Virgin River (Virgin River #1)(33)

Jack froze at the end of the bar. Whoa, he thought. Damn.

A second passed. Then Mel looked around the now silent room in some embarrassment. Everyone was shocked and staring. “Oh!” she said, but her foot still held Nick on his back. Nick who, it seemed, couldn’t draw a breath, just lay there, stunned. She removed her foot. “Oh…” she said.

A laugh broke out of the crowd. Someone clapped. A woman yelped approvingly. Mel backed away somewhat sheepishly. She ended up at the bar, right in front of Jack. Right where she felt safest. Jack put a hand on her shoulder and glared in Nick’s direction.

Mel felt awfully sorry for Jo Ellen. What’s a woman from a town this size supposed to do with an obnoxious husband like that? Once Jo peeled him off the floor and took him home, the party became much more fun, and the jokes were fabulous. Several men asked her to arm wrestle and she had clearly become a hero to the women. The stories of Nick’s antics were both shocking and entertaining. Once, when he was feeling invincible and couldn’t resist a breast, he’d been coldcocked by a woman. Up till tonight that was the most legendary put down he’d suffered. He’d collected a number of slaps, but by some miracle had not yet been beat to a pulp by an angry husband; he was apparently regarded as a pathetic joke. It seemed that when there was some kind of community or neighborhood party, like tonight, he’d have a couple of pops and get frisky, take chances that, by the light of day, he managed to keep under control. His reputation was firmly established.

“And yet you keep inviting him,” Mel observed to Connie.

“It’s just us here, kiddo. We’re kind of stuck with each other.”

“He should be told that if he can’t mind his manners, he won’t be included anymore.”

“The problem with that is it would leave Jo out—and she’s good people. I feel a whole lot sorrier for Jo than any of the women he pesters,” Connie said. “Makes her look like a damn fool. We can pretty much take care of ourselves.” She patted Mel’s arm. “And you, girl—I doubt he’s going to give you any more trouble.”

At nine o’clock the party abruptly ended. It was as though someone had rung a bell—

all the women gathered up their dishes, men stacked up plates and picked up trash, goodbyes were being said and people were filing out the door. Mel was at the back of the group, following, when Jack called her. “Hold up,” he said. So she went back and jumped up on the stool. He put a cup of coffee in front of her. “Did I call you a city girl?” he asked with a smile.

“I didn’t even know I could still do that,” she said, accepting the coffee.

“Mind if I ask how you learned that?”

“It was a long time ago—when I was in my last year of college. There had been some rapes around the campus and a bunch of us went to a self-defense instructor together. To tell you the truth, I was never sure that would work in a real situation. I mean, with an instructor, mats on the floor, everything rehearsed and knowing exactly what to expect—that’s one thing. But I wasn’t sure I could react the same way if a real ra**st jumped out from behind a parked car.”

“Now you know. He never saw it coming.”

“Yeah, that worked to my advantage, too.” She sipped her coffee.

“I didn’t see what he did,” he said. “I could tell by the stupid grin on his face and the shocked look on yours that something happened.”

She put her cup on the bar. “Major butt grope,” she said. And she noted that Jack’s expression went instantly dark; mean, narrowed eyes, deep frown. “Whew, easy buddy, it wasn’t your butt. I saw you making a move—what were you about to do?”

“Way too much,” he said. “I don’t like seeing something like that in my bar. I was watching him all night. The second he saw you, it was a target lock-on.”

“He was a giant nuisance, but I’m pretty sure he’ll leave me alone now,” she said. “It was kind of funny the way the party just suddenly stopped like that. Did someone look at their watch or something?”

“Livestock don’t give days off,” he said.

“Neither do babies,” she said, getting off the stool.

“I’ll walk you,” Jack said.

“You don’t have to, Jack. I’m okay.”

He came around the bar anyway. “Indulge me. It’s been an interesting night.” He took her arm, telling himself he was just being gentlemanly but, in fact, if he saw the chance, he was going to get his lips on hers. He’d been wanting to kiss her for days. They walked across the porch and down the steps, out into the street. There were no streetlights, but the moon was high and full and cast a soft glow over the town. There was a light on in the upstairs bedroom at Doc’s. Jack stopped right in the middle of the street. “Look, Mel. Look at that sky. You can’t find that anywhere else on earth. All those stars, that moon—the clear black sky. That belongs to us.”

She looked up at the most gorgeous sky imaginable, with more stars than she thought existed. He stepped behind her and with his hands on both of her upper arms, he gently squeezed.

“You just can’t see this in the city. In any city.”

“It is beautiful,” she said softly. “I admit, this is beautiful country.”