Who I Am With You (My Kind Of Country #1) Read online

  Chad had a moment of doubt, wondering what he’d just gotten himself into, but he knew he needed the job if he was going to stay here in Canada for any length of time. The last thing he wanted to do was slink back across the border to Tennessee, back to his life that had just been destroyed, with his tail between his legs and nothing to show for his impromptu disappearance. “So, I’m hired then?”

  “Don’t you even want to negotiate a pay rate? Or hours or something?”

  “Pay me what I’m worth and we’ll call it even. How’s that sound?” He didn’t know why, but he knew he wanted to be here. Working on this farm. With this woman.

  “You’re serious.”

  “Dead serious. Is it just you around here? Running this place, I mean?” Chad looked around as though expecting a score of unmentioned workers or family members to emerge from beyond one of the barns or buildings.

  “It’s just me. Well, my son lives here, too, but he’s too young to be expected to help me with most things around here.”

  Chad saw no sign of emotion in her eyes when she said it. A single mom trying to run a farm practically in the middle of nowhere? There had to be a story there, but his own mother had raised him better than to fish for information that wasn’t his concern. “Give me a chance, Katie. I’ll help you around here with whatever I can.”

  Katie stared at him again for a long moment, and Chad could see it in her emerald eyes that she was searching for confirmation of his sincerity. She exhaled then, jutting her hand out again. Chad wondered if she was making the gesture quickly so that she didn’t have a chance to change her mind. “You’ve got a deal, Chad Kirkwood. Don’t make me regret it.”

  Chad shook her hand as a flood of relief washed over him. For a split second, he’d thought she was going to reject him. “I promise, you won’t regret it, ma’am.”

  “Call me ma’am again and you will be the one regretting it.”

  “Sorry, boss.”

  “That’s better, Chad.”

  Chapter Two

  KATIE

  Katie didn't know where he'd come from or what his true motives were for showing up at her father’s—her—farm in search of a menial job that he was obviously over-qualified for, but she knew she couldn't complain. She'd expected to get a bunch of punk high school kids looking for some quick cash that would undoubtedly leave her high and dry in a matter of weeks once they'd accumulated the amount of cash they needed to fund their weekend antics or the nicotine addictions they hid from their parents.

  Then, in strode Chad Kirkwood. He was more than she could have ever expected as a potential employee, at least from her first impression. He was motivated, more than any high school student would be. He seemed reliable. When she'd tested him by requesting that he show up for his first shift tomorrow at the same time the sun was just starting to rise, he'd accepted the challenge without hesitation. He was older than the students she'd expected to employ as well, meaning that perhaps they would be able to relate better to one another than if she'd employed a kid wanting to constantly complain about his parental issues at home.

  And, of course, she also knew he was lying.

  There was no way Chad Kirkwood was some has-been accounting clerk just looking for a fresh start after his firm had laid him off and hired a newer graduate to replace him for less pay. He was definitely educated, professional, and knew how to be polite yet assertive with people, she would give him that. However, she just didn't buy his concocted story of wanting to renew his sense of self and his connection with the natural world by honing the skills his grandfather had taught him as a young boy.

  "You're an accountant?" Katie had asked him, her disbelief etched on her face.

  "Don't let the jeans and T-shirt fool you, ma'am. I'm purely dressed for the job I'm applying for." He shrugged off her questioning glare, his expression revealing nothing. It was his eyes, however, that gave him away; his gaze flitted anywhere but toward her when he said it.

  "Don't you want something a little more, I don't know, suited to your abilities? I don't mean that rudely, it's just that you're obviously capable of so much more than being the muscle and brawn I need around here to toss hay bales and work your fingers to the bone day in and day out." She knew she sounded like she was trying to deter him from wanting to work for her at all, and perhaps she was. She hadn't even technically hired him yet and already she felt guilty for being unable to provide him with the kind of occupation he would be best utilized in.

  "No offense taken, ma'am. In fact, with all due respect, I'm quite content with my decision to want to work in such a position, so please don't pay the thought any mind. In fact, the idea of being your muscle and brawn, as you say, sounds quite appealing. Chivalrous, even." He smirked at her, but she visibly tensed under his gaze.

  "Chivalrous? I think you're confusing me with a damsel in distress, Mr. Kirkwood, and that's the farthest thing from the truth." Katie tried to maintain her carefree visage, but the clipped tone of her voice shone through. "And please don't call me ma'am."

  "I'll refrain from calling you ma'am if you'll stop calling me Mr. Kirkwood."

  Once again, a palpable silence fell between them. Katie recognized stubbornness when she saw it, and she didn't quite like having it ricocheted back at her. However, she also respected his polite assertiveness, a skill she deemed hard to find in today's not-so-tactful society. Therefore, she nodded silently, coming to an unspoken mutual agreement.

  “Also,” Chad added, “I apologize if I've offended you. In no way was that my intention. My sense of humor obviously leaves something to be desired.”

  Not wanting to discuss it further, she dismissed the thought with a wave of her hand. “Don’t worry about it. It looks like I’ll have plenty of time to get used to your warped sense of humor anyway. If you actually want the job, that is.” It was the last chance she was going to give him to back out.

  He nodded. “I do, Katie.”

  With that, she held out her hand. “I guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow then.” He took her hand in his and shook it again, this time with a little more fervor.

  “Great. Thank you, Katie. I mean that.”

  “We’ll see if you’re still thanking me tomorrow after ten or twelve hours of being outside.” She smirked amusedly. She was exaggerating a little bit, but even then Chad didn’t seem hesitant. Instead, he merely nodded in approval, grinning back at her. “I’d better get back to work though,” Katie added. “I have to have the horses fed before I pick up my son from the bus. It was good to meet you, Chad.”

  “If you’d like, I can help you with the horses now.”

  His offer halted her, and she tried to recover from her obvious misgivings. “It’s all right. Thank you, but I’ll be fine by myself.” Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than for Chad to leave her alone with only her thoughts to keep her company. He must have recognized that, because he took a step back toward his truck.

  “Okay. You have a good evening, Katie. See you in the morning.”

  She nodded tersely. “Definitely. You too.” Katie offered him a small wave as she watched him head back to his truck, the gravel crunching loudly under his boots as he went. She headed back toward the barn, stopping just inside the open sliding door to peer out. Hidden in the shadows of the barn interior, she watched as Chad started his truck and headed back out the laneway. When he stole one last glance in the direction she’d headed, Katie ducked back further into the shadows to avoid being seen. She watched the dust rise up in billowing clouds as his truck disappeared, wondering less about Chad’s true identity and more about what she had just gotten herself into.

  ***

  That evening, Katie tucked Mason into bed, pulling his Ninja Turtles comforter up under his chin.

  “I’ll help you put the dishes away.”

  Katie laughed, shaking her head at his determination to stay awake past his bedtime. “Nice try, but thank you for the offer. You’re a sweetheart.”

  “You’ll do it by you
rself?”

  “Of course. Then I’m going to go to bed, too, munchkin.”

  “Can I help pick up the eggs in the chicken coop tomorrow?”

  She suppressed a smile. Since they’d formally moved into the farmhouse three months ago, Mason’s favorite way of helping was to collect the eggs from the chicken coop. He didn’t know it, but Katie collected the bulk of them in the mornings after he’d already left for school, leaving only a basketful for him to find when he got off the bus in the late afternoon, but nevertheless, he loved doing it. “Of course. I’ll make sure our new helper doesn’t collect them before you get home.”

  At the mention of Chad, Mason sat up straight in bed, all the tucked-in corners of the blankets instantly loosening again. “I can show him how to do it?”

  “You’re such a big help around here, Mason, so I’m sure you could show him how to run the place.” Katie leaned over and kissed his nose tenderly. “But right now, it’s time for bed.” Reluctantly, he wriggled back under the covers, and once again Katie went through the process of tucking him in tightly. As she got up from the bed and stooped to turn the bedside lamp off, Mason’s tiny voice pierced the sudden darkness of the room.

  “Dad didn’t call tonight.” He sounded dejected, and each word broke Katie’s heart. She squeezed her eyes shut, sending a silent prayer upward that the lights were off and she didn’t have to hide the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.

  “He must have been real busy, Mase. Maybe tomorrow night.” Her voice cracked as she spoke.

  “Okay.”

  Katie bent down and kissed her son’s forehead, the only light in the room coming from the partially opened bedroom door. “Goodnight, Mr. Mase. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Ms. Mom.”

  Katie smiled at the familiar words they’d said to each other every night since Mason had learned to talk. The bed squeaked under his weight as he rolled over to face the wall, his stuffed dog tucked under his arm. Katie silently left the room, and she made her exit as their Labrador Retriever, Cash, trudged past her, taking his nightly post dozing soundly beside Mason’s bed. She left the door open a crack in case Mason needed her throughout the night.

  The lights in the kitchen seemed harsh in contrast to the darkness of Mason’s bedroom. As she stood at the kitchen table, Katie pressed her palms against the tabletop and let her head bow, exhaling a defeated sigh.

  Damn you, Jay, for what you’re doing to Mason. For what you’ve done to us. As quickly as the venomous thoughts erupted in her mind, they were wiped out by more volatile realizations, ones that caused the tears brimming her lower eyelids to spill over.

  Blame him all you want, Katie, but he’s not the one who destroyed our family. You did. Losing all resolve, just as she had almost every night since Jay had been gone, Katie sat down at the kitchen table, held her head in her hands, and cried by herself as a sad country song crooned quietly from the radio tucked in the window sill.

  Chapter Three

  CHAD

  The sun was casting long shadows across the dirt road when Chad turned onto it, heading to Rustic Acres the next morning. He rubbed his eyes again, hoping he looked more awake than he was. With the nearest motel being almost an hour’s drive away, he was thankful his disposable cell phone had an alarm on it. Lord knows he needed it after lying awake most of the night revisiting his conversation with Katie over and over in his head.

  The woman lived out in the middle of nowhere with only her son to keep her company while she single-handedly ran a small farm. It was no easy task for a family, let alone a lone woman. He’d fought the urge to ask where the boy’s father was, knowing damn well it was none of his business. She was his boss, nothing more, and she owed him no explanation.

  The outbuildings came into view and Chad wielded his truck into the same spot under the tree he’d parked the day before. If he was lucky, the shade from it would aid in keeping the truck’s interior at a decent temperature throughout the day.

  There was no one about, and an eerie calm had settled like a thick fog. Unsure of the proper protocol when one worked in close proximity of their boss’s house, Chad crossed the porch and sheepishly knocked on the door. When the door flew open, he looked down into the wide eyes of a little boy with glasses and a shaggy mop of blond hair.

  “Hey, little man. Is your mom here?” Chad shoved his hands in his pockets, stealing a glance past the boy but seeing no one else in the kitchen.

  “She’s feeding Cash. That’s our dog.” The boy stared unblinking at Chad. Almost as an afterthought, he added, “He’s not a mean dog, don’t worry.”

  Chad smiled crookedly at the boy, dramatically wiping his brow as though relieved. “Whew. That’s good. Do you play fetch with him?” Chad bent down at the doorway, resting his elbows on his knees.

  “He’s horrible at fetch. Cash’ll chase after a stick if you throw it, but he never brings it back. Do you have a dog, Mister?”

  “Chad. Call me Chad, little man.”

  “I’m Mason, not Little Man.”

  Chad held his hands up in mock surrender. “Sorry, Mason. Seems you like to be called little man 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, Mason 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 toward 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 Mason 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 Chad 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 would 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 while 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 was just about to pour the steaming coffee into the thermal mug when a ringing sound interrupted the silence. Foreign to his ears, it took Chad a mom
ent to realize it was the cell phone 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 cell phone, 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 cell phone? 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.