Unbreak my Heart (3 page)

Clare felt a single tear roll down her cheek as she took one last wistful look around her beloved three bedroom house in the up-market suburb of Woodlands, Houston, which had been her family home for more than five years. “Willow Honey!” she called sadly. “Hurry up. It’s time to go.”

Her daughter
’s gloomy face suddenly appeared around the corner from the hallway, her quivering bottom lip sticking out further than it should. “Are you sure we can’t stay Mama?”

Clare walked over
the plush, recently shampooed, carpet and scooped her daughter up into her arms. “I wish we could stay Baby,” she said, kissing her gently on the cheek. “I really do, but without Daddy’s wage coming in each fortnight, Mama doesn’t have enough money to make the payments, so she has to sell it and find us somewhere a little bit cheaper to live.”

“So where are we going to live then?”
Willow asked wide-eyed, brushing a stray lock of brown hair back behind her mother’s ear as she asked.

The truth was
, Clare really didn’t know herself at that moment. That’s why she had decided to take some time out at Caddo Lake for a few weeks at the cabin her granddaddy had recently left her in his will.

“We’ll worry about where we are going to live when we get back from our holiday at the lake, Sweetheart,” she said, trying to sound positive, “but right now we have to go hand the keys in
to the real estate so they can try to sell our house while we’re away and then we need to go shopping to get some supplies for our trip.”

Willow lifted up her hands and curled her fingers into makeshift claws. “Are there going to be any wild bears near our cabin Mama?”

“I certainly hope not,” Clare laughed. “By the way, did you remember to leave Mr Truffles out so you can have him with you during the long drive?”

Willow nodded her head. “I sure did, he’s already in the
car waiting.”

“Well then,” Clare said, rattling her car keys and putting on a brave face. “I guess we had better get going.”

***

As the engine of her 10 year old ford Bronco roared to life she glanced down briefly at the temperature gauge and bit her bottom lip. The old, battered Bronco had been getting slightly hotter than usual on longer trips just recently and she had been meaning to have it put in and looked at, but so far
, between her shifts at Jay Jay’s diner and looking after Willow, she had not managed to find the time.

“What’s wrong Mama?” Willow asked. “Why aren’t we moving?”

“Sorry Sweetheart, Mama was just thinkin’ about how much she’s gonna miss our beautiful house, that’s all.” She glanced back at her daughter through the rear vision mirror. “Are you all set?”

Willow nodded.
“Yep.”

“Good, then I guess we had better get
movin’.”

Clare slid the automatic shifter into reverse gear and backed down the driveway past the recently erected ‘FOR SALE’ sign on the lawn.

“Better wave bye-bye Honey, if it sells while we’re away at the lake we won’t get to see it again.”

“Bye house,” Willow said sadly.

After finally leaving Eli and Macey’s house around eleven a.m. Crank headed north from Smithville toward Austin, arriving at the restaurant five minutes after he was due to meet his business partner, Kurt Waylon.

After
handing over the keys to his new 4WD to the parking attendant, he nervously entered the landmark restaurant and headed directly over to what Kurt always referred to as ‘
their regular table’
.

As soon as
Kurt spotted Crank walking toward him, he bounded out of his chair and enthusiastically threw his arms around his best friend’s shoulders. “Crank Jackson, you son of a bitch; ain’t you a sight for sore eyes?” He paused momentarily and studied Crank intently from head to toe as if reassuring himself that Crank was still in one piece after spending six long years in prison. “I hope you don’t mind, Buddy,” he said once he was satisfied, “but I already took the liberty of ordering you a nice cold beer? Six years is a mighty long time between drinks.”

Crank
eagerly returned the hug, grabbed Kurt’s outstretched hand and shook it firmly. “How have ya been, friend?” he asked affectionately.

Kurt flashed two rows of perfectly white teeth. “Fine, fine, never better in fact; especially now that my best friend is finally a free man once again.”

“How’s Fi?” Crank asked casually once they were seated. He raised an eyebrow. “Are you two still in the honeymoon phase of your marriage?”

Kurt
handed him his beer and grinned widely. “As a matter of fact I’m gonna soon be a daddy; Fi and I are three months pregnant!”

Crank
reached over the table and pumped his best friend’s hand once again, before raising his glass. “This calls for a toast!” he exclaimed, carefully clinking glasses with Kurt. “
To fatherhood, may it bring you all the joy you deserve.”

“Thanks Buddy that means a lot.”

Crank had never seen his best friend looking so happy and excited. “Please pass on my congratulations to Fi for me, that truly is fantastic news.”

Kurt could hardly contain his excitement. “
Crank, I gotta tell ya, Buddy, Fi’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. She’s beautiful, warm, intelligent
and
funny, and I think a part of me fell in love with her the first time we met.”

“
Crank took a sip of his beer. “Well, she’s also very lucky to have found such a kind, loving and generous husband as yourself. Now tell me, how was the wedding? I’m dying to hear!”

Kurt’s eyes
sparkled with happiness. “It was the happiest and most perfect day in my whole life. And you should have seen how gorgeous Fi looked in her wedding dress. I almost had to pinch myself as she came down the aisle to make sure I wasn’t just dreaming.”

For a brief second his smile vanished as he looked into Crank’s eyes.
“The only thing that could have made my wedding day even more perfect, Crank, would have been having you standing beside me as my best man as I waited for my bride.”

Crank felt a slight tinge of guilt. Kurt had stood by his side as
his best man 14 years ago when he and Georgia had wed, and he had promised him at his reception that he would one day return the favour when he found the right woman.

“S
he’s dying to meet you,” Kurt said, bringing him back to the present. “Especially after hearing all of my stories about the antics we used to get up to in our younger days, and she told me she wants you to come over for a good, wholesome, home-cooked roast before she gets too pregnant to cook.”

Crank licked his lips. “You know that
offer sounds too tempting to refuse and you can tell Fi from me that I will be lookin’ forward to it.” He took another gulp from his beer and changed the subject.

“How’s the business? Are we still turning a
decent profit?”

Kurt loosened his tie and und
id the top button of his shirt. “Jackson Waylon has been doing exceptionally well, my friend, especially since our recent expansion into Dubai last year, and with you back by my side it will soon be doing even better, I’m sure.” He handed Crank one of the menus. “And by the way, I have had your office here in Austin totally refurbished from top to bottom, complete with a brand new laptop, briefcase and financial reports for the last six years waiting for you on your desk.” He paused to take a sip of his beer before adding. “Oh, and I have also had maintenance reinstall your name plaque in front of your underground parking space next to mine.”

Crank
placed his folded napkin in his lap and glanced around the room at the other restaurant patrons. A good percentage were business men and women, either escaping the confines of their office for an hour or two, or busily dining with clients to pitch a new campaign or seal a new deal. As he looked around he knew instinctively that he wasn’t ready to return to the corporate world just yet; at least not until he had taken time out at the lake cabin to properly process the last six years since his daughter, Ellie’s, death.

“You’ve been busy
my friend,” he said, returning his attention to Kurt. “I was afraid you may not want me back as a visible partner after all the publicity surrounding Georgia and Ellie’s death and my subsequent trial and conviction for manslaughter?”

Kurt seemed genuinely surprised by
Crank’s admission. “Crank, Buddy, you’re a part of Jackson Waylon, just as I am. We built it together from scratch and it’s in our blood. I would never stop you from coming back into the fold. In fact, I’ve been waiting six long years to see you back in your office where you belong and that, my friend, is six years too long as far as I am concerned.”

Crank
was both relieved and touched, prison had a way of making you feel worthless when you had been in there a while, but he knew he had to be upfront with Kurt about his decision to take some time out up at his new cabin before returning to the business.

“Kurt,
you know I appreciate everything you’ve done to welcome me back to Jackson Waylon, but I’ve got to be honest with you, I’m not ready to come back just yet. I need some time by myself to readjust to life on the outside first before I come back to work full time; six weeks Buddy that’s all I’m asking? Do you think you could keep running it without me for six more weeks?”

Kurt looked
at his best friend with complete understanding. “If that’s what you want, Crank, then sure, take as much time as you need, but just don’t hide yourself away from the real world for too long. Sooner or later you will need to get back into the swing of things at Jackson Waylon and I personally think that the sooner you do the better off you’ll be.”

Crank
clapped his best friend on the shoulder to show his gratitude. “Thanks Buddy, I knew you’d understand. I just need time on my own for a while to process the last six years so I can finally move on with my life.”

Kurt’s smile returned.
“So where are you planning on headin’?”

Crank
pulled a Caddo lake brochure from his pocket, which Macey had gotten from a travel agency after signing off on the sale, and handed it to Kurt. “I had Macey sell my house in Rosedale a few months back and buy me a cabin in the woods near Caddo Lake, over in Harrison County.”

Kurt
looked at the cover of the brochure and raised his eyebrows. “That’s quite a long drive from Austin my friend. What made you buy a cabin so far from Austin?”

“
Just for the beauty and tranquillity of the place I guess,” he explained. “The cabin is completely surrounded by forest and isolated except for one other cabin next door, but the realtor assured Macey that the other cabin is owned by a retired Colonel who only uses it for a few weeks of the year for a spot of fishin’.”

Kurt’s ears pricked up
at the mention of fishing. When they were boys, in their early teens, they used to go fishing together most weekends to break the big city boredom
.

“
How far is your cabin from the lake?” he asked with renewed interest.

Crank smiled knowingly.
“Well, according to the map they sent Macey when she bought it; my cabin is about five minutes of walking time from the lake, and that suits me just fine. It means I can get my daily exercise walking to and from the lake to do a spot of fishin’.”

Kurt opened up the brochure and scrutinised the pictures of the lake
and local flora and fauna. “Crank Buddy,” he said, handing it back, “don’t you even think about sellin’ that cabin ‘till you’ve taken me up there with you for a week or two of fishin’. You know how much I used to enjoy our weekends fishin’ at Lake Travis when we were teenagers.”

Crank
fondly recalled how he and Kurt used to pedal their bikes all the way out to Lake Travis as boys, balancing their rods and bait buckets on their handlebars. “Believe me,” he said, smiling widely. “I miss those adventures just as much you, Kurt. That’s why I purchased a cabin right near Caddo Lake. But just give me the time I need to get my head together first and then I promise I’ll take you up there with me for a spot of fishin’; deal?”

“Deal!”
Kurt echoed, before downing the last of his beer and signalling for the waiter to come take their order. “So, when are you planning on leaving for the cabin?” he asked.

Crank
paused to scrutinise the menu as the waiter approached, and chose a fillet steak with vegetables and another round of beers. “Well, as soon as we’ve finished our lunch, as a matter of fact. I’m all packed up and ready to hit the road. They’re forecasting a few bad storms up around the Caddo Lake area this afternoon and I would like to get there and get settled in before they hit.”

Kurt
also ordered the fillet steak and vegetables and then looked at Crank wryly. “Well, I’ve already been waiting six years to see your ugly mug back in your office where it belongs, Crank, so I guess I can wait six more weeks.”

After finishing his lunch with Kurt, Crank stopped off at his parole officer’s office to make the parole arrangements for Karnack and then stopped briefly at a Costco to purchase a few more supplies for the cabin before making his way north onto route 35 for the five hour drive to Karnack.

He had made t
he decision to sell his house in suburban Rosedale when he first went to prison. Moving back into the affluent two-story house that he had once shared with his wife, Georgia, and daughter, Ellie, until just months before their untimely death, would have been far too painful. Besides, even if he had wanted to, he knew only too well that there would always be those neighbours who would gossip and whisper about his past behind his back.

Ye
t, even after making the decision to sell his family home, for the next five and a half years of his sentence he had made no plans whatsoever to sell it until he watched a travel show segment one night in the prison common room, which was showcasing the Caddo Lake National Park area, near Karnack in East Texas. Crank had immediately fallen in love with the area. It was both isolated and extremely picturesque; just the type of place he had been searching for to spend some quiet time after his release from prison.

The
show had also shown some of the many isolated log-cabins, which were sparsely scattered throughout the cypress forests of the state park and along the shores of Caddo Lake, and right then he knew that he would buy one; not only for an initial getaway after his release from prison, but also for future holidays when the corporate world and the hustle and bustle of Austin got too much to bear.

***

The weather was typical Texas weather for mid-July; hot and sticky. As Crank headed along Route 43 for the last leg of his journey between Karnack and Caddo Lake, he looked up through his windscreen at the ominous, grey, storm clouds, which had been steadily building and darkening as the afternoon wore on. By his calculation he would only just make it to his cabin before the storm hit, and then only if he was lucky.

As he turned into Ferry Lake Road
, for the final leg of his journey, he spotted an old, red SUV on the shoulder of the road with its hood raised and steam billowing from the radiator.

“Shoot!”
he groaned, spotting a distressed woman of around thirty and a young girl of around five or six, standing forlornly beside the pick-up as he drove past. His mama had always reminded him when he was growing up to
‘always be a gentleman and help a woman in need’
, and as those words echoed in his head he instantly hit the brakes and backed up; pulling in behind it just as the first spots of rain began to fall.

“Howdy ma’am, anything I can do to help?”
he asked politely, after stepping out of his vehicle. As he got closer he drew in a deep breath. The woman had the most incredible blue eyes he had ever seen and was dressed casually in a pair of well-worn, hip-hugging jeans and a faded t-shirt which hung provocatively to her incredibly sexy 5’ 7” frame. Instantly, he felt something begin to stir from deep in his loins.

T
he woman raked a hand through her straight, shoulder-length brown hair and placed her hands protectively on the little girl’s shoulders as he approached. Her face was completely free of make-up, yet even without it she had a classic beauty that caused his heart to momentarily skip a beat.

“I’m not sure
?” she said, craning her neck to meet his gaze. “My radiator seems to have sprung several major leaks and my spare bottle of water is just pouring straight back out onto the dirt.” Letting go of the girl momentarily, she lifted a one gallon plastic bottle of water to the radiator and poured some in to demonstrate and instantly it splashed back out onto the ground.

As Crank watched, a few heavy spatters of rain hit
the woman’s windshield and he could hear that the low rumbles of distant thunder were slowly getting louder. Briefly, he turned his attention from the woman to the girl and his heart lurched involuntarily in his chest. With her sparkling blue eyes, blond locks and gappy smile she reminded him instantly of his beloved daughter, Ellie.

Crank smiled back and
leaned under the hood to check out the radiator. To his dismay large chunks of the cooling fins were missing, both of the inlet and outlet hoses were swollen and leaking and there were several blown-out corrosion spots along the seam of the reservoir.

“I’m afraid that your radiator needs
completely replacing ma’am,” he drawled, “and it’s doubtful whether anyone will be open to fix it at this late hour of the afternoon.”

The woman
became visibly upset at the news. “Are you sure you can’t patch it temporarily?” she pleaded. “We only have a few miles left to get to our cabin.” But Crank knew there was nothing he could do to fix it; the corrosion was too wide spread.

“I
might have been able to mend it long enough to get you to your cabin,” he admitted, “if I still had my old pick-up.” He pointed toward his new 4WD. “But this one is brand new and I haven’t had a chance to stock it with my usual bag of tricks for dealing with break-downs.” He watched her shoulders sag in defeat. “But I’d be happy to give you and your daughter a lift to your cabin, if you like?” He pointed up at the sky. “That storm looks pretty severe and it’s going to hit us any minute.”

As he waited for her to answer,
the rain drops got even heavier and the wind began to pick up, covering the road in leaf litter as it was being ripped from the trees.

“How do I know I can trust you?” she asked
nervously, grabbing a piece of cardboard from the back of her SUV to hold above the little girl’s head in a vain effort to keep her dry.

Crank put a hand to his forehead to stop the drops of rain from splashing into his eyes
and spoke loudly so he would be heard over the thunder. “That’s just a risk you’re gonna have to take if you wish to avoid the storm, ma’am. But if it’s any comfort to ya, I didn’t stop to harm you or your little girl; I’m just here to help you in any way I can and right now the only thing I can offer is a lift.”

“What about my
car?” she said worriedly. “Will it be okay if we leave it here?”

By now the rain was really starting to come down and the wind was
almost blowing the cardboard from her hands. “It should be fine, I doubt there’s much traffic along this road ‘cept for the locals, and I’d be more than happy to pick you up in the mornin’ and drive ya into Karnack so you can arrange to get your vehicle repaired.”

The little girl
had been eyeing him curiously and now she pulled gently on her mother’s arm. “Come on Mama,” she coaxed, “let him give us a lift to our cabin, p-l-e-a-s-e, we’re getting soaked.”

The woman glanced up again at the dark, rumbling clouds
and then at Crank. “Are you sure it’s no bother?”

“No bother at all
, ma’am. Why don’t you close the hood and lock up your vehicle while I transfer your bags to mine? Your car should be just fine where it is until the morning.”

Once they were all safely in Crank’s
4WD the heavens opened up and the rain started bucketing down in sheets. “Where can I drop you two err …?”

“Forgive
me,” she said, blushing slightly. “My name is Clare Bennett and this is my daughter, Willow. Are you familiar with Galen Road? That’s where our cabin is. I believe there should be a turnoff for it comin’ up on the left, about a mile or so from here.”

Crank
stared at her in disbelief. “Galen Road is where my cabin is,” he said after catching his breath. “But I believe there are only two cabins on that road, not more than fifty yards from each other and one of them is owned by a retired colonel who …”

Clare
cut him off. “Then I guess we’re about to be neighbours,” she said cheerfully, her smile revealing two comma-shaped dimples. “My granddaddy – Colonel Nathan Bradbury the third - recently passed away, almost three months ago, and left me his cabin. Willow and I are just heading to it for the very first time to check it out and take a well-earned break from the hustle and bustle of Houston for a few weeks.”

Crank adjusted his rear view mirror
so he could make sure Willow was buckled in before heading back out onto the road and spotted her smiling happily back at him, her sandal-clad feet criss-crossed in front of her. “Well howdy little lady, you all strapped in back there?” he asked.

“
I sure am!” she beamed, patting the buckle on her seatbelt. “What’s your name?” she asked inquisitively. “If we’re going to be neighbours then we need to know your name as well.”

Crank smiled back at her in the mirror. “Darn it,” he said scratching his head as if trying to remember
. “What is my name? Oh that’s right, it’s Rumplestiltskin; pleased to make your acquaintance Miss Willow.”

Willow shrieked with laughter. “No it isn’t!”

Crank scratched his head again. “Then I guess it must be Captain America.” He lifted a hand from the wheel and pumped his huge bicep. “My costume is packed away in the back in my suitcase, ready for any emergency.”

“No way,” she
shrieked again. “Captain America doesn’t have dark hair!”

“Okay, okay, you’ve caught me out, no more Porky’s
, I promise. My name is Crank – Crank Jackson. Pleased to officially meet you Willow.”

“Pleased to meet you too Cranky,” she said
, leaning her head back into the seat and criss-crossing her arms over what looked like a much-loved stuffed toy.

After the formalities had been done
Crank put the car in gear and made his way back out onto Ferry Lake Road. The rain was so heavy now that even with the windshield wipers on full he still had to lean in close to the windshield to see the road.

“So are you from Texas?” Clare asked
, making conversation to break the awkwardness.

“Born and bred,” Crank boasted, “can’t
ya tell by my accent?”

“What part of Texas?” she
asked inquisitively.

“Austin,” he said proudly. “I’m a true blue
Austinite through and through. How ‘bout you two ladies? Are you both born and bred Houstonians?”

Willow piped up before her mother had a chance to answer. “We sure are, my
Mama and Daddy were both born in Houston and then they had me and I was born in Houston too.”

Even though he didn’t know why, Crank’s heart sank
at the mention of Willow having a Daddy and Clare a husband. “Where’s your daddy now?” he asked. “Is he joining you guys later?”

Clare averted her eyes. “
My husband Clay - Willow’s dad - died last spring in a light plane crash over the Guadalupe Mountain Ranges on his way home from the mine in New Mexico where he worked.” Without making eye-contact, she cleared a patch of mist from the window and looked out at the bucketing rain. “There was engine trouble and the plane went down in the mountainous terrain. The coroner said both Clay and the pilot died instantly, thank goodness. The thought of him dying slowly out there all alone and in pain would have been too much to bear.”

Crank felt a lump
rising in his throat. “Oh Clare, I’m so sorry. That must have been devastating for you both?”

“Thank
you,” she said, continuing to look out the window. “It was, especially at first, but life goes on when you have a five year-old daughter to raise and bills to pay.”

For the rest of the short trip
to Clare’s cabin they were mostly silent, but every now and then Crank found himself stealing discreet glances at Clare. He had not found another woman this attractive since he had first laid eyes on his late wife Georgia back in high school.

When they
arrived at Clare’s cabin, Crank made a three point turn in her narrow driveway and backed his 4WD right up to the rustic porch so that her belongings would not get wet. “I’ll give you ladies a hand to get your bags inside and then I’ll be off,” he said matter-of-factly. “Then you two will be free to explore your new cabin before it gets completely dark.”

As Crank carried their bags and supplies in and placed them
along the kitchen bench and dining room table, he discreetly checked out the inside of Clare’s cabin, which he knew to be a duplicate of his own. It was very much as he had expected: gabled ceilings, pine slab walls, solid timber furniture, hardwood floors and a large stone fireplace to keep the cabin warm in winter. The only disappointment was the kitchen, which was a little on the small side for a man of his size, but still he would find a way to make it work.

He turned to Clare. “So what do you think
of your new cabin?”

Clare
scrunched up an empty grocery bag after putting the contents away in the small pantry and placed her hands on her hips as she stopped to take a good look around for the first time. “It could do with a woman’s touch, I guess,” she said cheerily, noting the lack of cushions, curtains and soft furnishings, “but other than that I think it’s just perfect for Willow and I.”

Crank
looked up above the mantle and spotted a row of three mounted fish. “Judging by those plaques I’d say the fishin’ must be pretty good around here,” he grinned, revealing two rows of perfect white teeth. “Maybe the three of us could hire a boat and go out onto the lake for a spot of fishin’ sometime before you ladies have to head back to Houston?”