Read Online Outcast by Cheryl Brooks - Free Book Online

courtesy of her mother, who didn't think a primitive place like Terra Minor would have ready-made clothes — so she could make him something. The shirt and pants he had on didn't look as though they'd been made for him; they hung loosely on his thin frame, though it was possible that they'd fit him better at one time. The style was simple enough — a tunic that crossed over in front and tucked into trousers with a drawstring waist — and would be easy to duplicate. It was obvious that whoever had dressed him in the past hadn't gone to much expense, and, unfortunately, neither could Bonnie. When she'd asked Drummond to find her a hired hand, it had never occurred to her that he wouldn't have any clothes to speak of. Her only consolation was that he wasn't barefoot, though his sturdy sandals were more serviceable than stylish.
    He was such a mystery to her! How did he get there, and where had he been? Why had he come to Terra Minor at all? With anyone else, a long talk over a pot of coffee and a batch of cookies would have filled her in nicely, but Lynx seemed so uncomfortable with her there that after a few awkward moments, she went back to the house, leaving him to make his own bed. She was almost glad to be away from him, for he seemed to exude sadness, uncertainty, and even fear. He had been brusque with her earlier in the day, but now he seemed wary, as though he suspected that she might harm him in some way.
    Bonnie couldn't help but wonder if he'd gone outside to eat only because he couldn't stomach what she'd given him and had fed it to the dog instead. The plate had been licked clean, but that might only mean that Kipper had polished it off after Lynx was finished. It was possible that he was allergic to eggs — after all, many people were — and was too polite to refuse what she'd given him — though if his behavior constituted politeness, it was a different brand than she'd ever encountered before. If she hadn't already known Cat and Leo, she might have said it was from having been a slave or was possibly a Zetithian trait, but since they acted nothing like Lynx, she doubted it.
    Entering the house, it seemed so empty to her now. There were only three months to go until her baby was born, and then she would have someone besides Kipper for company. She was looking forward to that. She was pretty sure she couldn't count on Lynx.
    She told herself that it was probably better that Lynx didn't want to stay in the house — after all, she knew very little about him and might be safer with him out in the shed — but for some reason, it felt wrong. He'd saved her life, and she felt she owed him more than just a corner of the shed to sleep in.
    He seemed to have a great deal of difficulty accepting things from her — perhaps from anyone.
    Surely someone had shown him kindness in the past; it couldn't be so foreign to him that he didn't even recognize it! Bonnie had a much softer heart than she cared to admit, and that same heart was what had gotten her into a plethora of man trouble in the past. Still, it was her nature to be kind, and she vowed to continue to show him kindness — whether he liked it or not. Reminding herself that she had only advertised for a hired hand, not a roommate — and certainly not a husband — she went to bed.
    One of the Nimbaza region's more violent storms passed through that night, and Bonnie was very glad she was safe inside her house when it hit. Knowing how deafening the sound of a heavy downpour could be when it pounded on the metal roof of the shed, she doubted that Lynx was getting much in the way of sleep on his first night. She listened for the sound of him pounding on the door, wondering if he might have been rethinking his decision to sleep out there, but the sound never came — or if it did, she couldn't hear it.
    She needn't have worried. With only half of what she'd given him, Lynx had put together the most comfortable bed he had ever slept on in his entire life. He was