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Shelby stifled a chuckle Macho ht with some humor
Luke heard downshifting, then the squeal of brakes “Jesus,” he lared after the bus
As Luke turned and scowled at the bus, the driver leaned out theA round-faced woman in her fifties, rosy cheeked with a cap of short dark hair, grinned at hirinned! “Sorry, buddy,” she said “Couldn’t hardly help that”
“You could if you went a lot slower,” he yelled back at her
To his astonishot a schedule, y’know,” she yelled “My advice? Stay out of the way”
His scalp felt hot under his short hair and he really wanted to swear When he turned back to Shelby and Doc, he found her sot a little splatter on your back there, Luke,” she said, trying to keep control of her lips
Doc’s face was the sa eyes “Molly’s been slinging that big yellow tube around these mountains for thirty years now, and ain’t nobody knows these roads better Guess she didn’t see a pothole this once”
“It’s not even September yet!” Luke protested
“She drives year-round,” Doc said “Suoing on She’s a saint—you couldn’t pay h to do that job What’s a mud puddle here and there?” Then the old doctor put his truck noisily in gear “Our turn co up”
Shelby jogged back toward her Jeep Luke started to walk back toward his truck, which pulled a ca at his back, “Welcoin River, son Enjoy yourself” And it was followed by a cackle
Shelby McIntyre had been fixing up her deceased mother’s house for in River froh the summer to ride And her Uncle Walt had paid many a visit to her to oversee renovation work that he’d personally contracted By the end of summer Shelby had roses on her cheeks She had rolled up her shorts and her legs were tanned Her thighs and butt had developed fir muscles and her eyes sparkled with health It had been years since she’d benefited froular exercise
But when she pulled up in front of Walt’s house now, inThe house was sold, her belongings were in the back of her Jeep, and at the age of twenty-five, she was eot out of her Jeep and stretched In just moments, Uncle Walt came out the front door, stood there with his hands on his hips, a big grin on his face “Welcome back,” he said “Or should I say, welcome home?”
“Hey there,” she said, walking into his arms Walt was six feet with thick, silver hair, dark bushy brows and shoulders and arms like a wrestler’s He was a powerfully built man for just over sixty
He hugged her tight “I was just about to go to the stable and saddle up You too tired? You hungry or anything?”
“I’ in a Jeep for over four hours,” she said
He laughed “Backside pretty well broken in?”
“Ohhh,” she said, rubbing her butt
“I’ the river for an hour or so Vanni’s down at the new construction, getting in Paul’s business, but she’s going to be back in time to cook you a nice welcome-home dinner”
Shelby looked at her watch It was only three-thirty “Tell you what—I’o for your ride and Vanni inspects her new house I’ll say hi to Mel Sheridan and see if I can talk her into a beer to celebrate e of residence I’ll be back in tiet this stuff out of the Jeep first? Take it inside?” she asked
“Honey, leave it be, no one’s gonna bother it Paul and I will unload you before supper”
She grinned at hi We’ll have that ride together”
“Good deal No trouble closing on the house?”
“It was a little ht I was ready”
“Regrets?”
She turned her large hazel eyes up to his face “I cried for the first fifty et excited I’m sure about this”
“Good,” he said, giving her a squeeze “I’lad you’re here”
“Just for a few et a head start on school It’s been so long since I’ve been a student”
“Life here is usually pretty laid-back Take advantage of it”
“Yeah—” she laughed “—when you’re not having shoot-outs or forest fires”
“Well, hell, girl, ant to keep things interesting!” He walked her to her Jeep
“Wait for et back to muck the stalls and feed the horses”
“Enjoy a little girlfriend tih of the past few years You’ll have plenty of horseshit to muck while you’re here”
“Thanks, Uncle Walt,” she said and laughed “I won’t be too long”
He kissed her forehead “I said, take your tiood care of my sister You’ve earned piles of it”
“See you in a couple of hours,” Shelby said, heading for town
Luke Riordan pulled into Virgin River, his Harley strapped into the back of his extended-cab truck, pulling his small camper It had been seven years since he’d seen this town and there had been a few changes The church was now boarded up, but what he remembered as an old, abandoned cabin in the center of toas renovated, had cars and trucks parked around the front porch, and an Open sign in theIt looked like some construction was under way behind the cabin; it was fra a renovation project of his own, he wouldn’ta look at what had been done to this place He parked off to the side, out of the way, and got out of the truck He went into the ca inside