Something feels off about Preacher’s new relationship

Preacher (Colin Lawrence) is one of the most beloved characters on Virgin River.

He is generous and loyal, almost to a fault. Crimes would be committed for a chance

to taste his famous mac and cheese at Jack’s Bar. But while Preacher is the definition of a catch, we’ve seen him struggle in love for four seasons. He was caught up in Paige’s (Lexa Doig) drama during the first three seasons. In Season 4, we thought he might be finally moving on with the local karate instructor until Paige blew right back into town. In the most recent episodes, Preacher fell hard and fast for Virgin River newcomer Kaia (Kandyse McClure)… but we aren’t so sure she’s the one, either.

Kaia came to Virgin River as part of the Cal Fire crew, brought in to fight the local wildfires. She demonstrated a calm head in the field when she helped a hypoglycemic woman give birth on the side of the road. She and Preacher had an adorable meet-cute afterward as he handed out free sandwiches to the firefighters and presented Kaia with the last one. Still, almost everything about their relationship seemed off after that point.
Kaia followed up the sandwich by showing up at Jack’s Bar later that night just as Preacher was closing up. They shared a drink, and then she hopped the bar so they could make out and head upstairs to the guest apartment. The next morning, Preacher looked ready to make a love confession, but Kaia couldn’t get out of the door fast enough. She was the one to seek him out, but then acted like Preacher was coming on too strong? It was giving “woman with things to hide” vibes.

And those vibes were correct! Preacher soon found out Kaia was married to one of the injured firefighters. She claimed they were separated when Preacher confronted her about it, but then it became clear her husband wasn’t as willing to let go of the relationship as Kaia seemed to be. Preacher took Kaia’s word for everything, but something is going on with that couple that we don’t fully understand. And Preacher should absolutely know better than to get involved with another woman who has a jealous ex.

Kaia was supposed to leave town at the end of the season after finally getting the promotion at the center of her impending divorce. However, she turned that down for a position leading a cleanup team that would allow her to stay in town, and continue exploring things with Preacher, for a while longer. As luck would have it, Kaia’s crew is the one that found Wes’ body that Preacher buried in Season 1.

Is it just a coincidence that this mysterious woman Preacher fell for overnight is now the person who could send him to prison? We don’t believe in coincidence in a place like Virgin River. We also don’t believe that Kaia’s divorce is as cut and dry as she says it is, especially after she ditched her dream job to stay with Preacher. The show pointed out that Kaia is an adrenaline junkie, and she only came clean to Preacher when he pushed her for answers.