Cedar Woman (23 page)

also
ob
ser
v
i
ng t
h
e acti
v
ity at t
h
e
k
itc
h
en ta
b
l
e.

Bend
i
ng
a
nd
p
o
u
r
i
n
g
him his
fa
v
o
rite,
“Re
s
ervati
o
n
C
o
ff
e
e,”
as
he called
it,
s
h
e
ret
u
r
n
ed
t
h
e
p
o
t
to
t
h
e
sto
v
e.
T
u
r
n
i
n
g
t
o
h
e
r
h
u
s
b
an
d
,
s
h
e
qu
e
s
ti
on
e
d:

“
H
o
w
can
yo
u
dr
i
n
k
t
h
is
stu
f
f
?
I
t
’s
so
s
tr
o
n
g
!”
Peter
laugh
e
d, t
h
rew
b
ack a lo
n
g
, satisfying g
u
l
p
, and s
m
i
led
up
at
h
is
wife.

“
It’s
li
k
e
m
o
t
h
er’s
m
i
lk
to
me,
en
n
i
t
?
T
h
is is
h
o
w
m
y
m
oth
er
m
a
d
e co
f
fee,” he
lau
gh
e
d,
r
e
fe
r
r
in
g
t
o
t
h
e
v
e
ry s
tr
o
n
g
,
al
m
o
st
t
h
i
cken
e
d
b
re
w
.

“
S
h
e
a
l
ways
sai
d
,
if
you
throw
a h
o
rsesh
o
e in
it,
with
t
h
e
h
o
rse
still attached,
and
t
h
ey f
l
oat, tha
t
’s Re
z
¹⁵
Co
ffe
e
!” Pe
t
er
g
u
f
f
a
w
e
d
.

“
W
ell,”
returned
Mary, “it
may
b
e
M
o
t
h
er’s Milk
to
y
o
u, b
u
t
it
r
e
m
i
nd
s
m
e
o
f
what
you
sho
v
el
ou
t
o
f
t
h
e
o
u
tho
u
se
!
” she q
u
ip
p
ed, la
u
g
h
in
g
,
t
u
r
n
i
n
g o
n
ce a
g
ain
t
o
t
h
e sto
v
e.

R
o
ari
n
g w
it
h
l
au
g
h
t
er,
an
d s
l
a
mmi
ng
do
wn h
i
s
f
av
o
r
i
t
e,
j
a
dei
t
e coffee
m
ug,
Peter
leapt
from the
ro
c
k
e
r
he
u
sual
l
y
occ
u
p
i
ed
w
h
en
h
o
m
e. Gr
ab
bi
n
g
his
w
i
fe
ar
o
un
d
t
h
e
waist,
he
beg
a
n
to
n
u
z
zle
her neck, spi
n
ni
n
g
h
e
r
ar
ou
nd
as
she laugh
e
d,
hal
f
-he
a
rtedly
str
u
ggli
n
g
to
get away.

“
It
m
akes
m
e want
t
o
eat
y
o
u up!”
he
chort
l
ed.

“
Oh, you
h
o
t
m
a
m
a, c
o
m
e
to
m
e
no
w!”
Peter
lau
g
he
d
, a
g
ain s
p
in
n
i
ng
Mary
arou
n
d and
i
n
to
h
i
s ar
m
s.

Stand
i
ng
bes
i
d
e
t
h
e
kitch
e
n
t
able,
sl
o
wly
w
iping
t
h
e
f
l
o
u
r
f
r
om her ha
n
d
s
, Lena
sm
iled.
She lov
e
d
t
h
e
se
m
o
m
ents.
She cou
l
d
tell her par
e
n
t
s
w
e
re
d
eeply
i
n
l
ov
e
.
So
m
eho
w
,
t
h
i
s
m
ade
her
feel safe
a
n
d
lo
v
e
d

as well.

“
Cha!”
her
m
o
t
h
e
r
g
i
ggl
e
d
,
“I’ll
bu
rn
t
h
e
jell
y
!”
she
e
x
clai
m
ed. Peter c
hu
c
k
l
ed,
g
i
v
i
ng
h
er a smack
on
h
er s
t
ill s
h
a
p
ely b
o
tt
o
m
.
Tur
n
ing his
he
a
d
to
g
a
ze
at
Lena,
he
gave
h
e
r
a
w
i
n
k
,
t
h
r
e
w
a
k
i
ss,
a
n
d
w
i
th
a great s
i
gh
o
f
s
ati
sfact
i
on,
ret
ur
n
ed
t
o h
i
s
n
ew
sp
a
per.