A Virgin River Christmas (Virgin River #4)(30)

“It’s not a trick. I found him when he was young. He was nicked by a hunter’s bullet, separated from his mother, all spooked and confused and bleeding. So I kind of caught him. The old man, Raleigh, he said his eyes weren’t any good anymore and he couldn’t do anything, but I could do something about that wound, take care of him, give him a couple of apples and let him go. Which is what I did. I closed him in the shed, fed and watered him, gave him apples and when he was fine, I turned him loose. That’s all.”

“And he comes back?”

“Not regularly. I’m just happy he hasn’t told his friends.”

Marcie put her hand against her chest, touched. “Ian, that’s incredible.”

“Don’t get sloppy, Marcie. If I had a freezer, I might shoot him.”

“You wouldn’t!”

He smiled at her. “I like venison. Don’t you?”

She thought about that chili Jack had given her, how it melted in her mouth. But she said, “Not that much!” And she whirled and went into the house, his amused laughter at her back.





Midmorning, Marcie heard an engine and knew it wasn’t Ian; the motor was too smooth. She opened the cabin door and saw the nurse, Mel, get out of a big Hummer with her bag in hand. “Well, hello,” Mel said. “You must be feeling better.” “Much, thanks,” Marcie said. “Alone this time?”

Mel came up to the door. “I thought I’d just drop by, see how you’re doing.”

Marcie laughed at her. “You don’t just stop in here. I remember how hard this place was to find. Come in. I’m afraid I can’t fix tea and cookies.”

“Marcie—I talked with your sister. I thought maybe I should tell you about it.”

“Oh, God. Was she mean as a badger about this? Did she totally freak out?”

Mel chuckled a little. “Totally? No. But she has some strong opinions where this visit is concerned. I’ll tell you how it went.”

Marcie threw her arm toward the table with the two chairs and Mel took one. She got right to the point. “I think I did what you asked. I told her you had found Ian Buchanan, you were visiting with him, planned to stay a while and would call her when you were in town next. I honestly don’t think I got out much more than that. She wanted to know why, if you found him and talked to him, you’re not on your way home.”

“Oh, holy cow. No—holy sister.” Marcie put her head in her hand. “Well, because I got sick, but I wouldn’t want her to know that. She might come up here with an ambulance. She can move mountains when she wants to. Mobilizing the National Guard wouldn’t be impossible for Erin.”

“I kind of got that impression.”

“But this flu turns out to be a blessing. Because Ian’s very slow to get close, and he’s awful used to not having anyone to talk to. Just being here for a few days has gotten him used to me a little. We’ve nibbled around the edges of our individual lives without talking about things like the war, my late husband Bobby, what drove him to leave the Marines, his hometown, all that. But I’m getting closer. Because he’s stuck with me, we’ve been getting acquainted. Reacquainted really—we were in touch right after Bobby was hurt—briefly. So, I’m trying to build trust and friendship. One of these days he’s going to really talk to me.”

“And?”

Marcie shrugged. “Mel, I don’t know why I had to do this—come here like this. It was just something I couldn’t live without doing. When I understand the man who saved my husband’s life—”

“Wait a minute,” Mel said. “He saved your husband’s life?”

“Uh-huh,” Marcie said. “Didn’t I tell Jack that?”

“I guess not. At least Jack never mentioned it.”

“Well, he did. He risked his life to save Bobby and was injured himself in the process. It’s not Ian’s fault Bobby lived with terrible disabilities. I appreciate that he did everything he could. I don’t know if you can understand this, but despite the fact that Bobby might have lived too long in a dysfunctional body, with no concept of what was happening around him, I got to—” Marcie glanced away, swallowed back tears and said, so softly, “I was with him a little longer. I’m very grateful for the time I had with him. Unfair as that might seem to Bobby.”

Mel took a deep breath. Jack was her second husband; she’d been widowed when she lost her first husband to a violent crime. She wasn’t even tempted to explain the details at the moment. Instead she put her hand on Marcie’s arm and said, “I understand completely.”

“There are other things. The way Bobby felt about Ian—how much he admired him, for one thing. Bobby thought Ian was the greatest man ever, he wanted to be like him. And this great man—he ran away from everything and everybody. It doesn’t add up. And then there’s something so silly—baseball cards. They both collected baseball cards ever since they were boys and while they were sitting in the desert on the lookout for bombs and snipers, they talked about those stupid baseball cards. There are things I want to know. You see?”

Mel smiled. “I see,” she said quietly.

“I tried to explain all this to Erin, but she doesn’t get it. I think it’s because I’m her first concern. All she thinks about is keeping me safe and from getting hurt any more than I’ve been over the last few years. I know Ian might never open up to me—I have to be prepared for that. He’s been very blunt—he doesn’t want to talk about any of it. Whatever happened left a very big hole in his heart.”