Moonlight Road (Virgin River #11)(42)

Yet another reason not to make a final decision right away—he’d like to see where this attraction to Erin was going. And for that he needed more time.

It surprised Aiden to realize that feeling this kind of optimism about a relationship with a woman was a rarity for him. He thought he’d been open to the possibility, but he suddenly realized he probably hadn’t allowed himself to feel something like this in years. Oh, he’d experienced attraction and desire, but it hadn’t seemed to blossom into anything strong enough to last. Now he wondered if that had been about not meeting the right woman, or more about him being reluctant to trust and unwilling to allow himself to be vulnerable. But he was tired of being alone, tired of keeping a safe distance. And something about Erin made him willing to take a chance.

A lot of his reluctance had undoubtedly been because of that one bad experience. But hell, it had been really, really bad. He’d like to think it was the recent attempt of the ex, Annalee, to reach him that had caused him to reexamine his extreme caution, but the truth was that even if Annalee’s name hadn’t come up at all, being careful where women were concerned had become a habit for Aiden. His experience with her, though long ago and short-lived, had been the darkest, craziest time in his adult life. Nothing had prepared him for the kind of insanity Annalee brought. From the day he met her, she was a series of lies and manipulations and even violent behavior. He had given her money to fly home to Georgia to visit her mother and five days later he’d been called by the credit-card company asking if his wife had his approval using his credit card to pay for her ten-thousand-dollar spa week in Acapulco. The only smart thing he’d ever done was not put her name on his accounts. Expensive new clothes appeared in her closet, yet he didn’t know where she got the money; he wondered if she had shoplifted, but when he questioned her behavior or actions, it was either instant fireworks to include trashing their apartment or a complete collapse into a pathetic, vulnerable, needy child. It had been an unbelievable roller-coaster ride punctuated by wild, ravenous sex. He’d wondered if he was losing his mind.

The thing he could never quite reconcile was that there were periods of time Annalee seemed so normal. Cute, sweet, accommodating, precious. And God, was she beautiful. Not in a girl-next-door way, but in a classically gorgeous way—natural white-blond hair, dark eyes, slightly tanned skin, red lips and a body that could stop a train. She was only five foot two, tiny waist, round hips, large br**sts.

After the first two weeks of marriage, he’d look at her and see the devil. He wasn’t sure if she was mentally ill or the meanest, most conniving bitch on earth. He was still trying to figure her out long after he should have been divorcing her. But then he came home from the hospital early—on purpose—and found her in bed with a young sailor from the base. When Aiden yanked him out of the bed and slammed him up against the wall, the kid cried. He had no idea the girl was married! He’d met her in a bar at 10:00 a.m. He ran for his life.

It had been a wide-awake nightmare that lasted four months from the second he laid eyes on her till the divorce was over.

One of the residents in the hospital had just effected a divorce in a matter of days; Aiden got the lawyer’s name and went to him at once. He took the papers to Annalee himself and after that she’d disappeared into thin air. He really thought he was done with her. And until hearing her name a couple of weeks ago, it had appeared to have been so.

Aiden had not met another woman in eight years who bore any resemblance to that she-devil who’d briefly messed up his life. And he knew beyond a doubt that Erin was nothing like that. In fact, he thought Erin was strangely like him. She’d obviously concentrated on her family obligations and her work, just like Aiden. She’d had some relationships, but nothing that tempted her into a long-term commitment, just like Aiden. She was serious and cautious, and she was very smart.

He was definitely wanting her. And it had been too long since he’d met a woman who made him feel that way.

Driving back to the Virgin River area from Redding, he began to plot his approach. He’d buy something nice for dinner and get her to tell him all about what made her decide on law school and then, for God’s sake, tax and estate law. She didn’t look nearly as nerdy as her specialty. Then he’d kiss her and fondle her for a while, gently, sweetly, and he’d leave her reluctantly. Next, he’d show up to take her for a walk through a redwood grove and sneak her behind the occasional wide and tall tree. And before very long, he was going to take her to bed. He knew it was probably just crazy man-thinking, but he believed that after he’d taken her to bed, he’d know if he should tell that headhunter to toss the net a little closer to the Chico area.

He stopped at a grocery store and while he had cell reception, called Luke. “Hey,” he said. “I have plans tonight, but thought I’d check in. Everyone okay?”

“Fine here, but I wish you were going to come home. Mom and George are coming over for dinner and I thought we’d talk to them. About…you know…this idea of driving all over the country in an RV.”

“Ah,” Aiden said. “You thought we’d gang up on them.”

“Well, I have my concerns. They’re kind of old for this.”

“They’re both very healthy and alert. Neither one of them even needs glasses. You don’t want me there—I think I’m on their side. Now, if Mom was heading out alone, that would be another story.”