Even if Paul’s sale went through… Thomas tossed aside the towel he’d brought out. Making plans they couldn’t see through without a list of conditions would only lead to discontent.
Thomas headed back to the cabin, the late summer night still warm. He’d continue his job hunt in the morning. If he could find any spare time he’d help Paul get his paperwork together too.
When he’d agreed to go along with Paul’s plan, he’d done so nearly certain they would fail. So fresh from school, he’d hoped to have more put together before taking on responsibility. A car, a salary…a means of supporting himself and Mary. He pulled open the door and left it unlocked. The darkness of the cabin eased near the bed where Paul had a single lamp plugged into the wall.
He circled the bed and found Mary and Paul tucked close, fast asleep. She smiled in her sleep, the tiny upturn of her lips the expression she’d worn when he’d started falling in love with her. This was why he’d rework his schedule, so he could see this smile. He pulled the blanket higher over her shoulder and turned off the light.
He and Paul had planned on discussing sleeping arrangements when he returned from the shower, but Thomas headed for the couch. They’d figure out details in the morning. He stretched out on the sofa, the lumpy cushions less comfortable than ever. He flipped the throw pillow and stared at the ceiling. With Mary so close, the couch wouldn’t cut it. He pushed to his feet and stumbled through the dark to the bed. He took the left side, not thrilled to be next to Paul, but it beat being across the room.
Maybe they would shuffle around and Mary would get back into the middle. No matter who he slept beside, Thomas figured he’d better get used to it. When Duane made it back, they’d have to shift again. As long as Mary kept smiling, he’d make it work. He fluffed the pillow and settled between the sheets. Paul shifted and took half the blankets.
They needed a bigger bed.
Chapter 7
Mary set aside the ledger she’d been going over while simultaneously cursing Paul. Incorrect arithmetic, messy handwriting, backtracked additions and subtractions. Did the man even own a calculator? She groaned. She’d need two acres tilled to make up for cleaning up this chaos.
The sound of tires on gravel gave her a reprieve from the books. She closed the cover and pushed to her feet. Before she reached the door, Thomas stepped in with a bottle of wine and a grin on his face. She’d sent him off a bundle of nerves, ready to console and encourage him if necessary. Celebrating was better.
“You’re looking at an employed man,” Thomas said, holding open his arms.
She squealed and ran to him, thrilled to celebrate their first milestone together.
Paul stepped into the house right at seven, just as he’d promised. Unlike his twin, Paul was filthy. None of Thomas’s spark showed on Paul, but when he looked up from taking off his boots he smiled. “Good news, I take it?”
“I got the job.” Thomas set Mary down. “It’s not exactly what I wanted, but it’s a six month commitment with an option to sign on after. It might only last six months, but I’ll have a steady paycheck until then or until I can find something better.”
Paul nodded. “Nice. I’d say let’s eat steak, but we did that last night.”
“I found a chicken in the freezer.” Mary hugged Thomas’s side. “It’s already baking. I’m so proud of you.”
She tried to temper her excitement for Thomas with her commiseration for Paul. It had taken only a cursory reading of the books to understand the other twin’s enterprises weren’t going nearly as well. From what she’d seen he scraped together paychecks by the skin of his teeth and paid himself next to nothing. Celebrating with one and loving another through hard times shouldn’t have hit so soon, but for the first time in her life, Mary jumped into something with both feet. She’d be the wife, the comfort and support.
She hugged Paul when he got close. “Hey. Did you have a good day?”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “It was a long one for sure. I need to get Jack his last check tonight.”
“Good,” Thomas said. “That guy is an ass. You’re better off without him.”
Paul’s lips tightened. “Yeah, I am.”
The financial situation fresh in her mind, Mary didn’t know how accurate that was. From the grim line of Paul’s face, she’d bet he planned to fill the gap himself. She’d only been in the family, been his wife, for a few days, but the bricks were stacking in around them. She could tell him it wasn’t physically possible for him to work an eighty-hour week or she could try to pick up a few herself.
Mary wrapped her arm around Paul’s waist. “Well, if you need stalls cleaned, you let me know. I might have toned these arms on weed pulling, but they’ve been known to wield a mean shovel. I’ll get the check ready for you to sign.”
“I’m going to have to put you on my accounts,” Paul said, taking a seat beside Thomas. He elbowed his brother. “Congrats. I mean that. You worked your ass off.”
Pride swelled in Mary’s heart. She didn’t expect full agreement all the time, but loved seeing their respect and kindness.
Thomas cleared his throat. “I also ran into Mom in town. She’s going to come for a visit tomorrow night.”
Mary froze. In the heat of the challenge and of the moment, she’d forgotten the little detail of family. Aunt Marcy gave her blessing, no matter what she did. She hadn’t considered Paul and Thomas’s family other than their accepting cousin, and she seriously regretted the oversight.
“Is she… Does she know about all of this?” Mary asked.
Paul and Thomas looked at her in tandem, their eyes slightly wide, cheeks tinged pink. Thomas cleared his throat first. “Um, no. She was not aware of our plans or of the elopement.”
Her stomach dropped. “Really? You didn’t think that was something you should have shared with her?”
They stared at each other but didn’t speak.
Mary groaned and headed for the stove, checking the chicken before jerking rice from the cabinet. “You two are a piece of work, you know that? At least I took care of my family before coming into this. Aunt Marcy gave me her blessing. My mother—well, I know she and my father never will—”
“I don’t get that,” Thomas said. “If your parents are in a plural marriage, what’s the difference with us?”
“The difference is in the numbers. They pursued a plural marriage out of faith. In their world, a husband is supposed to have multiple wives and loads of children. My father could tell you all the reasons, but it comes down to them believing with their whole soul that it’s the way God wants them to live. One man and multiple wives with many children. The other way around doesn’t work—it’s an abomination—so I’m writing them off like I did years ago. But this is on you. What’s your mom like? Is she going to be okay with all of this?”
Hope filled her. Maybe the reason the boys hadn’t mentioned their tastes to their mother was because she would be accepting and loving no matter what.
“She’s going to be pissed,” Thomas admitted. “She’s not going to like you, even if she never knows about the sharing. Our dad died when we were kids, and so we’ve been it for her. She’s pretty territorial about us.”
“Territorial?”
Paul’s blush deepened. “She…she’s not usually kind to the women we date.”
Her initial fear bred irritation. “So instead of, you know, warning me or giving me any sort of hints about this, you’re going to spring her on me tomorrow?”
“Come on, she’s not a demon,” Thomas protested. “I’m sure once she gets used to you, everything will be fine.”
Paul looked at him like he was crazy and Thomas blushed.
“Okay, so maybe ‘fine’ is an overstatement. Listen, Mary, you can handle her.” Thomas strode to her. He smiled at her again and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “You’re strong, smart, and so sweet. We wouldn’t have married you otherwise. She’s our mom, and she is how she is. She won’t change, but you can s
et the tone for expectations. We will too. We’ll make it clear she has to accept all of this to accept us.”
The idea of telling the faceless woman about her relationship, the one Mary was still getting used to, gave her the cold sweats. “Or we could not tell her the details.”
Thomas frowned. “What do you mean? Don’t you think it’s best if we start how we mean to go on?”
Mary groaned and put water on to boil. “I honestly don’t know. Paul? What do you think?”
“I think I’m tired and want to eat,” Paul said, obviously uncomfortable with the topic and even more obviously exhausted. “We can figure out what to do with Mom tomorrow before she gets here. If she pisses you off too much I’ll tell her not to come over again.”
Thomas frowned at his brother, but didn’t protest.
Mary stirred rice into water. “I don’t want to cause trouble. She’s your mother and you both love her.”
“Well, you’re my wife and I love you too. She had her time as the main woman in my life and now that’s you.”
Thomas nodded. “He’s right. We’ll tell her what’s going on and leave it on her shoulders.”
“Tell her?” Mary squeaked. “We can’t tell a woman who is already not going to like me that I’m in a relationship with both of you. We’ll ease her into me being married to Paul, and once she’s past that shock we can share a little more. Good golly, what is she going to think when Duane gets home?”
Thomas’s face pinched up. “One thing at a time.”
Paul kissed her cheek. “From the constipated look on Thomas’s face, I’m sure you can infer that won’t go well. We’ll follow your lead, baby. Now can we please eat? I have to drop off that check and hit the barn again before bed. A few of the cows were bloating. I told the guys I’d head down after dinner so they could take a couple of hours off.”
Maybe she’d join him. And just stay in the barn until after their mother’s visit. Bloated cows sounded like better company.
Chapter 8
Finding the grocery store in little Morris presented no problem at all. Finding the perfect meal to please a mother-in-law already determined to hate her proved much more challenging.
Mary grabbed a box of stuffing from the grocery store shelf and put it back. If she wanted to make a good impression, she had to bring her A-game. She’d make garlic bread and then make stuffing from it like her mom had for family dinners. Mother Paraby would certainly notice the difference.
Mary had only slept a few hours the night before, despite the twins’ reassurances. Even sandwiched between them, surrounded by their love and presence, she’d felt alone in preparing for the upcoming event. Their loyalty meant the world to her, but the thought of causing tension, or even adding a rift, between mother and child hurt her heart. She missed her family enough to know she never wanted another to go through such a separation. After not seeing her mother in five years… She put the thought away. The visit would be lovely.
With her mother close on her mind, Mary stopped in the baking aisle for ingredients for banana pudding. A little taste of home would be a comfort, no matter how the evening went.
She toted her basket to the front of the small grocery store. Thursday mornings looked like the time to shop because the place was deserted except for a young man and woman waiting at the checkout lanes.
“Hello there.” The woman offered a pleasant smile to an already peaches-and-cream pretty face. “I’m Gerty. Come on over here and let’s get you rung up. Sam, can you bag for her, please?”
“Of course.” The tall, gaunt, young man rounded his lane and opened a paper bag. “Are you new around here?”
“Yes.” Mary forced herself not to count pennies as the total increased. She had cash from her share of the phenomenal berry crop, Thomas had a regular paycheck coming, and Paul would do better soon. She could afford to splurge on a nice meal.
“Is it true you married one of the Paraby twins?” Gerty asked as she rung up sugar.
“It is. Paul and I eloped a few days ago. I’m meeting his mother tonight.”
Gerty’s smile faltered. “Oh dear. Hmm.”
“Oh dear?” Mary asked. “Why? What’s wrong?”
Gerty looked over the food in front of her. “Is this for tonight? What are you making?”
“I’m doing a braised beef roast, potatoes, beans, and stuffing. Oh, and banana pudding,” Mary replied, but the excitement she’d felt about the meal fell away. “Why?”
Gerty shook her head. “You know, if you were having me over, or my mother, that would be fantastic. Helen…”
“She doesn’t like bananas,” Sam said. “Tells us every week we’re wasting shelf space. She doesn’t like beef either, contrary to what her sons think. And she says bread gives her digestion problems.”
Pure panic welled in Mary’s guts. The meal would be a nightmare. She’d make her future mother-in-law sick and they’d never have a chance to make nice.
“I’m going to cancel this order.” Gerty put the items back in the basket. “You and I are going to put our heads together to figure out what to make to start you off on the right foot.”
“Really? I don’t want to be a burden,” Mary said.
Gerty waved her hand. “No burden. This will be fun. I can’t imagine having Helen Paraby as a mother-in-law. She’s…strong willed, that’s for sure. How about a nice roast chicken? Maybe some dumplings? Come along, we’ll get you ready for tonight.”
* * * *
Three bites into the meal, Mary wanted to kiss Gerty. The chicken turned out juicy and succulent. The dumpling recipe Gerty passed along had been as easy as promised and so much tastier than even her mother’s mashed potatoes. The beans were her own recipe, but Gerty helped her find the freshest. So far, Thomas and Paul had barely come up for air, they ate so quickly.
Across the table Helen ate without a word. Not much came from her mother-in-law in way of criticism or welcome. She’d arrived exactly at dinner time and sat at the table. She resembled her sons, tall and blonde with a certain sturdy quality she made look elegant. Her bright blue eyes narrowed on Mary more than once, but she’d said very little.
“When you said you were making a chicken instead of roast I was a little disappointed, but you can make this again anytime,” Paul said, his second helping of chicken already gone.
“It seems a bit frivolous to spend money on chicken when you live on a beef ranch,” Helen said.
The barb hit, but Mary looked at Helen’s plate—completely devoid of chicken and nearly everything else. Her actions spoke louder than words.
“I take it since you two eloped and Paul’s finances are tied up in the ranch you won’t be having a proper wedding,” Helen said.
Mary didn’t wince, but the statement made a direct hit she didn’t anticipate. Finances weren’t discussed at the dinner table.
“Our wedding was fine, Mom.” Paul poured milk into his glass. “Mary, can you pass me more chicken, please? You’re a great cook. I’m a lucky man.”
She smiled at him, more grateful for him than ever. On her other side, Thomas sat, holding his peace while maintaining a friendly distance. She could use a hand squeeze from him, but they had to play the part for now.
“Maybe you two could have a big reception on your one year anniversary. It would be nice to do something, especially after Duane gets home so he can meet you,” Thomas suggested. “Or you could renew your vows somewhere exotic.”
Their mother snorted. “Don’t mention that cur at the table. It is my sincere hope that Duane stays in Vietnam. And Thomas, let’s be serious. They eloped after nearly no courtship and without any familial support. I’ll be shocked if they last past tax season.”
The gloves were off. She’d hoped the twins underestimated Helen, but Mary had to be practical and deal with the cards dealt, not the ones desired.
“Mom, you don’t have to like it,” Paul said, still showing no sign of anger. “But you will respect my wife in my house.”
“Of course,” Helen said. “For however long this poor decision lasts I will be supportive. The day it ends I will help move her things out of here. I take it, Thomas, you’ll be staying with me again?”
When Helen looked to Thomas, Mary did too. Mary could handle hiding her relationship from Helen, could even tolerate the blatant disapproval, but she refused to lose Thomas.
“You know I’m not kicking you out,” Mary said quickly. She grabbed Paul’s hand when she really wanted to take Thomas’s. “Tell him, Paul. We’re happy to have him here.”
“Of course we are,” Paul said. “Mom, it makes more sense for him to be here. We’re half the distance to his new job.”
“And where does he sleep?” Helen asked almost too sharply for Mary’s taste.
The boys said their mother knew nothing of their preference, but in that moment Mary seriously questioned if they were right.
“I’m in the bunkhouse, but I have my meals here,” Thomas said, easily deflecting her question. “Don’t worry about it. How are things at the diner?”
Helen scowled, not at either of the boys, but directly to Mary. She wanted to be tough, wanted to be the woman of her house, but she broke eye contact and took another bite of chicken instead. She couldn’t win Helen over, not today at least.
“The diner is as it always has been,” Helen said. “Thomas, I need you to come to the house later this week. My sink is leaking. While you’re there I’ll introduce you to my new neighbor. She’s lovely, renting the house while working as a secretary. I’ve been showing her the ropes of independent living—making her own wage, supporting herself—instead of living off a man who doesn’t make enough to support himself, let alone a wife.”
The hit didn’t just smack Mary, but all three, whether Helen realized it or not. She set her fork down, truly unable to believe Helen didn’t understand the barb bit all three, Paul the most. From what Mary had gathered, she thought Helen loved her boys very much, that she protected them above all, but maybe things were more complicated than the surface showed.
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