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Shelby ithin ten miles of her Uncle Walt’s ranch when she had to pull over to the side of highway 36, the busiest stretch between Virgin River and Fortuna, behind an old pickup truck that looked vaguely fahway that ran across the mountains from Red Bluff to Fortuna, it was mostly two lane She put her cherry-red Jeep SUV in Park and stepped out of the vehicle The rain had finally stopped, giving way to a bright summer sun, but the road et and splattered witha bright orange vest holding a stop sign toward a long string of cars, closing both lanes The turnoff to her Uncle Walt’s would be on the other side of the next hill
She picked her way around puddles to the truck parked in front of her, intending to ask the driver if he kneas going on When she got to the driver’sshe smiled “Well, hey, Doc”
Doc Mullins looked out the open“Hey, yourself, little girl Up here for a weekend of riding?” he asked with his usual grumpy tone
“Not this tia Bay,” she said “Packed up the bare essentials and a in with Uncle Walt for a while”
“Permanently?”
“Nah For a few h I’m still in transition”
Doc’s griain, condolences on your loss, Shelby,” he said “I hope you’re doing all right with that”
“Better all the tio” She tilted her head up the road “Have any idea what’s holding us up here?”
“Soft shoulder gave out,” he said “I passed it on my way to Valley Hospital Du”
“Guardrails would be nice,” she observed
“Only around the tight curves,” he said “On a straightaway like this, we’re on our own Dao with that soft shoulder It’s going to be like this the next few days”
“Once I get to Walt’s, I’ain, for a while anyway,” she said with a shrug
“What are you planning, if Ione of his bushy eyebrows
“Well, while I’ applications to schools Nursing,” she said with a s care of my mother for years”
“Ach, just what I need,” he said with his usual scowl “Another nurse Drive me to drink”
She laughed at him “At least on’t have to drive you far”
“There’s just what I mean Another impertinent one, at that,” he clarified
She laughed again, loving this ornery old guy Shelby turned, Doc leaned out of hisand both of them watched a man approach from the truck that had stopped behind Shelby’s Jeep He walked toward them His hair was shaved down in that military fashion she’d been accustoeneral A black T-shirt was stretched tight over broad, hard shoulders, his waist narrow, his hips sli But what fascinated her was the way he came toward them, with an economy of movement Deliberate Confident Cocky His thuot closer, she could see his very slight smile as he looked at her, or looked her over, to beeyes In your dreaht, which caused her to smile back
As he passed her Jeep, he glanced inside at all the packed-up boxes, then continued to where she was standing beside Doc’s open“That yours?” he asked, jutting his chin toward the Jeep
“Yup”
“Where are you headed?” he asked
“Virgin River You?”
“The sa on up there?”
“Collapsed shoulder,” Doc said with a grunt “They have us down to one lane for repairs What’s your business in Virgin River?”
“I have solanced between them “You two live in the town?” he asked
“I have family there,” Shelby said She stuck out her hand “I’m Shelby”
He took her s out his hand again “Sir?”
Doc didn’t extend a hand, but rather gave a nod His hands were so twisted with arthritis, he never risked a handshake “Mullins,” he said
“Doc Mullins has lived in Virgin River all his life He’s the town doctor,” Shelby explained to Luke
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Luke said
“Another jarhead?” Doc asked, lifting one white, spiking eyebrow
Luke straightened “I beg your pardon,” he said “Army Sir” Then he looked at Shelby “Another marine?”
“A few of our friends ork in town are ed Their friends come around sometimes—some of them are still active or in the reserves,” she explained “Butwith for a while, was Arrinned “You won’t stand out that uys and the buzz cuts”
He smiled patiently “We’ve never been checked out on those dryer things”
“Ah Blow-dryers Right”
As they waited in their stalled lane, the second lane was opened up to let a big yellow school bus pass Judging by the nu anywhere anytiet back to their cars They redown the other lane, Luke also noted a sizable puddle in front of it He quickly put hiainst Doc’s openWith a hand on each side of her, he covered her with his body, barely in tiainst his back