Moonlight Road (Virgin River #11)(66)

“Woman after my own heart.” She took a sip of her drink. “So…who’s Aiden seeing? There wasn’t much time to catch up. Like I said, the second I got there, everyone piled into cars and headed for the hospital.”

“That would be Erin,” Jack said. “Erin Foley. Nice woman. Up here for the summer.”

“In town here?” she asked, sipping slowly.

“Nah. She’s got a cabin about ten or fifteen miles out of town—out on the ridge. A view that would just knock you dead it’s so beautiful.”

“All the views around here are beautiful,” she said. “I can’t believe I’ve never seen this part of the country before. It’s awesome. Just fantastic.”

Jack lowered his chin and looked up at her from under hooded brows. “I hope you brought along some more practical clothes if you want to see more of it. I don’t think you’re going to enjoy yourself much, traipsing around the redwoods and rivers in your church clothes.”

She straightened and a delighted look crossed her face. “Church clothes? I love it! You’re absolutely right—I’m dressed for a business meeting, but I did throw some jeans in my suitcase. I just wanted, you know, to make a good impression on the family.”

“You look kinda young to be such a high muckety-muck businesswoman,” he said.

“I am, as a matter of fact. Twenty-five. But I graduated college at twenty—I was early getting out of high school. I studied and drew and designed every spare second and didn’t really take time for my family. I haven’t seen any of them since…I don’t know when.” She laughed lightly. “And as it turned out, I didn’t see much of them today, either.”

“I’m sure they’ll all be around tomorrow. Or at least the next day,” he said.

“So—tell me about this town. Tell me how you ended up being a bartender here,” she said, leaning an elbow on the bar. “Been here all your life?”

Annalee knew how to get a man talking. She had perfected the smile and exactly the right technique of asking a guy questions about himself. Jack was a former military man who came to Virgin River for all the outdoor pastimes it offered; he was a fisherman, hunter, hiker, camper. He built the bar so he’d have something to do to pass the time when he wasn’t enjoying nature. Then the midwife came to town and he married for the first time at forty, had a couple of kids.

She got a sense from him that he’d be really good in the sack and that he’d go a long way to protecting the woman of his current interest. It was somewhat tempting, now that she knew he was the owner of the bar, not some small-time barkeep. But it could screw up the rest of their plans, hers and Mujo’s, so she acted as sweet and virginal as she could.

She had a little lunch, pushed the bloody Mary away after drinking only a third and left.

She drove to Garberville where she and Mujo had rooms. He was lying back on his bed, watching the news. “Well?” he said without looking at her.

“It isn’t just Aiden visiting his brother. It’s every goddamn Riordan you ever saw.”

“Great,” he grumbled.

“No, it is great,” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “He was really angry to see me, but his mother was shocked at the way he treated me. He’s going to have a time trying to keep me away from his family. And his woman.”

Mujo sat up. “Woman?”

Annalee smiled. “I get the sense my husband is going to really need a divorce. Right away. And gee, I specialize is greasing wheels like that. I know exactly how to be very cooperative.”

But clearly, Mujo wasn’t pleased. He frowned. “We don’t usually mix it up with a lot of people. Gets too complicated. It’s a lot safer when you just go one-on-one. Like we planned.”

“Trust me,” she said.

He softly touched her hand, lacing his fingers in hers. Then he bent back her pinkie until she yelped. “Do not f**k this up. We’re running low on money.”

“Stop!” she said with a cry, pulling her hand away. “Relax. Be nice.”

She used her disposable cell phone to get a number for Erin Foley and called. Her phone came across a caller ID as unknown—if they even had such a thing back here in the sticks. In a very professional, businesslike voice, she said, “This is the postal service. We have a package to deliver to Erin Foley. The address is smeared on the packing slip. Can you give me the address and some directions, please?”

And Erin said, “Sure.”

“This is every man’s nightmare,” Aiden said to his mother as they drove to the hospital. “That his most embarrassing, shameful moments will have to be described to his mother. Is this what happens when you die and go to hell?”

“You’d better help me understand, because right now I can’t help but think some darling young woman who was your wife is desperate and needs someone to lean on.”

“Mother, she’s acting exactly the way she did when I met her. Here’s the stuff I’d rather you not know, so brace yourself. After med school, after my tour aboard ship, I was pulling GMO duty at the hospital until my residency started. I met her. She was the woman you met today—sweet, very young, beautiful. A walking dream. I’m not sure I actually fell in love with her, but that was tough to call. Except what I didn’t know—she was enlisted while I was not only commissioned, I was in a position of authority. My boss found out—very interesting that he found out, since I’d been seeing her less than a week. She swore she never leaked it and I certainly didn’t. To avoid coming up against charges of fraternization and possibly losing my residency bid, he suggested I marry her and that she accept a discharge, not honorable, not dishonorable. So that’s what we did.”