Paradise Valley (Virgin River #7)(42)

At Vanni’s house there was always someone around: a baby crying or squealing happily; Walt popping in regularly; Shelby and Luke dropping by, often bringing Luke’s helper, Art, along, sometimes for dinner. Most evenings the house was full and noisy or they were all going to Jack’s and got a little funky and worried if she tried to beg off and stay home. In the end, she always went along. She had almost no time to herself.

At least with Cam, he’d be at the clinic every day and wouldn’t pester her to death in the evenings. And she would have her own room to flee to if Cameron made her feel the least bit crowded.

Really, it made sense. It would just be so awkward.

And boy, was there going to be a lot of talk!

When she walked into the clinic, she found Mel in the reception area going over some paperwork at the counter. She turned and smiled at Abby. “Well, hey there. How are you?”

“Good, thanks. I’m here to meet Cameron. He wants to show me your cabin….”

Mel got an unmistakably wistful look on her face. “I hope you like it,” she said softly.

“If you’re absolutely sure it’s okay,” Abby said.

“Oh, I’m thrilled for you to use it. That little cabin changed my life. I lived there until I married Jack, then we lived there together until our house was finished. When the weather gets a little warmer, you’ll wake up to deer in the yard. New fawns with freckles on their backs. David was born there. Jack delivered him.”

Abby got a wild look in her eyes. “I’m not planning to get that far back to nature,” she said nervously.

Mel laughed. “I wasn’t either. I didn’t plan it,” she said. “And Jack certainly didn’t. But I wouldn’t worry—with Cameron hovering over you to make sure everything is all right, that won’t happen. I think you’re in good hands.”

“Mel,” she said tentatively. “I’m a little worried about…”

“What?”

She took a breath. “Gossip. Everyone talking about us.”

Mel’s eyes twinkled and she smiled. “Abby, you’re an unmarried woman pregnant with twins and you’ve been spending time with our pediatrician. He never misses a chance to sit by you at Jack’s. Surrender. The gossip is way ahead of you.”

Abby gasped. She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially. “Do they think there’s something to us? Like a relationship?”

One of Mel’s light brows lifted in amusement. “They hope.”

“Oh God!”

“Yeah, I’ve been there,” Mel said. “The whole town had me married to Jack before I had my first really good kiss with him.” She waved a hand. “Ah, hell, go with it. At least they’re not malicious. Just very nosey. I got through it. You can, too.”

Heavy footsteps started down the stairs. “Hey,” Cam said cheerily. “You made it bright and early—thanks. I have some patients this morning. Ready to take a look at that cabin?”

“Sure,” she said uneasily. And she thought, What the hell am I doing?

Ten minutes later they pulled into a clearing in the forest and she looked at a charming little cabin surrounded by huge trees. It had a peaked roof and a wide porch with Adirondack chairs. She could imagine the deer, colorful flowers bordering the porch. There was a beam of light that glanced through the trees and shone on the porch. And she said aloud, “What the hell am I doing?”

Cameron laughed at her. “Nesting,” he said. “Come on.” He got out of the car and went around to her side, giving his hand to pull her out.

He opened the door for her to walk into the house and what she saw was—a little cabin. One big room included living room, kitchen, breakfast nook and breakfast bar. There was only room for a sofa and overstuffed chair, ottoman and rocker surrounding a big stone hearth. A polished old chest served as a small coffee table in front of the sofa and there was one small side table and lamp. Back through the kitchen was a washer and dryer, water heater, pantry and stairs to the loft. It was shiny clean and quaint. Cute. Small.

The bedrooms weren’t large, but big enough, with a bathroom separating them. And the loft wasn’t enclosed by any more than a rail. There was a queen-size bed in one bedroom, a double bed in the loft. “This will be your bedroom and I’ll take the loft,” Cameron said. “I’ll take a day off so we can go into Eureka and get some baby furniture for this room.” He pulled her into what had been Mel and Jack’s nursery, bare and ready for a couple of infants.

“Here’s an idea, if it works for you,” he said. “The first thing we do is get rid of that credit-card debt, get Brie to draft a letter saying you’ve paid your bill and don’t want any more alimony, or any more contact with the ex. I’ll set you up a bank account and get you a credit card.” He chuckled. “Try to remember I’m not a filthy-rich rock star, I’m a relatively poor pediatrician and family-practice doctor who gets paid in beans a lot. Then we finish furnishing this place with cribs, et cetera. Now—it’s out here a little ways, so if we find ourselves in a situation where you need bed rest or something, we’ll just stay in town. You can have the bedroom I use at the clinic and I’ll stay in the other room, so you’re not alone. Other than picking out names, we’re covering all the bases. If you think you can stand this little cabin, that is.” He looked around. “I actually like it. It’s cozy. Sweet.”