The Shy Cowgirl (Bear Creek Rodeo) Page 6

  “That’s probably not a great idea, then. It was worth a shot.”

  “I’m not saying we can’t spend lots of time in here thought. My sisters aren’t going to question honeymooners as long as they know I’m still breathing.”

  “I think it’s time I made you feel out of breath again.”

  She laughed. “I think I would like that a great deal!”

  Sure enough, when Stephanie called her mother the following afternoon, the response she got was negative.

  “I can’t believe you flew there, knowing you’d marry, and you didn’t bother to tell your father and me. I missed my baby girl’s wedding!”

  Stephanie sighed. “You got to go to Emily and Brittany’s. I just . . . well, I didn’t want that many people there when I married. I knew I’d be more nervous than ever.”

  “How did you even meet this man? He’s not another bull rider, is he? You girls and your bull riders . . .”

  “Chris and Matt introduced me to him, and yes he’s another bull rider. He won third place here at nationals.”

  The shock was clear in her mother’s voice. “Do you have any idea how hard it’s going to be to be married to a man who rides the rodeo circuit? At least your sisters had enough sense to marry men who were done gallivanting around that way.”

  “It was his last performance, Mom. He’s a rancher now, but he qualified for nationals before he retired, so this was his last ride.” Stephanie looked at James, who had just come out of the shower and had a towel slung around his neck but nothing else on. She couldn’t help but grin. “On the plus side, our concert went great, and we’ve sold thousands of CDs.”

  “I guess there’s no hope that any of you girls will give me grandbabies anytime soon. At least I have Olivia to tide me over. She likes me.”

  Stephanie gave up. She wasn’t going to have a pleasant conversation with her mother no matter what she did. “She does like you, Mom.” She winked at James. “James is out of the shower now, so I should spend some time with my new husband.”

  “I expect to meet him as soon as you get home. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes, Mom. I hear you. I’ll make sure we call and come by for Sunday dinner sometime soon.”

  “Bring your sisters and Olivia.”

  Stephanie shook her head. “We will. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.” And the call ended.

  Nine

  The flight home was uneventful, and with some creative seat swapping, Stephanie was able to sit beside James for the flight. His truck was parked at the airport, and they headed straight to it after picking up their luggage. Many of their things had come home with the band, so it was easier, and she knew she’d be seeing the band for rehearsal the following evening.

  When they got to the ranch where he lived with his family, she was nervous about meeting her new mother-in-law. She wasn’t as nervous about James’s father, because she knew that he would find her beneath him. From everything she’d heard, she just didn’t expect the man to even notice her.

  “Can we hide in the car for a while? Maybe go to my apartment in The Woodlands and stay there for six or seven years?” she asked.

  He laughed, reaching over and squeezing her hand. “I promise, it’s going to be just fine. They won’t bite you. They want grandkids.”

  He grabbed both suitcases and walked toward the front door, which was situated atop a beautiful wrap-around front porch, with a swing right outside the door. He let her precede him inside, calling out, “Mom! Dad! We’re here!”

  His mother came out of a room Stephanie had to assume was the kitchen. She was wearing a dress and an apron of all things. Her mother seemed to her like a throwback to another time, and Stephanie had never seen her in an apron.

  His father walked into the room with a newspaper in his hands. “So, I guess you really did marry someone.”

  James nodded. “Mom, Dad, this is Stephanie. Stephanie, these are my parents.”

  Stephanie fought back her fear and found her voice. “It’s nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Nixon.”

  Mrs. Nixon frowned at her. “Why do you look so familiar to me? I’m sure I’ve seen your face before.”

  “Well, I have two sisters who are identical to me, and you could have seen me on one of James’s CDs. My sisters and I are a country music group called The Kelly Sisters.”

  His father frowned at her. “You’re a career woman?” The words dripped of disgust.

  Stephanie nodded, doing everything she could to keep her back straight when she wanted to cower before the man. “I am.”

  He shook his head. “You screwed this up, too, James. You were supposed to marry someone who wanted babies.”

  Stephanie didn’t correct him and instead stood staring at him, meeting his gaze.

  James smiled, pleased she wasn’t scared. “Do you think you saw her on CDs, Mom?”

  “I do think so. You have one in your room, don’t you?”

  “One in my room and another in my truck. Stephanie and her sisters are very good at what they do, and Stephanie writes all their music. She’s truly a wonder.”

  “My sister and I write our music,” Stephanie said softly. “Brittany writes the music, and I write the lyrics.”

  His father sighed. “When’s dinner, Molly?”

  Molly Nixon looked at her husband for a moment. “I’ll have it ready in fifteen minutes.”

  “May I help you with it?” Stephanie asked. She hoped the answer would be no after she’d been on a plane half the day, but she would do it with a smile if it was necessary.

  “No, dear. You’ve got to be exhausted from your travels. You just go upstairs with James and have him show you where you’ll stay, and then we’ll all have a nice meal. I’ll show you around after supper, when you feel a little less tired.”

  “Thank you.” Stephanie smiled, realizing she was going to like the older woman, even if she was soft. She followed James up the stairs to their bedroom, and he led her inside. The room was huge.

  “Your house is a little intimidating.”

  He laughed. “The house was built with two master bedrooms so three generations could live here. This is just one of the masters, and my parents have the other.”

  “Is one nicer than the other?” she asked, wondering just what her place would be in the odd family she’d found herself a part of.

  He shook his head. “Nope. They’re just about the same. We have a master bath and two huge closets in the bathroom. There’s a separate shower and even a Jacuzzi tub. I think you’ll like it.”

  Stephanie nodded. “I already love it. I do wish I had more clothes with me. I have enough for tomorrow, and that’s it. I’ll have to stop by my apartment after rehearsal tomorrow.”

  “Rehearsal tomorrow already?” he asked, frowning. “I was hoping we could take a couple more days so you could learn the ranch and everything in the area.”

  “I could do that during the day, but I’ll need to leave for rehearsal by probably four. It’ll give me a reason to get clean clothes, though. I am going to feel weird doing laundry in your mother’s laundry room.”

  James walked to her and wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t. Everything here will feel like it’s yours as soon as they move out, and now that we’re married, I hope that will be soon.”

  “Are you sure?” She glanced at the bed. “Just how far away is your parents’ bedroom?” She didn’t want to be heard when they were being amorous. It would be much too embarrassing.

  “Other side of the house. Trust me, we’re going to be just fine.” He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. “I wish we had time for that now, but we need to head back down for supper. Dad gets mad when he has to wait.”

  “It sounds like you and your mother spend your lives tiptoeing around your dad.” She was so glad she hadn’t grown up the same way.

  “Yup. We do.” He shook his head. “Dad has a temper, and no one dares to rile him.”

  They left the room, walking back down the stairs to the dining room, where his father was already seated at the table, while his mother was carrying in dishes.

  Stephanie immediately went into the kitchen and picked up a dish, carrying it to the table. She felt like Molly Nixon had spent years being bossed around and walking on eggshells. She deserved the help.

  Mrs. Nixon smiled at her. “Thank you, Stephanie.”

  “You’re very welcome, Mrs. Nixon.”

  “Please, call me Molly.”

  When they were all seated at the table, Mr. Nixon bowed his head to pray, and everyone else followed suit.

  Stephanie took one bite and smiled. “This pot roast is wonderful, Molly. How did you season it? I can see I’m going to be able to learn a lot about cooking from you.”

  Molly smiled, obviously thrilled with the compliment. “I just use a packet of onion soup mix. I think it adds to the flavors beautifully.”

  “Why are you praising her for doing the cooking?” Mr. Nixon asked. “I raised the beef.”

  “The beef is extremely tender, sir.” Stephanie couldn’t believe the man thought he should be praised for the meat when his wife had cooked it, but she could see that things were going to be stranger here than she’d expected.

  After supper, Stephanie helped with the dishes, and then she and James went out to sit on the front porch swing. “I’ve always wanted to have a swing like this. Ever since I was a little girl. And the porch . . . I could live forever on this porch.”

  “You say that now, but summers are brutal, which you know. It’s not fun to sit out here then.”

  She sighed. “I’m just happy it’s nice now.” She rested her head against his shoulder, wondering if she should say anything about his father or just let it go. “Your father . . .”

  “I
know. You won’t have to deal with him much.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  That night they made sweet love, and she was careful to keep her voice down. “I’m going to have your mother show me around the entire house in the morning so I know exactly where their room is,” she said while they were snuggling together after their lovemaking.

  He laughed. “I promise, it’s okay.”

  “It doesn’t feel it!” Stephanie yawned loudly. “I can’t believe how tired I am.”

  “We had a long hard two weeks in Vegas, and getting back into the swing of real life is going to be hard for all of us.” He frowned. “Is there any way you could get your rehearsals switched to daytime? I’d like to see more of my wife in the evenings.”

  “I’ll talk to the others. The only worry is Olivia, because she’s with Brittany all day, but maybe she could come along. If we kept special Barbies there, it might just work.”

  He smiled, kissing the top of her head. “Sweet dreams.”

  “Sweet dreams.”

  When James moved away from her and started dressing at four in the morning, Stephanie opened one eye and looked at him. “Do you always start your days this early?”

  He nodded. “Mom has breakfast ready at four-thirty, and Dad expects to be working by five.”

  Stephanie rolled out of bed and threw some clothes on, brushed her teeth, and hurried down the stairs. She moved so quickly that James had no idea what she was up to.

  She walked into the kitchen and went to the cupboard. She’d learned where the dishes went the night before. “Why don’t I set the table for you?”

  Molly smiled at her, her whole face lighting up. She was obviously pleased to have some help around the house. “I’d like that a lot.”

  Together, they had breakfast on the table at four-thirty on the dot, and they all sat for the meal.

  Mr. Nixon looked at Stephanie. “I figured you for one who would sleep until noon.”

  “Sometimes I have to do that, because our concerts go so late, but when I can, I like to be up early.” Not four a.m. early, of course, because that was just insane, but she didn’t tell him that. “I do have rehearsal this evening, so I won’t be here for supper. I’m going to ask if we can switch rehearsals to daytime, though. I think it would be nice if I had evenings off to spend with my new husband.”

  Molly looked back and forth between her son and her new daughter-in-law, and there was a glow in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.

  James grinned. “You know that’s what I’d like. I might be exhausted, but I’d rather be exhausted with you than without you.”

  Mr. Nixon looked at his wife. “It might be time for us to start thinking about that house in town.”

  Molly looked like she was ecstatic at the very idea, but she simply nodded. “I’ll talk to Rachel today.” Then she looked at Stephanie. “Rachel is a dear friend of mine from school, and she’s a real estate agent here. She’ll be the one to find us a new home.”

  “Do you like the idea of living in town?” Stephanie asked.

  Molly nodded. “I grew up in town, and I am excited to move back.” There was more, but she wasn’t saying what it was. Stephanie decided to ask after the men were gone for the day.

  As they were doing dishes, she decided it was a good time. “Why are you really so happy to move back to town?”

  “I have arthritis in my knees and hips. Taking care of a house this big is really taking a toll on me, but Herbert thinks that it’s a waste of money to hire someone to help, so I’m left with all the housework on my own. In town, we’ll choose a smaller house with only one story, and my pain will be much easier to bear.”

  Stephanie wanted to hit her father-in-law. She knew she couldn’t, but it was all she could think of. The man needed to be smacked.

  Ten

  Over the next few days, Stephanie sold the furniture in her apartment and slowly moved everything she was keeping to the ranch. James helped her on Sunday, and they finished up the entire job.

  She talked her sisters into rehearsing during the day, which truly didn’t require much convincing. They both wanted to spend more time with their husbands in the evenings as well. They had simply always rehearsed in the evenings, so they felt that they should always rehearse then.

  Once all the moving was done, Stephanie spent a lot of time helping her mother-in-law around the house if she was home. There were of course gigs every week and rehearsals at least three times per week, but Stephanie took over the bulk of the work at the ranch house.

  As they drifted into a routine, Stephanie realized that she had very little time with her husband. He was out of the house by five and not back until after seven many nights. The bulk of the time they had together was on Sundays.

  They’d been married about a month when she brought up something at the supper table that she felt was long overdue. She was still nervous around her father-in-law, but she couldn’t let it keep her from saying what needed to be said.

  “Why don’t you hire someone to help Molly around the house? She’s in pain all day every day from what she does around here, and it’s obvious you have the money to help her.”

  Mr. Nixon—who had never asked her to use his first name—glared at her. “You have no idea what money is like for this family, unless you’ve been snooping around in my office. Have you been snooping, little girl?”

  Stephanie straightened her spine, refusing to be intimidated by the jerk. “No, I haven’t. But it’s obvious that you’re well off in the cars you drive and the way the ranch is run. There’s no need to force your wife to do so much housework and cook all the meals when you can obviously afford to hire someone to help her out.”

  Molly shook her head. “No, I don’t mind doing it.”

  Stephanie sighed. “I know you don’t mind. You think it’s your responsibility, but the truth is you’re hurting yourself more every single day. You shouldn’t be doing so much.”

  “You’ll keep your nose out of it,” Mr. Nixon said, glaring at her.

  “What if I want to hire someone to help with my money? I have a good deal in savings after the shows we’ve had this year, and there’s another big one coming up. I can afford to help.”

  Mr. Nixon finished his food, and Stephanie realized then that James had said nothing against her, but he hadn’t said anything for her—or his mother—either. “You will not turn my wife into someone as lazy as you are.” He threw his napkin on the table and stormed from the room.

  Stephanie shook her head. “Lazy?”

  Molly sighed. “Herbert thinks that any woman who doesn’t do all the housework herself is lazy. That’s why we’ve never hired anyone.”

  “I’d like to see him do all the work you do.” Stephanie was annoyed with her father-in-law, but she found she was even more annoyed with her husband. Why did James allow his father to treat everyone in his path the way he did? It didn’t make sense to her, and she was fed up with it. “I want you to sit here while I do the dishes tonight. I saw the way you were favoring your right hip earlier, and I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to get up and clean.”

  Molly bit her lip for a moment, and Stephanie knew her pain must be really bad, because she eventually agreed.

  While Molly sat and talked quietly with James, Stephanie got up and cleared the table, loading the dishwasher. She was honestly surprised her father-in-law had even allowed his wife to have a dishwasher and other modern appliances. With his attitude, she thought he would expect his wife to go down to the river and beat the clothes on rocks.

  As she worked, she built up a real disgust with the situation. She loved James, but she didn’t love the way he let his mother be pushed around by his father. Hopefully the older couple would move out soon and they wouldn’t see it anymore.

  As soon as she’d finished the dishes, Stephanie walked out to the front porch and sank onto the swing, not paying any attention to James when he joined her. She was too busy searching for a phone number. As soon as she found it, she clicked on the link and put her phone to her ear. “Yes, I’d like to schedule someone to come in and clean three days a week.”

  James looked at her with surprise, but he didn’t stop her. When she was finished with the call, he put his arm around her, but she pulled away from him.