Forbidden Falls (Virgin River #9)(100)

“Then do them. If I learn anything at all about your ex-husband, I’ll let you know.” She smiled. “You just have to hunker down for a little while longer. I’ll do everything I can think of to get this business behind you.”

By the time the weekend arrived, Vanessa, Paul and the kids had been in Grants Pass for three days. While Vanni had daily visits with Roberta Bradford at the nursing home, Paul spent a lot of time with his father and brothers at the corporate headquarters of Haggerty Construction. Additionally, they had a couple of meetings with Scott Hanson about adoption. That legal transaction was typically an expensive affair, but because Terri Bradford had worked for Scott and because the Hanson family happened to be quite fond of little Hannah, they were getting a good deal. The Haggertys would be charged just the filing costs. And the Hansons asked to see Hannah whenever it was convenient.

The good news was that Roberta Bradford was not lingering at death’s door. She was disabled and her condition would not improve, but if she could avoid illness and infections, she’d be around awhile. Long enough to have many visits with her granddaughter and supply information about their family.

Paul had spent most of the day out with his brothers, looking over some of their building projects, and when he went back to his mother’s house he found her in the kitchen, kneading dough.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Sweetheart,” she said, lifting her flour-covered hands. “Be very quiet. Vanessa and the babies are exhausted. All this running around, visiting, working things out…they’re shot. They’re napping.”

“And you’re baking?”

“I bake off stress,” she said. “And the weather turned cool at last—I love it when the leaves have turned and I can use the oven and fireplace again. It’s been just beautiful here.”

“What stress are you baking off?” he asked. “Have we been too much for you this visit? Two little kids?”

“Don’t be silly, I love having the babies,” she said, kneading. “I just want everything to go smoothly for you and Vanni, and for the children. I want Hannah to be content. And…” She paused for a moment. “And I want you to get one of your own, like you and Vanni were planning, and yet I don’t want Vanni to be overwhelmed. This thing you’ve taken on—it’s a huge undertaking. And I’m so proud of you both.”

He grinned at his mother. “It’s going to be a houseful. And me and Vanni? We’re not that young. Not as young as you and Dad were.”

“Yes, but we were young and dumb and poor. At least you’re not poor. You should’ve seen how we lived in the beginning. And every time your father walked by the bedroom door, I was pregnant again.”

He chuckled and went to his mother, putting his arms around her despite the fact that her hands were messy with flour. “Thank you for helping, Mom. This was so sudden, Vanni’s need to make this trip. I could see her warming up to Hannah, but it was overnight that she made her decision.”

Marianne smiled at him. “She must have wanted to kill you for bringing an old girlfriend’s baby home.”

“Pretty much,” Paul said. “Mom, I liked Terri, but it wasn’t out of affection for her that I took Hannah home. Have you held that little girl? Let her put her arms around your neck? Who, in their right mind, could have left her behind?”

Marianne put her hand against Paul’s cheek, leaving a trail of flour there. “You’re a good boy, Paul. I don’t know where you got it, but you’re a good boy.”

He laughed at her. “I know where I got it. I’m going to look in on my family, if that’s okay.”

“They’re napping together in your room. The kids were a little overtired and fussy and Vanni wanted them close.”

“I’ll be right back.”

He went up the stairs to the largest guest room, the one he shared with his wife. There was a smaller room right next to it for the kids and there were two cribs there. The door to the bedroom was ajar an inch or so and Paul pushed it open. Vanni had the kids on the bed with her. She was lying on her back with Matt curled up against her on one side and Hannah on the other, both of them sleeping with their mouths open. Vanni was sound asleep, but there was the smallest smile on her lips. She had her arms around them, holding them close, one of Marianne’s afghans pulled over them.

And Paul fell in love all over again.

Seventeen

The first of October brought a very hectic schedule of events for the Virgin River Presbyterian Church, beginning with the delivery of the kitchen appliances. Next came Noah’s personal shipment, which was stored in the newly finished basement. In that shipment, the piano arrived and as soon as it was tuned, Ellie couldn’t wait to try it out. Her out-of-practice attempts, accompanied by the occasional muffled curse, could be heard all over the church, causing Noah to laugh to himself.

Timing was on their side; Paul was finishing up in the sanctuary just as the pews were delivered for installation. New desks, a conference table and chairs, bookcases and filing cabinets for the upstairs offices were delivered, which meant a lot of sorting, organizing and file building. Ellie loved organizing. This work would barely be finished in time for the MacIntyre-Riordan wedding less than a week later.

Needless to say, both Noah and Ellie were extremely busy and, in the midst of this, Brie reported that the end of that first week of October, after almost exactly ninety days since her children were removed from her care, Ellie would finally get her court date. “I need a brief meeting with you, Ellie,” Brie said. “My office, tomorrow sometime. Call when you’re on your way.”