Outcast by Cheryl Brooks Page B

through the hard times reasonably unscathed.
    Or had she? It was possible that the chip on her shoulder was every bit as big as the one Lynx carried. Running her fingers through her cropped locks, Bonnie remembered feeling just as much enmity toward men as he seemed to have toward women. Lynx had changed that by possessing all of the attributes Bonnie was searching for in a man — with the possible exception of the most important one.
    In an attempt to divert her mind, Bonnie took the worn speeder parts, went through the catalog, and ordered new ones. Lynx might never love her, but if he could get that speeder running, he would be worth his weight in gold.
    As her pregnancy progressed, Bonnie was so exhausted each evening that even if Lynx had come seeking her company, it wouldn't have been very enjoyable — for either of them. Each market day she went walking into Nimbaza with her wares. She made a lot of money, chiefly due to Lynx's help. With more time to devote to tilling and planting, she was now able to grow more vegetables and herbs, and with Lynx providing a steady supply of rats, the enock egg production had doubled.
    With the money she earned, she paid her bills, and whatever was left over, she split evenly with Lynx, sometimes even giving him all of it. Bonnie lived in fear that the mines would start hiring again and that he would hear of it and leave her, so she knew she had to pay him as well as she could.
    The weekly trek into Nimbaza was hard but enjoyable for Bonnie, and though Zuannis knew there was something troubling her friend, she kept those thoughts to herself, focusing instead on preparing for the new arrival.
    "I still have the clothes my children wore when they were young," Zuannis announced. "Would you like to have them?"
    Bonnie smiled as she looked at Zuannis, trying to imagine the size of any infant she might have given birth to and decided that the clothes might fit her own child in about three years. Still, it was better than nothing. "Sure," Bonnie replied. "I've made a few things, but I probably don't have nearly enough. You know how it is."
    "Never enough time, is there?" Zuannis said airily. "Which is why I have offered. I'll have Joachen bring them by before you leave today. How is Lynx faring?"
    Zuannis always asked, and Bonnie always replied, "Fine. Working hard, just like always."
    Zuannis shook her head sadly. "He needs to come with you to market sometime," she said. "He is too isolated. It would do him good. Or perhaps I should bring Joachen with me the next time I visit."
    "He might like that," Bonnie said. "But he sure doesn't like it when Salan happens by! I mean, he actually disappears! Must be able to smell her coming or something."
    "Zetithians have very good noses," Zuannis said knowledgeably. She had met Lynx a few times at the farm, and the fact that he could sniff out the aroma of her freshly baked bread was a testament to the fact that there was nothing wrong with his nose — though she still remained convinced that there was something else wrong with him — something hormonal, perhaps.
    Bonnie knew just how good Lynx's nose was and merely nodded her agreement, preferring not to get into another discussion of Lynx's apparently nonexistent libido.
    Market days were both a blessing and a curse for Lynx. He could work without Bonnie's disturbing scent in the air, but while she was gone, he envisioned all manner of dire consequences. He wished the speeder parts would come soon, and though he told himself that it was only because he wanted to work on it, the truth was that he knew just how far it was to Nimbaza.
    "Pregnant females should not travel alone," he muttered to the chickens, but at the same time, he balked at offering to accompany her. She'd never asked him to, and he reasoned that this was a good enough excuse, but couldn't escape the feeling that it wasn't. "What if the child comes early?" He knew there was usually some traffic on the road — especially on market