Page 1 of The Sheriff & the Nurse

Prologue

Lily Lillywhite sat slumpedwith her feet in the cool lake and her rear growing stiff from the wood dock. A sliver of moon sparkled on the still water.

Her boyfriend Lieutenant Miles Coleville had called from his base in California earlier tonight. Instead of being thrilled to talk to him, she felt only frustration. With herself, with Miles, with Dr. Brad Hampshire, and with Sheriff Clint Coleville who she could never effectively shove out of her mind. Somehow the most alluring and out of reach man on the planet kept creeping into her thoughts and dreams.

Miles wasn’t at fault. He was incredible, everything she wanted in a man—humble, brave, kind, handsome, spiritual. If only she felt anything close to the magnetic pull she felt to his older brother. She watched a fish jump and wondered if she wasn’t the worst person in the world, dragging Miles along when she no longer had romantic feelings for him. They’d been “dating” for over ten years now. They hardly saw each other as he pursued his dreams of being a Navy SEAL and had no plans to retire and move home anytime soon.

She had no desire to relocate near Miles’s base in Southern California. She was too firmly rooted to her family, her hometown and church family, and her family’s ranch that was a refuge for people from all walks of life. She also loved her job as a labor and delivery nurse at the hospital in nearby Kalispell. Being part of the new mom and dad’s journey into parenthood and the moments an angelic baby came to earth were the highlights of her life.

If only Dr. Brad Hampshire would stop hitting on her. The doctor was well-respected, smart, talented, sneaky, and her beloved Grandma’s cardiologist. He used Grandma to quietly threaten Lily. He never said anything overt; it was always subtle.

I hope your grandmother stays healthy until you’re free to date me.

She’d tried to stand up for herself, but that had only made him laugh at her and increase his efforts to get her alone in the women’s center break room, the hospital parking lot, or a quiet corner of the cafeteria. She’d reported him to her supervisor multiple times and each instance she got a variation of the response, ‘Think carefully and you’d better have irrefutable proof. Dr. Hampshire is revered and essential to this community’s well-being.’

It was true. There was no other cardiologist within a hundred and fifty miles, and their community all but worshipped Dr. Hampshire. He gave her the creeps with his constant flirtations and understated threats to her grandma’s health. She’d tried to record him with her phone but had never been able to discreetly get anything incriminating as he always surprised her and when he saw her pull her phone out, he’d grin and walk away.

Over the past few years, they’d achieved an unsettling balance. She had the perfect excuse for not dating Dr. Hampshire—she had a serious boyfriend who was a tough and loyal Navy SEAL who wouldn’t appreciate another mancoming onto her. Miles’s existence had kept Dr. Hampshire from progressing his annoying come-ons. Dr. Hampshire had thankfully never done anything besides flirt, Grandma was healthy as she could be with her condition, and Lily’s family was happy and clueless about her angst.

Miles had asked her the last few times they’d seen each other if she wanted to date other people. Panic had risen in her chest every time as she was certain he’d break up with her. Not knowing what to say, she had turned it around and asked if he wanted to date someone else. When he said no, she was relieved, pushed away the guilt of dragging Miles along, and the conversation moved to different subjects. She hoped they could keep the status quo, but she was also humiliated she couldn’t find a way out of the situation with Dr. Hampshire, and wished there was an end in sight for her and Miles.

Miles deserved to be free and find someone fabulous. The only fabulous man she wanted to date was Miles’s brother. Since that was never going to happen, she was relieved every time Miles said he didn’t want to date anyone else. She could keep pretending they had a healthy relationship for a while longer, if she could keep convincing herself she wasn’t hurting Miles with her deception.

Humiliation filled her. How could she be strong and independent in all parts of her life, except getting free of Dr. Hampshire and setting Miles free?

Footsteps sounded on the dock, and not just any footsteps—the sure, confident walk of Sheriff Clint Coleville. She peered through the night and saw his outline from the dim parking lot light behind him. She’d know those boots, lean legs in jeans, perfectly developed upper body in a T-shirt, and the hat shadowing his handsome face anywhere. Clint had a magnetism that had every woman she knew drooling over him. Somehow,he stayed detached and single despite constant feminine attention. Life’s mysteries unsolved.

She sighed and cautioned herself not to scream out that she loved him and beg him to give her a chance. He never would. Not unless she broke up with Miles. Probably not even then. If she broke up with Miles after ten years of being a ‘couple’ and her ‘supporting him in his Navy SEAL dreams,’ she’d be the biggest jerk in Coleville. She’d break both of their mamas’ hearts and she’d have to find another way to avoid dating Dr. Hampshire or risk her grandmother’s health.

“Evenin’, Lily Lillywhite,” Clint said in a deep, cowboy drawl that sent shivers down her spine. Good shivers. He was like John Wayne reincarnated, only more handsome and appealing.

“Hi, Clint.” She peered up, not yet ready to stand and face him. It was better for her if she wasn’t within reaching distance of the man she craved. Her boyfriend’s brother. What kind of unfaithful woman longed for her boyfriend’s brother? Her, apparently.

“I’m supposed to clear the dock of beautiful and charitable nurses. Park closes at dusk.” He smiled.

She tried to smile but failed. Her lip trembled and she feared she’d cry. She wasn’t a crier. But tonight it was all too ‘heavy,’ as her sister Rose would say. Why did it have to be Clint who came upon her when she was struggling and wondering how she could selfishly keep holding onto Miles instead of figuring out how to expose Dr. Hampshire without hurting her grandmother?

Especially when it was Miles’s brother she wanted. How had she let this go on for so long? For a while now, she’d known she and Miles weren’t progressing with their relationship, but long distance made it easy not to do anything about it. The past three years she’d needed the relationship with Miles more than ever, knowing Dr. Hampshire was a despicable slime but having no idea how to get out of the weird association with him.

A tear crested her eyelid and rolled down her cheek. No! She never liked to cry, but especially not in front of Clint. She prayed it was dark enough he couldn’t see her clearly.

“Hey now.” Clint squatted down next to her and brushed the tear off her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

Prayer not answered—or maybe answered in the way she’d been dreaming of.

Her entire body responded to his simple touch. Her pulse sped up, her breathing became shallow, her heart palpitated, her skin grew warm and flushed.

Clint froze with his thumb touching her cheek. He stared intently at her, his bright blue eyes darker in the night, as if trying to figure out what had just happened. Did he feel like he’d been struck by lightning or was that just her?

A heartbeat passed, then another. Neither of them moved. Lily had no desire to break the magical cocoon that wrapped around them.

Pulling his hand back, Clint cleared his throat and murmured, “Let’s get you to your car.”

“Okay.” She doubted the ultimate alpha male Sheriff Clint Coleville could make a suggestion to any female that she wouldn’t agree with.

She scrambled to her feet as he straightened. Bumping against his chest with her shoulder, she let out a gasp.

“Apologies,” he said, wrapping an arm around her lower back to stabilize her.

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