Moonlight Road (Virgin River #11)(27)

His grin was huge. “I heard you in the E.R., Erin. You really know how to throw your weight around.”

“I had a headache,” she said, looking away.

He chuckled. “Any more head pain?”

“No, it’s fine now.”

“Why are you here? At this cabin?”

“Vacation,” she said. “I haven’t had a vacation in a long time. Like years.” She smiled slightly. Twenty-five years, she thought. Until Mel said it earlier, she hadn’t really added it up.

“But why here?” he pushed. “Why not some spa in the islands? Or a resort somewhere exotic where there would be lots of singles to mix it up with?”

She shrugged. “Marcie, my little sister, age twenty-nine, is expecting her first baby, a boy. Our parents are gone, I’m the oldest, and this is the first baby, due the end of summer. I really don’t want to be too far away, just in case she goes early, but I still wanted to get away.”

“Ah,” he said. “Now, I can relate to that. My brother’s wife, Shelby, is expecting their first around the middle of July. Luke is the oldest. I could sit out this transition anywhere, but I don’t want to be too far away.” He smiled again. “Also a boy.”

She tilted her head. “What did you do in the navy?”

“I was in the medical corps. Fourteen years.”

“Why’d you get out?”

“The reason most people get out—the next assignment didn’t look so good. It was a big boat for two years. I already did that once. Like I said, I want to be around for the next baby.”

“But you’re not married?”

“Divorced eight years ago. Short marriage, quick divorce, no children. You?”

She shook her head quickly. “Single.” Never married, never engaged, never lived with anyone, never very involved. “This is embarrassing. I’ve forgotten your name.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. You had a head injury. It’s Aiden.”

“Well, Aiden, what do you suppose you’ll do next? After the little nephew is born?”

He shrugged. “Same thing as before, I guess. Thing is, I’m really enjoying doing nothing. I hadn’t been on leave in a while—that’s vacation to you civilians. I’m in no rush. I could get used to this.”

She didn’t smile at that. “Doing nothing isn’t as much fun as I thought it would be.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “That so? What did you do for fun and relaxation in Chico?”

“Chico? How did you know I was from—”

“I dug through your purse for your keys…took you to the hospital…talked to the nurses to be sure you were all right…Plus, you just said your sister came up from Chico and I assumed…”

“Of course. Well, that’s the thing—there wasn’t a lot of free time in Chico, which is why I decided I had to actually leave town to get a break, but like I said—”

“You didn’t want to get too far away. What’s Chico like?”

“Nice town—not too big, not too small. Right on the other side of that immense mountain range. The hustle and bustle there isn’t real intimidating, but we have everything, either in Chico or close by—colleges, hospitals, malls. Maybe a hundred thousand people? I haven’t checked lately. Not a bad freeway drive to Sacramento or San Francisco. I think it’s perfect, but I grew up there.”

“Hospitals?” he said, lifting that brow again.

“Hospitals,” she confirmed. “Thinking about that hospital job?”

He tilted his head. Almost a nod.

“I suppose the navy had you living all over the world….”

“Yes and no. When you’re aboard ship, you see a lot of water, but dock in some interesting places. I got off a ship about eight years ago and was stationed in San Diego. They must have forgotten about me. I was there the whole time except for a few temporary duty assignments in other places. Pretty unusual to be able to have one home base that long in the navy.”

“And you don’t want to live there?” she asked. “I love San Diego.”

“I could live there,” he said. “Or here—I could live here. But a guy like me, looking for hospital work, probably needs a bigger town than Virgin River.”

“What’s someone like you do in a hospital? Pass that bedpan around?” she asked.

“As it turns out, I’m pretty familiar with the bedpan. The question is, would a woman like you take a bedpan from a guy like me?”

“Maybe if you shaved…”

He scratched his beard. “You know, when the military keeps you shaved, spit and polished for a long time, something like this is fun. It’s kind of like having a pet.”

She laughed. “It looks like it might bark. You could always upgrade your job skills, you know. Take some training. Maybe be a paramedic. Or nurse. I bet male nurses are in high demand.”

He smiled broadly. “Now, there’s a thought.” He tipped his beer bottle and drained it. “This has been real nice, Erin. Thanks for the beer.” He put the bottle on the deck near her feet and stood, gathering up his stuff.

“What’s the bow for?” she asked.

He slung it over one shoulder. “Mostly for looks, it turns out. On one of my first treks through these mountains I came face-to-face with a mountain lion who was not shy. Took him a long time to run off, and for a while there I thought I was going to be his lunch. I started carrying the bow and arrows when I hike back in here.”