Debra Webb - In His Touch Box Set (Here To Stay, Up Close, Tempting Trace, Basic Instincts)

by Debra Webb

  “I can’t say that you didn’t hurt me—because you did.” He shook his head so slightly that she wouldn’t have known had she not been looking at him so intently. “I wish I could say that it doesn’t matter, but it does.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. This was it. She could see the disappointment in his eyes... She could hear it in his voice. He hated her. Dear Lord, how would she ever live without his love?

  “I’m sorry, Nathan,” she said, her voice a mere whisper.

  He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath before opening them once more. “I know. I’m as much to blame in this as you are. I should have protected you that first time, but I didn’t. And when you didn’t come back, I should have gone after you.” He pushed his hands over his face. “At the very least I should have seen that you were okay after... after what happened.”

  “We can’t change the past, Nathan,” she said, summoning her resolve. “But we can change the future. Jesse and I want you to be part of our lives.”

  “You’re sure about that?” he asked, his gaze locked on hers.

  “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my entire life. I’m prepared to do whatever is necessary to make that happen.”

  “Even to go against your father?”

  “I’ve already set my father straight. What he wants or doesn’t want is no longer an issue. It hasn’t been for a long time now.” Paige clasped her hands together in her lap and tried to steady herself against the trembling her slowly subsiding fear left in its wake.

  “So, where do we go from here?” His question hung in the air for several long seconds.

  Paige glanced at her watch. It was almost time. “I have something very important I want to show you,” she said, as she got to her feet. Time to play her trump card. If what she was about to do didn’t convince Nathan of how sure she was, nothing would.

  “What?” He stood, his questioning gaze never leaving hers.

  “You’ll see. Now, get your son so we can drive into town.”

  Nathan raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I can’t imagine anything that would be more important than this conversation.”

  “Trust me,” she said, the two words carrying more significance than any she had spoken in her life.

  Nathan stood stock-still for a long moment, his black Apache eyes searching, hopeful, yet wary. “I do trust you, Paige.” His gaze lingered just a little longer before he turned and walked into the kitchen.

  Paige released the breath she had been holding. She closed her eyes and thanked God for his trust. She heard Jesse repeating his request to go horseback riding and Nathan’s patient reply that when they returned from town they would go for a ride.

  Please let this work, she prayed.

  Nathan drove Paige and Jesse into town in his truck. Jesse sat in the middle of the bench seat, squirming against his seat belt to see everything they passed. It took twice as long to get to town since Nathan had to keep slowing down and explaining everything that captured Jesse’s attention.

  Paige smiled at Nathan’s unending patience. He was a wonderful father. Deep down she had always known he would be. Her hesitation in telling him about Jesse had been more about her own cowardice. And Jesse seemed to adore Nathan already. Her pulse quickened. Mercy, the two of them looked so much alike.

  “Park right here,” Paige said quickly, almost allowing him to pass their destination.

  Nathan frowned, but followed her instructions. They parked in front of Silas Dutton’s law office. The large storefront window that had read Silas Dutton, Attorney at Law for as long as she could remember had been covered with a tarp.

  “Okay.” Nathan killed the engine and turned to Paige.

  “Hop out.” She opened the passenger-side door and bounded out, followed by Jesse.

  Nathan rounded the hood to join them. “I wonder if Silas sold his practice?” he asked, staring at the covered sign.

  “Looks that way.” Paige urged them toward the office.

  “Paige, my dear, you’re right on time.” Silas met them at the door.

  Nathan looked from Silas to Paige in confusion.

  “Is everything set?”

  “It sure is.” Silas leaned back through his office door. “Chester, we’re ready. Sue Ellen, you come along, too.”

  Chester, a fiftyish man lugging a professional-looking camera around his neck, sauntered out onto the sidewalk. Sue Ellen, the waitress from Bubba’s, came out smiling like the cat that had swallowed the canary.

  “Chester, this is Paige Weston, Nathan Blackrope, and their son, Jesse.” Silas smiled contentedly as they all shook hands. “And I think you all remember Sue Ellen.”

  Paige and Nathan nodded and exchanged hellos with Sue Ellen. She and Silas had seen quite a lot of each other in the past week.

  Nathan looked even more confused at this point. Paige crossed her fingers behind her back and sent one more silent prayer heavenward.

  “Chester,” Silas told them, “is from the Trinity Tribune. He’ll be taking the pictures.”

  “Well, let’s get started,” Paige said, impatient to see Nathan’s reaction to her surprise.

  “We can’t. We have to wait for one more arrival.” Silas craned his neck to look beyond them and down the street for whomever else it was he expected.

  Paige frowned, confused herself now. “Who else is—?”

  “You wouldn’t start without me, now would you, little girl?”

  Paige’s breath caught and she whirled around. Uncle Robert. Robert pulled her into his welcoming embrace. “What are you doing here?” she asked, hugging him fiercely. He smelled of cigars, Old Spice, and precious memories. “You weren’t supposed to be back until the end of the week.”

  “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” he told her, his eyes relaying his approval of the decision she had made. “Ginny, you remember my niece, Paige?”

  Ginny took Paige’s hand and squeezed. “Of course I do.”

  “And this is her boy, Jesse.” Robert tousled Jesse’s hair. “Nathan’s boy,” he added with pride.

  “I’m a little confused,” Nathan said. “Did you sell your practice, Silas?”

  “Everyone, just step back,” Chester put in before Nathan could get his answer. The photographer’s commanding tone had everyone backing up without his having to repeat himself. “Paige, you and Silas stand right here.” He motioned toward the covered window.

  Paige and Silas quickly assembled themselves as directed.

  “Now, Robert you and Nathan stand at each end of this tarp and pull ‘er down when I give the signal.”

  Paige smiled at Jesse who allowed his Aunt Ginny to hold his hand. Paige squeezed Silas’ arm. “Wish me luck,” she whispered to her partner in crime.

  “You don’t need luck, little girl,” he whispered, giving her a wink. “You’ve got love.”

  “Okay, boys, let her go,” Chester ordered. Nathan and Robert pulled and the tarp fell to the sidewalk with a resounding thud.

  “Paige, you and Silas shake hands and smile.”

  Silas took Paige’s hand in his and they both smiled for the camera. Chester snapped two quick shots.

  “That’ll do it,” he announced.

  Robert and Ginny were hugging Paige again, including Jesse this time. Paige pulled out of the group hug to find Nathan. He stood before the large, plate glass window staring up at the newly painted words.

  “I don’t understand,” he said, dumbfounded.

  “Isn’t it perfectly clear?” Paige looked from Nathan to the window. “Paige Weston, Attorney at Law,” she read aloud. “I bought Silas’ practice.”

  Nathan turned to her, his eyes glittered with a mixture of hope and uncertainty. “Why? I thought you loved your job in Memphis.”

  “It was the only logical thing to do. We both want our son in our lives. I couldn’t bear the thought of being separated from him for a week or even a day—me in Memphis and him visiting you in Trinity.” Paige touched Nathan’s cheek and tr
aced the line of his jaw. The feel of his skin sent a flush of heat through her.

  “You’d be happy here? Practicing law in Trinity?” He clutched her hand and pulled it to his chest, a sense of wonder filling his eyes.

  Paige sucked in a sharp breath at the pounding of his heart beneath her palm. She had to tell him. Now! “I love you, Nathan. I know I’ve hurt you, but I still believe in us. Even if friendship is all you can offer me, I’ll settle for that—for Jesse’s sake.”

  “And what does your father have to say about this?” he asked, his words carefully measured.

  Paige sighed. “Like I told you, Nathan, my father isn’t the issue here. It’ll take time for him to come to terms with the decision I’ve made, but that’s his problem. He knows I love him and I know that deep down he loves me. Right now my only concern is for Jesse and you.”

  Nathan released her hand and speared his fingers through his long hair. He looked at the large, bold letters on the window once more and then back to Paige. “I need a minute.”

  Paige nodded, unable to speak.

  Nathan walked over to where Jesse stood next to Robert. Paige’s uncle had the group deeply engrossed in a honeymoon tale of some sort. Nathan took Jesse’s hand and led him down the sidewalk away from the chatter—away from Paige.

  Paige’s heart fluttered in her chest as she watched Nathan crouch down next to Jesse and speak to him. What could he be saying? Jesse flashed her a look that gave away nothing. Could she have made a mistake? Paige shuddered at the thought that maybe she had been a fool to believe in any kind of future with Nathan. She had hurt him—he had said so himself. Maybe he couldn’t forgive her. She couldn’t give him the large family he had always talked about. Her thoughts trailed off as Nathan and Jesse walked toward her, hand in hand.

  “Jesse and I have discussed the situation and we’ve decided that you’re going to have to get this window changed.”

  “What do you mean?” Paige looked from Nathan to her son, who bit his lip to prevent what from showing? Fear? Worry? “I don’t understand.” She looked back to Nathan. “I thought I was doing the right thing... that you’d be pleased.” Her heart banged once against her chest and then plunged to her stomach.

  “I don’t want to be just your friend, Paige.” Nathan’s gaze burned into hers. He reached down and lifted Jesse into his arms. “Two separate homes and two separate lives isn’t good enough for my son... or for me,” he added, determination set in his eyes, his voice, and his posture.

  “What are you saying?” Paige’s voice faltered. Her breath caught in her throat, her chest tightened.

  “I’m saying that I don’t want to wake up alone every morning.” He turned to Jesse, “Right, partner?”

  “Right!” Jesse agreed, grinning from ear to ear.

  Paige looked from Nathan to her son. What did he mean he didn’t want to wake up alone? She licked her parched lips. Did he want to wake up with her? Could he mean—? Paige tamped down the unfounded hope she felt rising at the possibility. She had to be prepared for the worst. She took a deep breath, squeezed her hands into tight balls at her sides and waited for him to continue. She’d had her say, now he would have his.

  Nathan settled Jesse back onto his feet. He straightened, turned his attention back to Paige and closed the small distance between them. “We’ve wasted too many years already, each waiting for the other to say the right words or make the right move. Life is too precious, I don’t want to wait any longer. I won’t settle for anything less than having you as my wife. That’s what I’m saying.” Nathan pulled her into his embrace. “I love you, Paige.” He threaded his fingers in her hair and tilted her face up to his. He looked deeply into her eyes. “Please say you’ll marry me.”

  Emotions flooded Paige—relief, love, happiness. He still wanted her!

  “Wait,” she whispered. Dread pooled in her chest. “I told you I can’t have anymore children. That doesn’t matter to you?”

  He shook his head. “Absolutely not. We have Jesse. What else could we possibly want?”

  Hope bloomed in her chest, absorbing the dread. “Then, yes, I’ll marry you,” she breathed the words, hardly believing it could be real. His lips eased into a slow, sexy smile.

  “Good,” he muttered. “I can’t bear to go through another day without you.”

  “Ditto,” she murmured, smiling up at him.

  Paige heard Jesse’s shrill little voice as he broadcast the news to anyone listening, but for the life of her she couldn’t take her eyes off Nathan. She watched his firm, sensuous mouth descend to cover hers. His taste filled her, restored her. She pushed her arms around his neck and pulled him tightly to her. His mane of black silk glided over her skin, tantalizing and heightening her awareness of the man she held in her arms. Sensation after sensation exploded in her body and mind. She had loved this man for so long... waited for this moment all her life.

  She kissed Nathan for all the years they had lost. Kissed him with all the love that burst in her heart... for their son... and for the future they would have together.

  UP CLOSE

  Debra Webb

  Chapter One

  “Put this on.”

  Abby Wade swallowed tightly and stared first at the leering cowboy who’d issued the order, then at the lacy black slip dangling from the end of his gun barrel.

  When she didn’t jump immediately to obey his command, he pushed his cowboy hat up from his brow and growled, “You got a problem with that? Being modest in your line of work can’t be prosperous.”

  Despite the paralyzing fear now gripping her, Abby quickly shook her head. She didn’t have the slightest idea what he was talking about, but he had a gun—that was a fact. Where she was from that was all that mattered. She inched toward him, just close enough to snatch the slinky lingerie in one shaky hand. The cool silk and delicate lace of what would under other circumstances be considered a most feminine and sensuous garment sent a chill over her skin.

  The rather stocky cowboy, complete with chaps and spurs, flicked a glance out the window as if expecting someone to appear in the thickening gloom of dusk. Darkness was almost upon them and Abby had no idea where they were or how she could possibly get away from this lunatic. But somehow she had to keep him appeased until she could formulate an escape plan.

  God, how had she gotten into this mess? She had driven from the airport in Nashville to the tiny town of Salem, Tennessee, and then found the way to the home of her latest assignment without a glitch. It hadn’t been her fault the flight was delayed, and she was forty-five minutes behind schedule. She had assumed the man standing in the driveway and waiting so impatiently was the subject of her assignment or his associate. But when he grabbed her the moment she emerged from the car, she knew she had made a dreadful mistake.

  And it was probably the last one she would ever make.

  Maybe she had simply confused the directions and had arrived at the wrong house. It was just her luck to end up at the house of the local sociopath.

  Abby had fought valiantly; she had to give herself that. She had kicked and screamed, like any good New Yorker in danger of being mugged or worse. But size, brute strength and the element of surprise had worked to the cowboy’s advantage, and he had prevailed in the end. He’d forced her into his pickup truck, callously ignoring all her questions as to who he was, what he wanted, and why he was doing this to her. Abby shuddered when she thought about what might happen next. For all her self-confidence and self-defense classes, she had been helpless against this... this ape. She glared at the man’s less than handsome profile. Was that lump in his cheek a wad of tobacco? A wave of revulsion ran through her body. She jumped when he suddenly leveled his gaze back on her.

  “Make it snappy, the others will be here any minute,” he ordered impatiently. “You should know the routine.”

  Others? Routine? Fear coursed through her veins, turning her blood to ice. The man had to be insane. How could this happen in a rural Southern community? Weren
’t these people supposed to be upright and God-fearing down here? If she were at home, Abby would almost understand it. Crazy things happened every day on the teeming streets of a major metropolitan area.

  But here?

  In the Bible Belt?

  “Don’t tell me you’re bashful,” he said incredulously when she hesitated. The cowboy rolled his eyes as if that simply couldn’t be possible, then turned his back, muttering something she didn’t quite catch. With his back to her, she scanned the room once more for a possible avenue of escape or for anything she might use as a weapon. There were a couple of wooden tables, a half-dozen or so chairs, and not much else.

  A rebel flag draped most of one wall. Deer heads mounted on wooden plaques graced the opposite wall, dead monuments to someone’s hunting skills. She darted a nervous glance at the cowboy’s wide backside. Not his skills, she hoped. She swallowed hard as her panicked imagination produced a vivid image of her own head on an oak plaque. She shook off the bizarre vision and forced herself to think. She had to get out of here! An open doorway led into what appeared to be a kitchen. On the far side of the room was a closed door that might lead outside. Abby gauged the distance between her position and the door, then measured it against the few feet that separated her from the man. No way could she outrun him without a sizable head start. He might be large but he moved fast.

  But she’d damn well better try.

  Abby bolted for the door. Her heart slammed against her ribs and her legs felt as heavy as lead, but she ran at least a few steps.

  Before she’d gotten halfway to the door, a strong, beefy hand closed around her arm and jerked her back. “What the hell are you doing?”

  Before she could manage a plausible response, he shook her, then glared at her. “We don’t have time for games.” He dragged her back to the center of the room and snatched up the black lacy thing she’d abandoned. He drew his gun from its holster. Instantly, Abby shrank from the threat, but he only pushed up the brim of his one-size-too-large hat with the barrel. “Now, are you going to change or do I have to do it for you?” He muttered an oath. “Luke never mentioned how unruly you’d be.”