Chapter 64

The fourth day they got a Polaroid in the mail of Marla and Teresa along with Riley in a stroller shopping in the grocery store. The picture had been taken the day after they arrived, there was no note, but the message was clear…Palmer was here!

Woody's sisters had to be brought into the secret when out of the blue, all plans to take Riley off of the farm were suddenly being vetoed. He was amazed at how his sisters easily accepted the truth of Riley's conception and how instead of accusations or interrogations, they immediately jumped to anger at this threat to their nephew and new sister-in-law. All of them wanted to help catch this tormentor and see him brought to justice if they couldn't be there to inflict a beating on him themselves.

Jordan was brought to tears at Woody's sisters' easy and loving acceptance of the truth. She thanked them heartily with hugs. Woody couldn't help but notice that since Riley's birth Jordan had become a lot freer with hugs and other demonstrations of affections.

So with the new protection protocols in place for Jordan and Riley, the four girls simply spent more time at the farm. While one or two of Woody's sisters were playing and caring for the baby, the rest would be with Jordan doing whatever she was, so they could talk to her and get to know her better. Jordan was secretly glad she was nursing her son. It was about the only time she got to hold him! She was sure that if Riley had been bottle fed the four girls would have taken over that baby chore too!

Having Kim, Marla, Daphne, and Teresa there at meal time became the norm. They were always there for dinner, most of the time at lunch, and occasionally one or more of them would stay the night so they were there at breakfast too.

Because of the insular nature of the farm no stranger could be there without someone noticing. There were no more threats while they were there.

Knowing that Palmer had even been able to get close to them in Wisconsin had Jordan mildly freaked. Before their trip home she wanted to make sure Riley was as protected as possible. She didn't want him in a carrier that could be grabbed out of their hands in a crowded airport. Instead she decided to use the gift that Marla had sent with Evelyn when she had come to Boston to help when Riley was born. It was a baby snuggly, that was basically a backpack for the baby that a parent could wear either on their back on front.

Jordan planned to have Riley strapped to her chest where she would also be able to keep her arms around him. Woody was in full agreement with her on this and said he would handle Riley's diaper bag and the single carry on for the two of them. His sisters insisted on handling the luggage so they would have the minimum amount of moving around in the airport as possible.

Parting at the gate became a very emotional scene. There were tears all around, even Riley was crying, sensing the stress and sadness of those around him. Woody's mother and all of his sisters promised to visit Boston as often as they were able. Jordan was glad her husband insisted on no surprise visits! Everyone had to call and make sure it was alright to come to town.

Finally they were on the plane heading home. Jordan sighed because although she'd had a wonderful time at the farm, it was good to be going home. However, being home meant that she would soon be going back to work, leaving Riley in daycare. It was with mixed feelings she thought about Monday.

Jordan had honestly not expected to bond with this child as she had and now it was going to be very hard not to be with him during the day.

She was also afraid to let him out of her sight because the Palmer threat had still not been resolved. Lily and Garrett had met their flight so once again they could be out of the crowded situation as quickly as possible. On the ride back to their apartment Jordan mentioned her fears to their friends. She saw Lily give Garret a 'can't you do something about this?' look and with great reluctance he asked, "If I remember right, all they do at this age is eat and sleep?"

To be continued…