Faith's Sheriff (Montgomery Family and Friends)

by Iris Abbott

  FAITH’S SHERIFF

  Montgomery Family and Friends

  Book 7

  Iris Abbott

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  EPILOGUE

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.

  FAITH’S SHERIFF

  Copyright © 2012 by Iris Abbott

  First E-book publication: May 2012

  Cover design by Iris Abbott

  Photos by Lev Olkha and Jon Helgason

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters in this book are fictitious and exist only in the imagination of the author. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  Dear Readers,

  Cole Duncan was first introduced in A MONTGOMERY MARRIAGE. He’s the sheriff of the Montgomery sisters’ hometown. He also helped save Caroline in CAROLINE’S SEDUCTION. Now it’s his turn to find love.

  Faith Riley is recently divorced and badly burned by love. She moves to Florida to reconnect with her friend Caroline Wakefield. She doesn’t have any interest in finding love, but it sure finds her. Her mind tells her to be wary of the sexy sheriff, but her heart and her body want to get to know him better. A murder mystery puts Faith in danger and Cole swears to protect her with everything he has including his heart.

  FAITH’S SHERIFF is the seventh and last book in the Montgomery Family and Friends series. It was difficult for me to write this story, because I knew I would be saying goodbye to a group of friends that have been a part of my life since I started writing this series several years ago. I hope that you enjoy the finale of this series. And you never know, the Montgomery sisters and their friends have lots of children. We may be seeing this family again further down the line.

  Happy Reading!

  IRIS ABBOTT has always enjoyed reading. She especially enjoys romances. So it was no surprise she would eventually pursue a career as a romance writer. She grew up in North Carolina and has also lived in California and Georgia. She travels extensively throughout the United States and enjoys sharing the ambiance of some of her favorite places through her stories.

  When she’s not writing emotion packed romances with a happily-ever-after ending, this former high school science teacher is traveling with her husband, taking photos of any animal she can find, watching the birds in her backyard, riding her bike on the greenway, or taking care of one very spoiled and demanding cat. She loves to hear from readers and fans. She can be reached at iris@irisabbott.com. Also please check out her website irisabbott.com and the Facebook page for Iris Abbott (author).

  Books by Iris Abbott

  Montgomery Family and Friends Series

  A MONTGOMERY HOMECOMING

  AUBREY’S SONG

  A MONTGOMERY MARRIAGE

  CAROLINE’S SEDUCTION

  EVAN’S SURRENDER

  LAURA’S STORM

  FAITH’S SHERIFF

  Enigma, Maine Series

  A VAMPIRE’S LOVING BITE

  A GUARDIAN’S LOVING CLAIM

  A PIRATE’S LOVING KISS

  A SOLDIER’S CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING

  LITTLE RED VALENTINE

  Rancher’s Bend Bride and Groom Series

  ACCIDENTAL BRIDE AND GROOM (July 2012)

  Dedications

  To Anna P. for her never-ending words of support and encouragement, you’re the best!

  To my wonderful husband Mike for his love, support, and unending faith in my abilities!

  ONE

  Faith Riley drove past the welcome sign at the Florida state line and let out a little breath of excitement. She’d been looking forward to this move for about four months now. A song about being already gone was playing on a classic rock station of the radio. She couldn’t stop the smile that broke out any more than she could keep from humming along.

  She was gone all right leaving behind a controlling jerk of an ex-husband. Faith deserved this new start in life and she could hardly wait to put the bad behind her and move on, hopefully with the good. She’d arrive at her new destination in about an hour and the more miles her car ate up the more lighthearted Faith became.

  This move was important to her. She was taking a strong step forward and in the process taking back her life. She needed to make a complete and total break from her ex-husband. They had been legally separated for about fifteen months and officially divorced for three, but that hadn’t stopped him from trying to make daily contact with her. Finding him waiting for her in the parking lot of the school she taught at had been the final straw. It had given Faith the boost of courage she needed to make a major change in her life.

  Faith was ninety-nine percent sure he was too lazy to cross the state line to harass her. She would be out from under her ex’s heavy thumb and his controlling ways once and for all. Hopefully distance would achieve what a divorce should have but failed to do. She wanted a normal life. No more isolation. No more walking on eggshells hoping not to upset Patrick, so she could avoid his wrath. She deserved a lot more than that and she planned to make a better life for herself in sunny Florida!

  Faith was moving near her longtime friend and college roommate Caroline Wakefield. Her friend was a teacher at the local high school. She was also friends with the school superintendent and had probably pushed Faith’s job application through the county office. However it had happened, Faith was grateful for the opportunity to start over fresh somewhere new. Some place where people didn’t feel sorry for her, because she hadn’t been smart enough to see through the charm to the real Patrick Riley.

  She followed the directions on the GPS unit and exited off of the freeway. She was taking the scenic route. Faith thought it would be a pleasant way to familiarize herself with her new home. She took in as much of the green open fields and moss filled trees as she could while still keeping her eyes on the two-lane road. It was gorgeous down here and she couldn’t wait to explore the area.

  She was looking forward to making friends too. She already knew Caroline, and her friend had several people lined up for introductions. Yes she was going to love her new home. After all almost anything had to be better than the way she’d been living.

  ******

  Cole Duncan lounged against the wall and engaged in people watching. It was a habit the sheriff had picked up on the job and it was hard for him to drop it, even when he wasn’t on the clock. His job was a twenty-four-seven endeavor as far as Cole was concerned. Even though he was at a welcome party for the friend of a friend and he wasn’t expecting any trouble he was always on alert. His dark brown eyes glanced around the room until they came to rest on the hostess of the party, Caroline Wakefield.

  She’d moved to town about three years ago and had been quickly adopted into the Montgomery family. Cole had gone to school with the oldest Montgomery sister, Abigail. She was the one responsible for adopting Caroline into their fold. Cole had been interested in Caroline when she’d first moved to town, but she only had eyes for her former lover Kyle Wakefield. And when Kyle had moved to town about a year after Caroline, it became clear to Cole that he didn’t stand a chance, not with Wakefield around.

  Cole and Kyle had teamed up to save Caroline from a crazy business associate of Kyle’s and they had all remained friends. That explained why Cole was at t
his welcome party when he’d rather be at home winding down from a long and busy week at work. Even in a quiet bedroom community like the place Cole called home crime was up these days thanks to the faltering economy. His job had never been easy, but these days it really kept him on his toes! His county had the reputation of being the safest in northern Florida and Cole meant to keep it that way.

  Laughter as light and refreshing as a summer breeze slithered down his spine. He turned toward the sound. A lovely brunette was being embraced by Caroline and it was clear the women were happy to see each other. Cole perked up immediately. This must be the friend that had just moved to town. This party had just gotten a whole lot more interesting as far as Cole was concerned. He would make sure Caroline introduced him to her friend before he left the party. Cole had a deep instinctive feeling that she would definitely be someone worth knowing.

  Faith was thrilled to see her old friend again. They had a lot of catching up to do. She looked around at the thirty or so guests milling around Caroline’s home. “Wow, when you said a little get together to welcome me to town, I was thinking maybe ten to fifteen guests.” She placed a hand over her heart. “I’m a little overwhelmed by how friendly everyone is being to me.”

  Caroline agreed. “The people here are very special. The Montgomery family didn’t waste any time in making me feel extremely welcome when I moved to town. I wanted to do the same for you.” She clasped her hands together and gave Faith a huge smile. “I am so excited that you are finally here. I’ve missed our friendship,” she confided.

  Faith pushed back the twinge of guilt eating at her. “I missed you too and I’m happy we’re living near each other again!” Her ex-husband had done an effective job of isolating her from her closest friends. Unfortunately that had included Caroline. Fortunately Faith had been able to reconnect with her longtime friend. And as it should be with any true friend, they had been able to pick up the threads of their friendship as if the distance between them had never existed.

  Caroline had guilt of her own. “I should have done more to close the widening gap between us. I thought there was something off about Patrick, but I was still devastated by the nasty breakup with Kyle and I wasn’t sure if that was clouding my judgment or not. I should have been a better friend to you and put my own heartache and problems aside.”

  Faith hugged her friend tight. Wasn’t that just like Caroline she thought. “Don’t you dare try to take any of the blame for my problems with Patrick. He is a master manipulator, and I let him control me and my life.” She lightly stomped her right foot to make a point, “but no more. I’m ready to start living life again.”

  “Well thank goodness you finally broke ties with that creep. You are going to love it in Florida. And here come the Montgomery sisters. You are going to love them just as much as I do. They really made this place a home for me before Kyle and Sarah arrived in town. The five of us are going to be a tight knit group of friends.”

  Faith watched as three blond women approached. She was immediately enfolded into a group hug. The last bit of doubt fled Faith’s mind. Caroline was right. These women hadn’t even met her yet and they were already opening their arms and their lives to her. Being surrounded by such strong women was definitely going to be a positive experience for her.

  She felt optimistic about the move. The life she’d left behind in Georgia had been full of turmoil and wouldn’t be missed. After all Patrick had found a way to bother her even after they had divorced. That was over and she was ready to start living. Yes indeed, Florida was going to be very good to her.

  “I’m Abigail Montgomery Blake,” the oldest of the three sisters held out her hand in greeting. “Welcome, any friend of Caroline is a friend of ours.”

  Faith recognized the name. Mason Blake, Abigail’s husband was the superintendent of the school system, which meant indirectly he was her boss. And she owed the opportunity to move here to this woman’s husband. She shook the hand Abigail offered. “I’ve heard so much about you from Caroline, all of it good.” She gave a nervous little smile. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you and the rest of your family.”

  “I’m Annabel Montgomery Chambers,” another of the blonds spoke up. “My husband Jonathan and I live in town also.” She pointed to a good-looking dark haired man who was standing beside an adorable little girl with blond ringlets around her face. “That’s my husband Jonathan and our oldest child Charlotte. There’s a good chance she’ll be in your class when school starts back in August.”

  “It’s great to meet you too,” Faith replied. “And I look forward to meeting Charlotte and all of the other students,” she confided with a wide smile. “I’m excited about my new job and I can’t wait to get settled in the school.”

  Annabel chuckled. “She’s a cutie pie and a charmer too. She’s got her dad’s personality that’s for sure.” Annabel glanced across the room at her husband with eyes full of love.

  Faith felt a little lurch in the region of her heart. She had looked at Patrick like that once, before he’d destroyed everything good about their relationship.

  “I don’t think you’ll have any problems settling in at the school,” Annabel told her. “Everyone there is extremely friendly.”

  Faith felt a huge weight being lifted off of her shoulders. Everyone here was welcoming her with open arms. She was sure she’d transition in no time at all. She had a great job and several people she was looking forward to becoming friends with. Her life was definitely going to be enriched by living here. She could feel it all the way to her bones.

  “I’m Aubrey Montgomery Hampton,” the last blond in the group offered an introduction. “I’m the only one that lives out of town. My husband Matthew and I live in Savannah, but I visit here all the time. It’s great to meet you. Caroline’s really excited that you’ve moved here and her enthusiasm has rubbed off on us too!”

  Faith shook hands for the third time. “Thank you! It’s so nice to finally meet all of you. And I’m glad y’all were here for Caroline when I couldn’t be and I look forward to all of us being friends.” Yes it was definitely great to be surrounded by friends once more Faith decided. She hooked arms with Caroline. “Let’s get the rest of the introductions out of the way. Then the four of us can relax somewhere with a cool glass of white wine,” Faith suggested.

  Caroline’s face broke into a huge smile and she smoothed a hand over her still flat belly. “Well I was going to wait until later, but everyone’s here so I might as well share now. No alcohol for me! Kyle and I are expecting!”

  Several squeals broke out and Faith and all three of the Montgomery sisters surrounded Caroline with one great big group hug. Congratulations echoed all around the small group of women. Faith was the first to break away from the group. The husky clearing of a masculine throat brought her out of the celebratory haze caused by Caroline’s good news.

  The sound had been fairly close to her ear. Close enough that it startled her into spinning around. She found herself looking into a massive chest covered by tightly stretched woven material. Her eyes slowly rose until they met the intense stare of the dark brown eyes looking back at her. Those eyes were rich and deep in color and reminded her of the sinfully decadent dark chocolate she loved to indulge in on occasion. Heat blossomed in her belly and her toes curled into the strappy white sandals she was wearing. The moment was so intense she took an involuntary step back pushing into Caroline.

  Cole was pleasantly surprised to learn that Caroline’s friend was just as gorgeous up close as she had been from across the room. He broke the spell weaving itself around them and dragged his eyes away from hers. He held out a hand in greeting, “Hello, I’m Cole Duncan, welcome to town.”

  Faith held out a hand and felt her heart jump into her throat when his lean strong fingers closed around her much smaller and delicate hand. “Umm hello,” she barely managed to get out past her suddenly constricted throat muscles. “I’m Faith Riley.” She wanted to say more, but she was having troub
le forming words. Her body was reacting to the close proximity of the sexy stranger and her mind was busy waging war with her traitorous body.

  The last thing she needed was to jump straight into the arms of another man she knew nothing about. She chided herself for such wayward thoughts. Surely she’d learned something from her past mistakes. She had to look twice if not three times before leaping when it came to the opposite sex. She tried to smile and act as if this man’s nearness wasn’t affecting her. She didn’t want to give him any ideas. Her traitorous body had enough of those on its own.

  Cole was very perceptive. It was one of the qualities that aided him in his job as sheriff. It had also helped him in his military career as a sharpshooter. The woman in front of him was flustered by his nearness and he liked the fact that he could affect her. Right now though she looked like she wanted to bolt and he wanted to calm and soothe her. “I’m friends with Caroline and Abigail,” he threw in for good measure just to remind her she was among friends.

  Faith took in a deep breath and tried to relax. Obviously he wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t a friend. She offered him a shy smile. “Actually your name sounds familiar. I think Caroline must have mentioned you to me before.” She crinkled her forehead trying to remember where she’d heard that name before.

  Cole could tell she was trying to place him, so he decided to help her out. “I’m the sheriff, and I helped save Caroline’s life the second year she was in town.” He saw the dawning light in her eyes and knew she’d made the connection. Good! Having the reputation of a lifesaver never hurt a guy’s chances.

  “Wow that was you!” Without even thinking she flung her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. “Thank you for saving Caroline. I know it was your job, but thank you so much!” She stepped away and ended the embrace almost as quickly as it had begun. She’d always been impulsive. That was one of the character traits that had allowed her to fall into Patrick’s clutches. She vowed to be more careful.