John Middleton

John "Preacher" Middleton
Name	John "Preacher" Middleton
Occupation	Chef at Jack's Bar (current) Co-Owner of Jack's Bar(current) Marine (former)
marital	Kaia Bryant (girlfriend) Paige Lassiter (ex-girlfriend) Julia (ex-girlfriend)
Status	alive
Actor	Colin Lawrence
First Appearance	Carry On

John "Preacher" Middleton is one of the main characters in Virgin River. A former US Marine and close friend of Jack Sheridan, he works for Jack at his bar.

History

Relationship with Paige

After Paige Lassiter begins supplying Jack's Bar with pastries and cakes, Preacher begins seeing her and her son, Christopher, more. The two eventually grow closer, and Preacher becomes aware that Paige may be hiding something. After helping Paige with a flat battery, he finds an ID Card by the name of "Michelle" in her glovebox. He becomes inquisitive, and upon searching the name finds that "Paige" is not her real name, and she is wanted for assault.

Preacher asks Paige about the ID and asks if they can talk, to which she agrees. Paige explains that she was in an abusive relationship with a detective and, in order to escape, had to change her identity and move to Virgin River. Paige asks Preacher to keep her secret, to which he agrees, promising to keep Paige safe. Eventually, she explains the history of her marriage with Wes and how he became abusive during their marriage. Preacher asks if Paige would like to move in with him if she feels unsafe and, after contemplation, she agrees.

After returning home and finding Wes with Christopher, however, Paige forces herself into a predicament when she accidentally kills Wes. She calls Preacher for help, asking him to take care of Christopher whilst she turns herself in, but he refuses, telling her to leave town and he will deal with Wes' body.

Covering for Paige

After Paige leaves town, Preacher buries Wes' body and pushes his car into a lake. He believes everything to be fine, but when Connie begins suspecting things, he is forced to explain the situation with Wes and Paige — Connie understands why Preacher did what he did, and promises to keep his secret. Things become difficult, however, when the Sheriff finds a body in the woods. Preacher panics, believing he will be arrested, but Connie tells him that she will be his alibi.

Eventually, the Sheriff tells Preacher that Wes is now a wanted suspect, therefore they will not be using their limited resources to search for him, much to his relief. When Preacher returns home, however, he finds a friend of Paige at his door. She drops Christopher off, asking if he can stay with him for a while as Vince, Wes' brother has found her.

Offer from Jamie

After Jamie, a reputable chef, stops by Jack's Bar, she becomes obsessed with Preacher's food and tells him that he is an exquisite chef. She questions why he is wasting his talents in Virgin River, and Preacher tells her about his history and lack of qualifications. Jamie tells him that she has a friend who is opening a restaurant and is willing to offer him a job, but needs to know within 24 hours. Preacher considers it and, after failing to convince Jack to make him a joint partner of the bar, agrees to accept the offer.

"Co-parenting" with Connie and Julia

Connie and Preacher share a tender moment after Christopher is taken.

After Christopher is left in his care once Paige skips town, Preacher turns down the offer from Jamie and remains in town. He and Connie begin to co-parent Christopher. However this ends when Vince returns and kidnaps Christopher. It is during this time that he meets and pursues a relationship with aikido teacher/medical recruiter Julia. On his off time, he searched for Christopher, unsuccessfully.

Reuniting with Paige

When Paige returns to town, she reunites with him, ending his relationship with Julia. After Vince’s arrest and Paige’s exoneration, the two attempt to start a relationship in Season 5 but Paige, struggling to move on from her past, ends up moving away.

Kaia

When the California wildfires were running rampant, he meets firefighter Kaia Bryant. They begin dating and it is during this time that he learns that she is separated from her husband, Jay. He is then happy when she chooses to divorce her husband so they can be together. This is challenged when she is given an opportunity to help in Alaska, however she ends up deciding to stay.

Preacher breaks the L word to Kaia and admits that he really means it. As for Kaia though, she promises that she’ll come around but isn’t quite ready to take that dive just yet. She is staying in Virgin River for the foreseeable future though, given she reveals that she’s going to stay on as Fire Chief.

In season 6, Preacher is conflicted when he gets a deal with 2 years in prison, but when Kaia confesses that she loves him and wants to stand by his side, he opts to turn down the deal. In the end, he gets 300 hours of community service for illegal disposal of human remains.

Preacher prepares for his first day of community service as a volunteer at the fire station. This means he will be working under Kaia. However, he comes across the fire station douchebag, Roy. Roy is pissed that Kaia, an outsider, got the fire chief position and is irked that she is a lady. Brady cautions Preacher to stay clear of Roy. However, when Roy continues to demean Kaia, she steps in and puts him in his place since she doesn’t want Preacher to go all Mike Tyson on the guy.

Trial

During Christmas, Mike calls Preacher and tells him that the body found in the woods has been identified as Wes Logan. When Kaia questions what’s happening, he freezes and can’t reveal the truth.

Preacher awaits trial about Vince's murder. Since he does not want to give up Paige cause it would mean Christopher being given up for adoption. Kaia asks Brie for her opinion as Preacher’s lawyer. Brie is hopeful that the prosecution has circumstantial evidence and she can win the case. Judge calls a surprise witness - Jack.

At the court, the Prosecutor, Jenkins, plays a voicemail that Preacher left for Jack on the day they believe Wes went missing. In the voicemail, Preacher claims he is dropping by Paige’s house to turn off the water valve, but it was never turned off. Even though Jack testified that Preacher never lied and is a reliable friend, Jenkins uses the voicemail to tarnish Preacher’s reputation, making it hard for Brie to win the jury. Jenkins offers a two-year imprisonment deal to Preacher. Brie tells Preacher is a good deal, but as a friend, she would urge him to fight. Preacher is conflicted, but when Kaia confesses that she loves him and wants to stand by his side, he opts to turn down the deal.

Jenkins is surprised that Preacher rejected his deal and is taking the stand. Once Preacher takes the stand, he admits to burying Wes and narrates the abuse Paige faced in her relationship with Wes. He also explains how Wes manipulated the system as a police officer to paint Paige as a bad mother and himself as a victim. After recess, Brie gives her closing speech and tells the jury how Preacher was a hero who saved a life. Based on how she speaks about Paige’s situation, it seems she has been there before. As everyone waits for the verdict, they worry about Preacher’s fate. The jury comes back with a unanimous verdict and Brie convinces Jenkins to drop the first-degree murder charges and give Preacher 300 hours of community service for illegal disposal of human remains. With Preacher finally free, the town meets at the restaurant to celebrate.

Jack and Mel's wedding

Preacher is hired as a cook for Jack and Mel's wedding. He second-guesses his menu for wedding’s rehearsal dinner. Thankfully, another chef drops by and helps him choose the perfect menu.

Preacher recruits Kaia and his waitress at the restaurant to help get ingredients for a new menu.

The wedding triggers Kaia and makes her doubt if she is ready to get married again. She tells Preacher that a second marriage is not in her future but later changes her mind. Preacher’s best man speech commending Mel and Jack’s braveness for choosing to love again helps soothe some of her concerns. She realises that marriage is not that bad when you have the right partner by your side. As the reception wraps up, she informs Preacher that she might be open to getting married to him.

Personality

John Middleton is "Jack’s best friend, the two men served in the military together".

Trivia

• He is a former Marine, serving under Jack Sheridan alongside Dan Brady.

Appearances

Preacher appears in the following episodes:

Virgin River appearances	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Season 1 episodes	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 2 episodes	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 3 episodes	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 4 episodes	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 5 episodes	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Season 6 episodes	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔

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