Where My Heart Belongs Read Online Free Page B

Kathy?”
    Kathy looked at her sister and thought to reject the idea, but knowing how much it meant to their father, she nodded. “I guess so.” Taking a seat opposite Sunny at the table, Kathy met her sister’s gaze. It all seemed innocent enough, but something in Kathy screamed for protection. Guard your heart. Guard your heart . The words pulsated through her head.
    Sunny folded her hands and leaned back against the wooden chair. “Look, I know this isn’t comfortable for you, but I think we should talk. I mean I really want to talk. I want you to understand.”
    Kathy thought of a lot of flippant things she wanted to say, but she held her tongue. She kept thinking that she ought to pray about the matter—pray for peace of mind and ask God to give her a love for her sister. But the prayers went unsaid.
    “So what’s on your mind?”
    Sunny shook her head. “Everything’s on my mind. Twelve years of life here at the farm. Worry about Dad. Desperation to know the truth about Mom. I need to know, Kathy. I’m begging you to tell me so I don’t have to question Dad. Obviously he isn’t feeling well.”
    “He has cancer,” Kathy said without warning. “I don’t want you upsetting him with a lot of questions. He deserves to spend his final days in peace.”
    Sunny leaned forward. She was surprisingly calm. “How long does he have?”
    Kathy shrugged. “Days . . . perhaps weeks. The doctor told me it wouldn’t be long. He eats and drinks less and less each day, and once he stops all together, it’ll just be a matter of time.”
    “Shouldn’t he be in a hospital?”
    “He wanted to die at home. Hospice comes and checks up on him. He’s surprised them all with his strength and endurance. The doctor said a weaker man would never have gotten this far.”
    “Dad always was a powerhouse,” Sunny said, staring at her hands. “What kind of cancer is it?”
    “The original culprit was bladder cancer. Dad waited too long to get help. He’d had blood in his urine for a long time and just didn’t tell me. He thought it was an infection and tried to cure himself with lots of water and cranberry juice.”
    “Mom’s remedy for bladder infections.”
    “Right. He started having other problems and finally told me about it. That was about seven years ago. The doctor told him he had a tumor in his bladder. They did an MRI and didn’t see any other cancer, so they started radiation treatments. A year later the doctor gave him a clean bill of health, but it came back. In fact we’ve fought it off and on for the last few years. We thought for a while that he was getting better, then things just seemed to go downhill. In late April they did another MRI and found the cancer had spread to the liver, lungs, and bones. We knew then it would just be a matter of time.”
    “I’m sorry, Kathy.”
    “For what?” Kathy looked at her sister in confusion.
    “For everything. I know it sounds lame, but I am. I hope as time goes by, you’ll believe me.”
    Kathy looked away and said nothing. She wanted to just get up and walk away—forget that Sunny had ever come back into their lives.
    “Please tell me what happened to Mom.”
    Kathy’s focus snapped back to Sunny. “Why? What purpose would it serve?”
    “I need to know. I need to know what happened.”
    “I needed a lot of things that I never got.” Kathy clenched and unclenched her fists. “Mom needed things she never got. Why should you be the only one to get what you need?”
    “Look, I know you hate me. I know you wish I’d never come back. I don’t know what to say to you,” Sunny admitted. “I would like to know what’s happened in my absence.”
    “For what purpose?” Kathy refused to look away, despite the fact that she could see her close scrutiny made Sunny uncomfortable.
    “I’ve changed, Kathy. I know I did wrong. I know I hurt you and Mom and Dad. I should have come back before now or at least let you know I was alive. I know I don’t deserve