Most of the welcoming party was gathered outside because the weather was beautiful—seventy-five degrees with a pleasant breeze. The grill was lit, burgers and hot dogs cooked away, lots of side dishes were put out and there was plenty of lemonade and tea to drink, brought in huge thermoses. There were a few women in the kitchen, making sure things were cleaned up and tidy, and Katie slipped past them to take a look at the rest of the house.

Dylan had been honest, it wasn’t fancy, but she was charmed by it just the same. He had collected the kind of rustic furniture that would be at home in a log cabin, including a plush leather sectional in the living room. He had a big TV—he must like either movies or sports. His bedroom held an ordinary double-size bed—nothing of the hit and run bachelor here—no king-size bed or mirrored ceiling. This house had what people called a mother-in-law plan—another master bedroom on the other side of the house. This was probably a requirement for the old days when Adele and her grandson shared the house and Katie bet that Adele took the master with the bath. There were two bathrooms—one small master bath with a shower, and a hallway bath with a tub. And although there was a large kitchen table and breakfast bar, the dining room was void of furniture. Apparently Dylan didn’t entertain much.

Still, she liked the house. She liked the big, clear, beautiful land it sat on and the mountains that rose to the west. When she went back outside, her boys came shrieking and shouting toward her, barking dogs following them. “We rode horses,” they were yelling.

She crouched. “Did Ham talk to you?” she asked.

They both nodded. “He told us everything we had to do,” Andy said.

“He made us brush them after,” Mitch added. “And stay away from their feet.”

She laughed. Bribery, she thought. Clever.

The two things most of the town wanted to see were the claw marks on Dylan’s back and Katie’s ring. Since they’d had time before they could travel, Dylan took her to Eureka to shop for a ring—he couldn’t get her locked in fast enough. It wasn’t a real big ring, but it was a ring she picked for herself and she thought it beautiful. And the claw marks on his back had healed into a mean-looking, slightly raised red welt and won the admiration of the men here just as it had in Virgin River.

“Awesome,” someone said.

“Very cool,” said another.

“You’re going to get a lot of mileage out of that.”

The sun began to sink over the mountains in the west and suddenly, without warning, the party was over. Everyone packed up, wiped countertops, swept off the patio, closed up the grill, put outdoor chairs back where they belonged. They said quick, unfussy goodbyes. Like a parade, trucks and SUVs drove away from the property.

Two hours later, Katie had her boys showered and settled in the mother-in-law room. Dylan had lit a fire in the pit on the patio and he was waiting for her, his long legs stretched out in front of him, taking in the big sky. When she joined him, he pulled her chair close to his.

“Tomorrow I’ll take you to the airport first and give the boys a ride. Then to town. Not much of a town, but we like it. There’s a couple of good schools—elementary and high school. We have some excellent parks—soccer and football and softball. This town really gets into their sports, especially those the kids play. I’ll take you guys into the mountains and some of the national parks, just to see. If we had more time, we’d check out the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole. I’ll show you where Ham took me to camp the first time. I thought it was the end of the world but now I realize it’s ten minutes up the road. By the time we’ve done that, we’ll have to get back to Virgin River.”

She looked up at the sky. “What if we didn’t?” she asked.

He sat up straighter. “You want to stay a little longer?”

She turned toward him. “What if we just called Conner, Leslie and Adele and asked them when they’ll have time to come up here? What if we just stayed?”

“Stayed?”

“Stayed.”

“Katie, you have a car, I have a Harley, and there’s all that stuff in the cabin. All the clothes, TV, toys…stuff. Enough to fill up a U-Haul, at least.”

“What if I asked Conner to gather up that stuff and bring me my car and your Harley. We can afford to fly Conner and Leslie home, right?”

“I think I can swing that. Are you saying…?” he asked softly.

“We should settle in. I should start nesting before it snows, which I’m told happens kind of early here. They were kidding when they told me August, right?”

He laughed. “I hope so.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get the boys away from the dogs and horses.”

He smiled. “I knew those animals would come in handy eventually. I love you, Katie Malone. But you have all that precious stuff—Charlie’s medals, wedding pictures…”

“What if we made some new wedding pictures? Something simple, sweet and as soon as possible.”

He smiled at her and pulled her a little closer. “Sounds like a plan.”

“And it’s Katie Malone Childress,” she said. “If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” he said. “This is the life I’ve always dreamed about. The life I didn’t think I could have.”

“Oh, you can have it, Big D. Just try to get away.”