Chasing Kate
An American Dream Love Story
Book One
by
Josephine Parker
Copyright ©2016 Josephine Parker
Editing by Chameleon
Cover Graphics by S.G. Hawkins
For Teri
Acknowledgment
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust, and sweat, and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”
I scooted into the arena with a healthy nudge from an amazing group of friends, family, and beta readers, all of whom supported me along the way. My parents told me I could do anything and be anyone. My sister believed in my talent. My friends were there to listen when I cried, and cheer when I smiled. They all said, “Keep going.” A greater fortune I could not imagine.
In particular, I’d like to thank Marilynn, Milt, Teri, Laurie H., Beth B., Melissa W., and Lauri O. You are the people most special to me in this world. Thank you for believing in me.
I would also like to thank Chameleon for her excellent editing; her guidance, and sharing her wealth of information. And S.G. Hawkins Graphic Design for tirelessly working to create the covers I envisioned.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Kate
Chapter 2: Chase
Chapter 3: Kate
Chapter 4: Chase
Chapter 5: Kate
Chapter 6: Chase
Chapter 7: Kate
Chapter 8: Chase
Chapter 9: Kate
Chapter 10: Chase
Chapter 11: Kate
Chapter 12: Chase
Chapter 13: Kate
Chapter 14: Chase
Chapter 15: Kate
Chapter 16: Chase
Chapter 17: Kate
Chapter 18: Chase
Chapter 19: Kate
Chapter 20: Chase
Chapter 21: Kate
Chapter 22: Chase
Chapter 23: Kate
Chapter 24: Chase
Chapter 25: Kate
Chapter 26: Chase
Chapter 27: Kate
Chapter 28: Chase
Chapter 29: Kate
Epilogue
Loving Lindsey Chapter Excerpt
About the Author
Chapter 1: Kate
Kate gripped the steering wheel tight as she leaned forward and peered through the dusty windshield of her rental car. The road she drove along rose and fell away in intervals, and each time she reached the crest of a new hill, she would sit up in her seat, only to sink back again in disappointment. There was not a building in sight.
As another row of spring-green fields curved away into the distance, she glared down at her GPS. The little red car crawled across the empty abyss of the screen going nowhere. She flicked it with her finger and turned off the volume. If she heard it say, ‘recalculating, recalculating’, one more time, she’d throw it out the window. Instead, she listened to the tires hum rhythmically on the pavement and tried to relax her grip.
Kate believed in second chances, but it would be hard to claim hers if she couldn’t find it. She slapped her visor down and sat up higher in her seat to avoid the glare of sunlight cutting through some distant woods. She glanced down at her cell phone. Two bars. “Finally,” she muttered. She put both hands on the steering wheel, turned on her blinker, and pulled slowly over to the side of the road.
She secured her Bluetooth headset onto her ear, then hit dial. As the phone began to ring, she glanced at the visor mirror and scowled at herself. Her normally wavy hair had mutated into Medusa-like dark coils that sprung from her head in all directions. Damn Oklahoma air, she thought. One more reason to finish this job and get home to Boston.
She rolled her eyes in exasperation as she tried to tame the tendrils back into place. As soon as she tucked one curl in, another sprung out. She looked at her pale blue eyes in the mirror and gave up. The best she could do was pin it back and hope it held.
“Hey, Pipes. You there?” Lindsey’s voice came through the ear piece.
Kate exhaled. “You picked up.”
“Duh. I’ve tried you like five times. Voice mail,” Lindsey said. “Where are you?”
“No idea, but I must be close. My GPS thinks I’m off road.” She looked around. “I’m on a road. A road with a whole lot of nothing around it.”
Kate opened her car door and swung her legs out to give them a little shake, then left the car and stood on a crunchy patch of gravel as she looked around.
“How is it?” Lindsey asked. “Pretty?”
“Dusty,” Kate said, peering into the distance. She shivered as she watched two hawks circle around a nearby field. “Give me the city any day,” Kate said. “What did you find on KinCo?”
“Right, business.” Lindsey nodded to herself. Kate could hear Lindsey’s fingers tapping on her keyboard and imagined her at home in her basement bathed in the blue lights of her computer screens. “KinCo is family owned, founded 1936. Get this, Pipes, they manufacture all kinds of stuff. I mean, everything from tissue to tires. Huge product line.”
“Problems?”
“Weirdly, no,” Lindsey answered. “At least, not so far. I’m still digging. They have a great brand, good name recognition, and, like, no catastrophes. Crazy, right?”
“Hmm,” Kate murmured, wondering why she got the call late last night. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough. Something must be up.”
“Well, it’s a new adventure, at least,” Lindsey said.
Kate was grateful she still had Lindsey by her side. “Thanks again for jumping on this at such a late hour. After everything…”
Lindsey paused. “Yeah,” she said. “Anything for you, Pipes.”
Last night, Kate was packing boxes in her office, ready to turn off the lights for good. It’s hard to stay open as a Reputation Manager when no one wants you to manage their reputation. She knew she was good at what she did, but she made the mistake of crossing the wrong person, quitting her last job, and going out on her own. She thought with hard work and talent she could achieve her American Dream. She was wrong. She was getting used to that idea when the phone had rang. It was the assistant to Cal Kincaid, President of KinCo, asking her to fly out as soon as possible. That was all the info Kate had, but it was enough to give her hope that all was not lost. She called Lindsey to do some meeting prep, then got on the first flight out.
“Good job, Lindz,” Kate said. “Keep me posted on what else you find.”
“I will,” Lindsey assured her, then she paused a moment. “This is a big deal,” she finally said.
Kate nodded. “I know.”
“You have to land this job.”
Kate put her hands on her hips and inhaled. “I know,” she said in a rush as she exhaled. She felt pressure building at the base of her neck. Her voice had trembled just a bit. No one else but Lindsey would have even heard it. Kate heard Lindsey’s hands pause on the keyboard.
“Do you need a fluff?” Lindsey asked quietly.
Kate laughed. “God, yes,” she said, and leaned back against the car with a smile.
“Okay.” Lindsey began. “You listen to me, Kate Piper. You are amazing, and you are going to get this job,” she said. “You are brilliant and beautiful, and
any smart company would want to hire you. If they don’t, they’re not smart, and we don’t work for dumb people, do we?”
“No.”
“No,” Lindsey said, “that’s right. And these must be smart people because they have built a huge, successful company, and they were smart enough to call you. So, you are going to march right in there and let them see how amazing you are with your wicked spidey-sense and your get-things-done attitude.” Lindsey took a breath, then said, “You’re Kate Freaking Piper. And they don’t know who they’re messing with, right?”
“Right.”
“Right,” she said. “Now, who are you?”
“Kate Piper, dammit.”
“That’s right! Shoulders back, take a big, deep breath, give yourself a little stretch, Kate Piper. You are going to kill this.”
Kate raised her hands over her head and breathed deeply. She felt the fluff and the sunshine build her confidence, but as she spread her arms wide, she felt the top button on her blouse pop off and roll away. “Shit!” Her arms fell back to her side as she eyed the ground around her.
“What happened?”
“I lost one of my buttons,” Kate said as she glanced at the gap the missing button had opened up. She could see the deep crevice between her breasts and the lacy curve of each side of her bra. She should have known this would happen when she dug this blouse out of the back of the closet, wrinkled and smashed into a corner. She tried to freshen it up with a dryer sheet and some spray, but she hadn’t thought to see if it still fit well. Rookie mistake. Two years ago, when she was on top of her game, this never would have happened. She didn’t even remember to pack a sewing kit.
“I can’t go in there like this,” she said as she tried to pull the shirt back together. “Like, hello there, I’m Kate Piper, Reputation Manager, please ignore my tits and hire me. I promise you, nothing this embarrassing will ever happen to you.”
She groaned, then got down on her knees and swept under the car with her arm. That’s when she saw the pickup truck idling behind her. “Whoa,” she said, sitting back on her heels. “Wait a minute.”
“Find it?” Lindsey said into Kate’s ear.
“There’s some guy behind me in a truck.” Kate blocked the sun with her hand to get a better look.
“Holy crap,” Lindsey said. “You’re all by yourself out there. What’s he doing?”
“Staring.”
“Holy crap. What is he, some kind of drifter?”
“Dunno,” Kate said, squinting into the light. “Might be two guys. No. Guy and a dog. He’s getting out.”
“Holy crap. Should I call the police?”
“Shhh, hold on.”
Kate watched as the man got out of his truck and shut the door, then crossed his arms without a word, watching her.
“What’s happening?” Lindsey asked.
“Hold on,” Kate whispered.
A small gust of wind swirled around Kate as she and the man surveyed each other silently. Kate glanced down through her open car door wondering what she might be able to make into a weapon. Maybe there was still time to jump in and drive away. The man uncrossed his arms and began to walk towards her.
Kate widened her stance and stood as tall as she could. She mustered her toughest Boston voice and called out, “Stop right there.”
The man stopped.
Kate tried to get a better look at him, but he was still several feet away and shadowed in the glare of the sun. “Can I help you with something?” She barked.
The man tilted his head and looked at her from beneath the rim of his baseball hat. Wow, he was tall. And solid. Kate watched as he bent slightly at the waist and looked past her into her car.
Kate sucked in her breath. From there, he could see she was alone. He eyed her warily, then gave a little shake of the head. He gestured vaguely in her direction. “Looks like you’re the one that could use the help,” he called out.
Kate swallowed. “Um―yes. I’m looking for KinCo, do you―” Kate clutched the two sides of her blouse together. The man turned away silently.
“He went back to his truck,” Kate whispered to Lindsey into her headset.
“What’s he doing?”
“It looks like…wait,” she said. “He’s gotten out a tool box and taken something out of it. He’s walking back.”
“Oh my God,” Lindsey said. “Is it an axe? If it’s an axe, I’m calling the police.”
Kate reached out to brace herself against the side of the car. She felt her heart racing. “No, you’re not,” she said. “Hold on.”
The man sauntered back to Kate, then stopped, eyeing her from about five feet away. He wore a plaid shirt and a boyish baseball cap, from beneath which Kate could see two scowling, light colored eyes, and a clenched jaw covered with stubble. It seemed like he was deciding something. Apparently satisfied, he continued to walk toward her. He stretched out a grease-stained hand. “Here you go,” he said, glancing down at her busted-open shirt.
Kate looked down. He held a safety pin in his hand. She flushed and crossed her arms.” Right,” she said. “Oops.” She stepped toward him and untangled one arm to reach out for the pin. As she did, a rush of warm air surrounded her. She chalked it up to Oklahoma heat, but then their eyes locked. His were a mossy green with a burst of gold flecks around the center. Kate felt something shift deep inside her. As he handed her the safety pin, he leaned forward to speak softly in her ear. “KinCo is about two miles straight down the road. You can’t miss it.” He leaned back and gave her a smile. “You have a nice day, now.” Without another word, he got in his truck and left.
Kate was dazed. She plucked at her collar to try to get some air to her skin. She watched as the truck pulled away in a plume of dust, then got back in her car and blasted the air. It was a moment before she realized Lindsey was talking in her ear.
“What happened, Kate? What’s happening?”
Kate felt a lazy smile pull at her lips. “Good Lord, they make them hot out here.” It was all she could say in response.
“Who? The drifter?”
“Yeah,” she said, smiling, “hot drifter.”
“Kate! Focus, Kate,” Lindsey said. “Keep your eye on the balls. Ball! You’re going to be late.”
Kate felt her mind sink back on track like a gear popping into place. “Right,” she said, starting the engine. She chastised herself for getting distracted so close to a meeting that could save her company.
“You’re right,” Kate said, pulling forward into the sun. “I’m on it. It’s a beautiful day for redemption.”
Chapter 2: Chase
It was a warm Oklahoma morning when Chase Kincaid pulled up to his bungalow in a whir of dust and gravel. He’d made good time, as always, and jumped out of his truck like a schoolboy. He turned back to see his dog, Fitz, staring up at him from the passenger seat with wet, black eyes; his enormous tail thumping loudly against the seat. “Come on, boy,” Chase said with a sweep of his arm. Fitz bounded across the seat and landed on the ground below. He circled around Chase twice then ambled over to the lawn to sniff the hedges, and bark a squirrel up a tree before following Chase inside.
It had been cool and quiet this morning when Chase had made his daily trip to check out the trucks pulling in and out of the factory. He liked to come just before shift change, when sparkling stars still dangled above, and the sky began to bloom in the pastel light. He could still taste last night’s dew evaporating in the air as the KinCo trucks rumbled out of the factory gates full of deliveries. He still had the same rush of excitement seeing them drive off as he did when he was a kid and his grandpa took him to see the factory for the first time.
“Stand back now, Chase, and don’t touch anything,” he’d said. “These are working men, here to do a job. Always respect that.”
Chase immediately loved the elegant rush and click of the machinery and the orchestration of bodies on the line and in the bays. As a kid, Chase felt the magic in all the disparate parts coming to
gether, building towards something new and better. He felt a surge in his belly thinking about it. Six more weeks and the company would be his.
Fitz meandered over to the kitchen and gave a happy whine as Chase filled his water and food bowls. Chase bent down and gave Fitz a hearty rub around the ears. “Who’s a good boy?” he asked.
Fitz perked up his ears.
“You, that’s right.”
Fitz collapsed onto his side to expose his belly in response.
“Okay, killer.” Chase rubbed his belly. “You keep a good eye on the house today. I’ll see you when I get home.” Fitz sprang up and spread his big jowly mouth into a smile. Chase thought Fitz would salute him if he could. “Good boy,” he said again then walked towards the shower, peeling his clothes off on the way.
Chase turned the water on full force and stepped in, taking a moment to let the hot water stream down his neck and back. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he felt like something bad was coming, but how could it? Everything was going according to plan. He smiled at himself and his nerves. He was damn well not going to waste another day brooding. This was a happy time. His parents were finally going to retire and Aunt Peggy would get to monetize the company, just like she’d been pushing to do for years. He ran through the same mental checklist he ran through several times a day, then shook his head and let the warm water rush over him.
Some strange stuff had been happening lately, but he thought maybe the high expectations were making him paranoid. He had to stop trolling around the back roads trying to find more strange cars hanging around, checking out the KinCo trucks coming and going. At least one of those cars had held a crazy person this week, so now he tried to keep his distance. Until today, at least.
Chase lathered himself and wondered who that woman on the side of the road was this morning. Armies of attorneys and accountants had been coming and going in the past few weeks. Seeing a new face was nothing new, but another strange car idling on the side of the road made him nervous. As he hung back to check it out, he was surprised to see a woman emerge. And even from that distance, he could see she was an attractive woman. He smiled. That woman could wear a skirt and a pair of heels. And that dark hair blowing in the wind. He felt like a voyeur, standing back and watching her stretch, then bend over as she searched the ground for something. He’d felt no shame as he zoned in on those curves. And he was even more pleasantly surprised when he got closer. Whoever she was, she was gorgeous.
Chasing Kate (An American Dream Love Story Book 1) Page 1