Coming Home: (Contemporary Christian Romance Boxed Set): Three Stories of Love, Faith, Struggle & Hope

by Debra Ullrick

  Knowing that any other choices were non-existent at this point, she swallowed the small lump of fear caught in her throat. “Yes, that’ll be fine. I just need to gather the rest of my drawings.” Along with a mega dose of courage. She was definitely going to need it.

  Chapter Two

  Olivia walked alongside Erik. Outside, beads of moisture that had nothing to do with June’s warm weather pooled across her nose. She removed the threadbare hanky her grandmother had made, dabbed her nose and forehead, then slipped the embroidered cloth back into place.

  Everything was happening so fast, her mind whirled. Not only had she just acquired a job doing what she loved most, she would also have a new place to live. A cottage. Olivia wondered what it looked like and if it was furnished. Any place had to be better than her current residence. In spite of her trepidation of having to live near her new boss, thoughts of seeing her new home—even if it was temporary—sent excitement dancing through her veins.

  “Where are you parked?” Even his voice was nice.

  Olivia squinted against the brightness and looked up at him. Erik stepped in front of her, blocking the sun. Nice, good looking, thoughtful, and a gentleman too. All the things she had loved in Hammond. She hated how thoughts of Hammond would ambush her at the worst possible times. Stop thinking about him. It’s been over a year since he disappeared. You’re here to make a fresh, clean break, remember? She drew up her shoulders. “Over there.” Olivia pointed toward her vehicle. “The ‘68 Nova.”

  Erik’s gaze followed to where she pointed. “Nice.”

  She stared at her purple metal-flecked car. With its Keystone wheels and spinners, wide white raised lettered tires, Gabriel High Jacker raised rear-end, and spacers on the front, she wondered if the man standing next to her, who owned a Chevrolet dealership and could buy whatever car he wanted saw a classic car or a piece of junk.

  “My sister, Camara, loves classic cars. Especially Chevys. So whatever you do, don’t let her see that little beauty. She’ll try to talk you into selling it to her.”

  Hearing what he thought of her pride and joy, Olivia’s heart smiled. Even though she had a hard time getting the car started sometimes, she still loved it.

  “Well, I’ll go get my truck and meet you here. Then you can follow me out of town, okay?”

  Follow him? Olivia’s heart gained momentum. Being directionally challenged had often placed her in precarious situations. She started to panic at the idea of getting lost. But then she reminded herself that she had found her way to Charity without any problems. Thanks to her best friend Audra, who had printed a map from the Internet that gave her step-by-step directions that even a child could follow. Olivia hated to admit it, but without the detailed map she would have definitely gotten lost.

  As he walked away, Olivia studied the tall, handsome man, with the broad shoulders and lean waist. She admired the way he carried himself; it oozed confidence. With a sigh, she headed toward her car.

  Thank goodness Mr. Cole didn’t ask her to ride to his place with him. The very idea made her uncomfortable. She wasn’t sure if it was because in some small way he reminded her of Hammond, or if it was the idea of being stuck in such close proximity with the handsome stranger, who was now her boss.

  Memories of her ex-boss, Markus and his lust-filled eyes when he forced her down onto the couch and tore at her shirt flashed through her mind. Olivia pinched her eyes shut and quivered. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t shake the fear that came every time the memory resurfaced. If only Hammond would have been there, he would have beaten that man within one inch of his life. But he wasn’t—then—or now. And because of that, things would never be the same again.

  Her chest rose and fell. What she’d give to feel safe and secure and well provided for again. Like when her parents were alive. Or when Hammond was aliv—

  Enough, Olivia! Stop it, already. Let the past go. Hammond’s never coming back, and Markus can’t ever hurt you again. You finally got a great paying job with a really nice boss. At least she thought he was nice. He didn’t appear to be anything like Markus. Markus had an aura of evil, and his eyes used to glaze over her body, undressing her. Whereas Erik’s eyes didn’t touch her body, and the man radiated peace, kindness, and gentleness.

  Once she reached her car, she put the key in the door and jiggled it until it unlocked. She slid behind the wheel, put the clutch in, and turned the key. The Nova’s glass pac mufflers rumbled from the engine’s power. A sound she loved and never tired of. Smiling, Olivia pulled the seat belt over her lap and clicked it shut. One glance at her near-empty gas gauge, and her smile evaporated. Oh no. She closed her eyes and blew out a short breath.

  Mentally she calculated how much money she had left. The weight of her dire situation pressed in on her, but she slapped it aside.

  Sleeping in her car wouldn’t be so bad. After all, she’d done it before.

  She rolled down her window to let in fresh air. Times like this, she wished she could afford air conditioning. Hopefully this evening it would be cool and her car wouldn’t be so hot and stuffy. But even if it was, too bad, so sad. If she had to sleep in her car, then so be it. She’d just deal with it.

  She looked in her rearview mirror, then backed out and waited for Erik. A dark blue Chevy extended cab pickup with a lift kit and big tires pulled along side her.

  Erik hopped out and came around to her door. “I didn’t think to ask you before. Are you okay with following me, or would you like to ride with me and pick up your car later?”

  “No!” she blurted, then quickly struggled to gather her scattering nerves. “I mean, no, I’d much rather drive.” She forced a smile onto her face. “How far is your place?”

  “A little over fifteen miles.”

  Olivia squirmed. “Um, I need to get fuel first.”

  “No problem.” He smiled, melting away her discomfort. He sprinted over to his truck and hopped in. Leaning his head out the window, he hollered, “Follow me.”

  Again with the follow me thing. Olivia swallowed a gulp of fear. “I can do this,” she whispered with more confidence than she felt.

  When he pulled onto the road, Olivia rammed the gas petal and stayed close behind him. Glued to his every move, she followed him to a nearby station. Not an economy one either. Yikes!

  He pulled ahead of the gas pump and stopped. Olivia drove her car as close to the pump as she could without hitting it. She glanced at the high fuel price, and her spirits fell. Ten cents more a gallon than what she’d paid in Wheeling.

  Too embarrassed to let on about her miserable financial situation, Olivia shut off her car and dug around in her large tote bag in search of her billfold. Her hair fell in the way of her search. She gathered her tresses, twisted them, and tossed the mass over her shoulder. Wallet in hand, she pulled out a small bill. She opened her door and stepped out only to find Erik already pumping fuel.

  Oh no. Her heart sank lower than the fuel in her tank. How could she tell him to only put in ten dollars worth without completely humiliating herself?

  She cleared her throat. “Um, thank you. I’ll take over now.” Olivia sent what she hoped was a confident smile and reached for the nozzle.

  “No, ma’am. I’ve got it.” He flashed her a bright smile.

  Dread and humiliation bombarded her. She watched the numbers on the gas pump roll upward. When it reached $14.62 she decided she could forgo dinner.

  The numbers kept rolling.

  When it finally stopped, Olivia swallowed hard, walked back to her car, and grabbed her purse. The two apples she’d purchased from a road side stand would have to tide her over until she got back to Wheeling tomorrow. Then she could cook up a batch of Ramen noodles until her last unemployment check arrived. What timing. Her last check would arrive in three days, and now she had a job. Audra would call that a God-thing. But Olivia no longer believed in God. Well, not the loving, caring God Audra spoke of anyway. The God Olivia once loved wasn’t loving, caring, or giving. Qu
ite the contrary. At least in her life. Fed up with dwelling in the frustratingly familiar pit of despair and self-pity, Olivia drew in a long breath. She was going to win at the game of life. Without love. And without God’s help.

  A warm hand touched her shoulder. With a jerk of her head, she gazed up her new boss.

  “Your money’s no good here.” He smiled.

  Olivia straightened and looked him in the face. “Excuse me?”

  “It’s an old saying.” His smile widened. “Your money is no good here because your fuel’s already been paid for.”

  “What?” Olivia gasped. “I can’t let you do that!” She quickly read the amount again, snatched up her purse, and dug around the bottom, hoping to find more change.

  But he just laughed and headed for his truck. “If you’re going to follow me, you’d better come on.”

  Olivia followed his voice and did a double take. Erik was already inside his pickup and had the engine running. Lightning fast, she shoved everything back into her purse and tossed it on the passenger floorboard. She slid behind the wheel and started her car. She’d worry about paying him later. Right now, she wanted to make sure she wasn’t left behind.

  In between keeping her eye on Erik’s truck and the road, her gaze snagged on the beautiful mountain laurel blooms and redbud trees that dotted several people’s yards.

  After driving several miles, Erik slowed down and turned. Beautiful maple trees lined both sides of the long lane. They rounded a corner where a large white house with dark blue trim stood, looking out of place amidst West Virginia’s rugged landscape. The whole place looked like something one would find along the ocean coastlines. Not here in Charity, West Virginia.

  One of the first things she noticed was there weren’t any flowers other than the two Rhododendron bushes on either side of his porch. Either her new boss was a bachelor, or his wife didn’t care for flowers.

  Keeping Erik’s truck in view, she continued to take in the sights. Off to the side of the main entrance, the building protruded like a bullet with a skylight on top. Next to it stood a large sculptured bush that instantly reminded Olivia of the ceremonial guards in front of Buckingham Palace in England—stock still and unmovable.

  On the left, several feet from the sidewalk stood a lone white birch tree. Red rocks surrounded the base of the tree in the shape of a—Olivia did a double take. A monster truck! She laughed. The bright green of the well-manicured lawn really showed off the shape of the monster truck.

  Erik followed the driveway around back. On her right was a closed-in swimming pool. Through the large glass windows, Olivia noticed the tile around the pool was light blue and the deck chairs were dark blue. Her boss wasn’t kidding when he said he liked blue. That was an understatement.

  Olivia continued to follow him around the driveway. Several yards down, on her left, she noticed a gorgeous white house with dark blue trim. She darted her gaze back and forth between the house and following Erik, wondering if that was where she would be living. Surely that wasn’t the place he’d mentioned. That huge house was no cottage. On the right, and up about a hundred yards stood a large white metal shop with blue trim. “More blue,” she whispered through a chuckle.

  Erik stopped in front of the smaller of two large metal buildings hundreds of yards apart. Olivia pulled her car behind his truck and shut the motor off. His long legs preceded him as he hopped out of his pickup. A few steps and he was at her car, opening her door, and extending his hand to her. Hesitant, but not wanting to appear rude, she laid her hand in his. Upon contact, her heart ricocheted against her ribs. She quickly removed her hand from his and stepped out.

  “This is where you’ll be working.” He smiled. “C’mon. I’ll show you around.”

  Falling in step beside him as he headed toward the smallest of the three doors, Olivia’s eyes quickly took in the other two doors. They were certainly wide and tall.

  Erik unlocked the door, slipped his hand in, and clicked the light on. He moved aside and motioned for her to precede him.

  Olivia stepped inside the shop and stopped. Her breath vanished, her eyes darted open, and her mouth formed a wide O. Mere yards in front of her was the most amazing monstrous truck she’d ever seen. Because it was the only one inside the building, she knew it had to be Erik’s 1971 Chevrolet monster truck. The one he said she’d be working on. The very idea that she would have the privilege of working on the massive beast sent shivers of delight racing throughout her whole body.

  She felt a tap on her shoulder and spun toward it.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes wide but smiling.

  She tore her gaze away from the heart-thumping vision in front of her. “Yes, I’m fine. Why?”

  “Well, I asked if you wanted to see the shop.”

  Heat rushed into her cheeks. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you. I was too busy admiring your truck. I can’t believe I get to paint it.” Her inside child rose to the surface, and she smiled up at him.

  He returned her smile with a pleased one of his own. “You can get closer. It might be big, but I promise it won’t bite.”

  “I wouldn’t care if it did. It’s amazing.” Without waiting for him, she closed the distance between her and the truck, eyeing it up and down. She guessed it to be about ten feet tall. Her gaze fell to the wheels. “Look at the size of these tires. How big are they anyway?” she asked, placing her hands in the grooves, which made her hands look small in comparison.

  “They’re sixty-six by forty-three by twenty-five.”

  Erik stepped between the front and rear tires.

  Olivia followed him, and they both looked up through the webbing of the frame at the massive engine. “What size engine does this thing have?”

  “It’s a Chevy 540 cubic inch, about fifteen hundred horsepower, with an 8-71 blower, spinning ten percent overdriven.” He glanced down at Olivia. Her confused look must have shown because his next words were, “Sorry, I get carried away. Monster trucks have a way of doing that to me.”

  “I can see why.” Olivia couldn’t keep the awe from her voice. She glanced around the large building. “Where are the other two trucks?”

  “In the mechanic shop with my pit crew. They’re wrenching them.”

  Olivia tilted her head sideways. “Wrenching them?”

  “Yeah, working on them.”

  Confused, she scanned the large building that could house ten monster trucks easily.

  “I didn’t want the guys smelling paint fumes and getting sick,” he answered as if he’d read her mind. “Somehow I don’t see the men wearing paint masks to work on the trucks.”

  “Somehow I think you’re right.” She chuckled.

  “I’ll introduce them to you later.”

  Nerves at the prospect of meeting strangers… all men… made her stomach twist into knots.

  “Don’t worry. They’re a bunch of good ol’ boys. Some are a little rough around the edges, but a guy couldn’t ask for harder or better workers. Too bad you won’t see them much. I keep them pretty busy, either out here or in the shop at Cole Chevrolet.”

  The knots loosened. “Oh. I see.” She smiled. Eager to see the rest of the truck, she worked her way toward the back of it, asking Erik questions about the undercarriage and what everything was. With each answer, her enthusiasm grew. Excitement was something she hadn’t felt in more days than she could remember.

  Olivia’s gaze snagged on the airbrush tools. Her eyes widened. Erik had all of the latest equipment. She walked over to the bench and started looking through the stuff. She ran her fingers over the brand new compressor and smiled. What a welcome change it would be. Newer compressors were much quieter than the old ones.

  Rows and rows of paints, clear coat, turpentine, paint thinners, and other solvents used to clean the nozzles, the needles; airbrush heads, and other things lined the shelves. Plus all the other stuff she needed to work through the different design layers. Various sized rolls of masking tape, a huge roll of clear Frisk
masking film, jars to hold the paint, paint guns, you name it, Erik had it.

  She picked up a spray regulator, and to her horror, her stomach growled so loud she thought the whole neighborhood heard it. Her ears and face matched the cherry-red lettering on the side of a paint can. She shot her boss an embarrassed look and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. It’s been a long time since breakfast.”

  Erik chuckled. “I’m hungry too. Let’s go get something to eat. And after that I can show you the cottage.”

  Her happy moment splintered. Panic snaked through her mind. There was no way she could afford supper. Olivia held up her hand and shook her head. “No, no, that’s okay. I can wait.”

  “Well, I can’t. C’mon.” Erik put out his hand to lead her outside where he opened the passenger side door on his pickup.

  Now what? What could she say? Before she had a chance to come up with a good excuse, Erik lifted her up and seated her inside. She turned her legs in, and Erik shut the door. No turning back now. Her only option was to eat the cheapest thing on the menu.

  But what if he took her to one of those expensive restaurants? Her panic escalated and breathing became difficult. She struggled with what to do. While she still had the gas money Erik had refused, she didn’t know how much a meal would cost. How embarrassing it would be to have him wait while she washed dishes to pay for her meal. Did that stuff really happen in real life, or was that only in the movies? Olivia didn’t really want to find out, but that didn’t stop the thoughts from racing through her brain like an out-of-control racecar as he climbed into the other side.

  “A penny for your thoughts?” he asked as he started his truck.

  Make that enough pennies to pay for a meal and you’ve got yourself a deal. At this point she’d even settle for the penny. “I’ll take it.” She forced her lips to curl upward.

  Erik stretched his left leg out and dug into his pant’s pocket.

  Her brows slipped under her bangs. “I was just kidding.”

  “Nope. A deal’s a deal.” He pulled out several coins. “Here.” Erik reached for her hand and turned her palm upward, then dumped the change there. “Surely there’s a penny in there somewhere. On second thought whatever’s there, it’s yours. Now spill.”