planned to go?” A
feeling of uneasiness slipped over Nathan.
“Said she planned to ride down to the river,
somewhere around Robert’s fishing spot.” James scribbled a note on
the feed chart.
“Thanks.” Nathan didn’t waste any time
getting back astride Midnight. He headed out across the west
pasture in a hard gallop. Paige probably hadn’t ridden in a long
time. No telling what kind of trouble she could have gotten herself
into. Damn. The woman could give a guy an ulcer.
When he neared the river, Nathan slowed his
mount to as easy gait. He pushed his Stetson back and squinted
towards the trees in the distance. The appaloosa grazed near a
thicket of trees. Nathan sighed with relief. He urged the horse
forward, staying at a slow trot. When Midnight neared the other
horse, he dismounted and dropped the reins. He gave the spotted
mare a friendly pat as he walked past her.
The occasional call of a bird and the
trickling of water sounded in the otherwise total silence around
him. He scanned the river bank for Paige.
“Looking for someone in particular,
Blackrope?”
Nathan spun toward her voice. She sat under
the shade of an old oak. He ignored the sense of longing that
surged through him at the mere sight of her.
“James was worried. He thought maybe you’d
gotten yourself lost,” Nathan told her with feigned indifference.
He dropped to the ground at her feet and propped his hat on one
knee.
“If James was so worried, why didn’t he come
looking for me?” she asked, unconvinced.
“Too busy to trifle with city girls who get
themselves lost,” he teased. Nathan couldn’t restrain the grin that
surfaced.
Paige drew in a long breath and set her
pretty blue eyes on his. Nathan held her gaze and prayed he would
have the strength not to do something foolish, like taking her in
his arms and kissing her again.
“I guess it’s time to talk, huh?” Paige
dropped her gaze to the grass. She twisted several blades between
her fingers, tearing tiny pieces from the ground.
“Can I go first?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“When did you stop working for your
daddy?”
Paige shot him a baleful look. “Couldn’t we
start with something simpler?”
Nathan shook his head.
She sighed and twisted the grass a little
more. “It took me about six months to realize that I wasn’t cut out
for his kind of law.” She looked anywhere but at Nathan. “I wanted
to help real people who needed me for more than a tax
write-off.”
Nathan smiled. That was the Paige he used to
know. “Are you happy now?”
She smiled. “Yes. I love my job. I work with
juveniles a lot and I really enjoy making a difference.”
“I’m sure Elliott was a little disappointed.”
Nathan watched her reaction closely. They hadn’t been able to have
a reasonable conversation regarding her father in more than a
decade. This might very well end what could have otherwise been a
nice chat.
“At first he pretended it hadn’t happened,”
she began. “Then he tried to coerce me into coming back to work for
him. Finally we just stopped talking.” A sheen of tears glazed her
eyes, regret tinged her voice.
“I’m sorry, Paige. As much as I despise your
daddy, I would have never wanted this.” He took the hand she’d been
using to torture the grass. He squeezed and allowed her warmth to
flow through him. His chest ached at the pain in her eyes. How
could Elliott Weston do this to his own daughter? The man was
scum.
“Nathan, I never meant to hurt you,” she said
quickly. “When Mother died, I couldn’t turn my back on my father.
He needed me so much. Maybe for the first time in my life. I
couldn’t walk away and you refused to understand.” Paige shook her
head. “You were so angry and I felt sure there was nothing left
between us—that you didn’t want me anymore after that.” She fell
silent for a while, then visibly steeled herself before she spoke
again. “When Nalin died, I realized what a mistake I’d made.
I—”
“We
feeling of uneasiness slipped over Nathan.
“Said she planned to ride down to the river,
somewhere around Robert’s fishing spot.” James scribbled a note on
the feed chart.
“Thanks.” Nathan didn’t waste any time
getting back astride Midnight. He headed out across the west
pasture in a hard gallop. Paige probably hadn’t ridden in a long
time. No telling what kind of trouble she could have gotten herself
into. Damn. The woman could give a guy an ulcer.
When he neared the river, Nathan slowed his
mount to as easy gait. He pushed his Stetson back and squinted
towards the trees in the distance. The appaloosa grazed near a
thicket of trees. Nathan sighed with relief. He urged the horse
forward, staying at a slow trot. When Midnight neared the other
horse, he dismounted and dropped the reins. He gave the spotted
mare a friendly pat as he walked past her.
The occasional call of a bird and the
trickling of water sounded in the otherwise total silence around
him. He scanned the river bank for Paige.
“Looking for someone in particular,
Blackrope?”
Nathan spun toward her voice. She sat under
the shade of an old oak. He ignored the sense of longing that
surged through him at the mere sight of her.
“James was worried. He thought maybe you’d
gotten yourself lost,” Nathan told her with feigned indifference.
He dropped to the ground at her feet and propped his hat on one
knee.
“If James was so worried, why didn’t he come
looking for me?” she asked, unconvinced.
“Too busy to trifle with city girls who get
themselves lost,” he teased. Nathan couldn’t restrain the grin that
surfaced.
Paige drew in a long breath and set her
pretty blue eyes on his. Nathan held her gaze and prayed he would
have the strength not to do something foolish, like taking her in
his arms and kissing her again.
“I guess it’s time to talk, huh?” Paige
dropped her gaze to the grass. She twisted several blades between
her fingers, tearing tiny pieces from the ground.
“Can I go first?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“When did you stop working for your
daddy?”
Paige shot him a baleful look. “Couldn’t we
start with something simpler?”
Nathan shook his head.
She sighed and twisted the grass a little
more. “It took me about six months to realize that I wasn’t cut out
for his kind of law.” She looked anywhere but at Nathan. “I wanted
to help real people who needed me for more than a tax
write-off.”
Nathan smiled. That was the Paige he used to
know. “Are you happy now?”
She smiled. “Yes. I love my job. I work with
juveniles a lot and I really enjoy making a difference.”
“I’m sure Elliott was a little disappointed.”
Nathan watched her reaction closely. They hadn’t been able to have
a reasonable conversation regarding her father in more than a
decade. This might very well end what could have otherwise been a
nice chat.
“At first he pretended it hadn’t happened,”
she began. “Then he tried to coerce me into coming back to work for
him. Finally we just stopped talking.” A sheen of tears glazed her
eyes, regret tinged her voice.
“I’m sorry, Paige. As much as I despise your
daddy, I would have never wanted this.” He took the hand she’d been
using to torture the grass. He squeezed and allowed her warmth to
flow through him. His chest ached at the pain in her eyes. How
could Elliott Weston do this to his own daughter? The man was
scum.
“Nathan, I never meant to hurt you,” she said
quickly. “When Mother died, I couldn’t turn my back on my father.
He needed me so much. Maybe for the first time in my life. I
couldn’t walk away and you refused to understand.” Paige shook her
head. “You were so angry and I felt sure there was nothing left
between us—that you didn’t want me anymore after that.” She fell
silent for a while, then visibly steeled herself before she spoke
again. “When Nalin died, I realized what a mistake I’d made.
I—”
“We
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