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  “Take a seat.”

  Again, another command. A pang of sympathy for Hayley seized Connor’s heart. No wonder Hayley got out of here as quickly as she could. How could anyone be comfortable in a place like this?

  Connor sat on the edge of the white sofa next to Hayley, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Hayley’s mother sat perched on a chair across from them.

  “I have to admit, it surprised me when Hayley told me she was dating a local. It isn’t like her to be involved with anyone for a long period of time.”

  Hayley’s eyes grew round and darted to her mother. She remained quiet but her face paled. He noticed her hands balled up into fists at her side.

  “I’m glad Hayley took a chance on me. Considering how I was when we were young, I didn’t deserve it, but she gave me one anyway.”

  Hayley turned to face him and reached out to take his hand. “I’m the one who is grateful you were patient with me and didn’t give up.”

  “What about her job? You realize she travels full-time for her work.”

  Connor nodded. “I do, and I would never dream of asking her to give up what she loves to do. I know long-distance relationships are hard, but if we both put the effort in, we can make it work.”

  Her mother made a “humph” sound under her breath before she said, “That wasn’t what I was expecting to hear. I was hoping you would be onboard with helping me convince her to stay. I’m getting older, and she has done an exceptional job of running the paper in my absence. Though the doctor has released me back to work, I realized I could use the help. There is no one I would trust more than my daughter.”

  This time, Hayley’s face softened, and she looked over at her mother as tears filled her eyes. “Thank you, Mom. That means so much.”

  “Does that mean you will stay?”

  Hayley bit her lip, contemplating her answer. “It never even crossed my mind to not return to my job.”

  “I realize that, but I hope you will consider my offer. You told me you want to form a relationship with me. The best way to do that is if you are here.”

  “I will think about it,” Hayley promised. “But we need to be going. Connor’s family is expecting us for dinner.”

  Sixteen

  “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Connor asked as he brushed a stray strand of hair from Hayley’s face.

  “Why? Is it going to be that bad?”

  He shrugged as he closed the truck door behind her. “It’s just really different from your family. It can be a lot. If Mr. De Luca hadn’t told my mom about our date, I would have given you more time before bombarding you with the whole family.”

  She winked at him, then smiled, “I think I’m tough enough. I can handle it.”

  “If anyone can, it would be you,” Connor agreed as they approached the front door of a modest two-story house. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  He took Hayley’s hand with his left hand while raising his other to knock on the door. Within a few seconds, it flew open to reveal his three nieces standing on the other side. Each of them had their hair tied up in bows with matching pink dresses and patent leather white shoes.

  “Hi, Uncle Connor,” his oldest niece, Danielle, said with a smile. “Is this your new girlfriend?” At ten, she was boy-crazy and fascinated about dating—though Connor’s brother would never let her have a boyfriend until she was well into her teen years.

  Next to Danielle was her younger sister, CeCe, who was nine, and their cousin—his older sister’s daughter—Ariana, who was eight.

  “She’s pretty,” Ariana stated with a giggle.

  “You gonna marry her?” CeCe asked as she tilted her head as she inspected them. “I can tell you want to.”

  Connor’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He always forgot how astute CeCe could be. He could see himself marrying Hayley down the road. She was the type of woman he wanted to spend his life with and raise a family; however, it was way too early in their relationship to admit that out loud.

  He let go of Hayley’s hand and quickly reached out to ruffle CeCe’s hair. She pulled back as her face scrunched up in irritation. “Don’t do that, Uncle Connor. You’re gonna mess up my hair.”

  He chuckled. “When did you get all girly on me?”

  “Duh, I’ve always been a girl,” she corrected with an angry voice as she placed her hands on her hips. “Are you trying to say you didn’t notice?”

  He shook his head. “No way, you’re the cutest girl I know.”

  “Hey, what about me?” Ariana asked, as her lip came out in a pout. “I thought I was your favorite.”

  “You girls know I don’t have favorites,” he winked, “but if I did, it would be Danielle since she was my first niece.”

  Danielle reached out and hugged him. “Thanks, Uncle Connor, but I don’t mind sharing you.”

  “Is everyone here?” Connor asked as he looked into the house.

  The girls nodded in unison as they stepped out of the way, letting the couple come into the house.

  “Everyone’s in the dining room waiting for you,” CeCe stated.

  They made their way inside and found the rest of Connor’s family. Both his parents were there along with all his siblings. Though they were all adults now, they always came home every Saturday night for a family dinner. Connor’s oldest brother and his wife, his older sister and her husband, and his two younger brothers and sister were all sitting around the table talking. Next to his oldest sister was his nephew, Joey, sitting in his high chair—an orange substance spread all over his face.

  As they entered the room, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to face the couple. His mother came over and placed her hands on either side of Hayley’s arms. “So, this is her. This is the girl who took my Connor off the market.”

  Connor waited to hear what his mother would say next. He had only brought home a handful of girls in the past, and she had disliked all of them. Granted, Hayley differed completely from the girls he dated in high school and college, but still, would his mother approve?

  Hayley was staring right back at his mother, unflinching. Could she hold her own with her?

  “I can see you have an independent spirit. I like that, and you will need it if you have any intention of sticking it out with this one,” the older woman said, gesturing towards her son. “He’s a handful. Always has been.”

  “Hey, I think I’ve gotten better over the years,” Connor defended himself.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. Didn’t you have an officer involved shooting a few weeks back?” his youngest brother, Giovanni, asked with a smirk.

  “How did you find out about that?” Connor asked defensively.

  “Mom told all of us,” Cornelia, his older sister, explained. “She asked us to pray because she was worried about you after that. Well, more than she is regularly.”

  Connor folded his arms across his chest. “Well, as you can see, I’m fine.”

  “For now,” his mother stated with a shake of her head. “You should have never transferred to that SWAT unit. It’s so dangerous.” Eyeing Hayley, she asked, “What do you think of him working in that position?”

  “Don’t try to get his girlfriend on your side, Franny,” Connor’s father, Mark, stated. “He’s decided to take the position, and we will support him in it. God will keep him safe.” Mark gestured to the table as he added, “Everyone sit down.”

  Those that were standing, did as directed and took their places. Connor held out a chair for Hayley, pushed it in behind her, and then sat down next to her. He heard giggles behind him and turned to find his three nieces sitting at a nearby smaller table watching them.

  Connor introduced Hayley to each family member. His father prayed over the meal, and everyone started passing the dishes around the table. The rest of the evening passed pleasantly over a great meal and conversation.

  By the end of the night, Hayley seemed relaxed and comfortable with his family, a welcome relief t
o Connor. They said goodbye to everyone before heading out.

  Once they were in the car, he turned to Hayley and asked, “So, did they scare you off?”

  She shook her head. “Just the opposite. I find them rather charming.”

  “That makes me happy. It’s important that the woman I’m with gets along with my family.”

  “Is that so? Am I with you?” she teased.

  “I hope so,” he said as he leaned over and whispered against her ear, “I’m getting rather attached to you.”

  “Really? I’m pretty partial to you myself,” she admitted, placing her hand on his arm.

  “Good,” he murmured before claiming her lips with his own. The kiss was intense, and it stirred all sorts of emotions inside Connor. He didn’t know when it happened, but he had fallen hard for Hayley Hall.

  Seventeen

  Out of the corner of her eye, Hayley kept watching her mother to see her reaction to the sermon. Part of her wondered if her mother would follow through and come with her. When she did, Hayley hoped her mother would take in what Pastor Steve was saying.

  In the past couple of weeks, she had found such a profound peace and joy from accepting Jesus into her life; Hayley wanted her mom to have the same freedom.

  Connor excused himself after service, explaining he needed to use the restroom. He said he would meet them in the lobby in a few minutes.

  Just as they made their way out of the sanctuary, Hayley worked up the nerve to ask her mother what she thought about the service. “So, how was it, Mom?”

  Nora stopped just at the bottom of the steps and turned to face Hayley. “I can see why you continue to come here. I was unaware church could be like this. My parents made me go to an awful one when I was a child. The pastor and elders were borderline abusive. I decided as soon as I could stop going, I would. Once I married your father, I never went again.”

  Hayley stated with shock, “You never told me why you refused to take us to church growing up, or why it was a source of contention when William became a Christian while in the military.”

  “I didn’t like talking about it. It was a difficult time in my life.”

  “I can understand that. Thank you for sharing it with me now. I hope you will consider coming back with me.”

  “Are you staying in town long enough for that to happen?” her mother probed. “You haven’t given me an answer whether you plan on taking my job offer.”

  Hayley didn’t know how to answer. She had been thinking about staying ever since her mother brought it up. She had also been praying about the situation, hoping she would get an answer.

  “I’m not sure, Mom.”

  “Does Connor factor in to all of this? I watched you with him the other day and while we were here. I think you have feelings for him.”

  Hayley wanted to object, but her mother was right. She did have feelings for him. She avoided the subject by saying, “Do you want to come out to eat with us?”

  Her mother shook her head. “It seems you need a little more convincing to stay. I’ll let you have some time with Connor in hopes he does just that.”

  Nora excused herself as Connor returned.

  “Where is she headed off to?” Connor asked with a puzzled look.

  “She decided not to go with us for lunch.”

  “Oh, then I suppose it will be just the two of us?”

  Hayley nodded. “Where do you want to go?”

  “Why don’t we go over to the Riverwalk. There’s a great sushi place there.”

  “Oh, yum, I love sushi,” Hayley said with a smile. “Is it new? I don’t remember Clear Mountain having much in the way of fresh seafood.”

  He nodded. “It’s only been around two years.”

  Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the favorite hangout spot of the small town. People filled the area spending their time dining, shopping, and walking along the concrete boardwalk that ran the length of the portion of the river in town.

  Hayley and Connor arrived at Sushi Mon and the hostess seated them at a table by the window. The waiter came and took their order of two different rolls to share along with two sodas.

  While they waited for their food, Connor brought up the subject of their jobs. “I was thinking about how we could make this work. I don’t mind coming back and forth to Clear Mountain while I’m with the SWAT Unit. I don’t plan to be there more than a couple of years. I intend to transfer back to the Clear Mountain substation. I love the town and my church here. My family lives here so I could be closer to them. Plus, I miss living in a small town. I’ve never gotten used to the noise and traffic of the big city, so—”

  Hayley raised her hand as she cut him off. “Whoa, slow down there, Connor. You don’t need to rearrange your life for me.”

  His brows scrunched up in confusion. “I’m sorry. I thought we were on the same page. Are you not serious about this—about us?”

  Hayley tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but the knot wouldn’t clear. How did she answer that? She cared about him, but somehow she couldn’t confirm it. Instead, she took the easy way out and focused on her job.

  “It doesn’t matter how I feel. Our jobs make it impossible to be together. I travel for a living.”

  “That’s true, but I never asked you to stop, nor would I expect you to. It’s obvious how much you love your job.”

  “I do love my job. I also realized I loved running the paper too, but I’m not sure what I want. Not to mention, I’m not even sure if I could handle being with someone who has such an inherently dangerous job,” she accused, trying to deflect from the raging fears rolling around in her. “And frankly, I’m not sure why we need to talk about any of this right now.”

  A hurt look crossed Connor’s face before he nodded his head. “I didn’t mean to upset you. We can drop the subject.”

  Hayley crossed her arms as she looked away. “I think that would be best.”

  The food arrived, and they both ate in silence, causing the rest of the meal to pass by awkwardly. Connor returned her home and told her he would call her later. Hayley wanted to apologize for how she had behaved earlier, but she couldn’t squeeze out the words. Instead, she laid in bed, forcing herself to hold back the tears, realizing she was pushing away the best gift she had ever been given.

  There was a loud rapid, popping noise followed by fighting and sirens. Hayley turned down a dark alley to find a body crumpled in the far corner. As she approached the figure, dread took hold of her heart.

  As the face of the person came into focus, the dread turned to gut-wrenching pain as she realized it was Connor. Blood was trailing from several open wounds in his body and his eyes were hallowed and unmoving. In an instant, she knew he was dead.

  Suddenly, a piercing scream penetrated the silent air. Hayley realized it was her own cry of grief over her loss.

  A buzzing sound rustled Hayley from her nightmare. Her eyes fluttered open as a thin bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face. She couldn’t catch her breath. Her heart pounded out of control. What was going on with her?

  Hayley glanced over at her nightstand. Her phone was glowing.

  She picked it up and looked at the screen. Victor. I wonder what he wants.

  Hayley punched the phone icon by his name. It lit up and a few seconds later she heard her boss’ familiar voice on the other side.

  “I found it, Hayley, the missing scroll. I have the location for where the Apostle Paul’s first letter was hidden during the persecutions of the first converts.”

  The exciting news brought her mind into focus. “I can’t believe it. You’ve been searching for the location for over five years.”

  “Yes, and you helped me find the last two missing pieces. Now, I want you to come join me for the final part of this journey.”

  Hayley held the phone against her ear for several seconds as she contemplated what she wanted to do.

  Maybe this was her answer. She wasn’t built for a long-term relationship, not to mention
her nightmare from a few moments ago that proved her fears over Connor’s job were only getting worse. It would be easier just to go back to her old life rather than stick around to get disappointed again.

  “I’ll pack up and head out first thing today,” Hayley stated with steely resolve. “Text me the info.”

  She hung up the phone and then sent a text to Connor.

  Just got the job offer of a lifetime.

  Can’t stay.

  Wishing you all the best,

  Hayley.

  Well, she was already up. Why wait to pack? She might as well get a head start on it. There was nothing keeping her in Clear Mountain anymore.

  Eighteen

  Connor read the text three times, letting the words sink in. Hayley was leaving. She didn’t even think he deserved to hear the fact in person. He knew something had upset her the night before, but he had no idea she would up and leave this way.

  He put his phone on his kitchen table in his apartment. Connor needed guidance. Without hesitation, he prayed. God, what am I supposed to do? You brought Hayley into my life and I think we’re supposed to be together. Show me what I’m supposed to do, Lord. I don’t want to lose her.

  A loud ringing sound brought his attention back to his phone. A blinking number he didn’t recognize scrolled across the screen. He answered the call, saying, “Hello, this is Connor Bishop.”

  “Hello, Connor, this is Nora Hall.”

  Rather surprised by the call from Hayley’s mother, he asked with curiosity, “What can I do for you, Mrs. Hall?”

  “I’m not sure how to bring this up,” the woman stated hesitantly, “but I wanted to find out if you talked to Hayley before she left.”

  “No, she only sent me a text telling me she was leaving for a new job.”

  “Yes, it’s with her old boss. He asked her to join him again.” The woman hesitated for a moment before she asked, “Did the two of you have a fight?”

  “We got into a discussion about our relationship last night. I was trying to make plans, but she didn’t want to discuss it. She got upset, and I took her home. I assumed it would blow over and we would work it out, but I guess I misread the situation.”