Cedar Woman (178 page)

D
i
d
I
t
r
uly
l
o
v
e
Michael?
s
h
e w
o
nd
e
r
e
d
to
h
ersel
f
?
Yes,
I
d
i
d.
I
t
ru
l
y
d
i
d
,
L
e
na affirmed to
herse
l
f.

Her
m
i
nd
fl
e
w back, back
t
o
17
ye
a
rs
a
g
o,
to
the day
when
s
h
e
m
e
t and
m
arried
M
i
chael.

Lena
re
m
e
m
b
ered
his
vigil
across
f
r
om Julie
Spo
t
ted
E
ag
le
Hors
e
’s lodge.
A
flash
of
m
e
m
o
ry,
and
t
h
ere
was
Son
n
y
as
well.
Le
n
a
sat
up
in

be
d
,
h
eat
s
u
f
fu
s
i
ng
her
fac
e
.
In
t
h
e
e
x
ci
t
e
m
ent
of
t
h
e
rom
ance,
she
h
a
d

f
o
r
g
o
tten Sonny’s prese
n
ce.

Lena
l
ay d
ow
n
a
g
ai
n
.
T
u
r
ni
ng
o
n
her
s
id
e,
s
h
e
wr
ap
p
e
d
her
ar
m
s
a
r
ou
n
d
h
e
r
sho
u
l
d
e
r
s
,
a
s
i
f
t
o
c
o
m
f
o
rt
herse
l
f,
as the
m
e
m
o
ries
ca
m
e
hard and clear.

Le
n
a recalled
t
h
e Wo
p
ila,
a
n
d
h
e
r
i
n
a
b
ility
to
breat
h
e, as
Mic
h
ael wa
l
k
e
d
u
p
t
o
he
r
,
h
i
s
p
r
ese
n
c
e
sen
d
in
g
sh
o
c
k wa
v
e
s
th
r
oug
h
h
er
bo
d
y.

S
h
e re
m
e
m
be
red
J
u
lie
p
u
s
h
ing
h
er
a
nd
Michael
into
the
ar
e
n
a,
M
ichael’s
arm
ab
o
u
t
h
e
r
w
aist
and
h
o
l
d
i
ng
her
h
a
n
d
,
her
brea
t
hless

co
nf
us
io
n
as
t
h
ey
b
e
gan
t
o
dance
ar
o
un
d
t
h
e
ar
e
n
a.
L
e
na
s
ti
ff
e
n
e
d
–

again
a
m
e
m
o
r
y
of
S
o
nn
y
,
ch
arg
i
ng
Mi
chael with
the
broo
m
.
His
excuse of de
w
-
slick
e
d
g
r
ass
see
m
ed
to
ri
n
g
t
r
u
e
at
t
h
e
t
i
m
e,
but n
o
w
s
h
e u
n
d
e
rs
to
o
d
.

Michael.

M
ichael
wal
k
i
ng her
t
o
Juli
e
’s
l
o
dg
e
,
ask
i
n
g
h
e
r
to
m
arry
hi
m
,
t
h
e cere
m
ony
and their
first
lov
e
making,
breathing
i
n
each o
t
her’s fr
a
granc
e
, eager h
a
nds
a
n
d
m
ouths
as
t
h
e
e
v
en
i
n
g
slowly,
ecstatical
l
y
,
d
r
i
fted
i
n
to da
w
n
.

Lena
sat
u
p
r
i
g
h
t
aga
i
n
an
d
s
w
un
g
her
feet
ov
e
r
t
h
e
s
i
de
of
t
h
e
b
e
d. She
glanc
e
d
down at
Kelly
and a
s
k
e
d,

“
Did
I
m
arry
him
because
I
truly
lov
e
d
hi
m
,
or
was
it
bec
a
use
I
was so
in
l
o
v
e
wi
t
h
t
h
e
s
t
ory of
m
y
parents
m
e
eting
on
t
h
eir
we
d
d
i
n
g
da
y
? W
h
at is t
h
e a
n
swer, Kell
y
?
”

The
t
ho
u
g
h
t
d
isturb
e
d
he
r
.
She
had
n
e
ver
questi
o
n
e
d
h
e
r
love
fo
r

Mic
h
ael, why
d
id she do
so n
o
w
?

Lena
rose
and beg
a
n
to pace
the
r
o
o
m
.
Kelly
sat,
alert,
watching her i
n
a.
S
h
e felt I
n
a’s a
g
itati
o
n a
n
d
g
a
v
e a low w
h
i
m
p
er.
Le
n
a t
u
r
n
e
d
, and d
ro
pp
i
ng to h
e
r
knee
s
,
h
ug
g
e
d
t
h
e
vali
a
nt c
r
eature
t
o he
r
.