Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Simon sighed in frustration. The day had been long, and it wasn’t done yet…all he wanted to do was leave the office and head to Atlee’s place.
The last month had been the happiest in his life. Spending time with Atlee, getting to know her, meeting her daughter over the New Year…it was all amazing. Life-changing. The more he was around Atlee, the more he wanted to be around her.
She was hardworking, funny, kind, and he’d never felt more comfortable around a woman.
He loved her. He could admit that…but hadn’t yet told Atlee.
He’d already kind of asked her to marry him and told her that he wanted her to move in, and thankfully she seemed on board with everything he’d said, but saying the words might change things.
But he knew deep in his bones that she was the woman he’d waited for his whole life.
He’d never felt the need to get married. Hadn’t even settled into any long-term relationships because he’d known none of the women he’d dated in the past were “the one.”
But Atlee was.
He liked everything about her. Even when she got stressed, she didn’t take her feelings out on him.
In fact, she was inclined to internalize.
Her brow furrowed, and she got little lines around her pursed lips.
But when he coaxed her to talk about what was bothering her, those lines smoothed out, and nothing made Simon feel better than knowing he could soothe his woman.
And she did the same for him. When he had a hard day at work, she was there, making him dinner, listening to him bitch about people’s lack of common sense and of their penchant for breaking the law. By the time he left her house, or she left his, he always felt better.
They hadn’t spent the night together since their stay at the hotel a month ago.
Simon wanted to, but he was also enjoying wooing Atlee.
He had a feeling she’d never been pampered before.
Hadn’t been treated like the special woman she was.
He liked bringing her flowers, working alongside her at the food pantry when he could, and seeing her face light up when he told her the officers at the police department had all gotten together to donate a good chunk of change to the pantry.
She was the kind of woman who was happier about a donation to her workplace, and thus the community, than she was with any kind of present for herself. She’d told him once that she was old enough to not want material gestures anymore. Which was exactly how Simon felt.
Suffice it to say, things between them were going better than he could have hoped. The joy on Atlee’s face when she saw him never failed to make Simon feel ten feet tall. He hoped to see that same look on her face later tonight.
But at the moment, he was stuck at work because of someone who thought it was okay to break into houses and steal things that didn’t belong to him. He knew it was a man because of the size of the footprints he’d left in the snow outside the latest victim’s house.
It was just a matter of time before someone got hurt. Previously, the homeowners had all been at work when the guy had broken in, but the most recent burglary was more concerning. It had occurred last night…and the occupants had all been at home, asleep.
Thank goodness they hadn’t woken up, because Simon hated to think what might’ve happened if they’d caught the perp red-handed.
The worst part of all of was…the person was savvy, leaving Simon with no leads.
The guy had worn gloves, of course. Put tape or something similar on the bottom of his shoes, so the tread couldn’t be distinguished.
He’d chosen houses with no cameras, and while he’d taken money, guns, and other expensive items, so far none of the stolen goods had ended up in any pawn shops.
Still, Simon had contacted stores as far away as Roanoke, giving them all lists of the stolen property so they could be on the lookout.
He was on edge. Wondering where and when the man would strike next.
And he hated that his citizens were feeling nervous.
His deputies had responded to double the number of calls about strange noises in the last few weeks.
Everyone saw the boogeyman around every bush and corner, but Simon didn’t blame them.
He was just as anxious as everyone else.
Especially because Atlee lived alone.
He wanted to ask her to move in with him, or to let him stay with her until he could catch the perp, but honestly, when he asked the woman he loved to move in, he wanted it to be because they couldn’t imagine being without each other for a minute longer than necessary.
Not because of some unknown threat that may or may not even touch either of their lives.
Simon was struggling with that last thought. He didn’t want to have any regrets when it came to Atlee. If anything happened to her…if she got hurt because he didn’t do everything in his power to keep her safe…he’d never forgive himself.
Which was why he was still in the office, going over the burglary reports, trying to find something, anything, he might’ve missed that would help him identify who was breaking into houses and causing such mayhem in his small town.
There were no patterns to the break-ins.
Sometimes they were in the early morning, other times they were in the afternoons.
And of course, there was the latest one in the middle of the night.
His deputies were working overtime and patrolling as many of the residential areas as they could, but they hadn’t seen or heard anything out of the ordinary.
The truth was, whoever was committing these acts was smart…or lucky. Eventually he’d screw up, but Simon didn’t want to wait until he possibly hurt someone before catching him.
A nagging feeling deep down told him something bad was coming.
Simon didn’t like it. Not one bit. But there wasn’t anything he could do other than what he was already.
Working hard to find evidence, no matter how small, that would lead to the arrest of the person violating the citizens of Fallport’s safety and security.
He was frowning down at the latest break-in report when a sound had his head lifting.
Happiness filled him at seeing Atlee standing in the doorway to his office.
The fruity smell he would always associate with her filled the room, making him feel almost light-headed…
and making his cock lengthen in his jeans.
One whiff of that lotion she liked to use was better than any blue pill.
He wanted to thrust himself deep inside her body while his nose was buried in the crook of her neck, filling his very being with her scent as he took her.
She had a bag in her hand, and she gave him a small smile. “Is this a bad time?” she asked quietly.
“It’s never a bad time to see you,” he told her honestly.
Hell, Simon could be in the middle of interrogating a perp and he’d still leave the interview unfinished if it meant seeing her, making sure she was all right.
He wasn’t proud to admit that, even to himself, but it was how he felt.
Eventually he wouldn’t be the chief of police anymore, but he’d be this woman’s man until the day he died.
“I brought dinner. You missed it again.”
Looking down at his watch, Simon winced. Eight o’clock. He’d had no idea it was so late. With it still being winter, and the sun setting so early, he hadn’t realized how much time had passed. “Sorry,” he told her, standing up to go to her.
“Sit,” she said with a shake of her head, as she walked toward his desk.
“And no need to be sorry. I know, and everyone in town knows, that you’re doing everything possible to catch whoever’s breaking into all the homes.
I brought a chicken pot pie from Sunny Side Up. Sandra just took them out of the oven.”
Simon inhaled, and beyond Atlee’s fruity scent, he could smell the delicious chicken and crust and spices that was Sandra’s famous chicken pot pie.
His stomach growled. He’d skipped lunch, had shoved a protein bar down his gullet right before he met with Chad, one of his deputies, to go over in minute detail everything he’d observed when he’d first gotten to the scene of last night’s break-in.
“Have you eaten?” he asked.
She wrinkled her nose. “Sorry, but yes.”
“Don’t be sorry about that,” he ordered. “And never wait on me if you’re hungry. Me working too long shouldn’t be a reason for you to go without. Tell me about your day while I eat?”
He loved how enthusiastic Atlee was about her job.
She genuinely loved what she did and it came across in every word.
As he ate, her eyes sparkled as she told him about the generous donation the food bank had received from Whip Johansen, of all people.
He was the owner of The Cellar, the local pool hall, and resident asshole of Fallport.
Simon was aware that Whip had recently met a woman of his own, and even though he was amazed that anyone could put up with the surly man, she seemed to be smoothing out his rough edges.
The food was delicious, and he ate faster than he would’ve liked, simply because he was so hungry.
As he finished, it hit him—what the heck was he doing?
Why was he at the office, eating at his desk, when he could’ve spent the evening with Atlee?
True, there was someone out there terrorizing his town, but there would always be something happening in Fallport.
He hired the best deputies he could find… he needed to delegate more.
He’d never shirk his duties, and when the shit hit the fan, he’d be the first one on scene to help out and protect his fellow Fallportians.
But as Atlee told him about her day, and about the discussion with her daughter that she’d had earlier, Simon realized he had something far more important than work to concentrate on now.
He no longer needed to stay at the office until the wee hours of the night, simply to pass the time.