Return to Virgin River (Virgin River #19) - Robyn Carr Page 0,46

training class to make them a little more attractive.”

“What about mama dog?” he asked.

“She could be fostered and then adopted, too. But I can’t think about that yet. I’m thinking about keeping her. She’s very nice to Tux.”

“Be careful you don’t go home with a bunch of animals,” Jack said. “By the way, we’re having a town Halloween party on the thirty-first. Starting around two and ending when the fires go out. You don’t have to dress up unless you want to, but you have to bring something for the table. Preacher and I will turn some hot dogs and burgers on the grill. We also put out beer, wine and soft drinks and a donation jar.”

“That sounds like fun.”

“It’s fun when the weather holds. One year the temperature dropped and it snowed so we were all driven inside. That got a little crowded.”

“I can’t believe it’s already Halloween...” She’d arrived in August; she’d been in Virgin River for more than two months. She’d pretty much overcome her fear of dogs and had almost fallen in love in no time. She heard her mother’s voice ask, So, how’s that book coming, Kaylee?

“There are some picnic tables out back but a lot of people bring a blanket or chairs. There will be children and pets everywhere.”

“Do you do this for the town?”

“We never need an excuse for a town party,” he said. “It’s coming into the festive season. Before you know it, it’ll be Thanksgiving and then Christmas.”

Her mood went south in a hurry. Christmas. Well, she knew Christmas would be going on all around her no matter where she was or whether she participated or not. She was going to try to hold it off as long as possible.

“I’d better get back home and see if I can find some inspiration,” she said to Jack.

“You do that, Kaylee. And I hope I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.”

“You probably will.”

Rather than going straight back to her house, she drove by the Templeton place and saw a bunch of trucks, one Bobcat and one flatbed. There was a small construction trailer, a dumpster and a few men standing in front of the house. One of them was Paul Haggerty, the builder. His eyes brightened and he smiled at her. “Hey, you. You here to check my work?”

“I wouldn’t know where to start. How’s it going?”

“I wouldn’t want to brag, but it’s looking damn fine. It’s going great. We’re ahead of schedule, thanks to good weather. We have a new roof on and are working on the interior. Windows go in next and we’re doing a remodel of the kitchen. Gerald said it might get some use over the holidays and if not then, definitely in the new year. Have you talked to him lately?”

“I did speak to Bonnie recently and she said she heard the remodel was going well, though she hasn’t been here.”

“I text her pictures every few days,” he said. “Go in and look around, if you like. There’s a spare hard hat on the porch.”

“Thanks, I’d love to see it.” She skipped up the porch steps, grabbed the hard hat and went inside. It was still a mess, construction litter pushed into corners, building dust everywhere, but she was aware of the new staircase and banister. A man came down the stairs and gave her a nod hello, so she went up. The windows were still covered with construction paper to keep the elements out but the walls and floors and ceiling where the fire had done the most damage were all new. There were still wires sticking out of the walls where sockets would be installed and she peeked in the upstairs bathroom—all redone with a beautiful new, modern shower where the old tub had been and except for the finishing decorator touches like paint and wallpaper, it looked complete.

The kitchen had new cupboards and granite countertops and while they hadn’t been wiped off or shined up yet, they totally modernized the kitchen. The spaces for new appliances stood yawning and there was a picture of a stainless steel subzero taped to the wall. She couldn’t wait to see the finished product. The floors she stood on were new and polished to a high sheen.

She stepped out onto the porch and took a deep breath, looking around. The leaves were changing at a rapid pace and in another couple of weeks would hit their peak color, which would be glorious.

“We’re going to reinforce the porch with new studs and