A Change of Heart: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 1) Read online

  A Change of Heart

  By

  Kimberly Rae Jordan

  Copyright ©2016

  Kimberly Rae Jordan

  ISBN-13: 978-1-988409-00-9

  A man, a woman & their God.

  Three Strand Press publishes Christian Romance stories

  that intertwine love, faith and family.

  Always clean. Always heartwarming. Always uplifting.

  Cover designed by Jay Aheer @ Simple Defined Art

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations being used in reviews or articles about the book.

  This is a work of fiction. The situations, characters, names and places are products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to locales, events, actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment and may not be re-sold or transferred via any method to any other individual. If you are reading this eBook and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please respect the hard work of the author who has spent many hours creating this story for your enjoyment and purchase your own copy of this eBook. Please do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials by illegally downloading or sharing this eBook. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

  Available Titles

  By Kimberly Rae Jordan

  (Christian Romances)

  ~*~ The Callaghans & McFaddens ~*~

  A Handful of Flowers

  A Change of Heart

  ~*~ BlackThorpe Security ~*~

  Guarding Her Heart

  Signs of Love

  A Matter of Trust

  ~*~ The McKinleys ~*~

  This Time with Love

  Forever My Love

  When There Is Love

  ~*~ Home to Collingsworth ~*~

  Home Is Where the Heart Is

  Home Away From Home

  Love Makes a House a Home

  The Long Road Home

  Her Heart, His Home

  Coming Home

  ~*~ Those Karlsson Boys ~*~

  Waiting for Rachel

  Worth the Wait

  The Waiting Heart

  Marrying Kate

  Faith, Hope & Love

  A Little Bit of Love:

  A Collection of Christian Romance Short Stories

  For the latest news on releases and sales for Kimberly Rae Jordan’s books, please sign up for her newsletter.

  http://eepurl.com/WFhYr

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Epilogue

  And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you.

  He will be with you.

  He will not leave you nor forsake you;

  do not fear nor be dismayed.

  Deuteronomy 31:8

  1

  E than Collins removed his hard hat as he approached his truck. He pulled open the door, tossed the hat and his eye protection glasses onto the passenger seat then got behind the wheel. He lifted his arm and wiped his sleeve across his forehead before running a hand through his hair and replacing the hard hat with his favorite baseball cap. It was surprisingly warm for the end of April, but Ethan had no complaints.

  He had just put his truck into reverse and stretched his arm across the back of the seat to maneuver out of the driveway of the home they were renovating when his phone rang. Ethan slipped the truck back into park and freed his cell from its case on his belt.

  He didn’t recognize the number, but he did know that the 204 area code was for Manitoba. Hoping it was a response to one of the many resumes he’d sent out, Ethan tapped the screen to accept the call.

  “Collins here.”

  “Hello, Mr. Collins. My name is Steve Callaghan from C&M Builders in Winnipeg, and I’m calling with regards to the resume you submitted to my company.”

  Ethan’s pulse raced as he realized that Steve Callaghan represented the company he wanted most to work for. However, after reading about the business, he’d figured he had little hope of getting a job there. Still, he’d sent off a resume because, frankly, he’d had nothing to lose.

  “It’s nice to speak with you, Mr. Callaghan,” Ethan said, hoping he sounded professional. It had been years since he’d applied for a job or spoken to a prospective employer. “I hope it was okay that I sent my resume to you even though your website didn’t say you were hiring.”

  “You’re quite right that we weren’t hiring,” the man on the other end of the line said with a chuckle. “But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been praying for someone to fill a position within our company.”

  When the man mentioned praying, Ethan felt a jolt of excitement. “From everything that I read about C&M Builders, it seemed that you don’t hire from outside of your family, so I’m actually surprised to hear from you.”

  “Yes, that has been the way we’ve run our company from the start. However, I’ve been hoping to step down from my position and spend more time with my wife. Maybe do some traveling.” The man’s voice trailed off for a moment. “Anyway, in order for that to happen, my son, Bennett, would have to step into my position, which would leave his empty. Not all of my children are interested in the business, and the ones that are, don’t have the qualifications to take over for Bennett. That’s why I was more than a little intrigued when I found your resume in my inbox.”

  “What exactly does the job entail?” Ethan asked.

  “Bennett is currently the operations manager which means he oversees the sites and project managers. He also handles bids and contracts for new work. Sometimes he fills in for project managers and has even been known to swing a hammer or use a saw when push comes to shove.”

  For the first time since realizing he needed to uproot his life in Alberta to move to Manitoba, Ethan found himself excited at the prospect. The job the man described was exactly what he’d hoped to work up to in his current company—if he hadn’t had to move and if the position had been available. Unfortunately, it was currently filled, and the man doing the job didn’t appear to be going anywhere. Not that it mattered anymore since he was leaving Alberta. However, if things worked out with C&M Builders, he could end up doing the job he’d been hoping for after a
ll.

  “It sounds like a job that I’d be interested in,” Ethan said, trying not to appear too eager or needy. He was definitely both, but he wanted to come off as professional as possible. He couldn’t afford to screw this up.

  “That’s great to hear,” Steve Callaghan said. “Because if you are, we’d like to fly you to Winnipeg for an interview. It would be at our expense, and we would provide you with a place to stay. Is that something that you’d be able to do?”

  “Yes, I think that that could be arranged.” He would make sure it was arranged. “What dates are you thinking of?”

  Over the next few minutes, they worked out the arrangements for his trip. Ethan was thankful that the man seemed willing to accommodate his schedule so that Ethan wouldn’t miss more than a day of work at his current job. When he’d told Bob Ellis of his plans to move, he’d given him a final date of May twenty-first. Hopefully, Steve Callaghan wouldn’t expect him to start right away. He owed Bob a lot and didn’t want to leave before the date he’d already given him.

  “I will give your information to my daughter, and she’ll arrange for your flights, so be on the lookout for an email from her. Her name is Makayla McFadden,” Steve said. “I look forward to meeting you, Ethan.”

  “Thank you very much for this opportunity. I look forward to meeting you too.”

  Once the call ended, Ethan sat staring out the windshield of his truck. He fought the urge to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

  Thank you, God, for this opportunity. Please let it work out.

  Ever since the day his younger sister had told him about the plan for her to move to Winnipeg with her parents, Ethan had had a sick, desperate feeling in his stomach. He had no choice but to follow them there. He hated to think what might happen to Sierra if he wasn’t there to make sure she was taken care of.

  Please, God, don’t let me do anything to mess this up.

  The sick feeling had eased a little, but until he had the job, it would no doubt linger. Except now it was at war with the excitement and nerves emerging at the thought of the upcoming interview. That basically meant he was kind of a mess.

  Not much bothered him when it came to his job, and he could handle pretty much anything that was thrown at him everywhere else in his life, but when it came to his little sister, he was defenseless. Nothing could gut him quite like the thought of something happening to Sierra.

  Ethan left the job site and headed back to the office to speak with Bob. It was a bit of a short notice since it was already Tuesday and he’d be flying out Thursday night, but he was sure that Bob would be understanding and allow him to be away from work Friday since he rarely took time off.

  *

  Makayla McFadden glanced over at the door when she heard a knock. Her dad stood there with a file in his hand.

  “Got a minute, sweetheart?” he asked as he stepped into her office.

  She had a feeling he was there about the guy he wanted to hire, so she wished she could say no. Instead, she nodded and watched as he settled into the chair across from her. He laid the file on the desk and pushed it toward her.

  “I’ve just gotten off the phone with Ethan Collins, and I need you to make some arrangements for him to fly in for an interview. All the details you’ll need are in there. Then send him an email, please, with all the information.”

  Makayla flipped the file open and skimmed the information on the paper there. Though written in her dad’s barely legible scrawl, it was so familiar to her after years of working with him that she had no trouble deciphering it.

  “So I need to book a hotel for him as well? For three nights?”

  “I’m going to have him stay out at the house with us.”

  Makayla jerked her gaze up from the paper and frowned at her dad. “You want someone you’ve never met to stay with you and Mom and the kids? You don’t know what type of person he is. What if he steals something or hurts you guys?”

  Her dad chuckled. “You worry too much, sweetheart. Between the conversation I had with his current employer and the one I had with him just a few minutes ago, I think we’ll be okay.”

  Makayla wanted to argue with him but knew the futility of it at this point. Her dad tended to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and was far more trusting than she thought he should be given the current state of the world around them. She just hoped that this guy was everything her dad thought he’d be. Because if he wasn’t, it could mean trouble for their family and C&M Builders.

  After her dad had left, Makayla opened a browser window on her monitor and quickly made flight reservations for one Mr. Ethan Collins to arrive Thursday evening and leave Sunday afternoon. Safety issues aside, she could see how having him interact with the family would give them a good idea of how well he’d fit in with the company. It still didn’t make her feel any better about the changes his presence would enable.

  “Uh oh.” Makayla heard her roommate say when she walked into their apartment several hours later. “I smell baking, and I hear the familiar voices of Little House on the Prairie. What on earth is going on in your world, sweetie?”

  Makayla looked over the back of the couch to where her roommate stood staring at her. She still wore the colorful scrubs that were the uniform for her job as a nurse at the Children’s Hospital. With her hands on her hips, Tamika Clarke stared at Makayla, concern clear in her dark brown eyes. Her best friend and roommate made her way around the couch to where Makayla was curled up.

  With her tall, willowy figure, warm brown skin and high cheekbones, Tami could have been a model, but she’d chosen to follow in the footsteps of her Jamaican grandmother to become a nurse. That caring nature was evident in the concern on her face as she settled down beside Makayla.

  “Seriously, sweetie, what happened today?”

  Only two people would recognize Makayla’s coping mechanisms. Tami was one, and Grace Moore was the other. At one time, the three of them had been roommates. But the previous year, Grace had married Franklin Moore and had left just the two of them in the apartment together. But even though Grace had moved out, Makayla still saw her nearly every day since the woman held the receptionist position at C&M Builders.

  Knowing that Tami wouldn’t back off until she spilled everything, Makayla let out a long sigh. If she had shared this with anyone else, she’d have been worried that they would’ve judged her as being selfish or self-centered, but Tami knew differently.

  The three of them had met on the first day of high school when Makayla had been a nervous wreck over going to a new school, and they’d had been inseparable ever since. Which was why Makayla felt completely safe sharing the details of what had transpired over the course of the day.

  “I know you’ve been anticipating this for a while, Kayla,” Tami said, leaning back into the opposite corner of the couch. “But had they said anything about it recently?”

  “No. Dad just called the meeting to let us know he’d received a resume for someone he thought would be perfect for Bennett’s job.” Makayla frowned as she recalled the resume she’d read in the privacy of her office after the family meeting. “That would, of course, free Bennett up to take Dad’s position. So we’d be bringing in a stranger to fill a fairly important role within the company. I just can’t see how that is a good thing.”

  She tried to tell people that it was because of her concern for the company that she didn’t want this, but honestly it was more than just that. Change of this magnitude was not something she wanted, and if there was any way she could prevent it from happening, she would.

  Makayla wished she understood why change was such a difficult thing for her to handle, but it had been like this in varying degrees for as long as she could remember. She could still recall people talking about her attitude towards Steve and his boys when they’d first come into their lives. Everyone had assumed she was acting the way she was because Steve’s kids were all boys and she was a girl. In fact, it wouldn’t have mattered if they’d all been girls.
She’d figured out pretty quickly that their presence meant big changes were coming. And she’d been right. She hadn’t liked change then, and she still didn’t like it now.

  “Do you know anything more about the man who has applied?” Tami asked.

  Makayla shook her head. “All I know is his age and his name. Oh, and his address. Not that that will mean much of anything if he moves here for the job.”

  Tami lifted a thin brow. “So he hasn’t even accepted the position yet?”

  Shifting, Makayla slid her feet off the couch. “No, but he’d be a fool not to take it if he’s really looking for one.”

  “I wish I knew how to make this easier for you, sweetie. But you just have to remember that you’ve faced change before, and it’s turned into a good thing. Do you remember how long it took you to decide to move out with Gracie and me? But now you have to admit, that was the best decision you ever made.” Tami grinned, her warm brown eyes sparkling.

  “Yes, it was. Of course, it helped that I was moving into a building my dad owned.”

  “I’ll tell you what, I’m going to go grab a shower and then we’re going to spend some time stalking one Ethan Collins.” Getting to her feet, Tami stretched her arms above her head. “And we’re definitely going to eat whatever it is you made to make you feel better. It smells super yummy.”

  By the time Makayla crawled into bed a few hours later, she had calmed down a bit, although she still wasn’t happy about the situation. Strangely enough, Ethan Collins appeared to have no social media presence. That seemed a little weird to Makayla since it was rare that people didn’t have at least a Facebook page, but if he did, he had the privacy settings locked down tight. So now she’d just have to wait until Friday to meet the man who could possibly be stepping into her previously well-ordered world.