Moonlight Road (Virgin River #11)(51)

“Great,” he said, sitting up beside her. To Jack he asked, “What are the chances Preacher’s still making breakfast?”

“For you? I don’t see a problem. Coffee?”

“Please,” he said, giving the bar a couple of taps. “How’s the Sheridan family?”

“Growing, always growing,” Mel said. “If we can get David to stop peeing in the yard, we’re going to really celebrate.”

Jack leaned on the bar. “Tell her, Aiden—men love it when they figure out they can pee anywhere. Women hate it. Women hate the complexity of their sit-down lives. This is why I put the seat down—it’s pity. I realize they have it rougher. Plus, we just have to shake…they have to wipe. Life just isn’t fair sometimes, is it?”

Aiden couldn’t help but laugh. “If you think I’m getting anywhere near this discussion, you’re delusional.”

“Fine, be a wimp,” Jack said, pouring him a coffee. “I’ll go back and talk Preacher into one more omelet.”

“That would be appreciated.”

Mel turned toward him. “You still logging on hiking miles?” she asked.

“More or less. And other stuff. Mostly kicking back—but I did have a quasi-interview with a couple of OBs who have a practice in Redding. Great practice, but I don’t know about the location…”

“What are you looking for? As far as location?”

“Not sure,” he said with a shrug, lifting his coffee to his lips. He took a sip and lowered it to the bar. “Maybe more to the south…”

“Bigger city? Like maybe San Francisco? John Stone from Grace Valley was in an OB practice in Sausalito. Very successful, well-known and according to John, totally dysfunctional practice. Maybe you should talk to him about it, just so you can avoid the well-known dysfunctional shops.”

“Good idea.”

“Seriously, south of here? Like, where?”

He thought for a second, then felt himself smiling automatically. “Really, not sure, but I’ve just started kind of seeing a woman from Chico….”

“Erin?” Mel asked immediately, with excitement in her voice. “Erin Foley?”

“You know Erin?”

“I do!” she said. “Oh, I love Erin. She’s awesome, isn’t she? How did you meet her? Because she’s way out there on the mountain and hardly ever comes to town.”

“I was hiking,” he said. “I put in a lot of miles around these hills and valleys and came across her cabin.” He decided to leave out the part about the concussion, but if he knew anything about Virgin River, plenty of people probably already knew.

Jack came out of the back and said, “You lucked out—no grumbling from the cook. He’s working up an omelet and some sausage patties.”

“Jack, Aiden has been seeing Erin Foley!” Mel said rather enthusiastically. “Isn’t that great news?”

“I guess so,” Jack said with a shrug. “Women get a lot more excited about those kinds of hookups than men do. I’ll tell you this, though. This place? A lot of guys, including me, come here thinking they’re just going to have a quiet, peaceful life, do a little fishing, maybe in your case, hiking. But if you happen to run into a woman here—it’s curtains, man. Quiet is out the friggin’ window.”

“Jack,” Mel scolded with a little laugh.

“It’s the truth, baby. I’ve seen it a dozen times, starting with me. I was way past getting married and having a family when this hot little mama came sashaying into town and I fell hard.”

“Bet you fought it like a man, though, didn’t you, buddy?” Aiden asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

“I fought it not at all, my brother. She did all the fighting, but I trapped her.” He leaned toward his wife and gave her a small kiss. “Preacher will bring out your breakfast, Doc. I have to drive over to Eureka for supplies. We have a big town picnic on Monday.”

“So I heard.”

“You’re coming, aren’t you?”

“Me and every Riordan and Booth within a hundred miles.”

Jack’s lips split in a huge grin. “Now, that’s what I like to hear.” To his wife, he said, “I’ll be gone about three hours, baby. Can you manage without me taking Davie along?”

“I’m keeping the babysitter all day. I’m going to catch up on some paperwork at the clinic and then I’m going home early. If there’s nothing going on, that is.”

“Perfect,” he said. “Later, Doc.” And he was gone.

Aiden focused on Mel. “So. I’ve known Erin a few weeks at most. How long have you known her?”

“I met her a couple of years ago, but hadn’t seen her till she came back up here this summer. I know her sister, Marcie. Marcie came up here in search of her late husband’s sergeant—her husband’s best friend and the man he served under in Iraq. Well, actually, Ian wasn’t just his sergeant and friend, but the man who saved Bobby’s life. But sadly, Marcie’s husband was catastrophically wounded—a quad with severe brain damage. He lived in a nursing home for a few years before a sweet, quiet death. And Ian was holed up in that cabin, almost as unresponsive as Marcie’s husband. Do you know Marcie?”