Lost Creek Hollow Don't you lie, your cheeks are blushing red.

The boy seemed content in doing whatever-it-was. He caught sight of her almost as soon as she took notice of him and, with some babbling (which Ibis presumed was an invitation to play), wriggled in the mud. This must have been one of the children that Bat had been talking about when she'd mentioned many mothers; the memory of that conversation caused Ibis to mentally pause, to study the boy's giddy little face for familiarity. Was this another sibling she didn't know? She didn't feel inclined to investigate too closely — a little bit skeptical but also kind of nervous at the prospect of her father with so many women — and she was stuck pondering where she stood.