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

you just have to call, Faith.  There will be a place for you in my home anytime you need it.”  And to Cole’s surprise he realized he meant every word.  The more he got to know Faith the more he liked her.  He wanted her safe and he was not opposed to giving her personal protection if she needed it.
    “Thank you Cole.”  She hugged him back and allowed her body to relax into the comforting embrace.  “I’m not reckless, Cole.  That written message says it all.  Someone doesn’t want me here.  I’m not going to hightail it back to Georgia, but I’m not going to put myself in harm’s way either.  Nor will I bring danger to Caroline and her family.  At the first sign that someone has followed me over there I will have to leave.  You’ll be the first person I call in both a personal and official capacity.  I promise.” 
    She felt reassured by the steady beat of Cole’s heart.  There was only one problem.  Being that close to him was sparking her body to life and making her have very wicked thoughts.  Heat stirred in her lower abdomen and began to spread throughout the rest of her body.  She so didn’t need this right now.  She took a hasty step away from Cole and out of his arms.
    Cole missed the warmth of her soft and sexy curves against his hard flesh, but he let her go.  Faith was a lot stronger than she gave herself credit for being.  She’d come out on the other side of this mess just fine, he’d make sure of that.  She’d placed her trust in him and he wasn’t going to let her down.
    Suddenly Faith let out a gasp and her hand flew to her mouth.  “Oh my God I almost forgot!  Have you heard anything about Jasmine’s dad?  And how are she and that precious baby doing?”
    Cole was glad for something to distract her from the vandalism of the house and the written threat issued against her. He was also glad of something to distract his wayward thoughts and aroused body.  It wanted more of Faith, but Cole knew that right now much to his regret was not the right time.
     Instead of concentrating on her he concentrated on answering her question.  “Deputy Owens the baby’s father has been contacted and he’s arranged emergency leave.  He should be here soon. His wife Susan is stable but still critical. He’s probably going to be spending most of his time at the hospital when he does get back to town.  She hasn’t regained consciousness yet, so we still don’t know if she can identify the shooter.”
    “Oh that poor man,” Faith exclaimed.  She’d never met the deputy, but any normal person would feel empathy for him and this horrible situation. “And the children,” she insisted on knowing.  “I hope that Child Protective Services was able to find a nice place for them to stay and that they are together.”
    “They’re fine and yes they are together.  You’ll be happy to know that Joyce Montgomery has taken both of them into her home.  They will be well loved and taken care of until Robert gets back to town.”
    Faith had absolutely come to adore the matriarch of the Montgomery family.  “It’s very sweet of Joyce to do that.  I didn’t know she was a foster mom, but I couldn’t think of a better person to take care of those two children.”
    “I agree.  Mike Thomas, the director of Child Protective Services approached Joyce about becoming a foster mom about six months after her husband died, but Abigail and her two children were still living with Joyce then.”  Cole shrugged.  “I guess she kept the offer in the back of her mind.  When Abigail married Mason and her and the children moved in with him, Joyce got in touch with Mike.  She went through the training to be a short term foster mother in emergency situations just like this one.”
    “That sounds exactly like Joyce,” Faith agreed. 
    “Luckily we don’t have much of a demand for emergency foster care in this county, but it’s good to know Joyce and a few others like her are there when