by Robyn Carr
“Oh, God,” Aiden moaned into the phone. “How many hours is the drive?”
“Well, that all depends on how fast I go,” she said. “It’s very long. I plan on stopping off for the night.”
“Stopping off where?” he asked in frustration.
“Okay, I might be all done talking to you now, since you insist on treating me like I just got my learner’s permit.”
“All right,” he said, deliberately calming his voice. “Where do you suppose you’ll stay the night?”
“I don’t know. I left early, so I might make it all the way to Carson City. I’ve been there—nice little town. And Gardnerville is nearby. So is Reno and Lake Tahoe and—”
“How many hours of driving is that?” he asked.
“Many,” she said. “I wish you’d stop this. I’m a very good, confident driver. And I’ve lived alone for twelve years. I know how to be safe.”
“Why didn’t you call me? I would have come to Phoenix and driven you,” he said tiredly.
“Oh, doesn’t that sound like fun,” she said with a short laugh. “It would probably turn into elder abuse. Besides, it’s not practical. Someone—probably me—would have had to drive you back to Sacramento or at least Redding to catch a flight home.”
He sighed into the phone. “Do Luke and Sean know your plans yet?”
“I told them I’d be back for a long visit, but they might be in denial,” she said. She heard Aiden laugh. “It makes sense for me to stay with Vivian. I’ll be very busy, running between Rosie, and Luke and Shelby, and also hanging around with Vivian when neither of us has plans. I only want to be nearby to get to know Rosie better and I don’t want to be a burden to my sons.”
“You’re not a burden, Mom,” he said.
“Oh? Then why does my doing as I please make you yell?”
Aiden took a breath. “I want you to check in every few hours as long as you have a signal. I want to hear from you when you stop for the night—I want to know exactly where you are. Can we please agree to that?”
“I hope I live to see you at sixty-two. I’d like to hear firsthand just how you handle people pushing you around as though you’re some doddering old—”
“I didn’t do that! I’m just being cautious. It’s not your age, it’s your…your…You’re a woman out on the road alone, Mom! And if I remember my geography, from Las Vegas to Reno is a pretty lonely stretch of road.”
“I’ll lock my car doors so the wild mules don’t get me.”
“What do you mean, she’s too liberal? Rosie’s other grandmother?” Aiden asked.
“Oh, you know. A lovely woman, really. Very likable and with a wonderful sense of humor. Just…Her values are more on the relaxed side, if you know what I mean.”
“I wouldn’t dare guess,” Aiden muttered into the phone.
“For example, she’s not too worried about Sean and Francine making this whole event right and proper. She’d be happy as a clam if they’d at least get together romantically, as if that will solve their problems. Wasn’t that what got them into this mess? Not that I’m the least sorry about Rosie—she’s the most brilliant child! I’m so crazy about her! She reminds me a lot of Patrick when he was little—except for the princess dresses and high-heeled slippers.”
Aiden chuckled into the phone. “I take back everything I said, Mom. Maybe this is a good idea.”
Maureen got the impression Aiden hoped staying with liberal Viv would loosen her up. “Don’t get your hopes up, Aiden. I’m pretty firm in my convictions.”
“Yes, Mom. Understood.” He laughed a little more. “Call in a few hours. Please?”
“I’ll try. Now relax, Aiden. I’m listening to a book on tape and enjoying the ride.”
“I hope it’s not the Bible,” he said.
“It’s James Patterson—death and sex and everything.” And without another word, she hung up on him.
It was less than thirty minutes before her cell phone chimed. She glanced at the phone and saw it was Luke. She let him go to voice mail. Next was Sean, then Patrick and finally Colin. She smiled to herself; it was nice having all five boys in the United States. She let them all leave messages. She would entertain herself later by listening to them.
Really, she thought with amusement, how did they think she got to be this old without knowing anything? Pups. They were just pups.
As Maureen had fully expected, her sons welcomed her a little more warmly given the fact that she was staying with Vivian and not with them. But she was very surprised when Franci walked down the block to her mother’s house a couple of days after Maureen’s return. It was the afternoon, before Rosie was due home from day care. “Hi,” she said almost sheepishly, when Maureen opened the door.
“Franci! I thought you were working!”
“I was. I got off at eight this morning, had a nap and I thought I’d catch you before Sean brings Rosie home. I think maybe we should have a chat. Alone.”
“Of course,” Maureen said, and she braced herself to be lectured not to interfere, to be seen and not heard, to not get in the way of things. “Please,” she said, holding open the door. “Can I make you a cup of coffee or something?”
“No. I just wanted to say I’m sorry you missed so much time with Rosie. I wish it hadn’t been necessary.”
“Oh, Franci,” Maureen said before she could stop herself. “Was it necessary?”
Franci came inside the house. “I thought so, yes,” she said gently. “The Sean I knew four years ago and this Sean—really, they’re very different men. But that aside, most of it had to do with me. I loved him so much, I just couldn’t bear to have him know everything and still walk away. Even worse was the thought that he’d grudgingly man up and marry me, but hate his life.” She shook her head. “I didn’t know which way it would go, Maureen. I had to do the best I could with the facts at hand. I’m terribly sorry for what that cost you.”
Maureen took one of Franci’s hands. She smiled softly. “I wish it hadn’t gone the way it did, but I don’t blame you, Franci. And I’m so glad that’s in the past and we can all move forward now. You’ve done an amazing job with Rosie. She’s the most wonderful child.”
“Then you won’t hold it against me?” Franci asked.
“Of course not, darling,” she said, pulling her into an embrace. Maureen held her tightly. “Of course not! That boy of mine, however…” She pulled back and looked into Franci’s eyes. Maureen’s were dancing, laughter making little crinkle lines at the corners. “Is it too late to ground him?”
Franci laughed with her. “I think so,” she said.
“I’m glad he’s different. I guess he had some growing up to do. Maybe it was his fault, maybe it was mine. Maybe I let him get by with too much when he was a kid. Whatever, it’s too late for all that blaming. Right now there’s a family to mend. You and Sean are doing a very good job of that. I’m very proud of both of you.”
Luke and Shelby had met Rosie, but only briefly—over the past few weeks everyone had been very focused on letting her get used to the large Riordan clan slowly. And there was more to come—Shelby’s whole family was in Virgin River. Luke wanted to have a big party and invited not only his family but also Walt Booth, Muriel St. Claire, Paul and Vanessa Haggerty and their two little ones. And of course there was Art, who was as much a member of his family as anyone. It was the first Riordan gathering since Luke and Shelby’s wedding, and this time it would include Franci, Rosie and Vivian.
On a Saturday when Franci wasn’t working, they all gathered at Luke’s house, and royalty could not have been welcomed with any more enthusiasm than Franci and Rosie. It was just enough family to stuff Luke’s relatively small house. All the women brought dishes to accompany a very large ham and prime rib. Furniture had to be moved around, and with the November weather growing so cold, the fire blazed in the hearth and the house throbbed with the noise of good times and the laughter of children.
The cold didn’t affect Rosie—she wanted to
fish…and fish and fish. First, Sean took her along with Art, then Luke took her, then Franci took her and finally Maureen had a turn. She wanted to fish rather than eat; she wanted to fish rather than have a nap. She was told she could only fish with Mommy’s or Daddy’s permission and never without an adult along. She squealed and pitched a little fit about staying in, even though her fingers, toes and nose were bright pink. As soon as her fit ended, however, she passed out cold, exhausted.
In the late afternoon, as everyone allowed their big meal to settle before they tackled dessert, the children napped peacefully on the sofas. The women gathered around the dining room table, Art wandered off to fish some more and the Riordan brothers, plus Walt and Paul, stood on the porch with beers and cigars.
Luke was the one to broach the subject that was on everyone’s mind. “What happens now, Sean?”
“Anyone’s guess. What should happen—I should go remote without a family or to a foreign base until a slot at Air Command and Staff opens up. But I’ve been all over the flesh peddlers at MPC looking for a job that carries me over a year or two and has a squadron in my future. The possibilities have been interesting—everything from an attaché position in Belgium to a test-pilot job in the high desert in Southern California.” He coughed. “They’ve suggested plenty of open time in the sandbox.”
“What does Franci say?”
“She says to let her know when I have an actual question and she’ll try to come up with an answer.” They all laughed. “Listen, isn’t it obvious? I don’t want to be away from them, but asking her to leave her mom, her home and her job right now is asking a lot, and I don’t even know that I’ll go someplace I can take a family. I’m trying to keep so many balls in the air, I don’t know which end is up. And on the first of December I have to go back to work. To Beale. Any second now, my orders will be cut.”
“What’s your dream job?” Luke asked.
“Air Command and Staff on my way back to Beale as squadron commander,” he said. “I’d probably have to do some time at the Pentagon or MPC en route to pay my dues for my upgrade. I had it in my head I was going all the way—retire as a full bull at least.” He glanced at Walt, who had retired from the army with three stars. “To tell the truth, I had my eye on a star or two. Sir. Now, I’m not so sure I’ll make it to retirement.”
“It’s going okay with Franci?” Aiden asked.
“With my mother living four doors away with Franci’s mother? I’d say we’re doing pretty well in spite of that. One more person gets in our business and we’re probably doomed.” He laughed and shook his head. There was silence for a few moments and Sean finally said, “I regret that I didn’t know about Rosie four years ago, but it terrifies me to think how I might have reacted. I thought I was a man of the world at twenty-eight, but—”
Walt Booth put an arm around his shoulders. “Son, I bet there’s not a man on this porch who doesn’t feel like looking back and changing a few things. Just do right by your family now. And if there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word.”
“Got any favors to call in, sir?” Sean asked.
“I’ll give it some thought, son, but the problem there…they’d be army favors.”
Sean shook his head. “That’s kind of the way my luck’s been going lately.”
When the men walked back in the house, Rosie popped up from her sleeping position on the couch and said, “Daddy? Go fishing now?”
Twelve
Ellie Baldwin was very proud of herself. Although she and Noah met with the seller’s Realtor together, he hardly opened his mouth. She had researched the property and hired Paul Haggerty to check the house for its structural competence. Paul took care of things immediately and provided them with a folder filled with notes that brought the price down by a quarter. The money would be spent on the extensive repairs the owner should have made on the house, she told the Realtor.
Of course their offer was accepted; the seller was anxious to unload the money pit. The closing on the property was scheduled right away, which thrilled Ellie to no end. She asked Noah why he didn’t get more involved in the negotiations. “You had the situation well under control, and you’re absolutely right about me—I might’ve backed down. Ellie, pretty soon you’re going to have to accept how smart you really are.”
She stayed tense about the sale until the closing on the property. It had been less than a week but, to Ellie, it had felt like a month. The seller owned the place outright and Noah had some kind of retirement trust as collateral. The mortgage approval was a banker’s dream and the closing followed quickly.
When they left the title company after signing the final papers that Friday morning, and the old house was completely theirs, she flew into Noah’s arms and almost knocked him down in her excitement. He laughed as he grabbed her. “Whoa! You’re the only woman I know who would be so grateful for that trash heap of a house!”
“Noah, one day that’s going to be the most beautiful house in Virgin River. It’s going to take a while and some hard work, but it will be. You wait and see!”
“Let’s get married now. We have the license. We have to get married before we can send legal paperwork to Trevor’s biological father to release him for adoption, so let’s get it done. We’ll put up a notice for Friday night, a week from today.” He grinned. “In England they call it posting the banns. We can call Harry Shipton from Grace Valley, ask him to officiate—”
“Noah! What about George? Don’t you think George would want to marry us?”
“I just hope he can get away on short notice so he can be my best man. Let’s do it, Ellie.”
“So fast?” she asked. “Is that what you want to do? It won’t be much of a wedding,” she said, concerned. “You’re the town pastor. You should probably put more effort into it.”
“We’ll have a nice little ceremony and a potluck in the basement—”
“The basement? But we don’t have tables and chairs yet. The kitchen might be ready for a potluck, but I don’t feel right about rounding up volunteers to clean up for our wedding. We’ve only known these people a few months. I don’t want to take advantage of them. If we only have ten guests, we don’t want them working for their supper.”
“Then let’s ask Jack. I hear that’s where most town parties happen.”
“I guess we could do that,” she said. “Do we pay Jack for that?”
“I’ll talk to him about it. It works for me if it works for Jack,” he said. “But how about you, Ellie? Do you want more time to plan? To make it fancier? I know you’ve never had a real wedding.”
Nor had she ever expected one. Oh, every young girl dreams of that special event when she’s gowned in splendor and is queen for a day, but Ellie knew that in her case it was only a dream. She was a poor girl, marrying a simple minister; she had no family but her children. Her life right now was better than it had ever been; she wasn’t going to get greedy. “Marrying you is the best thing that could ever happen to me. I’m very happy, Noah. Will you wear your wedding-funeral suit?”
He nodded. “Are you going to wear a huge white dress?” he asked with a grin.
“No. I’m about the most unlikely virgin in Virgin River. Vanessa is way ahead of us—she said she has a dress that’s perfect for me, with just enough cleavage to make it look like I bought it for myself.”
He dug in his pocket and pulled out a ring. “Will you wear this?”
The diamond wasn’t large as diamonds go, but from Ellie’s perspective it was enormous. She never in her wildest dreams expected jewelry. “Is it real?” she asked in a breath. When he nodded, she asked, “Can we afford this?”
“Ellie, we can’t afford anything!” He laughed.
“Noah, have you lost your mind? I don’t need something like this! I’d rather have a washing machine!”
He took her chin in his big hand, tilted her face up and said, “Ellie, I love you. I want you to have something special. I wish it was more special—you’re a nine-carat w
oman.” He shrugged. “It’s a speck. You can hardly see it with the naked eye.”
“It’s incredible.”
He gave her a kiss. “I don’t know how you manage to be so grateful for such simple things, but I want you to know I’ll never take that for granted. It’s priceless. You’re the jewel!”
She put her arms around his neck and held him close, kissing him back. “You’re one crazy preacher,” she said. And then she smiled. “Okay, then. If Harry’s available, I’ll do it. But until we can get that lean-to in shape, we’re going to be spending the night over the Fitches’ garage.”
“I don’t care where I sleep as long as it’s next to you,” he said.
Virgin River was especially good at things like last-minute weddings and impromptu parties at the bar. Harry Shipton didn’t have enough of a social life to prevent him from performing a wedding on Friday night and was glad to do it. When Ellie asked Preacher if he could come up with some kind of a small wedding cake for them, his grin was so big she was afraid his face would crack.
Noah announced it at Sunday service, which had grown by a few people each week so that now it wasn’t unusual to have as many as fifty people in church. Jack put a notice on the front door of the bar saying they’d be closed Friday night to celebrate the marriage of Ellie Baldwin and Pastor Noah Kincaid, and the price of admission was a covered dish. Right next to that, Noah put up a for-sale notice for the RV.
“And where are you two lovebirds going on your honeymoon?” Jack asked.
“Down the street with a hammer and bucket of nails,” Noah said. “First of all, Ellie won’t even consider a honeymoon that doesn’t include the kids…”
“Doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose?” Jack asked.
“That was my question,” Noah said.
Jack clapped a strong hand on Noah’s shoulder. “After you’re married, I’ll explain about the reason for cartoons. There are side effects, but it’s worth it.” Noah’s brow crinkled in confusion. “You said, ‘first of all’…Was there a second thing?” Jack asked.