Outcast by Cheryl Brooks Read Free Book Online

with the fact that he was an alien — and while she'd heard of some odd alien customs, this one was right up there with some of the strangest. She wondered if Cat would eat in the same room with Jack and decided that perhaps it was something you could only do if you were married.
    In a way, the idea made her jealous of Cat and Jack, who seemed like the happiest couple in the galaxy. Apparently Bonnie wasn't deserving of that kind of happiness, because it sure as hell hadn't happened to her yet. Like most of her boyfriends, Sylor had been handsome and charming, though in retrospect, she couldn't honestly say that she'd loved him very much, and had been more irritated than heartbroken when he left her. Lynx, on the other hand, was very attractive, but he wasn't charming at all, although it might have just been because he was a stranger to her. Lynx hadn't wanted to work for a woman, and it was obvious to Bonnie that he already thought she was a foolish idiot. The trouble was, they were sort of stuck with each other — for a while, at least — because she needed help, and he needed a job.
    Still, Bonnie wished they could at least become friends. She missed having someone to talk with, though given his dislike of sharing a meal with anyone, it was fairly obvious that they wouldn't be having much in the way of dinner table conversation. It made her feel even lonelier than she'd been before he came. Maybe it's my short haircut he doesn't like, she mused, though Jack's hair was short, and Cat didn't seem to mind. Cat himself had long, beautiful hair hanging in shiny, black spirals down to his waist, making him appear dashing and sexy. Leo's hair was also very attractive, and she liked him, too, but in a sort of different way. He was more reserved than Cat, but you could tell he loved Tisana with all his heart — maybe it had something to do with Tisana's long, dark hair and bewitching eyes...
    However, in contrast to the other two Zetithians, there was nothing the least bit dashing or sexy about Lynx; in fact, he seemed intent on being nondescript and invisible. He was very thin, and his hair color was as neutral as the clothes he wore. Aside from the typical Zetithian features, the only things about him that were remarkable in any way were his eye color — which wasn't something he could change — and his black-tipped eyebrows. He was by no means unattractive, but so far, his personality wasn't what Bonnie would have called endearing.
    But perhaps she wasn't being quite fair to Lynx. He'd come here intending to work in the mines, didn't seem to like being around women, and he'd wound up working on a woman's farm. In such a situation, Bonnie thought she might have been a bit surly herself and hoped that he would lighten up after a while.
    While she ate her dinner, she kept thinking about him; why he might have acted the way he did, what horrible things he'd been forced to endure, all the while feeling odd little waves of sadness — tiny twinges near her heart that made her want to cry. Lynx had a certain aura that hung about him like a cloud of despair. He shouldn't have been feeling despair, because Bonnie knew she would pay him all she could and wouldn't work him to death, either. Food was plentiful, so he need never go hungry. Aside from that, there wasn't much more she could do for him. He didn't seem to want to talk — not even wanting her companionship — and love wasn't something he would ever want from her, which was no hardship, because she didn't think she could give it to him anyway.
    But I can give him something soft to sleep on! She put her dish in the sink and went in search of some spare bedding. Gathering up all the blankets and sheets she could find — what he didn't need in the way of covers, he could use to pad the floor — she carried them out to the shed. Having him sleep out there hadn't been her first choice, but if that was what he wanted, she would do her best to see that he was comfortable. She