It took the sheriff’s deputy, Henry Depardeau, longer to arrive in Virgin River than it took him to determine that Jack had acted in defense of Mel, whose life was in danger. Just the same, Jack’s second call that night had been to Jim Post, June Hudson’s husband. That background in law enforcement could come in handy. Jim was there faster than Henry. And, Jack learned that night, Jim was a former DEA agent who had actually worked in the area prior to retirement.
“We better have a little look at Calvin’s camp,” Jim said. “If it’s just a little compound of vagrants, I don’t see that as a problem. But I suspect it might be more than that. If so—we’ll want to tell the sheriff.”
Jack was invited to spend what was left of the night with Mel at Doc’s. She saw a side of him she didn’t know existed. This gentle, tender giant was gripped with fury, and it was a silent and impressive fury. He held her through the night, both of them in one small hospital bed. Sleep was difficult for her and she was fitful, but every time she opened her eyes and looked at him, she found him awake, watching over her. She would look up at his face, his tense jaw and eyes narrowed in anger, but when she put her hand against his cheek, he would relax his features and turn soft eyes on her. “It’s all right, baby,” he said. “Try to get some sleep. Don’t be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid while I’m with you,” she whispered, and this was the truth.
The next morning, early, June and Jim arrived in town. June came over to the clinic while Jim went to Jack’s. “I just wanted to make sure you aren’t having any stress-related problems with your pregnancy,” June said. “Any cramping, spotting?”
“Everything seems to be fine. Except for those frequent shudders I feel when I think about what might have happened.”
“I’m just going to spend a couple of hours in town,” June said. “If you have patients, I’ll help. Do you need to rest?”
“Jack was here last night. I don’t think he slept, but I got a little rest. Where’s the baby?” Mel asked.
“Susan has Jamie, and John and my dad have the clinic.” She smiled. “We country folk have to be flexible.”
“What’s Jim doing?” Mel asked.
“He’s with Jack and Preacher. They won’t be long. They’re going to have to take a look at that place the man came from, Mel. Be sure there’s no one else out there that will come into town and threaten a life.”
“Oh, God,” she said.
“I think they can handle it,” June said. “I guess it has to be done.”
“That’s not it, June. I’ve been out to that camp a dozen times. I didn’t see Calvin Thompson there except the very first time, when I went with Doc to help him treat some injuries. But I went, though I’d been told not to. And I was a little nervous and scared, but it never once occurred to me that someone from there might hold a knife to my throat and—” She stopped, unable to go on.
“Good Lord,” June said. “What were you doing?”
Mel shrugged. Her voice was small when she answered. “They looked hungry.”
A slow smile grew on June Hudson’s face. “And you thought you weren’t one of us. What hooey.”
* * *
Jack, Preacher and Jim piled into Jack’s truck and drove back into the woods. The compound was less than twenty miles away, but traversed by so many old logging roads and concealed roads, it took almost an hour to get there. They were so buried, one would never be inclined to worry that these people would pose a dangerous threat.
The young man with the knife, Calvin Thompson, hadn’t been with them long. He wasn’t just a vagrant, but a violent felon. It hadn’t taken Henry Depardeau long to learn he had a long drug-related criminal record from other California cities and had been hiding in the forest to dodge felony warrants for his arrest. It was likely that Maxine had brought him to her father’s hideaway in the forest.
When they got to the camp, Jim Post said, “Yeah, that’s what I figured.” He pointed to the camouflaged semitrailer, a generator beside it. The three men from Virgin River got out of the truck, brandishing rifles of the caliber that would kill a black bear with one shot. Rifles that would cut a man in half. Of course there was no one in evidence. “Paulis!” Jack called.
A skinny, wasted-looking, bearded man came out of a hut. A shack. Behind him was a stringy-haired, skinny young woman. Slowly a few more men came around from the back of dilapidated trailers. This small crowd didn’t display arms, but they stayed back, having knowledge of the firearms Jack, Jim and Preacher carried.
Jack approached Paulis. “Are you growing?” Jack asked.
The man shook his head.
“Did Thompson bring that operation in here?”
The girl made a sound and covered her mouth with her hand. Paulis gave a nod.
“He tried to kill a woman last night. For drugs and property. He’s dead. Who brought in the trailer?”
Paulis shook his head. “We don’t exchange names around here.”
“What’d he look like?” Jim asked.
Paulis just shrugged.
“Come on, man. You want to go to jail for him? What’d he drive?”
Paulis shrugged again, but Maxine stepped around her father, tears on her pale cheeks. “A big black Range Rover. Lights up top. You know the kind. He paid Calvin to watch the grow.”
“I know who he is,” Jack said quietly to Jim. “Don’t know where he is, but I have a good idea this isn’t his only grow. And I happen to know the license number on that big SUV.”
“Well, that could come in handy.”
Then to Clifford Paulis, Jack said, “You have twenty-four hours to clear this camp and move out. The sheriff’s deputy will be out here to close down this spot real quick, and if you’re here, you’ll be arrested—that shit’s in your possession now. You have to move on now. I don’t want you around. You hear me?”
Paulis just nodded.
“That woman was my woman,” Jack said more quietly. “I’m going to look for you, and if I can find you, you haven’t moved far enough, you understand me?”
Paulis dipped his chin once more.
The differences in the men—those from the camp and Jack, Jim and Preacher, left no doubt as to who would be the winners in any kind of conflict. Just to drive the point home, Jack raised his 30-06 caliber, bolt action rifle, aimed it at the generator beside the half-buried trailer in the compound, and fired, decimating it. The report was loud enough to shake the trees. The men in view flinched, raised their hands to cover their faces or cowered back.
“I’m coming back tomorrow,” Jack said. “Early.”
When they were back in the truck, Jack asked Jim, “What do you make of them?”
“Vagrants. Just living in the forest. They didn’t have the means to put that trailer in there—that was arranged by whoever Calvin was working for. They’ll go, most likely. Deeper in the forest, where they can set up camp again and be left alone. We’ll let Henry know where to find it. But you should make good on your advice just the same. They can’t be here anymore. If they’re not dangerous, they’re willing to be taken advantage of by dangerous people.”
“I didn’t see any guns. They have to be armed.”
“Oh, sure—but they’re not armed with much. They saw what we’re carrying—none of these old boys are going to be shooting at us. The ones to worry about are guys like Calvin’s boss, and his boss’s boss. DEA cleared out a whole town in the Trinity Alps several years ago while I was an agent—and now those boys had ’em some guns.” Jim gave Jack a shot in the arm. “I’m for staying out of their business. If Forestry runs across them, they’ll report them to the sheriff’s department or maybe to the DEA.”
* * *
The spirit of the town was tense and worried. Jack had become their favorite son, and his chosen woman—the woman who had come here to help people—had had a brush with death.
Throughout the day, neighbors came to Doc’s bearing food and offering conversation. There were no patients, only friends. Doc got out of bed and dressed, coming downstairs to visit. With the exception of a short nap in the afternoon, he stayed up the entire day.
Jim and June only stayed a couple of hours, but Jack was a presence on and off throughout the day, which worked well because people who came by the house to check on Mel were anxious to talk to him. “Shot him while he held her at knifepoint, they’re saying.” Jack merely nodded and reached for her hand. “How’d you dare? How’d you know you wouldn’t be off by a half inch?”
“I didn’t have that much to spare,” he said. “I wouldn’t have pulled the trigger if I thought there was any chance I’d be off my mark.”
Another matter of great interest was the shining ring that graced Mel’s finger. The engagement was met with happiness and affection, though not surprise. There were many questions about the wedding, and a serious protest when it was learned that there would be a small ceremony in a few days for family only in Sacramento.
Jack, Doc and Mel ate a dinner made up of the food brought by well-wishers and when it was done and the dishes cleaned up, Doc said, “I’m going to bed, Melinda. You should go back to your man’s bed. Those hospital beds are no place for the two of you.” And up the stairs he slowly trudged.
“Yes, you should,” Jack confirmed, taking her with him across the street.
Having slept so little the night before, once she was in Jack’s bed, curled up against his warmth, she nearly passed out from exhaustion.
Before the sun was even up the next morning, she was awakened by the sound of amassing vehicles. She looked at the clock and saw that it was barely 5:00 a.m. She rummaged around for clothes and went through the bar onto the porch to see what all the commotion was about. There in the street were trucks, campers, AWD vehicles, SUVs, cars. Men were standing around in the street, checking their rifles, even putting on flak jackets and bulletproof vests. Some wore jeans and work shirts, some wore fatigues. She recognized faces among them—Mike Valenzuela from L.A., Zeke from Fresno, Paul Haggerty and Joe Benson from Grants Pass, Oregon. There were also neighbors and ranchers and farmers from Virgin River. She saw that Ricky was with them, looking for all the world like a grown man.
She watched them for a while before Jack noticed her standing there, her hair all mussed from sleep, her feet bare. He handed his rifle off to Paul and went to her. “You look like a girl,” he said. “A little pregnant girl, but I know better.” He grinned. “I thought maybe you could sleep awhile longer.”
“Through this? What’s going on?”
“Scavenger hunt,” he said. “Nothing for you to worry about.”
“Come on, Jack.”
“We’re going to check, see if the woods need to be cleaned out,” he said.
“With weapons? Vests? My God, Jack.”
He pulled her against him briefly and said, “I doubt we’ll have any trouble, Mel. But we should be prepared for whatever we run into. We’re just going to cut a wide circle around the town—be certain there are no drug farmers or criminals close by. No camps like the one Thompson came from. No camps for people like Thompson to hide out in.”
“How will you know whether there are dangerous people in ordinary camps? I’m told there are plenty of those kind of camps scattered around. Squatters, vagrants, mountain people.”
He shrugged. “Then we should know who’s out there. Look for what’s in their camps, check their weapons so we know what they have. Pot’s pretty easy to spot—it has a real distinctive green color and it almost always comes with camouflage and a generator.”
She put a hand on the vest he wore. “And you need this because—”
“Because I’m going to be a father soon, and I don’t take foolish chances. One of these idiots could misfire.”
“You’re taking Ricky with you?”
“I look out for Ricky. We’ll all be looking out for him, but believe me—he’s up to this. I taught him to shoot myself. He wouldn’t be left out, because it’s about you.”
“Is this absolutely necessary?”
“Yes,” he said, and looked down at her with the expression she had learned meant he was all about business.
Jim Post was beside Jack, grinning. “Morning,” he said.
“Does June know you’re doing this?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And what did she say?”
“Something like, ‘You better be careful.’ The hard part was convincing old Doc Hudson he couldn’t come.”
“Isn’t this better left to the police? The sheriff?”
Jim put a foot up on the porch step. He shrugged. “We’ve already told Henry about Paulis’s camp and gave him the description of the vehicle being driven by the man who probably had it set up. Hopefully, the Paulis camp is deserted and their plants left behind. We saw ’em, Mel—and there’s no question—those old squatters didn’t bring a semi in, bury it, camouflage it and set up a grow. But someone did—and there could be more of those. There’s real trouble way back in there—on federal land. We’re not going that far back. We’ll stay out of their business. We’ll leave that up to the professionals.”
“It just seems so vigilante-like,” she said.
“Naw, we’re not going to do anything illegal, Mel. We’re just going to send a little message. You don’t want to give our women, our towns, any reason to feel they have to fight back. Understand?” She didn’t answer. “If there’s anything like that near enough to threaten Virgin River, we’ll give them a chance to run for their lives before we disclose their location to authorities. It’ll be fine. We’ll be home by dark.”
She said to Jack, “I’m going to be scared to death all day.”
“Do I have to stay here with you, so you won’t be scared?” he asked her. “Or can you believe in me one more time?”
She bit her lip, but nodded. He slipped an arm around her waist and lifted her up to his mouth, kissing her deeply. “You taste so good in the morning,” he said, smiling down at her. “Is that normal?” he teased.
“You’d better be careful,” she said. “Remember that I love you.”
“I don’t need any more than that,” he said, putting her back on her feet.
Preacher came to the porch. He nodded at her, bushy brows drawn together in a frown that made her almost shudder. “Just send him in,” Mel said. “That’ll scare them all away.” And to her surprise, Preacher smiled so big, for a moment she didn’t recognize him.
When they had finally left in a grand parade, Mel called June. “Do you know what your husband is doing?” she asked.
“Yes,” June said, sounding annoyed. “Not babysitting.”
“Are you worried?”
“Only that one of them will shoot off a toe. Why? Are you?”
“Well... Yes! You should have seen them—in their vests and with those big guns. I mean, big guns!”
“Well, there are bear out there, you know. You don’t want a peashooter,” June said. “You don’t have to worry about Jack, honey. I think it’s been established he’s a good shot, if he needs to be.”
“What about Jim?”
“Jim?” She laughed. “Mel, Jim used to do this for a living. He won’t admit he misses it just a little bit. But I swear I heard him giggle.”
All day long she had visions of gun battles in the forest. The unfortunate lack of work couldn’t keep her from pacing. With the bar closed and so many of the men out on the scavenger hunt, the town was impossibly quiet.
Mel spent most of the day on Doc’s porch, sitting on the steps. It was about noon when the black Range Rover pulled slowly into town. He drove up alongside the clinic and lowered his tinted window. “I heard what happened to you,” he said.
“You did? I didn’t know we had any mutual friends.”
“I wanted to tell you a couple of things, because you did me a favor. Number one—I know about Thompson and he’s a loose cannon. I know a lot of what goes on back there and there aren’t any others like him, that I know of. People like Vickie—that’s the woman who had the baby—she’s been in some trouble, but she’s not dangerous to anybody. She just flies under the radar, has had some tough breaks, doesn’t know a lot of ways to make money. By the way—she’s gone. Took that baby and went to a sister’s in Arizona. I got her on a bus.”
“You said Nevada before,” Mel said.
“Did I now?” he asked, a small smile. “Well, I could be mistaken.”
“I just hope you know where to send the check, since it’s yours.”
“I said, they’ll have what they need. Didn’t I say that?”
She was silent a moment, thinking. The check he was going to send would come from the sale of marijuana. There were people who thought it was no worse than a few beers, and she was about to pledge her life and love to a man who owned a bar, thought nothing of serving up a few beers. Then there were others who recognized its medical benefits. And a third faction saw it as a dangerous drug—one that, in the wrong hands, perhaps young hands, could lead to more dangerous addictions. Mel only knew two things: it was still illegal without a prescription and, because it was illegal, crime was often associated with it.
“You said you wanted to tell me a couple of things,” she said.
“I’m leaving the area. There’s been a death. Doesn’t really matter that Thompson won’t be any great loss to society,” he said with a shrug. “He’s associated with a couple of the operations here, so there’s going to be an investigation, warrants, arrests. I’ll be moving on.” He smiled at her. “You get your wish. You won’t be doing business with me anymore.”
She leaned forward on the porch steps. “Have you done violence?”
“Not really,” he said with a shrug. “Not so far. We’ve had our little misunderstandings. But I’m just a businessman.”
“You couldn’t find a more legal business?”
“Oh, sure,” he answered, smiling. “I just couldn’t find a more profitable one.”
The window went up and he moved down the street and out of sight. She memorized the license plate, knowing that if he was any good at his profession, it wouldn’t matter.
At dusk, she sat out on Doc’s porch and waited. As darkness began to descend, she heard the vehicles return. As they drove slowly into town and pulled up to the bar, she tried to assess the mood of the group. Everyone seemed solemn and tired as they got out of trucks and Jeeps, stretching their backs and arms. Vests were gone, guns stowed in their racks and sleeves rolled up. But shortly they were clapping each other on the back, laughing and gathering around Jack’s porch. She was so relieved to see Ricky, laughing with the men, one of the brothers, completely safe. The last truck to pull up was Preacher’s, in which Jack rode, as well, and they had something large in the bed, something hanging out. When he parked, all the men gathered around, and the tempo of the group seemed to pick up. There was laughter and loud voices.
Almost afraid to know what was going on, she walked across the street. Jack was coming for her and met her halfway.
“Well? You find anything?”
“Not bad guys,” he said. “Paulis’s camp was busted up and what junk they left behind, we destroyed. Henry and a couple of deputies showed up to confiscate their plants. I just don’t want them back in the neighborhood if they’re going to let a drug operation in. Truthfully, they don’t have the strength to keep them out, so we will.”
“Haven’t you ever thought—it’s only a little pot?”
“I don’t have an opinion about that,” he said with a shrug. “But if it’s legalized and pharmaceutical companies grow it, we won’t have to be afraid for our women and children.”
“What have you got in the truck? What’s that awful smell?”
“A bear. Wanna see?” he asked, smiling.
“A bear? Why on earth...?”
“He was really pissed,” Jack said. “Come and see—he’s huge.”
“Who shot him?” she asked.
“Who’s taking credit or who actually shot him? Because I think everyone is taking credit.” He slipped an arm around her waist and walked her the rest of the way.
She began to pick up the voices. “I swear, I heard Preacher scream,” someone said.
“I didn’t scream, jag-off. That was a battle cry.”
“Sounded like a little girl.”
“More holes in that bear than in my head.”
“He didn’t like that repellant so much, did he?”
“I never saw one go through that stuff before. They usually just rub their little punkin eyes and run back in the woods.”
“I’m telling you, Preacher screamed. Thought he was gonna cry like a baby.”
“You wanna eat, jag-off?”
There was laughter all around. A carnival-like atmosphere ensued. The serious group that had left town in the morning had come back like soldiers from war, elated, victorious. Except this war turned out to be with a bear.
Mel glanced in the back of the truck and jumped back. The bear not only filled the bed, he hung out the end. The claws on his paws were terrifying. He was tied in, tied down, even though he was dead. His eyes were open but sightless and his tongue hung out of his mouth. And he stunk to high heaven.
“Who’s calling Fish and Game?”
“Aw, do we have to call them? You know they’re gonna take the frickin’ bear. That’s my bear!”
“It ain’t your bear, jag-off. I shot the bear,” Preacher insisted loudly.
“You screamed like a girl and the rest of us shot the bear.”
“Who really shot the bear?” Mel asked Jack.
“I think Preacher shot the bear when he came at him. Then so did everybody else. And yeah, I think he screamed. I would have. That bear got so damn close.” But as he said this, he grinned like a boy who had just made a touchdown.
Preacher stomped over to Jack and Mel. He bent down and whispered to Mel, “I did not scream.” He turned and stomped off.
“Honey,” Jack said softly, “we found one other thing today.” She looked up at him expectantly. “We found the black Range Rover. Ran off the road and went down a couple hundred feet...”
“Is he dead?” she asked fearfully, surprised that she even cared.
“There wasn’t any body.”
She gave a short, startled laugh. “God,” she said. “He came by here today at about noon. All he did was roll down the window and said that because I did him a favor he wanted me to know there was no one else out there in the cannabis trade like Thompson that he knew of, and he was leaving the area. Jack, he must have ditched the truck.”
“Probably,” he said. “Which means he might be getting a new vehicle, new look and be back. Never go with him again, Mel. Promise me.”
She was thinking, insanely, that he was one person who treated her okay and seemed to have something of a conscience. If he came to her and said someone needed medical help, it would be hard to refuse him. “Just how many children do you think he can father?” she asked with a laugh.
“Men have lapses in judgment.”
“Do they? Hopefully you haven’t had too many,” she said.
“I haven’t had any,” he said with a smile.
“So. That’s all you got? A wrecked SUV and a bear? Must be a little anticlimactic for you,” she said.
“You calling that bear anticlimactic? Baby, that is a huge frickin’ bear!”
There must have been about twenty-five men, they all smelled bad, and they were filing into the bar. Mel sniffed Jack’s shirt. “Whew,” she said. “You smell almost as bad as the bear.”
“It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” he said. “Now we’ll have beer, food and cigars. I have to get in there and start serving beer while Preacher and Ricky fire up the barbecue pit.”
“I’ll help,” she said, taking his hand. “It was a waste of time, wasn’t it?”
“Not in my mind. Our forest is nice and tidy, we’re turning a trailer full of plants over to the sheriff and we got a mean old bear.”
“You had fun,” she accused.
“Not on purpose,” he said. But his smile was very large.
“Is it over, Jack?” she asked him.
“I hope so, baby. God, I hope so.”
* * *
For once Mel was behind the bar. She helped serve beer and drinks, tossed a great big salad while Preacher turned steaks on the grill. Plates and utensils were put out for a buffet-style service. The men poked fun at each other, their laughter getting louder and wilder as the night wore on. Although Ricky was officially working, when he’d pass one of the men, he’d be pulled into a strong-armed embrace and praised as though he was a comrade. Doc wandered across the street for a whiskey, visited with the men for a while before going back to his house. Most of the locals left before the meal was served, home to claim to their wives that they shot the bear.
It was about nine when the cards and cigars came out. Jack grabbed Mel’s hand and said, “Let’s get out of here. You must be exhausted.”
“Hmm,” she said, leaning against him. “My feelings won’t be hurt if you want to hang out with your boys.”
“They’ll probably be around a day or two. Since they came all this way, they’ll want to fish and stink up my bar. Fishing’s starting to get good.” He put an arm around Mel and walked her through the back of the bar. “We need to give the baby a nap.”
“We need to give the baby’s father a shower,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
While Jack showered, Mel put on one of his shirts, her favorite soft chambray. She curled up on the sofa with one of Jack’s magazines in her lap, flipping through the pages. She would have to find something better than Field and Stream, she decided.
She could hear the raucous laughter from the bar; she could almost smell the cigar smoke, but it made her smile. These were good people—people who came running when they thought there was a possible danger. Jack’s friends, the people in town—they knew the meaning of being neighbors.
She had only known the neighbors on each side of her in L.A. With Mark’s long hours, they didn’t socialize as much as she’d have liked. And big cities can be less friendly. Everyone was so focused on work, on making money, on buying things. Mel used to concentrate on that, as well. Besides that Hummer, which she’d needed for work and was as much for the town as herself, she’d hardly bought a thing in six months. She patted her tummy—she would have to buy clothes soon—she couldn’t get her jeans closed. As she thought about it, she didn’t crave any particular label. It made her smile. Lately, she didn’t recognize herself. She was not the same woman who nearly slid off the mountain six months ago.
Jack came out of the shower, a towel around his waist, rubbing dry his short hair with another one. He tossed the second towel and went to his bed, lifting the covers and inclining his head toward her. She put aside the magazine and went to him. As she slipped in, she said, “You’re sure you don’t want to play poker and make yourself smell disgusting? They’re going to keep us up all night anyway.”
He dropped his towel and got in beside her. “You’re kidding, right?” He scooped her up next to him and she snuggled close.
“Have I told you how much I like sleeping with you?” she asked him. “You sleep very well. And you don’t snore. But I think maybe you wake up too early.”
“I like the mornings.”
“I can’t fit in my pants already,” she said. She lifted herself up and with her elbows resting on his chest said, “You call them and they just come.”
“I only called one of them—Mike in L.A.—he called the others. They’re just like that. And if any of them called—I’d go.” He smiled at her. “I never expected a posse like that to turn out. Says something about the way people feel about you.”
“But you didn’t actually find anyone scary out there.”
“I liked what I found. I wasn’t willing to take any chances, and neither was anyone else. The same thing would happen for any other crisis—like a bear mauling or a forest fire or someone lost in the woods. People band up, go out and take care of the problem if they can. What else are you going to do?”
She played idly with his damp chest hair. “That look you get when you’re facing off with someone or something, do you have any idea how dark it is? You might want to keep that look in the closet—it’s disturbing.”
“I want to tell you something,” he said. “I asked your sister all about your husband. Mark.”
“You did?”
“Yep. I understand he was a great man. A brilliant man—and kind. He did a lot of good in the world, and he was good to you. I have a lot of respect for him.”
“She didn’t tell me this.”
“I’ve been trying to figure out how to say this to you. I might muck it up, but you have to listen. A couple of weeks ago I let you cry alone, because I was pissed. I caught you talking to his picture and I got threatened. Threatened by a dead man, which makes me a true candy-ass.” He touched her hair. “I won’t ever do that again, Mel. I understand why you love him, why you’ll always—”
“Jack—”
“No, I’m going to do this, and you’re going to listen. I know you didn’t want your life to change the way it did, and you couldn’t control it. Just like you can’t control what you feel. You don’t have to pretend you don’t think about him, or miss him. And if you have those moments when you’re sad, when you wish you could have him back in your life, you can be honest with me. You don’t have to pretend it’s PMS.” He smiled. “We both know you don’t have PMS anymore.”
“Jack, what are you talking about?”
“I just want one thing. If I can be a sport about the fact that he’ll always be an important part of your life, can you try to not be sorry that we’re together, having this baby? Because I have to tell you, I’ve never been more ready for anything. I’ll do my best not to be jealous. I realize I’m not your first choice, but your next choice. That’s good enough for me, and I’m sorry someone died. I’m sorry for your loss, Mel.”
“Why are you saying this? It’s such nonsense.”
“It’s what I heard,” he said. “I heard you saying you were sorry you were pregnant, that it just happened, and you promised not to forget him.”
Mel gave him a look of disbelief. “I thought you were hurt by what you heard me say—but you were hurt because of what you didn’t hear!”
“Huh?”
“Jack, I’m not sorry I’m pregnant. I’m thrilled! I got myself all worked up because I realized that I was more in love with you than I thought possible. Maybe more in love than I’ve ever been in my life. I had a short insane moment of feeling that I’d betrayed his memory somehow. As though I’d been unfaithful or something. It’s true—I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did. I know I resisted, but you just got to me. I promised Mark I wouldn’t forget him. And I won’t because you’re right, he was a good man. And I respect him, too.”
“Huh?” he said again.
“Look,” she said, playing with his thick, damp hair. “I was upset and a little confused. I loved Mark very much. I didn’t think I’d get to feel that again, much less for someone new. Imagine how it threw me when I realized I felt something even stronger. Something even more powerful. Jack, I was telling Mark I had moved on. I was saying goodbye—it was difficult. I’m not going to be a widow anymore, darling. I’m going to be a wife. This thing I have with you—it’s amazing.”
“Seriously?”
“I was in this high, emotional state,” she said with a shrug. “I was tired and pregnant. Jack, I love you so much. Can’t you tell?”
“Well...yeah,” he said, sitting up in the bed a little. “But I thought it was mostly physical. I mean—damn, Mel. We’re really good together. The way we come together, it almost makes me weak to think about it.”
“I don’t mind the physical part one bit,” she said with a mischievous grin. “But I love more about you than that. Your character, for one thing. Your generosity and how about your courage. Oh, there are about a million things, but I’m done talking now.” She kissed him. “Now I want you to say something wonderful to me right before you tear this shirt off my body.”
He rolled her over onto her back and, looking into her eyes, said, “Mel, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’m going to make you so happy, you won’t be able to stand it. You’re going to wake up singing every morning.”
“I already do, Jack.”
* * * * *
Be sure to pick up the next novel in the new SULLIVAN’S CROSSING series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr,
ANY DAY NOW
A story of one woman reconnecting with family and rediscovering herself.
Available April 4, 2017, from MIRA Books