Hearts Under Construction

by Hunt, Diann

  “There’s a red truck turning in,” Ellie said, pointing.

  “Here,” Jax said, handing her his cell phone. “Call the police. I’m going over there.”

  “Wait. I’ll go with you.”

  He waited a moment while she called the police and gave them the details, then together they walked over to the house. The driver had hidden the truck behind a group of trees.

  “We need to be careful, Ellie. These guys could be dangerous.”

  She nodded. A twig snapped beneath Jax’s boots, causing Ellie to jump.

  Once they arrived at the house, they sneaked up onto the porch and Jax turned the door handle. The door was locked. Ellie pulled out a key. “I was afraid they would make it hard for us to get in, so I brought the spare key,” she whispered.

  “Good girl,” Jax whispered back and gently pushed in the key, letting them in. Quietly, they slipped into the room. A man stood in the corner of the room, as if searching for a place to hide. Ellie looked around, she didn’t see anyone else. She was afraid others were lurking in the bedrooms, but before she could say anything, Jax pulled out a flashlight and beamed it on the man.

  “Game’s over, buddy.”

  The man whirled around, the light revealing his identity.

  Ellie gasped when she looked upon the face of the man. All her hopes vanished in the light on his face. She had wanted to be wrong. But the truth stared back at her in living color. The man who had won her heart stood before them now as nothing more than a common criminal.

  The man, her man. Cole Preston.

  Chapter Twenty

  Cole’s hands were up. “It’s not what you think.”

  “What are you doing here, Cole?” Jax asked with disbelief in his voice.

  “Well, I’ll tell you,” Cole whispered and waved his hand, “if you’ll step away from the window and shut off that light.”

  Jax and Ellie moved out of view, and Jax turned off the flashlight.

  “Okay, we’re waiting,” Ellie said with impatience.

  “I’m here doing the same thing you’re doing. Trying to get to the truth.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Ellie said, her voice thick with pain.

  “Look, I don’t have time to argue about it. The real culprits will be here any minute. I followed them here.”

  “How did you know they were coming?” Ellie asked, arms folded across her chest.

  “You weren’t the only one eavesdropping on Alex’s conversation today,” Cole told her. “Stand back or we’ll all be in trouble.”

  Ellie didn’t know what to believe. “Why didn’t you say something to one of us?”

  “The same reason you didn’t say anything to me.”

  Shame washed over Ellie when she realized Cole knew she didn’t trust him.

  “Remember the trust thing?” Cole asked.

  She wanted to say she was sorry, but she still wasn’t sure she was convinced. Jax and Ellie stepped closer to Cole who stood near the window’s edge.

  Before they could discuss it any further, voices sounded outside. “It’s probably the police,” Jax said.

  Cole peeked from the side of the window. “Unless they’re equipped with paint cans and dark hoods, I would say it’s not the police,” Cole whispered. “Come on, let’s go out this way.” Cole was already moving toward the back door.

  Quickly, the three of them slipped through the door just as the front door pushed open. “Okay, Alex, where do you want us to spray this time?”

  “Everywhere. And make sure you get lots of paint on the carpets. You hardly made a dent in their pocketbooks last time. Hold nothing back, guys. Give it to ’em good.”

  “Boy, you have a real problem with these guys, don’t you?” said one man with a growl to his voice.

  “Let’s just say no one treats me like that and gets away with it.”

  “Remind me never to break up with my old lady,” said another with a coarse laugh.

  “Just get to work while I watch outside and make sure no one sees us.”

  “Walker PD,” a voice called behind Jax. The three whirled around. “Jax, you okay?” one of the officers said to him.

  “Hey, Jim. Yeah, we’re fine. But in the meantime, those jerks are ruining our house.”

  The officer Jax had called Jim nodded and looked toward the other officer. “You go around front, get anyone who comes out that way,” he said, pointing. “I’ll come in from behind.” He looked toward Jax and company. “You all try to stay out of the way so no one gets hurt.”

  They nodded in unison.

  “I’m going around front in case they try to bolt,” Cole whispered to Jax. “You stay and cover this side.” Cole turned to Ellie and placed his hands on her arms. “You stay out of the way, okay?”

  Though he issued his words like a command, Ellie didn’t take offense. She felt something in his touch that made her feel good despite the seriousness of the moment. Maybe later she could turn it over in her mind and analyze it. She stayed back a few feet, but followed Cole around to the front of the house.

  The officer slipped in the back door, and Ellie heard him shout, “Walker Police Department, put your hands up.”

  Two individuals bolted from the front door, one of them a man, whom the officer caught. The other person ran straight toward Ellie. Ellie grabbed the perpetrator and they wrestled to the ground. Breathless from the struggle, Ellie pinned the person in place.

  The officer in the front yard handcuffed the man he had caught, Mirandized him, and placed him in the car. In the meantime, Cole and Jax came over to help Ellie. Jax pulled the criminal up from the ground and yanked off the dark hood covering the perpetrator’s head and face. Long hair spilled from the cap.

  “Alex, why?” Jax asked, pain in his voice.

  She merely lifted a smirk toward him.

  Officer Jim walked over to them. He handcuffed Alex and recited the Miranda warning. After a few minutes, the police had corralled the lot of them and hauled them into the car. Officer Jim walked back to Jax. “I know it’s late, but you’ll need to come to the station and give a statement.”

  They nodded.

  The police drove away. Jax, Cole and Ellie stood for a moment in silence, watching as the car left the site.

  “I’m sorry, Jax,” Ellie offered, knowing her friend had to be hurting just now.

  “Yeah, me, too,” he said.

  They stood a moment longer in the shadows then Cole said, “Let’s go check out the damage.”

  Together they walked into the house and looked into every room to see the extent of repairs needed. Fortunately, the vandals hadn’t been in the house long enough to do any real damage. They had only gotten as far as a little paint on the living-room wall. Repairs would be minimal.

  By the time Jax, Cole and Ellie left the station, it was two o’clock in the morning. They were too keyed up to go to sleep, so they went to an all-night café for some coffee.

  Cole slid into the booth beside Ellie. Jax sat across from them. Once they were settled and their coffees were ordered, Cole turned to Ellie, resting his arm lazily on the booth behind her. “So, you thought I was in on all this?”

  She reluctantly lifted her gaze to him, her left eye twitching. He pointed at it and laughed. Her lips pulled into a thin line, and she covered her eye with her hand. “Okay, so I’m not a good detective.”

  Cole and Jax laughed, then turned to take a drink of the coffee the waitress had placed before them.

  “Well, you have to admit things looked a little suspicious,” Ellie said.

  Cole shrugged. “I could say the same thing about you, you know.”

  “Me? How?”

  “Well, let’s just say you’ve been a little less than friendly from day one. The partnership and all.”

  She made a face. “Like I care about that now. Besides, that was Jax’s mistake. He had his chance and blew it.”

  Both men let out a unified “Whoa.”

  “What do you mean, I had my
chance? Are you trying to tell me something here?” Jax asked.

  Ellie grew serious. “Well, truthfully, I had considered leaving, and I went so far as to put my résumé out there. But now that things are settled, maybe we can get back to normal.”

  “Um, well, I’m not sure this is the right time, but I think I need to let you both know something.”

  Ellie and Jax looked at Cole.

  “The ad agency in Chicago where I used to work, well, um, you remember I told you they’d been bought out by new owners?”

  Jax nodded. Ellie squirmed in her seat.

  “It seems they want me back.”

  By the following week, things had settled down at work, though Ellie found it hard to concentrate on anything. Needing time to think, she felt glad it was Saturday morning.

  She stared aimlessly at her television, a pillow balled up at her stomach. What was the use? She didn’t know what was going on with the program anyway. Picking up the remote, she clicked the screen off.

  The only man she had ever loved was considering a move. A move far from her. She had come a long way, learned to bend with life’s changes, and now this. This was one change she wasn’t sure she could ever get over.

  This was one problem she couldn’t handle alone.

  She needed to pray.

  Cole signed his name on the purchase agreement and handed the document back to Jax. “You’re sure this is what you want, Cole?”

  “I’m sure,” he said with a smile. “We’ve been talking about this for months. I’ve seen the financials, talked with the bank officials. It’s all in order.”

  “And you’re okay about the job in Chicago?”

  Cole nodded.

  Jax studied him. “I think I know what made up your mind for you.”

  Cole raised his eyebrows.

  “Or maybe I should say who.”

  Cole smiled.

  “Ellie Williams.”

  Cole straightened the paperwork in front of him. “You always did know me well, Jax.”

  Jax grinned. “So, when are you going to pop the question?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” Cole reached into his pocket and pulled out a black ring box. He snapped open the lid and revealed a large solitary diamond on a gold band.

  Jax’s eyes widened, and he let out a whistle. “Whoa, you are serious.”

  Cole nodded. “I’m going home, get cleaned up, make a couple of stops and head over to her house. I hope she’ll be home.” Cole thought a moment. “I’m prepared to grovel if it will help.”

  Jax laughed out loud. “Knowing Ellie the way I do, I don’t think she’ll make you resort to that.”

  “You do know her pretty well, don’t you?”

  Jax nodded.

  “Do you think I have a chance?”

  Jax rubbed his chin thoughtfully, as if he had to think about it. Cole felt sure Jax was waiting for him to squirm. Cole complied, bringing a smile to Jax’s face. “No doubt in my mind that she’s loved you for a long time.” He paused. “She just didn’t know it.”

  “Well, I hope she knows it now,” Cole said, a little apprehensively.

  “Oh, I think she knows.”

  “And do I have big brother’s blessings?”

  “You’ve got it, buddy.” Jax slugged Cole on the shoulder. “Speaking of brothers, I think you owe this whole thing to Caed.”

  Cole frowned. “Oh, man, I hate it when he’s right. He’ll never let me hear the end of it.”

  Jax laughed again as the two of them left the office. “Let me know when I need to get my tux,” Jax shouted across the parking lot.

  “Let’s just hope you need one,” Cole bantered back, before climbing into his SUV.

  After settling the matter of Cole with God in prayer, Ellie got up from the sofa and decided to take a shower and get dressed for the day. She took her orange juice glass into the kitchen, rinsed it and glanced out the window.

  Despite the fact she hadn’t planted her maple tree in the spring, the best time for planting, it looked good. She should probably have waited until the next spring, but for some reason, it was important to her to get it in the ground this year. She shook her head. Seemed silly now, but not when she had planted it. Still, the tree looked healthy, and for that she was grateful. Strong roots, she thought.

  Once again her thoughts went to Cole. He’d thought the tree-planting was a dumb idea, she could tell. Probably the talk of roots and commitment didn’t set well with him, just as changes had always bothered her in the past. She sighed and turned away from the window.

  He would go to Chicago. It just wasn’t in his blood to settle down. She walked absently into the living room and straightened the pillows on her sofa. Some men were just like that, she reasoned. Nobody’s fault, really. She should have known better than to let her heart get tangled with him. After putting a couple of things in the room back into place, she told herself to stop daydreaming. “Whatever will be, will be,” she said with a hint of defeat. She might as well get used to the idea. Nothing she could do or say would change things. Cole would leave for Chicago, and her life would continue as it had always been.

  Funny, she’d never thought she’d be the one to want change.

  She glanced around the room. With her house already cleaned, she didn’t have a lot she had to do today. Shopping always seemed to help her get her mind off her problems. Maybe she’d head over to the department store and check out the fall clothes on display. Might even stop for a mocha at the coffee shop. Mochas always made her feel better. Her thoughts flitted to the chocolate stash in her bedroom drawer. Even that didn’t perk her spirits. Alarm rushed through her. This was more serious than she had thought. She’d better go shopping—and fast.

  She trudged into her bedroom and pulled out the clothes she wanted to wear: jeans, sweatshirt, athletic shoes. After shopping, she might go over to the park for a while, read her book.

  Despite the heaviness in her heart, she felt better after her shower. She didn’t know what the future would hold, but she knew who held the future. And God was Someone she could trust.

  After Ellie took her shower, finished reading her devotions, talked to her mother and Cheryl on the phone, the day was half spent. She decided she still had time to get to the store and check out some clothes, so she ran a brush through her hair and went to the living room to grab her purse. Just as she reached for it, the doorbell rang.

  Leaving her purse by the chair, she walked over and opened the door. To her surprise, there stood Cole at the door, holding a potted tree. He peeked through the branches. “Okay if I come in?”

  “Um, sure,” she said, pointing for him to put the tree on the hardwood floor at the entryway.

  “I thought I would get your opinion on this since you’re so good with trees.”

  Her mind was whirling, what was this about? She couldn’t help but let out a guarded smile.

  He stood up and brushed his hands together. “The man at the greenhouse said this gets huge over the course of, say, thirty, forty, years.”

  Ellie stared at him, practically gaping.

  “But you’re renting your place. Will your landlord let you plant the tree?”

  “I’m not staying there. I’m moving.”

  “Oh,” Ellie said, nausea squeezing her stomach. “Why didn’t you just wait and buy a tree in Chicago?” She looked back at the tree.

  “That seems a long way to go to buy a tree and bring it back here.” His eyes glinted with mischief.

  Ellie’s head jerked up. “You mean—”

  He grinned like a Cheshire cat. “That’s right, I’m staying here. I just signed the agreement to purchase Wiley’s Dream Homes this morning.”

  She wanted to throw her arms around him and hold him tight. Her heart raced like an accelerator stuck on high speed with the gear in Park. “That’s great, Cole,” she said as calmly as her shaking voice would allow.

  “Just great?”

  She looked at him, trying to understa
nd what he was getting at. “So where are you moving to?”

  “I thought I’d leave that up to you.”

  “To me?” Now she really was confused.

  He picked up the potted tree. “You know, when you planted your maple tree, I thought that was the craziest thing I’d ever seen. You talked about roots, commitments, everything I’d run from all my life. But things have changed for me. With God. With you.” He looked at the tree and held it out to her. “This is a symbol of that change, and I want to plant it in the yard of our first home—that is, if you’ll have me.”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t seem to find the air. She felt like a fish thrown up on the sand, gasping for breath. Had she heard him right? Did he say he wanted to plant the tree in the yard of their first home—as in her home and his home?

  Together?

  The same one?

  “I believe there’s something on that front leaf for you.”

  She glanced down, tears already making wet tracks down her cheeks. There on the branch sparkled the most beautiful diamond upon which she had ever laid her eyes.

  Cole pulled it from the branch and put the tree down. He turned to her. “I’m sorry to do it like this, Ellie. I mean, I would rather take you to some fine restaurant, offer you an evening of candlelight and romantic music, but to be honest, I couldn’t wait.” He took her hand in his. “Ellie Williams, for the first time in my life, I’m not afraid of commitment. You have taught me what trusting is all about. I will love you till the day I die, and I want to commit my life to you, tangle our roots together deep in the foundation of God’s love. Raise a family with you.” He paused and took a deep breath. “Ellie Williams, will you marry me?”

  She nodded meekly, her face wet with tears. Cole slipped the ring on her finger and pulled her to him, kissing her hair, her eyes, her face, and finally allowing her tears to mingle with the sweetness of their kiss.

  When they pulled apart and her tears had subsided, Ellie looked up at him. “I love you, Cole. I have loved you from the first day you turned my world upside down with your policy changes.” She laughed and grabbed his hand. “Thank you for helping me see my needs but most of all, for giving me a change of heart.”