Chapter Four

The Lady is with Me

She had rehearsal Friday night before the Saturday evening wedding. So Woody was left to himself to pack and get ready to leave on Saturday morning. "Kim's going all out for this second wedding," Jordan had told him, grimacing at the wedding itinerary she went over with him before she left on Friday. "Bring casual clothes for Saturday morning and lunch…and I'm afraid the wedding is black-tie. Will that cause a problem?"

"Nah…I have a tux in my closet, Cavanaugh."

Jordan gave him a startled expression. "Please tell me it's not the frilly one left over from high school prom…"

Woody grinned. "It's not. It's very sophisticated…I'll do you proud, Jordan. Don't worry. But Woody had caught her biting her bottom lip. She was worried…not so much about the wedding as she was about how they were going to portray their relationship.

She was very clear with him…"Dance with me, but not all the time…sit with me…but it's okay to talk to other women. I've told Kim that our relationship was casual and we didn't want to mess it up by getting too serious."

"So it's a casually serious relationship?" he asked with a smirk.

"Something like that…"

"Just how am I supposed to carry that off, Jordan? Make it believable? I've never done anything like this before."

She looked just as befuddled as he was. "I don't know," she finally replied in sheer exasperation. "Just like now…only with a little more….heat…I guess," she finished somewhat lamely.

Woody looked her squarely in the eyes. "So I can kiss you this time…"

Jordan gulped and caught his gaze. She hadn't tasted his lips since the desert. Briefly she wondered if his kisses were still as sweet, then pushed the thought quickly from her mind. Of all the women in Boston, she was the last one a man like Woody needed to get involved with…she was far from his perfect, ideal woman and he was just too good for her. But she had to make their "relationship" believable to Kim. "I guess so…" she said dubiously. "Just this time…no tongue."

Woody had chuckled over her last statement the rest of the afternoon. A kiss is just a kiss… or so she thinks, he mulled as he began to pack his things for the hotel. Kim's wedding would be held at a small chapel in downtown Boston, near the hotel. Since the wedding was an evening event and the reception would go on into the wee hours of the morning, Kim had booked Jordan and Woody a hotel room for them to spend Saturday night in. "You two can get as tipsy as you want and act like bunnies until 11 o'clock on Sunday," she had teased. Halfway through the reception, Jordan was going to tell Kim that Woody was called into work and had to leave. Jordan would occupy the hotel room by herself that night.

Or so she thought. Woody was going to do everything in his power to stay there overnight with her….hopefully in the same bed.

Weddings are known to spur all kinds of romantic notions in even the sanest woman's head, Woody thought as he pulled his overnight bag off the bed and made sure his tux was hung and ready to go the next morning. Here's hoping Jordan Cavanaugh is no different.

He picked Jordan up the next morning at nine-thirty. They had to be at the hotel by ten. Kim wanted casual pictures made and a chance to greet her out of town guests. She needed Jordan for moral support…and since Woody was her escort, he was expected to be there for her. Not that he minded. Lunch would be at noon and then the girls would be whisked off to the spa for make up, manicures, and pedicures. Woody expected to spend some time at the bar, catch the BoSox game, and then go to their room to dress – alone. Jordan would dress with Kim. So after lunch, he probably wouldn't see her again until the ceremony.

"Are you ready for this?" he had asked her as they pulled up in front of the five-star hotel and he surrendered his classic car to the valet.

"You make it sound like this is my event…" she said.

"Maybe it's your rehearsal?" he asked, working hard to keep the glimmer of hope out of his voice.

"Maybe it's a bad omen," she threw back, refusing to bite at his innuendo. "Watch out…there's Kim." Jordan plastered on a fake smile and waved to her friend. Woody watched as a petite brown-haired, brown-eyed woman with an olive complexion hugged Jordan.

"You're on time," Kim said.

"Well you threatened me to within an inch of my life if I wasn't," Jordan replied, noticing that her friend's eyes were traveling over Woody, eyeing him with the same predatory skills that a NFL coach uses on college players two weeks before the draft.

"And who's this?" Kim asked, extending her hand to Woody.

"This is my…my…friend I've been telling you about," Jordan said, giving Woody the 'look' over Kim's head. "Woody Hoyt."

"Nice to finally meet you, Woody. Jordan's told me so much about you," Kim said. Then turning to Jordan she added, "He's cute…a lot cuter than you described…"

"Well, words don't do him justice," Jordan said as she watched Kim and Woody shake hands. "Um…could you tell us which room is ours? I'm sure Woody would like to make sure his tux is there and ready…"

"And your bridesmaid dress and things will be taken to my room so we can dress together…again….just like old times….Sorry, Woody, Jordan's mine until after the wedding…then she's all yours."

"Oh. Sure. Fine. I'll just meet you two at lunch…" his voice trailed off as Kim took possession of Jordan. He had a feeling it might be a long afternoon.

Lunch came and went. It was casual and Jordan was able to extract herself from Kim's grasp as long as Kim's husband-to-be was in the room. Jordan sidled over to Woody and managed to sit down beside him. "Dear God, I hope she never does this again," she commented, taking a long pull off the beer that Woody had gotten for her.

"How bad is it?" he asked.

"If I hear one more word about the dress, the ceremony…or her soon-to-be husband, I'll be sick. I love Kim to death, but there's just so much a bridesmaid can handle."

"She's just excited, Jordan. It's to be expected. You'll be the same way when you get married."

Jordan opened her mouth to rebuff that statement with her typical "It'll be a cold day in hell when…" Instead, she looked at Woody and asked, "Do you think so?"

"I'd bet good money one it. I have a feeling, Jordan, when you find the right man, heaven and hell won't be able to keep your feet on the ground …or you away from the altar."

Jordan was silent for a moment, wondering if Woody had any idea that she had already found the ideal man…only to believe that she was his less-than-ideal woman. Second best. Not what he needed. Woody took her sudden pensive mood as perhaps a degree of sadness…or maybe even regret. Impulsively he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "We have to keep up appearances," he whispered against her lips. "Kim might have noticed I didn't kiss you when you came over to my table."

The brief, sweet caress took her by surprise. "Oh," she breathed, not moving away from him. "You're right.." She kissed him back…taking Woody by surprise.

"You two do have a room," Kim said, coming up behind them, grinning from ear to ear. She had been right she had watched Jordan's expression as her best friend was describing Woody when they were out shopping. This guy was different. Special. She had never seen such a look of contentment and happiness on Jordan's face. Casual relationship, her ass. Jordan was in love…and from the looks of things, so was Woody.

"Yeah, and thanks to your scheduling, we're due at the spa for make up and nails in twenty minutes….so forget the room idea," Jordan retorted to Kim, all the time her eyes had never left Woody's.

Woody couldn't answer. Her brief kiss back and taken his breath in surprise and sent his blood pooling in an area that was suddenly giving him great discomfort.

The music was lovely…as was the flowers….and the candles. But when the wedding march started and Jordan walked down the aisle in front of Kim, Woody nearly lost it right there. Wanted to stop the whole ceremony, grab her, and make a run to the hotel room Kim had teased him about earlier.

Jordan. Was. Gorgeous.

He had always thought her beautiful. However, nothing …no one could touch her tonight. Not even Kim. Later, Woody wouldn't even be able to recall what Kim wore. Jordan, however…he would never forget. The dress…in the candle light was a deep red…nearly a burgundy. And damn, she had always looked good enough to eat when she wore red. The thought flashed through his mind that he would like to give that very thing a try…then he remembered he was in church.

It dipped low in front, lower behind…appearing not to even have a back…leaving him to wonder just how the dress was held up…and how easy it would be to get her out of it. It barely fell to her knee…her simple necklace and earrings, along with the carefully arranged hair piled on top of her head, bedecked with tiny pink and white flowers, all worked together to emphasize the fact that Jordan was a woman.

As if he needed any reminder.

Woody would never remember anything about the ceremony other than Jordan was beautiful…and Kim looked at her fiancé with such love and devotion that Woody prayed for the day he might receive the same gaze from a certain medical examiner. The ceremony was sweet, simple, and brief. When the "I do's" were said, the rings exchanged, and the vows sealed with a kiss, Woody found himself carried over with the waves of guests to the reception. Jordan remained in the church for pictures.

She came into the hotel ballroom nearly a half an hour later, right before Kim made her entrance. She looked for Woody through the crowd of people, craning her neck to see where he was at. She didn't see him anywhere. Reluctantly she made her way to the bar for a drink.

"Hey, sweetheart, what are you doin' here," asked a voice from behind her, slightly slurring his words.

"Waiting on Kim and her husband…just like you are.." she replied, not turning toward the obviously already inebriated man to her rear. She stubbornly kept her attention on the door and her drink, hoping the drunk behind her would take the hint and move on.

"Well…beautiful….and you are so beautiful in that dress…maybe we can go somewhere and wait together…"

"I don't think so…see, I'm here with somebody…"

"Sure you are…sure…" Jordan felt a heavy, sweaty hand rest on her shoulder for a moment and then slowly slide down her bare back….Jordan silently cursed Kim for her taste in clothing and was trying to decide whether to turn and deposit her cold drink on his overheated crotch or just leave when she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist.

"The lady is with me…" a voice said from her side. Somehow, someway Woody had found her. Just like he always did when she was in real trouble.

"Oh…oh…sorry, Mac. Didn't mean no harm. But if I can give you a word of advise…as a lawyer and a man…if I had a woman like that waiting on me…I'd be damned if I'd leave her alone at a bar…"

"Thanks…I'll take that into consideration…" Woody replied. Jordan could hear the note of amusement in his voice as he bent to whisper in her ear. "Sorry…some mid-life crisis mama had me cornered…trying to convince me she wasn't old enough to be my mother…"

"Was she?"

"Does it matter? I'm here with you. And only you." His mouth was so close to her face that his breath stirred the tendrils of hair escaping her up-do. She felt his lips briefly caress her cheek.

"You're carrying this pretend relationship a little far," she said, wondering if he heard the breathlessness in her own voice.

"Just helping you convince your friend you didn't lie," he chuckled, this time his arm pulling her back against his chest.

Jordan's heart beat so hard at this contact she hoped he couldn't hear it…or feel it…"Oh…you're doing a good job…"

"And you're enjoying it…Dance with me, Jordan." He stepped to the side and pulled her out on the floor, hoping to take advantage of the slow music that was playing.