My Kind Of Country: The Complete Series

by Michelle Thomas

  Chad held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, Mason. Seems you like to be called little man about as much as your mom likes being called ma’am.”

  Mason nodded, leaning in to whisper to him. “She says it makes her feel old.”

  Chad laughed out loud then, unable to hide his amusement any longer. “I’ll keep that in mind. Just let her know I’ll wait outside for her, okay?” The little boy nodded and promptly shut the door, making Chad laugh even louder to himself. He rose from his crouched position and took a seat on the porch steps.

  It only took a minute or so for the door to whip open again. Katie stood there wearing an embarrassed grin. “I’m sorry,” she greeted him. “I didn’t realize Mason had banished you to the porch. Please, come in.” She stepped back, giving him room to enter the house.

  “It’s no problem, Katie. He’s quite the kid.” Chad stepped in past her, being sure to keep his dew-covered boots on the mat.

  “He’s definitely something,” she quipped, then turned to holler for Mason. “Mase, come on! Hurry, please! You’ll miss the bus!” A second later, the boy came running around the corner from the hallway, his backpack awkwardly bobbing up and down behind him. He headed for the door, stopping only to grasp the brown paper lunch bag Katie held out for him. “I’ll only be a minute, Chad. Travel cups are in the cupboard to the left of the window. Feel free to make yourself a coffee while I walk him to the bus. It’s freshly brewed.”

  “Bye, Chad! Don’t collect the chicken eggs without me! You’ll do it wrong!”

  Humor danced on Katie’s lips as she gave Chad one last glance and disappeared out the door, breaking into an easy jog behind Mason as the screen door swung shut behind her. Silence enveloped him, and he watched the two of them hike out the laneway until his line of sight was obscured by the tree branches.

  “I guess it’s just you and me,” Chad mumbled to the half-filled coffee pot. He hummed the tune of one of his favorite Johnny Cash songs while he rummaged through the cupboard to get a travel mug and a spoon, realizing then that an ancient radio was playing the song through dusty speakers. It must have been a local station playing, but the reception was still carrying a constant hum of static despite the antenna being slid as far as it would go against the windowpane.

  He felt intrusive, sifting through the contents of someone else’s house without them there, but Katie had offered him the hospitality—and besides, he needed the caffeine if he was going to make a good impression and survive his first day. He’d never admit it to her, but Chad was pretty sure he hadn’t done a full day’s worth of physical labor since he was in his late teens. Staying up all night in smoky bars playing guitar and singing hardly constituted as physical work. He just hoped he could keep up with Katie. He had a feeling she was relentless.

  He’d been just about to pour the steaming coffee into the mug when a ringing sound interrupted the silence. Foreign to his ears, it took Chad a moment to realize it was the cellphone in his pocket ringing. He dug it from his back pocket and stared confusedly at the glowing screen. No one had the number, and no one knew he’d gotten rid of his old phone. So, who was calling?

  “It doesn’t answer itself.”

  He turned abruptly to see Katie watching him from the other side of the screen door. The phone continued to ring shrilly as they stared at each other. Chad shoved the phone back into his pocket and went back to pouring coffee into the mug in front of him.

  “Probably just a telemarketer,” he explained. “You want me to pour you some of this, too?” He held the coffee pot up in askance.

  Katie nodded as she came inside, standing on her toes to reach a travel mug from the top cupboard for herself. “Probably a telemarketer? You’re telling me you don’t have caller display?”

  “No. Is that a problem?”

  “Not at all. I just thought I was the only one still in the dark ages. I don’t even have a cellphone, to be honest. Or satellite television, for that matter.” She glanced toward the living room as though to confirm the TV set was, in fact, still there. “Mason just watches movies on the DVD player. Over and over and over.” A wry smile formed on her lips.

  “You don’t have a cellphone? And you live way out here by yourself?” Chad hadn’t meant to sound as alarmed as he did, but the protectiveness that surged through him suddenly was difficult to ignore. He leaned against the counter and eyed Katie disbelievingly as the heat from the mug seeped into his hands.

  “Cell service is patchy at best out here. Besides, I have a regular phone here in the house and in the office at the stables.” Katie didn’t seem to see the danger in such a situation. Then again, Chad was pretty sure he and Katie had lived vastly different lives up until now.

  “Did you get Mason on the bus in time?” Chad changed the subject, not wanting to interrogate her on his first day.

  “We made it. You ready to work, Kirkwood?” She gave him a daring smirk, announcing her intent to see if he could truly hack it as her employee.

  “Whatever you dish out, boss, I can handle.” He matched her challenging tone, but his mind was screaming at him that this woman was undoubtedly about to outsmart, outwit, and essentially destroy him. And she was going to enjoy doing it.

  “You’ll pay for that, Mr. Kirkwood. Let’s go.”

  “Bring it on, ma’am.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  KATIE

  Katie had to admit, she wasn’t keen on having to hire someone to help her throughout the day. However, with horses to maintain, cows and pigs to be fed, chickens to be looked after, and the fruits and vegetables in the gardens to be tended to and eventually harvested, it just wasn’t possible to get it all done in a day and still have time to play her most important role... Mason’s mother. So, when Chad came along wanting a job, she wasn’t immediately thrilled to have him working alongside her. Within a matter of hours, though, he’d not only convinced her of his worth as a model employee, he’d frankly blown her away with his drive and willingness to sincerely help her with every aspect of running the farm. A handful of people showed up sporadically throughout the day to purchase farm fresh eggs, unpasteurized milk, and freezer packs of beef and pork, and Chad served each of them with an easy professionalism that made Katie envious. When he’d realized that she hauled the square hay bales one by one onto the bed of the truck and then drove them over to the barn, only to have to haul them back off the truck one by one again, he quickly offered to do it for her. She didn’t let him, but she did appreciate the sentiment. Then, he saw that she cleaned each of the horse stalls and the barns by hand.

  “Don’t you have a tractor?”

  “There’s an old John Deere parked behind the pig barn. Unfortunately, it doesn’t run.”

  “You need a tractor around here, Katie.”

  “It died right after my dad did, and I don’t know how to fix it. Any other questions?” She hadn’t meant to snap at him, but she had a tendency to get defensive when made to feel like she was doing something wrong. Katie turned away when it was obvious he didn’t know what to say in return, wiping the perspiration from her forehead as she walked back toward the front of the barn. She was hanging the pitchforks and shovels up on the wall rack when he finally spoke again.

  “I’m sorry, Katie.”

  “Don’t be. I tend to get a bit overzealous sometimes.” She turned to face him. “You want a bottle of water or something? I have a case of them stashed in the office. They aren’t cold, but they do the job.”

  “That’d be great. Thanks.”

  They walked in silence to the office and Katie passed him a bottle from under the desk. “Have you seen Cash around lately?” She looked out the window, but there was no sign of the dog.

  “He’s been practically under my feet all day. Come to think of it, though, I haven’t seen him in at least a half hour or so.” Chad ducked his head out of the office, scanning the horse stalls and doorway.

  As if on cue, Katie heard Cash’s familiar bark distantly. The sound, mixed with t
he direction it’d come from, sent her into a frenzy, gaping at her watch just before bolting for the door.

  “Damn it!” she exclaimed, pushing by Chad in her haste. “I forgot to pick up Mason from the bus!”

  Chad was on her heels as she started to run down the laneway. “I’ll come with you.”

  Katie stopped only for a moment, long enough to state, “No one else picks up my kid. Stay here.”

  Chad stopped in his tracks, his wide eyes meeting hers briefly. Katie turned away from him and sprinted for the end of the laneway, hoping the bus hadn’t already made it there before she had. The dust clouded around him, but Katie wasn’t paying any attention.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAD

  Like the flip of a switch, Katie’s tone had become sharp, menacing even. As Chad watched her take off down the laneway, a thousand things were rattling through his mind, yet only one seemed to be the likely answer. He’d bet his day’s wages that Katie viewed Mason as all she had left—therefore, he was hers to look after, protect, and be there for. She wanted to be the first thing he saw when he scuttled out of bed in the morning, and the last thing he saw before his eyelids fluttered closed at night. And, obviously, she needed to be the first one he saw when he got off the bus after school, too.

  Chad dragged his tired, aching body back into the barn and rechecked the water levels of the horse troughs, if only to make himself useful. He felt foolish for offering to come with her to get the boy, yet he really didn’t have a reason. He didn’t think he’d done anything wrong, but evidently, she did.

  He heard the scurrying footsteps crunching across the gravel long before they touched the concrete floor of the barn.

  “Did you collect all the eggs, Mr. Kerwood?”

  Chad turned, squinting into the setting sun that shone through the open barn door. He could visualize only the dark silhouette of the boy, but his appearance and his question forced the corners of his lips to tug upwards as he gave the horse in front of him one last encouraging pet.

  “It’s Kirk—never mind. How about you call me Chad? And I haven’t gone near the chicken coop. I was hoping you’d show me how to...do it right?” Chad recalled Mason’s instructions earlier this morning and made sure to let him know he’d been listening. Thrilled at the prospect, Mason struggled to get his backpack off and tossed it inside the barn door.

  “Sure! Come on!”

  Chad watched as the little boy turned enthusiastically on his heel and ran directly into his mother. He looked up at her, then tried to wriggle away, but Katie held on to him by the back of his shirt, a grin forming across her face.

  “And where do you think you’re going, Mr. Mase?”

  “I have to show Chad the chicken coop!”

  Katie stole a glance at Chad, humor evident in her eyes. Neither of them were going to admit that they’d already collected the bulk of the eggs earlier in the day. “Before we go through your backpack from school?”

  “Mom, it’s got to be done now!” Mason was attempting to squirm free, but Katie held on tight.

  “Ten minutes, then we go put together some supper, okay?”

  Mason was already off running full tilt by the time she released him from her grasp. Chad scooped up the backpack and closed the distance between himself and Katie, offering it to her.

  “He’s quite the kid,” he announced for the second time that day.

  Katie took the backpack from him, not meeting his gaze. “He is. You’d better follow him.”

  “I’m sorry about earlier.” The words spilled from his mouth. “I never meant to—”

  “He’s waiting for you, Chad.” She cut him off mid sentence and pointed in the direction Mason had gone, who’d already opened the coop door and disappeared inside with his basket in hand. Chad met her glare and, for a moment, neither of them moved. A tense silence crept in, not breaking until Chad sighed in defeat and turned away from her. He plastered a fake smile on his face and pushed his confusion into the farthest depths of his mind, ducking into the chicken coop without giving her another glance.

  ***

  “You’re pretty good at that.” Chad ducked back out into the fading sunlight, Mason toddling along in front of him with his half-filled basket displayed proudly in front of him. As he’d expected, Katie was leaned against the chicken coop door, keeping it propped open with her elbow. Somehow, he knew she wouldn’t be far away.

  “I know,” Mason admitted. “The chickens know me. Don’t worry, you’ll get better at it.”

  Chad stifled a chuckle. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, little man.” He remembered then that the boy didn’t like being called that, but when he didn’t demand to be called otherwise, he ruffled Mason’s hair with the palm of his hand and the little boy beamed up at him.

  “Are you going to be here tomorrow, Chad?”

  Chad stared down at him inquisitively. “As far as I know. Where else would I be?”

  Mason whirled around to face his mother, who remained leaning against the coop door in silence. “But, Mom, you said he might not—”

  “Time for dinner, Mase,” Katie interjected, pushing herself away from the door. The spring hinges on it caused the door to slam shut with a loud bang. “Can you carry the eggs into the house for me? I’ll be inside in just a second.” Her tone said what her words didn’t, and Mason looked between the two adults. As though mulling the situation over in his mind, he seemed hesitant to leave them alone, relenting only when Chad reached out and gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mason. Thanks for teaching me the ropes today.” Chad attempted to sound sincere, but it was obvious that Mason didn’t quite believe him. Nevertheless, he disappeared into the house, two hands on the handle of the egg basket, with his loyal dog trailing closely behind him.

  “Have I done something wrong, Katie?” Chad questioned her moments after the screen door swung shut behind her son.

  “No. Nothing.”

  “Am I allowed back tomorrow?”

  “Do you want to come back tomorrow?”

  Chad wondered if she was, once again, trying to give him a free pass to leave. “Have I not proven myself to you today?”

  She nodded. “Of course. You’ve been an immense help today. For that, I thank you.”

  “But what?”

  Katie paused, and Chad knew she was debating her response. As she crossed her arms tightly, her gaze met his. “Don’t hurt my son, Chad.”

  Nothing could have prepared him for such a statement to fall from her lips. “Hurt your son? Katie, what the hell do you mean?” Perhaps it wasn’t the most professional retort, but considering his surprise and swelling frustration, he considered himself lucky to form a response at all.

  “He gets attached to people. I don’t want him to get hurt. By you, or by anyone. He’s been through enough already.”

  Chad ran his hands over his face, struggling to determine what Katie was really saying. What had Mason been put through? Better yet, what gave Katie the impression that he’d ever hurt Mason at all? “Katie, I’m not going to hurt Mason. You can trust me on that one.”

  “Then go home, get some rest, and we’ll see you here in the morning.” Katie offered her hand out to him, shoving a wad of bills into his hand before she plucked Mason’s backpack from the ground in front of her and headed into the house.

  CHAPTER SIX

  KATIE

  Katie exhaled deeply, enveloped by the familiar sound of only the country music on the radio once the door shut out the crickets singing and the rhythmic movements of the animals as they moved about the barnyard and stalls. The soothing sentiment of it all was quickly shattered, though, when she realized she couldn’t hear Mason shuffling about in the house.

  “Mase?”

  There was no response, causing her pulse to quicken. She fled for the hallway, her eyes scanning the living room and then her bedroom as she went. The light was on at the end of the hall: Mason’s bedroom.

  �
��Mason?” she called out again, rounding the corner. He was there, tucked into the corner at the end of the bed, only the back of his sandy head visible over the foot of the bed. At the sound of her voice, Mason turned abruptly, his eyes flitting quickly to meet hers.

  “Yes, Daddy. Mom is right here.” He cradled the phone tightly into the crook of his neck, his eyes never reverting from Katie’s. She did her best to put forth a reassuring smile, relieved to see he was okay and not wanting him to think he was in trouble.

  “Yup, she’s still staring at me.” Mason giggled again, and suddenly Katie really wanted to know what Jay was saying to him. She leaned against the doorjamb for a moment but then decided to head back into the kitchen and let Mason talk to his father alone. There was no reason to feel like she had to watch over him or shield him from his own father’s influences.

  But that was exactly how she did feel.

  She let Mason’s mumbled words fade in her ears as she traipsed back down the hall and busied herself by cleaning up the dishes from breakfast and lunch. She focused on the tinkling of glass as she placed the tumblers and plates under the hot water spray, struggling to swallow the rising bout of hatred that had reared its ugly head.

  How dare he call now! She gripped the edge of the sink, staring out the window at the quickly disappearing sunset. Remembering how she’d abandoned Chad, she scanned the yard, but he was definitely gone.

  “Mommy? It’s Daddy.”

  Katie whirled around to face Mason, who stood beside the counter with his arm outstretched, offering the cordless phone to her. Excitement exuded from his every pore, and Katie knew then what the conversation between Mason and his father must have entailed.

  “Sure, Mr. Mase. Thank you. Go get washed up for supper, okay?” She took the phone from him and watched him disappear around the corner.

  “What have you promised him this time?” Katie couldn’t hide the edge in her voice, immediately regretting her choice of greeting.

  “Hello to you, too. Sorry I haven’t called the last few nights.”