Read Online Lonely Heart by MJ Kane - Free Book Online Page A

then narrowed.
    “You like my laugh?” She shook her head, then turned her attention back to the unfolded clothes. “You don’t even know me. Lord knows I haven’t laughed a lot around you.”
    “True, but you have laugh lines in the corners of your eyes and cheeks when you smile. They didn’t get there by accident.”
    Jade green orbs met mine while her hand rested on her cheek.
    “But that’s another subject. Tell me about your family.” The metal chairs weren’t comfortable, but with a little adjustment, I settled in. My arms crossed, I waited for her reply.
    Kaitlyn studied me from the corner of her eye, then focused on her clothes again. “Have you ever felt unwanted, like bein’ born was a mistake?”
    “No.”
    Her brow furrowed. “Welcome to my world. My father only wanted sons, and my mother fought a losing battle with depression. I’m not sure if it came from my father not bein’ happy because she had daughters or if it was a chemical imbalance. Either way, it didn’t lead to a happy home.”
    I tried to imagine that type of upbringing in my family; it was impossible. The only issue we had experienced was the death of my mother. “Your father honestly didn’t want you?”
    “Nope. My parents have a farm. We mostly grew vegetables and fruit. We also had goats and chickens. The work wasn’t that hard, but Daddy felt girls wouldn’t work hard enough. He wanted boys to toughen up like his daddy did with him and get the job done.” She paused, reached for another shirt. “I wonder…if I wasn’t the first born, but second or third, would it have made a difference? Bein’ the first sets the standard, you know?”
    “I guess it does, though in my family, it’s hard to tell. Everyone after me was female. That made me the special one in my family.”
    Her smile was brief. “Well, in my family, it toughened me up. My father treated me more like a boy than a girl. No kind words or special treatment. If he couldn’t get what he wanted genetically, then he made me do it anyway.”
    Kaitlyn stood a mere five-foot-four to my six-foot frame. I could imagine her feeding chickens.
    “I was three-years-old when my first brother, Bailey Jr. came along. Justin came five years later. My father seemed satisfied with his allotment of sons, so when Tiffany came a few years later, he wasn’t as angry. It didn’t change the way he treated her, though. Bein’ the oldest female, I got the brunt of it. Once Bailey was old enough, he started treatin’ him like a man and backed off of me.” Her expression went solemn from what I guessed were unwanted memories.
    “Your mother never stood up for you?”
    “Not really. My father has a very dominant personality and my mother was timid. He wasn’t abusive, don’t get me wrong. It didn’t help that she had issues with depression. A lot of times, I was on my own. By the time I reached middle school, she managed to talk him into lettin’ me join the drama club. Talk about surprised. I guess he figured it was better than lookin’ at me all day, you know, out of sight, out of mind? I used the opportunity to my advantage and earned scholarships for Theater. I got accepted at U.C.L.A., graduated high school, then caught the first bus out of Texas. I haven’t been back since.”
    “Never?”
    “Never.” She paused. “My only regret was leavin’ Tiffany behind. But, she’s here now and things are workin’ out.” She pursed her lips. “Then again, this is Tiffany. She hasn’t had time to get in trouble yet.”
    I smiled, remembering the verbal dispute between them in my truck.
    Though she had endured a troubled childhood, Kaity appeared to have found some sort of stability. She drove a nice car and lived in a nice apartment. Her pregnancy meant at some point she had been in a relationship that meant something.
    Listening to her story only interested me more.
    “So you’re from Texas. That’s a long way from here. What did you study in