This article contains spoilers for the fourth season of Virgin River.

When bakery truck owner Paige (Lexa Doig) hightails it out of Virgin River at the beginning of the second season, she leaves in a hurry. She’s been hiding in the sleepy Northern California town with her son, Christopher (Chase Petriw), under assumed names in order to avoid her abusive husband, Wes. But after Wes discovers their idyllic safe space, Paige kills him in self-defense and flees, leaving Christopher in the care of town chef Preacher (Colin Lawrence). 

But that isn’t the last of the Wes drama — Wes’ twin, Vince, returns to Virgin River and tries to unravel what happened to his brother, eventually kidnapping Christopher as a way to lure Paige out of hiding. This left many fans wondering: Is Paige ever going to come back? 

By the end of Season 4, Vince’s evil plan works: Paige makes a surprise return to Virgin River for the final three episodes, in which she and Preacher plot a way to get Christopher back.

Of course, that’s not where it ends. Paige knows Preacher has a soft spot for her — remember how they almost dated? — so she’s confident he’ll help rescue her son. But Paige doesn’t let Preacher in on her full plan: She agrees to go with Vince in exchange for Christopher’s safety and leaves Preacher a note asking him to take care of Christopher again. This is the only way she knows her son will be safe.

But Preacher, a trained soldier and a man of good conscience, needs to at least try to rescue Paige himself. He stakes out the cabin where Vince is hiding Paige and storms in with his gun drawn in an attempt to free her from her brother-in-laws grasp. Vince wants Paige to tell him where Wes is buried, but Paige doesn’t actually know since Preacher’s the one who buried the body. And besides, she didn’t mean to kill Wes — just like Vince didn’t mean to shoot Jack. Aha — so that’s how Jack was shot. (Vince really went to the bar looking for Preacher; Jack just happened to be there.) 

Ultimately, Preacher knocks Vince out in a fight. Will Preacher and Paige escape to safety? Will Preacher’s cop friend, Mike (Marco Grazzini), arrive in time to arrest Vince? Is Paige sticking around Virgin River? Will Christopher ever realize what a messed up situation he’s been living in? We’ll have to wait until Season 5 to find out.