"—I would."
"—then we would spend the day at the water with my jet ski and some other friends." In Charleston, back where bad memories waited for her. In a world so different from where she'd chosen to rebuild her life. "Not a bar pickup, one-night-stand sort of start."
"No, it's not." Her head rocked along the back of the swing until she looked at him with pensive eyes. "I didn't expect you to be like this."
He wasn't sure what she meant, and thought maybe he didn't recognize himself right now, either. "I'm only trying to make things easier for you."
"And yet somehow everything just gets tougher."
They stared without speaking for...he didn't know how long, until lights clicked on in the clinic, blaring through the windows into the yard and stealing some of their privacy. For the best, because soon he'd be spinning that fantasy date out to more dangerous territory for both of them.
Self-respect and honor were everything to him, especially after the way his father had lived his life. Bo frowned as the thought shuffled in his head. Maybe that was a big part of why he'd chosen the military with its rigid structure and clear-cut rules of behavior to keep his rebel side in check. An odd insight he wouldn't have considered before meeting Paige, who seemed to have a way of clarifying things.
He followed the new notion through and found it fit. Interesting too he'd chosen a career lifestyle not unlike his orphanage upbringing, predominantly male with a tight brotherhood. Which brought him right back to the looming deadline for deciding whether to stay in the Air Force, and still he couldn't form a clean picture of what else he could do with his life.
He did know one thing, clear as day. Hurting this woman would be beyond dishonorable.
Paige glanced over toward the lights streaking across the patchy yard. "I guess that's my brother's not-so-subtle way of announcing he's around." Rising from the swing with a jolt, she shrugged out of his leather jacket and draped it over the back of the swing.
"Good night."
"Night," he called, already reaching for his guitar again. No need for the coat, though, since he was far from cold at the moment.
Damn it all, he was doing the right thing. He'd reestablished boundaries while reassuring her of her undeniable appeal. He'd played it letter-perfect, honorably.
So why was he certain her clouded eyes would haunt his dreams now more than ever?
Scanning the sky, Bo gripped the throttle, climbing into the cloudless morning, Vic beside him today for another run out to the Anderson place. At least he wouldn't have to see Anderson drool over Paige.
If she went for the guy someday, would a wedding invitation wing its way to Charleston?
Crap. He needed to get back to work, real work. Even if Paige mystified him, he'd discovered one thing during the past week and a half. He wasn't cut out for tooling around the skies in the equivalent of a tricycle. He needed more action than he was getting in these hops from farm to farm.
He only had a few days left with Paige, then Seth would be back up to speed. The C-17
wasn' t ready yet, thanks to the delay of some part, but he would be staying at base, other than a quick trip to Charleston over the weekend for a friend's wedding. He was in the homestretch with hanging tough.
And nowhere near finding his answers or relief. Damn, he would miss her.
He flicked the fuel gauge until the needle moved lower to match his own fuel calculations. He didn't even want to think about what could have happened to Paige with that finicky gauge and the crummy temp pilot.
The sky reclaimed his attention. Maybe if he got out of the service he could be a crop duster. Low level in a Cessna kicked ass, turning a tricycle kind of ride into an edgy risk.
He'd earned extra money during college with his private pilot's license by flying advertisement banners over ball games and along beaches. Swoop in near to the ground and fast, hook the banner, scream the plane straight up until it damn near stalled, then haul full-out forward.
Of course he hadn't saved any lives or cows that way, but he'd promoted the hell out of all-u-can-eat buffets and even delivered a marriage proposal once. He'd always assumed he would resurrect that skill when the time came for him to propose. And yet, he'd ended up with a string of broken relationships. For the first time he wondered why a guy so determined to get married someday kept shooting himself in the foot in the dating department.
Vic shifted in the small seat beside him. "I'm not sure how much you know about Paige's husband from when you met her in Charleston."
God, this guy was a broken record. At least things were quiet enough at the clinic now with no repeat intruders. Which gave Jansen more time to worry about somebody hitting on his sister.
Bo started to tell the man to lay off it, already. He was blue from the cold showers and restraint. If he got any more honorable, he'd be up for a freaking Nobel Peace Prize.
Hey, wait.
Apparently Vic didn't know about his role in Haugen's arrest. Interesting that Paige hadn't chosen to tell her brother about the full extent of their Charleston connection—a subject he wasn't all that fond of, either. He settled for a grunt in response.
"I wish I could call him her ex, but the bastard died before she could divorce him."