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

future. Hers and Jesse’s. Paige pulled on a pair of navy blue stirrup pants and matching sweater. With James back today, she didn’t have the barn chores to worry about. Maybe she’d take a long ride and then an even longer walk on the far side of the Weston property.
    Hair brushed and riding boots pulled on, Paige bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen. The sound of chatter registered in her brain as she came to a screeching halt just inside the kitchen door. A woman about Paige’s age stood on a stepladder, while another, older woman stood on the floor next to her. A long, damp length of flowery paper hung between them. The large oak table held the sundry items necessary to perform the task of hanging paper, including roll after roll of colorful wallpaper. Wallpaper that had been meticulously coordinated with the paint now gleaming on the kitchen’s wood molding.
    “Hi, I’m Jenn,” the older woman said. “And this is Carol. You must be Paige, Robert’s niece.” She beamed a pleasant smile.
    “Yes. Good morning,” Paige replied somewhat hesitantly before returning the smile.
    “I hope we didn’t wake you. We were scheduled to start at seven. We have a—”
    “I know,” Paige interrupted. “You have a key.” This was unreal. People just shouldn’t pass the keys to their house as casually as if they were lending a cup of sugar to a neighbor. Especially when their favorite niece—their only niece—stayed there all alone. Paige intended to have a serious discussion about security with Robert. Just how many keys did the man have, anyway?
    “We’ll be through in no time,” Jenn assured her.
    “Don’t mind me. I’m on my way out.” She smiled, grabbed a cola from the fridge, then headed out of the house and to the barn. She popped the top and took a long drink. It wasn’t coffee but it was caffeine—and today she needed it.
    “Good morning, James,” she called out as she entered the stables. “I’m sure glad you’re back.” She rubbed her still aching back.
    “Morning, Paige,” James drawled. He set down his feed buckets, then pushed his hat up on his forehead. “You look like a lady who’s hankering for a ride.”
    “Yes, sir.” Paige trashed her cola can and surveyed the stalls. “What about that pretty Appaloosa down there?”
    “That’s Ariel and I believe she’d be tickled pink to be your mount today.”
    James expertly saddled up Ariel, while Paige visited Windborne’s new foal.
    “Gotcha fixed up, little lady,” James announced when he’d tightened the cinch.
    Paige thanked James and slipped into the saddle atop Ariel. The squeak of smooth leather brought a smile to her lips. The mare felt good between her thighs. It had been a long time since Paige had ridden. She felt almost giddy sitting astride the powerful animal.
    “Making a day of it?” he asked.
    “I’ll be back around lunch. I’m going down to the river to check out Robert’s favorite fishing spot.”
    “You need a pole and some bait?”
    “I don’t want to fish, I just want to relax. See you later.” Paige nudged Ariel, who pranced out of the barn. She headed across the wide, green pasture at a steady pace.
    She smiled as she thought of James’s interest in her agenda. James had been with Robert for as long as she could remember. He seemed almost as much like family as Robert himself. He’d never let her go off alone without getting particulars. She supposed James hadn’t noticed that she wasn’t a little girl anymore; thirty was far from being a little girl.
    Thirty . Boy, that sounded old. She thought of Jesse’s age as well. Four years old and an only child. Paige didn’t want to have an only child. Being one herself, she understood the loneliness. If her adolescent dreams had come true, she and Nathan would be married and have four children by now. That had been the plan.
    That would never happen now. Paige didn’t resist the regret that washed over her with that thought. Getting right