Free Faith's Sheriff (Montgomery Family and Friends) by Iris Abbott Page A

table. 
    She thought about pleading a headache and turning in for the night.  No one would blame her. After all she’d been through a very frightening ordeal.  She didn’t want to be rude though.  Caroline had opened her home to her, and Cole had gone to the trouble of bringing her the gorgeous flowers.  And as loath as Faith was to admit it part of her wanted to be in Cole’s company.  Her body craved his attention even if her mind balked at the idea of spending any more time than necessary with the sexy and surprisingly considerate sheriff.
    Faith turned her attention from thoughts of how fast Cole was growing on her to helping her friend.  “What would you like me to do to help with dinner,” she asked Caroline. 
    Caroline looked taken aback.  “Well not a thing,” she insisted.  “You and Cole are guests.” She glanced at the microwave clock.  “Kyle is due back from the golf course any minute now.  Why don’t the two of you take that tea out to the back patio and wait for him?”
    Faith knew there was no use arguing with Caroline and she didn’t want Cole to think she was afraid to be alone with him, so she pasted on a smile, grabbed the pitcher of iced tea and started walking toward the back of the house.  She looked over her shoulder at Cole when she didn’t hear him following her.  “Well are you going to join me or not?”
    Cole winked at her.  “Now how could I turn down an invitation like that?”  He picked up a couple of glasses and followed her out to the patio. 
    Once the doors were closed and they were alone Faith put her elbows on the table and used her hands to prop up her head.  She gave Cole an intense stare.  “I’m perfectly safe here you know.  I don’t need a babysitter if that’s why you’re here.”
    “Oh Faith, I see you as a lot of things, but trust me when I say a baby isn’t one of them.  I’m here because I want to be here, not because I think you need protection.  If I thought you were in imminent danger you’d be at a safe house under lock and key with at least one deputy on guard twenty-four-seven.”  He mimicked her posture and leaned in as close as the table would allow.  “I’m here right now, because no matter how much we have tried to ignore it in the past there is something brewing between us.  And it is getting stronger every day.”
    Faith felt the tingle caused by his intense gaze all the way down to her toes.  She curled them and then in a lame attempt to break the connection between Cole and herself, she slumped back in her chair to put as much space between them as possible.  It didn’t seem to help.  Her eyes were still glued to his and the electricity that existed between them was working at high wattage. The electricity arcing between the two of them was probably powerful enough to operate a toaster.  If she wasn’t careful she was going to get burned, again.
    She let out a little sigh of defeat and reached for the pitcher of iced tea.  She proceeded to fill both glasses.  Then she picked up the one closest to her and wiped the glass with its refreshing condensation across her brow.  It didn’t help.  Faith had a burning feeling in her gut that there was only one thing that was going to quench the powerful need that Cole created in her.  And she didn’t know how much longer she could fight the all-consuming and powerful need Cole created inside her.
    She squeezed her thighs together to try and alleviate the sweet ache starting there.  A chuckle from Cole told her that he knew exactly what she was doing.  In an unladylike move she gulped down half the glass of tea.  It didn’t help.  Luckily she was saved when Kyle Wakefield put in an appearance. 
    “Hello Kyle,” she greeted her best friend’s husband.  “I’m sure you and Cole have something manly to talk about.”  She jumped up from the chair she’d been sitting in.  “I think I’m going to help Caroline in the kitchen after all!”  She took