by Ruthi Kight
When I saw the delivery truck full of hay pull into the yard, I moved to leave the office. I had to meet them to check out the inventory before it was unloaded, so I grabbed the clipboard from the wall before I walked out door. Once outside I was met with spectacle that would make any woman sit up and beg. There, clad in jean overalls, looking like the epitome of sex-on-a-stick, stood Skylar Wells.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Kitty Kat in the flesh,” he said with a charming grin. I swear the temperature went up a couple of degree because I practically melted right there in the grass.
“Hey Sky. How’s it going?” I tried to be nonchalant, but the unmistakable quiver in my voice couldn’t be hidden.
“Same shit different day, I guess,” he shrugged. “I’ve got a delivery for Roxie Lynn. Is she here?”
“Nope, just me. I’m handling things for her for the next few weeks.”
“So that means I’ll get to see that gorgeous smile every other day? I think I can live with that,” he replied, his perfectly straight teeth a dazzling shade of white. If I stared at them any longer I would have go blind!
I giggled in response, unsure what to say to something like that. No one had ever said anything about me was gorgeous. This was a first. I couldn’t hide the cat-swallowed-the-canary grin on my face either. For the first time since I agreed to help on the farm, I thought I might enjoy being here.
Chapter Four
Brian
Watching Katy flirting with Skylar was definitely not the high point of my day. Her smile said it all. She liked him, probably more than she liked me. Well, that was stupid, ‘cause I already knew she didn’t like me. At least, not in the same way that I like her. I swear, if it wasn’t for my raging hormones I would swear off women altogether.
Chase got lucky. He took a big risk when he fell for Roxie, but no one can say they aren’t perfect for each other. And he keeps reminding me of this. Every. Single. Damn. Day. I mean, I get it. Katy was way too good for me, but I had known that since the day I met her. It didn’t stop my heart from falling for her.
Feeling a wave of protectiveness, I stalked outside into the blinding sun. I met Skylar’s eyes and watched as a glint of anger passed through them. I wanted to laugh right there in his face, but when Katy turned to look at me, I could tell it was a bad idea. The look on her face was one of disappointment and regret. I hadn’t meant to interrupt a moment between them...okay, maybe I had. But couldn’t she see that she was too good for that idiot? Besides, half the town had been in his bed.
“Everything okay, Brian?” she asked, her eyes pleading me to turn around and walk away. I couldn’t do that. Even if I wanted to, my body was on auto-pilot. I walked over to her and threw my arm around her shoulder, pulling her flush against my side.
“Everything’s great. Just wanted to check on the delivery,” I replied with a smile. The corners of her mouth turned down in a frown, but I couldn’t be persuaded to stop yet. I turned to Skylar, my eyes hard as steel. “Shouldn’t you be unloading that already?”
“Yeah. I was just about to do that,” he said. He turned his attention back to Katy with a 1000-watt smile. “I guess I’ll see you in a couple of days. Unless,” he looked at me briefly before facing her again. “Would you be interested in going out sometime? Maybe Friday night?”
That rat bastard! I was standing right there and yet he asked her out anyway? I looked down at Katy’s face and found a look of pure happiness there. “She’s got plans,” I said. I turned my stony stare back on Skylar, but felt Katy pull away at the same time.
“Plans? No, I don’t,” she said. “I would love to Sky. Let me give you my number.” She proceeded to write her number on a slip of paper and hand it to him, her smile firmly in place. Beneath that smile, I knew there was a storm raging. When he finally left I would be getting an ear full. But it was worth it.
I watched as he walked back to the truck and began unloading the hay. I avoided looking Katy in the eye, knowing good and damn well that she was about to rip my ass a new one. When she grabbed the front of my shirt and started pulling, I couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up, escaping my lips.
She stopped and faced me, her hands firmly placed on her hips. “Are you out of your freaking mind Brian? What was that about?” she asked, pointing towards Skylar’s truck.
“I don’t know what you’re talking ‘bout,” I replied with a smile.
“Don’t play dumb with me. Are you trying to screw this up for me?”
“Do you really want me to answer that?” I asked with a sneer. Her face made me falter. She was genuinely confused and angry. “I was just having some fun with him, geez Kitty.”
Her eyes flared, a look of disgust flaring across her tanned face. “Dammit Brian! Grow up already.” She stomped away, her boots kicking up the dry dirt as she made her way back to the barn doors. I watched her, my eyes drifting from the top of her head to her dust covered boots. At that moment I wanted to slap myself. In my attempt to get her away from Skylar, I had pushed her even further away from me.
I’ve always been a screw up, but the one thing in this world that I knew was women. They had always fallen at my feet, completely endeared by my gruff nature and smart mouth. Now, the one time that I actually cared about a woman, she was completely turned off by my charm. Katy was one of those girls that, while beautiful, she was subtle. She didn’t flaunt her beauty and most of the time she had no idea how delicious she actually looked. Like today.
I made my way back into the barn, my eyes wandering to the office. The door was closed again, but seeing it this time was like a punch to the gut. She was shutting me out in more than one way. In that moment I wanted to put my fist through a wall. I wanted to mangle something, or someone. I thought back to Skylar’s smug face and felt my blood boil again. He was the one I was really mad at, but if I wanted any kind of future with Katy I had to keep my hands to myself.
I pulled out my phone and dialed the all too familiar number. One I had promised myself I wouldn’t call again. She answered on the first ring, her sweet southern twang like music to my ears.
“Whatcha’ doing tonight? I feel like blowing off some steam.”
“I knew you would end up crawling back,” she paused, drawing in a breath, “come over when you get done with work. I’ll be waiting.” She hung up, not waiting for a response. I looked down at the screen of my phone and stared at Jenn’s face. A part of me was screaming about how stupid I was, but another was doing a happy jig as it remembered past nights spent with her. I shook my head, trying to clear the internal battle that raged between my heart and my body, and then put my phone back in my pocket.
Getting back to work, my eyes kept searching the barn, desperate to catch a glimpse of Katy. She was either still holed up in the office or she was avoiding me. Either way, it was for the best. I doubt that I could have watched her all day and kept my sanity intact. Remembering my plans for the night, I smiled to myself. At least there would be something good to come out of this mess.
Chapter Five
Katy
“Hey Momma, I’m home!” I yelled up the stairs as I dropped my purse by the front door. I didn’t expect a response since she was probably already three sheets to the wind. Her drinking had become a routine in our house. When my grandmother died ten years earlier, my mother had taken to drinking. She would be great in the mornings, long enough to get me and my brother ready for school and onto the bus, but by the time we got home, there was no helping her. She would have gone through two bottles of Smirnoff by that point, leaving her pretty useless for the rest of the night.
My dad had put up with it at first, even encouraging her at times, but after a few months he started losing his ability to deal with her. He would stay at work for longer periods of time, sometimes not coming home at all. I still remember one of their bigger fights when my mother had accused him of cheating on her. They spent the rest of the night throwing trinkets at each other and calling each other some of the nastiest n
ames they could think of. It had been miserable.
After a year of this behavior, my dad just gave up. He stopped fighting her, choosing to ignore her instead. I had never blamed him for giving up, but it hurt to think back to those days when I was younger, when neither of them was truly there. It was as if I had raised myself all those years, which I probably had. To the outside world, everything was great in our home. No one, except for Betty, had known what my home life was like. The only reason she knew was because of Chase. He had been scared of my parents and afraid of what they would do to me.
After that, I spent more time at Betty’s than I did at home. Dan hadn’t been interested in Betty and what she offered, but he spent most of our childhood ignoring our mother. If it hadn’t been for her I don’t know who I would be today, or where I would have ended up. Those thoughts made me pause, my keys dangling from my blistered fingers. Life had been better since Betty had been a part of it, but now that she was gone, things were different. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, just different.
The ringing phone caught my attention and I hurried to the kitchen, passing the empty living room as I went. I barely noticed the stale smell hanging in the room these days. I had grown accustomed to the scent, feeling almost comforted by it now. I grabbed the phone from the wall and put it to my ear.
“Y’ello?” I stared at the chalkboard hanging above the phone. No messages had been written there in years, but I still had the habit of checking.
“Is this Katy?” My fingers tightened on the phone as I recognized the voice. I hadn’t expected to hear from him so soon.
“Sky?” I asked, unable to hide the shock in my voice.
He chuckled, his voice sending shivers through my body. There was something so enticing and exciting about him. I hadn’t paid much attention to him when we were in school, always believing he was out of my league. “How was work today? Did Brian give you any more trouble?”
“Brian was...well, Brian,” I laughed at the thought of Brian. He and I still needed to have a long conversation about his crap earlier. “That’s just the way he is, overprotective and stuff.”
“I don’t think that’s it at all. The murderous look on his face tells me something completely different.”
“Nah, nothing like what you’re thinking. We’re just friends, I promise.” I picked up the chalk as I talked, making little doodle hearts on the chalkboard.
“You sure? ‘Cause he sure seemed jealous,” he asked, his voice suddenly serious.
“I don’t want to talk about Brian. There’s nothing there, so no worries. How was work for you?” I continued to doodle as he told me about the deliveries he had done today. He seemed quite proud of himself as he described how heavy his loads were and how he had done twice as many as the other guy delivering today. I wouldn’t say that I was completely bored, but the word uninterested does come to mind.
Eventually, after hearing every little detail of his day, I was able to get off the phone. As I set the phone back on its cradle, I couldn’t help but feel let down. Sure, Sky was nice to look at, but other than his talk of Brian at the beginning of the phone call, he had monopolized the conversation. Obviously he wasn’t one of those guys that you could have a deep conversation with, which was disappointing.
*****
Dinner that night was lonely. Mom still hadn’t come out of her room and Dad was in no mood for chit chat. He complained about his long day at work and dealing with the “idiots of the world” before heading upstairs to bed. I had the sudden urge to call Roxie, just to see how things were going on her end. I could only imagine how tired she would be after dealing with her parents non-stop today.
She finally answered after five rings and I could hear her panting as if she had just run a marathon. “You okay? You sound beat,” I asked with a chuckle.
“I’m fine,” she said, letting out a sigh. “I left my phone upstairs, so when I heard it ringing, I ran. Parents are at it again, so perfect timing.”
“What are they fighting about now?” I shook my head even though she couldn’t see it. I knew she could hear the frustration in my voice. It matched the one in hers.
“Mom got a phone call during dinner. Dad got pissed. The norm.” I could hear the bed squeak as she sat down. “I seriously can’t wait until they go home.”
“So...I’m guessing you won’t be going with them?” I wanted to scream as I waited for her answer. I had been waiting since they showed up, unsure which way her decision would go.
“Hell no! I’m staying right here,” she laughed. “Why is everyone asking me that? I thought I made it pretty clear that this was my home now?”
I let out a sigh of relief. I didn’t want to think about life without Roxie here. She was my best friend and the only connection I still had to Betty. “Just have to ask, that’s all. I mean, no one would blame you...” I couldn’t finish the sentence. I didn’t want to put that thought in her head, just in case.
“I’m here for good, so get used to it.” I could hear the smile in her voice. She was happy with her choice to stay, which made me happy as well. “Have you talked to Chase today?”
“He called earlier when I was at the farm, but not since then. Why?” I leaned back in my rolling chair and propped my feet up on the worn desk.
“He called me earlier, bitching about Brian. Evidently he tried to talk to him earlier about something important, but his brother blew him off. Ya know, typical Brian behavior.”
I knew the phone call she was talking about. I had eavesdropped on Brian’s end, but I wouldn’t admit that to anyone, especially Roxie. “That sounds like him. Doesn’t take anything in life seriously.”
She was quiet too long, causing my mind to wander. My innate nosiness was getting the better of me, so not knowing what they were talking about was driving me crazy. “Just had to ask. He wouldn’t tell me what it was about, but it seemed serious.”
“Whatever it is, I’m sure you can get it out of Chase pretty easily.” I laughed at the thought of Roxie using her charm to get him to open up. He was putty in her hands, and had been since the day they met. “And when you do, you can fill me in.”
We talked for a few more minutes before saying goodnight. Both of us were tired and knew that the next day would be just as hard as this one. I really hoped that Brian would be in a better mood, but knowing him, it was a long shot. I climbed into bed and pulled the covers up tight, ready to escape reality for the next seven hours.
Chapter Six
Brian
Last night was a mistake. A huge mistake. Jenn came over right after Mom went to bed, but Chase busted her as she snuck in the back door. The look on his face would have put Jason Vorhees to shame. He had shaken his head at me, but hadn’t said a word. Yet another talk that I knew I would be having today. Jenn hadn’t seen his disapproving look, but I doubt it would have mattered much to her either way. She was there for one reason and nothing would get in her way.
Half way through our romp, thoughts of Katy began to cloud my mind. And of course, after that, it was all downhill. I couldn’t get into the moment with Jenn and she could tell. She tried desperately to regain my full attention, but my body just wasn’t interested. She had stormed out, threatening to tell everyone that I couldn’t get it up, but at that point, I couldn’t have cared less. I could honestly say that this time it wasn’t me, it was her. She wasn’t who I craved. She was only a means to an end. One that never came.
As I pulled up to the barn I could already see the lights on in the office. She was already in there, which was shocking. Katy was not a morning person, so to see her there before I even arrived surprised the hell out of me. I took a quick look in the mirror, taking note of the bags under my eyes, and hoped that she wouldn’t notice how tired I looked. I looked like death, but what could I expect after getting practically no sleep the night before?
I didn’t bother to knock on the office door this time. I just wanted to get to work and ignore the beauty that was hiding in that
tiny room. If I could just stay away from her, maybe I could get her out of my head. I had tried to do just that many times, and sometimes it worked, but I had a feeling today wouldn’t be one of them.
As I went through the barn to check the stalls, I heard the office door open, followed by the large barn doors. I glanced back and found the office now empty, the lights all shut off. Unable to stop myself, I walked back to the front of the barn, my eyes locked on the front door. I pushed my way out, my hand flying up to shield my eyes, and glanced around the area. There, sitting on the back of my truck, was Katy.
I walked over to her and leaned against the tail gate of the truck, off to her right side. “Having fun Kitty?” I smiled at her, hoping to ease the frown on her face.
“What?” She looked up at me, then back at the truck. “Oh, sorry Brian. I’ll move.” She made a move to get down, but I stepped around and got in front of her. She looked up at me, curiosity in her honey eyes.
“No worries. I kinda like seeing you sitting on my truck.” I stepped closer, placing my body between her slightly spread knees. There was a look of shock on her face, her eyes sparkling, but she didn’t make a move to push me away or escape. “I think I really like seeing you up there. Especially in those shorts.”
She drew in a shocked breath and finally made a move to get away. I held onto her knees, my eyes locked onto hers. “Brian...”
“Don’t ruin the moment Kitty. Please,” I begged, my eyes pleading with her. From the hesitant look on her face, I knew I had pushed her too far.
“What...what are you doing?” She was scared. I couldn’t blame her. I had never acted this way towards her. She had seen me with other girls, but I had never tried to get close to her before.
