A Heartwarming Christian Romantic Suspense Novel From T. E. Killian...

 

God has a plan for each of us, and those plans tend to overlap quite a bit sometimes. But the problem is, what’s good for one person may not be good for the next person. See what I mean?” Hunter only nodded. “Well then, does Karrie seem to be permanently damaged by being away from you?” Hunter frowned and thought about that for a moment before shaking his head. “But now you and Karrie are together and maybe even for the long haul this time. Do you see how God has prepared each of you for this very time?” Hunter’s mind was suddenly on overload. He stood and walked around his desk. “Enough! I appreciate you two coming over here and helping but right now, I’ve got to get somewhere alone so I can let loose and empty my mind. But I promise you I’ll think about all the things you’ve told me, just later. Okay?”

~

They entered the foyer of the church and, after greeting Pastor Howell, who met them at the door, Sabrina stood off to the side so she could watch for Hunter. She sure hoped she wouldn’t have to wait long. Already, people were giving her strange looks. Finally, about five minutes later, she saw Hunter’s truck pull into the parking lot. But he didn’t get out right away. Was he going to leave now without even coming in? She was trying to decide if she should go out there or not when his door opened and he stepped out. At first, he just stood there, looking toward the entrance. Then he started walking toward it, but very slowly. Again, she wondered if she should go out to meet him or not. That was when she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Pastor Howell standing there. “He has to do this completely on his own, Sabrina. It’s the only way it’ll work for him.” When she gave him an incredulous look, he chuckled. “I’ve known Hunter for twenty years. He’ll always follow through with what he says he’ll do.” He held up a hand with the palm up to her. “That is as long as no one else interferes with those plans.” He smiled and added. “Just be patient and all of your plans will come about too.” Before she could react in any way to that bomb, he walked to the other end of the foyer just as Hunter stood hesitating on the other side of the door...

~

So, he took a deep breath and stepped past Karrie, out into the aisle. That first step forward was the hardest step he’d ever taken. He’d jumped out of airplanes in the Army and that first step that took him out into the open air had been a scary one, but this one at least rivaled that one. He had only taken one step when he felt movement to his left and looked down to see Karrie at his side, grinning up at him. She mouthed, “Me too!” They took another step, then he felt movement on his right, and there was Sabrina, also grinning up at him. Wow! When they made it up to the preacher, who seemed to know what was going on, Hunter looked at Sabrina and she gave him a sheepish grin. He knew then she must have told the preacher ahead of time. Well, that was good. Maybe this way he wouldn’t have to do so much explaining to the preacher. The preacher held out both hands to Karrie, who took them, and he talked softly to her for a moment, then turned to Hunter. “Are you coming up here to proclaim that you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior Hunter?” Hunter could barely manage a choked ‘yes’ past his clogged throat. He couldn’t take his eyes off his little girl who was so grown up now. The preacher prayed quietly with all of them, then turned his mic back on to address the church. “Brothers and sisters, I would like to introduce to you a new brother and sister in Christ. I’m sure most of you know Hunter Billingsley, our chief of police, but you may not know his daughter Karrie, who has recently come to live with him.” After that, the preacher told everyone about him and Sabrina getting married, then he prayed again, and the service was over. But just as he thought he could breathe a sigh of relief, the whole church descended upon them. Hunter was glad that Sabrina had prepared him for this. The first ones to make it to Hunter were Ryan and Chase, and they were both grinning and pounding him on the back. Finally, it was over and the whole group was sitting down to dinner at Ryan and Candy’s house. As usual, the teenagers were all eating in the living room, leaving the dining room for the adults. Hunter looked around that table and couldn’t keep the grin off his face. Just a year ago, the three men, no make that four men at the table, were all single and planning to stay that way. Now, even Pete and his office manager, Beverly, had just announced a few minutes ago that they were getting married, too. He had quickly looked at Sabrina’s face and knew that she had already known. Her face was simply beaming with joy.

~~~

When someone decides to hear about Jesus and his possible role in their lives, many are as confused about it as was Hunter Billingsley, the police chief of Clear Creek. He was a good man and had been in the position for twenty years. In fact, he had come to Clear Creek to join the police force. Only to have his wife soon take his daughter and leave, divorcing him at some point. It was a difficult time because his ex-wife refused to allow Hunter to have much interaction with his daughter. And, he learned later, that she had filled Karrie's mind with lies about her father, telling her that he had not wanted either of them...

Hunter was in the midst of stopping a bank robbery and dealing with the aftermath while at the local library, a young girl, obviously in distress, came in looking around... Sabrina, the head librarian came and talked with her, taking her into her private office. At that time, she wouldn't say her name and Sabrina quietly talked with her, asking if she was hungry and then providing for her needs. Ultimately, she was to learn that Karrie was Hunter's daughter.

Sabrina had had a few squabbles with Hunter over the years, but she really had never had the chance to get to know him. She could tell, however, that Karrie was not ready to be turned over to her father, even if he was the sheriff. Actually Hunter was relieved. Although he had been thinking more and more about Karrie, he had known that his ex-wife had placed many obstacles between he and Karrie. Surely, he needed to learn more before he could even start to interact with a young teen who he barely knew... 

Sabrina is an interesting character, one that readers will find, little by little, to be an extraordinary woman. She had never married, at 41, and had thought she was content with her life, until her two best friends had both married within a short period of time. It was through those events that Sabrina had gotten to know a little about Hunter, since the two men her best friends married were best friends of Hunter...

Karrie had remember Sabrina from the short time she had been in Clear Creek when she was little. She agreed to go home to stay with her, at least until she could deal with her past and possible future. When her mother's newest husband started touching Karrie inappropriately, she knew she had to leave. On the other hand, from what her mother had told of her father, he was mean and would likely not be willing to have her stay. But she had no place else to go. She had hitchhiked 300 miles and Sabrina knew she needed time to just relax and start to feel better. It was quite some time before she was able to tell Sabrina about what her stepfather had done...

When she did, she was so upset that she called Hunter who then made calls to his lawyer to start action for him to have custody, immediately.

While the family drama is moving forward, Hunter is threatened with a rock thrown through his window with a message "You Will Die..." Hunter had chills going down his back, wondering who and why somebody wanted him dead... Suddenly there was an important reason for Karrie to continue to stay with Sabrina--to ensure her safety... But even that didn't stop the villain as the next rock was thrown where Sabrina and her father, along with Karrie, worked to restore Mustangs. Now Hunter's women were being targeted!

The majority of the book relates to the developing relationships among Hunter, Sabrina, and Karrie and their lives... Reading about Karrie's growth as she lived with those who loved her was truly wonderful. And, once she was more secure, she started being the young teen who she was supposed to be... Truly heartwarming as she helped in molding a new family now based in Christian love. With less than 5% of the book dealing with villain action, the development of a new life for those who fell in love with each other, including Karrie, with her father and her new Mom, Sabrina, is simply too good a book to miss. Do check it out!

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