The Defendant (9 page)

Chase shrugged. “It’s a small town. Plus, I dropped by your office. Doctor Wheeler imparted the information that you swim most mornings of the week.” He scowled and Josie wondered what had soured his mood. It certainly wasn’t like he didn’t know how much she loved the pool. She’d been swimming all her life.

“How did you come to be sharing office space with him, anyway?”

His disgruntled question registered and all of a sudden she understood the origin of his frown. Chase was jealous of Rohan Wheeler.

In his late twenties, the doctor was not only good-looking, charming and funny, but according to Moira, he was also entirely available.

Josie had noticed Rohan’s interest, but so far, she hadn’t done anything to encourage it. She’d relocated to Watervale to take stock of her life, to spend time with her parents and to find contentment in her career. She had no intention of rushing into a relationship with the town’s most eligible bachelor, no matter how much her body urged her to break her self-imposed man drought.

At the reminder of how long it had been since she’d had sex, Josie bit back a sigh. The fact that her intimate encounters with men had been few and far between since she’d graduated from high school had everything to do with the male specimen who stood above her, his eyes hidden behind a sexy pair of aviator sunglasses.

Concealed behind her goggles, Josie suddenly realized she had the same advantage. She could look her fill like she wanted to and not be concerned he would know. The mirrored goggles were a perfect match for his sunglasses and she bit back a mischievous smile and let her gaze drink him in.

Until her return to Watervale, she’d never seen him in a business suit. His visits from the Academy had been on weekend furloughs and he’d mostly favored casual clothes. Of course, she’d seen him naked and the memory had been burned into her brain. He hadn’t felt the need to cover up, like she had, and despite the dim light, there was no mistaking the honed planes of his hairless chest, the flat belly taut with muscle, the length and power in his muscular legs, covered in fine, soft hair.

Her heart beat faster at the memory of what had come after and needs long denied overwhelmed her. Despite the cool water, she burned from the inside out and only Chase could put out the fire. Knowing that the thought of her with Rohan had sparked his jealousy, her heart lurched with a sudden burst of hope.

Perhaps he cared for her more than he was willing to admit? No one got jealous over someone they didn’t have feelings for. Could it be possible that he wasn’t as immune to her as she thought?

The idea sent a surge of excitement running through her and then she remembered the way he’d dumped her and some of her keen anticipation died away. She’d believed all this and more a decade ago—and where had that gotten her? Lonely and alone and broken hearted.

It wasn’t like she’d forgiven him… But maybe, maybe the hurt she’d carried around for so long was easing and now that he was here, back in her life, they could talk things through and work things out and somehow, some way, make it happen.

“Are you finished in there?” Chase pulled off his sunglasses and a single dark eyebrow was raised in query. A curious smile played upon his face.

Josie’s lips tugged upwards in answer and all of a sudden, she felt better than she had in a long, long time.

“Afraid I’ll turn into a wrinkled, old prune?” she quipped and then followed it through with a wink.

She heaved herself from the pool and strode passed him, feeling his gaze on her every step of the way. She pulled off her goggles and tugged off her cap and then collected her towel from where she’d left it. Wrapping it around herself, she flicked her wet hair out of her eyes and squeezed out the excess water from her ponytail. At last, she stole another glance at him.

He stared at her, his eyes burning with an intensity that did funny things to her tummy.

“Who cares about old and wrinkled? You’ll always be beautiful to me.”

His words caressed her. Heat surged throughout her body and she flushed, feeling naked beneath his gaze. She secured the towel tighter around her, grateful she hadn’t chosen a bikini. He hadn’t seen her this close to naked since high school and even then, she’d had the protection of the night. When they’d made love the sky had been lit with nothing more than the faint illumination of the moon.

It had been the first time for both of them and it had only happened once. She’d never felt more beautiful than when he slipped her graduation dress off her shoulders and trailed kisses all over her skin.

He’d kissed every inch of her, loving her with his mouth. When at last he slowly entered her, she’d gasped at the wonder of it and the feel of him deep inside her. She’d breathed through the pain and had enjoyed each exquisite sensation, under the canopy of stars.

Every moment had been perfect, to savor and cherish and wonder at, over and over again—except it hadn’t turned out that way. He’d taken her home amid murmured words of love and tender kisses and promises to see her again the next day.

But, he hadn’t called, hadn’t texted, hadn’t tried to contact her at all. A week later, she found out through mutual friends he’d returned to Goulburn. She didn’t hear from him again.

* * *

Chase watched the emotions come and go across Josie’s beautiful face and guessed she was also reliving their past. He forced himself to remain unmoved, but it was difficult, especially when the shadows of sadness in her eyes tore him apart. She didn’t know why he’d abandoned her and the guilt would stay with him all his life.

So what if she was better off without him?
So what if he’d broken off their relationship for her?
The problem was plain and simple and had been for more than ten years: He could no longer offer her what she wanted most. No matter how he wished things were different.

He’d love her with his dying breath, but he couldn’t let her see his true feelings, ones he’d worked so hard to mask for such a long time. What was the point in telling her how he felt and possibly reigniting all that they’d had when it wouldn’t make any difference? It had been hard enough to turn his back on her the first time. He’d never have the strength to do it again.

So, he cleared his throat and ignored his pain and focused on his job. To maintain the distance between them was for the best, for both of them.

“I was wondering how the Logan case is progressing and if you’ve started the report?”

The shadows in Josie’s eyes were gradually replaced with steel. Chase bit down on a stab of regret.

“I’ve met with him three times already and I’m meeting with him again this afternoon. Don’t worry, I’ll have my report to you in plenty of time.”

“What are your initial impressions? Are the charges going to stick?”

Her eyes narrowed and he cursed silently, wishing he’d used more tact.
What was it about her that made him lose his mind?
He couldn’t think straight around her. He never had.

“I’d rather not say at this point in time. I’ll wait until after I speak with him again. He’s a young boy, terrified out of his wits. His family’s falling apart. I’m going to give him all the time he needs to speak and give me what I need. Whether the charges stick or not is of no consequence to me. My job is to determine the truth of his state of mind and his capacity to know right from wrong.”

Chase flushed under her anger. “I wasn’t implying you’d be influenced one way or the other. If I didn’t believe in your professionalism and your ability to do the job, I’d never have recommended you to the prosecutor.”

Josie continued to glare at him. “Good. As long as we understand each other.”

“Good,” Chase nodded, hating the childish attitude that had crept into his voice.

Josie turned away from him and began to gather her things into a brightly striped canvas swimming bag. She dropped her towel on a nearby bench and tugged a short cotton dress over her swimsuit. He tried not to notice her long, tanned limbs or the way her lithe muscles flexed when she moved.

The dress was a pale blue that set off her eyes and hugged the curves of her breasts. Not that he needed to be reminded of how they looked. They’d been amply displayed in her swimsuit. He was sure she hadn’t meant the modest one piece to be so alluring, but the fact was, she could have been wearing a chaff bag and he would have noticed.

Blood rushed back to his groin and his cock hardened. He cursed under his breath, hoping she wouldn’t notice. He was grateful for the suit pants that went a long way to concealing his desire. It wouldn’t be fair for her to get the wrong impression. He should be showing more restraint and doing everything he could to show her they were over, not having bursts of jealousy or having his body react like a teenager’s whenever he saw her. And what was that stupid comment he’d made about her always being beautiful?

So what if all of it was true?
He’d vowed every night since he’d met her at the station to make sure she understood they were over, in case she held any illusions to the contrary. There was no future for them. There hadn’t been a decade ago and nothing had changed in the years since. He had to make sure she knew it.

An idea formed in his mind. It was so awful he could barely contemplate it and yet, it made perfect sense. It would be just the thing to convince her they were never going to be a couple again. The more he thought about it, the more he knew if he managed to pull it off, it would be the end of them.

Deep sadness and regret filled his gut and tightened his chest until he had to gasp for a breath. He had to do it. It was the only way. He prayed for the courage to see it through. Forcing a smile, he cleared his throat and hoped she didn’t notice the strain.

“What are you doing later, Josie? Perhaps we could catch a drink at The Bullet?”

Her eyebrows flew up in surprise and he could understand her confusion. One minute he was hot and the next he was frozen. He had to stop this waffling, this inner weakness, while he still could. The Bullet would give him the perfect venue and opportunity.

“I-I guess so. My last patient’s at five-thirty. How about I meet you around seven? That will give me enough time to go home and change. I need a shower after a day in the clinic.”

His thoughts flew to her wet and naked and soapy and his jaw tensed on a groan. Scrambling around for something to distract him, he said the first thing that came into his mind. “Where are you staying?”

“I took a short term lease on the old Holloway place, out on Whiskey Creek Road.”

“So you’re not in town?”

“No. After living in Brisbane for the last decade, I can certainly handle the daily commute. Ten minutes feels like nothing. Besides, I like the serenity of the countryside. My nearest neighbor is more than four miles away.”

“You must have a good view of the mountains up there?”

“Yes, it’s spectacular from my bedroom window.”

As if only just becoming aware of what she said, Josie averted her face, but not before he caught the crimson blush as it spread across her cheeks. His heart turned over, even as another rush of blood went straight to his groin.

Knowing what he planned for later, his body’s reaction sent a burst of self-disgust flooding through his veins. He intended to carry out a plan that would devastate the woman he loved. He had no right wanting her.

But wants and needs were distinct and separate things and the two of them often didn’t coincide. He wanted nothing more than to have Josie in his life; what he
needed
was to set her free, once and for all. Though his plan would paint him a prick of the highest order, he was doing this for her.

* * *

Kelly Logan heard her husband’s heavy tread in the hall, heading in her direction and pulled the blanket up over her head. The sun was way up in the sky and yet she still hadn’t been able to bring herself to climb out of bed. The energy it took to dress and prepare herself to face yet another day was beyond her. Not even for her family could she find the strength required to make the effort to look like she cared.

The phone on her nightstand peeled shrilly in the stillness and she snatched at the receiver: Anything to avoid having to make conversation with Trevor. It had been nearly a month and he still couldn’t bring himself to look at her.

“Hello?”

“Is that Mrs Logan?”

“Yes,” she answered, her voice low and cautious. Ever since the assault, she’d been bombarded with calls from the media. It was a sad indicator of the deterioration of her relationship with her husband that she’d rather risk speaking with a journalist than talk to the man she’d been married to nearly half of her life.

“It’s Phoebe Jamison. I’m a psychologist at Grafton Base Hospital. I’m also a friend of Josie Munro’s.”

“Yes. I remember. She told me she’d call you.”

“She did and I apologize that it’s taken me awhile to get back to you. We have an enormous backlog of patients needing our services.”

“It’s fine,” Kelly muttered, wanting nothing more than to end the call.

“Josie asked me to look into what counseling options might be available to you,” the woman continued. “Unfortunately, there are no government funded face-to-face counseling services available, but she told me a little about your circumstances and I…I’d like to help your family, free of charge.”