The Widow's Deputy: King's Hill Romance Series, #3

By S. D. Wells

Spencer Craig Jamison is close to turning forty and is a deputy for the local police force. At one time he had laughed at the idea of having a family but as he watched his friends each start families he began to second guess his life choices. Did he have it in him to become a family man? Was he brave enough? Those were the questions he asked himself daily until she walked into his life.

Wendy Marie Westbrook was a thirty four year old widow with a thirteen year old boy. She had grown up in the big city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and had married her high school sweetheart. They had the perfect life until the god awful day her husband was taken from her. Now she was starting over in a new city with a new life and she only hoped she could keep it together for her son.

They meet during a routine traffic stop and instantly hit it off. He decides he wants her for life while she wants nothing more than a friendship. She had only belonged to one man and he had to find a way to win her heart. Can he break through the walls she had built up while helping her deal with her confused teen?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sandra Wells
• Release date: Apr 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393498032

S. D. Wells

I am married with 3 grown children. I was raised in Dallas, Texas and have always loved to read and write. I have been married since April of 2001 to my best freind. I have experince loss of my own in my past. My eldest child died in 2006. I am a Christan and am strong in my faith. To me family is important as are freinds and God.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

March 31, 2010 ~ 07:25 pm ~ King’s Hill, Wisconsin

Spencer Craig Jamison was close to turning forty and served as a deputy for the local police force. He had actually grown up in Milwaukee but when his folks died he knew it was time to move on. At the age of nineteen he left home to join the Navy and quickly moved up the ranks. Eventually, he became a Navy Seal and served for another three years. When he retired from the military he knew he wanted to go into law enforcement and studied at a local college to get a degree in criminal justice. Soon he had been recruited by Dillon Regan to join the King’s Hill police force and had even recommended his pal, Holt.

Deputy Holt Mason had served in the Navy with Craig and was married with four kids and a dog. The others on the crew had either grown up in King’s Hill or had served with Dillon in the Marines. Deputy Chris Benson had served in the Air Force for almost ten years and was married with one kid and another due sometime in July. The man had been a Regan family friend since they were kids. Deputy James Calderon had served four years in the army and three in Special Forces. The man wasn’t married but had a steady girlfriend. He had known the Regans most of his life. Deputy Conrad Stevens had served with Dillon in the Marines and was happily married with a daughter that would soon turn one. The last two on their crew were Deputy Harry Sullivan, who was a retired Army vet and his wife, Carrie Anne Sullivan. The couple had been married for almost fifteen years and had three kids.

Craig was basically the only one among his friends and co-workers without a significant other. Of course, he had spent his life enjoying bachelorhood but recently he was starting to regret that decision. Whenever he attended a function or a party he would look at his friends with envy. Even an older couple in their late sixties had found love. Was there someone for him or would he spend forever alone?

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April 16, 2010 ~ Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Wendy Marie Westbrook was a widow raising a teenage boy on her own. She had just turned thirty four and as time passed by it grew increasingly harder to live without her husband. With tears in her eyes, she sat on the bed as she held a picture of her dearly departed David next to her heart. They had been high school sweethearts and had married shortly after graduation. Wendy had gone to college to study industrial engineering while he had worked on getting his pilot’s license. Of course, Shawn had come along almost two years after they were married and Wendy had wanted to take a year off from school. However, her parents had argued how important her education was and had stepped in to help care for the child. Eventually, the family of three had moved into a house that was next door to her parents (the Gibsons). As for David’s family, his mother died shortly before Shawn was born of breast cancer and his father died of a stroke only a few years after that. Life was starting to get back to normal when tragedy hit them again.

David had been flying back from Colorado when his plane disappeared off the radar. The rescue efforts had started almost three hours after the plane went missing and continued for forty eight hours. By the time they found the wreckage everyone had known that it had gone from a rescue effort to a recovery. She missed her David so much and as time passed she knew staying in Louisiana would only hinder her and Shawn from moving on.

Mom, why do we have to move?

I told you the company I work for has asked me to oversee their plant in Wisconsin. It will be a good change.

But I don’t want to leave my friends.

Sighing, she placed the picture face down on the bed and took her son in her arms. Sweetheart, we have both been moping around since your dad died. I think he would want us to move on and I can’t do that here. This is a great opportunity for us both.

I don’t want to go. Why can’t I just live with grandma and grandpa?

You will finish out the school year here and then you and grandpa will drive a U-Haul truck to Wisconsin. You know, I hear the girls there are very pretty.

Really?

Really and I also heard that the town is near a lake.

We have the Mississippi River here.

I know but I promise you will love it there.

I guess.

Have you brushed your teeth?

Yeah, he groaned.

Shawn!

Yes, ma’am.

That’s better. Now, go on and get ready for bed. I’ll come check on you soon. After kissing her son goodnight she finished packing up her room. She still had a week before she left and then she’d take her time to get settled into her new job while she searched for a home. With her husband gone her future looked bleak but for Shawn’s sake she had to move on. There was no doubt that she would always love David but the grief was starting to pull them both into a black hole she was sure they would never come out of.

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The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. By: Helen Keller

ONE

April 30, 2010 ~ 12:03 pm ~ King’s Hill, Wisconsin

It had been a long few months and Craig was really wishing for a break. However, as the town grew so did the crime rate. Their police force was seriously short staffed and Dillon, the police chief, had been on the city council about hiring more deputies. They were all working extra hours and everyday they hoped for some sort of miracle. The town was not very big but the population had grown from less than eight hundred people to a little over a thousand in just ten years. They had the fertilizer plant and the cheese factory as well as several farms and ranches. They didn’t have a hotel but some locals rented out rooms, cottages or even trailer homes. Craig himself lived in the town’s only trailer park and, as rumor had it, someone was building an apartment complex somewhere just outside the downtown area.

Sighing, he pulled onto County Road 10 and headed toward town. He had spent the day patrolling the area near the plant, Rooster’s, Sally’s Steakhouse and the trailer park. His lunch hour was spent at Sally’s listening to his friend James complain about his love life.

At least the man has a girlfriend to complain about, Craig thought to himself just seconds before a van pulled in front of him. It was a green Ford Windstar and the license plates indicated they were from Louisiana. The left taillight was broken out and he could tell they were speeding. Once again he sighed as he flipped on his lights and sirens. Here it was close to quitting time and some idiot from out of town had to take that moment to break the rules. Once the vehicle was pulled over he quickly called in the stop. This is Jamison. I’m pulling over a speeder on County Road 10. They have out of state plates.

Do you need backup? Dillon asked over the radio.

No. It’s only one person. I’ll be fine.

Be careful, Craig. If you need me, I’m nearby.

Roger that. Slowly, he climbed out of his patrol car and carefully made his way to the driver’s side window. The backseat was full of trash bags and suitcases while the cargo area had a few boxes stored in the back. With an arched eyebrow he approached the open window and for a brief second Craig lost his train of thought. From what he could tell the woman behind the wheel was gorgeous. I need you step out of the car, ma’am. What was he doing?

What did I do wrong?

For one you were speeding. And two you have a broken taillight. The door opened and the beauty stepped out. Craig was able to get a better view of her and he was instantly regretting his move to have her step out of the car. She was about five foot, three inches with shoulder length sandy blonde hair, cornflower blue eyes and olive colored skin. Her face was heart shaped and she had a pair of tan glasses resting on her button nose.

I didn’t realize I was speeding. I’m new here and it’s been a long day. I just want to go home and enjoy a nice quiet weekend.

You’ll have to get that taillight fixed. Where are you staying?

For now I am staying at the Lodge in Grant. Just until I get a place. I’ll be house hunting next week. Are you going to give me a ticket?

No. What’s your name?

Wendy Westbrook. I took over the management position at the plant.

Well, Wendy, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Craig Jamison. Here is my card. If you need any help getting started or any references just call me.

Could you come out to the plant on Monday and talk to some of the employees? They are the reason I have a broken taillight.

Are they giving you a hard time?

I’m a woman and I’m from the city. What do I know about the country life?

What does that have to do with running a plant? You have the qualifications I’m sure.

It doesn’t matter. I still have no place here. I took a job that was supposedly meant for someone else.

Yeah. I’ll come out on Monday and talk to them. Call an emergency meeting around lunch time and me and my friend Dillon will have a chat with them.

Thank you. I appreciate that.

No problem. Get that taillight fixed.

I will. Thanks. He opened the door and once she was gone he slowly walked back to his car questioning his sanity. Not only had he let her go with only a warning but he promised to help with some employees harassing her. Dillon was not going to be happy about that one.

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Wendy looked in her rearview mirror and laughed. She had never been one to flirt to get out of a ticket and she had been ready to do so. However, the good deputy let her go with a warning and a promise to help her out. The man was not bad looking but he was not her David. Craig Jamison stood about six foot, three inches with strawberry blond hair, hazel eyes and a fair skin tone. He had an oval face with a hooked nose that looked like it had once been broken. There was no doubt in her mind that the story behind it would be interesting. Shaking her head, she pushed that thought out of her head because no matter how attracted she was to the good deputy she had to remember that her heart belonged to another. Though he was gone, Wendy knew that she could never love someone the way she had loved her David.

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There comes a day when you realize turning the page is the best feeling in the world – because you realize there’s so much more to the book than the page you were stuck on. By: Unknown Author

TWO

Craig entered the station house to find Dillon and the others sitting around the conference table.

What’s going on?

Come sit, Dillon ordered. Craig just nodded and once he took his seat Dillon stood as he spoke. As most of you know I have been trying to get some extra help in here.

Yeah, we are all working double duty almost every day, James complained.

You will be happy to hear that the city council has finally approved my request.

Great! they all shouted.

When do we get the extra help? Craig asked.

Three more deputies will be joining the force. One starts tomorrow and the other two will start Monday. They each served in the military and one was an MP in the Marines. I know him. We served a few years together. Conrad, you might know him as well. Tim Collins?

Yeah, I remember him. That dude busted me for breaking curfew one night. I spent two weeks on KP duty. The group laughed before Conrad spoke again. Who are the other two?

Actually, Harry recommended them.

Larry Johnson and Mike McDaniel?

Yep. They start Monday. Tim will be here at o-eight hundred hours tomorrow morning. I want everyone here for their regular rotation. Conrad, you will be in charge of training Tim. James I am putting you in charge of Mike and Harry you will be in charge of Larry.

What about a new 911 operator? Carrie asked. When do we get new one of those?

I’m working on that. Just give me time. In the meantime, we have all been trained on the system. We can all take turns helping Carrie out.

Thanks, Chief, Carrie stated.

Now, for those just getting here, go out on patrol. You know your area. James, Craig, head on home. I’ll see you both in the morning. Everyone stood and as Craig began to gather his things Dillon came up beside him. What happened with that last pull over?

No big deal. She is the new manager over at the plant and just had a rough day. They are giving her a hard time and someone broke out her taillight. I told her we’d come out Monday around lunchtime to talk to the employees.

That’s a good idea. Those boys can be real assholes.

They don’t like her because one, she is a woman and two, she is from the big city.

We will head out there Monday and fix the problem. Craig nodded as he yawned. Go home and get some sleep man. You look like shit. Craig laughed before giving his boss a crude hand gesture that only had