Here to Stay by Debra Webb

breed
horses and run a few head of cattle.”
    “Nathan breeds and trains champion quarter
horses,” she explained.
    “Man, I’d really like to see that Vette,”
Calvin said eagerly, more interested in the car than what Nathan
did for a living.
    Nathan finally drew his gaze from Paige to
Calvin. “I suppose that can be arranged.”
    “All right!” Calvin threw up his hand for a
high five.
    “On one condition,” Nathan added.
    Calvin’s expression fell.
    “My name is not Tonto or Chief, it’s Nathan,
I’d appreciate it if you called me that,” he said evenly.
    Calvin nodded. “Okay man—Nathan. I can do
that.”
    “Good.” Nathan breathed a sigh of relief.
    Calvin ran with the conversation. He talked
incessantly about cars and motorcycles. Nathan seemed to enjoy
talking about guy things with him. Paige liked watching the two of
them. So different, yet so intrinsically the same. Full of
enthusiasm and totally animated, Calvin’s whole body seemed to be a
part of his language. Nathan sat very still, speaking only with his
mouth and eyes. Yet the two thought a great deal alike, inherently
male.
    After dinner, with the kitchen cleaned and
the dishes put away, Calvin excused himself to watch some
television.
    “Thanks for dinner,” Nathan told her. “I had
a nice time.”
    “I knew you’d like Calvin—once you got to
know him.”
    Paige followed Nathan onto the porch. A full
moon lit the yard and a surprisingly warm breeze stirred the
air.
    “It’s nice out tonight,” he noted as he
slipped on his Stetson.
    “Yes, it is.” Paige hugged her arms around
herself and fought the shiver that being alone with Nathan
generated.
    Nathan stared at the plank porch floor for a
long moment. Please go home, Nathan . She couldn’t bear this
much longer.
    “Good night,” he finally said. His gaze
rested on hers, but he made no move to leave.
    “Good night.” Paige smiled a nervous little
smile. If he looked at her like that much longer, she’d simply die
on the spot.
    Nathan touched the brim of his hat with two
fingers and turned away, She closed her eyes and breathed a tiny
sigh of relief—or perhaps regret.
    “Oh, by the way,” Nathan turned around on the
first tread of the steps. “Send Calvin around tomorrow and I’ll
take him for a ride in the Vette.”
    “That’s be great, Nathan.” She hurried across
the porch. With Nathan down a step, she stood almost at eye level
with him. “I didn’t want to ask you in front of Calvin, but I have
court in the morning. I’d really appreciate it if you would let him
hang out with you until I return. I don’t want him to be
alone.”
    A frown creased Nathan’s brow. “What’s his
story?”
    “I don’t know all the details yet, but we’re
going to talk tonight. I would just feel better if I knew you were
with him.”
    Nathan nodded. “No problem.”
    “Thanks.”
    “I have one question.”
    “Yes?”
    “On rule number two, when you said friends
don’t kiss friends like that, did you mean there was some other way
of kissing that would be acceptable?”
    If he only knew how much she wanted him to
kiss her again. Right now. But that would be a mistake. She sighed
and tried to read the emotion behind the intensity in his gaze.
What did he really want from her? He probably didn’t know what he
wanted any more than she knew what she wanted.
    “I didn’t mean to complicate the issue,” he
said softly.
    Paige leaned forward the few inches necessary
and kissed him on the cheek. “Good night, Nathan.”
    He smiled and brought his fingers to the spot
she had kissed. “Good night.”
    Paige turned and walked into the house
without looking back. She closed the door and sagged against it.
She would have to tell him about Jesse soon. No way could she
tolerate this kind of tension. He wanted more than friendship and
he wasn’t dong a very good job of hiding it.
    Pushing away from the door, Paige headed for
the parlor. She had one more issue to deal with