Release Me (The Music Within Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

the seat and grabbed
the flashlight. He pulled the shotgun out of its holder and slung it across his
shoulder, just in case. Since Curly remained still beside the dead cow, Mal
figured whatever animal that attacked the cow was long gone. He shined the
flashlight around, and the beam landed on a couple more animals who’d met the
same fate as the one at his feet. “Fuck. FUCK!” he yelled into the early
morning. Curly rose and trotted over to Mal, whining his condolences. The dogs
might not know how badly the death of the animals would affect Mal and his
livelihood, but they could sense his distress all the same.
    Mal
took a second to give the dogs some attention as he mentally prepared for his
day. He knew he was cutting the time short, but if he left now, he could still
make his appointment. He loaded his things on the four wheeler and rode back to
the barn with the dogs trailing behind him. Cade hadn’t moved from the porch.
    “Is
everything okay?” Cade asked sincerely, glancing between Mal’s eyes and the gun
in his hand.
    “Not
really, but I don’t have time to worry about it now. We need to leave, or I’m
gonna be late.” Mal brushed past Cade and went inside to grab the paperwork he
needed for his meeting.
    “Malcolm,
what’s wrong, Son?” His momma sat in her chair at the kitchen table, a cup of
coffee in front of her. Moe had obviously woken her up.
    He
didn’t want to discuss their family problems in front of the stranger that Cade
was, so he kissed her on the cheek. “Ma, I’m gonna be late if I don’t leave
now. I’ll fill you in when I get home. Just do me a favor and don’t go outside.
And don’t forget to set the alarm after me.” He could be cryptic with her, and
she would understand his meaning. It wouldn’t be the first time a wild animal
had feasted on his herd.
    He
turned to Cade and asked, “Ready?”
    “It
was nice meeting you, Cade. You’re welcome to come back any time. Say, what are
you doing Sunday? Would you like to come to dinner?”
    Mal
groaned loudly, “Ma, he’s not from around here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He shook his head at whatever game his mother was playing. She, better than
anyone, knew there was no bringing a date home for Sunday dinner – not that
Cade would be a date. He held the door open for Cade, making sure they were on
the same page.
    “I
appreciate the offer, Suzette. But like Malcolm said, I’m not from around here.
It was a pleasure meeting you, and I apologize again for the unexpected
intrusion into your home. Please take care of yourself.” Cade took her hand and
kissed her knuckles again. His mother sighed, holding her hand to her chest as
if she’d been kissed by a rock star. Maybe she had been. Mal really needed to
find out more about the guy he’d allowed into their home. He would do that
after he made sure they still had a home.
    Once
in the truck, neither man spoke until they got to the gate. Cade surprised him
and offered, “I’ll get it.” He climbed out of the vehicle and opened the gate,
holding it so Mal could drive on through. Once he’d closed and locked it behind
them, Cade climbed back into the passenger seat.
    “Thanks,”
Mal said as he pulled out onto the road leading away from his farm. His land
was slowly dwindling down, and if today didn’t go well, it would all be gone.
The thousands of acres that had been in their family for several generations
were now reduced to less than a hundred. He did the best he could with what
little he had, but it just wasn’t enough anymore. He tried selling the bar, but
nobody wanted to buy it. They didn’t want the headache any more than he did.
When his sister had been home and helping out, things hadn’t been so bad. Mal
had time to tend to the animals and do odd jobs for extra money. When Melanie
got married and moved out, her new husband stopped her working at the bar. As a
matter of fact, he stopped her working anywhere. Barefoot and pregnant was the
way he liked