Cedar Woman (90 page)

V
i
c
k
i.
N
o
,
she
l
ov
e
d
V
i
c
k
i,
and
w
a
s
h
a
ppy
a
n
d
proud
to
welc
o
m
e
h
er i
n
to
h
er fa
m
il
y
.

Vicki
was
go
od
t
o
Lena
an
d
h
e
r
p
a
rents
and
gr
an
d
m
othe
r
.
She made
sure
that the
fa
m
i
ly
e
a
rn
e
d
a
dec
e
nt
wage
i
n
o
rd
e
r
t
o
be
able
t
o survive
i
n
co
m
fort
and
to accord
Peter
t
h
e
sp
e
cial
care
his
conditi
o
n req
u
ire
d
.
S
h
e
was
li
k
e
a
sec
o
nd
m
o
ther
t
o
Le
n
a,
so
it
was
a
p
propriate that
she
for
m
ally
bec
a
m
e just
that.
For,
by beco
m
i
ng
t
h
e s
i
s
t
er
of
M
ar
y
, Lena’s
m
o
ther,
Vicki
also
b
e
c
a
m
e
Lena’s
m
o
t
h
er,
as
t
h
e
Lak
o
t
a
d
i
d not recognize
aunts
and
uncles
as
such
–
at least
not
tr
a
d
itiona
l
l
y
.
A
par
e
nt’s si
b
li
ng
s
were
also
co
n
si
d
ered
t
h
e
p
are
n
ts
of a
n
y
c
h
il
d
ren
b
o
rn
wit
h
i
n
t
h
e fa
m
i
l
y
.

Wh
e
n
Vicki
l
earn
e
d
of
t
h
is,
she
wept with
j
o
y
.
T
a
ki
n
g
L
e
na’s beauti
f
ul
face wit
h
in
h
e
r
h
an
d
s,
she
kiss
e
d
her
f
o
r
e
he
a
d
a
n
d
b
o
th
che
e
k
s
, wh
is
per
i
n
g
,

“
I
f
i
nally h
a
ve a
chil
d
.” L
e
na was
t
ou
c
h
e
d.

She
knew
that
Vicki
c
a
r
e
d
for
h
e
r,
b
u
t
d
i
d
n
o
t
realize
the
d
e
p
t
h
of

Vic
k
i’s affecti
o
n u
n
til t
h
at m
o
m
e
n
t
.

A
slight
bree
z
e
kicked
up,
and
the
s
m
ell
o
f
rain
r
o
de
u
pon
t
h
e
p
u
ff of
a
i
r.
L
e
na
gazed
in
t
o
the
sky.
C
u
m
u
lus
clouds
now
filled
the
c
h
ina b
l
ue
ex
panse
o
f
Creat
o
r
’
s
he
a
v
e
n
s.
T
h
e
feel
i
ng
of
p
o
r
te
n
t
ov
er
whe
l
m
ed her for the se
c
o
nd ti
m
e that day, and
s
h
e
felt a
s
h
iver run
down
h
e
r
s
p
ine.

She
c
o
u
l
d
t
e
l
l
t
h
at
he
was
bes
i
de
h
er
b
ef
o
re
any
o
f
h
e
r
eart
h
l
y se
n
ses:
sig
h
t,
h
ear
i
n
g,
s
m
e
l
l,
taste
o
r
t
ou
c
h,
t
o
ld
h
e
r
so.
S
h
e
j
u
st
kne
w
. She
fo
u
n
d it difficult to
b
reathe,
a
n
d a
tre
m
bling
c
o
u
rs
e
d t
h
ro
u
gh
out h
e
r b
o
d
y
.
T
ur
n
in
g
s
lo
w
ly
,
her
head
bo
wed
i
n
c
o
n
f
us
io
n,
s
h
e
f
ou
n
d
h
e
rse
l
f
g
azing
at
a
p
a
ir
o
f
e
x
q
u
isitely
b
ea
d
ed
m
oc
casi
n
s.
Little
b
y lit
t
le,
s
h
e allowed her gaze
to
m
ove
up
a
nd up,
her
heart
beat
i
ng with
su
c
h tre
m
endous f
o
rce,
t
h
at
t
h
e
p
u
lsation of
t
h
e fabric
of her wh
i
te,
cot
t
on
b
lo
u
se
b
o
re
wit
n
ess
to
its
fra
n
tic
p
o
u
n
d
in
g
.
Bef
o
re
h
e
r
was
t
h
e
re
g
alia ad
m
ired
just
t
wo da
y
s be
f
o
r
e.
U
p
, u
p
,
a str
o
n
g
,
ta
n
n
ed
t
h
r
o
at,
d
a
r
k
, flowing
h
air.
She
saw
the
flash
of
a
br
illia
n
t
smile.
It
was
h
im
.
It
was the
Grass
D
a
n
c
er!