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his claim to believing any portion of the Bible if he deliberately discounted other parts. His faith appeared to have a weak foundation, and she feared for his future as a Christian.
    Well, now she had something specific to focus on when she prayed for him. The day in his company had shown her that she really wouldn’t have to work too hard at finding things to like about him. He was a nice enough guy. Still, she couldn’t help it that her hackles rose any time he was in the vicinity.
    She lay awake for a long time. She’d taken full advantage of her prayer hour that afternoon, but she found herself talking to God again as she lay waiting for sleep to claim her. A strong sense of something being “off” in Angel Falls still weighed heavily on her heart, so she asked for protection and peace for the town, for The Falls Tabernacle as a whole, and for each of the Prayer WINGS members individually.
    Without even intending to do so, she also brought Corbin’s name to the Lord—over and over again. She prayed for Viv and Mr. Hart…and Corbin. She asked God to strengthen Pia and David…and Corbin. Blessings on Kaci and Ryne as they prepared for their life together even as the enemy hovered so near…and blessings on Corbin.
    By the time she threw the extra pillows aside and slid further between the sheets for the night, her throat hurt from crying. A pile of wet, torn tissues filled the small trash container beside her bed.
    And her heart ached with a burden she could not explain. For the church, because she no longer doubted Zoe’s warning in the least. For David, because he stood most in the line of fire.
    And for Corbin…for reasons she did not understand.
     
    ****
     
    The Sunday morning service slaked a deep thirst in Aria’s soul.
    She’d spent another night repeatedly visiting that sad barn scene, with each dream more disturbingly real than the last. By the time she rolled out of bed and poured enough strong coffee down her throat to drown out the shadowy remnants of nightmare, she realized she was seriously sleep-deprived.
    Pastor David took his text that morning from Ezekiel and titled his sermon, “Broken Lines of Defense.” He stressed how important it is for each individual to utilize his or her talents and skills to strengthen the church as a unit. Aria, drawn heart and soul into his sermon, had visualized a line of soldiers standing guard around an encampment. When one had to break the formation for any reason, another instantly moved to fill in the gap, never allowing even a second’s breach to form in the tight line of defense.
    “Each of us has a strength that is uniquely ours,” Pastor David said. “Some of us are strong teachers. Some are musicians. Others do their part in the background…praying, strengthening, encouraging. A church body needs a variety of skills, talents, gifts, and just willing hands. Every task is crucial to creating a cohesive front. And when one of us loses place for whatever reason, it is absolutely imperative that someone else step in without hesitation to stand in the gap and make up the hedge. Are you willing? Will you be the one who keeps our line of defense unbroken?”
    Aria drove home still in the grip of the powerful sermon. She had a quick lunch, and then picked up her Bible to read the passages in Ezekiel chapter thirteen that Pastor David had used. But exhaustion claimed her quickly, and she wound up taking a rare afternoon nap that turned into a marathon sleep fest.
    The discordant jangle of the bedside phone roused her just over three hours later. She fumbled the receiver to her ear and croaked out a greeting. “Hello?”
    “Aria, it’s Corbin. I’m out front. Can I come in?”
    She lurched to her feet, ran her fingers through her tousled hair and made a dash for the door. The wild beating of her heart said something was terribly wrong.
    He stepped inside the moment she unlocked the door. A faint stubble covered his chin and shadowed his cheeks, and his