Blood From a Stone (251 page)

W
ill
ow
g
asped
w
hen
she
w
a
l
k
ed
i
n
t
o
t
h
e hu
g
e su
it
e.
T
he
r
e
w
e
r
e
l
a
r
g
e
w
i
ndo
w
s
w
he
r
e
a
beau
tif
ul
v
i
ew of
t
he s
k
y
li
ne
w
as
v
i
s
i
b
l
e
a
l
l
a
r
ound.
A  hu
g
e
bouquet
of
f
r
esh
fl
o
w
e
r
s
s
t
ood on a
t
ab
l
e
i
n
t
he
l
a
r
g
e
k
it
chene
tt
e,
and
fl
a
m
e
l
ess cand
l
es
g
l
o
w
ed
on
t
he
n
i
g
h
t
s
t
ands,
t
ab
l
es
and
ed
g
es
of
t
he
t
ub, ba
t
h
i
ng
t
he en
tir
e su
it
e
i
n so
f
t
g
o
l
den
li
g
h
t
.

A
hu
g
e
d
r
aped
bed
w
it
h
s
il
k ne
tti
ng stood
a
g
a
i
nst
t
he back
w
a
l
l
of
he
r
oom on
a
p
l
a
tf
o
r
m and
fr
esh
r
ose
p
e
t
a
l
s
w
e
r
e s
tr
e
w
n
on
t
he
b
r
ocade
du
v
e
t
.
I
n
t
he
ba
t
h
r
oom
w
as
a
hu
g
e sun
k
en
t
ub and open sho
w
e
r
.

“
O
h,
m
y
g
od,”
she
sa
i
d
so
ftl
y
.
“
H
ow
did
y
ou
m
a
n
a
g
e
t
h
i
s?”

             
H
e
s
m
il
ed.
“I
t
o
l
d
y
ou
I
ha
v
e
a
b
i
t
of
sa
v
i
n
g
s
put
as
i
de.
A
nd
I
t
o
l
d
t
he
m
ana
g
e
m
ent
I
w
as
p
r
opos
i
ng
t
o
m
y
g
ir
l
t
oday
and
needed
t
o
m
a
k
e
su
r
e
she
d
i
dn
’
t
ha
v
e
any
s
econd
t
hou
g
h
t
s.
H
ow
am
I
do
i
n
g
?
I
s
i
t
w
o
r
k
i
n
g
?”
H
e
l
au
g
hed.

“
H
mmm
.
I don
‘
t
k
no
w
.
I
m
ay
need
so
m
e
m
o
r
e co
n
v
i
nc
i
n
g
,”
she
sa
i
d
p
l
a
y
f
u
ll
y
as
she
pushed
h
i
m
t
o
w
a
r
d
t
he bed.

“We
l
l
t
hen,
l
e
t’
s
j
ust
see
how
adept
m
y po
w
e
r
s
of pe
r
suas
i
on
a
r
e.”
H
e p
i
c
k
ed her
up
i
n a
r
m
s
and ca
rri
ed her
o
v
er
t
o
t
he
ed
g
e
of
t
he
bed
se
tti
ng her
do
w
n
as
he
k
ne
l
t
i
n
fr
ont
of he
r
, s
li
d
i
ng
h
i
s body
be
t
w
een her
l
e
g
s.

H
e
pushed
her
back
on
t
he bed s
li
d
i
ng
on
t
op of
her
as he
s
l
o
w
l
y unbu
tt
oned
her
s
w
ea
t
e
r
,
k
i
ss
i
ng h
i
s
w
ay
d
o
w
n
her c
l
ea
v
a
g
e
and
tr
a
ili
ng  a
pa
t
h  do
w
n  her  s
t
o
m
ach 
w
it
h
each bu
tt
on
he
opened un
ti
l
he
r
eached
t
he
l
ast
one
at
her
w
a
i
s
t
,
w
he
r
e
he
li
n
g
e
r
ed
f
or
a
f
ew
ex
tr
a
m
o
m
en
t
s
t
o
t
as
t
e
t
he
so
f
t s
k
i
n of
her
be
ll
y
.

H
e
w
o
r
k
ed
h
i
s
w
ay
back
up
her
body
and
she
sat
up as
he
r
e
m
o
v
ed
her
s
w
ea
t
e
r
,
and
b
r
a
and
t
hen
k
ne
l
t
back
do
w
n
i
n
fr
ont
of
her
t
o
do
a
w
ay
w
it
h
her
j
eans,
and
pu
l
l
i
ng her pan
t
i
es
do
w
n
w
it
h h
i
s
t
ee
t
h be
f
o
r
e
t
oss
i
ng
t
hem
as
i
de.