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

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

Debra Webb

Pink House Press (2013)

Rating: ★★★★☆

Tags: Literature & Fiction, Humor, Romance, Contemporary, Humor & Satire, General Humor, Romantic Comedy, Firefighter, Fish Out of Water, Unexpected Love, Country Music, Nashville, Opposites Attract, Alpha Hero, Talk Show Host, Reporter, New Adult Romance, First Love, Lost Love, Reunited Lovers, Horses, Ranch, Native American Hero, Secret Baby, Hidden Identity, sexy, Steamy, Bella Andre, Stephanie Bond, Summit Authors

Sometimes love is found in the last place we look.

A collection of four sexy romance novels by Debra Webb.

HERE TO STAY

UP CLOSE

TEMPTING TRACE

BASIC INSTINCTS

IN HIS TOUCH

A Collection of Four Sexy Love Stories

Here To Stay

Up Close

Tempting Trace

Basic Instincts

This ebook is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without express permission in writing from the author.

Here to Stay, Copyright 2011, Pink House Press, WebbWorks, LLC

First Printing: May 2000 Kensington Precious Gems

Up Close, Copyright 2011, Pink House Press, WebbWorks, LLC

First Printing: March 1999 Kensington Precious Gems

Tempting Trace, Copyright 2011, Pink House Press, WebbWorks, LLC

First Printing: November 1999 Kensington Precious Gems

Basic Instincts, Copyright 2011, Pink House Press, WebbWorks, LLC

First Printing: November 2000 Kensington Precious Gems

HERE TO STAY

Debra Webb

Chapter One

Someone’s in the house.

Paige Weston stood absolutely still at the top of the staircase and peered down into the dark entrance hall. A cold shiver skated over her skin. Her heart pounding, she held her breath and focused on the sounds coming from her uncle’s kitchen. She heard footsteps, then the click of a switch. Light from the kitchen doorway sliced across the oak floor at the bottom of the stairs.

She swallowed tightly as she summoned her shrinking courage. Stupidly, she had left the cordless phone from the bedroom in the kitchen. The only other telephone was on a hall table at the bottom of the stairs. Her cell phone was in the kitchen charging. If she knew where Robert kept the key to his gun cabinet, she could at least arm herself. But she didn’t. She had to get to a phone.

The first step down the staircase proved the hardest, but she forced her feet to make the necessary movements. When she’d reached the bottom, she held her breath and listened again. The refrigerator door slammed shut with a rattle of glass and plastic. She frowned. What was the intruder doing? Having a midnight snack? As if on cue, the old grandfather clock struck the witching hour.

Paige rounded the newel post, avoiding the sliver of light angling from the kitchen. Her gaze riveted to the open doorway, and she felt across the top of the hall table for the telephone. Knees weak and her body trembling, she fought the urge to run out the front door and leave the thief to have his way with Robert’s worldly possessions.

Where is that blasted phone?
Her hand bumped against a cold, smooth object.
The flowers
. Robert had left her flowers. Before she could catch it, the crystal vase tumbled off the table and crashed to the floor. Water splattered across her feet.

For an instant Paige froze. Every rape or mugging victim she’d ever seen in the courtroom flashed through her mind. Heavy footsteps thudding across the kitchen floor urged her back into action. Still groping in the darkness, her hand brushed against the telephone. She curled trembling fingers around the receiver and lifted it. The familiar, reassuring dial tone sounded. Paige pressed the three buttons necessary just as a tall, dark figure filled the doorway, blocking the faint light from the kitchen.

“Stop right there,” Paige commanded in a reasonably steady tone. “I’ve called 911.”

“Trinity doesn’t have 911 at the moment,” came the deep, male response. Silhouetted by the dim light, it was impossible to see his face. “The system’s down.”

The irritating, high-pitched tone coming from the receiver confirmed his statement. Paige dropped the useless instrument as a recorded voice came across the line telling her to dial the number again.

No 911
.

How could that number be out of order? She couldn’t breathe. Forgetting the broken glass, she backed away from the dark, looming figure. Maybe staying all alone at Robert’s ranch hadn’t been such a good idea after all. And she thought stuff like this only happened in the city. What a great birthday this had turned out to be...

Abruptly, the wall stopped her retreat. The intruder remained motionless and silent. Why didn’t he make a move? She shuddered at the thought that he was probably trying to decide what to do with her. Her mind raced. What should she do? Maybe he would just leave. He stood only a few feet from the front door.
Leave
, Paige willed silently. Though she had heard his voice, she couldn’t identify his face.

Something clicked in her subconscious. She frowned and replayed the words he’d spoken, concentrating on the sound of his voice. Deep, smooth, masculine. She knew that voice. She slid her hand over the wall and flipped the switch, flooding the room with light. She blinked against the brightness and focused her gaze on the man standing before her.

Nathan Blackrope
.

Paige fought the shock that threatened her already strained composure. Her mind reeled with long buried emotions, landing somewhere between relief and regret. Part of her wanted to throw her arms around him and tell him how glad she was to see him. But the other part of her, the saner part, wanted to run as fast as she could. She hadn’t been face to face with Nathan in almost five years. She had every intention of seeing him during her visit to Trinity. In fact, he was the real reason she had come. She just hadn’t expected to see him now, like this.

She steeled herself against his presence. Unable to face him on a personal level just yet, she summoned her courtroom bearing and public defender attitude into place.

Nathan moved his unreadable gaze slowly over her. She trembled beneath his scrutiny. He looked exactly the same. His gunslinger stance conveyed his almost cocky confidence. Nathan Blackrope wasn’t intimidated by anything or anyone. He stood strong and tall. His black hair, long and straight, was pulled into a loose ponytail. She knew from experience that all that blue-black hair would feel like silk slipping between her fingers. Inside, she trembled as the memories tumbled one over the other. If only she could forget.

Paige allowed her gaze to meet his. Dark, searching eyes set in bronzed skin stared back at her. High cheekbones carved in a strong, angular face were emphasized by the hard set of his full lips. Even wearing that cold, steely expression he was still the best looking man she had ever seen. She swallowed back something that felt entirely too much like desire and focused her gaze on his black Apache eyes.

“Breaking and entering is against the law, Mr. Blackrope.”

“I have a key.”

That raspy baritone sent a shiver of recollection over her. She’d spent the last four years or so trying her best to forget Nathan Blackrope. But she hadn’t forgotten him at all. She knew by heart every inch of his lean, muscular body. The wide breadth of shoulders that strained against the fabric of his black Western shirt. The long-fingered hands that were set firmly on the black denim covering his narrow hips. Paige didn’t have to look to know that he wore black cowboy boots as well. Black had always been Nathan’s signature color.

She watched as he slid two fingers into the pocket of his jeans and fished out a brass key. To her chagrin, the key looked identical to the one she’d found on the ledge above the front door when she’d arrived this evening.

“See.” He held out the key for her inspection.

Paige smelled a rat. A rat named Uncle Robert. This was a set-up as sure as Nathan Blackrope was standing there looking lean, rangy and rugged. “Why do you have a key?” she asked, ignoring his outstretched hand. She wouldn’t touch those long fingers for a month in Tahiti with Johnny Depp.

“Your uncle asked me to keep an eye on things while he honeymoons with his new wife. Neighbors do that kind of thing for each other in the country, or have you forgotten?” he asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Nathan drew back his hand, his gaze swept over her once more as he waited for her response. She didn’t miss the sudden glimmer of masculine approval in his dark eyes.

The thin white cotton tee she wore barely reached the tops of her thighs. She’d been in bed—asleep. A heated flush moved up her neck and into her face. The fact that her breasts had grown full and tight didn’t help. Nathan could plainly see how she responded to him. After all this time—after all that had happened—how could her rebellious body react with such desire to the man she’d worked so hard to hate?

She crossed her arms over her tingling breasts. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re here in the middle of the night.”

Nathan’s lips curved in a knowing smile. “You rushed down here like that—” he gestured toward her scantily clad body—”to defend Robert’s home from an intruder?” He laughed, softly at first, and then the sound deepened, rumbling up from his chest.

Paige swore silently. She hated that smile. Hated that laugh. She hated him. Well, maybe she didn’t hate him, but he infuriated her. How could she have ever imagined that any kind of agreement could be worked out with this man? “I asked you what you were doing here, Nathan Blackrope.”

“I’ve been out,” he said, curbing his laughter to a smile that lifted only one corner of his mouth. “I wanted to check on the mares before I called it a night. Two of Robert’s mares are about to foal.” He shifted and raked his dark gaze over her again. “He never mentioned anyone else would be here.” He gave her a heart-stopping grin. “I was too busy to think about food earlier. I realized I hadn’t eaten and decided to raid the fridge.” He folded his arms over his chest. “I’m sure Robert won’t mind.”

It was after midnight on Sunday night, Paige realized with sudden clarity. A sharp pang of jealousy stabbed at her as she considered that he’d probably been out with a woman. She gave herself a mental kick and forced away the unbidden envy of whoever had been in his arms tonight. She had thought herself over that hurt a long time ago. Taking a determined step in Nathan’s direction, she held out her hand, concentrating hard to keep it steady.