surprised. “Brea t

’t heard anything n

icely, thank you. Do you, um…know Brea?”

ve m

an amazing job taking care of her father and keep

rise One-Mile. “

elementary school down the street. But since Jasp

per’s parishioner. One-Mile could tell by the w

daughter. But—wild guess—probing Mrs. Collins about Bre

e invited her to come by his place to pick up the plastic container she’d delivered her cookies in

ed Mrs. Coll

around the corner and return

the front, and left it on the desk. Then he nodded at Mrs.

e-Mile didn’t really e

to play so he could shamelessly rub up against her, when someone started pounding on his front door. He doubte

a good id

h

yanked the door open. Sure enough, Cutter Bryant stood on

taken the trash to the

stumbled until he found his footing. Bryant marched in and slammed the door

away from Brea. Stop talking to her, stop pursuing her, and stop writing tra

g into his house to start shit? Normally, he would beat the hell ou

gned a yawn. “I’ve already heard this spee

t I see through you. You’re a gaping, know-it-all sphincter. And an insecure bully. Dee

it was still a low fucking blow, and it took all of One-

ow a punch? Is that why you’re tryi

y away from Br

fixed the van to help her. So get off m

serious. If you keep aft

what? I just want

ffed. “You want t

more than Brea’s body. Still, he didn’t owe Bryant any

ing about me, asshole.” He gave Cutter a shove backward. “And you’re no fucking good for her yourself. You were too busy banging some g

rea. We’re square, so where I

over his ass while he stepped out on her. Why should she settle for that, e

when you won’t be faithful. What about her happiness

on’t have to justify myself to you. She’s my concern, and I’ll take care of her—always. But Brea is off-limits to you

ll see who w

ay, Au

alled across the hou

fee, a piece of dry, multigrain toast, and his morning medicine, then

d already, but not at all shocked by his sour express

urgeons in the state,” Brea corrected. “Please take

astated her. Though Pierce following her shopping that day had rattled Brea, she th

you get there by five, Tom will be meeting with the new youth group. Sit in on that session so you can tell me how he’s doing. Then if you can head

her know on the way home from the Rutherfords’ place the

o compassionately connect with the community. You have. You know and love

youth meeting, then go to the Richards’ farm for an hour or two, when w

he’d heard nothing from him since he’d tried to teach her to play pool. Admittedly, she

the dinner-an

s, had been impulsive, reckless, and desperate—three things she’d never been with a man.

s an imposition, but we have a duty to this town. I can’t see to these pe

omething he asked. It only worked because he was right. She would feel terribl

r is taking you to breakfast before

y excitement at being able to get ou

ney was better off without Rod, but Cage and Cutter both turn

oth be miserable. “We’re f

en I’ll pray you find a righteous, G

d either old-fashioned or judgmental, but s

he door and let Mrs. Collins in just as Daddy took his firs

s first football game of the season still being another two weeks away. Thankfully, Cutter let himself in a moment lat