But sometimes, as she sat in the sanctuary, a niggling self-doubt would grab her. Did she really belong with a man like Oliver? His priority was his congregation. Was that something she could live with?

Her best friend from Long Beach had helped the self-doubt grow. On the phone Tess had asked Jeannie for her honest opinion. Jeannie had met Oliver and liked him personally, but she doubted the match was viable. “Cops and nurses, cops and teachers, even cops and dispatchers, but not cops and preachers—they just don’t mix.” To Jeannie, cops had to be too hard and pastors had to be too soft.

The honesty stung, but Tess was glad she had friends who would be honest. But the stronger her feelings for Oliver grew, the stronger the niggling doubts became.

Tess was on her way out of the sanctuary when she ran into Oliver’s friend Jethro. He was also the head of the prayer ministry and a familiar fixture at the church. Tess’s first impression of Oliver when she met him was that he looked more like a rugged mountain man than a pastor. With Jethro, he looked more like an outlaw biker than someone who would lead a prayer ministry. His long gray hair was usually free flowing, but today he had it braided, the tail hitting just past his collar.

“Hiya, Chief, how are you today?”

“Doing good, Jethro. Glad the fire is out and things are back to normal.”

“Me too. Hey, can I ask you a question, law enforcement related?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Have you been following that human trafficking story, the one about Cyrus Beck?”

“I have, pretty closely too. Oliver told me you knew Beck’s father.”

Jethro shook his head, expression sad. “I did. He was one of the finest men I served with. Breaks my heart about his son. Do you figure everything they’re saying about him is true?”

“From what I’ve read, they have a really strong case.”

He gave her a somber look. “Like I said, it breaks my heart. Cyrus was a spoiled rotten kid, but I never thought he’d become . . . Well, what he’s accused of is wicked.”

“I agree.”

“I don’t envy police, what you people have to deal with. I’ll tell you, I wish I could get the chance to speak with Cyrus. Haven’t seen him since he was seventeen or eighteen. But for his father’s sake, I wish I could talk some sense into him.”

“I don’t know, Jethro. Part of me thinks he’s beyond hope.”

“No one is beyond hope, not until they reach room temperature.”