Time for more digging deep. "At first when I saw you last year the similar situations crossed my mind. But I can guarantee that when I look at you now, I am not thinking of my mother."
Her fists clenched tight in the gesture he was starting to recognize well. She was stiffening her spine and resolve for something difficult. Ah, crap. The door was about to hit him on the ass, and the prospect pressed against his chest. Even his hands went clammy while he waited for her to answer.
"Me, too."
Huh? He exhaled. "Me, too, what?"
"I want to keep seeing you." Her throat moved in a hard swallow, not a smile in sight.
"You do?" Well, hell. Then why the panic? This should be good stuff.
Her fists went downright bloodless. Clenched any tighter, and she would crack bones.
"Kirstie and I were already talking about a summer trip to Charleston. She needs to see our old house, too."
"That sounds like a wise idea." He ignored the warning blaring in his head and told himself her nerves were for her daughter, not over spending more time with him. "I'll let you know my travel schedule with work so we can pick a time I'll be in town. I'll wrangle TDYs and weekends here. I've been in Charleston long enough to try for a transfer to McChord Air Force Base, which would at least bring me to the West Coast."
Her head snapped up. "A transfer to McChord? I thought you were considering getting out of the Air Force."
"I was, but you've cleared a lot of things in my head." He cupped the back of her head, needing to touch her. "You've helped me see that, sure, music's important to me, but flying for the Air Force is what I'm called to do."
Her gaze skittered away from his. "So you're not getting out, after all."
Damn. Those warning bells had been there for a reason. He should have listened. Kirstie had even said visiting the military base made her mother sad from memories. "You were willing to keep seeing each other because you expected me to get out and move here."
"I didn't assume you would relocate just for me, but at least there was the possibility, if you decided later there was reason."
He could already see her distancing herself from him, feel the tensing muscles in her neck under his hand.
She plastered on an overbright smile and eased from under his hand. "Forget I said anything. We've only known each other a couple of weeks. We're talking about dating, not getting married."
"Are you sure about that?" Damn it, he'd known better than to push this skittish woman and still the words fell out of his mouth.
She inched back. Much farther and she'd fall off the porch. More panic chased through her eyes, followed by flat-out fear.
How ironic was that? He'd been accused by countless women of having a commitment phobia and when he'd finally found someone he could consider spending his life with...
She was commitment phobia personified.
The telephone jangled inside, and Paige sprinted to her feet like a bat out of hell. "I have to take that."
Bo recognized well enough her convenient excuse to run.
Only two weeks, she'd said.
For her maybe, but he hadn't slept with anyone since he first saw her a year ago. He hadn't even thought of anyone since setting eyes on her, and now he understood why.
Damn straight, feelings happened that fast. He couldn't ignore the truth any longer. He'd fallen for Paige Haugen that fast twelve months ago.
He'd dated at least a hundred women. He should have plenty of practice in playing it cool at a breakup or rejection. But he couldn't think of one word to say when she returned.
Just like when he was a kid, he was out in the cold.
The door swung out from the office again, Paige worrying her lip and keeping her distance. "We'll have to talk about this later. Chuck Anderson's horse that broke his ribs is having trouble breathing. We need to fly out there right away."
Dreams weren't any more substantial than the clouds barely visible in the darkening night sky outside her airplane window.
Paige sat behind her daughter who was up front in the Cessna beside Bo. The hazy green illumination of the instrument panel cast a Halloween glow through the small cockpit.