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again and watched the sky change out the glass window doors.
       

Chapter Eight
     
     
     
    Devil hated it when people messed with her, but she hated it even more when she snapped back. It wasn’t like she hated people, mostly men, but her history with her father hadn’t helped. So for being bitchy this morning to Mr. Canter, even if he had been too, she was going to trot out her rare, but surprisingly good, cooking skills.
       While finding herself lost in the kitchen later that morning she had found the fully stocked Kenmore XG steel refrigerator. Currently Devil was frying bacon and eggs in a giant caste iron pan over the ancient wood burning stove tucked away in the farest corner. The eggs and bacon sizzled and popped in the grease and teased her nose with a mouth watering taste.
       It had been a good year or two since she had tested out her skills but by the look and smell of it, it was turning out pretty good, if she did say so herself.
       It was only seven forty-five, but she was feeling better. Mr. Canter’s words had hurt and she was still scared of him, but it didn’t mean that they couldn’t make peace between them. They would have to even if it was only for Lilla. It was important that  Lilla would grow up with a family.
       Devil did want a family, just not with him and his bad temper. She wanted Lilla to grow up with a family and learn to love, not to grow up broken.
       The back screen door that led from the back porch into the kitchen and then three of the biggest men Devil had ever seen walked into the room. They weren’t as big as Mr. Canter, but big enough to give her a serious pause. They looked around the room and sniffed, until they spotted her at the stove.
       The bald one stared at her as if she had been a ghost. The tallest one with bright red hair stammered at what he was trying to say and the one with the cowboy hat on, that stood behind the other two, whistled softly.
       “I told you it wasn’t the Boss cookin’,” the cowboy drawled.
       All of them seemed to be between late twenties to early thirties and looked as if they belonged on a NFL football team as linebackers.
       Devil felt a sudden burst of courage and she stood her ground and raised a brow in question to them.
       “What’s goin’ on in there?” asked another voice from behind them. “Why do I smell food cooking in there?”
       “It seems as if the Boss got himself a lady bird in here cooking breakfast,” the bald one said finally finding his voice.
       “A what is cooking?!” the outside voice squeaked.
       “A lady and a young one at that,” returned to cowboy to the voice.
       Devil waited for one to ask who she was, but no one did. She found herself wanting to toss them all out of the house rather then run from them at that point.
       How odd.
       But they did remind her of the guys her adoptive father used to have around during all sorts of hours, night and day.
       “This lady here has a name and if you would be so kind as to close the door I’ll finish cooking,” she told them and turned back to her cooking.
       The men mumbled among themselves and came in finally closing the door. Devil didn’t turn around to see just how many had come in.
       The giant bald man came over to her and gave her a shy smile. “My name is Kip, Miss Lady Bird,” he said shyly. “And I be wonderin’ if you might be as kind as to cook me some breakfast too.” He looked at her with big hopeful gray eyes. He kind of looked like a big puppy.
       Devil looked him over for a minute, sizing him up, then she smiled and held out her hand. “The name’s Devil.”
       He grinned at that and shook her tiny hand in his big one. His was so large she wondered if he might break her hand on accident.
       “Get out the other eggs and get ready. If you want food then you are going to have to help. Do you know how to separate eggs?”
       Kip paused for a moment, shrugged and then