Page 3 of The Truth

She didn’t think. She didn’t know.

She’d heard they could blend in just like everyone else.

Serial killers. Not preachers.

She made a mental note to google whether there had ever been any preacher serial killers, or… serial killer preachers.

She’d probably do that eventually.

It was one of those random thoughts that popped in when she was tryingnotto freak out from worrying about Aubrey.

He’d lifted her into the big truck without even hesitating. He had just lifted her. That surprised her. She’d expected he’d at least be a bit awkward about it. Then again, she suspected a Hiller brother was very rarely awkward about anything.

They just didn’t seem thetypes.

She studied him in the dim light when he climbed in. He was definitely a gorgeous man. She bet the women of his congregation just looked at him and sighed every single Sunday. And he definitely didn’t have a clue. They probably baked him homemade pies and made sweet potato casseroles in vintage Pyrex dishes and brought them to him, while wearing real aprons. Made him cookies and sent them home with him in vintage Tupperware, too.

She could just picture it now. He’d be adorably appreciative, too.

He really was a beautiful man.

He had medium brown hair, lighter than his sister Greer’s. Greer’s was much darker. But Genny’s hair was the same coloras Gunn’s. They all had the same eyes, too. He looked more like Genny than Greer, though. Just a lot bigger.

There was a lot of man muscle on the good Reverend Hiller.

Nothing pale and pasty about him. He should probably be on the cover of a romance novel or something—shirt on. He was a minister, after all.

No spicies for him.

Maybe.

Of course, he was only a part-time minister, Greer had told her before. The rest of the time he helped his twin and their older brother Gene raise beef cows or something. Ayla really didn’t know much about ranching. Definitely nothing aboutmen.

“This is really awkward,” she said, to break the silence as he pulled out of the library parking lot and they drove past the diner. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in a man’s truck in my life.”

“Not even on a date?”

“A date? What’s that?” she asked, tongue-in-cheek. Something about the dark completely erased whatever filters she’d had. Not that she’d had many to begin with. And she was nervous. Ayla got a bit silly when she was nervous sometimes. “I’ve never really dated. Aubrey wouldn’t let me, after a not great experience once.”

Her sister was really good at the stand-in-mom thing. She’d beenmotheringAyla her entire life, after all.

“I see.” He was silent for a moment. “I never dated much, when I was younger. I went straight from college to the seminary. I did date in college, though. I had a few serious girlfriends.”

“Wow. You were young.”

“I knew what I wanted to do with my life.”

“It must be nice to have known so early. I’m still working my way through my plan.”

“Which is?”

“I plan to become a social worker. But I want to work at the hospital or something like that. For the people who are hurting there. Not like Greer.”

“Greer is all about the kids. She always has been.”

“She’s awesome.” And she was. Greer was the closest friend Ayla had ever had. She appreciated that so much. “We met at the college campus in Finley Creek. We had to collaborate on a project in our child abuse class. Then we realized Genny and Aubrey were already pals. And we made them take us out for Chinese once after Aubrey was there to pick me up from class one day, and Genny was there to get Greer. We’ve kind of stuck together ever since.”

“When do you graduate?”

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