Return to Virgin River (Virgin River #19)(26)

“Well, try to fit me into your schedule,” she said. “I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

“Text me the dates you’ll be in San Francisco and I’ll see what I can do.”

“That would be wonderful!”

They chatted for a while about her play. He knew he’d be calling her back in two days to tell her that he just didn’t have any extra time. It was true, the time surrounding these fall town fairs was short and busy. But he also wasn’t interested in cutting his time with Kaylee short.





* * *



The morning after her dinner with Landry and Otis, Kaylee went out for her usual walk. The air was cooling down quite a bit and the leaves were already starting to turn. She saw that Landry’s truck was in his drive and Otis was on the porch, but Landry was probably in his shop, madly creating.

When she passed Landry’s house, Otis came down the walk, moving slowly and lazily, and just took up the place at the end of Landry’s walk. She said, “Heel, heel,” to Otis and he trotted to her side and stayed with her. She stopped and told him to sit and he did. She told him to stay and walked ahead of him and he did. There was something about the small amount of power she had over him that made her giddy with enthusiasm.

When she came back from her walk Landry was on his porch. “I thought my dog might be walking you.”

“He was very polite,” she said.

“Have you had breakfast?”

“A yogurt,” she said.

“I’m going to scramble eggs. Interested?”

“You’re investing way more in me than I deserve,” she said.





* * *



Kaylee had developed a very nice routine. She’d walk in the mornings and sometimes also in the afternoons, often with Otis as an escort, and it amazed her how much she talked with Landry. Some days she’d go to the bar for breakfast or lunch; some days she’d show up there in the afternoons when it was quiet. Quiet afternoons were a good time to run into Mel as she took a break.

Kaylee loved Jilly’s farm! She tried not to be a pest but she found herself driving out there a few more times after her initial tour. And she always came away with whatever Jilly was pulling out of the ground. In order to balance the scales, she ordered books on the internet to give to Jilly and Kelly as thanks for their generosity.

The first weekend that Landry was away, she heard the Cavanaugh orchard was having a big open house. You could pick your own bushel of apples or buy some of the many apple products for sale from cider to apple butter to pie filling. It felt like the whole town was there. There were people sitting under trees in their camp chairs, playing catch with kids, chasing dogs, just hanging out and enjoying the day. She knew so many of them, it was like enjoying a picnic. She found herself flitting from grouping to grouping of locals, sitting for a while to ask them how they were enjoying the brisk fall weather, and they were full of questions for her.

“What do you know about the remodel of that fire-damaged house?”

“How’s your book coming along?”

“How do you like living out at Landry’s place?”

Realizing she didn’t know anything about the remodel, she called Bonnie that evening and learned that after looking at some pictures Paul provided, they told him to go ahead and get started. He was happy to send them progress pictures every few days. They had to pick out appliances, tile, fixtures, sinks, etc., but they could pick them out in LA and they would be shipped to Paul in Virgin River. “As I understand it, he’s getting to work on it immediately because there was a break in his schedule and we wanted to take advantage of it.”

“It’s so lucky that you didn’t have drive all the way up here to meet with him,” Kaylee said.

“You can do almost anything on the computer these days,” Bonnie said.

“If you need me to help, please let me know,” Kaylee said. “It’s not that I’m overbooked!”

And at least once every three days she had dinner with Landry either at his house or hers. Sometimes on those days they didn’t have dinner together, they would still meet on the porch for a cup of coffee or glass of wine, maybe in the morning, maybe in the evening. And they always waved to each other multiple times a day.

Although Kaylee was determined that Landry was merely a friend and a landlord, the romance she’d created between Caroline and Landon was growing more intense. When they looked at each other now, there was real longing in their eyes.

The first weekend in October, Kaylee drove to Grace Valley to check out the Fall Art Walk. The main street was blocked off and filled with booths that displayed everything from woodworking to spices, from hummus to paintings. She should have known she’d see friends there. Kelly’s daughter was manning a booth that sold many of her mother’s salsas, relishes and sauces. People she knew introduced her to people she didn’t. She met the Grace Valley town doctor, June, introduced to her by Mel. She met the Grace Valley minister, Harry, introduced to her by Colin. She found Landry’s booth and gasped at the beauty of his pots, vases and wind chimes. She had not seen much of his work before, just those pieces that decorated his house and hers. He was amazing and had a large group of people gathered there.

They ate some barbecue together in his booth since he couldn’t leave. She had come only to show interest and support but once there, she was enchanted by the bounty of goods and crafts. It was early afternoon when the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen in her life came into the booth, saw Landry and said, “Darling!”