Read Online Genesis by Kaitlyn O'Connor - Free Book Online Page A

herself with her arms. It worked after a fashion, but she discovered she was too close to the trunk to throw her legs over.
    Deciding she needed just a little more distance from the trunk, she lowered herself carefully to the ground, backed up a step, and grabbed the limb again. This time, she managed to get one leg over the branch. She hung like that for several moments, trying to gather the strength to pull herself up.
    It was at that moment that she realized two things.
    Kole was standing at the very edge of his yard staring straight at her with a look of intense concentration on his face.
    And her gown, which was all in the world she had between her and decency, was rucked up almost to her waist and billowed beneath her.
    If she’d set out to fan her coochie in his face, she couldn’t have done a better job of it. She was in such a rush to get down, she damned near fell. She did succeed in raking the hide off her thigh with the rough bark. Putting her back to Kole, she lifted her gown once she was on her feet again and examined the scrape on her thigh.
    Cory, she saw when she glanced at him again, was looking doubtful, as if trying to decide whether he should laugh or cry at her latest antic. She forced a smile, albeit a wry one. “Ok, that’s enough for today,” she told him, bending to gather him up.
    Her hands were almost as scraped up and sore as her leg. Her palms burned as she caught him to her and looked for Consuelo, studiously ignoring Kole. Seeing that Consuelo was sitting next to the line, she realized the other women must not have been allowed outside, and she trudged across the yard to settle across from the woman.
    “Why?” Consuelo asked, pointing toward the tree as soon as she’d settled Cory on the ground beside her and lifted her palms to examine them.
    Bri rolled her eyes, thought it over for a moment, and finally merely pointed toward the habitat that housed the other women.
    Consuelo nodded then frowned. “No climb.”
    “I noticed that,” Bri said dryly. “I thought I could. I wonder if I could climb the habitat any better?” she asked idly, twisting around to study it. One look assured her she had even less chance of that, though. The thing was virtually smooth and seamless on the outside, as if it had been shaped in a one piece form. “Maybe I could drag a chair out of the habitat?” she added speculatively as she picked up the curtain she’d filched and examined it thoughtfully.
    “Climb?” Consuelo asked.
    Bri lowered the curtain panel and stared at Consuelo blankly. Seeing she was pointing at the panel she decided Consuelo was asking if she intended to use the material to form a rope. She hadn’t thought of it. After studying the panel and then turning to study the tree, though, she finally shook her head. “No. If I can’t climb without it I don’t think it would help to have a rope. The problem isn’t that I can’t reach. The problem is, I’m not strong enough to pull myself up. I don’t think even pure terror would lend me enough strength to drag my ass up that damned tree. I brought this for the baby.”,
    Consuelo stared at her uncomprehendingly. “ Ropa para niño?”
    Bri’s jaw dropped to half mast. “Why would I want a rope for the baby?” she demanded indignantly.
    It was Consuelo’s turn to look dumbfounded. After studying it over for several moments she started laughing. “No rope. Ropa. ”She cast around for a moment and finally plucked at her gown.
    Bri frowned. “Oh! Ropa means … like a gown?” She shook her head, then took the panel and looped it around her shoulders. “To hold him,” she explained, trying to get her point across with hand and arm motions.
    Consuelo looked at her doubtfully, but she wasn’t certain whether that meant she hadn’t exactly understood or she doubted Bri could do it. Shrugging, she focused on trying to figure out a way to knot the thing to form a sling that would hold the baby securely while leaving her arms