Caroline's Seduction (Montgomery Family and Friends) by Iris Abbott

burnished strands of gold, bronze and copper.  Kyle’s perusal of Caroline was interrupted by another guest at the Barbeque.   
    “Hello.  I’m Jonathan Chambers,” the man offered his hand in greeting. 
    Kyle shook hands.  “I’m Kyle Wakefield.  It’s nice to meet you.”
    “Likewise,” Jonathan agreed.  “Well I know you’re not a friend of Annabel’s.  So that leaves Aubrey, Matthew, Abigail, or Mason.”
    “My daughter is actually friends with Jay.  He invited Sarah and Abigail was kind enough to extend an invitation to me as well,” Kyle explained.  He looked away from Jonathan and followed Caroline’s progress around the patio.  She was talking to three blond women who he knew could only be the Montgomery sisters.   He had to actually make an effort to breathe.  Maybe it was the fact she was a redhead amongst so many blondes, because all four women were stunning in their own right, but Caroline absolutely took his breath away.
    Jonathan cleared his throat to get Kyle’s attention.  “I don’t want to insult you since we’ve only just met, but I would reconsider.  She is emotionally unavailable.  She’s been living here for a little over a year, and she still only seems comfortable with my family.” 
    “What happened to her,” Kyle wondered out loud. 
    Jonathan mistook Kyle’s thought for an actual question.  “I think only Abigail knows all the details, but from what my wife Annabel and I can gather a man she dated in college broke her heart.  I guess he must have really done a job on her, because according to Annabel, Caroline doesn’t believe in love anymore.” 
    Kyle was shocked into silence.  This man was implying that Caroline’s cold and brittle shell was his fault?  She had been a breath of fresh air when he’d known her before, all trusting soft and warm.  Nothing like the emotionless vacuum she lived in now.  Her passion had been insatiable.  When he first met her she seemed to light up whatever room she occupied.  She was still a beautiful woman, but her inner light seemed to have burned out. 
    “Excuse me,” he said to Jonathan.  I want to introduce myself to the hostess and thank her for the invitation.  Her husband answered the door when I arrived and I have yet to meet Abigail.”  Before he could approach Abigail to introduce himself, Mason approached the two women.  Caroline nodded her head and left to stand with an older woman on the other side of the patio. 
      Caroline went to stand next to Joyce Montgomery who just happened to be about as far from Kyle as it was possible to get at the intimate gathering of family and friends.  That suited Caroline just fine.  The more distance she put between herself, Kyle, and the past, the better off she would be.  She greeted the Montgomery matriarch with a warm hug.  She felt Kyle’s brown eyes follow her every move, but she ignored him.  Lucky for her it wasn’t long before Mason and Abigail stole the show.
    Mason with his arm possessively wrapped around his wife led her to the middle of the circle of family and friends.  “About this time last year Abigail and I agreed to turn our friendship into something deeper and embarked on a marriage that has been everything a man could hope for and more.”  He glanced over at Joyce and Caroline, who’d been joined by his brother Brian, Aubrey, Matthew, Annabel, and Jonathan.  “I married into a wonderful family full of love and passion.”  He looked around and made eye contact with each family member including Caroline.  “Abigail and I are proud to announce that we’re going to be adding to that family!”
    The crowd broke out in applause and smiles from all corners.  Caroline glanced toward Kyle.  His brown eyes met her blue eyes straight on and didn’t waver.  The thought of Kyle and babies in the same breath was enough to knock her back to that dark place of four years ago.  She needed to get out of there and away from Kyle as