Once he stopped and whispered, “Everything all right, honey?”

“Sure, fine. Why?”

“I don’t know, you seem a little down.”

“Oh, I love those holiday movies, but they make me cry! Then it takes me a couple of hours to recover.”

“Then why do you women watch them?” he asked, looking between Brie and Becca.

“Because they’re so wonderful,” they both said at once.

He just frowned for a second, then said, “Right.”

There was so much he really didn’t understand about women, he thought. They were an eternal mystery. Did they actually like to cry?

But there was one thing he understood perfectly—Becca needed to go home soon. She was moody. A little bummed out.

When he saw Brie stand up and start helping her toddler into her jacket, Denny glanced at his watch. Seven-thirty. He went to their table. “Want me to get you home, honey?” he asked. “I can help out for another couple of hours and then I’ll be down.”

“That would be good,” she said. “I’m ready.” She stood on one leg, put the knee of the vulnerable leg on her chair for balance and pulled on her jacket. She leaned on her crutches and made her way out the door with him.

“There aren’t any stars tonight,” she said.

“I think it’s going to snow,” Denny told her. “I don’t think I’ll be at Jack’s late—it’s Sunday night, people work tomorrow. And with snow forecast, those out-of-towners are going to head down the mountain early.”

“Take your time. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you still sad about the movies?”

“No,” she said with a laugh. “I’m fine. I’m going to get a hot bath, put on my ugly pajamas and crawl into bed with my book.”

He carried her up the stairs and into his little room. “I’ll see you in a little while. And if you forget the pajamas, I’m okay with that.”

Denny’s prediction was right—it was only another hour before the crowd in the bar was down to just a few people. “Go ahead, Denny,” Jack said. “You wanna get back to your girl.”

Denny walked around the bar and jumped up on a stool facing Jack. “But I wanted to talk to you first,” he said.

Jack tilted his head. “Something wrong?”

“Yes and no. Been a while since we had a shot together. Tonight might be a good night for it.”

Jack pulled down a bottle and two glasses. He poured a couple of shots and raised his glass. “What are we drinking to?”

“I got things all worked out with Becca.”

Jack grinned. “Well, here’s to you!”

They drank, then put their glasses down. “Thing is, it’s not going to work here, Jack. I’m leaving with her. She wants to be near her family and the only home she’s known. I asked her to give us a chance here because I love it. I’ve never had such great jobs and friends. But the bottom line is she’s real close to everyone down there, and she just can’t see making this big a change.”

“Yeah,” Jack said slowly. “It’s not for everyone.”

“I can’t let her get away again….”

Jack’s hand came down on his shoulder. “I know, Denny. I understand. I’ve been there.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah. Mel talked about leaving Virgin River from the day she got here. One thing or another held her here for a while. Six months later, I had her knocked up—”

Denny’s eyebrows shot up. He didn’t know that.

Jack cleared his throat. “Yeah, she was pregnant, and I wasn’t letting her leave me behind, so I told her I’d go anywhere she needed to go, but I had to be with her.”

“How’d you get her to stay?”

“There’s the thing—I didn’t. She made the decision by herself. I didn’t have anything to do with it. Seriously, I would have been disappointed to leave, but I would have gone anywhere I had to go. There was a lot at stake. Kid, much as I hate to see you go, you have to put your life together the way it works best for you. For you and Becca, if she’s what you want.”

“No question about that, Jack. I love her,” he said. “But I kind of saw myself growing that farm with Jillian and growing a family in a safe, quiet place like this.”

“Remember, son, the safest place for a family is under the umbrella of a happy marriage. That’s going to take compromise.” He smiled. “You’ll visit. This is a great place to visit. My whole family, except Brie, are city people. I can hardly keep them away.”

“I’m going to visit,” Denny promised.

“When are you out of here?”

“I hate to do this to you, Jack. I’m going to tell Jillian tomorrow, offer her some suggestions for help, but she won’t be in a real fix till spring. Then I’m going to pack up my stuff and my girl and head south. We’ll leave first thing Tuesday morning. I thought about taking her home for Christmas and then coming back to tie up my loose ends, but I don’t have that much. Better to come back in spring if I can, to visit and check out the farm. But I’m leaving you high and dry during a busy time and I’m sorry. I know you were counting on me.”

Jack was shaking his head. “Nothing to worry about, son. We can always get a little help around here.” He laughed a little. “Cheaper than you, as a matter of fact.”

“Hey,” Denny said, smiling back. “I didn’t set any salary! You did that all on your own.”

He chuckled. “If we get a crowd, I can always call Mike V., Walt Booth, Paul Haggerty. As for Jillian, she’s got Colin and Luke if she needs anything in a hurry. And plenty of time to look over prospective assistants before spring planting. Does Becca know this? That you’re taking her home?”

“Sure,” he said. “We talked about it last week and I said I’d get her home in time for Christmas.”

“Hmm,” Jack hummed, scratching his chin. “Shouldn’t she be a lot happier about it? If that’s what she wants?”

“That could be my fault,” Denny said. “I’m pretty sure she still doubts me. When I asked her to give Virgin River a try, she asked me, what if all she had here was me and I decided we should break up. ’Course, I know I’d never be that stupid twice, but you can’t blame her for wondering if I’d let her down again. So I told her I’d get her home before Christmas. Suppose she wonders if I’ll keep my word?”

“Then I guess the best thing to do is get on down the street, boy. Reassure your girl that if she throws her lot in with you, she’s gonna be safe.” He stuck out his hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow sometime. I’ll tell Preacher to cook up something you like.”

“That would be great.”

“And, Denny? If the idea of leaving this little town gets you down, just stop and think about why you’re leaving. It’s worth it, son, if you found the woman you love. You’re lucky. You found her young. Got a lot of years to look forward to.”

“Yeah,” he said with a smile. “Thanks, Jack.”

Denny turned and left the bar.

Jack poured himself another shot, though it was early for him to do that. He lifted his glass to the closed bar door and said, “No. Thank you.”

There was a soft and gentle snow falling when Denny walked back to his apartment. The town Christmas tree was going to look fantastic with the lights twinkling behind a fresh layer of lacy snow. Last year, they had to knock the snow off the branches to make sure they retrieved all the unit patches when they were ready to take the tree down. Mel counted and cataloged them afterward; to miss one felt almost personal.

He kicked the snow off his boots on the top step, then took them off before stepping into the room.

Becca was sitting up in the bed, leaning back against the pillows, one knee drawn up and circled with her arms. He leaned against the closed door, still holding his boots. She was so beautiful. Her face was shiny from being scrubbed free of makeup before bed—she was squeaky clean and would smell of soap and lotion and taste minty fresh from her toothpaste. Though they’d been intimate when they were together years ago and had managed a night together here and there, they’d never actually lived together before. He was surprised by how much he loved sharing these little rituals with her; their routine brought him such a feeling of comfort and stability.

He couldn’t figure out how he got so lucky, to have her love him. It was even harder to figure out how he’d been insane enough to let her get away once.

He put his boots down on the towel just inside the door and took off his jacket, hung it on the peg and headed for the bathroom. “Be right with you, honey.”

He washed his face, brushed his teeth and ran hot water over his hands to warm them. He got down to his boxers and T-shirt and left his folded jeans and shirt on top of his trunk. Then he sat cross-legged on the bed, facing her. “How about if we pack up tomorrow and head for San Diego Tuesday morning?” he asked.

“That would be wonderful, Denny. Thank you.”

“I’ll go out to Jilly Farms first thing in the morning to tell her I’m leaving.”

Becca frowned. “You haven’t told her yet? You told me last week you’d take me home by Christmas.”

“You had your own obligations around town and to be honest, I had to figure a few things out about leaving. There’s a lot of stuff to do in the greenhouses when the temperature drops like this. And Jack’s…well, the bar has been so busy with people driving up here to get a look at that tree, I wondered how he was going to get by without my help. But Jack’s the greatest. He totally understands. He said if he needs help he can always call on some of his friends, like Brie’s husband, Mike. He even joked that his friends are a lot cheaper than I am.”

“What if Jillian says she just can’t manage without your help?”

“She’s got Colin and Luke Riordan if she needs something in a hurry,” he said. “I got as much done out there as I could after we decided to head for San Diego. The only big worries for her right now are snow related. The passages from the house and sheds to the gardens have to be plowed and those greenhouses can’t withstand snow on the roofs—they could collapse. But just like with Jack at the bar, if she needs an extra hand or two, there are friends around.”

“You know, I could always catch a flight,” she said. “I mean, if you’re needed here. I know you have commitments…”

He put his hand against her cheek. “Do I look crazy? You’re my primary commitment.”

“I wouldn’t hold you to it, Denny.”

He leaned toward her to place a gentle kiss on her lips. “You’d better hold me to it. I’m counting on that. Now I have a question for you. I know you have your own apartment. Are you going to let me move in with you? Will that freak out your parents?”

“Huh?”

“I could stay with Rich,” he said. “But really, Becca. I just don’t want to let you too far out of my sight. I scared myself good the last time we got too far apart. Will your parents get all upset about that? If we live together? Because it’s going to take a while to find a job down there. Don’t worry, I have some money saved that we can put toward rent, but—”

“Live with me?” she asked. “You’re staying?”

“Where would I go?” he asked, completely confused.

“I thought you were just going to drive me home and come back here!”

“What gave you an idea like that?”

“I don’t know. Because you said how much you loved it here, because you wanted me to try it, because…because you didn’t say you were moving! You said you would take me home for Christmas.”

He stared at her for a moment. “Listen, if you’re not ready to take this to the next level, if you need a little more time before we start planning a whole lifetime together, I can just ask Rich if I can have his couch. But seriously, the way we can’t seem to keep our hands off each other, I bet I end up staying over at your—”

A squeal of laughter erupted from her and she threw her arms around his neck. Then she planted a kiss on him that quickly melted into a deeper, more demanding kiss. Their heads tilted, mouths opened, tongues dueled. Denny moved to embrace her; his hands slipped under her pajamas to stroke her na**d back.

When their kiss finally broke, she laughed.

“See what I mean?” he asked. “We might just as well share the rent, since there’s no question we’re going to share the bed.” She giggled.

“And this is funny, how?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I didn’t get it,” she said. “I thought asking to go home was something you were going to do for me. I thought… We’re going to have to work on our communication.”

“Well, I thought I might have to come back up here after Christmas for a few days to pack up and at least get Jillian on stable ground so she could manage without me. Those were a couple of the details I was trying to get organized in my head while you were finishing up your homework club, pageant practice and stuff. But when you get down to it, I don’t have that much to pack. And you came up here with one suitcase. Bottom line is, I can’t stand the idea of even spending a few days away from you if I don’t have to.”

“Good, because neither can I!”

“So here we are, two jobless people—ought to be interesting. I’ve saved money since living here—when you live in one furnished room and work two jobs, it’s not that hard. And there’s that money from the sale of my mom’s house when she died—that was going to go toward a house of my own. Now it will be a house of our own, but it might not come as fast, honey. With neither of us working yet and real estate so much more expensive in San Diego—”