Out back, a foot up on the corral fence, looking at the horses, was a young man. That would be Tommy. He couldn’t wait to get a closer look at the kid. At the wedding a couple of years ago he’d really enjoyed his sense of humor. He was an intelligent, handsome teen who was funny but with the kind of careful manners that would come from being raised in a strict household, by an Army general’s firm hand.
Vanessa came down the hall toward him. Her face lit up in pleased surprise. “Oh, my God!” she said, grinning widely. “What are you doing back here so soon?”
“Well, I’ll tell you in a minute. How are you? You look fantastic!”
“I’m starting to get really fat,” she laughed.
“You look perfect. I think you’re more beautiful than ever. Are you taking lots of pictures for Matt?”
“Every week I have Dad take a new picture of my belly. Time-lapse photography.”
“That’s great.”
“How about a beer, Paul?” Walt asked.
“Sure, why not? Is that Tommy out there?”
“Yeah. He’s having a bad day. Let me get that beer. Go sit down.”
“Come on,” Vanessa said, taking his hand and pulling him into the great room. She led him to an overstuffed chair with an ottoman near the windows that overlooked the corral.
Before Paul even got comfortable in the chair opposite Vanessa, the general appeared with a cold beer poured in a tall glass. He had one for himself as well and said, “Vanni, I didn’t get you anything, honey. I didn’t even think.”
“No problem, Dad. I’ll go get some water in a minute. Boy, doesn’t that beer look good! I have to admit—I can’t wait.”
The general was at least six feet tall, broad shouldered and silver haired, with black brows, square face, about sixty years old; he had had a magnificent Army career that spanned over thirty-five years. A few years ago his wife had died, and when that happened he wrapped it up with the Army. Without that great partner of his—a woman lauded often but whom Paul had never met—he wasn’t interested in any more military challenges.
“What’s up with Tommy?” Paul asked, taking a drink of his beer.
“Aw, teenagers,” the general said. “He’s hanging with this kid I just don’t like. He got himself in a little trouble—went out to some forbidden kegger in the woods. I found out there’s been a little beer after school and noticed his grades slipping in a couple of his classes. And I think it’s this one kid.”
“That’s not all of it. Dad doesn’t like his face.”
“Huh?” Paul asked.
The general shook his head. “This kid, he’s got that shifty look, that manipulative little grin. I mean, we were all seventeen, right? Had a couple of beers, drove our cars too fast, tried to pick up girls? Huh? But this one’s different. I think he’s a little fucker, and I don’t want him fucking with my kid. Sorry, Vanni.”
She laughed. “Well, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard those provocative words.”
“I can just tell,” the general said.
Paul thought, he probably just can. The general had spent an awful lot of years looking at the faces of young soldiers and he’d learned to read them pretty well. He kind of nodded to the general. “So? You ground him or something?”
“Yeah, he’s grounded, but I told him I want him to make better friends, because if he lies to me again, he’s history. I’ll send him to another school—a private school. I thought this place would be quiet—the kids would be docile. I think they’re wilder than the city kids. At least, this one he’s been running with. This kid’s a bad influence. Now, never mind our family troubles—what are you doing here?”
Paul looked at Vanni and said, “I told your dad we have to keep this quiet until I understand how much of this is out—but I’m here to help Jack finish his house. I rounded up a crew, installed a trailer out on his homesite and we’re going to try to get it done as quickly as possible. Because your midwife is pregnant—they need more room.”
“Really? Wow.”
“My intel says she’s very annoyed by this development—she wasn’t quite ready for another one yet. So Jack, being the Prince Charming of a husband he is, is paying all my boys overtime to get that house finished.”
“Aw. That’s sweet. Are you saying the pregnancy hasn’t been announced?”
“I’m not sure, but I don’t want to be the one to announce it. So let’s not say anything. And I don’t know if she knows what Jack has done.”
“But where are you staying while you’re in town?” she asked. “Won’t she wonder why you’re here?”
“Oh, I’m sure Jack’s going to tell her about my crew real quick because, as I understand it, she goes out to the site fairly often just to look around. She’s going to notice the people, the trailer—and I brought down my fifth wheel.”
“No!” she said. “Stay here! With us!”
“Absolutely,” the general said. “We have lots of room.”
“I couldn’t do that,” he protested. “I’ll be coming and going, my hours will be weird, I’m sure I’ll spend some time with Jack and Preacher in town….”
“Who cares about that? Come and go as you like! We’ll just fix you up with a key.” She laughed. “Not that anyone remembers to lock a door around here.”
“I’m going to have to commute—I left my brothers with the company in Grants Pass. I’ll be going back and forth, but honestly, it’s going to be—”
“I can’t stand to think of you in a fifth wheel for weeks—and I don’t care what kind of hours you keep!” Vanessa protested.
“To tell you the truth, Paul, I could use a hand,” Walt said. “I’m making a run down to Bodega Bay almost every week for a couple of days. Every other week at least. Do you remember Vanessa’s cousin Shelby, from the wedding?”
“Of course,” he said, sitting up straighter.
“Her mother, my sister…she’s disabled. Bedridden now.”
“I’m sorry, sir—I had forgotten. ALS, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. Frankly, none of us expected her to last this long, but she’s still with us. The bravest soul I’ve ever known. But since I can’t convince Shelby she’d be just as well off in a nursing home, I go as often as I can. To help, to visit. To offer moral support. Vanni goes now and then, as well. It sure would ease my mind if there were someone around here to keep an eye on things when I have to be gone.”
“Keep an eye on Tom, he means,” Vanessa said. Then she grinned. “I’m sure he’d prefer your mothering to mine.”
“Any way I can help, sir,” Paul said. “I’m awful sorry about your sister.”
“Thank you—she’s not in any pain. The hardest part about this is that my niece has taken it on, full-time, and she’s just a girl.”
“Shelby’s doing exactly what she wants to do,” Vanessa said. “She’s very stubborn about it. If it were my mother, I’d do the same as my cousin.”
“I’m sure we can work out our schedules, General,” Paul said. “If you make your trip down the coast while I’m working on the house and not back in Oregon, I’d be glad to hang around here. Make sure no one’s going wild.” He smiled, but inside his pulse picked up a bit. Being under Vanessa’s roof while her father was away wasn’t going to do much for sleeping soundly.
“You’re a good man, Paul,” Walt said.
Paul thought, if I were a good man, I wouldn’t be having these thoughts, these feelings.
Jack showed up at Doc’s at about eleven in the morning and found Mel at the computer, David in his playpen not far away. “Hey,” he said. “What’s going on?”
“Not so much,” she said. “I’m scheduling our mammogram unit to visit town. What’s going on with you?”
“I have something to show you—if you can take a break.”
“What?”
“Can’t you be surprised?”
“I’m so bad at surprises,” she said.
“Yeah. I know. You should work on that. Where’s Doc?”
“He’s around here somewhere.”
“Well, find him and tell him you’re stepping out. I’ll get David. Let’s take a ride. I think you’re going to like this.”
“Jack,” she said, standing up, “I hate when you do this.”
“I haven’t given you one bad surprise yet,” he said, lifting his son out of the playpen. When she glared at him he said, “I haven’t! I make excellent babies and if you’re surprised, I think that’s your fault!”
“Yeah, you don’t have to rub my nose in it.”
It took Mel only a few minutes to get herself together, find Doc to excuse herself, grab her medical bag, which went with her everywhere, and shrug into her coat. Jack put David in his car seat—he was delighted to be going somewhere. Anywhere.
When they were turning off the road onto the drive that had become her drive, to her new home, she got a little keyed up. Happy, if you dared. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“Wait till you see. You’re going to like this. You’re going to like me again.”
“I love you—I’m just not thrilled about how potent you seem to be.”
As Jack pulled up to the top of the hill, coming through the trees, she sat up straighter when she saw all the activity around the house. It was a full-fledged construction site, complete with trailers, vehicles, portable toilet, men at work. Right in front of the largest trailer, wearing a hard hat, she recognized Paul.
“What’s going on?” she asked again.
“We’re getting your house done, Melinda. Paul brought a crew down from Oregon and we’re finishing up. We’re going to have to go over to Eureka to pick out our fixtures, paint, carpet, tile, cabinets. It’s going to go fast now.”
“Jack,” she said in a breath, turning toward him. She put her hand over his.
“We’re going to get you in and settled before the baby. I’m going to do everything I can to make this easy for you.” He shrugged. “If I could carry the baby for you, I would.” He grinned. “Thank God I can’t. But after this little one is born, I’m going to do whatever I have to do to be sure you have time to enjoy your kids. We’ll try my method of birth control instead of yours next time. I miss your joy. Your smile.”
“I smile,” she protested.
“You’ve been pretty cranky.”
“Jack, I’m sorry, darling. It’s not you…. It’s me. I feel like an idiot. I feel like one of those teenage girls who come to me already five months pregnant without a clue because they didn’t want it to be so. It’s pretty embarrassing, given my profession. I really, really thought David was a miracle, and the only miracle I’d have. People like me shouldn’t have that kind of denial. I don’t know what possessed me….”
“Do you have any idea how much I love you? Mel, I’d never do anything to hurt you, make you uncomfortable.” He smiled. “I just can’t keep my hands off you.”
“I know, Jack,” she said. “The hell of it is, I can’t resist you.”
“So—the only problem we have is that you’re way more fertile than you thought. We can work with that. Kiss me.”
She leaned over to him and put a hand around the back of his neck, pulling him against her mouth, which she opened passionately, treating him to one of her lustiest kisses. He put his arms around her and moaned appreciatively. Kiss at an end, he said, “Now, that’s what I’m talking about. You just taste so good. Come on, let’s go see what Paul’s got going on.”
