Hidden Summit (Virgin River #17)(40)

“Conner, what you’re proposing is dangerous to you and your ancillary connections, like Katie and her boys. Like Leslie. I think what we should do is move you. I’ll call Max and tell him we have a complication and have to get you away from here before anyone can make the connection.”

“No. I’m not going.”

She shook her head. “If you care about her, you have to reconsider.”

“I care about her, and before I make any moves, I’ll give her the choice.” He lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Maybe she’ll tell me to be on my way. She’s not here to find the right guy, she’s here trying to get her idea of the right guy out of her head—that ex-husband who cost her so much. Besides, she’s close to her family—no way she’s going into hiding. I wouldn’t even ask her to.”

“You love her.”

“Don’t get ahead of me. We’re enjoying life. We haven’t said those kind of things to each other.” He swallowed. “I don’t want to crowd her.”

“You’re talking about just ignoring the threat Mathis and his people impose.”

“No, sir,” he said. “I’m talking about defending my loved ones, something I never knew I had to do before, something you and the D.A. have made a point of suggesting is impossible for me to do. I have a gun and I have—” He broke off and laughed cynically. “I have the Virgin River posse. Even though all I’ve done for these good people is help out here and there, I have no doubt they’d back me up.”

Brie was quiet for a long moment. Finally she said, “They deserve better than that.”

“I haven’t done anything yet,” he reminded her. “I haven’t told anyone. I haven’t changed our game plan. But if you push this, I will. Because Les and I deserve a break. Just a break to see if maybe we found something worth the risk. That’s all I’m saying.”

“You’re not in charge,” Brie said forcefully.

“Yes,” he said. “I am.”

That night, as Conner held Leslie, the temptation to tell all was overwhelming. He didn’t, but he wanted to. He wanted to say, This thing happened and testifying is the right thing to do and I can keep you safe. I know I have to keep the people I love safe.

Instead he said, “Your parents are nice.”

“Yeah. The fun couple. They’re wonderful. Sometimes their antics are a little embarrassing, but I have to remember how supportive they are.”

“Antics?”

“Oh, they love dressing up funny, getting into fundraising things like pie-throwing contests or dunking booths. For their fortieth anniversary they went bungee jumping off a bridge in Oregon. They’re kind of Where’s the party? all the time. But I have to say, they’ve never let me down. Maybe I’ve let them down....”

“That’s hard to imagine.”

“I’m just realizing… I was pretty caught up in…other things for the past few…okay, for the past decade or so. I might’ve kept them at arm’s length. I’ll never do that again.”

“You shouldn’t, Les,” he said. “You don’t know how much time you’ll have with them. They’re a little wacky, but in a good way. Enjoy.”

“Do you understand everything?”

He laughed. “Oh, hell no. But I lost my parents when I was young. And even though yours are a lot more fun than mine were, there are times I still miss them. And my life would be totally different if they hadn’t died prematurely. Just be glad you have a chance to spend some more time with yours.” He coughed. “That dye job, though…”

“I know....”

Conner sat in front of The Loving Cup in his truck and phoned Katie. He talked to Mitch and Andy for a few minutes, but, with the typical attention span of five-year-old boys, that didn’t last long. Then Katie was back on the phone.

“I want to ask you something, and I want you to be honest.”

“I’m always honest,” she said.

“Are you afraid of what’s going to happen after I testify?”

“We’ve been over this, but if we have to go over it again, okay. I know life will never be the same, Conner. I knew the morning the store burned down that life as we’ve known it is over. I knew then—I can’t live in Sacramento again. I’ll look over my shoulder like I never have before. I’m doing it already. But it is what it is—there’s no changing it. It happened to us—and you have to follow through. You can’t let that man win. You know what the worst part is? Having no choice. There’s no choice, Conner. We have to go on. Forward.”

She was brave. She’d always been brave. “I’ll be honest—I’ve been giving a lot of thought to not going to court—”

“Your woman,” she said immediately.

He just grunted. “Not her. Me. But she’s like you. I haven’t told her anything, but she’d expect me to do the right thing even though it might cost her in the end.”

“I like her,” Katie said.

“I’m in a good place. I don’t know where you are emotionally, but I’m in a sweet little town off the grid. I want you and the boys here.”

Dead silence filled the space in the conversation.