The general’s house was a busy place on Saturday. The nuptials were scheduled for 4:00 p.m. with a party to follow. Sunday night would belong to Tom, his family and his girl since he’d be leaving early Monday morning.
Caterers arrived in the morning, setting up a trellis strung with white drape in the yard behind the house. Fifty folding chairs were unloaded, champagne chilled, flowers placed around the house and yard. Paul’s family arrived just after noon and his mother gratefully took charge of Mattie so the bride could primp. The general was happy to host the Haggerty men and Tom out on the deck while activity around the house and yard kept them out of those regions.
The next to arrive was Shelby. She drove up from Bodega Bay. It hadn’t been that long since her mother’s passing, but she was already changed; she’d dropped a few pounds, wore her shiny, honey-colored hair free, flowing down her back, and for the first time in years, she wore makeup. She looked so great that when Tom saw her, he grabbed her up in his arms and whirled her around, making her laugh. “Look at you,” he said. “What have you done to yourself?”
“Not so much,” she said, smiling. “I just have a little more time now, that’s all.”
“It’s more than that. You’re looking hot.”
“Thanks, honey,” she said. “That’s nice. I’ve never been hot in my life.”
Next it was Paul to lift her off the ground and make a fuss over her, and finally she was pulled into the circle of women with Vanni exclaiming over how wonderful she looked. The only one not surprised was Walt, who’d been making regular visits to Bodega Bay since his sister’s passing. As they were getting the house back into shape he’d been watching the slow and startling transformation of his niece as she found her footing, making her way into a new life.
Paul was showered before noon so he could clear out of the bathroom, finally putting on his suit at three, as did the best man and Walt. When the guests began to arrive, cold champagne was pressed into their hands as they were directed to the chairs in the yard. The minister, Harry Shipton of Grace Valley, was more than happy to accept his champagne with the rest of the gathering. Right at four, Vanessa and Nikki stepped out onto the deck from the house, making their way to the yard where the vows would be spoken.
Paul felt his knees almost buckle when he saw her. Now, he knew this was one fine-looking woman, and since he’d been the best man at her last wedding, it wasn’t as if he’d never seen her all dressed up. But it felt like the first time. She was usually found in jeans or a simple sundress, and in those she was almost too much for his heart. Today she was resplendent in green so pale it was nearly white. It was a shimmering, clingy silk, her reddish-gold hair lying in full curls on her shoulders and down her back. Her turquoise eyes were alive with love, sparkling brightly, and her peach lips were curved in a smile.
“Holy shit,” Tommy said. “Look at my sister, man.”
“I see her,” Paul croaked. “God above.”
Tom laughed. “Well, go get her,” he said, poking him in the ribs. “God, I hope I’m cooler than you when I get married.”
“Yeah,” Paul said in a weak breath. He unstuck his rooted feet and went to collect his bride and bring her into the gathering. She was greeted with lots of hugs and kisses, a glass pressed into her hand. Paul’s arm was around her waist and he couldn’t make himself let her go. He felt his chest swell with cocky pride, having her at his side. No way he should be getting a woman who looked like this. And she was all his; she couldn’t even glance at him without confirming that with her gaze.
“Let’s get started, shall we?” Harry asked, stepping up in front of the trellis.
Paul and Vanni went to stand before him, followed by Nikki and Tom.
Paul’s eyes were riveted on his bride, but she was hardly the only beautiful woman present. Mel was looking very fine on this occasion, color in her cheeks again and that sparkle in her eyes. Paige was stunning in her last trimester of pregnancy, a glow around her as she clung to her husband’s hand. Brie was a vision in lavender, her man reluctant to let very many inches separate them. Shelby was looking awful cute in a fitted pantsuit and heels to bring her up to five-five, her thick hair free and glorious, her smile bright.
And there was Nikki. The dark-haired beauty wore a closely fitting pale pink dress with a demure slit up one side, not visible unless a soft breeze caught the silk and lifted it. Her black hair fell down her back in a breathtaking contrast to the pastel. She wore a beautiful smile for her best friend’s vows and had no idea how closely she was being watched.
The vows were exchanged quickly, without a single mistake, and it was finally time for Paul to take Vanni into his arms and cover her mouth with a searing kiss that suggested he wished they were alone. The gathering cheered and applauded the bride and groom until they had no choice but to break apart.
As the couple made their way slowly through the gathering and toward the house where the party was laid out for the celebrants, Joe saw his chance. He grabbed a glass of champagne off a tray and pressed his way toward Nikki. He offered it and said, “You look very beautiful today.”
“Thank you,” she said, accepting the drink.
“There should be dancing at this party,” he complained. “Otherwise, how am I going to get my arms around you?”
“Are you flirting with me?” she asked him.
“I am. I think it’s the dress.”
She laughed at him.
“It’s an amazing dress,” he went on.
“Into fashion, are you?”
He shook his head. “I wasn’t before today.” He put out a hand to escort her. “Let me take you to a party.”
* * *
Not long after the food was put out, Walt realized he’d misplaced Shelby. He looked around the house and yard and then, on an impulse, he went to the stable. He found her there, all dressed up and fancy, stroking Plenty’s neck. She looked over her shoulder at her uncle and smiled. “It’s been years since I’ve seen this girl.”
He stepped toward her. “Looks like she remembers you.”
“I don’t know about that, but Liberty’s as self-centered as he ever was. And I sure like this new guy, Chico. I can’t wait to get back on a horse.”
“You know where they are,” he said. “Visit us whenever you can. Ride. Enjoy the summer along the river. It’s wonderful.”
“The whole place is wonderful, Uncle Walt. It lives up to all the pictures you brought.”
“I’m a lucky man.”
She turned around and leaned back against the stall. Plenty nuzzled her hair, making her laugh. “You’re going to have an extra bedroom when Tom’s gone to boot camp and West Point,” she said. “I’ll have to fill it up for you on weekends.”
“I would love that, honey.”
“Vanni says Paul’s building them a house. He’s going to start right away—try to get them in by Christmas even if there’s still a lot of work to finish.”
“That’s his plan as I understand it.” Walt chuckled. “I think he’s anxious to get his new wife out from under my roof.”
Shelby stepped toward her uncle. “I’m not sure yet what I’m going to do next. Probably go back to school, but it’s really too late for me to get accepted for the fall semester. Besides, I think I need a little more time to unwind. To think about what direction I might take.”
“Fortunately, you have lots of time.”
“I’d like to spend it here….”
His eyes widened in disbelief. Hopefully, he said, “Do you mean that, honey?”
“You’ll be lonely without Tom. I can help with the horses.”
He reached out and stroked her shiny hair. “What about Bodega Bay?” he asked gently.
“I’ve decided to let it go,” she said. “I’ll be sure the work on the house gets finished, but I’ve already talked to a Realtor. I’m going to sell it, Uncle Walt. I think I want to move on. I don’t think it will take longer than a couple of months to sell. It’s a good little house.”
“Sure you don’t want to just rent it for a while? Keep a grip on it just in case you decide that’s where you belong? You’ve been there your whole life….”
“I know. I think it’s time for a new life. Don’t you?” She smiled. “While I’m thinking about where that new life is going to be, I’d like to be here with you, with my family. If it’s okay.”
“Shelby, nothing would make me happier. Honey, I never even dared hope you would come here for a long stay.”
“I hope you still feel that way when I’ve been underfoot for a while. I’m leaving early tomorrow, Uncle Walt. I’m going to shop my way back to Bodega Bay. I haven’t bothered with things like new clothes in years.” Tears came into her eyes. “Do you have any idea how happy that would make my mother?”
Walt pulled her against him and held her. “Shelby, sweetheart, I have an awful lot to be proud of, but I don’t think anyone in my life has made me prouder than I am of you. You’re an amazing young woman.”
* * *
Joe tried to keep tabs on Nikki throughout the party, even though she spent a great deal of time mingling among the guests. When it looked as if she wasn’t engaged in conversation, he found a way to get next to her, ask her if she was having fun, how long she would stay in Virgin River, when did she have to get back to work—anything that would keep her attention, keep her talking. Apparently he hadn’t lost his touch; she seemed to enjoy his flirting.
He wondered what the hell was going on with him—she wasn’t typical of the sort of woman he was attracted to. No, it was leggy blondes he liked, and this woman was small with that long sheath of satiny black hair. Her waist was so tiny, he thought maybe he could get his hands around it. That pink mouth, the same color as the dress. Her ankles, narrow. Calves, slim but firm; tiny feet with pink toes. When did he start caring about ankles and toes? He watched her laugh, the way she tilted her head back, an action that sent ripples down her curtain of hair.
Joe was a little confused. When he developed one of those physical attractions, he couldn’t seem to pull his eyes away from a woman’s butt, her breasts, her thighs. This was a whole new thing—the way she laughed, her little feet. It was nuts. It was like a schoolboy’s crush.
He kept watch, looking for a moment to spirit her out under the starlight, maybe steal a kiss or something, wondering why he would bother. First thing in the morning he was headed to Grants Pass and she would take off for San Francisco. Still, he watched her every move. When he saw her walk down the hall and slip into the room that had been given to her for her stay, he briefly gave up the vigil and went to the bar for a drink.
The hour was still early when some of the guests began to leave and Joe was caught up in saying goodbye to friends. “I’m going to open the bar for the guys who are staying over,” Preacher told him.
“Thanks, but I’m just going to bunk in the trailer out front and leave first thing. I have some work to get done before Monday morning,” Joe said.
The marines started to filter out, headed back into town, maybe thinking along the lines of cards, and Paul’s family—parents, brothers and their wives—were going to drive as far as Fortuna to stay the night before going on to Oregon in the morning. Vanni and Paul would pass their wedding night right here, to spend as much time with Tom as possible before he left.
She was gone, Joe realized. The house was beginning to empty of guests, the night was dark but for a sliver of a moon and a billion stars, and the girl he’d had a fix on all day was missing. He looked around the great room, the kitchen, and then, braving rejection, walked down the hall to her room. He tapped lightly on the door, but there was no answer. It was not gentlemanly, but he pushed open the door because he had to find her. She wasn’t there. How’d she get by him? There was no one in the hall bath; the door stood open. He had to at least get her phone number. He felt a trip to the Bay Area coming on.
“Have you seen Nikki?” he asked Vanessa.
“I haven’t. I thought maybe she turned in.”
“Maybe she did,” he lied. “I just wanted to say good-night—I’ll probably be out of here real early in the morning.”
Damn, he wasn’t ready to give up on that one. He hadn’t been drawn to a woman in a while, but this one had hooks in him like grappling. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but it was fierce.
The party was dwindling to just a few people—Rick and Tom and their girls, the bride and groom, the general, Mike and Brie, Shelby. The caterers were packing up and cleaning the kitchen. Joe stepped outside onto the now-dark deck. He took out a cigar, clipped the end, struck a match on his shoe—and it illuminated her. She was standing at the far end of the deck, out of sight, out of the light from within the house, her back to him.
He started to get excited at having found her, feeling a crazy lift in his chest. The match burned down to his fingers and he shook it out with a muffled curse. He took a breath and walked up behind her. “The stars again?” he asked softly.
“Something like that,” she said, her voice teary.
He slipped the cigar back into his shirt pocket and gently grabbed on to her upper arms. “What’s the matter?” he whispered.
“Nothing. I’m fine,” she said. Then she sniffed.
“Nothing? Fine but for the tears?” He gave her arms a squeeze. “Don’t cry, now. I can’t stand it when a woman cries. Wipes me out.”
“Go back inside,” she whispered. “Go on.”
“Can’t,” he said, leaning toward her a little, inhaling her scent. “I’m kind of stuck here now.”
“Just go, okay? This is sort of embarrassing.”
He turned her around slowly. He looked down into those dark, liquid eyes, a trace of tears on each cheek. “All this wedding crap, huh?”
“I don’t want Vanni to think I’m not happy for her.”
“She wouldn’t think that. She’d understand.”
“Someone told you.”
“I asked Paul why a woman as beautiful as you seems sad. Bad breakup, he said. I don’t know the details, but I’m sorry that happened. He’s certifiable, the guy who let you go.” He pressed his lips first against one of those tear tracks, then the one on the other cheek.
“What are you doing?”
“The only thing I can think of is kiss the tears away. I don’t want you to cry anymore, but if you do, I can take care of it.”
“You shouldn’t. We don’t really know each other.”
“You know, I’ve been thinking all day—we should get to know each other better.” He put his hands on her waist. “I’ve been wondering about this all day,” he said. “I can get my hands around your waist.” He lowered his lips to hers, barely touching them. “I think there was a small tear there,” he whispered.
“There wasn’t.”
“There was,” he insisted. He put his lips there again. Barely touching. He ran his tongue along her upper lip. “Tear,” he said. “I’m sure of it.”
Her eyes closed and another tear squeezed out and ran down her cheek. He was right on it, kissing it dry. It took many soft kisses. “No one should make you cry like this. Tell me who he is. I’ll kill him for you.”
“I wasted so much time on him,” she said with a hiccup of emotion.
He kissed her eyes. “He’s a dick,” he said. “Worse. He’s a stupid dick.”
She responded with a small, whimpering laugh.
He pulled her closer, slipped his arms around her and lowered his head to kiss her neck.
“There are no tears there,” she said in a whisper.
“I know that now,” he said. “Do you have any idea how good you smell?”
“Of course. I meant to smell this way,” she said. Her hands were on his arms. Not embracing, but not pushing him away. “Do you do this a lot?”
“I’ve never done this before,” he said.
“You’re such a liar,” she said softly. “I bet you pick up girls all the time.”
He lifted his head. “I try,” he admitted. “It doesn’t work that often. And I swear, I have never found a beautiful woman crying over some jerk and kissed her tears away. Never. But I think I like it. And I’m getting good at it.”
“Not too bad,” she said with a sigh, laying her head on his shoulder. “For an amateur.”
He chuckled. “Nikki, you’re beautiful and sexy. And funny. You shouldn’t be treated badly by anyone. No one should make you cry. Ever.”
“Believe me, I want you to be right.”
“Oh, I’m right.” He touched her lips again, a little more firmly this time. He moved over them tenderly. “I think you’re starting to feel a little better.”
“Not yet,” she said, her eyes closing as she leaned into his kiss again.
Something happened inside Joe’s head, inside his chest. There was a kind of lightness and fullness at the same time. He opened his lips as he kissed her, tasting her mouth, and she was delicious. In fact, she tasted even better than she smelled and he was falling headlong into her. Whoa, he thought. I’m wanting this girl, this woman. I want the maid of honor. She opened her lips under his and allowed his tongue inside and it brought a thrilled, lusty moan from him. He held her close against him, probing the inside of her mouth. No way he was letting her go, now that he finally had her in his arms. Her arms went around his neck, yielding to the kiss, making small noises that were not associated with crying. He found himself thinking, Paul is going to kill me. I’m thinking carnal thoughts about the maid of honor and how to get her out of this pink dress and Paul is going to kill me.
But I will die happy, he further thought.
He pulled away from her just a bit, whispering against her lips, “That’s what you needed. You needed to be kissed.”
“Possibly,” she whispered.
“We should be sure,” he said, covering her mouth again. And again, tongues played, lips moved. He ran a hand down her hair and found it felt as soft as it looked—pure silk. The softest thing he’d ever touched. He scrunched up a handful at the base of her neck. “God,” he whispered, in awe of the texture. “God.”
“We hardly know each other,” she said again, but she said it while her lips were still in contact with his.
“Yeah…but that’s a short-term problem. We’re going to get to know each other lots better.”
Like an answer to a prayer, she came to his lips with hunger, thrusting her small tongue inside, moaning softly as she did so. He ran his hand down to the small of her back and pulled her against him. He devoured her lips for a full minute, for two full minutes. Three. A light from the great room inside the house flicked off, leaving the deck that much darker and he became intoxicated with the taste of her, the feel of her small body molded to his. With a will of its own, his hand brushed against her breast and if he wasn’t mistaken, she kissed him harder, deeper. He could feel an erect nipple under the silk of her dress and he ran his thumb over it, bringing a sigh from her. She didn’t push his hand away. His lips slipped to her neck. “Yeah. You’re starting to feel better I think.”
“Maybe. Just a little.”
He couldn’t hold it back any longer; he was aroused. Erect. Damn. This was going to put him in a tough spot, because this reaction always made it a lot more difficult to think straight. It was a real challenge to be sensible. Logical. Thoughts of Paul killing him for making love to the maid of honor fled from his mind, replaced with obsessive thoughts of what his lips around that nipple would feel like. He lowered his head to check. He was absolutely right—it felt perfect. Even through the dress.
“Maybe we shouldn’t get any more worked up,” she said in a whisper.
“Whatever you say,” he replied, but he was agonizingly unable to lift his head. He was busy putting small kisses on her breast, her neck, her shoulder. He ran a hand down her back, over her bum, down her thigh. He accidentally found that slit in her dress and before he knew it, his hand was inside. “Oh God, Nikki. I’m a dead man.”
“You’re not doing too bad for a corpse,” she said.
“Nikki, you have no panties on, and I’m a dead, dead man.”
“Then take your hand out of there,” she advised breathlessly.
“I. Can’t.”
He put his lips back on hers for a long, deep, wet kiss that lasted two minutes at least. But, he proudly thought, he was somehow able to keep his hand from wandering any farther than her naked bum. One large hand on one small, round, perfect cheek. He had cast a mental image of Crazy Glue holding him there, because if he slid it any farther south all the blood would drain from his brain and he would faint. And then came the danger zone. She pressed against him, rubbed against him. She gyrated her hips a little and moaned softly. She knew he was hard and ready to burst. She knew he knew she knew. He lifted his head. “Nikki. Let’s,” he said.
“Oh God,” she said. “We shouldn’t.”
“Let’s make love.”
“How tacky is that? The maid of honor having sex with a marine on the deck?”
He chuckled in spite of himself. “I’ll take you somewhere.”
“By that time, I will have come to my senses,” she said.
“It’s not far. I drag my bedroom around with me.”
“Wow. Talk about always being prepared…”
He kissed her again. Hot and hard kisses that lasted forever. “It’s not really mine. I borrowed it from Paul. There aren’t exactly rooms to rent around here….”
“That funny little trailer?” she asked him.
“The door locks,” he said against her lips. “It’s very comfortable.”
“Listen,” she said, pushing him away a little bit. “I haven’t ever—I mean, I’m no nun, but I’ve never done anything like this. This one-night stand thing. Never.”
“It’s not, I don’t think,” he said.
“Hmm?” she said, yielding to his lips again.
He wasn’t going to bother saying something that was just going to sound like a line, even if it seemed entirely true. He felt something. He’d been feeling it since the moment he saw her in the bar with Vanni a while back, felt it again the second time he saw her, had been feeling it all day today and he had absolutely no idea what it was. But it sure didn’t feel as if he was going to be cured of it in one night. “It’s just the first night,” he said.
“Talk me into it,” she pleaded.
“No. No way,” he answered, pulling away a little. “It’s up to you. If you want me to, I’ll make love to you. If you don’t, I can step away right now.” He kissed her again. “It wouldn’t be easy, but I could let go of you.”
“But what will people think—”
“Shh, people don’t have to know if you don’t want them to. This—it’s just about you and me. It only matters what you think, what you want. Don’t do anything you don’t want to do.” He made a derisive sound deep in his throat. “That was really hard advice to give, by the way.”
She answered by kissing him deeply, pressing her body up against his, and he was only further weakened. Or maybe he was further strengthened, because he was feeling more and more sure that he had to have this woman next to him, in his arms, in his life. There was some terrible curse on this place that turned fine, upstanding, confirmed bachelors into ridiculous, desperate men who tripped over a pretty girl and began to instantly think life would not go on if they didn’t have her forever. They hadn’t even been intimate and he already couldn’t imagine letting her go. He tried to tell himself that by morning that feeling, that compulsion would be gone, but he doubted it. He’d wanted before, but he couldn’t remember wanting like this. Like he was drugged. Like he was glazed over and totally out of his mind for this one person.
She pulled away. “I want to,” she said.
“Sure?”
“Sure.” She drew a ragged breath. “I’m really sure.”
He smiled down at her, took her hand in his, and they walked down the steps into the yard and around the house, stopping every few feet to embrace, to kiss and fondle. And then he opened the door to that funny little trailer.
* * *
It was a little awkward at first, stepping up into that tiny trailer, because Joe was tearing the place apart looking for a condom. And she asked him, hadn’t he brought any? And he told her he never expected something like this to come up while he was in Virgin River. “We usually just hunt. Play poker. Drink a little too much.” And then he found a box of condoms in the drawer under the microwave and said, “Ah! God bless Paul.”
After that discovery, the awkwardness passed as he began to seduce her and became seduced by her. There was nothing under that pink dress but Nikki, and she was exquisite—tiny, firm, beautiful, sensual. Despite his condition, which was one of being so worked up and turned on he was afraid he might embarrass himself, he managed to make a decent study of her body and make long, slow, delicious love to her. Love that he was sure was completely satisfying to her as well as him.
Then they lay in each other’s arms and talked for a while. “Don’t tell me about him, I don’t want to know. But tell me more about you. Where you came from, what you like to do, how you want to spend the rest of your life.”
He learned that she had grown up in the city, gone to private schools, disappointed her parents by choosing to fly as a cabin attendant rather than becoming a neurosurgeon or astronaut or something. She liked to travel, ride horses, read. She was a good cook. What she wanted was to have a family, which was why she ended up with this guy who finally made it clear he was completely opposed to that idea. She had no idea it was really going to come to that. “Whoops,” she said. “I think that might’ve been about him.”
“That’s okay,” he forgave. “Let’s put him away for now.” And he made love to her again.
There was something about loving her that surpassed the sex. He could easily move her around, she was so light, and as he did so, he forgot that he had been dying to experience her. The only important thing became her pleasure, giving her everything he had. Working her up, getting her so hot she was begging. Long, slow, deep strokes that made her sigh and moan. And when she let him know it was time, deep and strong thrusts that made her gasp and hold him tightly to her. When her orgasm came, he felt proud, as if he’d taken good care of her. Maybe it was her response to him, the way she was swept away, her release leaving her breathless and gasping. If he had anything to say about it, this would go on forever and she would never be disappointed in his arms, in his life.
What he hadn’t been prepared for was how loving and sexual she was toward him, acting as if his pleasure was the most important thing as well. Unwilling to lie back and receive his lovemaking, he felt her lips on every inch of his body; she pushed him back on that small bed and tortured him so beautifully it almost brought tears to his eyes. She was a woman who could give as good as she got and it filled him up with emotion so strong, he was sure he’d never felt that way before.
And again they talked—this time about Joe and his small town up north, the houses he designed, the Marine Corps and the friends for life he’d made. He told her all about his Virgin River experiences, including the first time Jack called on the boys to help him clear the woods of dangerous men, to the time they’d come together to help Paul lay his best friend to final rest.
Then more love. Deeply satisfying, wondrous, phenomenal love. Joe honestly didn’t know if he’d suddenly become better at making love than he realized or if this woman, Nikki, was simply so astonishing, she made him look good. So responsive, so sweet. It didn’t matter to him—he was sublimely grateful for every orgasm she had, and more grateful that he was able to give her more than he took for himself.
“Nikki,” he whispered. “I think finding you was the luckiest day of my life.”
Then they talked about the others. Not the one who was making her cry, because Joe didn’t want any more crying. Since stepping into that funky little trailer, there hadn’t been any tears. Soft laughter, whispers, deep sighs, no tears. They talked about the other ones that just didn’t work out, starting with his year-long marriage at the age of twenty-five. “She left you?” Nikki asked, as though stunned.
“Yeah,” he said. “It killed me.”
Joe told her he’d always been kind of prepped for marriage and family, given his parents’ long marriage, the successful marriages of two brothers and one sister. And maybe he was gun-shy, that he hadn’t fallen in love again after that. He was surprised to find himself this old and still unattached; he thought he’d be settled and have a couple of kids by now. Once he saw some of his buddies find it late, he had renewed hope that maybe it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility for him.
Nikki, it turned out, had had an affair or two go south before the one who made her cry. She dated an airline captain for a while without realizing he was actually married. And then, to her supreme embarrassment, she continued with him for a while after knowing. “I don’t know what I was thinking,” she said, but she’d been really young then. “I regretted that, you can’t imagine how much. He’s been with quite a few single women since, though still married.”
Lots of intimate talk, lots of wonderful, sweet but powerful sex. The sun was starting to peek over the mountains when Joe nodded off with Nikki close in his arms. It was high up when he heard the sound of an engine and bolted upright, finding the bed beside him empty. He couldn’t believe she’d sneak away without saying goodbye. Then it occurred to him she might’ve escaped into the house, into her guest room, to keep her private life private from her hosts.
He dressed, shaved, ran a comb through his hair and hoped to meet her at the coffeepot in the general’s kitchen. He had to get with her one more time to plan their next meeting, to tell her he wanted to call her, talk to her, find out when she would allow him to come to the Bay Area. He was already missing the sound of her voice. The smell of her skin.
When he got into the house, he found Vanni in the kitchen, the baby in his bouncy seat on the table. “Morning,” he said, headed for the coffeepot. When he got back to the table and sat, he was met by her glare. “What?” he asked, perplexed.
“I cannot believe you did that,” she said.
“Did what?” he asked.
“My best friend. You know she’s been through a hard time.”
He looked around a little frantically. “Vanni, what? Where’s Nikki?”
“Gone,” she said flatly.
“Gone?” he asked, rising out of his chair. “Gone?”
“Yes,” she affirmed. “What were you thinking?”
He gave a huff of unhappy laughter. “I was thinking I’d just found the woman of my dreams,” he said. “She left?”
“In tears,” Vanni said, her mouth set in a grim line.
“Tears? Vanni, I did not make her cry!”
“Didn’t you have sex with her all night long in that little fifth wheel?” she asked, anger in her tone.
Hoo-boy. You don’t talk about that, especially when it’s meaningful. “Vanni, I swear to you, I didn’t do anything to hurt her.”
“Didn’t you find her on the deck, crying, and kiss her and seduce her and take her to that little trailer?”
“Well… Yeah… I did that part….” And he was thinking, was there a felony in there somewhere? Because all through the night the only thing he had tried to do was show her how much she could be loved. And it was wonderful; she was wonderful. Spontaneous and aroused and ultimately quite satisfied. And happy. He’d heard her sigh, he’d heard her laugh. There was absolutely no crying.
“Didn’t it occur to you that after her heart had been broken, that was probably not a great idea?”
He got a little angry himself. He leaned his hands on the table, got a little bit in her face and said, “No. I thought it was a terrific idea, and so did she. I wanted to be good to her and I was. I treated her with absolute respect, and she consented one hundred percent. Now, give me her number. I need to talk to her as soon as possible.”
“She said absolutely no.”
“What? No, I have to get in touch with her. Vanni, this isn’t funny.”
“No, it’s not. I just don’t know what went through your mind.”
“Wait a minute here, I didn’t talk her into anything! I was a perfect gentleman, I swear to God!”
“Don’t you know anything about women?” she asked him.
“Apparently not!” he answered hotly.
“She’s just spent five years with a guy who wouldn’t come through. What do you suppose she thinks you’re going to do after one night?”
“She could give me a frickin’ chance!”
Vanni’s mouth was set in a firm line. “She said absolutely no.”
“Oh, for God’s sake. Vanni, this is cruel and unusual. Listen, I have feelings for her. Really.”
“After one night?” she asked, a definite superior tone to her voice.
“Before the night,” he said. “Will you ask her to call me? Please?”
“You knew her for what? Ten minutes?”
“Shit,” he said. “Okay, it was fast. Okay? I admit it. But by the time we’d spent a night together it seemed…” It seemed as if he’d been with her for years! Jesus, his voice was quivering. He was losing his mind. He should be saying, fine—if that’s the way she wants it, fine. But in his head, his heart, his gut, he was feeling desperate. Driven. He was not letting this woman get away.
His good sense said give it up. She’s a nutcase. A whole night of magnificent love, intimate talk, something deep and meaningful going on and she splits? Like that? Never wanting to hear from you again? Give it up. Let it go. Move on. She’s probably crazy. Joe had had one or two crazy women for excruciating but short duration, and he didn’t want another one.
But he said, “Vanni, I have to talk to her. I won’t do to her whatever he did to her. I won’t make any promises I can’t keep and I never did or said anything that wasn’t a hundred percent sincere.”
“Ha,” she said.
“Oh fuck,” he answered. “Where is your husband?”
“It won’t do you any good,” she said. “He’s under orders.”
“Where is he?”
She inclined her head toward the stable.
He left his coffee on the table and made fast tracks for the stable. Hadn’t they all just had a perfectly nice wedding and reunion? He had no idea what had gone wrong. It had been the luckiest chance meeting of his life—that beautiful, sexy, soft and sweet Nikki had been there. And she had opened herself up to him in ways that led him to believe she found it to be her luckiest chance meeting as well. In his mind everything had gone right and could reasonably lead to many days, weeks, months, years of more nice stuff. He knew he had to invest the time before he could get a clear picture of the future—he’d been as burned as Nikki had—but you don’t bolt when things are going right. And he looked forward to nothing so much as investing the time. With her.
He found Paul and Tom brushing down horses in the stable. He stopped short and took a few deep breaths. “Hey, boys,” he said. “Tom, you mind? Can I have a minute with Paul? I’ll take your brush if you want.”
Tom looked at him grimly, though there might’ve been a little sparkle in his eye. “I heard you did the maid of honor.”
“You know,” Joe said somewhat irritably, “I was busy keeping private things private. I thought she might’ve appreciated that.”
Tommy grinned. “I’d congratulate you, man, but I think you blew it.”
“So I’m hearing. But if you’d been there…”
“Kinky,” Tom said. “Sure I can’t stay? You could think of it as part of my education.”
“Take off,” Paul said.
“Killjoy,” he said, passing Joe the brush and leaving the stable.
“You gotta help me, man,” Joe said to Paul. “I didn’t do anything to her. I mean, I only did to her what she totally… She should not have left in tears. I swear to God.”
“Yeah? Yet, she did. She was all shook up. Vanni was worried about her driving like that—all messed up.”
“No, you have to understand. I—” He stopped. He didn’t like the desperate sound of his own voice. He was not going to do this—he was not going to tell Paul that he held her and loved her all night long and that he was gentle and she was sweet. That they had also been a little wild—beautifully wild. That their bodies had meshed perfectly and their words just as well. That in addition to sex too hot to imagine, there had been tender words, too soft and lovely to explain. He couldn’t tell a guy that. It was beyond him.
“Paul, goddammit, you have to help me with this. I have to get in touch with her.”
“She says she doesn’t want to hear from you.”
“I have to hear that from her. Jesus, I don’t even know her last name.”
Paul stopped brushing and looked at Joe over the rear end of a horse. “I don’t think I’d admit that again.” He groaned. “Jesus, Joe. You screwed the maid of honor without even getting her name?”
Joe lost it. He dropped the brush, grabbed Paul by the front of his shirt and slammed him up against the stable wall with a huge bang. Paul could easily have hammered him if he wasn’t so completely shocked. “I didn’t do that,” Joe said in a fierce, angry whisper. “I didn’t screw anyone! I made excellent love to her and she made incredible love right back to me and it was almost too good to believe. I used six of your condoms and I—” He stopped. He let go of Paul and stepped back. “This isn’t happening to me,” he said.
“I think you might be a little out of control,” Paul observed.
“Aw, come on! Help me out here!”
“Seriously, I don’t think I’d admit again that you don’t even know her last name.”
“What the fuck is it, you jerk!”
“Jorgensen, but you didn’t hear it from me. Okay? I’d like to have sex again in my life.”
“Sex. Sex. It’s all about sex.” Joe shook his head.
“Wasn’t it?” Paul asked.
“Only about half the time,” Joe said. “Paul, will you listen to me a second? It was perfect—the kind of perfect that just doesn’t come along very often. You hear me? It was wonderful. It wasn’t just sex, but don’t get me wrong…”
“You’re going down the wrong road again, buddy. Women don’t want to hear about how great they were in bed.”
“Now you’re an expert? Married twelve hours and you know everything?” He hung his head. “I have to find her, man. She gets two chances—she has to tell me twice that it’s nothing. Twice. Then I go away quietly. I’m no stalker. But man…”
“Whew. You got it bad,” Paul said. “She is way under your skin.”
“Just tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about, Paul. You of all people.”
Paul was quiet for a minute. “Unfortunately, I read you.”
“Help me out here. She’s… Don’t make me say anything more, please. It’s private, okay? Help me out.”
“Here’s what I’d do. Write her a letter,” Paul said. “I’ll ask Vanni to send it to her. But I can’t guarantee anything,” he added.
“You are so frickin’ whipped.”
“Yeah? What are you right now?”
“Out of my head, that’s what.”
Paul lifted two eyebrows. “Six?”
“Aw, bite me!”
* * *
Before leaving Virgin River, Joe sat in the fifth wheel he’d borrowed and wrote a letter on a lined yellow pad, a letter in which every word embarrassed him. But he forced himself. He went through roughly fifty drafts to come up with one he could live with, and he still found it horribly inadequate.
Nikki—
I had a wonderful weekend with you. You left too soon and broke my heart. I want to talk to you again, see you again, and according to Vanni, you don’t want to be contacted by me. I don’t know what went wrong. For me, everything went right, and I thought it went right for you, too. I know you’re still recovering from a bad breakup, but it didn’t seem to have anything to do with you and me. Call me. Tell Vanni to give me your number so I can call you. I hope I didn’t do or say anything to hurt you, to make you feel bad, but if I did, at least give me a chance to apologize. Nikki, it was one of the nicest weekends of my life. Come on, baby. I’m dying here.
Love,
Joe.
He gave the letter to Paul because he didn’t trust Vanni just yet. However, when he took Vanessa into his arms to give her a kiss goodbye he said, “You have to believe me. I didn’t hurt her. I want to hear from her. Please, tell her that.”
“I’ll tell her. But I don’t know that it’ll change anything.”
“Just tell her. Please.”