A Virgin River Christmas (Virgin River #4)(80)

He’s right about that, baby—and you’re it. I don’t know if you’re up to it, me taking on the Corps for a career, but I hope so. Thing is, if I could be half the leader and friend Ian is, I’d be a frickin’ legend. I can’t wait till you finally meet him. You’re going to admire the guy as much as I do. And then you’re probably going to coldcock him for making the Corps look so good to me. Ha ha. He won’t be surprised—I told him all about you, that you might be a little bitty thing, but you aren’t afraid to stand up and speak up.

I miss you so much, baby. I’ll be back before you know it. I love you, Marce.

Ian took a few deep breaths and then read it again. What was this? How could Bobby think that much of him? It was goofy hero worship and Ian didn’t feel he deserved that. Ian was just doing the job he was trained to do—it wasn’t anything special.

He was sure right about Marcie, though. She was a little pistol. A beautiful little pistol who brought sunlight and laughter with her everywhere she went. One determined little girl. She didn’t quit early; she’d have made a good marine. Bobby was lucky he found her in the ninth grade. It wasn’t easy to find a woman that strong, that powerful, that sure of herself and what she wanted.

After all she’d been through, after everything they’d shared, what kind of a guy doesn’t at least say “I love you, too”?

Doc took Marcie on a wild ride out to a farm in the foothills and snapped at her to help him with the gurney. Then Doc climbed in the back to administer to their patient, a farmer who’d taken a donkey’s hoof in the head. His head was split open and he was seeing double, but he was conscious. So while Doc took care of his patient he yelled at Marcie about her driving, which she couldn’t understand because she thought she was doing very well considering she wasn’t used to a vehicle that size.

When they got to Valley Hospital they had to wait around for X-rays before Doc would leave the farmer. Then Doc made her drive back to Virgin River so she could experience this vehicle without the yelling in the background. By the time they pulled into town, she was a wreck.

“Come on,” Doc said. “I’ll buy you a drink. You earned one. You did just fine.”

“Well you’d never know it from the way you yelled at me,” she grumbled.

“Nah, you were half as good as Melinda—which is good. She’s had practice. She slings that thing around like it’s a skateboard. Come on. It’s time for a drink.”

“Really, I was going to be out of here five hours ago.”

“Well now, don’t you feel good that you were able to help? Lend a hand? If you hadn’t been sitting right there, I’d have had to take Paige or maybe the patient’s wife, who wouldn’t have been able to keep her eyes on the road. It was a lucky break for all of us. Have a drink and some dinner. You can drive in the dark, can’t you? We’ll fill you with food and soak you up in coffee before you go.”

“Yeah,” she said wearily. “Sure. Why not. I’m already too late for Christmas Eve dinner in Chico.”

“There you go. Another break.”

“My sister might not see it that way….”

“What would be even better,” Doc said, “is if you had two drinks and spent the night in the spare bed at my place. That would be even better.”

“No,” she said. “Really, I have to go. I can’t hang around here. It just makes me sad.”

“Whatever you think you have to do,” Doc said. “It’s an open offer.”

The bar was packed with people, gathering for their little program around the tree. There were trays of snacks sitting all around—from hot hors d’oeuvres to Christmas cookies. People whom Marcie had never met introduced themselves, asked her where she was from and if she would stay for the carols. She did accept a brandy from Preacher, then sampled the snacks and finally she migrated to the kitchen and called Erin. “I apologize, but I’m running late…”

“What?” Erin nearly exploded. “What are you thinking? You promised to come home!”

“I’m coming,” she said. “Listen, there was an emergency—a guy from town got kicked in the head by his donkey and Doc needed someone to drive to the hospital so he could tend the head and…Well, I got delayed by five hours and I’m sorry. So I’ll be catching Santa in the act, but I’ll get there.”

“It’s dark! I don’t want to worry about you!”

She took a breath. “I drive in the dark all the time, but go ahead and sit up and worry if you want to. I’m going to have some food and some coffee—then I’ll be on my way.”

When Marcie migrated back into the bar, she was worn down. She felt as though she had disappointed everyone, not the least of whom herself. She’d grown tired. No doubt it came from the long day, the emotion of leaving Ian, the wild ride with Doc. But most of all she felt the disappointment that the thing she’d started with Ian didn’t seem destined to go further.

But then, what could she expect? That they’d laugh together, love together for a week or so and he’d change everything about himself? And for all her big talk—that she’d stay in that cabin forever—she wasn’t at all sure that after a year of that she wouldn’t be out of her mind. Besides, she had brought him some relief, but she hadn’t healed him; he had lots of healing left to do. And he probably knew what he needed—to split and sell his logs, feed the deer, sing in the morning and ease slowly back into the world.