Cedar Woman (101 page)

Broom held
at
an
angle,
Sonny
now
strummed
it
as
if
it
were
a gu
it
a
r
.
M
ak
in
g
chick
e
n
ne
c
k
m
ove
m
en
t
s
w
it
h
h
i
s
he
a
d
,
he
s
w
o
o
p
e
d

t
o
ward
t
h
e
c
o
u
p
le
a
n
d
lun
g
ed.
S
qu
ealing
with
d
eli
gh
t,
t
h
e
w
o
m
an
t
h
r
u
st

h
er
a
m
p
l
e
b
o
d
y
i
n
f
ro
n
t
o
f
he
r
h
u
s
b
a
n
d
’
s
,
t
hu
s
sa
v
in
g
h
i
m fr
o
m
b
e
i
n
g ta
gg
e
d.

S
o
nny
d
rop
p
ed t
h
e b
ro
o
m
and look
e
d dej
e
cted.

“
C
ha
,
be
a
u
ti
fu
l
o
ne
,
d
o
y
o
u
n
o
t
w
i
s
h
t
o
d
a
n
c
e
w
ith
m
e
?
”
h
e
b
eg
ge
d
, si
d
e s
k
ip
p
ing to
k
eep up with the couple.
The wo
m
an, once aga
i
n cov
e
r
in
g her
m
ou
t
h
a
n
d b
l
u
shi
ng,
l
a
u
gh
e
d
wit
h
p
l
ea
s
ure.

S
o
nny
re
t
riev
e
d
his
b
ro
o
m and
a
g
ain
b
e
g
a
n
his
se
a
rch
fo
r
his
next victi
m
.
That’s
wh
e
n he sa
w
….
he
r
.

All
sound
stopped.
Bird
so
ng,
laugh
t
er,
t
h
e rustle
of
trees –
ceased. There
w
a
s
on
l
y
…he
r
.

Dress
e
d
i
n
a si
m
p
le,
sleev
e
less,
w
h
it
e
c
o
t
t
o
n
b
lo
u
s
e
t
u
c
k
e
d
i
n
to
ston
e
-w
a
sh
e
d
jeans,
her
s
m
all,
ex
q
u
isite
f
or
m
stood
o
u
t
a
m
ong
t
h
e
oth
e
r

w
o
m
en
in
t
h
e
are
n
a.
Lon
g
,
sil
k
y,
black
h
a
ir,
p
a
rted
in
t
h
e
m
iddle
and

falling
to
h
e
r
hips,
danc
e
d
i
n
the
c
o
o
ling, slight breeze wh
i
ch
wafted
over t
h
e
are
n
a.
Her
m
a
gn
i
fice
n
t,
ti
p
-tiled
eyes
s
p
ar
k
l
ed
in
t
h
e
d
y
i
n
g
li
gh
t
of t
h
e
d
ay.

Her throat w
a
s a colu
m
n
,
s
m
ooth and cre
a
m
y
,
e
m
braced by a turquoise
n
e
cklace
whi
c
h
ended
in
a p
e
nd
a
nt
and nestled between
s
m
all, perfect breasts.

Her
f
u
ll,
s
h
el
l
-
p
i
n
k
li
p
s were
sli
gh
tly
p
arte
d
;
s
h
e
ap
p
eared
to
b
e
b
rea
t
h
i
ng
h
eavily, as if
in
t
h
e
t
h
r
o
es
o
f lo
v
e-ma
k
i
ng
. So
n
ny was
u
ndo
n
e.

M
ichael
m
oved
i
n
to view,
a
nd
as
if
clai
m
i
ng o
w
n
e
rsh
i
p, encircled her
ti
n
y
w
a
i
st
w
it
h
o
n
e
s
tr
o
n
g
,
m
u
scu
l
ar
ar
m
.
Sonny
p
i
ck
e
d
u
p
th
e
b
r
o
o
m
,
h
efted
i
t as if in
b
attle
a
n
d c
h
ar
g
ed.

He
was
ai
m
ing
for
Michael, but
at
t
h
e
las
t
-
m
inute,
L
e
na
s
te
pp
e
d
in f
r
ont
of
him
to
p
rotect
him
f
r
om
being
ta
g
g
e
d
.
By
obs
er
vi
n
g
t
h
e
other danc
e
rs,
s
h
e
k
n
ew
t
h
at
she
w
a
s
s
up
pos
e
d
t
o
p
ro
t
ect
her
p
a
r
tn
er.