Promise Canyon (Virgin River #13)(57)

"Doesn't it remind you of Nana's house and yard?" Jillian asked again.

"Nana's house on steroids," Kelly said. "Besides Mom and Nana, what do you miss, exactly?" Kelly asked.

Jillian shrugged. "It must have been really hard, all we were going through back then, but it sure seemed easier. Simpler."

"Poorer. Much poorer..."

Jill laughed. "But we did learn how to make money, didn't we? Something Nana never had."

"That's the one thing I would have changed about her life if I could."

But their nana had to be moved out of that big old house when she was ninety and their mother passed years earlier. The stairs became too much for Nana, but she couldn't be trusted to stay off them. They put her in a cushy, ground-floor assisted-living apartment, paid for it themselves even though they were only twenty-five and twenty-six at the time. And she had hated it. "I'd rather stick to one level than live in this little toilet with shelves!" Nana had said. "They've poured cement over their garden!"

She had died in her sleep at ninety-four just a couple of years ago. They hadn't let go of the house until she was gone.

"Better get me back to civilization," Jillian said. "I'm starting to remember what was surely the most difficult time of my life as sweet and uncomplicated."

Kelly laughed a bit cynically. "With the way we work, I don't think I'd argue about the sweetness when we were kids, and we were too young to fully understand the complications. But there's no going back, Jill, so let's just remember it fondly and get back to the concrete jungle." She took a deep breath. "I've been out of the kitchen for almost ten days. By now Durant has probably replaced me."

"And my department has probably voted in a union or something," Jill said.

Luke, Shelby, the baby and their helper, Art, returned to their home along the river before sunset, in enough time for Art to get a little fishing in before dinner. When Art was headed for his cabin next door to grab his rod and reel, Luke said to Shelby, "Did you notice that Jack was getting the freeze treatment from some of his friends?"

"We should have gone to that town meeting," Shelby said. "As Mel tells it, some of the Virgin River folks have it in their heads that he should just divvy up the money Hope left the town and write everyone checks. And Jack, being Jack, got pissed and stormed out of the meeting."

Luke lifted the baby out of the car seat. "That's what I would've done," Luke said. He held the baby against his shoulder for a moment. "They should be thanking Jack for taking care of this whole thing. I mean, it's not like Hope asked him."

Shelby laughed. "She obviously knew better. Mel said it's just a little lover's spat between Jack and some of the town. It'll pass." She reached for the baby.

"I'd say screw 'em," Luke said. He handed over the baby. "Let 'em be mad."

"You have a very cranky side that's not all the way softened up yet," Shelby pointed out to him. "I have an idea. Before we think about dinner, let's sit on the porch with a glass of wine. The baby is zonked from all his fresh air today and I bet we get a good half hour of this awesome weather."

"Consider it done," Luke said, pulling the baby carrier off its base to carry, along with the heavy diaper bag, up to the porch. "I'll pour you a nice glass of wine." Then he grinned. "Kinda nice that you unloaded and now can have fun things like wine and lotsa sex, huh?"

She made a face at him. "Actually, I think this is kinda nice for you. And I'm not referring to the wine."

"Well, if you don't want a lot of sex, stop being so freaking sexy!" he said, walking into the house.

Shelby sat in one of the porch chairs, snuggling the baby close. She'd put him in his infant carrier in a second, but she never really tired of holding him close. Since she'd started back to nursing college and Luke was in charge of Brett, Shelby missed him during the days she was at school.

She heard Luke open the refrigerator and get out a chilled bottle. Then she heard her brother-in-law Aiden's voice on their answering machine.

Luke, I need you to call me when you get this message--there's been an accident. Colin. I'm on my cell and I'll give you what details I have when you call.

As Aiden's voice poured out of the answering machine, Shelby stood from the porch chair and wandered to the doorway. She found Luke standing at the work island in their kitchen, a bottle of wine in one hand and the opener in the other, frozen, a stricken look on his face. His eyes were wide and definitely afraid, a look he tried to erase the second his wife's eyes were on him. "I know what it is," he said. "Colin drives like a lunatic, always has. I've been telling him for years, he's gonna ride that bull just a little too long and zap, he'll get hurt."

"Luke," Shelby said, "just call."

"'Course I'll call," he said. "But I bet it's a fender bender and he broke a couple of bones. Aiden didn't say he was--" And there he stopped, because he couldn't say it or think it. "Want me to pour your wine first?"

Shelby shook her head. Her expression was serious. She knew her husband's predilection for trying to make things turn out a certain way by just lending his voice to them.