Detective Partners (29 page)

"Nice bra," Galen commented, his eyes dancing.

Blushing furiously, Nicole hurried to her room to close the door.

C
hapter  28

"Before we go our separate ways."
Pastor Kelly glanced around at his congregation, "I have an announcement to make. Early this morning, Martha and Ben Webster welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. Rebecca Grace weighed in at seven pounds and nine ounces. Mother and daughter, I am pleased to say, are doing fine. If anyone would like to give a gift of food, money, or something for the baby, please come and see me." He smiled. "Have a blessed day."

People began to rise from the pews and leave the church. A few stayed behind to speak with the Pastor. While Nicole waited for her turn to talk with him, she turned her cell phone on to check for any missed calls or messages and discovered that Galen had called. The urge to hear his voice was strong and she quickly dialed his number. He came on the line after the fourth ring.

"Maxwell."

Her heart skipping a beat at the sound of his voice, she said, "Good morning, Superman."

"Good morning, angel," Galen said. "Where are you?"

"Church," she answered. "I won't be here much longer and then I'm heading to the station. Where are you?"

"I'm at my Mom's," he said. "I stopped by for breakfast and to drop off the dog. Mom's dog sitting until I can get a doggy door installed. By the way, the dog has a name now. It's Charlie. Mom named him after a dog she had as a child."

"I have a better name for him, but I won't say it in a church." She heard him chuckle. "I was checking my phone for messages and missed calls and saw that you had called. Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine," Galen assured her. "I just wanted to hear your voice."

"Really?"
Nicole muttered.

"Yes, really," he said softly. "I've been thinking about
yo
about yesterday."

"I've been thinking about yesterday too," she admitted. "It's the most fun I've had in a long, long time."

"For me too," Galen said. "If nothing comes up would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

"I'd love to," Nicole said. "It's a date."

"I'm looking forward to it," he said. "I'll see you at the station."

"I'll see you soon." She closed her phone.

"Good morning, Nicole," Pastor Kelly said, approaching the pew.

"Good morning, Pastor," she said, smiling up at him. "I enjoyed your sermon."

"Thank you." He sat down beside her. "I couldn't help over hearing you say something about a date. Are you seeing someone?"

"I am," Nicole said.

Pastor Kelly studied her for a moment. "He must treat you well. You look happy."

"I am happy." She shifted on the bench. "I can't help but wonder how long it will last though. Happiness and
me
have never mixed."

"You can't let your past dictate what your present and future will be like," he said. "The past is over and done with. You must make peace with it and move on." He grimaced. "I'm sorry. I have no right to tell you what to do."

"I want your advice, Pastor," Nicole said. "I've always respected you and your opinion." She cleared her throat. "Do you - do you believe that it's possible to love someone you've only known for a month?"

Pastor Kelly smiled. "I believe that anything is possible."

Galen was standing at his desk, sorting through a stack of mail, when he heard Nicole say good morning to someone. He glanced up and his breath caught in his throat. She looked stunning in a burgundy skirt suit and white blouse. His eyes strayed to her legs and he swallowed hard. Against his better judgment, he found himself picturing her without any clothes on. His body began to respond to the images running through his mind. He lowered his head and took a deep breath, willing his traitorous body to calm down.

"Hi, honey," Nicole murmured.

"Sweetheart."
He kept his eyes trained on the desk. "How was church?"

"It was fine," she said. "Have you ever attended church?"

"Yes." Galen raised his head and smirked at her.
"Every Sunday from age five to eighteen.
Mom and Dad insisted that I go. I did all I could to get out of it, but in the end I would be sitting on that uncomfortable pew, trying my best to stay awake. I dreaded Sunday's. My friends were lucky. They got to stay home and watch cartoons or sleep in late. I take it you've attended church nearly all your life."

"I have." Nicole leaned her hip against the desk. "At Mom's urging I joined the choir."

"I bet you sang like an angel," he said.

"I couldn't carry a tune," she confessed, her eyes twinkling.

Galen grinned. "And they let you-" The phone on his desk rang, cutting into what he was going to say next. He reached across the desk and snatched up the receiver. "Maxwell."

"Please step into my office," Parker said. "Bring Goodwin with you."

"Yes, sir."
He hung up the phone. "Strauss wants to see us."

"Then we better not keep him waiting."

"Come in and sit down," Parker said when Galen knocked on the open door, a few minutes later. "Close the door behind you."

"Has there been a change in the Judas case, sir?" Nicole inquired as she sat down.

"No." Parker waited until Galen settled in the chair next to Nicole before he spoke again. "I didn't call you two in here to talk business." He sat back in his chair and propped his elbows on the armrests. Lacing his hands together, he looked from Galen to Nicole. "I received an envelope in the mail a little while ago. Inside-" He picked up the envelope and held it out. "I'll let you see for yourself."

Galen took the envelope, opened the flap, and pulled out an eight by ten glossy photo. It was of him and Nicole. They were standing on the beach. Their arms were around each other and they were kissing. "Damn it!" he murmured.

Nicole gasped. "S-sir, I - we - I don't-"

Galen dropped the photo on the desk with a heavy sigh. "I'll transfer, sir."

"No," Nicole croaked. "You've been here longer than me. I'll transfer."

"No one is transferring," Parker told them.

"I won't break up with her," Galen growled. "Fire me if you have to, but I-"

"Enough!" Parker thundered. "I'm not firing you. I don't give a damn that you two are dating. The truth is I've had my suspicions for a while now. You two aren't exactly hiding your feelings. You look at each other like love struck teenagers. It's pathetic." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not going to tell you what you can and cannot do. You're adults and your personal lives are none of my business. Just be careful. Not everyone will turn a blind eye like I'm doing. If my boss ever gets wind of you dating there will be a transfer. I won't be able to help you."

"We'll be careful," Nicole promised.

Parker nodded. "Do either of you know who sent this picture to me and why?"

"I have an idea, sir," Nicole said. "I'd like to look into it farther before I say anything more."

"Fair enough," Parker said. "You two can go now."

Galen stood, picked up the picture, and followed Nicole out into the corridor. He closed the door behind him. "You think your Father is behind this, don't you?"

"Yes," she mumbled. "He couldn't remove you from my life by having you killed so he's going to try to separate us. He probably paid someone to follow us around and take pictures.
Speaking of pictures.
You need to put that one back in the envelope. I don't want anyone to see it. We dodged a bullet with Strauss. We need to be more careful."

Galen ran a hand through his hair. "How do you suggest we be careful? Do you want us to stop
talkin
stop looking at each other?" He touched her cheek. "I can't-"

"You shouldn't touch me out in the open." Nicole eyed their surroundings. "Anyone could be watching us."

Swearing under his breath, he took her arm and pulled her into an empty room across the hall from Parker's office. He shut the door and turned to face her. "Maybe one of us should transfer. That way we would be free to be together."

"If anyone were to transfer it would be me." She hugged herself. "I don't want to make any decisions right now. I need some time to think about things."

Galen placed his hands on her waist and kissed her forehead. "If you decide you don't want to transfer we'll find a way to make it work. Breaking up is not an option." He brushed his lips against hers. "I'm never letting you go."

Nicole gazed up into his eyes. "Galen, how do you feel about me? What's in your heart?"

His heart leapt into his throat at her questions. Slowly, he moved his hands to her face, cupping her cheeks. "I'm not sure you're ready to hear the answer, sweetheart."

"Why not?" she breathed.

"Well-" He paused for a moment. "I'm afraid that my answer might frighten you away. That's the last thing I want."

"Try me," Nicole said softly.

Galen took a deep breath and said quietly, "I love you. I don't know when or how it happened. I just know that it happened." Her eyes grew bright with tears and he felt her tremble. "Sweet-"

"I - I think I love you too," she whispered. "I mean it has to be love because I've never felt this way about anyone before." She clutched at his arms. "
It's
scary one minute and exciting the next. I feel as though I'm on a roller coaster. I don't know if my poor heart can take this."

He smiled crookedly. "I think you're going to be fine."

"Are we moving too fast?" Nicole said hoarsely.

"I don't think so." Galen pulled her into his arms and laid his cheek against the top of her head. "Life is short. People are here one day and gone the next. We see that every day in our line of work. No one knows how much time he or she has left. You have to make the most out of what you're given."

"You're right." She closed her eyes and let the sound of his heart beat lull her into a calm state. "Be gentle."

"Always."