In Virgin River, you never know what you might find around the bend in the road…
Former actor Dylan Childress left the L.A. scene behind years ago for a quiet life running an aviation company in Montana. But with business slowing down, Dylan is starting to wonder whether he should take one of the offers Hollywood keeps sending his way. He figures a motorcycle trip to Virgin River with his buddies might help him decide what path to take. But his own troubles are left at the side of the road when he spots a woman stranded on the way into town.
Katie Malone and her twin boys’ trip to Virgin River is stopped short by a tire as flat as her failed romance. To make matters worse, it’s raining, the boys are hungry and Katie is having trouble putting on the spare. So when some bikers pull up beside them, offering to help, all Katie feels is relief. Then she sees sexy, leather-clad Dylan Childress, and in one brief moment the world turns on its axis.
Katie’s a sensible single mother and Dylan’s a die-hard commitment-phobe. Neither one is looking for long-term romance. But sometimes it takes only a moment to know you’ve found something that could change your life forever.
Praise for #1 New York Times bestselling author and USA TODAY bestselling author
“This book is an utter delight.”
—RT Book Reviews on Moonlight Road
“Strong conflict, humor and well-written characters are Carr’s calling cards, and they’re all present here.… You won’t want to put this one down.”
—RT Book Reviews on Angel’s Peak
“This story has everything: a courageous, outspoken heroine, a to-die-for hero and a plot that will touch readers’ hearts on several different levels. Truly excellent.”
—RT Book Reviews on Forbidden Falls
“An intensely satisfying read. By turns humorous and gut-wrenchingly emotional, it won’t soon be forgotten.”
—RT Book Reviews on Paradise Valley
“Carr has hit her stride with this captivating series.”
—Library Journal on the Virgin River series
“The Virgin River books are so compelling—I connected instantly with the characters and just wanted more and more and more.”
—#1 New York Times bestselling author
Debbie Macomber
Redwood Bend
Robyn Carr
For Jill Shalvis with gratitude
for providing her very own bear with triplet cubs
for this story, and even more importantly, with heartfelt thanks
for a lovely, devoted friendship.
Contents
One
Katie Malone quit her job and packed up her little Vermont house. The past few years had been tough and the past few months, having been separated from her brother, Conner, her only family, had been awful. In fact, she’d been feeling so alone, she stopped herself just moments before signing on to an online dating service.
But her watershed moment came when she began to have high hopes for a romantic relationship with her boss, the sweetest pediatric dentist who ever lived and a man who had never even kissed her. And guess what? There was a logical reason he hadn’t—he was gay. She was the last person he wanted to kiss.
It was high time she forgot about men and worked on bolstering her independent spirit with a return to California. One of her twins, five-year-old Andy, said something that nearly drove an arrow through her heart and caused her to realize the whole family needed a fresh start.
She was packing up a box to ship ahead to California when Andy asked, “Do we have to move in the dark again?”
She was stunned. Speechless. Here she had been thinking about kisses and loneliness while her boys were worried about fleeing in the dark of night to some strange, unknown place. A place even farther from family than they were now.
She clutched her little boy close and said, “No, sweetheart! I’m taking you and Mitch to Uncle Conner.”
Andy and Mitch were a matched set, five-year-old identical twins. Mitch overheard this and came running. “Uncle Conner?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, suddenly clear on what she had in front of her. She had to get her family together, make sure her boys felt safe and secure. “Right after a little side trip. How does Disney World sound?”
They started jumping for joy, screaming “Yay!” and “Cool!” And then the celebration dissolved to the floor and into a wrestling match. Like usual.
She rolled her eyes and continued packing up.
Last winter her brother had had a devastating experience that had become a family crisis. A man had been murdered behind their family-owned hardware store and Conner called the police at once. He became the only witness in a capital murder case. Shortly after the arrest was made, the hardware store was burned to the ground and a threat was left on Conner’s voice mail. This led the D.A. to decide it was in the best interest of their family to separate them. Katie and her boys were spirited off to Vermont for their own protection, about as far from Sacramento as she could get and still stay in the country, while Conner was hidden away in a