Sarge woke to the sound of mumbling and someone shuffling about.
“Dry cleaning, toothpaste...”
He slipped from under the quilt of buffalo-dog robes, careful not to wake Cateri. He tucked the fur around her, then pulled on his boots. When he stood, he looked around to see who was on guard duty.
Sparks stood in the doorway, leaning against the jamb, watching someone at the fire. He saw Sarge and nodded toward the fire.
“Birthday on Wednesday. New dress, red maybe, and a pair...”
She picked up the coffee pot, set it back down, then darted her hand toward something on the hearth, but nothing was there. She opened her fingers and looked surprised at her empty hand.
“Lori,” Sarge whispered as he walked toward her.
She didn’t respond; only stared at her hand.
He touched her shoulder. “Lor
