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

by Debra Ullrick

  Chapter Four

  On his way to another monster truck rally, Erik kept thinking about Olivia, wondering how she’d gotten under his skin so quickly. Many a pretty woman had crossed his path, but none of them had affected him the way Olivia had. Why or how it happened he didn’t know. But what he did know was she had.

  So much so, that she even filled his dreams with her soft lips and her eyes the color of rich turquoise. He would gather her soft form into his arms and kiss her. Each time, she responded with a fervency that matched his own. And each time, before the mental picture took him to a place he refused to go, Erik had always awakened, praising God for putting an end to his dream. He quickly discovered it wasn’t good for a man to dream about a woman he admired and was deeply attracted to. Especially when such passionate kissing was involved. He was not the type of man to think outside the box of marriage. His morals ran too deep for that. But, his chuckle reverberated inside the cab of his semi, he was still a man. A man who appreciated a woman’s feminine curves and soft, husky voice... He forced his mind to not go there.

  He pulled his semi into the contestant’s area. His pit crew followed. Today, he’d be racing up against some of the best monster truck drivers in the world. His chances of winning were pretty slim, but he’d give it his best shot. After all, he’d never been one to back down from a challenge.

  While Erik and his pit crew unloaded his two Mad Masher monster trucks and greeted the other drivers, Erik’s mind kept straying toward Olivia. Man, he needed help. You’d better get your act together before you race, bubba.

  ♥♥♥♥

  Erik was up next. From the middle of the seat in the Mad Masher, his heart ramped up to 1500 rpms when he got the green light. Hammer down all the way, he sped down thunder alley, slowed down at the hook, spun around and shoved the pedal to the floor. Up and over the ramp he leapt. The Mad Masher dead aired—landing on all four tires at once. The race over, Erik drove back to the pit and parked.

  High fives made their way through his pit crew and some of his competitors. Second place was better than last.

  Hours later, it was time for Erik to run the freestyle event.

  Inside the arena, Erik drove the Mad Masher around a hook, then sped up as he headed toward a row of three vehicles. As he neared them, he let up on the gas then shoved his foot in to it just feet away from the first obstacle.

  Iron-walling the first car, the Mad Masher flew straight up, taking Erik’s stomach with it.

  Landing on its rear tires, still at an angle, his Chevy monster truck walked the van and the second car before resting on all fours.

  Adrenaline raced through his veins as he powered his truck and headed straight toward his next target. Again he iron-walled the first car. On back wheels only, his truck walked the two, stacked cars, leapt upward at an angle, and cleared the moving van. His front tires connected first with the large storage container, and then his back wheels came down. Erik drove over the metal container and took a nosedive, before settling on all four wheels and bouncing. Erik rammed the pedal again, then slowed down before making another loop and then headed toward a row of six cars.

  Up and over he flew, gaining a bit of air.

  He hooked the Mad Masher again and headed toward another section of lined up vehicles. He iron-walled the first car, drove over the van, then a large school bus, another van and finally the last car. When his back tires landed, his truck bounced sideways, nearly flipping on its side. A quick ram to the gas pedal and the Mad Masher immediately straightened out.

  Again, he swung around and leapt over a ramp. He ended up pogoing his truck. His pulse surged through him like a blower pushing fuel to the engine when the Mad Masher laid over on its side. Pieces shattered all over the place.

  Safety officials were there in seconds to make sure he was okay. Erik released his harness and climbed up on the side of the Mad Masher, carefully making his way between the shattered pieces of his 1971 Chevy body. He stood, balancing himself between the two wheels. Then he raised his hands and gave major props to his fans. The crowd stood, roaring their approval.

  What a rush! He lived for moments like these.

  He, like all the drivers, deeply appreciated their fans. Without them, there would be no monster truck races.

  While he got three nines and an eight for his efforts, his points couldn’t touch John Seasock’s score of three tens and a nine. The combination of John’s expert driving and his Batman monster truck made him one dominating, powerful competitor. No wonder he was a two-time Monster Jam world finals champion.

  After high fiving his competitors, Erik and his crew loaded up. The next day they headed for home with a second place in the racing event and a fourth place in the freestyle event. It had been a good weekend.

  ♥♥♥♥

  Ten days had passed since Erik had hired Olivia. On this bright, sunny Saturday, Olivia would move into his guesthouse. His heartbeat revved up at the thought of seeing her again.

  “Don’t you have something better to do?” Mickie Rhoads slapped Erik’s hand as he ran it over the guest cottage windowsill. “I wiped everything down early this morning. You won’t find a speck of dust anywhere.”

  Erik gave his housekeeper a repentant look. “I’m sorry, Mickie. It’s just that I want every thing to be perfect for Olivia. Something tells me she hasn’t had an easy life, and I want to do everything in my power to change that.”

  “I would say you’re already doing that by letting her live here.”

  He looked around the guesthouse and shrugged. “With all you have to do in here yet, will you have time to make dinner and have it ready when she arrives?”

  Mickie planted her hands on her ample hips and sent him a glare. “Have I ever let you down?”

  Erik held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay. I’m leaving now. I’ll be back in…” He looked at his Chevy watch. “Three hours.” “Thanks for the warning.”

  Erik laughed as he weaved his way through the furniture Mickie had shifted to the middle of the floor so she could vacuum.

  Olivia would arrive in a few hours. He felt like a little kid on Christmas morning. Erik shook his head in amazement. He still couldn’t get over how Olivia had gotten to him so quickly. Her pale turquoise-blue eyes never seemed far from his thoughts.

  ♥♥♥♥

  Back at Cole Chevrolet, Erik sat in his office, picked up a stack of papers, shuffled through them, dropped them onto his desk, and looked at his watch for the fiftieth time. Only five minutes had passed since the last time he’d checked. He ran his hand over his face and stared at the mountainous stack of papers. Again he questioned the sanity of his moving to West Virginia. Be careful what you pray for, his dad’s words floated through his mind.

  He’d prayed for a challenge, and God had answered him in spades. With some of the money he’d made from his sound investments, he’d purchased a Chevrolet dealership and renamed it Cole Chevrolet. However, he hadn’t realized how much his family’s combined effort kept everything running smoothly back home in Alabama. Here, it seemed there was always some catastrophe or another to deal with.

  Erik glanced at the monster truck pictures on his walls. Olivia’s idea for the Mad Masher popped into his head, and his mind immediately conjured up her turquoise eyes, her long crimped hair, and her soft full lips.

  “Oh man. This is ridiculous. You just met the woman,” he grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve got to get my mind off of her.”

  The stack of papers was as good a place as any to bury those thoughts, so he leaned forward and forced everything else from his mind. An hour later, the stack hadn’t dwindled much. Every time he tried to concentrate on his work, his soon-to-be new neighbor invaded his thoughts. Too anxious to sit still, he jerked himself off of his chair and strode from the room. “Terri.”

  She looked up from her computer. “Yes, sir.”

  “I’m gonna be gone a couple of hours. If anyone calls, take a message.”

 
; “Will do.” She turned and started typing.

  Maybe a good workout at the gym would help him work off some of the anxiety.

  An hour and forty-five minutes later, after some vigorous weightlifting and a long swim, Erik pulled into the driveway of his six hundred acre spread. According to Olivia’s call and his calculations, he had just enough time to shower and clean up before her arrival. He took the stairs two at a time and carefully selected what he would wear. After showering, shaving, and splashing on some aftershave, he quickly slipped into his blue jeans, a light blue polo shirt, and his cowboy boots, then darted downstairs.

  Gaze glued to the driveway, Erik stood back far enough from his front window so Olivia wouldn’t see him waiting and watching for her.

  Twenty minutes later, his heart kicked into overdrive when the familiar purple Nova turned up the driveway.

  Not caring if he appeared anxious, he stepped out into the bright afternoon sun. As soon as she stopped, Erik was at her car door, opening it. “I see you made it okay.” He couldn’t keep his lips from tilting upward.

  “Yes.”

  His smile slipped. That was clever, Erik. You sounded like an idiot.

  She removed her sunglasses and placed them on her visor. With her hair pulled into a ponytail, she looked younger.

  Erik extended his hand to help her. The moment their hands made contact, his brain cells stalled. That happened every time he was around her. Get a grip, Erik. He cleared his throat. “Would you like to come in and have something cold to drink?”

  “That’s really kind of you. But…” She looked up at him. Dark circles under her pale turquoise eyes tugged at his heart. “I’m really tired.”

  “Of course.” He took a few steps back and looked around. “If you’d like to rest, I can keep an eye out for the movers.”

  “No need.” Her cheeks turned pink. “Everything’s in my car.”

  Her comment only reiterated what Erik had suspected. She was someone who was down on her luck. Well, not any more. Her luck was fixin’ to change. He’d see to it personally.

  A loud cat cry pierced the air, yanking Erik’s attention from her to inside the car.

  “That’s Samson,” she spoke through a yawn while patting her fingers against her lips. She walked around the front of her car, opened the passenger door, and pulled out a dilapidated cat carrier. On her way back toward him, she cooed to the animal.

  Her gaze met his, and her smile vanished. “I forgot to ask if it was okay to bring my cat.” Desperation filled those eyes that had haunted his sleep.

  “Hey, not a problem.” He did his best to give her a reassuring smile. “I have three cats myself.”

  Olivia set the carrier on top of her car. Tilting her head, she eyed him up and down. “I figured you more for the big watch dog type.” Her sweet lips curled upward.

  “Actually, I’m afraid of dogs.”

  Her heavy lashed eyes shot upward, and her mouth fell open.

  Erik wanted to reach over and gently tap it shut.

  Samson yowled again. Olivia’s attention shifted back to her cat. “I’m sorry, but I need to unload my car so I can get his food and stuff. If you’ll excuse me.” She snatched up his carrier and sashayed the direction of the guesthouse.

  “Wait.” He pulled his gaze away from the gentle sway of her hips.

  She stopped and turned back. “Yes?”

  “Why don’t you drive your car around back and park it in front of your house?”

  Olivia’s ponytail swayed back and forth. “Sheesh. I told you I was tired.” As if to prove her point, another yawn escaped; this one wider and longer. Olivia covered her mouth with the back of her hand. “I just wanted to stop by and let you know I was here. But, I got distracted.” She looked up at him and sent him that million dollar smile again.

  Take it easy, man. Keep your wits about you.

  “Sorry about that,” he said. In two long strides he was in front of her and took the carrier. “I’ll meet you around back.” Without waiting for her answer he headed toward the cottage. Each step he took, his heart shifted into a higher gear. Hiring Olivia and bringing her to live near him was the best decision he’d ever made.

  ♥♥♥♥

  Olivia struggled against the fatigue overtaking her. Thanks to Erik’s help, fifteen minutes later, all the boxes and worn out suitcases were out of her car and into her beautiful cottage. Relieved that he made no mention about her meager belongings, Olivia turned tired eyes up at him. “Thank you so much for all your help. And,” she looked around the cozy house, “for this.” Her gaze caught his. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  “Hey, it’s like I said before. It’s you who’s helping me.” He rubbed his chin. “And Mickie.”

  “Speaking of Mickie,” Olivia jumped in. “I hope she wasn’t too upset with you the other night. She made enough food to feed an entire orphanage. There was no way we could finish all that off.”

  “Mickie loves to cook. And she loves to make sure that no one goes away hungry.”

  Olivia laughed. “Well if anyone went away hungry that night, it wasn’t from a lack of food. I still can picture that huge bowl of coleslaw and platter of fried chicken.” She glanced up at him. The twinkle in her eyes made his smile broaden.

  “You think that was impressive, you should see when my family comes for dinner.” He whistled.

  “I can only imagine.” Olivia giggled. It was something she seemed to be doing a lot of since meeting Erik.

  “Listen, I know you’re tired and you don’t want to join me for dinner, but would you mind if I brought food to you later?” His smile resembled that of a little boy who got caught with a frog in his pocket. “I hate to admit it, but I asked Mickie to fix something for tonight too. And well,” he shrugged, “you know how much food she makes and what will happen to me if it doesn’t get eaten.”

  His playful actions and his rich masculine voice did funny things to her insides. She found she couldn’t say no to him. “That would be nice. Thank you. After all, we wouldn’t want you to be in the dog house with your cook, now would we?” She smiled playfully.

  Erik laughed and leaned back on the doorframe. “Hey, Mickie’s more than just my cook. She keeps house for me too. You know how hard it is to find good help these days.” He feigned a swoon.

  No, she didn’t know. A haze of sadness came over her as she looked at him. Before her parents had died, she lived in a middle class neighborhood and never wanted for anything. But she never knew this kind of wealth—the kind Erik was clearly used to.

  “Well, listen,” he said as he stepped back to her door and stopped. “I’ll bring dinner around.” He flipped his wrist and checked his watch. “Seven?”

  Olivia nodded. “That would be great.” She yawned again.

  Erik chuckled. “See ya later. Get some rest.” He opened her door and disappeared.

  Olivia found Samson’s litter box, filled it, and put it in the laundry room. Next, she filled her cat’s bowl with food and water and then opened his carrier to let him out. Samson sniffed and cautiously raised one leg at a time as he checked out his new surroundings.

  Knowing her cat was well taken care of, Olivia sprawled out on the nearest chair. Exhausted, she wondered why she ever agreed to let Erik bring her dinner. All she really wanted to do was go to bed and not wake up until Monday morning. Her body hung limp from all the stress she had endured the last couple of weeks—running out of money, the new job, the trip with Haskell and now moving.

  By now, if it weren’t for her getting this new job and beautiful home, she would have thought she was doomed to a jinxed life. But looking around her beautiful cottage she couldn’t believe her luck.

  Cottage didn’t begin to describe her new home. Miniature mansion came to mind. Olivia couldn’t believe it had four bedrooms. And each one had a different theme with rich, glorious colors. She chose the tropical island theme with its numerous brilliant shades of pinks, reds, purples, and yellow tropical plants, for
her bedroom. Plus, it had an attached bathroom with a whirlpool bathtub.

  A whirlpool bathtub!

  Olivia pinched herself. Ouch. She definitely wasn’t dreaming. All of this was real. Her sleepy gaze traveled around the living room. A half circle of floor to ceiling windows with a long, one piece white, light blue and navy scarf valance and sheer billowy voile panels gave the living room a light airy look.

  The large palm tree that separated the windows and the French doors leading to an open patio reminded her of the last vacation she’d taken with her parents. They’d gone to Florida and had a great time. Then one month later they were gone. Sadness tried to weave its spell over Olivia, but she forced her mind back on to more pleasant things.

  She couldn’t wait to light the gas fireplace and run her fingers over the smooth navy blue marble. Marble? Who would have thought that she, Olivia Roseman, would ever live in such luxury? No longer able to keep her eyes open, Olivia drifted off to sleep.

  Hours later, a ringing doorbell brought Olivia’s eyelids flying open, and her gaze darted about the room before she figured out where she was. Moving Samson off her chest, she slid her feet to the plush floor. “Just a minute,” she hollered through a sleep-induced yawn.

  Olivia swaggered across the room and opened the door.

  “Delivery.” Erik smiled and held up a wicker basket. For a split second, the white of his eyes showed, and then returned to normal. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

  Olivia patted down her hair. “You did. But that’s fine.”

  “Oh. I can come back later if you’d like.”

  “No, it’s fine. Really. C’mon in.” Olivia moved sideways to let him in, stifling a lingering yawn.

  When he walked by, a spicy aroma teased her senses and made her stomach growl noisily. Certain that red stained her cheeks, she turned toward her cat. “Samson! Really!” she playfully chastened him. The gray, longhaired tomcat raised his eyes as if to inquire what her problem was. “Now don’t you be snarling at this nice man.” She picked him up and held him out in front of her. He hung limp as a piece of yarn. “Shame on you.” Gold, unfazed eyes stared back at her. Olivia tucked him to her chest. “You naughty kitty.” Her fingers rubbed the back of his neck.