Forbidden Falls (Virgin River #9)(42)

“This has been such a fun day,” Jo said to Ellie. “You know, I have friends in this town, plenty of them, but I don’t think I’m as close to some women I’ve known for twenty years as I am to you. There’s something different about having you here. If I’d had a daughter when I wanted one, she would probably be about your age. She might have children like Danielle and Trevor. I hope that isn’t too presumptuous of me, saying that.”

“Oh, Jo, that’s so sweet! If I could choose the kind of mother to have, it would be someone like you. Someone kind and stable and a friend I could depend on.” And she thought maybe Jo’s eyes had misted a little when she said that.

So there it was—Jo and Nick had parted while staying under the same roof, and the bitterness from their individual wounds had resulted in Nick’s bad behavior and sullied reputation, and Jo was lonely and unable to hold her head up in her town.

If they wanted to, Ellie wondered, could they unravel their twenty-year-old quarrel and rebuild? Was it possible?

Seven

When Paul and Vanessa Haggerty decided they wanted to settle in Virgin River rather than Paul’s home of Grants Pass, Oregon, he set up a part of his family’s construction company in Virgin River. It had proven a positive choice for them, but it did require that Paul visit his father and brothers for a company business meeting about once a month. Vanni and little Matt, now eighteen months, were almost always with him, but this time she wasn’t free to go—she was helping her cousin Shelby plan her wedding. So Paul decided to drive up on Thursday and come back on Friday afternoon rather than spend the weekend away from the family.

When he arrived at the office, his brother North shook his hand and said, “Hey, perfect timing. I just hung up with some lawyer by the name of Hanson. Does the name Terri Bradford ring a bell?”

The past came rushing back to Paul. “It does. Why?”

“Seems she died recently. Car accident or something. The lawyer called because there’s a will.”

“Died?” he asked, stunned. “A will?”

“That’s what he said. Apparently she left you something. You know, in the will.”

Paul was stunned and speechless. Dead? Terri was young, pretty, fun—it was just wrong, her being dead. “I can’t imagine why she’d leave me anything,” he said. “Did he say what it was? Really, I didn’t know her that well.”

“How did you know her?” North asked. “I mean, you don’t have to tell me if it’s personal. But—”

“It’s not personal. I went out with her a few times before I married Vanni. You know—back before Matt died in Iraq and all that. It was pretty casual between us.”

Except, it hadn’t been quite that tidy. True, Paul had dated Terri a few times before Matt was killed in Iraq. Also true, it had been casual. She was a real pretty single girl and Paul had had no one in his life. He had been carrying a torch for Vanni, but she was married to his best friend, Matt, and pregnant with their child. But then Matt was suddenly gone, the baby was born with Paul’s assistance, and Paul was all messed up in grief and guilt and regret…and hopeless love for Vanessa. In just that state, looking for someone to talk to, someone who might understand, he’d spent the night with Terri.

Then began a real mess. Terri told him she was pregnant with his child and Paul had been prepared to take care of her, but ultimately Terri admitted the baby wasn’t his after all. Medical tests proved that to be true and they parted company amicably. He even offered to help her anyway. He had liked Terri; she’d been very sweet to him when he was in a bad place in his emotional life.

“Why would she leave me anything?” he thought aloud.

“Here’s the lawyer’s number,” North said, handing him a piece of paper. “Give him a call and ask him. Then let’s get everyone around the table and look at the company’s last month’s performance. Huh?”

“Yeah,” Paul said.

The lawyer, Scott Hanson, wouldn’t reveal anything over the phone. He said he’d prefer to see him in person to explain Terri’s will. That was the usual protocol, he explained. Hanson gave him an appointment for the next morning so there would be plenty of time for Paul to get back to Virgin River before dinnertime.

When he talked to Vanni that evening, he told her about this unexpected development. “Oh, Paul, that’s just awful that she would die so young,” Vanni said. “What about her child?”

“Honey, I never spoke to her again after she told me the baby wasn’t mine. I don’t even know if she kept the baby. And I can’t for the life of me guess what she would want me to have.”

“Some memento of time you spent together?” Vanni asked. “When you dated?”

“I can’t think of a thing,” he said. “I don’t feel connected to Terri. Just enough to be sorry she lost her life so young. Whatever she left me, I’ll just ask the lawyer to give it to her next of kin.”

“Paul, you don’t have to do that on my account. I wasn’t jealous of her before and I’m certainly not jealous of her now. Just be polite and thank the man. Then get home—we have a baby to make.”

Vanni had just decided, to Paul’s great happiness, now that little Matt was eighteen months old, she was ready to get pregnant again. Paul thought of little Matt as his own, but the idea of a baby carrying his own DNA would thrill him.