Country Crooner (Christian Romance)

by Rebecca Lynn Clayson

  "I am completely blown away by the talents of those kids, they’re incredible. The music touched my heart in a way that I've never experienced. Words can't express what I'm feeling right now."

  "I agree. The music that they've shared has healed my soul over the past two years. It would break my heart to see the group dismantled. They depend on the funding and publicity from the radio show to continue with their rehearsals. It pays for their sheet music and their performance clothing. Most of the kids come from very poor families, and there isn't anything extra to spend on extracurricular activities."

  They pulled up in front of her father's house, and Kurt put the car into park. "Would you like to come in for a few minutes? It's 10 o'clock, so I know it's late, but I've got some snacks and fresh juice inside if you'd like some."

  "That sounds delicious. Are you sure you want to let me in the house after the way I behaved last time?" He said jokingly.

  "Yes, you may come in. But I'll warn you that I have a baseball bat in the front room... you step one toe out of line and I’ll chase you out that front door!" Chelsea laughed and winked at Kurt to let him know that she was being funny.

  They walked inside, she poured two glasses of juice and cut two thick slices of homemade bread from a loaf her neighbor dropped by the day before. They sat down together on the couch to start eating. Chelsea couldn't stop thinking about the sound of Kurt's deep, rich laugh and the way he interacted with the kids. He was a good-looking guy, and she couldn't deny the attraction that she felt for him. But, there was already enough going on in her life, and she couldn't allow herself to be thinking about dating right now. She had bigger problems to deal with first.

  They shared fun memories of her father, and talked about what childhood was like growing up in a small country town. Even though most of Kurt's childhood had been spent in a different town, it was very similar to the small town where he lived now.

  The more they talked, Kurt could see that her high fashion, city girl appearance was really just the outer surface of the tender, kindhearted woman that Chelsea really was. Underneath the California girl look was a sweet country girl with a big heart.

  He realized there was a lot of depth to Chelsea that he'd never found in another woman before. All of the women that he had spent time with in the past were shallow and superficial. The groupies were always looking for cheap thrills, and he was happy to entertain them for a night. His selfishness had caused him to forget about the important elements in a strong relationship.

  Kurt realized that Chelsea was a higher caliber woman than any of the women from his old life, and he was anxious to get to know her better. He wanted to hear about her hopes and dreams, and talk with her about the beauty of life.

  Kurt wanted to tell Chelsea about his past, especially because her father had such an impact in helping him to find God again. Taking a deep breath, he decided to share a little bit, and tell her about his experiences and getting to know her father.

  "Chelsea, I want you to know how much your father meant to me. I believe that he saved my life, because he helped me to find God again. When I moved away from here, I pursued my music career and made some very bad choices. Those choices created a mess of my life, and it was a very dark time for me. Without going into detail, I found myself in a terrible situation and was forced to move back in with my parents to try to get my life straightened out again.

  "After moving back to Idaho, my parents helped me to get cleaned up and I started going back to church. But, I still felt disconnected and without purpose in my life. One day, your dad knocked on my door and invited me to help with the youth choir. That moment was a turning point in my life, because he taught me the beauty of giving up my own selfish motives to focus on charity and service instead.

  "Jerry was a mentor to me, he helped me to understand religion on a personal level, and I was able to get my life turned around. He was always there to talk with, and we spent quite a bit of time together. Jerry taught me the true principles of living a Christ-like life, and I will be forever grateful for the many ways that he helped me. His impact in my life is one of the reasons I am so motivated to keep the radio station going."

  Chelsea could see that Kurt was being genuine, and his eyes began to water as he talked about her father. He held back the tears, but she could hear the tenderness in his voice as he spoke.

  She replied tenderly, "My father was a great man. He taught me a lot of great lessons throughout my life. I’m happy to hear that he was able to help you through your hard times, it sounds like you’re a stronger person because of it."

  "Yes, I can honestly say that I am a changed man. I am far from perfect - which you can attest to after the way I treated you last week. But, your father's example taught me that there is more to life than just money and worldly pleasures. He showed me a deeper meaning, and helped me to discover my life’s mission - to share uplifting music in order to help people find hope and peace in life. I feel as though I am living my purpose each time I get in front of the choir to conduct a song."

  "Thanks for sharing your story with me. I can see that you’re very passionate about the choir and the radio station. I wish there was more that I could do to help, but I feel as though my hands are tied because of the financial problems."

  "I know what you mean," Kurt agreed. "The only way things would ever work would be by a miracle from God. I want to believe that God could save the radio station, but my faith is weak because I don't see how it's possible."

  The conversation flowed easily, and neither of them realized how much time had passed. Chelsea looked at her watch and was surprised to see that it was one o'clock in the morning.

  "I’m sorry; I've kept you so late. I'm sure that you have things that you need to get done in the morning, I'd better let you go to bed." Chelsea stretched, realizing that she was exhausted. The emotional work of sorting through paperwork all day had taxed her energy, and she knew that she needed some sleep.

  "I've enjoyed myself; it was nice to spend some time with you." Kurt stood up and gave Chelsea a big hug; she could smell the scent of his after-shave and she liked the way it felt to have his strong arms, especially after the stress that she had been going through.

  "I enjoyed it as well," Chelsea agreed. "I've still got a lot to do before I head back to California, so I need to get up early and work on stuff at the radio station in the morning."

  "Good luck with everything, it sounds like a lot of work."

  "It is, but someone's got to do it."

  "Have a good night, Chelsea; I'll talk to you later." Kurt let himself out of the front door, and Chelsea locked the door behind him. She headed downstairs to her old bedroom where she had been sleeping since she arrived nine days ago.

  She still felt the stress from the radio station and the burden of making a decision, but she was surprised that her mind was now preoccupied with the sweet kids in the choir. Hearing them sing had caused a change in her heart. Through the music of the choir and Kurt's devotion to the group, she could see that he was a good guy. The way he interacted with the kids showed her that his heart was in the right place, and she knew that the reason he wanted to keep the radio station going was in the best interest of those children.

  The softness of her heart was also mixed with the feelings of desire for Kurt. She was surprised at the feelings, mainly because she didn't think that he was the type of guy that she should fall for. Yes, he was good looking, but she had a life back in California and couldn't let herself get involved with a guy who lived so far away.

  She fell asleep that night hearing the beautiful choir music in her head and dreaming of Kurt, with the wishful desire to hear him sing.

  Chapter 5

  The next morning, Kurt woke up thinking about Chelsea. Deep down, he knew he was falling for her. She was a fantastic person; beautiful and smart, and everything that he had ever wanted in a woman. The conversation the night before had helped Kurt to see a depth of compassion and personality within her tha
t he’d overlooked in previous conversations, mainly because he was blinded by his own problems.

  Even though he had feelings for Chelsea, he knew that the relationship would never work because she lived so far away. He wasn't interested in a long distance relationship, and he wasn't interested in moving back to California again. Besides, she deserved a guy so much better than him.

  He knew that she grew up in a good Christian home, and had always tried to live life the best that she could. He assumed that she had always been strong in the faith, and had never ventured down a path of poor choices like those that he had made. On the other hand, Kurt still felt as though he was new to the faith and knew that his rough background was partly responsible for shaping the man that he had become. Chelsea deserved a man who had a solid understanding of Christ and Kurt knew that he had a long way to go before he could be that man.

  Kurt looked at the example of Chelsea's father, and wanted to become like him. Kurt had the desire to be a man filled with Christ-like characteristics and with strong faith, but he felt as though he just wasn't quite there yet.

  Over the past two years he had really grown in his faith and understanding about the teachings of Jesus Christ, but he still felt as though he was an infant in the Gospel... there was a lot to learn. Chelsea deserved someone who was solid and knowledgeable in the Gospel, and he could see that he was not that man.

  Kurt knew that Chelsea was planning to stay through the end of the following week, so he found every excuse that he could to meet up with to her during that time. He took a few days off at work, and instead of going to the carpentry shop he spent his time at the radio station, helping her clean out closets and sort through paperwork. They were together from early morning until late at night, working together to figure out if there was a way out of the financial mess facing the radio station.

  They spent time going through old invoices to determine the most profitable broadcasting shows, and made phone calls to old advertisers and sponsors to see if they were interested in donating money to the cause. Despite their best efforts, not much progress was made because every company they talked to was tight on cash. The poor economy had hit everyone hard.

  Even though they had worked so hard at the radio station, neither Chelsea or Kurt could see a way to continue broadcasting, so they had come to the grim conclusion that they would really need to close the doors on the business. They both felt bad about the decision, although Chelsea was a little relieved to know that she wouldn't have the stress of running a radio station and keeping up with her job at the same time. She knew that she had could walk away with a clear conscience, knowing that she had explored all of the options that she could find.

  By Friday, things were almost wrapped up at the radio station, everything was boxed up and ready to be moved out of the building. Chelsea's plan was to get the radio stuff moved into the storage room at her father's house until she decided what to do with everything, and then clean up her father's house the following week in order to get it ready to be sold.

  The more time Chelsea and Kurt spent together, the more he knew that he was falling in love with her. She was unlike any other girl that he had ever met, and he couldn't get her out of his head. It was different with Chelsea, because even though there was a physical attraction, the real attraction was on a deeper, personal level.

  She had so many great insights and thoughts to share about everything they talked about, and he knew that she would be the kind of woman that he'd want to spend the rest of his life with. Each time feelings of frustration or despair surfaced, she suggested that they pray to turn things around and ask God for help. Through her actions, he could see that she was deeply committed to her faith, and trusted God implicitly. He was inspired by her faith and devotion to God, and it made him want to become a better person himself.

  As they worked side-by-side, they shared a lot of laughs together and they had many conversations about her father and the way he had made so many sacrifices to help other people. During the hard moments, Kurt was a good shoulder for Chelsea to cry on since she was still working through the emotions of losing her father. Kurt became Chelsea's rock to depend on when she was feeling overwhelmed with everything that was going on.

  Towards the end of the week, Kurt knew without a doubt that he was in love with Chelsea. It was crazy to admit that he could be in love, because he had only known her for two weeks. But he knew that he had never felt this way about any other woman. He wasn't sure if Chelsea felt the same way, because she had been careful to keep their relationship platonic. They had talked about a lot of different things, but there was no indication that she was even remotely interested in a possible relationship between the two of them.

  He was scared of hurting her, and knew that he didn't want to stop her from pursuing her career, so he decided to back off and let her head back to California without him being a distraction to her. Long distance relationships always ended badly, and he wasn't interested in trying to make it work from so far away. He definitely wasn't interested in moving back to California again.

  By the end of the week, Kurt felt so emotionally attached to Chelsea that he was worried saying goodbye would be difficult. Therefore, he made the decision to stop spending so much time with her, because he didn't want to face the pain of sending Chelsea back to California. If he said goodbye, then he would have a hard time not talking her into staying... which could potentially cause pain because he knew that she deserved a better man.

  Either way, he felt as though it was a lose-lose situation. He decided that it would be best to ignore his feelings as much as possible, and let her head back to California.

  Friday evening, around 9 o’clock, his phone started ringing and he looked at the caller ID to see that Chelsea was calling.

  "Hey, what are you doing? I had a great idea." Chelsea sounded breathless and excited about whatever she wanted to discuss.

  "I just barely got home, why what's going on?"

  "We need to talk in person, can you come over? I’m at home."

  "Sure, I'll be over in a few minutes. I need a chance to clean up first; I'm covered in sawdust because I put in a few hours at the carpentry shop."

  "No problem. I'll see you in a few."

  Kurt wondered what Chelsea was calling about, but whatever it was, he knew that he couldn't ignore her request to come over. Hearing her voice over the phone was enough to make him get up and head to the car. He knew that he was hopelessly wrapped around her little finger, and she had no idea.

  *****

  Chelsea was excited to see Kurt; she couldn't stop thinking about him all week. The more she got to know him, the more she realized that he was a great guy. Handsome, smart and talented, and when she got past his tough outer shell she realized that he was kind and thoughtful at the core.

  She had also grown quite fond of the choir kids, and attended every rehearsal that she could. The more she got to know the kids and see their hopes and dreams, the more she was determined to find a solution to keep the radio station going. It meant so much to them, and she couldn't let them down.

  She waited anxiously for Kurt to come over, and jumped up to answer the door as soon as she heard his knock.

  "Thank you so much for coming, we need to brainstorm a little bit. You see, I've been thinking about the radio station. I'm starting to understand more about what this means to the community. You’re right; we need to figure out a way to keep it going."

  "I would love to figure something out, but I have no idea what we could do. Neither of us have enough money to keep the station afloat for even a month. Even if we had a little bit of money, there's no way that we could keep up with the monthly mortgage payment for that building."

  "I know, but what if we did a fundraiser to get a little bit of startup cash, and then took it from there. I know that Mrs. Bullock is still willing to help with the radio station, and I could find someone to manage it full time. I could help coordinate things from California."

  "A
fundraiser might help a little bit, but I’m doubtful that we’d be able to raise enough money to keep it running for very long. The monthly bills are pretty expensive."

  "I know, and the building mortgage is the biggest cash requirement right now. What if we moved the radio station here... into the basement of my dad's house? I now own the title to this house, and it's completely paid off. The entire basement would be available to use as a radio studio, and there’s even a back door where people could get in and out of the radio station without having to walk through the rest of the house."

  Chelsea took a deep breath to clear her head, and then continued. "Moving everything here would help to cut overhead costs, so all we would need to do would be to come up with money to buy new equipment. I talked with the bank, and they made the final decision to auction off the equipment because of the foreclosure. "

  Kurt thought about it for a moment and started slowly nodding his head, "I like where you’re going with this idea! There's a possibility, but we would definitely need to come up with a lot of money. It would be a lot of work to get it off the ground, and even more work to keep things going. Plus, who's going to manage it? Running a radio station takes a lot of time and effort, and Mrs. Bullock can't do it on her own. You can't run a radio station in your father's basement if you're living in California.

  "You're right; it would be a lot of work. But, if we raised enough money I could hire someone full-time to help. Plus, I could work on it in the evenings and on the weekends when I'm not at the office. I know that you’re pretty invested in this project, so maybe you could help as well. I could probably fly out on the weekends sometimes to help."

  "I will be happy to help with anything, it would be amazing to see the radio broadcasting continue. What brought about this change of heart? When we first talked two weeks ago, you were convinced that the only option was to shut down the radio station."

  "Hearing the choir sing and seeing the beautiful faces of those children has pulled at my heartstrings. Everyone is relying on my decision, and I can't let that many people down. We need to at least give it a try, so that I don't have any guilt about not doing anything."