Whispering Rock (Virgin River #3)

by Robyn Carr

“Don’t flatter yourself,” she said. “It has nothing to do with your great success with women. You’re a man, near his baby sister. That’s enough.”

Brie held his thoughts in a disturbing way that suggested if he were capable of giving her love, she would capture his heart and mind in that powerful way that wipes all other women out of the past.

His protective nature usually just amuses me. Or annoys me. But not at the moment,” she said. “It feels kind of like a shield, just knowing how he is.”

“I wish this was just about my body,” she said softly.

And her husband had not touched her in weeks.

She was improving both physically and emotionally, but Jack wasn’t.

Mel was painfully aware that this was the reason he hadn’t made love to her in so long, and for them it might as well be an eternity.

Their lovemaking had always been frequent and satisfying; sexually, th...

It was one of the driving forces in their marriage. Jack had strong urges, powerful urges, and Mel had learned to depend on the...

Nothing could make her feel adored the way Jack did when he put his hands on her. She reciprocated, doing everything in her powe...

She fed the baby and put him down, showered, put on one of Jack’s shirts and sat on the couch with the cool evening breezes drifting through the screen door. She could smell his scent on his shirt—his special musk mixed with the wood and wind and river.

The health of her marriage was everything to her.

“I’m sorry, Mel,” he said. “I know I should have snapped out of it by now. I would have expected it sooner myself. I’m not a weakling. But it’s Brie …”

“Jack, Brie needs you, and I want you to be there for her. I couldn’t be married to any other kind of man. I hope you have a little left over, that’s all. Because I love you so. I need you, too.”

She was afraid she was losing him.

“Oh, Jack—I have so needed your hands on me.” It hit him, how much they depended on each other. They should be helping each other through the difficult times, not closing off.

“Baby, I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I never meant to neglect you.”

In this they had been beautifully paired and it had taken boldness on her part to bring him back to life.

Thank God for her, he thought. Anyone else would have become moody, angry, taken offense or even ignored the drought. But not Mel; she was committed to him. Committed to this passion they shared. She would not give it up easily.

She touched his beautiful, sculptured face with her hands, saw the smile on his lips and the dark smoldering fire in his eyes, and said, “Welcome home, darling. Welcome back.”

There were times she thought that if not for Mike’s attention right now, she’d be lost. Oh, her family was amazing—the way they managed to hold strong for her, encourage her and make themselves constantly available should she want to talk.

But Mike, the very man she had vowed would never get near her when she recognized his flirting last spring, was the only thing in her life that allowed her to feel like a woman. For that she would be forever grateful.

“No. I’m a nurse practitioner and midwife. I work across the street with Doc Mullins in his clinic.”

The tragedy was usually that these young girls were ready to throw away their lives, their promising futures, based on some immature romance with a young boy.

Having already been through one hunting season and being married to a man who happened to enjoy the hunt, she’d learned to say very little.

Mel didn’t have a lot of occasions to be in Paige and Preacher’s room behind the bar, but those few times she was, warm memories flooded back to her. This was where Jack had lived when she came to town; this was where David was no doubt conceived. She remembered the night so well—she’d had a major emotional meltdown, standing in the rain crying over her dead husband on the anniversary of his death, and Jack had held her. Then he’d dried her off, given her a brandy, put her to bed. Sometime later he’d joined her there and showed her a life and love she’d never known could exist for her.

“Not at all. In fact, I feel pretty spoiled. But I still think we should make a habit of taking some time now and then, when we can be away from the town, the baby, the bar, the patients, everything. Regularly.”

She gave him a seductive half smile and lifted one brow. “Why, Jack …”

“You’re my wife, my lover and best friend. I want you all to myself once in a while.”

“Come away with me, Mel. Just a couple of nights.” “I would love that. I’ll call Brie this afternoon.”

Thank God, she thought. My man is mine again. Those silent, distant days seemed to be behind them.

He smiled at her. “Well, Mrs. Sheridan, you’re certainly throwing money around today, aren’t you?”

“I wanted to do it for you,” he said. “I wanted to show you how much I would do, how far I would go. How hard I would work.”

“A grunt general let his daughter marry an enlisted jarhead?”

She lifted one pretty eyebrow, aquamarine eyes sparkling, and said, “I don’t take orders from anyone.” And they both laughed.

This was one of the most loved residents of Virgin River, and if it was not because he was charming and handsome, then it was because he belonged to Mel and Jack.

Oh, God, she thought. I’m creeping around my baby nephew with a loaded gun! Tears stung her eyes. I’m a basket case, she thought.

“Okay,” she answered tremulously, feeling that she had somehow failed. Failed her brother and Mel, failed herself.

“Oh,” she said nervously. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea….”

“Don’t insult me,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of unforgivable things, it’s true, but I’ve never been unkind to a woman. I am a gentleman. And you need sleep.”

And she found herself wondering, not for the first time, if all the women he had so greatly wronged had been his friend like this at first. Had he spent long hours, months, talking to them in sensitive, nonthreatening ways before having sex with them, marrying them and then betraying them? It would have taken such a lot of time. Such an investment. She further wondered if she could be tricked the way they were. She took a pull on her beer.

But this was one of the things that was working on her—he didn’t take her too seriously, and yet he took her very seriously. And she trusted him, which both reassured and worried her.

I feel Mike is one of the least trust worthy characters in this book, from point of view of any women with a bit of self respect left in her. No matter how nice and gentlemanly he behaves now, his sinful philandering history with countless women, including ex wives, does not make him a saint only bcoz he was shot three times and has almost lost his manhood as a result of it. It is like committing thousands of crimes and then going for a pilgrimage in the hope of cleansing ur past sins. My question to all those, especially women, who r getting so carried away with Mike’s charm as portrayed by the author in this book, would they and the society appreciate a philandering women in place of a male character, aspiring for settling down and raising a family ? I don’t think so. Odds are less. Most probably, Such women would have been portrayed as a lifetime whore (sorry for such words). Society is not fare as far such women are concerned. It is a naked truth. In my view, Brie represents a foolish woman who even after such debacle in life is again risking her life with such a characterless man. She is no way a strong woman with Bit of self respect. She is such shameless too by comparing his brother, Jack, with a perpetual womaniser like Mike. Though Jack has many relationships with women in past, he was always clear about his intention of not getting tied down before entering into a relationship. Also he never married and cheated anybody with fake commitments. Really, shameless of Brie, though I pity on her for her traumatic experience.

“But what I can’t get past,” she said, “is what if I face that again? What if I’m in love with some man, want to have a life with him and it seems everything is okay. Wonderful. Perfect. And then …?”

They had a swim, something they never did in Virgin River. Then a nice dinner and a long, wonderful night as man and wife. That first night away they managed to concentrate only on each other,

“It wasn’t just for you. It was for me, too. But I miss him so much.”

“We’re men, Rick. We’re idiots. Ask Mel,” he said.

“Perfect. My wife missed her baby too much, but then, so did I.”

No matter what the outcome is, you cannot get in the middle of the relationships that people choose.”

“If he hurts her, I don’t know what I’ll do. I’ll kill him, that’s what I’ll do!”

“Then let’s tell her she has to leave. Let’s get her out of here before we have to watch her face hurt one more time. Forget giving her a chance to make herself happy, make herself well. Let’s tell her the truth—you can’t take it while she stumbles along and tries to figure out what’s right for her.”