Chapter 10

It was a simple, two bedroom, two bath beach house, nestled in the back of a bay. Woody could walk out the glass doors of his den and be nearly right in the water. He took Jordan's things into her bedroom and left her alone to get settled. Then he unpacked his own and set up his laptop in the den. He imagined she would do the same.

This was his place for solitude. He would come here to get away from everything. Other than Cal, Jordan was the only other visitor he had had. And he wanted to keep it that way. This was his place to come to recoup and regroup. He hoped it would not only keep Jordan safe, but allow her to heal from her bullet wounds. Then he wanted to turn her around and deliver her back to Garret and the morgue, safe and sound, and get on with his life.

He could do that. He knew he could. He was determined not to let her get under his skin again.

He heard her come out of her bedroom. Even though she had slept most of the way, she still looked fragile…she wore a sling when her shoulder hurt really badly…to keep it stabilized and pain-free. She still wore a dressing over the stitches in her side. It had taken fifteen stitches to close it. She had joked that her bikini-wearing days were now officially over and she didn't even have stretch marks yet. He had chuckled along with her…but the fact was he had never seen her in anything skimpier than that red dress she wore so long ago. The one that made the man in him stand up in howl.

"Settled in?" he asked her.

"Yeah…I think so."

"I need to run to the store and pick up a few things we need. Will you be okay by yourself?"

"Sure. I think I'll sit in here and watch the ocean, if that's okay?"

"That's fine…but Jordan, don't go anywhere…not outside…not on the beach…nowhere until I get back. We just don't know exactly what's going on…and don't answer anything but your cell phone and don't go to the door. I have a key and will let myself in."

"I won't."

"Jordan, I mean it." He knew her past history of following his orders….she simply didn't.

"I won't Woody. I promise."

She sat down on the couch, making good on her promise to behave. She curled up and looked at the waves…even though she lived in Boston, a port city, it had been a good while since she had been to the beach. The ocean had a calming effect on her unsteady nerves….and God knows they needed to be steady. They were frazzled from dealing with Eddie and Woody, and now spending the next two weeks or so, secluded with him … and feeling the emotions she thought she had buried deep for him rising to the surface again – she was going to need all of the wits and inner strength she could muster just to keep her heart together.

He had changed so much…he and Eddie both had. Both were really men now. Eddie was several years older than she was…he even had flecks of gray at his temples now. He had moved on…made a new life for himself, but was willing to leave that all behind if she would simply crook finger and bid him come back to Boston and her.

But she couldn't ask him to leave what he had to come back to Boston for something that didn't exist. She knew Eddie…had known him for years. He did care for her…and would make life sweet for her if she would allow it. And in time, she was sure she could even feel affection for the man. However, Eddie was a traditional Catholic. While he knew she would never give up her career, he would expect a family….several children. And it wasn't that Jordan didn't want children…she just didn't know if she could give him what his heart desired. It wouldn't be fair to him…to have a wife whose love he may always doubt and then be robbed of a family she knew he wanted.

Her heart, or what was left of it, still had Woody's name on it. That was what was making staying with him both heaven and hell at the same time. And of the two men, Woody had changed the most of all. Her innocent Farm Boy was gone. His face and his voice wore an edge that almost made her uncomfortable now. She had heard through the grapevine that he dated as veraciously as she abstained from the activity. He had seeming been successful in putting his past behind him…both her and Devan.

She hadn't. Despite the fact that she had hoped after he had mourned Devan, they could resume some kind of relationship, he had turned away from her…and still was. She grimaced. There were moments when it seemed he still cared…like the other day at Garret's when he woke her up…he had called her Jo and then honey. He seemed concerned…but it hadn't lasted long. He was probably as anxious as she was to get this over with and put this behind them, too. Then get on with their normal lives.

Besides, she reasoned, Woody wasn't that much different that Eddie. He was a fairly traditional Catholic, too. He would probably want children. And even if things were different, even if he still loved her, there was no guarantee now that she could carry a baby. She had never thought too much about kids…until recently when her motherhood status went into a tailspin. She didn't realize how much she may truly want them…how much they may mean….

It was better this way, she reasoned with herself. Woody was cold and distant. It was better that he stay that way and she do nothing to encourage any other type of relationship. She could and would remain professional. She could and would not allow him to toy with her affections. She could and would keep what was left of her heart intact.

That way there would be less to clean up afterwards and much less to try to explain.