was about to interrupt, but seemed to think better of it. He would not remind her again to think of the child she carried.
"What were you going to say?" she asked.
"I have already gathered the eggs," he said, changing the subject.
"The chicken eggs too? Well, that's great! If you'd give me a hand with the fruits and vegetables, I'll get there quicker and maybe sell it all before it gets too late. Is there anything you need in town?"
His expression was so blank, Bonnie wasn't sure he'd even heard her, let alone understood what she'd asked, and when she began to explain, he just said, "No."
Bonnie could think of about a million things that he might need in town, but took him at his word.
"Well," she said doubtfully, "finish your breakfast then, and we'll get started in the garden."
Lynx had never done any farm work before, but he was a quick study, and they had the crates full in no time, after which he loaded them onto the cart. The cart, which not only moved under its own power but also had the virtue of being refrigerated, was what had saved Bonnie when the speeder had finally died on her. Before, she'd always hitched it to the speeder and zoomed on into town, but the cart moved along nicely at a walking pace and, though she was pretty sure Kipper missed riding in the speeder, it served her well.
As she set out, Bonnie's heart felt much lighter than it had in some time. It was a pleasant spring day, and she had plenty to sell; there might even be enough left over to pay Lynx a little bit after she paid her bills — and she had as many bills as anyone. The grain and sunflowers were her main source of income for the year, but the garden produce and the eggs were her cash crops, and now that she could get enock eggs without risking life and limb, she considered trying to trap more of them. Unfortunately, without a working speeder, she was unlikely to have much success.
Bonnie's outlook on the future had improved considerably now that she had Lynx around to help.
Before, she'd always dreaded trying to get those eggs every day and had been concerned about what she would do when the baby came. But now, she wasn't worried, and it felt good.
The hike to Nimbaza was about eight kilometers, and though Bonnie and Kipper made it in good time, it was getting hot when she set up her cart in the marketplace. As usual, the enock eggs were the first things to sell out. She saved two of them to trade for cheese and butter from her neighbor, Salan, whose father ran a dairy. Her friend, Zuannis, was a baker, and though she also traded for Bonnie's eggs, she preferred chicken eggs. "They are better for baking," she had told Bonnie. "I would have to make too big a batch to use an enock egg — and have to charge too much for my bread!" There were several other people who raised cows, pigs, and chickens, but since Bonnie was the only one in the region who raised enocks, she pretty much had a corner on the market. People just couldn't seem to get enough of those eggs, and she knew she could sell as many as her enocks could produce. She grudgingly admitted to herself that Sylor had been right about them being a good source of income. They had spotted several adult enocks eating the fallen fruit of an indigenous tree, and, knowing how much people delighted in finding the occasional egg, Sylor had gotten the idea to trap them. They tried several different ways before coming up with the speeder and net method, which had been risky, but effective. It took two people and a fast speeder, though — neither of which Bonnie had had since Sylor left.
It was midmorning when the region's only two Norludians, Gerna and Hatul, approached her booth and touched every single thing Bonnie had set out — including the eggs — with their strange sucker-tipped fingers before deciding what they wanted to buy, just as they always did. Jack had once warned her not to ask why they did that, just to let them do their thing and move on, but on this particular
"What were you going to say?" she asked.
"I have already gathered the eggs," he said, changing the subject.
"The chicken eggs too? Well, that's great! If you'd give me a hand with the fruits and vegetables, I'll get there quicker and maybe sell it all before it gets too late. Is there anything you need in town?"
His expression was so blank, Bonnie wasn't sure he'd even heard her, let alone understood what she'd asked, and when she began to explain, he just said, "No."
Bonnie could think of about a million things that he might need in town, but took him at his word.
"Well," she said doubtfully, "finish your breakfast then, and we'll get started in the garden."
Lynx had never done any farm work before, but he was a quick study, and they had the crates full in no time, after which he loaded them onto the cart. The cart, which not only moved under its own power but also had the virtue of being refrigerated, was what had saved Bonnie when the speeder had finally died on her. Before, she'd always hitched it to the speeder and zoomed on into town, but the cart moved along nicely at a walking pace and, though she was pretty sure Kipper missed riding in the speeder, it served her well.
As she set out, Bonnie's heart felt much lighter than it had in some time. It was a pleasant spring day, and she had plenty to sell; there might even be enough left over to pay Lynx a little bit after she paid her bills — and she had as many bills as anyone. The grain and sunflowers were her main source of income for the year, but the garden produce and the eggs were her cash crops, and now that she could get enock eggs without risking life and limb, she considered trying to trap more of them. Unfortunately, without a working speeder, she was unlikely to have much success.
Bonnie's outlook on the future had improved considerably now that she had Lynx around to help.
Before, she'd always dreaded trying to get those eggs every day and had been concerned about what she would do when the baby came. But now, she wasn't worried, and it felt good.
The hike to Nimbaza was about eight kilometers, and though Bonnie and Kipper made it in good time, it was getting hot when she set up her cart in the marketplace. As usual, the enock eggs were the first things to sell out. She saved two of them to trade for cheese and butter from her neighbor, Salan, whose father ran a dairy. Her friend, Zuannis, was a baker, and though she also traded for Bonnie's eggs, she preferred chicken eggs. "They are better for baking," she had told Bonnie. "I would have to make too big a batch to use an enock egg — and have to charge too much for my bread!" There were several other people who raised cows, pigs, and chickens, but since Bonnie was the only one in the region who raised enocks, she pretty much had a corner on the market. People just couldn't seem to get enough of those eggs, and she knew she could sell as many as her enocks could produce. She grudgingly admitted to herself that Sylor had been right about them being a good source of income. They had spotted several adult enocks eating the fallen fruit of an indigenous tree, and, knowing how much people delighted in finding the occasional egg, Sylor had gotten the idea to trap them. They tried several different ways before coming up with the speeder and net method, which had been risky, but effective. It took two people and a fast speeder, though — neither of which Bonnie had had since Sylor left.
It was midmorning when the region's only two Norludians, Gerna and Hatul, approached her booth and touched every single thing Bonnie had set out — including the eggs — with their strange sucker-tipped fingers before deciding what they wanted to buy, just as they always did. Jack had once warned her not to ask why they did that, just to let them do their thing and move on, but on this particular
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