Bob looked away for a moment, deciding that changing the subject was the best course of action. “So, have you found anyone to sublet my apartment yet?”
She nodded. “Just today actually. Have you dealt with Mr. Appleby at all?”
“Thankfully, I haven’t needed a plumber since moving to Culpepper. I’ve heard good things about him, though!”
“He’s been the only plumber in town for almost fifty years, and he’s ready to retire, so Clint Bradley is buying his business.” She sipped her water. “I told him that the best part of living there is the proximity to this place.”
Bob laughed. “I hope he likes burgers, because the smell permeates that little apartment. I smelled it all the time.”
Megan grinned. “I’m not sure if that was the restaurant or just the smell of burgers on your clothes.” She nudged him with her foot as she teased him.
Bob made a face, noting that she’d finished her meal. “You ready to get to work?”
She shook her head. “Not particularly, but that was the arrangement, so let’s do it.”
He led her back through the restaurant, and she nodded to all the different people. Her job made it so she knew almost everyone in town. When he opened the door to his office, she sucked in a breath at the mess waiting for her. There were papers everywhere. Her job was going to be twice as hard due to his lack of planning.
“How exactly do you consider this organized?” she asked.
“Well, all the papers are in one room. That’s organized in my book.”
Megan sighed, closing the door in his face and sitting down to get to work. They’d already discussed just what he needed from her. After a moment of looking at the software, she realized more than anything, she needed to clean and organize his office so she could get the job done. This first time would take the longest, so she needed to just get to it.
Several hours later, he knocked on the door to his office to check on her. “Do you need anything? Almost done?” Looking around, he saw that nothing was the same as it had been. His office had been cluttered, but he’d known where everything was.
“Come in and let me show you how I filed things.” Megan quietly explained her system, showing him how he could put his hands on each piece of paper he could possibly need. “And I’m pretty much done. I’m going to need probably thirty minutes to an hour every week to keep it up now that I’ve gotten it started.”
“Sounds good. Let’s head home.” It was already a little bit later than they usually got home in the evenings.
She grabbed her purse from where it was hanging on the back of his office chair. “What are you fixing for supper?” she asked.
“I have chicken and dumplings going in the crock pot. I figured that would make you happy.”
There were a couple of inches of snow on the ground, and Bob had surprisingly done well learning to drive on it. He’d claimed it was the innate Bobness that was a part of him, thanks to his name, but Megan had rolled her eyes in response.
“I’ll follow you.” Megan knew she had to talk to him that evening anyway, and she wanted to practice exactly what to say. How on earth do you tell a man who doesn’t want children right away that you’re pregnant?
As they were sitting down to eat a short while later, Megan picked up her glass and smiled at him. “I need to talk to you about something.”
He frowned at her. “I hate conversations that start that way.”
She sighed. “Well, I’ve been sick for a few days, throwing up and stuff, so I went to see Dr. Ross today.” She figured he’d guess what the problem was as soon as she said that, but he didn’t seem to.
His eyes widened. “You don’t have cancer, do you?”
She gaped at him for a moment, putting her spoon down. “No, I don’t have cancer. Why would you even ask me that?”
“I talked to Angela today.” He ran his hand over the back of his neck. “She found out she has to do chemo and radiation. They thought they’d get it all with just surgery, and they may have, but it was in one of her lymph nodes, so they want to play it safe.”
She reached over and took his hand. “I’m sure that’s really hard for her. Do you want to go to Texas to see her? We could make a trip down. I want to meet your mother anyway.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know! I feel like I should be there, because she was really upset and crying on the phone. She’s all freaked out that she’s going to lose her hair. She has this really long hair, and she’s been growing it since she was a little girl. We’ve been best friends for years.”
“Then let’s plan a trip. It won’t hurt anything for you to miss a few days of work. Kari does a great job as assistant manager.”
“You really wouldn’t mind flying to Texas to meet her? And my family?”
“I’d love to. I want to meet your mom. I’m glad I got to Skype with her and ‘meet’ her that way, but I’d like to meet her in person. And Angela sounds like a great girl. Let’s do it.”
He smiled at her. “Thanks for being so understanding. I—Wait, this was about you. You don’t have cancer, and that’s a good thing. What’s going on then? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s exactly wrong. I’m pregnant.” She knew it wasn’t a great time to tell him, but she’d suspected for a couple of days, and she couldn’t keep hiding it from him. He had to know.
He frowned. “Pregnant? I thought we were going to wait for a little while?” His heart fell into his stomach. He knew he should be happy, but he wasn’t ready to be a father yet!
“Well, exactly what did you think would happen? I told you my mom got pregnant really fast with both of us girls!” They’d decided together not to use protection. Was he really so dense that he didn’t think she’d get pregnant when they were doing nothing to prevent it?
“Yeah, but it took my mom like three years to get pregnant with my little brother. The others came fast, but the first was hard, and I guess I had in my head it would be the same with you.”
“Well, it’s not. Baby’s due in about eight and a half months.”
“We’re not ready financially! I need to be making more. I—I don’t know what we’re going to do!” He felt panic wash over him. He had to be the one to take care of her financially, but all he could think about was the debt he was in from the purchase and startup of the restaurant.
“What we’re going to do is have a baby. It doesn’t matter if I stay home with it or not. Besides, I have the money saved to hire someone to do my job for a year or two if we want. It’s not a big deal.”
“But that’s your money! You made it and you should be able to do whatever you want with it. You shouldn’t have to spend it on bills.”
“It’s not like I was saving for a trip to Tahiti or anything. It truly doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me! I feel like it’s my job to support you and the baby!”
She glared at him. “I didn’t work as hard as I have to get where I am in life just so I could be supported later on. I’m a strong, independent woman, and I want to keep it that way. Having a life partner is one thing, but having someone rule my life just because he happens to be my husband and wants something different from me, is something else entirely.”
“So your independence is more important to you than what’s best for our child?”
“What’s best for our child? You don’t even want the child! I would think what’s best for it would be two parents who can agree on how to do things! I’m not going to let my child be neglected just because you don’t want to use money I’ve made and saved.”
“That’s your money! Not ours!”
“And if the situation were reversed? How would you feel then? Would it suddenly be okay because you’d made the money and not me?”
He groaned. “You’re being unreasonable. If you’d just listen to me…”
“I’ve listened enough. I thought I’d married a man who belonged in this century. Maybe you should find your time machine and go back to 1816 where you belong, but you can
do it without me, and without this baby! We like 2016.” Megan stood and stormed into the bedroom, grabbing her frumpiest pair of pajamas and going into the bathroom and locking the door.
Water was the only thing that calmed her when she got this angry. He could do what he wanted, but she needed to not get so riled up with their baby gestating inside her.
An hour later, she emerged from the bath, pink and wrinkled. She went into the living room and plopped down on the couch, grabbing the remote. A few episodes of Lazy Love were just what she needed. Stupid man.
It wasn’t until she finished the second episode that she realized that she hadn’t seen or heard Bob since her bath. The kitchen had been cleaned, but there was no sign of him. He was probably in one of the spare rooms sulking. Men sulked more than they were ever willing to admit.
She’d married a Neanderthal, and he needed to go back to his cave-dwelling so he could draw sticks figures on the walls. Stick figures of women taking care of babies while their men were out spearing animals to bring home for supper.
She shut off the television, went to her room, and slipped into bed. She didn’t need to deal with his moodiness anyway. She was the one who was pregnant and hormonal. Shouldn’t she be the one having the extended fit?
Megan was crying as she fell asleep. It was her first real fight with Bob, and it was a doozy.
10
Bob stared at the closed bedroom door for a moment, wanting to kick himself. He quickly cleaned the kitchen, then went to the front closet and grabbed his coat. He couldn’t stay there and fight with Megan any longer. He had to walk. Walking always calmed his nerves and helped him think more clearly.
It didn’t take long before he found himself in the only place in the whole town open after midnight—The Culpepper Watering Hole. He went in, shrugging out of his coat.
A country band was playing, and he sank onto a barstool to watch the dancers. Because it was a slow song the dance floor was filled, but he knew from experience there that the next song would be fast, and the dance floor would empty. Usually the only people left for the faster songs were him and Megan.
“Dr. Pepper?” Austin asked from behind him.
It was rare that Bob and Megan ran into Austin there because he usually worked days, but it had happened a few times. “Yeah, sounds good.”
“What’s wrong with you?” Austin asked, sliding the drink to him.
“First marital spat,” Bob said, wanting to kick something. “I really had convinced myself we were immune to them. I mean, we’ve had a bit of sniping over who should do the dishes from time to time, but for the most part, there haven’t been any problems. Megan is my dream girl.”
“Then what was the fight about?”
Bob looked and saw their conversation had the interest of the men on either side of him, so he shook his head. “I can’t talk about it right now.” He needed to, but he wouldn’t embarrass her by discussing it with so many people listening.
“Let’s step outside and cool off for a minute.”
Bob quickly sucked down his drink, not mentioning that he was already cooled off after an hour walk in the frigid night air. “All right.” He followed the other man to the door of the bar, and leaned against the outside of the building to get out of the cold wind.
“Out with it. What happened?” Austin asked.
Bob sighed. “She’s pregnant.”
“Oh, that’s great! Dallas is pregnant too. Our babies will grow up together.”
Bob shook his head. “I wasn’t ready yet. I’ve always had in my head that, before I had kids, I’d be making enough that my wife could stay home with them. I’m not there yet.”
“So? Megan loves what she does. She doesn’t want to stay home with kids, does she? And she’s got to have money saved up. Well, unless she’s spent it all eating out, since she eats out for every single meal.”
“Does everyone know she does that? The whole town?”
Austin shrugged. “Well, yeah. She tends to buy snacks at the grocery store and eats out for every meal. At least she has the bakery she can go to for breakfast now, and your place for other meals. She used to eat at the diner three meals a day. People were afraid to sit in her booth.”
Bob let out a bark of laughter, feeling some of the tension ease away. “Well we just fought about her staying home, and me not making enough money for her to be able to. She told me I need to go back to 1816 where I came from.”
“I can’t really blame her,” Austin said, taking a drink from the bottle of water he’d grabbed. “She’s been working on building up her business since she moved to Culpepper. It’s taken every waking moment. No one has ever doubted how hard that woman was willing to work. She should be able to take time off if she wants or to work if she wants.”
“That’s kind of what she said. I told her I should be the one supporting her if she decided to stay home.”
“Why?” Austin asked.
Bob stared at the other man for a moment. “Why? Because men support their wives and children!”
“What if she had some job where she made a ton of money? Like she could support you both and the rest of Culpepper. Would you feel the same way?”
Bob nodded. “Yeah, I think I would. It’s my job to support her.”
“Well, it sounds to me like she doesn’t need to be supported financially. Why don’t you give her mental support as she’s going through her pregnancy? Physical support as she needs it? She’s going to need moral support to keep getting out of bed when all she wants to do is lie there until her stomach calms down. Is that kind of support not enough?”
“You think it is?” Bob asked, surprised. He’d pegged Austin for an old-fashioned kind of man as well.
“I do. Dallas could work or not work. I don’t care about that. She loves what she does though, so she’s going to keep working through her pregnancy and as soon again after as she can. That’s her decision. I need to be there for her every step of the way. I’m there for her one-hundred percent, but it’s not financial support. That’s not what Dallas needs.”
Bob frowned at that. “So you think I should be giving Megan the kind of support she needs, no matter what that is? Really?”
Austin shrugged. “It makes sense to me. If you’re trying to support your family financially, but you’re all stressed about money, what good does that do anyone? It just makes you argue and fight more. If you can be there in the capacity Megan needs…well, that’s what marriage is all about.”
“Are you there for Dallas like that?”
Austin stood for a moment, as if carefully weighing his words. “Here’s the deal with Dallas. I wouldn’t say this, but everyone in town knows anyway. Her dad was awful to her physically and emotionally. He yelled at her constantly, saying horrible things to her. He was abusive when she was a teenager. What she needed from me when we married, was someone who would love her unconditionally. Because I’ve loved her since we were eight, that was easy for me. Financially, I really don’t support her. But emotionally, I’ve got her back in every way that matters.”
“I think I get it. You think I need to stop worrying about the financial aspects of everything and think more about how I can support her.”
“That’s my take on it.” Austin clapped Bob on the back. “Go home to your wife. Drink’s on the house.”
“Thanks.”
Bob walked even more slowly as he walked back toward the house. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Austin had said. Was he right? Was it okay to let her spend some of her money and not just use her own income for what she wanted?
When he reached the house, he saw that all the lights were off and quietly let himself in. He heard nothing, so he undressed, and slipped into bed in the spare room, not wanting to disturb Megan. They’d talk in the morning.
When Megan woke the next morning, she saw that Bob wasn’t beside her, and she decided two could play that game. She hurriedly showered and got ready to go to the bakery for breakfast as she did every day.
When she was ready, she stepped into the living room and found Bob sitting on the couch waiting for her.
“Are you ready to go get breakfast?” he asked. When they’d first married, he’d tried to make her breakfast, but she preferred eating at the bakery, and it had been easier to just agree with her than argue
.
She nodded. “Where’d you sleep?”
“Spare room. I went for a walk, so I could think, and I was gone so long, the lights were out by the time I got home. I didn’t want to wake you, so I slept in the spare room.” He took a deep breath, knowing he needed to apologize for his behavior of the night before. “Would you mind sitting down for a minute so we can talk?”
Megan glanced at the clock, noting it was still early, before sitting down beside him. “Sure. Talk.” She was still angry. Loving him as she did, she was willing to do just about anything to make their marriage work, but she wasn’t willing to give up a part of her, and giving up her business would be doing just that.
“When I walked last night, I ended up at the Watering Hole.”
She shrugged. “That’s nice.”
“I had a long talk with Austin about supporting our wives, and you know, I think he taught me a lot. There are so many more ways to support you than financially. You don’t need my support financially, but you do need it in other ways.” He stroked his hand down her arm. “I’m sorry I was so difficult last night. I guess I just didn’t understand how things could work.”
“So you don’t care if I use my money to make things work now?”
He shook his head. “I’m going to do my best to not let it bother me. If you want to keep working, then you should be able to. If you don’t, you shouldn’t have to. If that means dipping into your savings, then you should dip into your savings.”
Megan sighed. “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “I love you, Megan. I’m not going to keep you from being happy, just because we see things a little differently when it comes to money.”
She stared at him for a minute, her face softening. “Wait, you love me? Are you sure?”
Agent's Admirer (Culpepper Cowboys Book 13) Page 10
