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’d be able to relate to each other better 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’d 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, though, 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 with him.

“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. I mean that.”

“We’ll see if you’re still thanking me tomorrow after ten or twelve hours of being outside.” She smirked, amused. 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.” She 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 he 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’d 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 yourself?”

“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 by her, taking his nightly post dozing soundly beside her son’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 the 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 crossed in her mind, they were wiped out by more volatile realizations, ones that caused the tears brimming on 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.