Paradise Valley

Jack laughed at him. Walt put the fear of God in a lot of men, but there was no evidence he’d actually done any physical harm. However, he had enough hot air in him to float a balloon.

Only a moment later, Mike V came in the back door and sat up next to Walt. Then came Paul, whose approach was always signaled by the banging of his muddy boots on the porch before coming inside. Walt remembered why this place soothed him; a few men enjoying a beer at the end of the day, Jack with his coffee cup—male camaraderie. And then Mel came in, the baby tucked under her coat.

After she said hello to everyone, she asked Mike, “Brie coming out to dinner?”

“Not tonight. She’s going to get the baby settled early, if possible. Little Ness likes to burn the midnight oil.”

Mel looked at Paul. “Vanni?”

He shook his head. “Vanni’s cooking tonight.”

“And Abby?” Mel asked, speaking of their houseguest.

Paul shook his head. “Cameron’s taking her over to Grace Valley for an ultrasound, and he offered to take her to Fortuna for something to eat afterward, just to get her out of the house.”

“Ah,” Mel said. “I knew he had an errand and I’m on call till he gets back. That’s nice of him to do for Abby.”

Paul nodded. Then with a semitortured look he tried to conceal, he turned to Walt. “Vanni mentioned Muriel’s out of town, sir. Would you like some dinner?”

Walt looked him up and down shrewdly. Paul had his wife all to himself for a change and was going to begrudgingly invite her father to join them? “I don’t think so, son. Though the deep sincerity of your offer touches me.”

Everyone laughed but for an indignant Paul. “Aw, come on, I was really nice about that! Sir.”

“You were a peach,” Walt said, knowing he was getting a little grumpy. “I’ll just sit here and have dinner with Jack.”

“Where’s Muriel, Walt?” Mel asked.

He was tired of explaining about this, and it hadn’t been all that long. “Making a movie,” he said unhappily.

“Really? How exciting! Since she was looking forward to a long break from that, it must be quite an important film.”

“Yeah, so she says. Jack Whatshisname is the star.”

“Jack What’s…Jack who?”

“You know. Big star. Cuckoo’s Nest guy…”

“Nicholson? Holy shit,” Mel said.

“Melinda, we were going to stop saying shit in front of the kids,” Jack patiently reminded her, glancing over his shoulder toward David in the backpack.

“Oh shit, I forgot. But, Walt, that’s really something, isn’t it? I mean, he’s huge. This must be a thrill for her.”

Walt got a fairly dangerous gleam in his eye. “I suppose she’s thrilled to the heart of her bottom.”

“Well, no wonder you’re so pissy,” Mel said with a laugh. “Jack, since everyone’s clearing out, I’m going to get some dinner from Preacher to take home. I’ll get the kids fed and settled. Can you sneak away quickly if I get a call? Since Cameron’s headed for Grace Valley, I need to be on call for medical emergencies.”

“Don’t worry about it, Mel,” Mike said. “I’m going home, I’ll back you up. If you get a call before Jack locks up, just holler. I’ll walk over and sit with the kids.”

“Thanks, Mike. Jack? Want to help me get loaded up?”

“Sure, babe. Let me get this little guy into his jacket and I’ll give you a hand. Walt, I’ll have your dinner in a minute.”

“Take your time,” he said. “I have a beer to finish.” And wounds to lick, he thought.

Cameron Michaels found himself in a very unique position—trying to court a woman who was pregnant with his twins. They met a few months ago in Grants Pass when a series of strange circumstances brought them together. It was a night of unforgettable bliss. Neither of them thought they’d ever see the other again.

He’d been at the Davenport Hotel Steak House because that’s where he and the partners in his former pediatric practice liked to have dinner together every other month or so and she was there for one of her best friends’ wedding. Nikki Jorgensen had married Joe Benson and the reception was at that hotel; Vanni was the matron of honor and Abby an attendant. One thing led to another and Abby fled to the hotel bar to escape all that true love and mush at the reception. Cameron had no idea some of his friends from Virgin River were in the banquet room when he met Abby in the bar. It was a fling—the kind of fling Cameron thought he’d outgrown and Abby had never before in her life considered. And of course it had to lead to pregnancy, something they were both carefully trying to prevent.

When she came to Virgin River to sit out her pregnancy, Cameron was the last person she expected to run into. But Cameron had ties to Virgin River and loved the place. He had known old Doc Mullins, deceased a few months ago, Mel and Jack Sheridan, Vanni and Paul. He saw a chance for a change of lifestyle and decided to give Virgin River a year. No small part of that decision was the fact that he couldn’t find the woman he’d had a wonderful night of love with. How strange that he ended up in the same town she’d chosen to hide out in. Cameron was certified in family practice and pediatrics and his service to Virgin River was invaluable.

Right now the complications in his relationship with Abby were extreme. Abby was in hiding because she’d been legally married when she met Cameron, though she hadn’t seen her husband in almost a year. The husband was a semifamous rock star who’d had her sign a prenup promising fidelity or there would be no alimony. When the divorce was final, he’d also left her with a hefty pile of credit-card bills and she needed his money to pay off his debts. If anyone found out she’d conceived the twins before the divorce was final, she’d be in a deep financial mess.

Cameron was trying to take it nice and slow. Abby had lots of reasons to fear rushing into a serious relationship. The first time she did that, she ended up married to an unfaithful jerk who tied her up with a binding prenuptial agreement. The second time she’d thrown caution to the wind, she’d gotten pregnant. With twins.

So Cameron had called her and said, “Mel would like you to have an ultrasound and meet Dr. Stone, the OB in Grace Valley. I thought maybe I could take you and then, if you’d like, we could have dinner in Fortuna. Something simple and quiet. Just a chance for you to get out. And for us to spend an hour or two together.”

And she had said, “That’s a very nice offer, but why don’t I just take myself to Grace Valley, meet the doctor, have the ultrasound and come back home?”

“Because, Abby, I’d like to see the ultrasound.” When that statement was answered with silence, he said, “It’s typical for Mel to take an OB consult to meet John Stone—he won’t think there’s anything unusual about me taking you. This can be our secret as long as that’s what you need, but really—we have to spend a little time together at some point. Talk, like we did before all this happened. Get to know each other. Again.”

He could hear the reluctance in her voice when she finally accepted. What the hell? He’d backed her into a corner. He knew the babies were his and he wasn’t going to give them up. He couldn’t force her into a romantic relationship, he wouldn’t force her to acknowledge the relationship that produced the babies, but he wasn’t going away quietly. They were his children. It meant a lot to him.

She meant a lot to him. But he couldn’t make her fall in love with him.

Cameron arranged for the ultrasound to be scheduled for the end of the day, when John was done with his appointments. It would be logical to go have dinner after that. He picked her up at 4:00 p.m. and conversation was a little lumpy and strained on the way over. He’d prepared a script: Tell me about growing up. I’d like to hear about your flight-attendant years. What are your plans for after the babies are born?

But none of that worked out because she took the conversation in another direction right off the bat. “I need to tell you something, Cameron. Vanessa has guessed about our secret. She remembered that I slipped away from the reception and of course she knew you lived in Grants Pass. It must have been something in the way you looked at me or spoke to me, but she knew. She was very direct. She told me you were a good man and deserved a chance.”

He was speechless. “God bless Vanessa,” he finally said in a breath.

“Yes, well, I trust her and I know she has good judgment, but that doesn’t eliminate certain difficult facts. One, even though I slept with you, I don’t really know you. We’re probably highly incompatible. And two, I’m still hung out to dry by a nasty little prenup. An unfair, diabolical prenup that was the closest thing to a swindle I know. And three, Vanessa is sworn to secrecy because I don’t want anyone to know about us. I’m pretty embarrassed about what I did. I can’t afford to risk word leaking back to my rotten ex.”

“Well,” he said. “That certainly spells it out for me.”

“I intend to protect these children to the best of my ability.”

He reached across the front seat and gave her hand a pat. “I really appreciate that, Abby. That’s courageous of you.” She looked at him and saw that his eyes had grown very dark, almost navy blue. And dead serious. “So do I.”

And from there all the way to Grace Valley they traveled in silence.

John Stone was as cordial as he could possibly be, happy to see Cam and delighted to meet Abby. They talked for a while about how he’d like to follow the pregnancy closely, along with Mel, because he assumed the babies would come early. It was important to be sure the babies were in position for a vaginal birth, and ultrasounds would be required. John didn’t want her to be too far from a neonatal intensive care unit if they came too early or if a C-section was required. He asked her to step up her appointments for caution’s sake.

And then he set her up for the ultrasound. “Little early to determine the sex of the babies. Do you want to know if it’s obvious?”

“Yes. Sure,” she answered.

He’d barely gotten started when he laughed. “Whoa,” he chortled. “Right out in front, we got ourselves one boy. He’s blocking the other one, but in a couple of months they’ll be bigger, move around a little more and we’ll get a better view.”

And Cameron, who had seen and done so much medically, especially where children were concerned, began to lose the edge of control he’d always managed to maintain. His eyes clouded; his heart pounded. A son! Oh God, a son! He tried to blink back the emotion, but couldn’t seem to stop it. He grabbed Abby’s hand and squeezed it. “Look, Abby,” he said in a whisper. “That one in front, the bossy one taking over, it’s a boy.”

Thank God she was emotional, too. It might take the focus off him. “My God,” she whispered.

“They look perfect,” John said. “And you’re on target for July second, but if we make thirty-six weeks, we’re in good shape. They look good, Abby.” He was poking her belly, trying to get them to move around, directing the wand to check their internal organs, their limbs, their skulls. “I’m going to have Mel draw some blood, check for things like Down syndrome, spina bifida, a few other genetic abnormalities. But there’s no reason for you to be less than completely optimistic.”

She looked up into Cam’s eyes, he looked down into hers. Both of them had tears on their cheeks. Cameron gently wiped hers away.

“Oh boy,” John said.

Cameron looked up. “Listen, John, whatever it is you think you might know, you don’t know anything. Am I clear?”

“Everything in this clinic is confidential,” John said. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No,” Abby and Cam said in unison.

“Well then,” John said. “You have at least one boy on the way. And my lips are sealed. But damn—those are some good-looking babies.” He grinned. “I can’t wait. How about you?”

The first ten minutes of the car ride from Grace Valley to Fortuna for dinner were silent but for the sound of Abby’s completely irritated, shallow breathing. Finally, through clenched teeth, she said, “I can’t believe you did that!”

He knew exactly what he’d done. “I was overwhelmed.” No apology, no further explanation.

“And now Dr. Stone knows!”

“So what? I’m the father!”

“You gave me your word that you wouldn’t divulge! You said it could be my secret as long as I wanted it to be!”

“Vanessa knows!”

“That’s because she guessed!”

“And John guessed when I got tears in my eyes at the sight of my son!”

“It’s my son! You’re just a sperm donor who wanted a quick roll in the hay with some chick you met in a bar!”

Cameron drove a few hundred yards and then slowly pulled off to the side of the road. He turned the car around and headed back in the direction they’d come.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m taking you home,” he said.

“Fine!” she retorted. “That’s fine with me!” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared out the window into the deepening dusk. And it was a long, long ride back to Virgin River in silence.

When Cameron got to Walt’s property, he didn’t go immediately down the road toward Vanni and Paul’s. He stopped the car as the road veered around the back of the stable. He turned off the ignition and pivoted in the driver’s seat, facing her. “Do you remember the night we met, Abby? And the conversation we had before going to the room? It was about that list you had—the one about what you were looking for in a man?”

She glowered at him and nodded, grudgingly.

“An important item was manners. You might want to remember that.”

“Listen, Cameron—you got me into this mess and—”

“I had help,” he said firmly. “Lots of help.”

“Just take me home. Please,” she said just as firmly.

“In a minute. You need to listen to me now. Pay attention, Abby. If being considerate and accommodating isn’t going to work with you, I can change my approach. Regardless what nasty twist you put on things, I never intended to be a sperm donor. Nor was it my idea that we never see each other again after that night we spent together. I looked for you. I wanted more time with you. I never saw it as a quick roll in the hay. That was your doing when you disappeared on me, refused to contact me, even though you promised you would.

“It’s very important that you understand something,” he went on. “I’ll try to work with you as much as you allow me to, but if you try to separate me from my children, I’ll fight. I’ll come after you. I’ll launch a search that will make Columbus look like a novice. So don’t even think about pulling something sneaky. Whether you like it or not, we’re in this together.”

“Take me home. Please.”

“Did you hear me?”

“I heard,” she said. “Now I’d really like to go home.”

He turned back toward the road and pulled around the stable to the front of Vanni and Paul’s house, Abby’s current residence. When she went to jump out of the car to flee, he grabbed her wrist and held her back. She turned and looked at him with a little panic in her eyes. “Abby, I can’t make you like me, but I can make you allow me to be a father to my children. I know a hundred ways. Please remember that.”

Without reply, she pulled her wrist from his grasp and exited the car. Cam watched her walk up the porch and into the house. He sat for a moment, took a deep breath and turned on the dome light to look at his watch. Just after six-thirty. Mel was on call tonight until he checked in, and there were seldom any calls. Doc Mullins had managed a forty-year practice on one whiskey at the end of the day and Cam needed one. Bad.

He turned around and headed for Jack’s.

Abby walked into Vanni’s house and leaned her back against the closed front door. Vanni and Paul were in the great room, both of them on the floor with the baby. She looked at the scene of domestic tranquility and burst into tears.

Paul and Vanni were both instantly on their feet.

“Oh my God,” Vanni said, rushing to her, Paul on her heels. “Was the ultrasound all right?”

“Beautiful. Dr. Stone said they’re perfect.”

“Why in the world are you crying?”

“I had a fight with Cam,” she said, tears running down her cheeks, her words caught on a sob.

“Cam?” Paul asked, confused.

“I was upset. He got all teary when he saw the ultrasound—one of them is for sure a boy. I hated that he got emotional in front of John Stone and I lost my temper.”

“Oh, Abby…”

“He got emotional?” Paul repeated, more confused. “Cameron?”

“Vanni—I called him a sperm donor! I was so mean.”

“Oh, Abby!”

“Sperm donor?” Paul said, totally lost.

“He laid it out for me, very seriously. Angrily. He’s not getting out of my way on this. He’s going to be a problem—as if I don’t have enough problems.” She leaned toward Vanni and wept on her shoulder. “He said he can’t make me like him, but he won’t let me take the babies away from him!”

“Like him?” Paul said. “Babies? What the hell’s going on here?”

Vanni looked over her shoulder at Paul. “Cameron’s the father—don’t tell anyone.”

“Please don’t tell anyone,” Abby stressed tearfully.

Paul was quiet for a long moment while Vanni just held Abby, comforting her. Finally he found his voice. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“I didn’t mean to be so hostile,” Abby wept. “Maybe it’s pregnancy.”

“Sure it is, honey,” Vanni comforted.

“Wait a minute,” Paul attempted. “Wait a minute here.”

“Long story, Paul,” Vanni said. “Just don’t tell anyone. I’ll explain later, okay?”

“But I thought they just met!” Paul said.

“Obviously they didn’t just meet. Don’t be a dimwit. I’ll tell you about it later, after Abby gets calmed down.”

Paul turned away from them and went to pick little Matt up from the floor where he played. “Must be a long story,” he muttered. “Very, very long. Say, about five months long?”

“Abby, you’re going to have to apologize,” Vanni was saying. “You can’t be like that to him. I mean, you don’t have to be in love with him or anything, but you have to be civil. He has his rights. And he’s not a bad guy. In fact, he’s a very good guy.”

“I know, I know. It just got under my skin that I’m in charge of carrying these babies and giving birth to them and I still have no control! None! I just lost it.”

“Well, when you tell him that, everything will be—”

“Um, ladies?” Paul said from behind them. “You’re going to be at this a while, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Paul,” Vanni said. “Sorry.”

“Oh God,” Abby erupted. “You were going to have sex! You were alone for the first time in forever and were going to have sex, and I came home early and ruined everything.”

“It’s all right, baby,” Vanni said. “We can have sex anytime.”

Paul ran a hand around the back of his neck. “Well, actually…” Having sex at all around here was a lucky shot, with a baby, a houseguest and the general popping in, something that would be happening more now, with Muriel out of town. Anytime was pure fiction.

Paul pushed little Matt at Vanni. “Know what? I’m going to step out for a while. Go have a cup of coffee with Jack or something. You two get yourselves settled down. Hmm?”

“Sure,” Vanni said, taking charge of the baby. “Probably a good idea.”

As Paul was going out the door, Vanni was asking Abby, “Have you eaten, honey? Let me get you a little something to eat and we can talk about this.”

Two

Cameron walked into Jack’s and found at least a dozen people at different tables finishing up dinner. He sat up at the bar.

“Hey, Doc,” Jack greeted, slapping a napkin down. “How’s it going?”

“Great,” Cameron said unenthusiastically. “Can I have a scotch? Neat. Something good. Good and powerful.”

“Sure. Long day?” Jack asked as he turned to select a label that might do the trick.

“It got long. Don’t worry—I’ll have some dinner and coffee and take your wife off the hook for on-call.”

“We have that all worked out, Doc. But I thought you had dinner out with Abby tonight.”

“That didn’t exactly work out.”

Jack laughed. “That should thrill Paul. He had the idea he was going to be alone with his wife.”

“Yeah, well, it was beyond my control,” Cameron said. “Believe me.”

“Everything all right?”

“Dandy,” he said. He lifted his drink. “Swell.”

Cameron hadn’t even sipped his drink when Paul walked in. He sat next to Cam and put his elbows on the bar. “What you got there?” he asked Cameron.

“Scotch.”

“Gimme a Crown. Same recipe,” Paul said to Jack.

Jack got down a glass and poured. “I could’ve sworn you had plans for the evening,” he said to Paul.

“I thought so,” he said. He lifted his glass and took a drink. “But then Abby came home, having some kind of emotional crisis, and Vanni got all hooked up in that.” Paul glared briefly at Cameron. “Lots of crying. Carrying on.”

Cameron turned toward him. “I did not do anything to bring that on,” he said rather harshly. “I was completely courteous. Thoughtful. I was wonderful.”

“I know that,” Paul said. “I gather she brought it on herself. She said she lost her temper. Said some rude things. Mean things.” He sipped. “You’re gonna have to let it go, man. Cut her some slack. For being pregnant and out of her mind. You know?”

Jack was leaning on the bar, listening closely to this conversation that was, thankfully, not overheard by other dinner customers. Only Paul and Cameron were at the bar.

“I handled it the best way I could,” Cameron said.

“She said she feels like she has to do everything—having the babies and everything—and feels like she has no control.”

“She has no control?” Cameron asked hotly. Then he laughed bitterly.

“Yeah, well, she’s feeling real bad about it now.”

“Is that so?” Cameron said. “Well, guess what? I feel real bad about what she said, too.” Then he looked back into his drink and sulked.

“Come on,” Jack said. “What the hell could she have said?”

Cameron looked up from his drink. “She called me an unkind name.”

Jack laughed at him. “Well, you’re a big boy. What could a little pregnant girl call you that would get you so riled up?”

“Never mind. It’s over.”

“How about—sperm donor,” Paul supplied.

Cameron shot Paul an angry look. “Way to go, dipshit. Anybody ever tell you you have a big mouth?”

“When Vanni said not to tell, I didn’t think she meant you. I mean, you know. Right?”

Cameron glanced at Jack.

“Don’t worry about Jack,” Paul said. “He doesn’t talk. Well, he does, but when he has specific orders not to, he can manage to keep his mouth shut.”

Then Jack, caution drawing every word, said, “Now, why in the world would she say something like that to you?”

“I can’t imagine,” Cameron said, pouting.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better about things, Vanessa called me a dimwit for asking just about the same question.” He took a drink. “Apparently we have ourselves a situation. Dad.”

“Whoa,” Jack said, straightening up. He reached for another glass and tipped the bottle over it. Jack usually waited until closing to partake, but it seemed appropriate to commiserate with these two. “Was everything all right with the ultrasound?” he asked warily.

“Fine,” Cameron said, sipping. “Babies look great.”

“And at least one’s a boy,” Paul said, picking up his drink. After a swallow he found Cameron glaring at him again. “What? I wasn’t told not to tell that.”

“You are a dimwit,” Cameron patiently pointed out.

“Yeah? Well, I’m a dimwit who was going to get lucky once the baby was tucked in, until you got Abby all upset and crying and—” He stopped suddenly. He shook his head dismally.

“Gentlemen, I propose a toast,” Jack said, lifting his glass. “Let’s drink to silence. If this conversation ever leaves this bar, we’re all going to die. Skinless.”

“Silence,” the other men agreed.