Hidden Summit (Virgin River #17)(62)

“But, Conner, no one from around here would wish you any harm!”

“Of course not. I just don’t want pretrial publicity to lead to you.”

“I don’t know what you mean....”

He took a breath. “I don’t want your safety compromised to get to me. You don’t watch cop shows, do you?”

“No. Lately I haven’t watched anything but you.”

“Well, don’t start watching them now. In another week and a half, this will be over, and I’ll be back.”

“Are you sure, Conner?”

“What do you mean, am I sure?”

“It’s going to be so hard for you to leave your sister and nephews.”

“It was always going to be hard,” he said. “When she married Charlie, she was only twenty-six, and off she went to Fort Bliss in Texas. Less than a year later he brought her back to me, pregnant, and left her with me while he deployed. For the past five years I’ve tried to prepare myself for the day she’d meet the right guy. The chances have always been good that she and the boys would move away.”

“You sound more like a father than a brother,” she said.

“I felt like that sometimes,” he said. “Maybe I got a little stodgy—I had a lot of responsibility at a young age....”

“You’re not stodgy now....”

“Until now, I was tied to that store. It was our legacy—I had to make it work to ensure the future. Not just mine, but the whole family’s, because there was an equal chance Katie wouldn’t meet the right guy and move away....”

“It’s different now,” she said. “You’re free to go anywhere.”

“Yes, I am. And I’m coming back to you.”

Conner felt as if he could’ve stayed on the phone with Leslie for a long time, but not only were Katie and the boys coming up the walk toward the house, Leslie did have a job to attend to. He reluctantly said goodbye with a promise to call her at his next opportunity.

He saw them from the living room picture window—they were running, of course. They didn’t walk anywhere. Katie was bringing up the rear, much more slowly. The boys blasted in the front door and tackled him, one kid on each leg. He laughed and said, “Yeah, you’re tired out. Right.” When Katie came in the door, he smiled at her and said, “You did a good job of wearing these guys down.”

“I need a nap,” she said. “Where do they get the energy?”

They ran off to the TV, firing up their current favorite movie, Avatar.

“I think we should stop feeding them,” he said.

“I’m going to make lunch, then with any luck we’ll have some quiet time! Sandwiches?”

“Anything, honey,” he said. “What can I do?”

“You can tell me what you think of the house, the neighborhood, the area.”

“I think it’s great and have no trouble understanding why you feel comfortable here. But once the trial is over you probably can’t stay in this house.”

Her hands full of cold cuts from the refrigerator, she turned slowly toward him. “But I can,” she said. “I checked. This was a six-month lease, which is available again when I move out. It’s a warm, friendly town, Danny. I mean, Conner.”

He smiled indulgently at her struggle with the new name. “And there’s a guy here,” he reminded her.

“It’s not like we’ve dated or anything, but we have a couple of complications. One—I work for him. I get the sense that there are lines he won’t cross and that’s one of them. But I like that. If I’m going to be involved with anyone, he has to have really strong principles. Like Charlie had. Like you have.”

“I have?” he asked.

“You have definite limits,” she said, pulling out the mayo, mustard and lettuce. “There are things you just won’t compromise.”

“I think you have an idealized vision of me,” he pointed out to her. “Right now I’m getting it on with my boss’s secretary. And have absolutely no guilt.”

“Tell me about her,” Katie said. “All. Tell all.” And she began dealing out bread on the counter to make sandwiches.

“Well, she’s beautiful. The second I saw her, my knees started to feel soggy. She has blond curls—big, loose curls. Brown eyes—when she smiles her eyes get almost black, they’re so dark and wet. She’s not short like you—she’s a few inches taller and when I dance with her—”

“You went dancing?”

He chuckled. “Long story—I’ll tell you later. Les is beautiful, but the best part about her goes way beyond looks. She’s very feisty—she runs that construction company and all those men, and believe me, they don’t give her any trouble.”

“Is she bossy?” Katie asked.

He shook his head. “She’s confident. Funny thing is, she told me she’s always had a confidence problem. Maybe in other parts of her life, but not with me, not with her job. And she’s very funny. She’s kind of a wiseass. I like that. And this might seem kind of incongruous—she’s very kind. There was a housewarming party for one of our guys and his fiancée recently, and even though Leslie hadn’t met her, she called her and offered to help out before and after the party. Thoughtful. Sincere. She’s sweet but very strong. I didn’t even think about how much I like strength in a woman until I met Leslie.”