THE TRUE LOVE SERIES BOX SET: A Christian Romance

by Duncan, Juliette

  That afternoon, after Mum had showered and made herself presentable, she and Jayden took a drive to check out the cottage. Although only two miles out of town, it seemed to him they were driving for hours. The road wound up a valley that narrowed with each corner. In some places snow blocked their way. Jayden got out and shoveled it off the road. They only passed two other houses; one abandoned, but outside the other, a number of cars were parked. He breathed a sigh of relief—at least they’d have neighbors.

  As they rounded yet another corner, the cottage came into view. His heart fell. If the outside was anything to go by, the inside would be a mess. The yard was littered with rusting farm equipment and old car tires. A derelict barn sat to the right of the one-storey cottage. Paint was peeling off the outside walls, and the bushes surrounding it were all over-grown and heavy with snow.

  He slumped in his seat, folding his arms. “Don’t like the look of this.”

  Mum remained silent, her eyes fixed on the cottage. After several seconds, she turned to him. “I don’t either Jay, but we don’t have a choice.”

  “I’m not going in.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  He shook his head. “How can you even consider living in this run-down hovel?”

  She shrugged, her lip quivering. “Jay, please don’t talk to me like that.” She sniffed, sounding like she was about to cry. “I’m sorry, I really am.” She reached her hand out to him. “We’ll stay just until I make some money. Okay?”

  Jayden let out a resigned sigh and opened the car door. The gate wouldn’t budge when he tried to move it—snow was piled up on both sides. He took the shovel from the trunk and started shoveling.

  A few minutes later, he pushed the gate open and led the way up the stairs and onto the porch. “Have you got the key?”

  Mum nodded and handed it to him.

  He inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. At least it had furniture, but the smell of dust and stale urine made him gag. He held his hand to his nose.

  “We can clean it.” Mum placed her arm on his shoulder as tears streamed down her cheeks.

  Jayden drew in a breath. He knew who’d be doing the cleaning. As they wandered through the house, he couldn’t believe his mother would lower herself to live in a place like this.

  “We’ll come back tomorrow and start cleaning. Buck said he’ll chop wood for us. It’ll be okay.” She stood, a blank look on her face. She’d resigned herself to living here, and involving Buck in their lives.

  Jayden couldn’t believe it. The heavy weight grew in his stomach.

  Jayden cleaned the cottage with a token effort from Kathryn. It took all day, but by the time he’d finished, it looked almost inhabitable. Buck turned up mid-morning with a load of wood and lit the fire. Jayden kept his distance. He didn’t like the way the man seemed to think he already owned his mother.

  The first night in the cottage, Jayden lay in his bed and put on some music. At least the cottage had electricity even if it didn’t have Internet or phone. He put his earphones in and tried to pretend he was anywhere other than here. Buck had stayed and was with Mum. Seemed that was payment for the cottage and the job.

  Chapter 17

  "Amigos, la bienvenida a Ecuador!" Elliott greeted as Ben and Tessa quickly ducked through body scans and came towards him at Guayaquil's International Airport.

  "Let me guess," Tessa said, hugging him tightly. "Friends, welcome to Ecuador."

  "Right on," Elliott said. "You must have been studying."

  "We've been trying." Ben put his hand forward and shook Elliott’s hand. "So far, I've managed hola, buenos días, adiós, si, gracias, and of course amigo, but everyone knows that."

  "I didn't get much further." Tessa pulled a face.

  Elliott laughed. "At least it's a start. I've learned to speak it quite well, actually, but there's still some room for improvement. A few of the locals in Daule, where the mission grounds are, know a bit of English, sort of broken, but they'll understand you quite well."

  Tessa took a step back to take a good look at her younger brother. The last time she’d seen him was when he’d flown back for their wedding, just over a year ago. He’d slimmed down, but packed on more muscle, and his skin was lightly tanned. His smile was still bright and his eyes sparkled with purpose. Being on mission was doing him good.

  "Everything okay, Tess?" Elliott asked. "You're staring at me like I've turned into a ghost."

  "Oh, no," Tessa laughed. "It's just that you look a bit different."

  "Yeah, I guess Ecuador will do that to you. Who knows? By the time you two leave, you'll probably look and feel different too." Elliott picked up one of her suitcases and led the way outside to where his red jeep was waiting.

  Tessa was used to warm weather, but she gagged at the hot humid air that hit her as they left the terminal.

  "Most days are like this, sis. You’ll get used to it." Elliott flashed her a cheeky smile. "Even when the sun isn't shining, it's still hot, being so close to the equator. And it can start pouring anytime without warning, but don't worry, it's usually just a gentle rain, not huge thunderstorms."

  “Glad to hear it. I see you haven’t slowed down talking at all.” She ducked in case Elliott decided to give her a playful whack.

  With their luggage in the back seat of the jeep, the three rode in the front with Tessa squeezed in between Elliott and Ben. The air conditioner wasn't working, and in its place a mobile radio kit had been installed. "So I can keep in touch with the folks back at the grounds. It operates just like an intercom system. If something goes wrong or if there's an emergency while we're apart, I can call them or they can call me."

  “I’d prefer air-con.” Tessa fanned herself and took a sip of water.

  Elliott shrugged. “A luxury we can’t afford. Sorry.” He glanced at Tessa as he pulled onto a busy highway. “I was quite surprised to hear from you. But you know, we'd been praying for extra volunteers, so I see it as an answer to prayer."

  Ben and Tessa looked at one another. Should they tell him the real reason they’d decided to come? Eleanor had left it to them to tell Elliott about Jayden leaving. "I guess Jayden wanted to stay in Australia and enjoy Mum's good cooking." He gave a small chuckle. "How is he?"

  They’d have to tell him. Tessa gulped as Ben squeezed her hand. "Well, truth be told, he's actually the reason we decided to get away and spend some time here.” She paused and let out a slow breath. "Jayden ran away and is living with his mother."

  “No! He didn’t?” Elliott looked at her with eyes as wide as golf balls.

  Tessa nodded. “Unfortunately, he did. We've done everything we could to get him back, but nothing's worked. Seems he’s happy in the States with her, for the moment at least, so we thought a change of scenery would do us good. Get our mind off him for a while. Hopefully being here will help us do that. Plus we can help you."

  Elliott gestured at the car in front that turned without indicating before glancing back at Tessa. "Why did he leave? I hope he wasn't still upset with me."

  "No, you had nothing to do with it." Ben leaned forward and cleared his throat. "It's mainly Kathryn's doing, but I do accept some of the blame. I don’t think I was understanding enough."

  Tessa squeezed Ben’s hand.

  "I'm sorry to hear that, Ben. He's a good kid, and God’s working on him. I'm sure he'll come back in time. I’ll be sure to pray for him.” Elliott’s voice was full of concern and compassion. He remained silent for a few seconds, as if he were praying for Jayden right then and there. “But in the meantime, I'm glad you're here—I’m sure it’ll do you both good.”

  Tessa let out a slow sigh. “We hope so.”

  They soon left the noisy, but vibrant and sprawling city of Guayaquil behind. The downtown high-rises disappeared into the rearview distance, and hillsides covered in colourful shantytowns rose up around them. After about an hour, they turned off the well-paved highway onto a narrow dirt road full of ruts and dried mud patches. Swampy
meadows of green grass spread out on either side of the dirt road, with patches of leafy Tagua palms standing nearly forty feet tall, giving it a real tropical feel.

  The mission was spread out on both sides of a dirty brown tributary of water that flowed into the larger Daule River. Several children were running around, laughing and playing with plastic balls when Elliott's jeep came to a stop. Tessa waved to them, and they waved back, staring and smiling shyly.

  "Mayta, Santiago, Juan," Elliott said, calling their names. After talking to them in Spanish, they shed their shyness and ran up to shake hands with Ben and Tessa. The children’s eyes lit up when Ben took a pack of gum out of his pocket and gave them each a piece.

  "We work on both sides of the water," Elliott said. "The living quarters are mostly over here, but on the other side we've built a church and we just finished building a school for the mission. There's still some things that need to be completed though, like the interior and the playground, but most of the heavy-duty work is done. We also keep our supplies and the plane over there in the storage building."

  "How do you get across?" Ben asked.

  "There used to be a bridge, but every time the river flooded, it got damaged, so we stopped repairing it." Elliott pointed to three objects that looked like rafts floating on top of the water, tied to stakes in the ground. "Now we use flatboats to go across."

  The doors of one of the houses opened, and a broad, tawny-skinned woman with the same coloured hair and eyes came out. "Elliott, you're back." She spoke in English but with a strong Spanish accent.

  "Hello, Maria. I've brought our new workers."

  "I can see that. Welcome, Ben. Welcome, Tessa." Maria greeted Ben and Tessa in turn with a warm hug and kiss. "Your brother has told me many good things about you, so I'm glad that we get to meet at last. Come, let me show you to your lodgings."

  Chapter 18

  Tessa held Ben’s hand as they followed Maria to a small house towards the edge of the village. Perched on stilts and made of cane, it reminded Tessa of one of the Three Little Pigs’ houses, and she wondered how safe it was.

  Maria must have seen the look of concern on Tessa’s face. “Don’t worry, Tessa. It’s perfectly safe.” She chuckled as she lumbered up the rickety stairs. “See, it’s fine.”

  Tessa sucked in a breath and followed her up. The house was sparsely furnished, with just a bedroom, a bathroom, and a living room which also doubled as a kitchen and dining area. Although the furnishings were simple, the colours of the floor rugs, cushions and wall hangings were so vibrant they took Tessa’s breath away.

  “It’s lovely. Thank you.” Tessa’s heart expanded at the simple joy flowing from the dark-haired woman’s face as she stood there expectantly with her hands clutched in front of her.

  "It doesn't have all the amenities like back home," Elliott said, joining them with a handful of luggage, "but you get used to it. The people more than make up for what the country lacks in resources. They're warm and friendly for the most part, and eager to help."

  “I can see that already.” Tessa smiled again at Maria and then sniffed the air. A strong, spicy aroma wafted through the house. "What smells so good?"

  "Your dinner.” Elliott crossed the floor to the kitchen and lifted the lid of the earthenware pot sitting on the simple two-burner stove. “Maria cooked it for you."

  Maria glanced at her hands coyly. “I thought you’d be tired from your long flight. It's guatita, a traditional Ecuadorian stew made with beef tripe, potatoes and peanut sauce."

  Tessa raised her eyebrows but quickly lowered them. Tripe?

  "I'm pretty sure you'll love it," Elliott said, stepping back and placing his arm lightly on Maria’s shoulder. "I've come to love all different kinds of Ecuadorian foods since I've been here, and guatita is still one of my favourite dishes. And Maria’s the best cook."

  A flush crept up the woman’s face.

  “Well, it certainly smells wonderful," Ben said. "We haven't eaten since lunch on the plane, so I'm quite hungry."

  "Thank you, Maria." Tessa stepped forward and squeezed her hand. "We appreciate your thoughtfulness."

  "My pleasure. And thank you again for coming.” The woman’s white teeth sparkled as a smile lit up her face. “If you need anything else to get settled in, just let me know." She waved as she and Elliott disappeared down the stairs.

  “I think I’m going to like it here, Ben. What do you think?” Tessa asked as she began placing her clothes into the single closet in the bedroom.

  “I think I’m going to like it very much.” As Ben slipped his arms around her from behind and ran his lips softly along her neck, her knees weakened.

  “Ben!”

  “What?”

  His kisses sent tingles down her spine. She laughed as she turned around and gazed into his eyes. “Have you forgotten where we are?”

  “No, I haven’t. We’re in our bedroom.”

  She shook her head but a smile danced on her lips.

  “I just wanted to let you know how much I love you, that’s all.”

  “Oh Ben.”

  Her whole body melted as his lips brushed softly against hers.

  Soon after, they drifted into the kitchen and sat down to Maria’s guatita. “I think I could get used to this. Even with the tripe.” Tessa chuckled before taking another mouthful.

  “This was a great idea, Tess. Just being away from home and all the memories has already made a difference.”

  “I can tell.” She gave him a playful smile, but then his expression changed.

  “But I still can’t help thinking about what Jayden’s doing, especially now Neil’s told us he’s in Texas.”

  She sighed and reached for his hand. “God’s with him, Ben. We’ve just got to leave Jayden in His care.”

  Ben let out a deep breath. “I know. But I've checked the distance between Ecuador and Texas. We’re not that far away from him now. Maybe we should try to see him.”

  “We can try. You never know, he might be ready to see us.”

  Footsteps sounded on the steps, followed by a soft knock. “Tess, Ben, can I come in?”

  “Yes, Elliott, come in. We’re just finishing dinner.” Tessa stood and carried the dishes to the sink.

  Elliott joined her in the kitchen. “Enjoy it?” He ran a finger around the edge of the bowl and licked it.

  She slapped his hand playfully. “What would Mum say?”

  Elliott shrugged, flashing her a cheeky grin.

  “But yes. It was just what we needed. I’ll have to ask Maria to show me how to make it.”

  “Still can’t cook, hey sis?”

  Tessa was about to whack him with the dish towel when Ben joined them.

  “She can cook better than me.” Ben came up behind Tessa and rubbed her arms, sending goose-bumps down her arms. She hoped Elliott hadn’t noticed.

  “Would you like to meet the others before it gets dark? They’d like to meet you.” Elliott leaned back on the kitchen counter, crossing his legs at the ankle.

  Tessa twisted her head so she could see Ben. “Shall we?”

  “Why not? Lead the way, Elliott. The dishes can wait.”

  Elliott took them around the mission grounds and introduced them to the other workers. Four were non-Ecuadorian. Trevor and Robert Lolarossi were American brothers in their mid-twenties who’d both attended mission school with Elliott in California. Larry and Penny Mykal were an older couple from Toronto, Canada. They’d been involved in mission work for most of their lives and were about the ages of Tessa's parents. They welcomed Ben and Tessa as if they were welcoming their own children.

  Ben accompanied the men on one of the flatboats across the river to inspect the construction work. As Tessa watched him leave, she couldn’t help but wonder how her accountant husband would fit in.

  Meanwhile, Tessa sat down with Penny over a cup of tea while Penny gave her advice on how best to deal with bugs, how not to get sick in the constant heat and humidity, and how they manage
d to get by with washing their clothes by hand.

  As she listened to the short, grey-haired woman talk with such enthusiasm about life on the mission, Tessa began to realise the extent of the sacrifices Penny and Larry had made to live here, and just how many of the everyday things that she took for granted, Penny had done without for most of her adult life.

  “You sound like you love it here.” Tessa gave Penny a warm smile.

  “Yes, we both do, despite everything.” She let out a small chuckle. “We’ve been in a lot worse places than here, believe me!”

  “Where have you been?” Tessa took a cookie off the plate.

  “Oh, we’ve spent time in Ethiopia, Delhi, Seoul, our own home of Toronto, Salvador, Rio, and now here in Daule.”

  Tessa’s eyes widened. “Wow! That’s amazing.”

  “I guess so, but we’ve been on mission most of our lives. Larry and I met on a youth mission trip to Cambodia when we were in our early twenties. That trip changed us both so much that we decided to become missionaries instead of pursuing our original careers.”

  Tess sipped her tea. “What careers did you have?”

  “Well, I’m a registered nurse, and Larry’s an architect.”

  “I can see why you’d both be in demand on the mission field, but you must have had some challenging experiences.”

  Penny chuckled, her eyes lighting up. “Well, yes, you could say that. We’ve had a few challenges along the way. Maybe one day I’ll tell you about some of them.” She glanced up as footsteps sounded on the porch. Larry entered, followed by Ben.

  Tessa had thought Ben tall, but Larry stood almost a foot taller, the top of his balding head just missing the bamboo ceiling by a whisker.

  “So, what have you two been chatting about?” Larry leaned down and kissed Penny on the cheek.