This post contains major spoilers ahead from the Virgin River season 7 premiere!
Virgin River season 7 begins with a real begin, knowing that we want our biggest questions answered right away. While we don't pick back up with Jack in Charmaine's house, he's standing outside while a bodybag is rolled into the back of a van. Don't worry, though. It's not Charmaine. Jack found Calvin's dead body in the twins' bedroom, and Charmaine is now a suspect in his murder.
They know that she and the twins are alive and well, but on the run as the police picked up CCTV footage of them at a gas station two hours away. When Jack returns home to debrief with Mel, she drops the news that Mel has offered them to adopt her baby after the original couple backed out. Mel worries that the offer could be too good to be true.
Jack surprises Mel with a hot air balloon ride as they playfully disagree with their honeymoon destination. Jack wants to go to Italy while Mel was thinking something beachy like Hawaii. (For those wondering, they end up going to Mexico in episode 9!) Mel joins the team at the clinic and the all-hands-on-deck approach to helping Doc in his fight against the medical board.
The medical board investigator takes over the clinic
While working on his homemade pizza recipe to help sway Mel toward Italy, Jack learns from Brie about Mike's proposal. She needs time to think about what she wants to do and what she actually wants. Ironically, Brady speaks with Mike outside the police department about Lark stealing his money and asking for his help. But Mike isn't willing to help. Instead, he punches him in the face.
During Mel's consult with Marley, she's resistant to accepting the adoption offer before Marley pursues more options. Mel helps Marley feel better about having questionable relationship choices, telling her a story about falling in love with an arrogant doctor she worked with in Malaysia while participating in Nurses Beyond Borders. In a flashback later in the episode, he's played by Austin Nichols.
Preacher and Kaia are still happily in love, and customers who traveled from out of town to try a specific dish alert him to the fact that he was written about in a food magazine. While leaving a message for Jack, Victoria Ellis (Sara Canning) from the state medical board overhears some unorthodox information that doesn't make the clinic look good. Mel helps Doc be cooperative.
Later that night at Mel and Jack's cabin, she throws them a Hawaiian-themed evening to push him toward her choice honeymoon destination. They now have Marley temporarily residing on their property and are the proud owners of two more horses care of Roland. Meanwhile, Hope finds some loopholes in the town charter to hopefully keep Grace Valley out and calls a town council meeting.
Mel and Jack made a decision about adopting Marley's baby
A fight breaks out at Jack's Bar, and that's when we meet Clay (Cody Kearsley), a mysterious new character looking for a job at the bar. Having worked the rodeo circuit, Jack gets the idea to have Clay help out with the horses. Hope makes her plea to the council, but none of them vote with her against keeping corporations out of the town. Well, she'll have to think of something else.
Mel helps Marley look at potential new couples to adopt her baby, but she still seems hopeful that Mel will change her mind and she and Jack will adopt the baby. Mike visits Brie to have the talk they have been waiting to have. Brie admits that she doesn't know if she can love Mike with her whole heart. She insists it's not about Brady, but it is. Once and for all, Mike breaks up with Brie.
Brady attends a poker game to meet with Lark's mother in an attempt to track her down. While eating with Lizzie at the bar, Hope speaks with Cody, who wasn't in the room and can't speak on behalf of Doc. Kaia planned a big congratulations dinner for Preacher, but he misses it because he's working late at the the bar. Mel and Jack surrender their honeymoon feud and postpone their trip because...
Mel wants to reconsider adopting Marley's baby after Marley's words about her strength help changed her mind. Jack agrees and they are officially set to agree to accept Marley's offer. The next day in Mel and Jack's barn, someone drops a bag full of cash under the floorboards and pulls a gun out of the bag. It's revealed to be Clay! Before the episode ends, Lizzie's water breaks. The baby is coming!