Robyn Carr - Angels Peak

O nce the sun went down in Virgin River there wasnt a whole lot of entertainment for Sean Riordan, unless he wanted to sit by the fire at his brother Lukes house. But sitting all quiet and cozy while Luke and his new wife, Shelby, snuggled and said sweet little things to each other was a special kind of torment he could do without. Sometimes they just faked being tired so they could slip off to bed at eight oclock at night. More often than not Sean just made it easy on themhed head over to a larger town on the coast where he could enjoy the sights and do a little window-shopping, maybe meet a woman of his own.

Sean was a U-2 pilot stationed at Beale Air Force Base in Northern California, a few hours south of Virgin River. He had accumulated a ton of vacation and could only carry over ninety days to the next fiscal year, so he had a couple of months to kill. His brother had just gotten married and Sean had been his best man. After the wedding, Sean decided to stay on in Virgin River and use up some of his leave. Given the fact that Luke and Shelby had been together about a year, Sean didnt feel as if he was interfering with the honeymoon by hanging around. All that loveydovey stuff was not so much about them sealing the deal, as it was about them still being hot to trot, as if theyd just met.

And there was a lot of talk about baby making, something that surprised Sean about Luke. However, Lukes willingness to step up and try to nail that egg, night after night after night, that did not surprise Sean in the slightest.

During the daytime, Sean always had lots to do. There was plenty of upkeep on the cabins Luke and Sean had bought together as an investment and which Luke now managed and rented full-time. There was hunting and fishingit was still deer seasonand the salmon and trout were fat; the river ran practically outside the front door. Luke and his helper, Art, were catching so many fish that Luke had to buy a shed, run some wiring to it from the house and invest in a big freezer.

There was no denying the appeal of the Virgin River area for a guy with time on his hands. Sean was an outdoorsman at heart and the October colors in the mountains were awesome. It wouldnt be all that long before the first snowfall, and soon after that he would have to get back to Beale. So, in the meantime, all he wanted to do was find a nice bar with a fireplace to relax next toone without his brother and sister-in-law cuddling up in front of it.

Ready for another drink, pal? the bartender asked him.

Im good, thanks. I didnt come in here to check out the architecture, but the detailed carving in this place is impressive, Sean replied.

The bartender laughed. Two things are obvious about you. Youre not from around here and youre military.

Okay, I admit the haircut is a giveaway. But the rest?

This is lumber country and this bar is wall-to-wall oak. When it was built, the wood was probably cheaper than the nails. The craftsmanship? Common around here. So, what brings you to town?

Sean took a sip of his beer. Burning off some leave. Visiting my brother. I have a little over six weeks of leave left. I used to hit the bars with my brother, but his running days are over.

War injury? the bartender asked.

Battle of the sexes. He just got married.

The bartender whistled. My condolences.

Tonight Sean had landed in a large upscale bar and restaurant in Arcata. He occupied a spot at the end of the bar where he could get a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree view of the place. So far it appeared as if all the women were with husbands or dates, but that didnt diminish his pleasureSean wasnt always looking for a pickup. Sometimes it was nice to simply appreciate the view. Since he was going to be spending some time in this part of the world, he wasnt opposed to the idea of getting to know a girl, take her out, maybe even get a little up close and personal.

All such thoughts were suddenly stopped and were replaced by, Ah! Looks like I just hit the jackpot .

There was a ripple of female laughter as the door swung open and a group of women, who were obviously having a good time, entered. Even across the large restaurant, he could appreciate their assets. The first one was short, dark, a little on the round side and deliciously so. She appeared lush and soft and brought a smile to Seans lips. The second one was tall, thin, athletic looking, with straight, silky, unfussy blond hair. Obviously a gymnast or runnera fine-looking woman. Next came a medium-sized redhead with a curvaceous figure, twinkling eyes and a bright smile. A feminine smorgasbord, he thought appreciatively. Sean did not discriminatehe was attracted to all kinds of women, not just one type. Next was

Franci?

Nah, couldnt be, he told himself. He was just hallucinating again. He thought hed seen her many times before but it was never her. Besides, Franci wore her hair long and straight and this womans mahogany hair was in one of those hyper-short cuts that, on anyone else, might look butch, but on her? Oh, man, it just couldnt get any sexier. It made her dark eyes look huge. The woman shed her coat and she was thinner than Franci, but not by that much. But her eyebrows were exactly the same as Francisa nice, thin, provocative arch over those big, heavily lashed eyes. It got him missing Franci all over again.

She slid out of her coat and revealed a filmy dress. Maybe not filmy, but certainly silky. It was dark purple and fell loosely from her shoulders and was belted at the waist, then flowed again to her knees. The dress accentuated her perfect breasts, narrow waist, slim hips and long legs. Franci had rarely worn dresses but Sean hadnt mindedher long legs and tight butt in a pair of fitted slacks used to blow his mind. But this dress was good. Very good .

The four women took a table near the front of the restaurant by the window. They were carrying boxes, shopping bags and party bagsa birthday dinner out? The one who looked like his old girlfriend crossed her legs and revealed a slit in the skirt of that dress that exposed a scrumptious thigh. Whoa. His eyes were glued to that shapely leg. His groin tightened.