Blood From a Stone (230 page)

H
e
shook h
i
s
head.
“
N
o.
E
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
n
g
’
s
p
e
rf
ec
tl
y
ri
g
h
t
.
A
nd I
w
ant
t
o
k
eep
i
t
t
hat
w
a
y
.”

“What
a
r
e
y
ou
t
a
l
k
i
ng
abou
t
?
”

“
S
o
f
ar
e
v
e
r
y
t
h
i
ng
I
’
v
e done
w
it
h
y
ou has
been
f
or
t
hose
da
m
nab
l
e
‘ri
g
ht
r
easons’
and  I
ha
v
e  ano
t
her  one 
i
n
m
i
nd.”

“
B
ut
w
e
’
v
e a
lr
eady
done
t
h
i
s…
m
o
r
e
t
han
once.”

“
A
nd
w
e
’l
l
do
i
t
a
g
a
i
n.
B
ut
next
ti
m
e
it’
s
g
o
i
ng
t
o be….spec
i
a
l
.”

“
A
nd
I
t
a
k
e
i
t
t
hat
next
ti
m
e
i
sn
’
t
g
o
i
ng 
t
o
be
t
on
i
g
h
t
?” she sa
i
d cau
ti
ous
l
y
.

H
e
r
eached
up
and
tr
aced
a
fi
n
g
er
do
w
n  her
li
p s
m
ili
ng
de
v
ili
sh
l
y
.
“I
k
now
how
m
uch
y
ou
w
ant
m
e.
H
ow cou
l
d
y
ou no
t
?”

S
he
r
o
ll
ed
her
e
y
es
and
s
m
ac
k
ed
h
i
m
on
t
op
of
h
i
s
head.

“
P
a
ti
ence,
m
y
l
ad
y
,”
he
sa
i
d,
s
itti
ng
up
and
o
ff
e
r
i
ng her
h
i
s
hand.

T
hey
w
a
l
k
ed
back
out
t
o
t
he
li
v
i
ng
r
o
o
m and
he p
l
un
k
ed
do
w
n
on
t
he
cha
i
se
cha
ir
,
d
r
a
gg
i
ng
her
w
it
h
h
i
m and co
v
e
ri
ng
t
hem  bo
t
h
w
it
h
t
he
qu
il
t
as
he
fli
pped
on
t
he
t
e
l
e
v
i
s
i
on
t
o
fi
nd a
m
o
v
i
e.

A
s
m
uch
as
he
des
ir
ed
t
o
l
ay
w
it
h
her
a
g
a
i
n,
he
w
as de
t
e
r
m
i
ned
t
o
r
e
fr
a
i
n
fr
om
t
ouch
i
ng he
r
.
H
e
w
an
t
ed
t
o
l
et
t
he
fir
e
bu
il
d
t
o
a
r
a
g
i
ng
i
n
f
e
r
no
t
hat
w
ou
l
d
consu
m
e
t
hem
bo
t
h by
t
he
ti
m
e
t
hey
g
ot
t
o Wa
l
es
i
n a day
or
t
w
o.

H
e
k
new
j
ust
t
he
p
l
ace
w
he
r
e
he
hoped
t
o
t
a
k
e
he
r
…a
littl
e
bed  and  b
r
ea
k
f
ast
nes
tl
ed 
i
n 
t
he
h
ill
s
near
t
he
p
l
ace
w
he
r
e
he
w
as
bo
r
n.
T
hey
w
ou
l
d
en
j
oy b
r
ea
k
f
ast
i
n
b
e
d
as
t
he sun
li
g
ht
filt
e
r
ed
t
h
r
ou
g
h
c
ri
sp
w
h
it
e
w
i
ndow cu
r
t
a
i
ns
…
d
i
nner by
fir
e
li
g
ht
and
sunse
t
s
on
t
he
sno
w
y
h
ill
s
i
de.
A
nd
at
n
i
g
ht she
w
ou
l
d
l
ay
i
n
h
i
s
a
r
m
s
as
he
s
a
v
o
r
ed
e
v
e
r
y
i
nch
of
her body
by
cand
l
e
li
g
ht
i
n a dance as
o
l
d as
ti
m
e.

F
or
no
w
,
he
w
as
con
t
ent
t
o
j
ust
ho
l
d
h
er
he
r
e,
t
he
l
en
g
t
h
of
her
body p
r
essed a
g
a
i
nst
h
i
s
and
t
he
s
w
eet
s
m
e
l
l
of her
ha
i
r
on h
i
s
s
k
i
n.