Cedar Woman (127 page)

Tu
r
n
in
g
t
o
Mi
chael
agai
n
,
she
k
i
ss
e
d
h
i
m
on
t
h
e
ti
p
o
f
h
i
s
nos
e
, t
h
en pr
o
cee
d
e
d to rub
it
with
h
er ti
n
y o
n
e.

“
W
ake u
p
,
s
l
eepy
head!”
s
h
e
co
mm
anded,
m
elting
i
n
to
his
b
r
o
a
d chest
as
m
u
scular
a
r
m
s
enfolded
h
e
r,
d
r
awi
n
g
h
e
r
t
o
h
im
w
it
h
a
l
o
n
g
, cont
e
n
ted si
g
h
.

“
Good
m
o
r
n
in
g
,
Little
Bir
d
,”
Mic
h
ael
w
h
i
s
p
ered
d
r
owsily.
“It’s

g
ood
to awa
k
en
t
h
is way.”

He
s
m
iled
at
h
is
wife
tender
l
y
,
and
with
se
em
ingly no
ef
fo
rt,
rolled
ov
e
r u
n
til
she
l
ay
a
g
ai
n
st
t
h
e mattress
a
n
d
he
was
atop
h
er s
m
a
ll,
sha
p
ely b
o
d
y
.
M
ichael
b
e
nt
to
h
e
r
l
o
vely
li
p
s,
kiss
i
ng
t
h
em
linge
r
ingl
y
,
dr
a
wi
n
g

her
i
n
to
hi
m
,
into
his
he
a
rt,
his
s
o
ul.
L
e
na
m
elted
again
s
t
hi
m
,
sighi
n
g with
h
ap
p
i
n
ess.

Michael reluc
t
antly released
her and
rose from
the bed.
“
W
e
m
u
st get
st
arted,
Mit
aw
i
n,”
Mic
h
ael
g
r
i
nn
e
d.

Lena
pret
e
nd
e
d
to
p
o
ut,
an
d
rising
f
r
om t
h
e
dish
e
v
eled
b
e
d,
ju
m
p
ed
i
n
t
o
h
i
s
a
r
m
s,
l
au
g
h
in
g
an
d
wr
ap
p
in
g
her
l
ove
l
y
le
gs
a
r
o
u
n
d
h
i
s
wa
i
s
t
.

Chu
c
kli
n
g,
M
ichael
s
p
un
a
r
o
u
n
d
,
h
o
l
d
i
n
g
tightly
to
his
be
l
ov
e
d
wife,
h
e
r won
d
r
o
us
h
air
fan
n
ing
o
u
t
in
a
sil
k
y,
g
l
o
ssy
c
r
esce
n
t.
It
was
a
n
ew
day,

t
h
ey
were
m
o
re
de
e
p
l
y
i
n
love
t
h
a
n
w
h
e
n
t
h
ey
m
arr
i
ed
eight
m
on
th
s

be
f
o
r
e
,
a
n
d
t
h
e
y were
fac
i
ng a
day
d
o
in
g
w
h
at
t
h
ey
l
o
v
ed
m
o
s
t
,
wo
r
k
i
n
g
t
oge
t
h
e
r
t
o
p
r
ov
i
de
de
li
c
iou
s
f
o
od f
o
r
t
h
e pe
o
p
l
e
w
ho
h
o
no
red V
i
ck
i
’s ta
b
le.

Michael
added
sliced
ap
ples
and
t
o
m
ati
l
l
o
s
to
t
h
e
sa
u
té
p
an,
and with
a
tilt
of
t
h
e
v
essel, first f
o
rward
an
d
t
h
e
n
b
a
c
k
,
e
xp
ertl
y
fli
pp
e
d
t
h
e fr
u
its,
c
o
at
i
n
g
t
h
em
with
t
h
e
c
o
o
k
ing
o
il.
T
h
e
k
itc
h
e
n
of
Vic
k
i’s
filled with
ta
n
talizing
s
m
ells as t
h
e
flav
or
s of t
h
e sweet and
tart fr
u
its
m
arrie
d
.

S
o
us-
C
hef
E
d
So
a
r
in
g
E
a
g
l
e
C
h
e
n
o
wet
h
, was b
u
sy
p
re
p
ari
n
g h
i
s fa
m
ous
Elk
Meatloaf,
wh
i
l
e
the
pas
t
ry
c
h
ef wor
k
ed with
an
i
n
tern, pr
e
p
ar
i
ng
t
h
e
m
o
st
po
p
ular dess
e
rt
of
t
h
e n
o
w
fa
m
ous eater
y
:
Cedar Wo
m
an’s
Azt
e
c Chocolate
C
h
eesec
a
ke.