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  Hayley glanced at Connor, who was standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest as he watched their exchange. Should she try to engage with him? She was certain he didn’t remember her, but perhaps he wasn’t as awful as he was in high school.

  With nothing to lose, Hayley turned her attention to Connor. “Excuse me, officer. May I ask you a few questions?”

  He gave her a friendly smile, making his blue eyes twinkle. “Not sure how much help I can be since I’m a rookie with the SWAT team, and we just got here ourselves.” He tilted his head to the side and asked, “Bradley mentioned you attended Clear Mountain High with us. I can’t seem to place you.”

  She refrained from rolling her eyes, knowing she needed to keep on his good side if she wanted to get any information from him. Instead, she said, “Not surprising. We ran in different circles.”

  “Really? I would think I’d remember someone as pretty as you, but I’m completely drawing a blank.”

  A small laugh escaped as she shook her head. “And here I thought you might have grown up and were professional. If you didn’t notice, I turned your friend down flat. Flattery won’t get you any better results.”

  His eyebrows shot up in shock. “Whoa, I meant nothing by that except that you’re striking and I should have paid more attention to you in high school.”

  “It’s not your fault. You were too busy tossing basketballs and chasing cheerleaders to notice someone like me. I blended in when I was a teenager.”

  “You don’t anymore,” he noted. “I would notice you in a crowded room. Besides, I’m not the same guy I was in high school. I grew up.”

  “That’s good to hear. You were self-absorbed back then,” Hayley stated.

  “Ouch,” he said with fake hurt, “but valid. You should give me a chance to prove I’ve changed. How about we go out this weekend?”

  Hayley never thought she would see the day that Connor Bishop would ask her out on a date. Yet, even though part of her was tempted to say yes, she didn’t want to give him the wrong idea.

  “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not looking to date anyone. I’m not planning to stick around in Clear Mountain long enough.”

  “How about just as friends then? Everyone can use another friend.”

  “I guess that can’t hurt. But just know, I might pump you for information for the Gazette.”

  “Fair enough. As long as you know, I can only give you so much,” he said with a teasing grin. “We’ll see whose determination is stronger.” He pulled out his phone and asked, “What’s your number?”

  She recited her full name and phone number to him as he punched them onto the display screen. A voice came over Connor’s radio telling the SWAT to huddle up near the truck.

  “I have to go, but I’ll text you to make plans.”

  As Hayley watched Connor saunter off, she wondered what she had gotten herself into with the strikingly handsome police officer.

  Five

  A fellow officer told Connor to check out Boulder Community Church. As he walked into the lobby of the church, he wondered if the officer told him as a prank. His senses were smacked with men in stiff suits, women with big hats, and Christian elevator music. The ambience was everything that had made Connor uncomfortable with Christian churches until he found a home at the more relaxed Clear Mountain Assembly.

  In the beginning, he had driven the half hour every week to go to Clear Mountain Assembly, his hometown church. Connor, however, soon realized that if he wanted to join a small group for fellowship and play guitar on a worship team, he needed to find a church near his current residence. Glancing around at the stuffy atmosphere, he doubted this was the place he could do any of that.

  Connor’s eyes fell to his watch. It was already too late to go find another church. He needed to hear the Word of God and maybe the worship band would be better than the canned music humming in the background.

  He shuffled in through the lobby, nodding his head and saying “hi” to those that greeted him as he headed down the center aisle of the church. Connor took a seat in a pew towards the back, knowing if the service got too weird he could duck out unnoticed.

  A few minutes later, two men and a woman filed onto the stage. The older, silver-haired woman took a seat behind an organ. Connor wasn’t even aware churches still used them—but there she was behind one. The grey-haired man picked up an acoustic guitar while the second salt-and-pepper black-haired man lifted the microphone from its stand.

  The music—if it could be called that—screeched out over the speakers that were old, outdated, and popped and crackled as the three church members tried to play something that resembled worship.

  Connor sang along, trying to ignore the abuse the sound perpetrated on his ears. Thankfully, they only did three songs before the pastor came up on the stage. The man also had grey-hair, showing a pattern for the church demographics. Connor glanced around the room and realized there were only a handful of people below the age of fifty in the room.

  How would he ever make any friends if everyone was so much older? Granted, he enjoyed learning from seasoned Christians, but he also wanted friends in the same stages of life.

  The sermon was about accepting grace and giving out mercy. The pastor was great at giving out facts and backing it up with Scripture; however, Connor found him rather dry. Not a single joke was present through the whole message, and what was worse, he didn’t make it relatable.

  I guess I’ll just have to try another church next week, Connor decided with disappointment. Six months was a long time looking unsuccessfully for the right church, but he would just keep trying.

  Before he could make it out of the church, two young girls—not more than high school aged—stopped him from leaving.

  “You’re new here. We never get visitors,” the taller blonde girl said with a flirtatious smile. “At least never visitors that look like you.”

  “Are you coming back?” the shorter blonde girl asked with hopefulness in her tone.

  “I’m not sure. I—” but before he finished coming up with a polite way of saying ‘no,’ the pastor came up and interrupted.

  “That’s enough, girls,” he said with narrowed eyes. “Go help Tonya clean up.”

  Both girls gave the pastor a disappointed look before heading off with heads hung low.

  “I’m sorry about my granddaughters. We don’t get a lot of young people coming here, so they were overly interested.”

  “That’s all right. I remember what it was like to be a teenager.”

  Suddenly, a flash of Hayley Hall came flooding back into his mind. He wondered what it would have been like if he had noticed her when they were younger, rather than waste all his time on superficial cheerleaders and prom queens.

  “I’m sure you remember much better than I, considering you were one only a few years ago, I’m guessing,” the pastor said with a chuckle. “Will you be coming back?”

  Connor didn’t want to lie or mislead the pastor, but the hopeful expression on his face made Connor feel bad. What should he do?

  “I’ll pray about it,” Connor promised. And he would. Going to any church was better than going to no church at all, and he was reaching the bottom of his options.

  “I can understand if our church isn’t the right fit for you, but don’t let that keep you from finding the one that is.”

  Six

  If Hayley didn’t hurry, she would be late for lunch with her long-time friend, Deanna Harper. She had five minutes to make it to the bistro and find a parking spot.

  Not that Deanna would care; she was easy-going. Hayley was a person who found comfort in order. It was why it was so surprising that Deanna and Hayley had become friends while at Boulder University.

  When they were paired as roommates their freshman year, Hayley didn’t think they would survive the semester, let alone become best friends and room together for their entire four years. Yet, there was something that worked between them. Often, Hayley wondered if it was becau
se they balanced each other out. Either way, they remained in contact via email, texts, and the occasional video chat while Hayley worked abroad and Deanna took a job for the Clear Mountain police department.

  As the lone dispatcher and assistant to the captain, Deanna was in a position where she was privy to everything that went on with the police. Hayley figured it couldn’t hurt to find out what she knew about the SWAT standoff with the local father the previous weekend. Unfortunately, it resulted in his suicide before the police could intervene.

  As she walked in to the local bistro, Deanna waved her over to the table by a window. She looked the same as ever with her mountains of curly red hair, bright blue eyes, and curvy frame.

  Deanna stood as Hayley arrived at the table, rushed up to her friend, and gave her a big hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

  Hayley smiled. “You, too. I can’t believe you ended up getting a job in my hometown.”

  “After graduation, it was the only job in law enforcement I could find near Boulder. None of the police departments were hiring cops at the time, and I needed to stay close to my mom because of her health.”

  A pang of guilt hit Hayley. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it back for your mother’s funeral. If I hadn’t been stuck in that quarantine in Cairo, I would have been on the first flight back to Boulder.”

  “I know, and the flowers you sent were beautiful.”

  “What I’m wondering, is now that everything with your mother’s estate has settled down, why haven’t you applied to any police academies?”

  “Everyone at the Clear Mountain substation needs me,” Deanna stated with pride. “I couldn’t just up and leave them.”

  And there it was—Deanna’s biggest weakness was wanting to feel needed. “You shouldn’t give up on your dream of being a cop because you want to please other people,” Hayley pointed out. “You have the right to pursue what you want out of life.”

  Deanna shrugged. “I’m happy here in Clear Mountain. I’ve made great friends. You know two of them from high school. Lindsay O’Connell, formerly Wright until she got married a couple of months ago, and Erica Cruz.”

  Hayley was aware of who they were. Though they weren’t close in high school, the other girls had always been nice to her. “I’m glad you’ve become friends with them. They’re great people.”

  “They are, and they introduced me to a great church, Clear Mountain Assembly. I noticed how happy they were, and they didn’t need a man to make them complete. I wanted what they had, so I took Lindsay up on her offer to go. It was the best decision I ever made. You should come with me sometime.”

  Hayley’s eyes grew round at the invitation. Never in her wildest dreams would she have expected Deanna to have gotten religious on her. She had been a party girl in college and used to make fun of the Bible-thumpers on campus.

  “Wow, a lot has changed since the last time we talked.”

  “You were in a remote area and I didn’t want to tell you about how I found a relationship with God in an email. I figured the next time we video chatted would be better, and then you came here instead.” Deanna tilted her head to the side and watched her friend with curiosity. “My being a Christian won’t be a problem for you, will it?”

  Hayley contemplated her answer before she responded. Would it? She wasn’t religious herself, but did it matter if her friend was? Not that she was anti-religious, it was simply that she didn’t see a point.

  “No, what you believe is your choice. I would never let that keep me from being your friend.”

  “Glad to hear it, and please consider coming with me. We were both mistaken about what we assumed was religion.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Hayley promised, wanting to be open-minded. “I want to ask you a couple of questions about the SWAT standoff that took place the other night here in town.”

  “Some of the guys mentioned you were working at the Gazette. How did that happen?”

  Hayley shrugged. “My mom fell and broke her hip. She can’t work right now. She asked me to come back and run things at the paper until she’s better.”

  “How is it being back?” Deanna probed.

  “Weird. Awkward, like I’m walking around in a surreal dream. I didn’t think I would ever come back to Clear Mountain after…”

  “You don’t have to talk about it. I know how difficult the situation was with your family.”

  “Thanks. I assumed I was past all of it, that is, until I got back here. Then all the old feelings surfaced when I saw William’s pictures all over my mom’s house. She keeps that place like a memorial to him.”

  “I can’t even imagine how hard it would be to lose a child. You should give her some grace.”

  “I try. I’m doing my best. It’s why I came back. I figured I owed her since she didn’t just take off when things got hard. At least she stuck around.”

  “Have you heard from him?”

  Him. Neither of them wanted to even address who he was, but it didn‘t change the fact he was her father.

  “No, I googled him once and found out he has a new wife and baby.”

  “Are you going to contact him?”

  “No way. I was done with him the moment he took off.”

  “Maybe, he’s ready to make it right, now that some time has passed. He lost a child too. Everyone handles grief differently.”

  “It doesn’t excuse abandoning your wife and other child.” Feeling upset her friend would defend someone who hurt her so deeply, she questioned, “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

  “You’re right, it doesn’t. And for the record, I’m on your side—always.”

  “Thank you. Now that we’ve discussed what’s going on with both of us, can you give me some details about the standoff?”

  “I can and I will, but first, tell me about what happened with Connor Bishop?”

  Hayley’s cheeks burned red with embarrassment. “How did you find out about that?”

  “Bradley Tackett. He went to school with you and Connor. He was going on about how you showed up and ended up agreeing to go out with Connor Bishop.”

  How annoying. I can’t believe Bradley had to go around gossiping about my private life.

  Hayley let out a heavy sigh. “It’s not a date. I agreed to go out with him as friends to catch up.”

  “Right. Just to catch up as friends,” Deanna mocked. “It has nothing to do with his amazing blue eyes and model good looks.”

  “That’s right. You worked with him at the Clear Mountain substation before he transferred to SWAT in Boulder.” Thinking about her friend’s comment, she probed, “Did you two ever hook up?”

  Deanna chuckled. “No way. Not for the lack of attraction on my part, but I don’t date at work. Plus, he’s a Christian, and I didn’t know God back then so it would never have worked.”

  “See, just friends. It wouldn’t work for us either. I’m not a Christian.”

  “Not yet,” Deanna stated with a wink, “but God’s working on you. Didn’t you mention your boss is a Christian? It seems like God is surrounding you with people to help guide you to Him.”

  Hayley didn’t like the accurate observation. She was wondering why suddenly her life was filled with Christians. Not wanting to focus on the unnerving fact, she changed the subject.

  “So, before I meet up with Connor, anything I should know? Is he a good guy?”

  “The best. If he’s interested in being more than friends, you couldn’t go wrong.”

  “Even if that was the case, it wouldn’t matter. I’m leaving Clear Mountain as soon as my mother is well enough to run the Gazette again.”

  “We’ll see,” Deanna said with a sly smile. “A lot can change in a month.”

  Seven

  The instructors set up the Boulder County police range for the SWAT team to practice their tactical maneuvering exercises through “the kill house.” It consisted of moveable plywood walls, changing targets, and various obstacles.

  “Today’s scena
rio is an active shooter,” Sergeant Winger stated as he looked out at Connor’s team. “The house is set as an office building, there are reports of shots fired, and a suspect is actively shooting people inside. Your objective is to neutralize the threat with minimal casualties. We will watch you on camera to evaluate your tactical efficiency.”

  The team geared up, putting on their tactical vests and helmets, loaded their close-combat assault rifles with paintball ammo, and put their extra magazines in the slots of their vests. They lined up outside the building’s entrance and waited for the alarm to sound for entry. The loud triple beat signaled the start of the exercise. The team moved in with Ben in the lead spot, Jim in the second position, Connor in the third slot, and Troy bringing up the rear to protect their backs.

  They entered the first room, set like an office lobby. The team glanced in every direction and each member sounded off, “clear” in their direction.

  There were double doors at the back of that room which led into a series of rooms divided by partitions. The team continued to work their way through the rooms, splitting up to inspect and possibly catch the active shooter by surprise.

  As they found “office workers” scattered throughout the area, the team would tell them to make their way out of the building. They reached the second to last room. Ben signaled for the team to split up as they had in all the previous rooms. Just as they entered the room, the active shooter saw them and whipped around with his shotgun, taking aim at the team.

  From both sides, the team shouted, “Drop your gun, drop your gun.”

  When the active shooter didn’t comply, the team open fired, hitting their target with paintballs.

  Three beeps over the intercom signaled the end of the exercise. The team cheered and congratulated each other as they made their way from the building.

  “Good job, men,” Sergeant Winger stated with a grin. “You all did excellent in there. You obtained the objective in a record time harming no civilians or taking team member injuries. Ben, you did a great job leading the team. Jim and Troy, you did an excellent job of providing cover, and Connor, perfect run. No one would even realize you’re a rookie with that accuracy and efficiency.” He glanced around and gestured behind him. “The range instructors are setting up for our target time. While they’re doing that, you all earned a fifteen minute break.”