She nodded, but he could tell she was struggling with the idea of putting on a smile when her heart was aching from what that piece of shit Monroe had done. He could only hope the bastard had finally slipped up and they’d manage to get some fingerprints from the letter or the photos that would allow them to at least bring harassment charges against him.
“I’ll let you finish getting ready,” he said, smoothing his hands up and down her arms. He gave her a brief kiss, then went back into the hall to gather up the letter and photos. He found a gallon-sized storage bag in her kitchen pantry and slipped the evidence inside, then made a brief call to his brother.
It went to voice mail, so he gave him a quick summary of what had been left for Elle and let him know he’d be dropping it off at the department for the folks there to check for fingerprints.
He’d just hung up when Elle came out of her bedroom.
She’d pulled her curls up into some kind of configuration at the crown of her head, but a few had escaped to frame her face and tickle her neck. He hadn’t thought she could be more breathtaking than when he’d first seen her in that sundress, but damned if she didn’t look even more stunning now.
She gave him a cautious look. “Gabe? What’s wrong?”
He shook his head a little, trying to get his shit back together. “Nothing. I’m good.”
But he knew that was a lie. He was far from good. He was in love with Elle. He knew he cared about her, admired her, lusted after her with a need that, instead of being satiated, was even greater now that he’d made love to her. But in that moment, he realized without a doubt that he was absolutely and completely in love with her, and no other woman would ever fill his heart the way she did.
Chapter 17
Gabe was pale as they pulled up to Jessica Andrews’s house. He’d been fine on the way to the sheriff’s department to drop off the baggie containing the article and photos. But his mood had rapidly darkened when they’d left there to head to Jessica’s. And he kept shifting in his seat, sending sidelong glances her way.
Maybe he was just nervous about seeing his best friend’s widow after so many months. She’d called to let Jessica know that Gabe wanted to come with her, but she’d gotten Jessica’s voice mail and so had had to leave a message asking Jess to call if she would prefer Gabe just drop Elle off.
Of course, his fidgeting could have something to do with the questions they might get showing up together. Maybe he wasn’t ready to go public. After all, their sparring over the years had hardly gone unnoticed.
Well, hell. Now she was nervous.
Trying to divert his attention, she took a deep breath and announced, “So Aunt Charlotte is pressing me to take a job offer that came my way recently from the women’s center where I volunteer.”
Based on his startled look, her announcement had had the desired effect. “What? What job? You’re thinking of leaving the county?”
“I’ve turned down the offer,” she told him. “But they’ve asked me reconsider. And Charlotte’s just worried after the shooting. She’d feel better if I wasn’t with the prosecutor’s office anymore.”
Gabe sent a sidelong glance her way. “Okay…and?”
“And what?”
His brows came together in a frown. “And what are your thoughts?”
She hardly knew anymore. The more she’d thought about the offer, the more appealing it became. She loved the volunteer work she did. And her aunt had been right—helping women and children to put their lives back together made her feel like she was making a difference. There were times when she was working on a case that she couldn’t help but wonder if she was prosecuting someone who was innocent of the crimes with which he’d been charged. And there were times when she knew without a doubt that someone was guilty but couldn’t do a damned thing about it.
Not that her volunteer work didn’t come with frustrations. Too many women she worked with went back to abusive spouses or came in again later, after getting involved with yet another bad relationship. But the success stories…well, they made all the frustrations worth it.
“I’m considering it,” she admitted.
Gabe took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Elle, you can’t let this bullshit with Monroe scare you away from doing something you love. I know how much your job means to you. I could tell even before you told me about why you chose to go into law.”
“I was so lost after my family was killed,” she admitted. “It was the most horrible time in my life. And if I hadn’t had Charlotte to help me through it, I hate to think what would’ve become of me. A lot of the women who come into the foundation don’t have anyone like Charlotte to turn to. I can help these people, Gabe. I wouldn’t be abandoning my promise to my family—I’d just be narrowing my focus.”
He reached over and took her hand, bringing it to his lips. “I’d certainly miss seeing you in action at the courthouse,” he said with a wink. “You’re sexy as hell when you’re arguing. Sometimes I just provoked you to see you get mad.”
She laughed. “You’re joking!”