Free Orphan Maker by D Jordan Redhawk Page A

herself. She was letting her nightmares make her paranoid. There was no way those kids were a threat. Most of them could barely stand for any extended time due to malnutrition, let alone attack Lindsay Crossing. Maybe Gwen was a threat, she thought, a grin crossing her face. That woman had a sharp enough tongue for it anyway.
    The teapot began to rumble as the water boiled, soft wisps of steam puffing from the spout. Loomis jumped forward to grab it up before it could start whistling and wake the rest of the homestead.
    ***
     
    Gwen wanted to follow Loomis. There were limits to how much she could push, boundaries that had to be maintained, so she remained in bed. As much as she wanted to know more about the nightmare or that provocative statement about never having had a boyfriend, Gwen had to keep in check until she knew Loomis better. If Gwen forced the issue, she would never gain Loomis’s trust. And trust was a priority.
    Her mind whirled as she sank back into the mattress, pulling the blankets over her shoulders once more. If it wasn’t an old cut buddy, who was being threatened in the nightmare? A friend? Did Loomis have any male friends? Maybe it was her brother or cousin. Those were the only boys here. Gwen turned on her side, spying the framed photograph on the nightstand. Was it one of their other brothers, the ones that were dead? That would mean whatever Loomis dreamed of had happened before the plague had ravaged the world.
    She’d never had a boyfriend? Gwen couldn’t conceive of a hottie like Loomis being pure. Every guy she knew would give their left nut for a skill twist with Loomis. She smirked to herself. Her included, even if she didn’t have a left nut. Loomis was totally off tap with those dark hazel eyes and thick auburn hair. Saggy pants or not, she had a phat build, too.
I bet there ain’t an ounce of pudge on her.
    Gwen’s eyes drifted closed, her fatigue overcoming the rapid-fire thoughts in her head. She snuggled further into the bed, drawing Loomis’s pillow toward her and hugging it close.

Chapter Eight
     
     
     
    Kevin kept running his hand over his scalp, absently exploring the area denied him by the mass of hair that had grown over the years. Now that much of it was missing, he seemed fascinated by the texture of what remained. He stared hard at the primer before him, lips silently working as he tried to read one of the words.
    Loomis sat across from him. “We already know that you know your letters. You know what they sound like. Just make the sounds of what you read out loud.”
    Terry glared at her from beside Kevin. “Give him a couple of minutes.”
    Loomis bit back a grin. She had hoped another boy would adjust her young cousin’s attitude but hadn’t expected this. Rather than become mellower, Terry had turned into a rebel with a cause—defending and teaching his new “brother.” While his negative tendencies still rang true, he used them to protect Kevin from his ignorance rather than cause trouble. This morning he had taught Kevin how to properly hoe weeds in the garden and gather eggs, both tasks completed with little to no damage for a change. In fact, she couldn’t recall the two boys being separated from one another since the moment they had finished their argument the day before. Childhood being as fickle as it was, she hoped their burgeoning closeness would strengthen.
    Terry hovered beside Kevin, pointing a finger at one of the words on the page. “She means sound it out. See? Rrr…uuuhh…nnn. Run. Like that. I know it sounds dopey, but it’ll help until you can read better.”
    Kevin took a deep breath, and began the next word, hesitantly whispering them aloud. Loomis couldn’t hear, but Terry leaned close. Deciding it would be good to let them continue the lesson without her, she sat back and observed the others.
    Delia had spurned reading once again for her handmade flash cards. The girl had her addition and subtraction down pat, something Loomis