Cedar Woman (103 page)

Their
li
p
s
t
o
u
c
hed.
M
ichael
dr
an
k
f
rom
her
sweet,
m
o
ist
m
outh
as from a
cool,
clear
strea
m
,
a
s
tream
from wh
i
ch
t
h
e
wa
t
er
di
d
not qu
e
n
c
h
h
is
t
h
irst,
b
u
t, in
fact,
i
n
creased
it.
Lena’s
w
on
d
r
o
u
s
hair
floated
o
n
t
h
e cooli
n
g
br
e
e
z
e
a
n
d
br
ush
e
d
M
ichael’s
c
h
ee
k
.
He
b
r
eathed
h
e
r
i
n
, reveli
n
g
i
n her
un
i
que
sc
e
n
t,
m
aking
it
part
of his he
a
rt, his
v
e
ry s
o
ul.

Reluctantly,
he
end
e
d
the
k
i
ss,
b
u
t
held
the
e
m
brace.
He
cradled her in his
a
r
m
s
,
his
he
a
r
t
f
u
ll,
h
i
s s
p
irit s
o
ar
i
n
g.

“
W
e
m
u
st
b
e
marrie
d
,
Little Bir
d
,”
h
e
w
h
is
p
ere
d
.

Le
n
a
stood
w
i
t
h
in
t
h
e
circle
o
f
h
is
ar
m
s,
tr
u
stin
g
,
lo
v
i
n
g
,
h
ap
p
y. Her
he
a
rt
li
f
te
d
at h
i
s
w
or
d
s
a
n
d
s
h
e
m
a
rveled
at
the
fact that
s
h
e
co
uld love
t
h
is
m
an
so
de
e
p
l
y
,
so
qui
c
k
l
y
.
A
tho
ug
h
t
ca
m
e
to
Lena,
a
n
d
she

gave
a
start.

“
W
h
at
i
s
i
t
W
i
n
ya
n
Mit
a
?
⁸¹
” Michael
ask
e
d
with alar
m
.

“
I
don’t
even know
your
n
a
me,
W
icasa
Mita
,
⁸²
”
she
re
p
lied
with
a chu
c
kle. L
e
na
gazed into Michael’s e
y
es
wi
t
h
a
d
oration
an
d
he
in
t
o her
s
.

“
Nor
I yours,”
Mic
h
ael re
p
lie
d
,
l
ov
e
filli
n
g
h
i
s
vo
i
ce. “I am
Michael,”
he
off
e
red.

“
Michael,”
L
e
na
repeat
e
d
.

“
Say it again,”
Michael
b
e
gg
e
d. “Michael.”

He
s
m
iled
his
lov
e
, w
o
r
s
hip
i
n his
e
y
es. “And w
h
at is
y
o
urs, Little Bir
d
?
”

Lena
gazed
at
the
tall,
beautiful
m
an
in
her
ar
m
s,
her
love
bea
m
ing

f
r
om
her
e
x
q
u
i
s
it
e e
y
es.

“
That
is
m
y infant
na
m
e,”
she
off
e
r
e
d.
“My
father
called
m
e that
as a child.
My
n
a
m
e is Lena,”
she
offer
e
d
i
n a whisp
e
r.

“
Lena,”
Mich
a
el repeat
e
d
,
l
o
oki
n
g
to
w
a
rd
th
e
de
e
p
,
vel
v
et
sk
y
. “Lena,”
he
r
e
peated,
draw
i
n
g
the
sylla
b
l
es
o
u
t,
as
if
tasti
n
g
h
er

Julie, Vicki
a
n
d
Reva approach
e
d the
l
o
dge slowly.
M
i
chael
and Lena’s silhoue
t
tes clearly
seen in the
m
oonli
g
ht,
t
h
e
i
r
b
o
dies
we
r
e as
o
n
e, jo
i
n
ed as
t
h
ey
were
in a
tight
e
m
brace.

Reva gave a c
o
u
g
h
an
d
t
h
e
c
o
u
p
le
s
l
o
w
ly
dis
e
ng
a
g
e
d,
a
s
if me
s
m
erized
and unaw
a
re
of
their
s
u
rro
u
n
d
in
g
s.
Mic
h
ael
w
h
is
p
ered
a
qu
e
sti
o
n to
Le
n
a.