“I’m coming early. As soon as I’m done at school, I’ll head down to Virgin River. Noah can probably use my help with the house. And, Maureen, I’ve put my house on the market.”

“Have you!” she exclaimed. “You’re really doing it, then!”

“I’m really doing it. Check your e-mail—I’ve sent you pictures of RVs! And when we see each other, I’ll show you brochures from my recent shopping trip.”

“But you haven’t made a commitment yet, have you?” she asked.

“Not until the house sells. And I want to finish up the next semester. And, of course, your opinion matters to me. After all that, anchors aweigh!”

Since Christmas Eve would fall on a Friday Maureen was planning to arrive in Virgin River on the Saturday before. She had agreed to meet Aiden in Sacramento and drive with him the rest of the way. She decided that, on this visit, she would stay with Luke. Because it was a holiday week the cabins were not all full. It hadn’t taken too much arguing to convince Luke that a couple of his brothers could stay with him in the house and Maureen could have her own space in one of the cabins.

When Maureen had driven home from California right after Thanksgiving with Aiden, he had returned to the subject of her refusal to date. She assured him nothing could be further from the facts—that if she met someone she liked, she’d most certainly keep company with him. Then she’d said the subject was closed!

The trip from Sacramento back to Virgin River was going to be much more interesting.

When she arrived in Sacramento, her son was waiting. He’d gotten there first, taken care of the car rental and was waiting for her in the baggage area at the airport. Once they were under way and zooming north, traffic rather sparse, she said, “I have a couple of things to tell you, Aiden.”

“Shoot,” he said, giving her a glance and a smile.

“I’m thinking of selling my condo. I might put it on the market after Christmas. I’d divvy up all the furniture and keepsakes I’ve been polishing, dusting and storing for over forty years, of course. Is there anything in particular you’d like to have?”

“Wait, wait, wait,” he said. “You’re getting rid of everything?”

“Not everything,” she corrected. “But definitely the furniture that came from Illinois, the crystal and china that was left by my mother and your father’s mother, and absolutely all the things from your childhoods that I’ve kept safe. I think it’s time you boys take charge of your own fifth-grade report cards and prom pictures.”

“I see,” he said warily. “And what are you going to sit on? Sleep on?”

“Well, that’s a rather long story, but the short version is that I haven’t refused to date at all. In fact, I’ve had quite a few dates with a gentleman friend I met in Virgin River. George Davenport—that nice friend of Pastor Kincaid’s who Luke accused me of brushing off.”

Aiden was quiet for a moment. “Are you getting married or something?” he asked cautiously.

“No.” She laughed. “That would be premature. I’ve only known him for a short time. Although I’ve talked to him every day since before Thanksgiving, and we had several long lunches when we were both in California.”

“All right, let’s back up a little bit. You didn’t brush him off, after all, and—”

“Oh, but I did! I was rude, in fact, and I apologized, and we had lunch and began to get to know each other. And I found out I actually liked him. He’s very nice. We have a lot in common, it turns out.”

“But you’re thinking of selling your condo,” Aiden said. “What are you planning to do?”

“Travel,” she said. “We got to talking about how spread out our families are. He has a couple of grown, married stepsons who have children—children who consider him their grandfather. And my sons are all over the country. Sean and Luke might be more or less in the same place right now, but that’s temporary. And with Rosie and a baby on the way…But that’s only part of it—getting around to see all the grandchildren. There are so many things I’ve never seen—from the Grand Canyon to Yellowstone! I’m not getting any younger, you know.”

“And you’re planning to travel with this George? This man I’ve met once?”

“I plan to introduce him to everyone over the Christmas holiday,” she answered calmly. “He’ll be in Virgin River, visiting Noah’s family, and all you boys will be around to meet him again.”

“How nice, Mother,” Aiden said sarcastically. “You’re going to introduce him, and then you’re going to take off with him? To see the sights? This man we don’t know at all and you barely know?”

“Please, don’t be ridiculous.” She laughed. “I thought maybe Sean or Luke might overreact, but I thought you, who lectured me about the part of my life that’s not over, would remain calm and curious.”

“All right—here’s calm and curious. You’re planning to introduce us to this man and then go traveling with him?”

“Not exactly. We’ve only known each other for a little while. What I’m going to do is continue to get to know him. I’ll visit him in Seattle and he’ll visit me in Phoenix and we’ll meet in Virgin River a time or two. He’s a professor, you know, and he’s finishing out the term. We also e-mail and talk on the phone. If, at the end of the term in June, we haven’t changed our minds, then we’ll do some traveling together.”

“I see,” Aiden said calmly. “Then you’re getting married?”

“I don’t exactly know,” she answered. “It’s something to think about, but really, Aiden, I don’t feel in a big hurry to make that kind of commitment right now. However, I do think he has a point—we’re getting a little too old to put off doing the things we’ve always wanted to do—like travel. And there are practical considerations—like Social Security benefits, pensions, that sort of thing. I’d have to give it a lot of serious thought.” Then she shrugged. “I might not have made up my mind about that by June. I might want to test the waters a bit. You know? See if our rapport is as good when we spend a great deal of time together. As good as the visits, phone calls and e-mails.”

Aiden’s face was getting red. “So, you’re going to sell your condo, give away your furniture and go traveling? And if it doesn’t work out?”

“I suppose I’ll have to say, sorry, it didn’t work out. And then I’ll find an apartment or small house near one of you boys. I’m trying to stay flexible. I’ve gotten a little tired of being such a stick-in-the-mud.”

“I see. You’re going to spend your life savings on plane tickets? Hotel rooms?”

“No, Aiden,” she said with a laugh. “George is buying a nice, new RV. He’s been looking around, sending me pictures of the various models. He’s bringing brochures to Virgin River. These new RVs? They’re every bit as big and modern as the condo I’m living in!”

“Mother! Have you lost your mind?”

“Well, actually, once I started thinking about this adventure, I decided I’d lost my mind by closing myself off so much. I’ve just been marking time for the past twelve years. I stay very busy, you know, but there hasn’t been much excitement in my life. I haven’t really looked forward to much. You boys are wonderful about visiting when you can, but it hasn’t exactly escaped my notice that you each have a three-day limit. I haven’t been as excited as this in years!”

“I don’t know what to say, Mother. This is sudden, it’s a little crazy, and—”

She looked at her watch. “We have four hours for you to get right with the idea. I’m not the only one who will have six months to find out everything about George I want to know—so do you and your brothers. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to answer any of your questions.”

“Great.” Aiden sulked.

“There’s a reason I wanted to talk to you first, Aiden. You’ve always been the voice of reason in our family. I think you get that from my father—he was like that. So, we’re about to have one of the best holidays ever! Our first with Rosie, a new baby coming in the summer, Luke married, Sean engaged, all my boys together. I’m not going to have that ruined with a lot of high drama from a bunch of overprotective pups who can’t be bothered to spend more than a long weekend with me, anyway. I’m ready for some company! I’m ready for some fun! Get to know George to your heart’s content, ask anything you like, but I’m hoping you can keep your brothers from going off the deep end.” She reached over and touched his shoulder as he drove. “I’m counting on you, Aiden.”

He grumbled something. And grumbled and grumbled.

“What’s that, sweetheart?” she asked.

“I said, you’ve gone from the nun wannabe prude who wouldn’t have a date in twelve years to a crazy woman who plans to take off in a Winnebago with an old man none of us knows and live in sin, and all he has to recommend him is that he’s the friend of some Presbyterian minister! And you expect me to sell this idea to my brothers?”

She couldn’t help it, she burst into laughter. “Nun wannabe prude? I guess I’ll have to live with that, though it sounds pathetic. And George isn’t just a friend of a minister, Aiden. As it turns out, he’s an ordained minister, as well. Presbyterian.”

Aiden checked his rearview mirror, turned on his signal and pulled onto the freeway’s shoulder. He put the car in Park and turned toward Maureen. He looked at her for a long moment. And then he said, “Who are you and what have you done with my mother?”

Sean arrived at Franci’s house on December 23 at about ten in the evening. He had called at four, said he was finishing up his out-processing at Beale Air Force Base and would be on his way as soon as possible. The front door was unlocked when he arrived and he walked in, tossing his packed duffel on the floor just inside the door.

In seconds, she was in his arms. “Are you okay?” she asked him.

“I’m okay,” he said. “I got everything done. I don’t have to go back to Beale at all. On January 15 I leave for Iraq out of San Francisco. But we’re so lucky, Fran—a six-month deployment, then a year at Air Command and Staff College. It could’ve sucked way worse than this. Have you told anyone?”

She shook her head.

“Not even Rosie?”

“We should do that together.”

Sean got his orders a week ago and the first person he told was Franci. He would go to Iraq to fly a U-2 on a UN peacekeeping surveillance mission. He’d relieve one of the aircraft commanders who had been there since July. Then, his alternate position for the Air Force Air Command and Staff College had been upgraded and he’d have a year in residence in Alabama—a very hard slot to get. All things considered, it was a gift. He could’ve been sent to Iraq for a year; he could’ve lost that ACSC slot altogether. He almost felt as if he was stealing.

“The movers came, put everything from my house in storage,” Sean said. “The Realtor has instructions to try to sell it, and if after ninety days passes with no sale, the property management division of her company will rent it. There’s nothing for you to do. Except, have you thought about—”

“Yes,” she said, nodding. “Let’s get married before you go.”

“I don’t want it to be sad,” he said. “It’s not sad—it’ll be the happiest day of my life. But if you don’t have time to plan a pretty wedding…”

“I bought a dress,” she said, smiling broadly. “I bought a dress, made a list, called that minister in Virgin River and swore him to secrecy. Tomorrow at breakfast we’ll tell Rosie about your orders, about our wedding.”