Virgin River (Virgin River #1)(27)

“Right back off the kitchen,” he said.

When she got back she picked up Chloe and held her close, breathing in the clean, powdery scent.

“Fortunately, you don’t have to live like they do,” he said.

“Neither do they. Someone should do an intervention out there, get them some help. Food and clean water, anyway.”

He picked up the baby bed to carry it across the street for her. “I think they’ve killed too many brain cells for that to work,” he said. “Concentrate on the good you can do and don’t gnaw on the hopeless cases. It’ll just make you sad.”

By early evening, Mel was coming around. She took her dinner at the bar, laughed with Jack and even Preacher cracked the occasional smile. Finally, she put her small hand over Jack’s and said, “I apologize for earlier, Jack. I never even thanked you for watching the baby.”

“You were kind of upset,” he said.

“Yeah. I surprised myself. It’s not as though I haven’t seen plenty of bums and street people. They were frequent clientele at the hospital. I didn’t realize before today that in the city we’d clean ’em up, straighten ’em out and hand ’em off to some agency or another. In the back of my mind I probably always knew they’d be back picking out of trash cans before long, but I didn’t have to see it. This was very different. They’re not going anywhere and they’re not getting any help. It’s been down to Doc. Alone. Takes a lot of courage to do what Doc does.”

“He does more than a lot of people would do,” Jack said.

She smiled. “This is rough country.”

“It can be,” he said.

“Not a lot of resources out here.”

“We do pretty well with what we’ve got. But you have to remember, the old boys in that little camp don’t seem to want resources so much as to be left alone,” he said. “I know that’s hard to stomach, but most of this area is the opposite—thriving and healthy. Did that trip out into the woods make your desire to get out of here even more desperate?”

“It sure opened my eyes. I thought small-town medicine would be peaceful and sweet. I never thought it had that other side—as hopeless as some of our worst inner city problems.”

“Don’t know that it is,” he argued. “The sweet and peaceful will far outnumber the hopeless. I swear on it. You’re welcome to see for yourself and call me a liar. But you’d have to hang around.”

“I made a commitment to stay till the baby is placed,” she said. “I’m sorry I can’t promise more.”

“No promises necessary. Just pointing out the options.”

“But thank you, for taking care of the baby for me.”

“She’s a good baby,” he said. “I didn’t mind at all.”

After she’d gone back to Doc’s, Jack said to Preacher, “You okay here? I’m thinking about a beer.”

Preacher’s bushy black brows shot up in surprise, but he didn’t say it. Didn’t say,

“Another beer? So soon?” He finally said, “I’m okay here.”

Jack knew that if he didn’t say anything at all to Charmaine for a few weeks, she wouldn’t know there was anything to be said. He also knew that despite the fact Mel had captured his thoughts, it didn’t mean anything would ever happen, didn’t mean she’d make it even another week in Virgin River. That wasn’t really the point. The issue was that it was wrong to go to Charmaine at all, ever, if he wasn’t into Charmaine. It was a point of honor with him. Even though he never thought in terms of commitment, he certainly didn’t think in terms of using someone. Then there was another matter. A fear that he’d be ha**ng s*x with Charmaine and behind his closed eyes, see another face. That couldn’t happen. That would insult both women.

When she saw him walk into her tavern, her first reaction was one of pleased surprise and she smiled at him. Then she immediately realized how unprecedented this visit was and her smile vanished.

“Beer?” she asked him.

“Talk?” he answered. “Can Butch cover for you for ten minutes?”

She actually took a step back. She knew what was coming and sadness seeped into her brown eyes. Her face actually fell. “Is that all it’s going to take?” she asked. “Ten minutes?”

“I think so. There isn’t too much to say.”

“There’s someone else,” she said at once.

“No. There isn’t. Let’s take a table.” He looked over his shoulder. “That one over there. Ask Butch.”

She nodded and turned from him. While she spoke to Butch, Jack moved to the table. Butch took the bar and Charmaine joined Jack. He reached across and took her hands.

“You’ve been a wonderful friend to me, Charmaine. I never for one second took that for granted.”

“But…”

“My mind is on other things,” he said. “I won’t be coming to Clear River for a beer anymore.”

“There can only be one thing,” she said. “Because I know you. And you have needs.”

He’d thought about this long and hard on the way over, and it wasn’t in his mind to lie to her. But there wasn’t anyone else. Mel wasn’t someone else—and might never be. Just because she’d taken over his consciousness didn’t mean it would ever materialize into something more. She might stick to her word and leave Virgin River at the first opportunity, and even if she didn’t, you don’t show your hand this early in the game. His reason for breaking this off wasn’t just about having Mel, but about not misleading Charmaine. She was a good woman; she had been good to him. She didn’t deserve to be strung along while he waited to see what the other woman was going to do.