Moonlight Road (Virgin River #11)(58)

On Saturday he went to Eureka, shopping. He couldn’t find what he was looking for in the couple of dress shops he visited, so he ended up at a clothing-consignment store where he bought an emerald-green strapless chiffon dress. It was used, of course, but he was out of options. He wasn’t entirely sure of Erin’s size, but he thought he was at least close. There was no question about the color of her eyes—like his—that Irish green. He also bought a pair of silver slip-on heels. He had a scheme and that made him smile and forget all about Annalee.

That night the Riordans had a big family meal at Luke’s and on Sunday everyone went to General Booth’s house to gather with Shelby’s side of the family. Everyone was there, including Tom Booth on leave after two years of West Point, with his newly engaged fiancée, Brenda, who was a college student in New York, not far from the academy Tom attended. They were only back in Virgin River for a couple of weeks of Tom’s leave; Tom was headed for some airborne training with the army. In the academy, you didn’t get summers off like civilian college. Active-duty military were always in training or on assignment.

And then came the Fourth, Monday. No one in Aiden’s family seemed to notice how anxious he was to get to the picnic, or that he was the first to head in that direction. By noon he was there, craning his neck for Erin. He had a beer and it seemed like forever before she appeared with Marcie and Ian. Though he tried to be cool, he couldn’t hide the light in his eyes. And to his satisfaction, the light in hers matched. He stood on the porch of the bar and looked way down the street to where they had parked and were walking toward him. He wanted to sprint toward her, pick her up, whirl her around and carry her off somewhere private. But that wasn’t going to happen. The knowing eye contact was going to have to be enough for now.

He did greet her before doing anything else, however. He walked toward her at a controlled pace, took her hands in his and bussed her cheek. He met her sister and brother-in-law, fussed over the nice round belly Marcie sported, shook Ian’s hand vigorously and congratulated him. And he conveyed, with his eyes, that he couldn’t wait to get Erin alone.

The day was filled with new introductions and reunions. No one in the Riordan family had any idea who Erin was, so that was more than a little exciting to Sean and Luke. Maureen snuck up beside Aiden and said, “Oh my, she’s lovely, Aiden. How amazing you met her here.” Aiden saw Marcie embrace Jack and Mel like old friends; he overheard Ian explain that he was in his last semester of college. He would student teach at his old high school in the fall and, if things went according to plan, he would teach music there. He would direct the high school musical; when he was in high school there, he’d been the star, Marcie bragged. At around four o’clock, Ian Buchanan sang the “Star Spangled Banner” a cappella and almost brought Aiden to his knees with the beauty of his voice.

At a point after hamburgers, Ian handed Aiden a beer and said, “So. You and Erin?”

“I hope so.”

“She’s amazing.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Aiden said.

“We owe her just about everything. She’s the reason everyone is okay—me, Marcie, Drew, absolutely everyone.”

“Tell me why,” Aiden said.

“She spent her whole life taking care of everything from the day her mother died a long time ago. I’m sure there was plenty she needed, but she worried about everyone else. There was a time I resented her for bossing Marcie and telling her what to do, but once I realized it was all out of love and total commitment, I got over it fast. I want Erin to have everything she ever wanted.”

Aiden smiled at the man. He smiled in a way that would comfort him because that’s what Aiden wanted, too. “Tell me about this baby that’s coming.”

Ian brightened at once. “His name will be Heath Bradley Buchanan and he’s coming on the twentieth of August. It’s scheduled. He’s breech now. If he doesn’t turn, he’ll come by C-section. We’re okay with that—as long as he’s okay. He’s right on target.”

“You’re so lucky,” Aiden said.

“You have kids, Doc?” he asked.

Aiden shook his head. It was in his mind to say he’d just barely found the right girl, but instead, he said, “Still single.”

“What a coincidence,” Ian said. “Erin’s single, too.”

“I know,” Aiden said with a laugh. “I love the way that worked out.”

Shelby found an empty chair on the bar porch and grabbed it. She had finally wrestled free of Luke, who had been sticking to her like glue for the last couple of weeks. She had convinced him to go have a beer with his brothers and friends and let her relax in the shade for a while. With a glass of ice water, she rocked back and forth in one of the porch rockers and soon realized she had the best seat in the house.

From where she sat, she saw Art and Netta at the picnic table farthest from the crowd. They sat opposite each other and ate their hamburgers and potato salad, apparently completely content, though it didn’t appear they talked much at all. It was as though they each realized comfort in the mere presence of the other, and Shelby found herself thinking, If that’s not true love, I don’t know what is.

Brenda Carpenter’s fourteen-year-old sister, Leslie, had a group of little kids gathered in a circle, holding hands and playing ring-around-the-rosy; she made sure she held the hand of the littlest one. Shelby made a mental note to get to know Leslie just a little better; the moms around here had tipped her—you had to get your babysitters before they discovered boys and were allowed to date. Fourteen- to sixteen-year-old girls were perfect. Leslie had control of both the Sheridan kids, both the Haggerty kids, Rosie Riordan and Christopher Middleton, and held one of Abby Michaels’s twins on her hip. The moms occupied a picnic table not far away, enjoying a moment of peace without the kids climbing all over them.