s
sandy ha
i
r
beh
i
nd
h
i
s
ea
r
,
m
a
r
v
e
li
ng
at
how
handso
m
e
he
l
oo
k
ed
s
t
and
i
ng
t
he
r
e
i
n
t
he so
f
t
g
l
ow
of
t
he
po
r
ch
li
g
h
t
.
“
N
ow
g
o…be
f
o
r
e
I d
r
ag
y
ou
t
h
r
ou
g
h
t
h
i
s
door
and
l
ock
y
ou
i
n.
S
he
t
ook h
i
s
l
a
r
g
e
hand
i
n her
o
w
n,
tr
ac
i
ng
t
he
l
en
g
t
h
of
h
i
s
fi
n
g
e
r
s
and
k
i
s
s
ed h
i
s
pa
l
m
. “
C
a
l
l
m
e
.”

H
e
g
r
oaned
i
n
w
a
r
d
l
y
.
H
e
r
e
he
w
as,
once  a
g
a
i
n pass
i
ng up
h
i
s
oppo
rt
un
it
y
t
o
bed
he
r
….
t
h
i
s
ti
m
e
f
or
so
m
e
g
l
o
ri
ous
m
i
ss
i
on of
g
oodness.

H
e
k
i
ssed
her
once
m
o
r
e qu
i
c
k
l
y
, be
f
ore d
r
a
gg
i
ng h
i
m
se
l
f
a
w
a
y
,
and
s
t
a
rt
ed
do
w
n
t
he
w
a
l
k
w
ay
t
o
w
a
r
d
t
he
tr
uck as
she c
l
osed
t
he door
beh
i
nd h
i
m
.

T
w
e
l
v
e
m
i
nu
t
es
l
a
t
e
r
,
he
sat
at
t
he stop
li
g
ht
w
a
iti
ng
t
o en
t
er
t
he
pa
r
k
i
ng
g
a
r
a
g
e
at
S
t
.
L
u
k
e
’
s
H
osp
it
a
l
.
H
i
s
m
i
nd
w
as
r
ac
i
ng
at
b
r
ea
k
neck speed
fi
g
u
ri
ng out
a
p
l
an
on
how
he
w
as
g
o
i
ng
t
o
g
et
i
n
t
o
t
he
hosp
it
a
l
,
m
a
k
e
i
t
up
t
o
t
he
f
ift
h
fl
oor
and
i
n
t
o
t
he
littl
e
bo
y
’
s
r
oom s
i
nce
i
t
w
as
w
e
l
l
past
v
i
s
iti
ng
hou
r
s and he
w
as
ne
it
her
f
a
m
il
y
m
e
m
ber
nor
doc
t
o
r
.