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if she witnessed something she wasn’t supposed to see. To cover her discomfort, she looked at the other two. “You want one? We’ve got plenty.” Kevin came forward, studying the sun-warmed tomato with a combination of distrust and awe. Gwen refused. By that time, Lucky had bitten into hers with a groan of pure pleasure, increasing Loomis’s uneasiness.
    “Come on then,” she said, gruffly. To avoid smelling up the cabin, she took them past it and to the picnic table. Dolls were still scattered across it from the morning play session. Loomis pushed them to one side. “It’s cooler here than inside. Besides, we have to fire up the stove out here if we’re going to heat enough water for baths. You folks just sit tight, and I’ll get the rest of the family.”
    Loomis tensed when Gwen raised an eyebrow at her, expecting an argument. Instead, she straddled the bench so she could see the cabin, her back to the summer kitchen. Kevin still anticipated something horrible, clutching his uneaten tomato in one hand as he sat. Lucky breathed a sigh of relief as she got off her feet, finishing her treat with relish. Relieved they weren’t going to make a fuss about not being invited inside, Loomis left them. As soon as she stepped into the cabin, Megan jumped up from the table where she learned her letters, and dashed across the room.
    “You’re back! I missed you!”
    Loomis’s trepidation faded at the little girl’s joy. “I’ve missed you, too, baby.” She scooped the child up and hugged her. After accepting a sloppy kiss, she turned to the others.
    Terry’s face held stern concentration as he ignored her arrival. He was working his way through the books of James R. Walker about Lakota Indians. Written in the late 1800s, they were a little above his reading abilities, and the thick dictionary lay open beside him. Delia and Heather worked with mathematics flash cards, and Cara sat in her rocker near the fireplace, knitting.
    “Look at my printing.” Megan waved toward the small slate board she used. “Heather says I do the letter ‘I’ really good.”
    “Really well,” Loomis corrected, carrying her to the table to see.
    “Do not,” Terry grumbled, not even looking up. “They look like slashes.”
    “They do not!” Megan scowled at Loomis. “Do they?”
    Loomis had to admit they did look slanted. “I think you’re doing a good job. You just need a little more practice.”
    Placated, the girl stuck her tongue out at Terry, who ignored her.
    “What happened in town?” Cara laid her project aside and stood. “Did you see Annie?”
    “No, no Annie.” Loomis set Megan back onto the bench in front of her work. “But we have guests for lunch.”
    “Really?” Delia asked, blue eyes wide, the flash cards forgotten. “Who’s here? Are there kids to play with?”
    Loomis rubbed the back of her neck. “One kid about Terry’s age. A couple of girls and a baby.”
    Heather frowned in thought. “The Olsens are here?” The Olsens were the only family with a baby at the moment.
    “No. About forty refugees arrived in town from the city. The town voted to take them in, and Dwayne Walker talked me into bringing some home.”
    “Bringing some home?” Heather repeated. “Why?”
    Cara answered for Loomis. “Because there’s no place else they can go.” She looked at her older cousin. “Is this going to be a temporary or permanent arrangement?”
    “It’s looking permanent.”
    Becoming businesslike, Cara began giving orders. “Heather, let’s get these things put away. Girls, help Heather. Terry, put the books up, make yourself presentable for company. Have they had lunch?”
    It took a moment before Loomis realized she was being asked a question. “Uh, no. I don’t think so.” Before Cara could run off to do something, she continued. “They’re in pretty bad shape. They really need baths and clean clothes. The boy, Kevin, has got to have a serious haircut. And they haven’t seen much food