Read Online Kentucky Home by Sarah Title - Free Book Online

of the stall.
    â€œI was just, uh, I was just going. I’m going to go,” she said, and ran toward the house.
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    Dinner that evening was a tense affair. Mal knew it was her fault, but nobody would even look at her. Libby had told Mal that usually when one of the Carson children did something wrong, they would be crushed under the weight of their father’s disapproving gaze, then punished, then comforted by Miss Libby. But Mal was not one of the Carson children and leaving the gate open was not her fault, really. She didn’t know.
    In between saying grace and passing the chicken wings, Cal said, “Nobody let that girl go about on her own until she learns how it’s done.”
    It was not said unkindly, not entirely, but Mal thought she probably would have preferred if he went back to ignoring her. She bristled. Another bully.
    â€œYeah, next time I might burn down the barn or muck out the feed pile.” And then she laughed, a short, tense sound. Looking at the blank faces around the table, she thought maybe it was too soon for jokes. So she kept her head down, dug into her food, and waited for the meal to be over.
    As soon as she could politely excuse herself from the table, which was about half an hour after she wanted to, she went up to her room—Luke’s room—and dug around in her bag for her cell phone. She had bought it at a big box store around Morgantown. It was one of those really basic pay-as-you-go phones. She had put a hundred dollars worth of minutes on it, figuring it would be good for emergencies, but also feeling a little like a drug dealer since she could throw the phone out any time she wanted. Untraceable.
    She had yet to use it, although she had given Luke the number. He hadn’t used it either, hadn’t called since he’d been gone, but she needed him now. She needed to talk to him, and she needed him to get her out of here.
    The sun had set while they were eating dinner, and as Mal stepped out on the front porch, her breath stopped at the blue glow of twilight, the first stars dotting the sky. She hadn’t been this far from the city in a long time, and she didn’t realize how much she had been missing the stars. She took a deep breath of the crisp evening air, wrapped her scarf more firmly around her neck, and called Luke.
    It rang and rang, and while it rang, she saw Libby pull back the curtain and, seeing it was Mal on the porch, give a friendly wave. Mal smiled and waved back, then stepped off the porch. She didn’t need anyone in the family to hear this conversation. She started walking.
    If there is a conversation, she thought, hoping not to have to deal with voice mail. She hated voice mail.
    Luke finally picked up, sounding a little breathless. “Mal? What’s wrong?” There was a lot of noise behind him, as if he was in a crowd. Maybe a bar.
    â€œNothing! I’m fine, I just wanted to talk to you, that’s all.”
    â€œMal.”
    She heard one distinctive voice above the rest. “Luke, are you at an auction or something?”
    â€œWhat? No! No, I’m at a party.”
    â€œIt sounds like an auctioneer in the background.”
    â€œThat’s just, a party trick. Hold on, let me go outside.” She heard a few mumbled “excuse me’s” and “hey, back in a minute,” and then the noise of the crowd faded. She could hear him perfectly. “What’s going on, baby?”
    â€œIt’s nothing, really, I just wanted to say hi. Hi.”
    â€œHi. Mal.”
    There was no use. She burst out crying. “Your family hates me. I let a horse out. I threw up at the dog.” As if speaking of the devil, Peanut came off the kitchen steps and nuzzled his nose into her free hand. The dog, at least, forgave her. She kept walking, Peanut trotting beside her. “The only thing I’m doing right here is eating Miss Libby’s cooking and mucking out