Unbreak my Heart Read online

  When she was gone Eli turned to Crank. “Thank you so much for keeping the true extent of our financial woes a secret. Mace is just over the moon that you are finally out of jail, and telling her would have well and truly put a damper on her high spirits.”

  Crank sat back down in the wicker chair, put his hands behind his head to get comfortable and looked across at his brother-in-law. “Thank you for being the love of my sister’s life and for having the guts to ask for help when you need it. As I told Mace, you guys are my only family now and family members should always be there for each other, through thick and thin.”

  Chapter three

  For a few awkward moments Crank was disoriented when he felt the warmth of the morning sun’s rays on his face and opened his eyes to see the calming, flowery wall-paper of Macey’s spare bedroom, rather than the cold, grey and windowless walls of his prison cell.

  It felt so good to finally be out of that steel and concrete hell-hole where he had spent over 2000 days of his life; each one personally marked off with neat little crosses over six different prison-issue calendars. It was a hell of a long time to be locked away from family and friends and his company, Jackson Waylon Investments, which he had started with his best friend Kurt Waylon straight out of college as a two man investment firm and had helped to grow into a 10 billion dollar corporation with over 500 employees and branches in the U S, Asia, Australia, Europe and Dubai, that had netted he and his business partner a personal wealth of over 1.5 billion dollars each.

  Throwing back the covers, Crank stretched his tall frame and sauntered naked over to the window, opening it wide to breathe in the fresh Texas country air. As he looked out over the pristine backyard he spotted a male mourning dove on the roof of the porch, cooing and dancing in circles around a smaller female in an effort to win her affections. “Don’t let her break your heart little buddy,” he called through the window, accidentally scaring the two of them off into a nearby tree.

  “Oh my Lord, Crank, can you please cover that naked ass?” Macey screeched, covering her eyes in mock disgust after poking her head around the bedroom door. “Eli has brewed some fresh coffee and cooked up a huge pan of eggs and bacon especially for you for breakfast. It’s his subtle way of saying thanks for getting us out of debt, so hurry up and get dressed and come on down.”

  “Thanks Mace,” Crank said over his shoulder without making any effort to cover himself. “Tell Eli I’m just gonna grab a quick shower and I’ll be down.”

  When she had gone, Crank opened up one of the suitcases of clothes, marked as casual wear on the tag, which Macey had been storing for him since the sale of his Rosedale house, and picked out a t-shirt, jeans and fresh underwear before heading into the bathroom to shower in complete privacy for the first time in six years.

  “Hey Buddy, how did you sleep?” Eli asked casually as Crank walked into the kitchen and took a seat on one of the stools lined along the breakfast bar.

  Crank tucked his long legs up on the leg rest of the stool and stretched out his arms in a yawn. “To tell ya the truth Eli, I think it’s the best sleep I’ve had in six years. That mattress in the spare room made me feel like I was sleeping on a cloud.”

  Eli shovelled a couple of fried eggs and a pile of crispy bacon onto Crank’s plate and handed it to him, along with a knife and fork and a small basket of condiments. “Now I’m afraid I can’t match all that fancy prison food that y’all been eating for the last six years Crank, but I hope that this will be suffice to get you through to lunch.”

  Crank pretended to be disappointed. “What, no lumpy porridge or tasteless breakfast cereal with a measured half cup of milk?” he groaned in mock disgust. “I’m extremely disappointed in you, Eli!”

  “What on earth are you complaining about now big brother?” Macey asked, ruffling his still damp her with her fingers as she walked by into the kitchen. “If you’re intending to put some meat back onto those hollowed out cheeks of yours then you ought to be eating instead of complaining.”

  “What about you, Sweetheart?” Eli asked his wife as she wrapped her hands around his waist. “Can I get you some freshly cooked bacon and eggs?”

  Macey shook her head as she looked at the greasy bacon. “No thanks Eli, to tell ya the truth I’m not feeling the best this morning. I must have caught some kind of stomach bug.”

  “Maybe you ought ‘to make an appointment to see Doc Benson later today,” Eli said worriedly. “We can’t afford for you to get sick with the boys comin’ home tomorrow.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Macey said dismissively. “Stop fussin,’ there’s no need for me to take up any of Doc Benson’s precious time. I just need to watch what I eat for a while, that’s all.” She poured herself an orange juice and joined Crank at the breakfast bar. “What are your plans for today Cranky-pants?” she asked before taking a small sip of her juice.

  Crank couldn’t help himself from laughing out loud. Cranky-pants was the pet name Macey had given him when they were kids and it had kind of stuck, even after all these years. He looked at her with affection. “I’ll pack my gear into the 4WD after breakfast and head into Austin to see Kurt. We’re gonna grab some lunch together and he’s gonna bring me up to scratch with Jackson Waylon Investments. Then I think I’ll keep heading upstate to the new cabin for a few weeks to give myself time to readjust to life on the outside without the prying eyes of the public.”

  “What about your parole?” Macey asked worriedly. “Don’t you have to report to your parole officer once per week in Austin?”

  “Don’t you worry yourself about that, worry-wart,” Crank assured Macey, rolling his eyes. “I’ve already discussed my plans of heading off to my new cabin for a while with both my prison parole board officer and my assigned parole officer before my release. According to my parole officer, due to my exemplary prison behaviour record, and providing I stop in to see him before I leave for Caddo Lake, he’s happy for me to drop into the police station in Karnack once a week until I get back into Austin.”

  Macey looked at him apologetically. “Crank, I’m sorry for being nosey and I truly wasn’t trying to pry, it’s just that I don’t want anything to jeopardise your freedom, that’s all!”

  “I know,” Crank grinned, “and that’s why I love you.”

  Eli carefully carried over a cup of freshly brewed coffee and placed it in front of him. “Are you sure Macey and I can’t talk you into staying here with us for a few more days before you head on up to Harrison County? The boys will be arriving back home from camp tonight and they are gonna be so disappointed when they find out they have missed you.”

  Crank gently blew away the steam rising from his coffee and took a much anticipated mouthful before answering. “Sorry Eli, but I’ve already made the arrangements to meet with Kurt in Austin today. Besides, if y’all keep feeding me like this then I’m gonna end up fatter than a pig in no time.”

  Macey reached out and clipped Crank affectionately across the ears. “You listen here Cranky-pants,” she retorted, “I’ve been eating my wonderful husband’s cooking for over sixteen years and I’ve still managed to keep my figure.”

  Eli poured another two coffees for himself and Macey, and sat down on the stool between them, placing a loving arm around his wife’s shoulders. “You can get as fat as you like my gorgeous wife,” he said lovingly, kissing her on the cheek. “It’ll just mean that there will be more of you for me to love.”

  Macey kissed Eli lovingly on the lips. “There ya go Crank,” she said sharply, turning to her brother. “I hope you’re taking a few pointers from my sweet Texan husband here. He says he’s still gonna love me even when I’m old and fat. Now when are you gonna find yourself another woman to love, it’s been a long time since…?”

  Crank’s brow furrowed. He knew that Macey was just looking out for him, but just the thought of allowing another woman into his heart was too much to bear. “Mace I love you very much, you know that, but you needn’t concern yourself with my love life.
I fell in love with Georgia and gave her everything she ever wanted, but even that wasn’t good enough or she would never have left me for that drunken killer.” He almost spat the words. “You know that last fall my Ellie would have turned twelve.”

  Macey got up from her stool and hugged her brother from behind to console him. “I know what that bastard did. But I also know that Ellie would not want her daddy to spend the rest of his life alone. She would want you to find someone new to love, no matter how scared you may feel.”

  Crank reached up and gently grabbed her hands. “I’m sorry Mace, but I won’t ever put myself through that sort of pain again. Burying my wife and daughter were the hardest things I’ve ever had to do and I don’t wanna feel pain like that ever again. That’s why I had you buy me that cabin up in Caddo Lake. I need time alone to grieve properly and get my shit together; I couldn’t do that in jail, not properly.”

  When he released her hands Macey reached down and picked up her juice. “You take all the time you need to get your shit together Crank, but you ain’t ever gonna feel whole ‘less you open up your heart again.” She tapped the middle of his chest. “You got a big heart Crank; don’t keep it closed off forever.”

  Chapter four

  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.

  Chapter five

  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.

  “She’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 undid 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.