Redneck Prince Charming

Chapter Thirteen

That Thursday Kathleen and Christy made the long drive to Lexington to go dress shopping for the wedding. Aaden and Craig had ridden together in Craig's truck to work since Aaden's had refused to start that morning. They were heading back to Aaden's house after a long day at the mill and when they pulled in the driveway they saw that the women were still gone but there was a shiny black Mercedes Benz sitting in the driveway.

"Who the hell is that?" Craig asked as he turned off his truck and pointed at the man standing on the porch wearing a suit and tie with a huge bouquet of roses in his hand.

"Tom." Aaden replied.

"Kathleen's ex? What the hell is he doing here?" Craig demanded. Aaden wondered the same thing. The man had a hell of a lot of nerve showing up at his house. Aaden didn't say anything as he and Craig stepped out of the truck and walked up to the porch.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Aaden demanded. Tom was clearly nervous but Aaden had to give the man some credit when he didn't back down.

"I'm looking for Kathleen." he replied sticking his nose in the air as if he smelled something bad… Aaden was about to comment on that before he realized that he and Craig had just put in nine hours at the sawmill and probably were smelling pretty nasty. Then again maybe Tom's nose was in the air because both Aaden and Craig towered over him in height.

"I'll go get started looking at your truck." Craig said and walked back down to the driveway.

"She ain't here." Aaden replied to Tom. "She's gone with Christy buying a dress for our wedding." He walked into the house and turned and glared at Tom when he followed him inside.

Tom looked around the kitchen and living room and his eyes fell on the ten point buck on the wall. Aaden followed his gaze.

"Yea I shot him." he said matter-of-factly. "With a gun. The gun is in the closet. Wanna see it?" he asked as he slammed his lunch bucket down on the ground. Tom shook his head and looked back at Aaden.

"No that's quite alright. So Kathleen has been living here has she?" he asked looking around. Aaden could tell Tom wasn't too impressed with his house and Aaden felt like knocking that smirky little grin right off his perfectly groomed face.

"Yea she's been living here. We're getting married in about two weeks.. Ya oughta come." Aaden said crossing his arms over his chest.

"No thank-you." Tom replied. Aaden looked at Tom and the flowers in his hand and felt the onset of fear.

"Just what are you doing here?" he demanded. Tom walked over and sat down in a chair at the kitchen table.

"I need to talk to Kathleen." he replied laying the roses on the table.

"Those flowers for her?" Aaden asked leaning against the wall with his arms still folded over his chest. Tom nodded. Aaden shook his head.

"Man, you got a lot of nerve coming to man's house with a bouquet of flowers for his woman." he said his voice as hard as stone. "Especially when that man has already knocked your damn teeth down your throat once."

"I have yet to understand why you act like I am the bad guy. You are the one that stole a man's wife away and yet you act like I am in the wrong."

"Are you kidding me?" Aaden demanded. Kathleen and Christy walked to the open door but Tom and Aaden didn't notice them. They watched the confrontation. Tom was sitting at the table in a high dollar suit and tie, his hair perfectly styled on his head and a smug superior look on his face.

Aaden on the other hand was wearing a pair of blue work pants, a ripped up Budweiser t-shirt and mud and dust covered work boots. His brown hair was an unruly mess and his face was covered in dirt, dust and stubble. Kathleen wished no one else was here because most days she loved making love to him when he was fresh in from work .. She found his ruggedness to be the sexiest thing she'd ever seen.