Hidden Summit (Virgin River #17)(58)

When he’d lost the store, the shock almost broke him. He’d had nowhere to go, nothing to do. When Katie and the boys had moved away to their own hiding place, he hadn’t been sure he’d ever sleep at night again. “Just a few months,” he’d told her. “Just to be safe, and then we’ll get it all back the way it was.”

Now he realized he didn’t want it the way it had been. He wanted to be able to give quality time to the people he loved. He wanted to teach the boys to fish, to camp, if he could even remember how himself. And while he’d always told himself he’d be okay with the idea of not living within a couple of blocks of them, he hadn’t really accepted it. Not really. Now he knew that would be okay. He also knew that he’d make even more time for them under such circumstances. He would visit; he would bring them to him.

He wasn’t going to work himself to death anymore, either. Hard work was good, all work was destructive. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do when this current mess was behind him, but there were lots of options. He could be happy working on bathrooms and kitchens for a long time to come. He could buy or build a hardware store in the area, though it wouldn’t be the same kind. He could order parts, fixtures and accessories for Paul, but there was no market around here for a store full of high-end, custom items. But for other hardware from lumber to nails—that might actually work.

He dozed off amid thoughts of a life in which work was balanced with fun and relaxation. The sun was coming up as he opened his eyes again, still in possession of the woman who had helped change his perspective, whether she knew it or not. He pulled her tighter against him, spooning her, and kissed her neck and shoulder.

“It’s very early,” he whispered. “I should sneak out of here and head for my cabin, then to work.”

“Hmm,” she hummed. Complaint was clear in her murmur.

“You know I’d like to stay in bed forever. And you know we can’t.”

“I know,” she said.

And then the phone rang. She turned in his arms and gave him a startled look. Who would call her house so early in the morning? She reached over him and grabbed the cordless on the bedside table. She muttered a sleepy hello.

“Sorry to call so early, Leslie. This is Brie. Is there any chance Conner is there?”

“Right here,” she said, passing the phone to him. “It’s Brie.”

“Brie?” he said into the phone. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing wrong, Conner. Max called just a few minutes ago and got us all out of bed. They’re going to want you in Sacramento soon to prep you before the trial. You should be there in a week at the outside. Get there by next Monday morning.”

He sat up and rubbed a hand over his goatee. “How long is that going to take?”

“A couple of days to prep, tops. You’ll be put up in a hotel and you will have protection, so don’t worry about that. I don’t know when they’ll put you on the stand—whenever it’s most strategic, I imagine. What I’m saying is, I don’t know how long you’ll be stuck in Sacramento. But you should be there in a week at the outside. Which gives you a little less than a week to see your sister and get to Sacramento.”

“I should go directly from my sister’s to Sacramento?” he asked.

“That’s the best idea, I think. Then you won’t raise any eyebrows in Virgin River. And another piece of information you’ve probably been wondering about—your biker is safe. All good. He works in a Harley dealership and there are a lot of group rides out of that shop. He’s clean as a whistle.”

“Not a hit man, huh?”

“Doesn’t appear to be, no. Now, can I suggest you pack and tell your boss you have a family emergency back in Colorado?”

“And what am I going to say it is?”

“Just tell him you’re not real comfortable talking about it right now as you don’t have all the details, but you’ll stay in touch and be back as soon as possible. If it seems safe and appropriate, I could have a word with Paul.”

“Please, if you can,” he said. “I want the job, if I can still have it after the trial. And do this for me, Brie. Check on Leslie.”

“Certainly. Tell her if she needs anything at all, call me.”

“I already have.”

“Then say your goodbyes and get going. It’ll soon be over, Conner.”

Of course Conner had known that he’d be headed to Katie’s home soon, but not quite this soon. He’d already purchased a ticket for a departure a week from now, but he’d wisely chosen a refundable one that, for a fee, could be changed to a different flight, just in the event something like this came up.

Thank God it was only five in the morning. That gave him a little time.

He put the phone back on the bedside table and rolled over, pressing Leslie down into the bed. “In a couple of hours I’m going to drive to the job site to tell Dan I have to leave town. Then I’m going to drive out to the office to tell Paul. Then I’m going back to the cabin to check flights and pack up. I’ll call you when I get to Katie’s.”

“And now?”

“Now, I want to love you one more time before I go.”

“Please, don’t act like it could be the last time. I don’t want to be afraid.”