Second Chance Pass (23 page)

Walt turned. “By all means.” He threw an arm wide and indicated Paul should precede him to the great room. Walt
clicked the TV off and chose the chair facing Paul. “What’s on your mind, son?”

Paul scooted forward a bit. “Well, it’s no secret I’m in love with your daughter. I want to marry Vanni. Do I have your blessing? Your permission?”

Walt shook his head and chuckled. “Haggerty, you sneak down the hall after I’m in bed every night—you’d damn sure better marry her. In fact, it might make sense for you to put the baby in that bedroom you’re not using—save a trip or two, let the child have some space…”

Paul felt a stain creep to his cheeks and thought,
I’m over thirty-five—how the hell does this man make me blush?
“Yes, sir. Good idea, sir. Thing is—we’ve been talking…”

“How about that little mess up in Grants Pass?” Walt asked.

Paul scooted forward a little more, surprised. “Vanni didn’t tell you? A misunderstanding, sir.”

Walt let go a laugh. “That must’ve made your day.”

Paul hung his head briefly. “Actually, it’s a sad situation and I regret that I… Well, I’m relieved Vanni doesn’t have to deal with it.” Right then Vanni came back to the great room. She went to Paul and sat on his lap. “We’ve been talking about getting the wedding done the weekend before Tom leaves. It’s quick, but neither of us wants anything flashy—just a simple ceremony with friends.” He squeezed Vanni. “We’re anxious to make it legal, and we want Tom with us for that. Do you have any objection to that idea?”

“You realize that’s only three weeks away?” Walt said. “Think you can do it that fast?”

“We do, Dad,” Vanni said. “We’ve talked out some of the details. We’d do it right here, if that’s okay.”

“What about your family, Paul?”

“I think we can count on them, sir. In fact, there’s another thing regarding my family—my dad and brothers support the idea of starting a Haggerty Construction division here, serving the towns around here. I think there might be enough work to keep me busy—and if that’s the case, we can make our home in Virgin River permanently. Of course, I won’t know till I try—but while I’m looking for building contracts, I have the Middleton and Valenzuela jobs to keep me going.”

“And if there isn’t work here?” Walt asked.

“There will be,” Paul said. “But until it’s established, I’ll keep the house in Grants Pass. If I have to, there’s always a lot of work for me there. But, General, people have such a hard time finding a contractor around here, I have a feeling there will be too much work, once my name gets out. We have a good reputation in Grants Pass.”

“Hmm,” he said. “Just how many houses can you build at one time?”

“We’ve gotten pretty big in Oregon,” he said with a shrug. “We’ve gotten up to a dozen or two structures in progress at a time, depending on the size, whether they’re commercial, family units or multifamily—apartments. Our specialty has been custom homes from the beginning—I don’t know how much of that I’ll find around here. But there’s lots of renovation work. How long did it take you to renovate this house?”

“Almost two years,” Walt said.

“See, that’s it—we could’ve had it done in a few months, even if we started with a lean-to. Six at the most. I sense a serious market.”

“Can you make a living on a few a year? Renovations or custom homes?”

“A damn fine living,” Paul confirmed.

Walt hmmed again. “Give me a second.” He left the
room and Vanni and Paul exchanged confused glances. Then Walt was back. He held a thick, folded document. “This was impetuous of me, and if it doesn’t appeal to you, there will be no hard feelings. But then again, if you like the idea, you can consider it an early wedding gift.” He handed the pages to Paul.

Paul unfolded the document. At the top was printed, in boldface, DEED.

“I have a lot of land here. I wanted a lot—in case the surrounding acreage sells off at some point. I need space to ride. I thought a couple of acres on the other side of the stable might work out for you. If you’re interested, that is. If you’d rather scout around for your own land…”

“Oh, Daddy,” Vanni said, so deeply moved that her hand rose to her throat and her eyes swelled with tears.

“It’s going to belong to you and Tom one day anyway. I have Shelby taken care of. If you’re inclined and want to keep your own horses, we can always enlarge the stable and corral.” He grinned. “I know a builder.”

Gently, Paul pushed Vanni off his lap and stood, facing Walt. “This is very generous, sir,” he said.

“It’s very selfish, Paul. I wouldn’t mind having my daughter and grandchildren nearby. Frankly, a year ago I didn’t think that was an option.” Then he looked at Vanni and asked, “Honey, can you be happy in a little town like this? Your husband building around the area, nothing much to occupy you but children and horses?”

She laughed a little emotionally. “You’re kidding me, right? Dad, not many people even have the opportunity for this kind of life. The only complication is whether there’s enough work here for Paul.” She reached for his hand. “He loves building houses. And he’s brilliant at it. We have to keep him at it.”

“Well, here’s the thing, Vanni,” Paul said. “Before ap
proaching my dad and brothers with this idea, I called around. I said I had house plans and needed a company to build—the soonest I could get someone was a year. There’s plenty of work if they’re backed up a year, plenty to spare.” He looked at Walt. “I’d be willing to call Joe Benson in the morning, tell him we’re ready to discuss our own plans. If you’re sure…”

“You’re holding it in your hand, son. It’s your future wife’s property. I’m sure.”

W
hen May arrived in Virgin River there was love in the air. Paul and Vanni had been back and forth to Grants Pass for a couple of weeks, unable to be apart for even a few days. Paul was working out a deal with Joe Benson and his family business to build Preacher’s add-on, and Mike and Brie’s house. Then there was Tom and Brenda—young lovers, too hot to touch, getting ready to say goodbye for Tom to go to basic training and then to West Point. It was prom weekend and Vanni and Paul were back again to see the prom couple.

Mel Sheridan made it to May with that new baby girl still growing, and she was damn happy about that. One morning she woke up at 5:00 a.m., well before Jack. That almost never happened, especially when she was pregnant. But she was up and full of energy, so she started her day by making her husband a pot of coffee and began cleaning out the refrigerator. She would routinely bring home groceries and they would inevitably rot while they took their meals together at the bar, or packed up some of Preacher’s delicious meals to take home.

Just getting rid of the old food wasn’t quite good
enough. Mel was on a roll, so she filled the sink with soapy water and began to scrub the inside of the fridge.

“What are you doing?” Jack asked as he wandered into the kitchen.

“I’m cleaning out the refrigerator,” she answered. “I’m going to stop bringing food into this house—we let too much go to waste.”

She heard David start to stir and lifted her head like a doe smelling a hunter.

“I’ll get him,” Jack said. “He’s heavy.”

“Okay. I’ll get his breakfast ready. Would you like me to make you an omelet or something?”

“How old are the eggs?” he asked.

“Hmm,” she said, looking. “I don’t think they’re deadly yet.”

“I think I’ll pass, thanks.”

“Coward.”

David had his Cheerios, then his playtime in the great room with all his toys while Mel started the laundry and Jack went outside to spend a few minutes on his favorite morning activity of splitting logs. By next fall there would be a nice huge stack of firewood ready for the winter. Some of the trees that had been felled to widen the driveway were stacked at the tree line on their property, and he was working on turning them into fuel for the fireplace.

Mel wiped down the kitchen cabinets with lemon oil. Paul and Jack had truly outdone themselves on the kitchen with its gorgeous oak cabinets, black granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances. The house was absolutely magnificent, and much more than Mel had dared allow herself to expect. Compared to that little cabin she’d lived in for almost two years, it was huge—over three thousand square feet—but she’d managed to fill it up very quickly with furniture and accessories.

Once done with the cabinets, Mel did another laundry shuffle, then got a clean diaper for Davie. She followed that by getting to work on the shutters with the lemon oil. Then she busied herself with a special cleaner for the leather furniture, followed by one more load of laundry. When Jack checked in on her before lunch, she was pulling the tags off new little pink things that she’d had for a long time—gifts for the baby from Jack’s sisters and her sister. Mel laundered and folded all these infant garments, something that probably should’ve been done weeks ago.

Having babies barely a year apart creates a need for two nurseries—she cleaned David’s room and gave the new baby’s room a little cleaning, too, putting away the clothes and getting out the newborn diapers and bath towels.

By afternoon Jack found her down on her hands and knees scouring the bathroom floor around the toilet and tub. “For the love of God,” he said.

“What?”

“What the hell are you doing? If you want the bathroom cleaned, why don’t you just tell me? I know how to clean a goddamn bathroom.”

“It wasn’t all that dirty, but since I’m in the cleaning mood, I thought I’d whip it into shape.”

“David is ready for his nap. Why don’t you join him.”

“I don’t feel like a nap. I’m going to vacuum the area rugs.”

“No, you’re not,” he said. “I’ll do that if it has to be done right now.”

“Okay,” Mel said, smiling.

“I’ve been tricked.”

“Only by yourself, darling,” she said, whirling away to get the Pledge and Windex. After that was done—and there was a lot of wood and glass and stainless steel to occupy her—she was sweeping off the porch and back
steps. Not long after that, she was caught dragging the cradle into the master bedroom.

“Melinda!” he shouted, startling her and making her jump.

“Jack! Don’t do that!”

“Let go of that thing!” He brushed her out of the way and grabbed the cradle. “Where do you want it?”

“Right there,” she said. He put it beside the bed. “No,” she said. “Over there, kind of out of the way.” He put it there. “No,” she said. “Against that wall—we’ll put it where we need it when she comes.” He moved it again. “Thank you,” she said.

The phone rang. “I’ll get it,” he said. He picked up a pencil and put it in her face. “If you lift anything heavier than this, I’m going to beat you.” Then he turned and left the room.

He has cabin fever,
she thought.
Spending too much time at home with me, making sure I don’t pick up anything heavier than a pencil. He should get out more, and out of my hair.

When Jack was done with the phone, she was on her knees in front of the hearth, brushing out the barely used fireplace. “Aw, Jesus Christ,” he said in frustration. “Can that not wait until at least frickin’ winter?”

She sat back on her heels. “You are really getting on my last nerve. Don’t you have somewhere you can go?”

“No, but we do. Go shower and get beautiful. Paul and Vanessa are back and after they view the prom couple, they’re going to the bar for dinner. We’ll all meet there, look at some pictures.”

“Great,” she said. “I’m in the mood for a beer.”

“Whatever you want, Melinda,” he said tiredly. “Just stop this frickin’ cleaning.”

“You know I’m not going to be able to do much of this
after the baby comes, so it’s good to have it all done. And the way I like it.”

“You’ve always been good at cleaning. Why couldn’t you just cook?” he asked. “You don’t cook anything.”

“You cook.” She smiled. “How many cooks does one house need?”

“Just go shower. You have fireplace ash on your nose.”

“Pain in the ass,” she said to him, getting clumsily to her feet.

“Ditto,” he said.

An hour later the three of them were on their way into town. “So, you did it,” she said. “You got Paul down here staking out his territory. And now they’re together.”

“You should at least give me a little credit for trying to get a couple of people together instead of trying to keep them apart.” Then more softly he added, “Like I did Preacher and Paige, Brie and Mike.”

“I should—apparently it all worked out just fine…” she said a little dreamily, rubbing her hands over her tummy.

“Do you feel all right?” he asked, glancing at her. “You’re a little…pink.”

“I feel fantastic. Probably just the calm before the storm.”

“Probably,” he said. “You do that again tomorrow and I’m tying you down. You make me crazy sometimes.”

“Jack…” She laughed. “When did you get like this? You’re so
annoying!
”

By the time they got to the bar, Brie and Mike were there and of course Paige and Preacher and Christopher. Doc came in, but before he could get comfortable his pager went off. He made a phone call from the kitchen and headed out for a house call. Next, Vanessa, Paul and the baby, along with a bouncy baby seat, had all arrived. The crowd was treated to digital pictures of Tom and Brenda and another couple all dressed up in their fancy clothes.

“Aw,” Mel said, clicking through the pictures. “Look at how gorgeous they are. Aren’t they the cutest? Don’t they look so in love?”

“
So
in love,” Vanni said. “I never thought I’d see my little brother like this.”

“Where’s the general?” Mel asked.

Vanni frowned and shook her head. “He said you see enough of him all week when we’re in Grants Pass. He said he’d stay home tonight.”

“Really?” Mel questioned. “I haven’t seen much of him at all lately. In fact, I’ve been wondering what he’s been doing with himself. I assumed he’d had Tom and Brenda for dinner every night.”

“Hardly.” Vanni laughed. “If they can escape the parents, I believe they have important making out to do. Gotta cram in as much of that as possible before Tom leaves, you know.”

“I imagine so,” Mel agreed.

The bar had few customers that evening, so Jack divided his time between the pushed-together tables and his favorite spot behind the bar. Paul drifted up to the bar and said, “You seem a little unhappy tonight. Is it because your wife is about to explode?”

“Nah, that’s only part of it. We got a call from Rick a while ago. He’s got ten days of leave coming up—after which he goes to Iraq.”

“Aw, man. You doing okay?”

“Hanging in there. I mean—we went, right? It’s just that Rick…”

“Feels like a son—and it’s different.”

“That’s it, I guess.” Jack had known all along that Rick wouldn’t play it safe—if he was going in, he’d be part of the fight. “At least he’ll be around for a while—I’ll see if some of the boys want to come up, I think.”

“There will be four of us for sure,” Paul said. “How’s Mel doing?”

“She’s nesting,” Jack said. “She’s been after it all day. I’ve heard her talk about her patients and their sudden burst of energy. I saw it today up close and personal. Any second, trust me.”

“Damn, it’ll be great. I’d love to be here for it.”

“You’re really getting into this baby business….”

“I’m not as far into it as I was,” Paul said. “After talking to Mel, I followed through, had an ultrasound with the woman and the baby’s not mine.” He shook his head. “Something’s wrong with me, man. I’m relieved, but almost sorry—because there’s a baby coming and no man to take care of them. It would almost be better if it had been mine. I’m a sick SOB—you should get more rational friends.”

Jack leveled him with a serious look, a slight frown. “I can think of twenty reasons why you don’t get married if it’s not the right match, but I can’t think of one reason why you’d walk away from your own kid.”

“I offered to help her anyway,” Paul said. Then he shrugged. “She’s a good person. This is gonna be tough on her.”

Jack gave him a half smile. “That doesn’t surprise me, Paul. She take you up on it?”

“Nah. Like I said, she’s a decent person. I’m sorry she’s going through this. Glad Vanni isn’t going to have to put up with it, but sorry—”

But Jack wasn’t listening anymore. His narrowed eyes were on Mel. It was like he sensed it; smelled it. She got up from the table and was heading toward the bathroom back off the kitchen. She paused when she got to the end of the bar, gripped it to stabilize herself, made a noise that only her husband heard, bent slightly over her huge belly
and let go with a gush of amniotic fluid that splashed to the floor.

“I knew it,” Jack said, going to her at once.

Silence fell over the dinner crowd. Paul edged back to the table, sat down beside Vanessa and said, “Jack said she’s been nesting all day.”

“Is it happening?” Vanessa asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Paul said.

Jack braced Mel from behind, his hands on her upper arms and asked, “Contraction?”

“Boy howdy,” she said, a little breathless.

“By the time you got to cleaning the bathroom this afternoon, you had completely given yourself away,” he told her.

“Yeah, I suspected this would happen today. But I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I don’t think we have a whole lot of time to screw around. She’s here, Jack.”

He turned her around to face him. “Have you been having contractions all day?”

“Not really. A couple. A few.” She inhaled deeply. “Yeah.”

He lifted her immediately into his arms and started barking orders. “Someone bring Davie to the truck and ride home with us. Preach—call John Stone and tell him it’s now and it’s gonna be quick.” Then he carried Mel out the door to the truck.

Brie quickly picked up her nephew, the diaper bag, and followed. Preacher went to the kitchen to use the phone. Everyone waited tensely. When Preacher came back to the room he said, “John’s on his way.”

More silence lingered. Then Mike said, “What are we waiting for? Let’s wipe up the floor, pack up some stuff and join the party.” Everyone got busy cleaning up, gathering food, drink and even cigars to go to the Sheridan house to stand by for the birth.

Before Jack got Mel home, she was already having hard contractions, two minutes apart. “Breathe,” he was telling her. “Don’t even think about pushing.”

“I’m fine,” she insisted.

“You’d better be. I should’ve known. I should’ve kept you home. I should’ve brought Doc along.”

“Lighten up, it’s only a ten-minute drive. And Doc’s on a call… Uhhhh,” she added, bending over her belly.

“Aw, Melinda… Okay, baby. You just breathe, don’t worry about a thing.”

“I’m
not
worried,” she rasped out.

When they got to the house, he lifted her out of the truck into his arms and smacked her head on the door frame in the process.

“Ow!”

“Sorry,” he said.

“You’ve done this to me before!” she accused.

“I know. I’ve always been real smooth,” he said, remembering a time long ago, before they were married, when he was carrying her home in much this same manner, though not pregnant, and while his mind was on sex, he damn near gave her a concussion, which sort of precluded any kind of sex. His mind was definitely not on sex right now.

Jack carried Mel to the bedroom while Brie took charge of David. Mel had already prepared the bed with a rubber mattress protector so all that was necessary was helping her to undress and climb in, which Jack did. He added a couple of soft, clean towels under her. Then he went for a flashlight from the kitchen and Brie shouted, “What’s that for?”

“I have to see how close she is,” Jack responded, moving quickly.

“Oh my God,” Brie said. “We need some professionals here!”