Return to Virgin River (Virgin River #19) - Robyn Carr Page 0,83

to leave Lady by Christmas?” she asked.

“I think so, but the shelter and I have decided, no Christmas puppies. They’ll post pictures and take applications for the new year. Too many people get puppies for their kids for Christmas and then when it doesn’t work out, they’re neglected. They can go to their new homes after Christmas, if the offers hold. And speaking of going home...” He looked at her over the head of the puppy he held. “We’ve avoided that subject...”

“Not intentionally,” she said. “Let’s talk about it over dinner.”

They settled the puppies in the pen with Lady and chose to have dinner at Landry’s house since he had the barbecue. She finished cooking in his kitchen while he grilled the steaks.

When they sat down to dinner, he raised a glass to her and said, “Here’s to your finished book.”

“At last,” she said.

“And, here’s to a divorce,” he said.

In shock, she didn’t lift her glass. “What? It can’t be all done!”

“No, not for weeks yet. But Laura and I have settled on the terms, she signed and notarized the settlement agreement and it’s sitting in a big stack of cases waiting for a judge. It might take as long as three months, but probably not even three weeks, if there’s no counteroffer or contesting. The important thing is, it’s been negotiated and it’s ready to be approved.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“I feel surprisingly good with it. I gave up hoping she’d miss me years ago. I don’t have any regrets. It was time.”

“She’ll blame me, of course,” Kaylee said.

“She can’t really blame anyone but herself,” he said. “But I take equal responsibility. I didn’t try that hard. Not only did I let her run away, I realize that I ran away, too.”

“Even though you don’t seem to be upset, I’m sorry this happened to you. I remember being very angry and torn up by my divorce. Slightly different circumstances, maybe, but it was no day at the beach.”

“The big question is, what about us?” he asked. “What do you want to happen with us?”

“I want us to stay in love forever,” she said. “It’s just that I don’t know what to do with our reality. My home is in Newport and I love it there. Plus, it’s my mother’s house and I wouldn’t even consider giving it up. And while my work is pretty transportable, yours is not.”

“So, the question is, can two people who love each other maintain a close relationship when they have separate lives? Separate homes?”

“You already tried that once, Landry.”

“No, I don’t think I did. Trying would have had us a lot more balanced—winters in the south, summers in the north? Every other month? Three or four days here, three or four days there? I think there are many options. As long as we both have the same goal. But first, the priority is getting through Christmas.”

“I’m sorry, but I just want Christmas behind me.”

“Don’t apologize, Kaylee. I understand. I do have one suggestion. Why don’t you try writing about it? Write the Christmas that would make you feel better.”

“That would involve impossible and magical things,” she said.

“Don’t rule it out,” he suggested. “Write it in.”

* * *

Kaylee wasn’t at all surprised that her thoughts were constantly tuned in to the loss of her mother and often to Mallory as well. She kept wondering how she was getting along. She’d heard from Mel that Mallory’s mother had passed away and while arrangements were being made, she was with the next-door neighbors—the family of her friend—who had taken her in. Mel hoped that would work out for another couple of weeks, at least through Christmas. But if there was a problem with that, Mel was going to find room for her with their family.

In the dark of night when she couldn’t sleep, lying in Landry’s strong, comforting arms, there were times Kaylee couldn’t hold back her tears. She tried to keep her crying silent, but he always knew and would pull her close and whisper soothing words. “It’s going to be all right.” She often thought that if she could have just five minutes with her mother, she could live on happily. She was astonished by how desperately she still missed her.

Then one night she was startled to wake up on the front porch. She was sitting on the porch swing and saw that someone had put a small Christmas tree in the corner of the porch. It had twinkling lights and silver ornaments. And