Lawfully Adored (K-9 Lawkeeper Romance)

by Jenna Brandt

  How many times had Lindsay beat herself up over Rick leaving her because of her inability to have children? She had spent the last couple of years feeling flawed and broken, as if her endometriosis somehow made her inferior to other women who had functioning reproductive systems. Yet, as she sat and listened to the pastor, she realized that God wouldn’t use her despite her disease, but He would use her because of her disease to help others. The right man would see that and want to adopt with her, and they could help a child feel loved who otherwise would never have that.

  “I didn’t think this week’s message could be better than last week’s, but it seems that Pastor Steve outdid himself,” Erica stated as they made their way to the back of the church.

  “I know. It’s exactly what I needed to hear.”

  Just as they reached the double doors leading out of the sanctuary, Aiden came into view, stepping out from one of the back rows of chairs.

  Lindsay’s eyes grew round with surprise. “What are you doing here?”

  Glancing around the room, he asked, “Can we talk somewhere more private?”

  “I guess,” Lindsay agreed. Then turning to Erica, she said, “I’ll catch up with you later.”

  Aiden, with Lindsay following, moved over to a back corner of the sanctuary.

  “The sermon was good. I like your pastor and the worship is different than what we had at the church I used to go to. I like it.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. Is that why you came here? To check out my church? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you decided to come to church, but you could have gone anywhere else and it would have been less awkward.”

  Aiden shook his head. “No, I also came because I want to apologize,” Aiden began. “I made a mistake the other night when I took you to The Lucky Penny. I should’ve put more effort into the evening. You deserve better than that.”

  “Is that what you do on a typical weekend?”

  Moving towards her, he reached out and grabbed her hands. “It is . . . I mean it used to be, but not anymore. I want to do more than that and be with someone who wants more than that.” With sincerity in his eyes, he pleaded, “Are you willing to give me a second chance? I promise I won’t disappoint you again.”

  Something inside Lindsay made her want to believe Aiden. He seemed genuine and he had shown up at church after all. She found herself agreeing to his request. “Fine, I will give you one more chance; but Aiden, this is it. You won’t get a third chance.”

  “You won’t regret it,” Aiden stated with a charming grin. “Thanks for taking another chance on me.”

  Nineteen

  As Lindsay got ready for her do-over date with Aiden, she hoped the second chance she was giving him wouldn’t be wasted.

  At least she’d had a positive work week which had gone smoother than the past couple. There was a potential new family for Alex. Once the foster parents passed the final stages and were approved, Lindsay could give Alex the good news.

  Lindsay put on a dab of vanilla perfume before grabbing her black shawl to go over her fuchsia dress. She made her way downstairs and came into the living room. Erica was sitting in her usual spot on the couch, watching TV.

  “I can’t believe you’re giving that guy another chance. What kind of idiot takes a classy woman to a bar on a first date? I mean, he’s hot and all, but he doesn’t seem to have a lot going on between the ears.”

  Lindsay surprised herself by clamoring to Aiden’s defense. “No argument, he made a mistake in where he took me, but he was rather articulate in the conversation we did have.”

  “I hope you don’t regret your decision,” Erica warned.

  A moment later, the doorbell rang, prompting Lindsay to make her way over to the front of the apartment. On the other side of the door was Aiden wearing a pair of black slacks and a blue button-up shirt. In his hands was a bouquet of red roses which he offered to her. “Good evening, Lindsay. These are for you.”

  Taking the flowers from him, she let her face drift down to them and inhaled the sweet scent. “Thank you. Give me a moment while I hand these off to Erica.”

  Turning around, she walked over to the couch and gave the flowers to her roommate. “Do you mind putting these in water for me?”

  Erica’s eyebrows arched in a pleased expression. “Sure.” Lowering her voice, she added, “Score one for Officer O’Connell.”

  Lindsay nodded with a smile. “I know, right?”

  “You ready to go?” Aiden asked when she returned to the door.

  With a nod, she let Aiden take her arm and guide her over to the car. He opened the passenger door for her and helped her inside. It was a welcome change from their first date.

  Once he joined her inside the Mustang, Aiden smiled over at her. “You look really pretty in that dress.”

  “Thank you,” Lindsay said. “You look nice as well. I like seeing you dressed up like that.”

  He gave her a playful smirk. “I don’t do it often since I prefer wearing jeans and a t-shirt on my days off, but you’re worth it.”

  Taking the compliment, Lindsay replied, “Well, I appreciate the effort.”

  As Aiden drove, Lindsay noticed the familiar buildings of downtown start to dot the streets. She stiffened as they turned down Third Street where The Lucky Penny was located. He wouldn’t be audacious enough to try to take her there again, would he?

  Just as she started to form the question, they passed the bar and continued on down the road. Lindsay relaxed in the leather seat.

  Aiden made a left turn onto “H” Street and after two blocks, pulled into a parking spot in front of Domenico’s Italian Restaurant.

  “I love this place,” Lindsay said with a smile. “Italian food is my favorite.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Aiden said as he put the car into park and turned the engine off. He jumped out of the driver’s seat and made his way around to her. Opening her door, he helped her out, then placed her hand in the crook of his arm.

  When they entered the restaurant, the owner, Domenico De Luca, rushed up to their sides with a huge grin on his face.

  “Good evening, Officer O’Connell. I have your table right this way.”

  One of Lindsay’s eyebrows arched up in surprise at the owner’s reaction. She had been coming here with her parents since she was a child, but never received such a reaction from Mr. De Luca.

  The table was set gorgeously, with glistening white china and gleaming silverware standing out nicely against the black tablecloth. In the center of the table was another vase of roses and tall candelabras on either side. Lindsay glanced around the room and noticed that none of the other tables had such elaborate decor.

  Once they were seated, Mr. De Luca handed them each a menu and returned momentarily with a bottle of wine. He poured them each a glass and gave them a wink. “It’s on the house,” he informed them before turning around and scurrying off towards the kitchen.

  “Do you drink?” Aiden inquired.

  “I don’t normally consume alcohol, but since Mr. De Luca gave the wine as a gift, I’ll have a glass.” Lifting the drink to her mouth, she took a sip. “I’m curious, you have to tell me why Mr. De Luca is treating you like you’re a celebrity.”

  “I got a call-out for a disturbing the peace complaint regarding a customer who was causing a scene over a mistake on a to-go order. I diffused the situation, calming down the customer while keeping the fight from escalating. Mr. De Luca was so grateful with how I handled the scenario, he told me to come back any time and he would make my dinner extra special.” A sheepish grin formed on Aiden’s mouth as he added, “I didn’t have a reason to take him up on his offer until now.”

  Lindsay was pleased to hear that Aiden cared about the citizens he helped while he was working, and that in return, they appreciated his service. It was a testament to his character to have a man like Mr. De Luca approve of him. “I can tell you must have made quite an impression for him to go to all this trouble.”

  A few mom
ents later, the restaurant owner placed a bruschetta platter in front of them. “Enjoy,” he said with another wink and then disappeared again.

  Before they began, Lindsay reached out and took Aiden’s hand in her own. “Can we pray before we start eating?”

  With a nod, he gripped her hand, and then bowed his head.

  “Dear Lord, thank you for this day,” Lindsay began. “I pray you bless our time together as well as this food to our bodies. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.”

  Lindsay opened her eyes and looked across the table at Aiden. He didn’t seem at all uncomfortable with her request, but rather at peace with it. He not only seemed to accept her faith but looked as if he was starting to find a measure of his own again.

  Twenty

  Aiden glanced down at Lindsay’s hand in his own. A warm sensation shot up his arm. She wasn’t pulling away. That was a good sign, wasn’t it?

  As Lindsay took another sip of the wine, he let himself take in her good looks. She really was a breathtakingly beautiful woman with her long blond hair and gorgeous green eyes. It would be easy to get lost in their mesmerizing depths.

  “I’m sure Cooper is missing you tonight.”

  Aiden chuckled. “Probably not too much. He has Harley keeping him company. Zach is dog-sitting at my place while I’m out.”

  Mr. De Luca returned and took their order for the main course. Lindsay ordered the lasagna and Aiden the calzone.

  “It’s nice to be able to order my own meal,” Lindsay said with a chuckle.

  Aiden’s eyebrows furrowed together. “Who would order for another person?”

  With a heavy sigh, Lindsay replied, “You’d be surprised. Erica signed me up on one of those dating sites, and the first ‘match’ I went on a date with did just that.”

  “No way,” Aiden said in disbelief. “Seriously?”

  “As sure as I’m sitting right here, and his follow-up for when I tried to place my order was to tell me I didn’t need to diet.”

  “Wow, there are definitely some weirdos out there. I can’t believe he had the nerve to say that to you.”

  Lindsay shook her head. “It’s probably one of the reasons I reacted so harshly to our first date. I was tired of going out on bad ones.”

  “Again, I’m so sorry for that.” Squeezing her hand, he stated tentatively, “I hope I’m making up for it tonight.”

  “You certainly are,” Lindsay said with an alluring smile.

  In that moment, Aiden knew he wanted to keep that smile on her face no matter what it took.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask you, how is Alex doing?”

  Lindsay pinched her lips together as tears formed in the corner of her eyes. “Not great. He won’t tell anyone what happened, but he got a black eye at the shelter group home. I’m doing everything I can to get him out of there, but it’s been frustrating. At least I just found out there’s a potential new family being approved to foster, and I have Alex lined up to be their first kid.”

  “I hope it works out,” Aiden stated. “He’s a good kid and deserves to be in a happy home. Tell him ‘hi’ from me the next time you see him.”

  Their food arrived a few minutes later. After a couple of bites, Aiden asked, “You mentioned earlier that you love this place. Any particular reason?”

  Although a smile remained on Lindsay’s face, a sadness crept into her eyes. “My parents used to bring me here for my birthdays.” Glancing away, she added, “At least until my mom died. Then my father didn’t feel much like celebrating anything and we stopped coming.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. If I had known it would bring up painful memories, I wouldn’t have brought you.”

  “It’s not your fault, and I loved coming here.”

  The rest of the meal passed with easy conversation until they were both finished. Mr. De Luca appeared with a plate of decadent sweets. “Can I offer you dessert?”

  Aiden looked across the table and said, “It’s up to the lady.”

  Lindsay bit her lip in an endearing manner before responding. “I really shouldn’t, but I’m a sucker for tiramisu.”

  “You heard the lady; one piece of tiramisu, please,” Aiden stated.

  With a nod, Mr. De Luca said, “Coming right up.”

  “Aren’t you going to have dessert?” Lindsay asked.

  “I’m not much of a sweets person. Now, you put a pizza in front of me, and it’s a different story.”

  Lindsay laughed, causing her nose to crinkle and her eyes to sparkle. The lilt of her laughter made Aiden’s heart fill with joy. He liked making her happy.

  The tiramisu arrived, and Lindsay gingerly took a bite. Looking up, she asked, “You’re sure you don’t want a bite? It’s delicious.”

  “There’s only one fork,” Aiden noted.

  With a shrug, Lindsay said, “That’s okay. I’m not a germaphobe. We can share.”

  If she were offering to feed him, who was he to object? “Sure, since your offering.”

  Lindsay pushed her fork through the dessert and then reached out towards Aiden. He moved forward and took the bite. Their eyes locked over the candlelit flowers before his eyes dropped to her mouth for a moment and then flickered back up to her eyes. Aiden felt a quickening in his chest as his palms started to sweat. It was all he could do to keep from leaning across the table and claiming her mouth with a kiss.

  Lindsay’s cheeks turned pink from the intimate moment and her eyes dropped to the table. She finished the rest of the dessert without either of them commenting on the exchange, yet the tension was palpable.

  Mr. De Luca arrived with a brown bag in his hand. “Here’s a little something for Cooper,” he said as he handed Aiden the to-go food before they exited the restaurant.

  Aiden took Lindsay home and walked her up to her door. “I had a great time tonight. When can I see you again?”

  She tilted her head up, letting her eyes meet his. Her long eyelashes fluttered up and down, like butterfly wings. “I’m going to be at church tomorrow. Are you planning on coming?”

  “That’s not exactly what I had in mind,” Aiden said with a chuckle, “but yes, I plan on coming to church tomorrow.”

  Her mouth turned up in a playful smile as she said, “Good. We can discuss our next date then.”

  His mouth started to descend to hers as the intoxicating scent of vanilla swirled around him. But before their lips could touch, Aiden’s cell phone rang. He looked down and saw it was dispatch.

  “I have to go,” Aiden said with disappointment. “I’m on call and work needs me.”

  “That’s alright. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

  Aiden turned and walked away from Lindsay, knowing thoughts of her were going to fight to distract him all night.

  Twenty-One

  Standing on the steps to Clear Mountain Assembly, Lindsay had to force herself not to fidget as she watched Aiden walk up the path. He looked handsome in his grey pants and black shirt.

  Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who noticed. Several women plastered on flirtatious smiles as they tried to make eye contact with him, but his eyes remained resolutely focused on Lindsay.

  His lack of reaction to the other women made Lindsay feel special. She was aware that with his smoldering good looks and attractive job, he could date most any girl he wanted. It was flattering to know she was the center of his attention.

  “Good morning, Aiden.”

  “Good morning, Lindsay.”

  “How did work go last night?” Lindsay asked.

  “It was a missing hiker, but by the time I got there, the wife called the substation and told us her husband got home. Apparently, he dropped his phone down a ravine and couldn’t make a call.”

  “Well, I’m glad to hear it turned out okay,” Lindsay stated.

  “Me too.”

  “I was thinking—even though this isn’t your first time here—you probably didn’t get much of a chance to see the place last week. You want me to give you a tour?”
r />   Aiden nodded. “That would be great.”

  Lindsay guided Aiden through the front doors of the church and into the foyer. At the front desk stood Stacy, who greeted both of them with a welcoming smile. “Good morning, Lindsay. I see you have a guest.” Then after a moment longer, her eyebrows raised up in recognition. “Wait, didn’t I see you here last week?”

  “You did, indeed,” Aiden answered with a grin. “My name’s Aiden O’Connell.”

  She clasped her hands together in excitement. “Aren’t you the police officer who has been mentioned in the newspaper several times?”

  With a nod, Aiden confirmed, “Yes, that’s me.”

  “I can’t wait to tell Pastor Steve we have a true local hero in our midst. You have to meet him after service.”

  “Stacy, that’s sweet of you to offer, but we don’t want to make Aiden uncomfortable.”

  “It’s alright. If the pastor has the time, I would enjoy meeting him.”

  Lindsay’s head snapped to the side, her eyes watching Aiden’s face to make sure she hadn’t mistaken what she’d heard. Sure enough, he seemed to be genuinely happy.

  “I’m going to show him the rest of the church before service starts, Stacy.”

  The woman nodded and let them go. Next, Lindsay took him down the children’s wing of the church which was on the left side of the building.

  “This is the nursery,” she pointed to the first room, “which is where I work on Sundays.” She continued down the hall. “This is the toddler room,” she gestured to the second door. She finished showing him the children’s church and the junior and senior high meeting rooms.

  After reaching the end, they made their way back up the hall and entered the lobby again.

  “What’s on the other side of the building?” Aiden inquired.

  “The church offices.”

  Aiden nodded. “Makes sense.”

  Lindsay glanced down at her watch and noticed it was five until nine. “Service is going to start soon. Erica said she would save us seats, so we should go find her.”