To Protect and Serve (17 page)

             
“Hell if I know, Sweetie.  That’s all he said.”  Bill was almost as determined to find out as his wife was.

             
“Bring him home for dinner tonight.  I’ll find out.”  Patty assured her husband.

             
“Okay.”  Bill gave her a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the lower one and left the house whistling.  Patty smiled and closed the door behind him.  Boy, for being married so long, they still enjoyed each other.  Bill was the first man she’d ever made love to, and gods willing, the last.

             
Patty went into the kitchen and looking through her freezer and cupboards, decided they’d grill steaks for dinner.  Add a tossed spinach salad, garlic bread and a “Death By Chocolate” cake for dessert, and Doug wouldn’t be able to withstand any of her questions.

             
Now Bill was sitting next to Doug in the ready room and told him that Patty was expecting him for dinner that night.

             
To Bill’s surprise, Doug readily accepted.

             
“Well, good!  Be at the house by 9:00.  We’re eating late tonight.”

             
“Count on it.”  Doug put on his cap and sunglasses and headed for his unit.

             
While cruising around his assigned section, Doug’s thoughts kept coming back to Nancy and last Friday night.

             
This was becoming more than just an infatuation and Doug knew it.  Although he’d dated some of the most beautiful women in Orange County, he’d never felt so many different feelings for one woman in his whole life.  He felt protective, tender, happy, charmed, and above all whenever he was within 10 feet of her, his hands itched to touch her.  Doug thought he was starting to understand part of Nancy’s appeal.  She didn’t wear blatantly sexy clothes.  She didn’t walk into a room expecting all the men to turn and look at her.  Instead, her attention was on him; and when she looked at him with those wide green eyes she made him feel like he could accomplish anything in the whole world.  Her soft, curvy body was made to fit in his arms.  And she smelled so good!  Other women he’d dated had worn expensive perfume and he was sure they’d gone to spas once or twice a week.  Yet here was Nancy with her work-roughened hands and auburn hair with strands of silver starting

to come in at the crown of her head.  Doug smiled to himself as he wondered if Nancy even knew the strands were there.  He found he was more attracted to Nancy than he’d been to anyone else he’d ever known.

              Her good heart was also a major part of the attraction.  She easily saw the best in others.  There were few people that Doug had found in the world who didn’t criticize others.  Nancy was one of those few people.  That didn’t mean she couldn’t hold her own when it came to her kids.  She just didn’t stick up for herself the way Doug thought she

deserved.  That was all right.  He was here now to do it for her.  And hopefully in return, she’d save him from a lonely existence.

              Doug smiled as he pictured Nancy and himself sitting side by side on a front porch somewhere, with a dozen grandkids running around.  Her face would still be showing her emotions and lighting up her eyes, just as they did now.  Nice picture.

CHAPTER 15

              “Ms. Adams.  Could I see you a moment, please?”  The principal, Victoria stuck her head into Nancy’s classroom about three minutes before the final bell that Monday.

             
“Certainly, Mrs. Newman.  Coming.”  Nancy got up from her desk and told her students to finish cleaning up and she’d be right back.

             
She stepped out into the hall and was accosted by a tropical rainforest.  Actually it was a very large bouquet which must have cost a small fortune!

             
Nancy just stared with her mouth hanging open.

             
“It’s for you, Nancy!”  Mrs. Newman was smiling while the school secretary held the bouquet.

             
“Why, thank you!  Whatever for?”  Nancy accepted the bouquet in the gorgeous green vase.

             
“You’ll have to read the card to find out, I suppose.  They just arrived and we’re all dying to find out who they’re from!”  The principal and her secretary stood there waiting for Nancy to do just that.

             
“Oh!  I thought they were from you.”  Nancy said embarrassed.

             
“Will you open the card for pity’s sake?”  The school secretary was not big on patience.

             
They followed Nancy into her classroom and waited as she put the bouquet on her desk while her students oo’ed and aw’ed.

             
A slight smile started to form on her mouth as she opened the card.

             
The card was hand printed in block letters, like a cop would use on a report sheet. 

             
You take my breath away.

             
That’s all it said.  No salutation, no signature.

             
Nancy had trouble catching HER breath.  She handed the card to Mrs. Newman.  The principal read the card, blushed and handed it to the secretary, who in turn read it and also got red.

             
“Who’s it from, Ms. Adams?”  Tess called out from the back of the room where she was helping clean up.

             
“There’s no signature,” Nancy replied.

             
“Hm-m-m.  Must be that police officer.”  Tess winked at Nancy just as the bell rang for the end of the day.

             
“Which police officer?” Mrs. Newman asked as the students piled out of the room.

             
“That one.”  Tess pointed at the door where Doug stood in all his uniformed splendor amid a sea of exiting backs.

             
Nancy smiled into Doug’s eyes and he smiled back at her across the room.

             
You could have cut through the heat radiating between them.  Tess, Mrs. Newman and the school secretary all mumbled something about “nice flowers” and “good-bye” as they left the room past Doug.

              He stayed at the doorway, even after the door had closed behind him.  Nancy stayed next to her desk holding the card from the bouquet.

             
They smiled at each other across the room, and Doug started to walk slowly towards her.

             
“I sure hope these are from you, or I’m in trouble with the science teacher,” Nancy teased.

             
“What science teacher?”  Doug pretended to glower.

             
“You know.  The short bald one who’s been asking me out.”  Nancy’s smile got wider.

             
“Well, I’ll just have to have a word with him, then.  Sending flowers to my girl.”  Doug stopped walking.  “You are my girl, right?”

             
Nancy started walking towards Doug.  “Yep.  There’s something about a man wearing Kevlar that I just can’t resist.”  Nancy said as she moved close and put her palms against Doug’s chest.

             
Doug looked down at her hands and sighed, “I am wearing entirely too much clothing right now.”

             
“Not at all,” Nancy breathed.  “You feel great.”  Nancy flexed her fingers.

             
Just then Doug snaked an arm out and pinned Nancy up against his chest.  “You realize, Ma’am, you’re taking the law into your own hands here.”

             
Nancy groaned and leaned her forehead against Doug’s body armor.  “That was terrible, Saunders.”  She looked back up and smiled into his face.

             
Doug started to lower his lips to hers but she stepped back while putting both arms out straight with her hands flat against his chest.

             
“Huh-uh!  No monkey business in my classroom.  A student could walk in at any moment!”

             
Doug was reaching for her again with a grin on his lips when his radio crackled.  “Excuse me a second,” he smiled at Nancy, holding her eyes with his, while he reached up to his left lapel to speak into the mike.

             
“Saunders, here.  Go ahead.”

             
The radio squawked again and Doug’s face frowned.

             
“Say, again?”

             
Once again the radio cracked and squeaked and Nancy heard something that sounded like “domestic in progress.”

             
“Ten-four.  On my way.”

             
“I’m sorry.  I’ve got to go.”  Doug leaned down and gave Nancy a quick husband-like kiss.  “I’ll call you later.”

             
“Okay,” Nancy replied to the closing door of her classroom.  She hoped the call wasn’t anything terrible.

             
That evening, Nancy fretted a bit, since she hadn’t heard from Doug and had actually assumed she’d be seeing him.  She’d taken the time for a luxurious bubble bath and had attended to her personal grooming beyond the usual.  She’d even painted her toenails with the soft Angel Hair pink that Kate had used on her nails earlier that week.

             
But by the time 11:00 pm rolled around, she decided that she should just go to bed.  Nancy walked into the kitchen to make sure everything was turned off and locked up when she looked though her window and spotted a black and white unit sitting in the driveway.

             
It was Doug!

             
She ran back to her bedroom, grabbed her robe and sailed out the front door and over to the driver’s side of the unit.

             
When Doug saw Nancy flying out the front door towards him, his heart tripped into double time.  He’d wanted to call her earlier, but hadn’t wanted to burden her with the awful afternoon he’d had.

             
Suddenly she was there next to his open window, and a soft breeze carried the slight scent of spring rain to him.  He’d come to love the way she smelled, and looked, and talked, and, well he loved just about everything about her.

             
She put a hand on his left shoulder.

             
“Doug?  Are you okay?”  Nancy’s voice sounded wonderful.

             
He cleared his throat around the obstruction that had lodged there around 4:00 pm that afternoon and hadn’t yet moved.

             
“Not really.  Do you have a minute?”

             
“Of course!  Do you want to come in?”

             
“No.  I’d rather stay in the car.  Come around to the other side and I’ll let you in there.”

             
Nancy walked around to the passenger side of the car while Doug leaned across and pushed open the door for her.

             
She slid into the seat, adjusted her robe around her, looked over at Doug and waited.  She knew he’d tell her what had happened without any prompting from her.

             
God!  He loved that about her.  Her calmness.  Her utter calmness and patience.  He hadn’t planned on burdening her with the day’s events, but he truly felt the need to express his feelings to someone.