Cedar Woman (109 page)

Le
n
a
i
n
te
r
r
up
t
e
d
.
“Mi
h
i
n
ga
!
I
d
o
n
’t
kn
o
w
w
h
a
t
yo
u
d
o
!”
s
he exclai
m
ed.

Michael
chortled.
“
I’m
a ch
e
f. I
have
a d
e
gree in
t
h
e
c
u
linary
arts,”

he
a
dd
e
d.

This
t
i
m
e
Lena
m
anaged
t
o
s
i
t
up.
H
e
r
ey
es
were
b
l
az
i
n
g
,
t
h
eir deep b
ro
w
n
d
epths
s
p
a
r
kli
n
g
with
excit
em
ent.
The
p
u
pils of
h
e
r
e
y
es d
il
a
t
ed,
c
a
us
in
g
her e
y
es
t
o
a
ppe
a
r
t
o be
of
t
h
e
sa
m
e deep,
b
r
o
w
n
co
l
o
r.

“
Michael!”
she exclai
m
ed,
“Michae
l
,
t
h
is
is
p
erfect!”
she c
on
tin
u
e
d excitedl
y
,
gr
a
bb
i
ng
his h
an
d
a
n
d press
i
n
g
it
to
h
e
r
br
east.
“
I
r
u
n
a restaurant.
V
i
cki,
t
h
e
lady
f
o
r
w
h
om
we
had
t
h
e
Wopila
today,
has
j
u
st beco
m
e Unc
i
’s
sister. She’s
t
h
e
o
w
n
e
r,
an
d
she
i
s
l
o
o
k
in
g
f
o
r a
c
h
e
f
!”

Mi
chael was
d
u
m
fo
u
nd
e
d.

“
W
hy
d
o
I
fe
e
l
t
h
at
W
ak
a
n Tan
k
a
i
s
behi
n
d
all
of
t
h
i
s,”
he
q
u
eri
e
d with won
d
er.

“
So, you c
a
n l
e
ave
with
us
t
o
m
o
rrow!” L
e
na exalted.

M
ichael dr
e
w Lena
i
n
to his
a
r
m
s again,
a
n
d
digest
e
d
t
h
e
la
t
est bit
o
f i
n
f
o
r
m
ati
on
.
It
was
e
x
traor
d
i
n
ary
how
the
d
ay
h
a
d
tur
n
ed
o
u
t.
He’d gotten u
p
,
m
a
d
e
coffee on
t
h
e ca
m
p
stove,
w
aken
e
d
S
o
n
n
y
, and
p
r
e
p
ar
e
d for
the
powwow.
Now,
h
e
re
he
wa
s
,
a
m
arried
m
an,
at
le
a
st
in
the
eyes of
The
Pe
o
p
l
e,
a
n
d
a
bo
u
t
t
o
m
ove,
l
o
c
k
,
s
t
ock
a
n
d
ba
r
rel
t
o
a
n
e
w
c
ity
,
a new state,
a n
e
w
j
o
b
an
d
a n
e
w
f
a
m
i
l
y
.

_{M
ichael
notic
e
d
t
h
e
cir
c
ular
op
e
ni
n
g
of
t
h
e
ti
p
i
begi
n
n
i
n
g
to
g
ro
w}

light.

s
t
ay
here,
w
it
h
h
e
r
new
h
u
s
b
a
n
d,
m
ake
lo
ve
aga
i
n
a
nd
st
ay
w
it
h
i
n
t
h
e circle
of his
a
r
m
s forev
e
r.

“
Le
n
a,”
h
e
conti
nu
ed,
“I
will
c
o
m
e
to
y
o
u
as
soon
as
I
can.
I
h
a
v
e to
g
i
ve notice
and
close up my
apart
m
ent
.
”
Michael w
a
s
quiet
for
a f
e
w second
s
.

“
So
nn
y
can
h
e
lp
m
e.
I
kn
o
w
h
e will.
T
h
at may
e
xp
e
d
ite
t
h
e
m
ov
e. Do you
li
v
e
w
i
th
yo
u
r
p
a
re
n
t
s
?
”
h
e as
k
e
d
,
al
m
o
st as an
after
tho
u
g
h
t.