Treasure Point Secrets. Sarah Varland

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      Annie hadn’t been careful enough—and it had gotten her killed. Until Shiloh could figure out why this current string of attacks had begun, she’d need to be on her guard. Someone was keeping tabs on her, and anything she revealed stood the risk of getting back to the wrong person. Not that she didn’t trust the chief—she did. But the chance that he might let something slip was too real to ignore. The fewer people who knew about her past, the better. And the safer.

      “You okay, Shiloh?” The chief’s voice was more gruff than usual, and Shiloh could read his emotions in his tense posture. His gaze moved to Adam.

      “I’m fine,” she answered. “Though the car has been better. This is—”

      “Adam Cole. The new chaplain. Welcome to Treasure Point.” The chief surveyed the scene and shook his head. “It’s not usually quite so...exciting around here.”

      Shiloh blinked. Looked to Adam, whose hint of a sheepish grin did nothing to deny the chief’s words.

      He was the new chaplain? This day couldn’t possibly get any worse.

      * * *

      The ride the chief had given Adam and Shiloh into town had been... Awkward was too nice a way to put it, Adam thought to himself.

      The chief hadn’t said much, just had let Shiloh explain what had happened. If Adam wasn’t imagining things, she was more nonchalant now than she had been when they’d been in the middle of it. A change in perspective? Or had she been deliberately downplaying the danger?

      Adam didn’t know, didn’t really have time to think about that right now. Shiloh was part of his past—she’d made that very clear when she’d walked away from him years ago with barely a word. He’d moved on—gotten past his broken heart and taken his life in a new direction. His job here was his future, his chance to pastor his own church, have some purpose, maybe even make his dad proud.

      He straightened his shoulders before lifting his hand to knock on the solid oak door of Hal Smith’s house. He’d talked to the man, and the other deacons, on the phone as part of his interview process but hadn’t actually met them in person.

      The door opened, revealing a tall bearded man wearing a frown. “You’re Reverend Cole?”

      “Yes, sir.” Adam stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

      The other man took it and shook it. Barely. “You’re late.”

      Adam kept his smile affixed and refused to flinch at Hal’s obvious displeasure. Yeah, Adam had known this wouldn’t make the board happy. Imagine how they would have reacted if the chief hadn’t agreed to drive Adam back to his car to retrieve a fresh set of clothes, which he’d changed into at the police station, before he’d arrived. “I’m sorry about that. It won’t happen again.” Part of him wanted to explain, but his father had taught him not to offer excuses when it came to work, so he didn’t.

      Another man walked up behind Hal and extended his hand. “Walter Davis. It’s nice to meet you, Pastor.” He turned to Hal. “Didn’t you hear? He was in a wreck on the way here. Give him a break.”

      Hal made no comment, just grunted and motioned for Adam to come in.

      Okay, then. He regrouped and followed the men into the house. The rest of the deacons had gathered in the living room. When Adam entered, they all stood and introduced themselves. Adam noticed that each man wore slacks and a collared shirt, even for an informal meeting like this. Adam did have on a nice golf shirt, but his good jeans seemed out of place. This church might be a little more old-fashioned than he’d realized.

      “So, Pastor, how was your trip down?” someone asked.

      Adam couldn’t help but laugh. “Eventful. I got caught up in traffic and had a couple other problems, but I’m glad to be here.”

      “Good.” They nodded. There was a second’s worth of silence, and then Hal, who appeared to be the leader, spoke up again, asking for Adam to share his testimony again with the group, plus what he hoped to accomplish as the pastor of their church. It was information he’d already provided, but Adam didn’t mind doing so again in person. Everyone listened attentively, but when Adam was done talking, no one had questions about what he’d said. Instead, they moved the meeting in a different direction entirely.

      “We wanted to meet with you immediately to let you know our expectations, now that you’re here, so we can have this out face-to-face. You should be aware how important it is that you conduct yourself in an appropriate manner.”

      Adam’s eyebrows rose, and he felt his shoulders tense. “I don’t understand what gives you the impression that I wouldn’t.”

      “Our last pastor...” Walter spoke up, shaking his head. “He was asked to leave because of some moral issues.”

      Adam’s heart broke for the church. Losing a pastor for any reason was tough, but to have someone they respected fall prey to sin and leave in such a way... It would be hard for them. He felt himself relax as he realized that, at least in their minds, this was a necessary conversation to have, not an attempt on their part to make him feel uncomfortable the second he got to town. Although it was doing that, as well.

      “I understand.” Adam nodded. “I can assure all of you that I am a man of integrity, as I told you during my interview process, and as I’m sure my references told you, too.”

      “Be as that may, Pastor, we have very high standards after what happened.”

      Their tones, which bordered on accusatory, might have intimidated him when he was straight out of seminary. But he’d had a little time to gain experience as an associate pastor in Atlanta, where he’d started working during his seminary training. He’d seen enough now to realize that they were hurting, that it would take extra care on his part to earn their trust.

      But he would earn it. This was his first solo pastoring job. He loved these church members already, even the ones he hadn’t met, and he didn’t want to let them down. If he failed here, he’d be shortchanging not just his congregants, but his teachers and mentors who believed in him. He hated the thought of that, especially the idea of disappointing his father.

      “I’m sure I’ll be able to conduct myself in a way that meets whatever standards you have,” he said with confidence, smiling in an attempt to assure them that they didn’t need to worry.

      Only a couple of them smiled back. Several of them wore straight faces devoid of expression, and one or two were almost frowning.

      “I hope you’re right,” Hal Smith said, finally nodding as he wrapped up the meeting. “I certainly hope you’re right.”

      The words left Adam with an ominous feeling that nearly matched what he’d felt when Shiloh had driven off the road. Of course, he knew he wouldn’t back down from the challenges of the position he’d worked so hard to achieve...but the deacons’ words left him uneasy. He couldn’t help but remember Shiloh’s accusation that the earlier attack had been triggered by his arrival.

      Just what trouble had he gotten himself into by coming to town?

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