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But he loved soht to hiainst the hair at her temple and brushed it back over her ear while she drifted slowly back to earth and her eyes opened "Okay?" he asked

She nodded and sently kissed her lips "I shouldn’t have let that happen I’ainst his cheek "My pleasure," she said softly, sh he felt stupid and guilty, he th of time had passed, he said, "I’"

"I know But ain"

"It won’t be," he said He would call her again, take her out for a drink, and try to explain that even though he didn’t have any reason to be opti as that was the case, it rong for hiood person She deserved better

One

V anessa Rutledge stood in front of her husband’s grave, her coat pulled tightly around her against the crisp March breeze, red hair billowing in the wind "I know this is going to seee request--but I just don’t knoho else to ask Matt, you know I love you, that I’ll always love you, that I see you in your son’s eyes every day But, darling, I’ If I have that, I’d like you to give the e Let hiht Please? Let him know he’s soout on the deck behind the house holding the baby away from himself, like he’d just pooped on his mess dress It was past tio and thisMel Sheridan for their first checkups since his birth Her father, retired general Walt Booth, was acting as chauffeur so that he could watch the baby while Vanessa had her exarave "We’ll have a real conversation about this later," she told the headstone She blew a long kiss in that direction and hurried down the little hill, past the stable and up to the house

The last place Vanessa ever expected to find herself was in a tiny mountain town of six hundred When her father chose this property a couple of years before his retirement from the Army, she and Matt had taken a look at it Matt fell in love with it at once "When I go," he had said, "plant me on that little hill, under that tree"

"Stop it!" she had laughed, slapping his ar how prophetic his words would be

There was a time, years before she h-powered news anchor; using her degree in co an eighty-hour-a-week career path and, on a whiht attendant One year turned into five because she loved the job, the travel, the people She’d still been working for the airline when Matt left for Iraq It was her loneliness and advancing pregnancy that had sent her packing to Virgin River She had thought it would be temporary--she’d have the baby, wait for her husband’s return fronht here, to that little hill with the tree on it

She didn’t cry as hter, the long, late-night talks Missed having so slung over his shoulder and was headed for the car "Vanessa, you spend too rave We should’ve put hiht"

"Oh, dear," she said, lifting a curious eyebrow, the corner of herthat I’ him, has he?"

"Not funny," he said

"You worry toothe baby fro There are soee, he’s so handy…"

"Vanessa! For God’s sake!" He took a breath "You need girlfriends"

She laughed at hiirlfriends froh they didn’t live nearby, they were great about visiting and staying in touch, giving her every opportunity to talk about Matt, about grief, then about the baby and recovery "You’ll be happy to know Nikki’s coirlfriend"

Walt hefted hi a lot of Nikki lately Either she can’t stay away fro so ith her and that…that…" Walt couldn’t seem to finish

"She can’t stay away fro I s," Vanessa said

"I never liked hirunt

"No one likes him He’s an ass," Vanni said Her best friend, too sweet for her own good, wanted a husband and children, but instead was stuck with a live-in arrange her almost as alone as Vanni