Promise Canyon (Virgin River #13)(51)

It was a circus. A town fair. Most of the people, especially all those from Virgin River, were only there to watch, not to buy.

In and around Hope's house volunteers were posted to watch over the items for sale--furniture, dishes, flatware, quilts, old linens, that bag of dozens of ball caps, the old purple velour couch.

Mel Sheridan felt her eyes moisten with tears when she saw that old, jacked-up beige Suburban drive away with its new owner. It was still wearing mud on its frame from Hope's driving around the back mountain roads in the rain. It was hard to watch the memory of her vanish, piece by piece.

Lilly heard about the estate sale from Annie. She knew someone who would love poking around all that old, retro stuff, especially the tables, chairs and accessories. She planned to put off her cleaning and shopping chores to accompany Dane to the sale; not only did Dane love haunting oddball sales, he was always looking for furniture for the Loving Cup. If he could pick up a chair or two or old side table, he'd be like a kid in a candy store.

Dane worked out his schedule with Darlene to take a few hours off and Lilly picked him up. He was almost giddy with excitement and happy they were getting an early start. As they drove up Highway 36 toward Virgin River he yammered about the sorts of things he'd be happy to find--furniture, old pitchers, a pie safe or dry sink as a serving accessory, trays, linens, good flatware at a nice price.... The list went on the more excited he got.

"Hey, you've been doing more riding than yoga lately," he said suddenly. "How's the new guy working out?"

Lilly kept her eyes on the road, but she smiled and said, "I like him."

"Like...him?"

"I've seen a lot of him the last couple of weeks. We work together at the clinic, ride sometimes. I've been to his sister's house for dinner a couple of times. I'm thinking of letting my grandfather have a crack at him over Sunday dinner."

Dane whistled. "This is progress. When am I going to get the more interesting details?"

She just laughed at him and didn't answer.

"Seriously," Dane said. "I have stuck by you through everything for years now--why are you so cagey about this guy? Is it just because he's Native American?"

"Maybe," she said. Then she turned toward him and she knew her eyes glowed. "We have some traditional stuff in common, but I've been trying to avoid that stuff for so long. It's hard to let myself go. I'm just trying to keep my head. Stay sane."

"Not go over the deep end?" Dane asked. "Oh, cup-cake, the deep end can be so much fun!"

"Yeah, I know. I have some experience with that. But there are big differences this time. Huge," she emphasized. "Clay is a beautiful person. He has a very old soul. He wants to meet you."

"Really?" Dane said, grinning stupidly. Clearly he was touched by this.

"Don't be so optimistic," Lilly said. "He offered to let you hit him to, you know, even the score or something."

"Really?" he said again, his grin growing. "Well, that's unconventional. Does this very old soul you're involved with know that I swing the other way?"

"He does," she said. "I even admitted to him that I've spent a lot of energy trying to turn you straight." She grinned at him. "I explained that you're hopelessly g*y. He seemed to take that in stride."

"Ah, a secure straight guy," Dane said. "My absolute weakness..."

Lilly bit her lower lip, serious. "I intended to go very slowly," she finally said. "There's just something about him that makes going slow awful hard."

There was a colorful sign on the road that read Sale! Some balloons were attached, but they weren't helium so they drooped, hanging down by their ribbons. She maneuvered her little Jeep down the one-lane drive, passing some cars and trucks parked along the slanting road. All conversation between them stopped as the house came into view. Neither Lilly nor Dane had ever seen it before, but then, except for the locals who had lived in Virgin River a very long time, most of the people present--browsers, shoppers, collectors--would have had even less reason to have visited this property before today.

"Oh, my God," Dane said, his eyes running from the front porch to the top of the third story. The paint was peeling, the wood on the porch and rails was faded gray, the siding a faded dirty white, and some shingles on the roof were curling, but it was an amazing structure--three stories with turrets and decorative wood accents. It was only September and the grounds were still beautiful. Flower beds surrounded the front porch and flanked the stone walk, full green bushes grew alongside mature pines, oak and maple trees. With just a little exterior sprucing up, the old Victorian could be stunning. In its day it was probably quite a mansion. "Look at that house!"

Dane left Lilly in his dust. He was anxious to get inside the house and poke around, both at the items for sale and the architecture. He turned back when he was halfway to the front porch, a questioning look on his face. She laughed, shook her head and waved him on. He was far more excited about the event than she. She spotted Annie standing across the lawn talking to a man she didn't know, so she wandered over that way.

Once Lilly was standing beside Annie, she began to meet more people from Virgin River. Nathaniel joined them, then Jack Sheridan, who owned the bar and grill in town--the man who apparently had been made responsible for this deceased woman's estate. She was introduced to Preacher, Noah and Paul and their wives.