He hopped off the tailgate and slammed it up, the clatter echoing off the darkened trees. As though just recognizing that the sky had been blanketed in blackness and that the moonlight was glinting off the rippling waters in front of him, a chill ran across Chad's skin. The nights were definitely becoming cooler as autumn came to a close. However, he wasn't sure if the night air was the culprit, or the icy cloud of sadness and loneliness that engulfed him.
First Liz, now Katie.
It wasn't the same thing, he knew that. Liz had ripped his heart out, leaving him with nothing but the raw memory of the life he thought they'd built to enjoy together. Katie, on the other hand, was being introduced to him while the wounds were still fresh, and her immediate distance and warnings were reopening those wounds, making his pride and his heart hurt more than it probably should.
He shook his head at how overly sensitive he was being about Katie’s choice of words. Climbing into the cab of the truck, he slammed the door harder than required and leaned his head back against the seat. Never did he think he would become a grown man capable of being torn apart by the mere words of someone who was practically a stranger to him. Then again, he’d never believed that he could walk away from the life in Nashville he’d desired so badly since he was old enough to understand the city’s importance to the country music world, especially because he didn’t think he could ever enjoy it the way he had with Liz’s influence. She was all he’d ever known, and now he knew nothing.
Maybe Mason wasn't the only one who got a little attached.
***
The sun was already peeking over the tops of the trees when Chad awoke, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the sudden burst of light. A muffled groan broke the silence in the truck cab, and he used both hands to rub his eyes. Slowly, he was able to open his eyes fully, about the same time the dull ache at the base of his neck began to throb. With nowhere to go and no one waiting for him, he’d spent the night in his truck, content to wallow in his pity and sadness with only the stream and pale moonlight to keep him company. It was well past midnight before his mind and body had allowed him enough reprieve to push away the self-blame mixed with welling anger and fall into an uneasy sleep. Not even the physical exhaustion of a day’s work at the farm with Katie could compete with the painful thoughts and confusion that his mind continuously conjured.
A sudden shrill alert sounded throughout the truck, and Chad struggled to retrieve the phone from his pocket to turn the alarm off. He had to be at Katie’s in... two hours. His shoulders lowered slightly at the realization that he hadn’t driven back to the motel in town last night, and therefore, he was only a few minutes’ drive from Rustic Acres. He could pull his hat down over his eyes, get another hour’s sleep, and still have time to change into some clean clothes he had stashed behind the seat, wash up in the stream, and still be able to make it to Katie’s on time. This time, it took only minutes for him to recline the driver’s seat back and drift into a comfortable unconsciousness.
Chapter Eight
KATIE
In a way, Friday came in the blink of an eye but also at a snail’s pace. For Katie as a mother, the weekend approached too rapidly and loomed over her as a deadline of sorts. Losing her son for two days evoked fear in her like nothing else. She wouldn’t have anything or anyone to focus on, to keep her from ruminating about her poisonous thoughts and matters not yet dealt with. That said, for Katie as an employer, the days dragged by. She and Chad worked closely with each other, yet words were rarely uttered between them. When she did speak, her statements were curt and to the point. Chad’s responses mimicked her shortness. She understood that she’d drawn a line in the sand between them with her warning the other day. Had she been out of line? Perhaps. Okay, she knew she’d been unfair to Chad. That said, could he blame her for wanting to keep her son safe from the emotional toll of latching onto another male role model who may end up only being around for a short time? Technically, she guessed he could, seeing as she hadn’t explained to him why she was so protective of her son’s emotional wellbeing, and she was aware how cruel it was to treat Chad as though he had done something wrong because of her own ex-fiancé’s actions.
Unfortunately, the damage was done. There was no going back now that Chad was wary of her, and rightly so. The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. That’s why she tried not to think about it. But, when she met Mason yesterday as he bounced off the steps of the bus and followed him down the laneway, she couldn’t help but feel the tightening in her stomach when Chad saw Mason running full tilt toward him. First, Chad’s gaze flew to meet Katie’s, an unspoken question flashing in his blue eyes. Is this okay? Then, Mason tossed his backpack to the ground, just as Chad hit his knees in front of the boy to converse with him eye to eye. As Mason blurted out his day’s worth of antics at school followed by instructions of things he needed to show Chad how to do around the farm, Katie watched Chad nod in agreement and chuckle appreciatively at Mason’s anecdotes. The truth hit Katie violently, and she crossed her arms as she watched the friendship between boy and man unfold.
They needed each other.
Mason needed a role model, someone other than her who would show him the ropes of growing up in a place like this, and Chad was a respectful, hard-working, and seemingly willing candidate. He’d been quiet with Katie since she’d warned him about hurting her son, but he’d also obeyed without question. That said something about him, for sure.
However, it also seemed that Chad needed Mason, someone to focus on and help to flourish in this rural environment. He seemed to genuinely enjoy Mason’s company, anyone could see that when watching the two of them interact around the barn and garden. Mason also seemed to be the only thing that aided in allowing Chad to smile fully. No pretenses, no masked politeness. A true, real smile could be seen each and every time Mason called out to him or showed up when Chad wasn’t expecting it. Yet, he had steered clear of Mason the best he could, for no other reason than because she told him to. He worked hard to help her in all areas of the farm, he worked hard to maintain civility and respectfulness between himself and her family, and he worked hard to be someone who caused her son to light up with excitement when he saw him. The more she pondered it, even though she wouldn’t admit it aloud, the more she realized that maybe she needed him around here, too.
Chapter Nine
CHAD
Chad saw the car pull up before Katie did. By the time he turned away from the boards he’d been nailing back onto the side of the barn, the dust had clouded up and across most of the barnyard, the car coming to a halt behind Chad’s truck near the trees. The cherry red Mitsubishi stood out awkwardly against the rural background, making his old pickup with rust in the wheel wells seem older than it was. The man who climbed out of the car fit in just about as well as his car did.
Chad set the hammer down next to the barn wall, tossing the remaining nails from his hand into the tin coffee can they’d come out of. Shielding his eyes from the glaring sun, he approached the car.
“Can I help you, sir?”
The man smoothed the lapel of his well-fitted suit jacket and looked around. “I’m actually just looking for my son. I’m Jay. And you’re who, exactly?”
His tone of voice immediately rubbed Chad the wrong way, putting him on edge. This guy wasn’t at all the kind of man he could see Katie thinking about getting married to¸ but he was obviously Mason’s father. “Chad. I’m Chad. I work here.” The words came out clipped, just as he meant them to.
“You work for Katie? Wow, I didn’t think she knew how to delegate.”
Chad’s brow rose. “Maybe she just needed the right person to delegate to.” The words toppled from his tongue before he’d thought them through. Enough, he silently chastised himself. Just because he immediately disliked the guy didn’t mean he had to be a prick about it.
Surprisingly, Jay ran his hands through his chestnut hair and chuckled. “Okay, Chad. It is Chad, right?” He paused, let the silence l
oom between them as he stared at him for a long moment, then continued. “Obviously, Katie’s told you a bit about me—”
“Katie has hardly—”
“Don’t speak about something you don’t understand, all right? Whatever Katie has told you, that’s all it is... a piece of a much bigger pie. You don’t know me, and no matter what you think, you don’t know her either.”
Chad crossed his arms in front of his chest, not sure what to say next. From the corner of his eye, he could see Katie stomping through the tall grass toward them. The dust from Jay’s car had finally billowed into the garden where she’d been working.
“Are you warning me about her... Jay?” Chad locked eyes with him, his gaze never wavering even though Katie was getting closer with each step.
Jay slammed the car door, wearing a muted grin as he matched Chad’s pose, crossing his own arms and pulling himself up to his full height, at least three inches taller than Chad’s five feet and eleven inches. “She used to be different, that’s all. Calm yourself, will you? I’m just telling you, you don’t know the real Katie. To be honest, you probably never will. The real Katie we all knew and loved died along with her father. My Katie is gone, so like I said, don’t talk about things you only think you understand.”
Thankfully, Chad didn’t have to form a response, not that he knew what he would say to that, anyway. Katie’s feet hit the gravel just as Chad had opened his mouth to speak, however, the look on her face evoked enough uncertainty in him that he swiftly closed it again.
“You said you were picking Mason up at five-thirty. It’s only a few minutes past five.” Katie consulted her watch as though to confirm it, lifting her head to glare at Jay again.
“I’m a few minutes early. I wanted to see how everything was going.”
“Everything is just fine, Jay. You can come back in twenty-seven minutes.” Katie didn’t look at Chad as she brushed past the two men and headed for the house, where Chad knew Mason was currently packing up his clothes and Nintendo DS to take with him.
“Katie, wait...” Jay’s pleas went unanswered, the screen door banging closed abruptly behind her. Only a defeated sigh sounded in the thick silence between them, and Chad uneasily turned away from the other man, intent on cleaning up his mess near the barn wall and getting the hell out of Dodge before this situation got any more heated. Jay, on the other hand, didn’t have the same intentions.
“See? What’d I tell you? She’s impossible.”
“No. She’s hurt. There’s a difference.” Chad didn’t look at him. Instead, he plucked the hammer and tin can full of nails from the ground and pretended to admire his handiwork on the barn wall.
“You seem to know a lot about my girlfriend and her—”
“Ex.”
“What?”
“She’s your ex-girlfriend.”
Jay stared at him, seeming to mull over how to react. Chad couldn’t be sure whether it was humiliation or anger that clouded the man’s clean-shaven face, maybe a bit of both. Either way, Chad didn’t fear him, and he stared back, unblinking.
“Good to meet you, Chad.” Jay’s tone was condescending and gruff.
“See you in twenty-four minutes,” Chad replied, and the hint of a smirk crossed his face the moment he broke eye contact and turned away.
Chapter Ten
KATIE
Katie bit back the urge to cry, sob, and make a scene, although her unkind greeting had undoubtedly clearly announced her feelings toward Jay's arrival. The realization that he was taking Mason away from her in less than twenty minutes ripped her heart apart again. She didn't want to let him go, didn't want to give Mason to the man who'd sabotaged the life they'd had together. Unfortunately, she knew too well that Mason wasn't her property to decide to give or take. Mason loved his father, the excitement lighting up his mossy colored eyes each time he saw him. It would be unfair to try to keep him away from Jay purely because she blamed him for her broken heart. Instead, she'd do what she had done for more than three months. She would put on a brave face, pretend it didn't hurt to see her little boy walk away with him, and do everything in her power to keep things as normal as possible for Mason. He deserved that much from her.
"Mason," she called out. "Your dad is outside." She could hear the shuffling and bumping about going on in his room before she even hit the hallway. Peeking her head inside the doorway, only the pile of clothes protruding from his Lightning McQueen backpack could be seen. Suddenly, Mason's head popped up from the foot of his head, a Ninja Turtle action figure squeezed tightly in his hand.
"Yeah? I'm ready!" He shoved the action figure in with the wrinkled clothes and attempted to zip up the bag in a futile effort. Katie gave him a warm smile and stepped forward, refolding a few of his shirts and pajamas before pushing the sides of the backpack together and closing the zipper with ease.
"There. Did you pack your Nintendo?"
"It's a DS," he informed her, nodding.
"Of course. And the sweater I had folded on the foot of your bed?"
"It's in there."
"Toothbrush?"
"I have one at our apartment, Mom."
A lump formed in Katie's throat. Mason still called the condo Jay lived in, the one they'd all lived in, ours. She had tried numerous times to explain that Jay lived there and she and Mason lived here now, but he just didn't understand. It was okay, she didn't expect him to. Besides, Mason was the one who was welcomed there, she wasn't. "You're all set then, Mr. Mase. You'll have to give Cash a big hug before you leave."
Mason dove for the door, intent on finding the dog. Luckily, Kate was quick enough to clasp her finger in the fabric of his T-shirt as he passed, pulling him to her in a tight hug against her chest.
"I want a hug before Cash gets one." She chuckled against his ear, squeezing her eyes shut, knowing she would relive this moment countless times before Sunday came. She didn't want to forget the feeling of his arms around her, the scent of his candy-sweet shampoo, or the heat of his little body against hers.
"You're squishing me," Mason choked out dramatically, feigning shortness of breath.
Katie laughed at his theatrics. "I love you, too, Mr. Mase."
"Love you, Ms. Mom."
Katie pulled away reluctantly, memorizing each inch of his face and the fleck of color in his eyes. "Call me tonight, okay?"
"After I turn out the lights."
Warmth spread through Katie's chest, the lump in her throat growing more prominent at the fondness that engulfed her. It had grown customary for her to tell Mason a story after the lights were out and he'd been tucked safely and snugly into his bed. She was relieved to know this didn't change purely because he wasn't down the hall from her. "I can't wait. You'd better go find Cash."
In a flash, he was gone, disappearing down the hall and around the corner.
***
Katie watched the car as it drove out of the laneway, not tearing her eyes away until she could no longer see the taillights glowing between the leafy tree branches that swayed in the breeze.
“At least he’s happy to be going with him for the weekend.”
She turned at the sound of his voice, having forgotten Chad was even there, lost in her despairing thoughts and sense of emptiness. She offered him a half-hearted smile and turned toward him, pulling her thin jacket around her tightly to fend off the wind that was quickly picking up. “I’m sure he’ll have a great time.” Her voice sounded hollow, even to her own ears. “I thought you’d be gone by now. Rarin’ to go for the weekend?”
Chad scoffed, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards as he shoved his hands into his pockets and he took a few steps closer to her. “Hardly. I was actually going to ask you if you needed any help this weekend.”
“You want to work on the weekend?”
“You sound surprised.”
“Obviously I wasn’t hard enough on you this week.” A smirk formed on Katie’s lips.
“Is that a no?”
“You’re
serious?”
“Dead.”
She chuckled at the expressionless visage he was struggling to maintain. “Well, the coffee’s strong and there’s always something to be done. But, really, there’s got to be somewhere else you’d rather spend a little downtime.” Katie couldn’t believe he wanted to work his way through the weekend. He definitely wasn’t just some high school student.
“I’ve got nowhere else to go, Katie.”
His statement stung her, a sudden rush of uncertainty flowing through her mind. She wasn’t sure she should, but she asked anyway. “Where exactly do you live, Mr. Kirkwood?”
If his statement had come as a shock to her, then her question had made up for it by creating a puzzling silence. “I was thinking that there are a lot of pumpkins over there in the patch that could be pulled out of there. The weather should be decent enough tomorrow for it.” His gaze never faltered as he spoke, but bypassing her question made Katie push on, feeling as though she were on the edge of a bigger truth.
“Don’t ignore my question. Where do you live?”
“I have some family about two and a half hours north of here.”
“You still didn’t answer my question.”
She watched as Chad shifted from one foot to the other, his uneasiness clearly etched on his face. “I have been staying in my truck, all right?” A deep sigh followed.
“Your truck?” Katie looked from him to his pickup and back again. “Chad, you can’t be serious.”
“Nearest motel is almost an hour away. Family is farther. And I value my sleep. It works out just fine for me.” He crossed his arms, taking a defensive stance before her.
“Where do you park your truck?” She watched as his ball cap lifted slightly from his forehead, the wind attempting to blow it into the trees.
Who I Am With You (My Kind Of Country #1) Page 4