Page 73 of Critical Doubt

"It has everything I need. Heat in the winter and air-conditioning in the summer. I can take groups of six to eight out to fish. So, this baby pays her way." He paused. "Do you want to go out on the bay? It's a nice afternoon."

"What about our chowder?"

"We'll take it with us."

"All right." It was probably a good idea to leave the stateroom alone. It was a little too intimate. It would be better if they were up on deck, with the fresh air blowing against their faces.

As they moved through the galley, Ryker grabbed a couple of spoons from a drawer, and then led her upstairs.

She helped Ryker ready the boat and then stood next to him as he motored out of the harbor.

They passed a few boats heading in for the day. One of the skippers gave Ryker a wave. He might have isolated himself, but wasn't completely alone, and she thought that was a good thing.

"Ready to eat?" he asked, when they got out onto the bay.

"I thought you'd never ask." She handed Ryker his soup and then took the seat next to him as she opened her container.

The soup not only smelled wonderful, it tasted heavenly. "Okay, I know why they call it Chowder Heaven," she said.

He laughed. "It's Lois's grandmother's secret recipe," he said, as he put a spoonful of chowder in his mouth.

"It's the best chowder I've ever had. Or maybe it just tastes better out here on the water."

"Everything is better on the water."

She smiled as the wind lifted his thick brown waves and the sun brought a warmth to his face. He caught her gaze and her stomach fluttered. So, she looked back at her soup and tried to ignore the desire building within her.

They finished eating in silence, the quiet continuing as Ryker sailed along the shoreline. She'd never been on the Chesapeake, and she loved all the inlets and coves, and the beach houses with their boat docks. She wouldn't mind having one of those homes, her own deck, her own boat.

"What about those houses?" she asked Ryker. "You could live next to the water instead of on it."

"I'm not looking for roots right now. What about you?"

"I'm also not looking for roots, but those houses sure are pretty. And I like this bay."

"Is it better than the Pacific Ocean? You said you live by the beach."

"It's not better, but it's different. There's a calmer vibe, at least to this part of the bay." She drew in a breath and let it out. She'd been wound up tight ever since she'd gotten the call from Abby about Paul's death last Thursday. It had been one thing after the next since then. And adding Ryker into the mix had completely overwhelmed her.

She could handle the investigation, the search for the truth. She just wasn't as sure she could handle the way she was feeling about him. They were getting closer by the minute, but there was nowhere to go. Their lives were in different places geographically, emotionally and in every other possible way.

She'd slept with him once before, knowing she'd never see him again, but it would be different this time. She knew his name. She knew his wounds. She knew his heart.

And he knew her. They wouldn't be strangers in the night this time around. There had been something so easy about their one-night stand. It had been spontaneous, reckless, and exciting.

Getting together now would be completely different. It couldn't possibly be as good.

But what if it could be?

She knew she was thinking too much, so she tried to force all thewhat-ifsout of her head and just be in the moment. "This is great, Ryker. It's so beautiful out here."

He gave her a warm smile. "I'm glad you think so."

"I kind of hate the idea that we have to go back to DC. It's been a crazy few days."

"It has." He ran a hand through his hair as he gazed out at the water. "I almost didn't come to the funeral, you know. I didn't really decide until I got on the plane. Up until that point, I kept thinking I might bail."

"How did you hear that Paul died?" she asked curiously.

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