"Your house is like you," Tony said.

He lay across her bed, long and lean and naked. He had made love to Diane slowly, tenderly, with such exquisite sensitivity that she couldn't bear to think of what her life was going to be like once he was gone.

At least she had tonight. She would hold her memory of it forever. That would have to be enough.

"How is my house like me?" she asked, cuddling against him, her head cushioned by his upper arm and her hand resting against his chest, tracing dark hair that grew there.

He sighed and held her hand steady, as if her light caresses were too powerfully distracting. Through the diaphanous curtains, the sky had turned from dusk to dark. She ought to have been hungry ? and she was, but not for food. Only for Tony.

"It's like you because it's...honest," he said after mulling over his thoughts. "I was going to say it's simple, but you're not simple. You're unpretentious and wholesome and honest. Like this house." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. "I feel peaceful here. I've never felt this peaceful before."

She leaned back so she could see him. In the dim evening light, his face was a sculpture of hard lines and angles ? but his eyes were smiling. And his mouth. Even his body felt peaceful beneath hers, his heartbeat strong and steady. "Don't you feel peaceful in New York?"

He let out a laugh. "New York is about adrenaline," he said. "It's not about being able to lie so still you lose all sense of yourself." He shifted her hand in his so he could kiss her fingertips. "All I feel is you, Diane. All I hear and see and know is you. It's as if nothing else exists."

She could tell he was struggling to describe the sensation, but she understood what he meant. The world outside her tiny house was tranquil. Her bedroom was filled with solid, basic furniture, and a big bouquet of wildflowers sat in a vase on her dresser. Photos of her family were wedged into the mirror frame, and she had made the braided rugs herself. Her house was like her, filled with peace and love.

He moved out from under her and shifted onto his side facing her, his eyes darker than the night sky beyond her window. "I know you're worried about Peter, but I did the best I could for him," he said.

The sudden change of subject, and his solemn tone, took her aback. "I'm sure you did."

"He could have gone to jail for what he did." Tony stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "Even if I hadn't met you, Diane, I would have done what I could to keep him out of jail. He made a mistake, but everyone deserves a second chance."

"I agree," she said cautiously, not sure where he was going with this.

"I don't want you to hate me for coming to Riverbend."

"Hate you?" She might hate him after he left, but not now.

"Because ? God, I can't believe I'm saying this, but... I like it here, Diane. I like the smell of the dirt."

He sounded so earnest she had to laugh.

"I like the calmness. I like the way the river looks so clean and fresh, and everyone seems to know each other."

"That's Riverbend."

"I want to stay."

His words were so unexpected, she was sure she'd misheard him. "What?"

"I want to stay in Riverbend."

"Why?"

"Not just because it smells good and the crickets sound pretty, and because everyone I meet treats me with respect." He leaned toward her and touched his lips to her forehead. "The police force is small, but maybe they could use another detective. I'm experienced, I'm skilled, and I'd accept a cut in pay."

"You'd want to work here?"

"I want to be here." He leaned forward and pressed her mouth with a kiss. "You're here."

"It's not New York."

He grinned. "Don't I know it." His smile faded as he studied her face. "Say something."

It was her turn to lean toward him, to take his mouth with hers and kiss away all his doubts. "Stay," she said.

His face broke into a smile. "You want to settle down and raise some kids in this quiet little town?"

She caught his smile and returned it. "That was my general plan."

"Do you think those kids would make fun of their old man if he had a New York accent?"

"I think ?" her smile softened and her heart swelled " ? that if you were their old man, those kids would be the luckiest kids in the world."

"In that case," he whispered, kissing her once more, kissing her deeply, wrapping his arms and legs around her and holding her tight, "I'll stay."

The End