“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 Mom. 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, Chad had 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 Chad realized that Katie 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 from him 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.” Katie 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 sight of the golden-colored 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 the direction it had come from, sent her into a frenzy, gaping at her watch just before bolting for a door.
“Damn it!” she exclaimed, pushing past 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 then, 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 Mason, 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 onto 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,” Chad 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 of Mason, who already had the door to the coop open and was disappearing inside with his basket in hand. Chad met her glare and, for a moment, neither 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 a
round 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 would 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 tomorrow.” 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.
“Mason?”
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 that I haven’t called the last few nights.”
“It’s not me who notices, Jay. It’s Mason you’re hurting, not me.” She turned off the tap, wishing that her words were the truth.
“I’m sorry, Katie. I take it you’re doing okay?”
Katie scoffed. “Are you seriously asking me that? What exactly are you referring to, Jay? Is it the fact that my father died, leaving me the only thing he could—a far-from-profitable hobby farm that I’m only holding onto because it’s all I have left of him, or the fact that my beloved fiancé decided to change his mind about his family when the going got tough and left me with a broken heart and a very confused little boy? Which is it, Jay?”
She heard him sigh on the other end of the phone. “Katie, we’ve been through this.” He paused then, and when Katie didn’t respond, he continued. “I’d like to take Mason for the weekend, if you’ve got nothing else planned with him. He seemed to like the idea.”
“You’ve already mentioned it to him, which will make me the bad guy if I say no.”
“There’s no reason for you to say no, Katie. Please.”
“Don’t make it sound like I don’t have a choice when it comes to him.”
“You do have a choice—”
“No, it seems you make the choices and I live with the consequences.” She was being hard to get along with, but she didn’t care. To be honest, she kind of preferred this side of herself, the side that was quick-tongued and stood up for herself, over the lost and broken-hearted woman she felt she’d become.
“Katie, can I come over Friday evening and get Mason after school or not?”
Other than sheer spitefulness, she knew she had no reason to say no to such an arrangement. In fact, she knew Mason would be over the moon about getting to spend the weekend with his dad after only seeing him sporadically throughout the last three months, which was probably the only reason she relented.
“Fine. But he’s got to be back here by Sunday afternoon, all right?”
“I promise.”
“Don’t make promises to me, Jay. We both know you’re damn good at not keeping them. See you Friday afternoon.” Katie pressed the button hard, ending the call.
***
Just after midnight, Katie collapsed into her bed, pulling the patchwork quilt up under her chin, feeling her entire body relax as the warmth seeped into her skin and soothed her aching muscles and tired mind.
Would it ever end? The sense of betrayal and persistent grief that she couldn’t seem to ward off was consuming her. When tragic things happened, everyone was faced with stress, grief, and changes they never thought would occur. However, as much as Katie reminded herself of this, she couldn’t help but wonder if somehow her loss and grief were somehow greater, more potent and toxic. After all, how could someone possibly go through the emotional upheaval that she was struggling with and still remain whole? Katie just couldn’t see how it was possible. She was different now, she was well aware of that. Ja
y had told her so. At the time though, Katie wondered, how could she not be? The death of her father had left her wounded beyond repair. Therefore, how did Jay expect her to ever be the same Katie he’d loved for the last seven years?
Katie wanted to hate Jay for turning away from her, for not seeing that leaving her had shattered her already broken and fragile heart. She wanted to hate her Dad for abandoning her as well, for not fighting for his life the way Katie had pleaded with him to. Hell, she even wanted to hate Chad and his easy way of making her son smile, something she hadn’t seen Mason genuinely do in longer than she cared to admit.
Ultimately, she knew she only had herself to blame. The loneliness, the despair, and the broken pieces of her heart were hers and hers alone. Katie wanted to hate them all for the part they’d played in her subsequent unhappiness.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t even get that right.
Chapter Seven
CHAD
Three hours after leaving Katie's farm, Chad was still sitting on the tailgate of his truck staring out over the small ravine that followed along the side of the highway. He hadn't seen another vehicle drive by in well over forty-five minutes, allowing the peacefulness and serenity of his surroundings to calm his nerves and ease his frustrated thoughts.
It gutted him to think that Katie, someone who really didn't know him but should have known him better than that, would think that he would ever hurt her son. After all, what did she take him for? He'd met Mason only a few times, interacting with him only at the front door of their house and within the confinements of the chicken coop. It irked him that Katie saw something within him in those moments that made her feel it was necessary to warn him off the way she had. He was well aware she hadn't meant that he would hurt him physically, so what did she think he was capable of doing? Was being friendly and fun-loving with a six-year-old really such a crime to warrant the immediate protectiveness of his mother? Chad couldn't see how he'd overstepped any sort of boundaries, but Katie obviously saw his actions in a very different light.
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