Sympathy Pains (6 page)

Marilee listened to the sound of his footsteps as he went through the rooms, checking doors and windows, making sure they were locked in safely for the night, and as she did, it hit her that she was really no longer alone. She would never go to bed afraid again, or wake up lonely. And he'd assured her that her money worries were a thing of the past. She hugged the knowledge to herself and closed her eyes, trying to sleep.

But Justin was back too soon, and when he sat on the side of the bed and then turned out the light, she caught herself holding her breath. The mattress gave as he stretched out beside her, and when he pulled the covers over himself, she realized he was tucking her back in, as well. Again, the simple act of tenderness was unnerving. How was she going to guard her heart against a man like this?

Justin felt her nervousness as if it were a living, breathing thing and it made him even more regretful. Impulsively he rolled over on his side and
put his arm across her body then gave her a gentle tug.

“What are you doing?” Marilee hissed.

“Relax, darlin'. I just don't want you to roll off the bed.”

When he spooned himself against the curve of her backside and then began to breathe easy, she willed herself not to cry. It wasn't the way she'd dreamed her wedding night would be.

A minute passed and then another and another. Marilee had almost convinced herself that nothing mattered except getting some rest, when a horrible thought occurred. Without thinking she blurted out a question.

“Justin?”

“Hmmm?”

“In the morning...”

“Yes?”

“Will you be here when I wake up?”

It was the fear in her voice that was his undoing. He buried his face against the nape of her neck and pulled her close against his body, his hand cradling the swell of her belly.

“Yes, darlin', I'll be here. You're my wife, remember? You're never going to wake up alone again.”

She didn't answer because words were beyond her. Long after he'd drifted off to sleep, she was
still awake, holding on to him and his promise for dear life.

By noon the next day, they were on their way to Lubbock. Marilee rode with her chin up and her hands curled into fists, braced for the troubles that still lay ahead.

A
ll the way to the ranch, Marilee kept thinking that this was just a dream and that any minute she would wake up back in her little house in Amarillo, late for work. But the farther they drove, the more real it became. Twice Justin stopped so she could use the bathroom and stretch her legs, and she hadn't even had to ask. His thoughtfulness and understanding was unexpected. As they entered the outskirts of Lubbock, the traffic became more congested. She saw him glance nervously at her.

“What's wrong?” she asked.

“Just checking to make sure you're buckled up.”

“Oh.”

Another long stretch of silence came and went as they passed through the city on their way to the ranch. Finally Marilee could stand it no more.

“Justin.”

“What?”

“I'm not looking forward to this.”

He sighed. “I know.”

“You should have called your parents. I don't think it's fair to just show up with me in tow.”

He shook his head. “I know them better than you do. Trust me, okay? Besides, calling them just seems to be a coward's way out. I'd rather tell them face-to-face.”

Her shoulders slumped and she tried not to sigh. Her whole childhood had existed within her parents' battle zone of a marriage. She hated confrontations more than anything else.

Justin frowned. He wished there was an easier way to do this, but at this late date in her pregnancy, it was impossible. As he glanced at Marilee again, a wave of protectiveness washed over him. The last thing he wanted was for her to be hurt.

“Marilee?”

“Yes?”

“Stop worrying so much. I'm well past grown and my parents don't run my life. I do not answer
to either of them anymore. I inherited the ranch from my grandfather and the place is all mine. The fact that they are living with me is partially due to the fact that it gives my mother pleasure to let her friends think she and Dad have two homes and, selfishly, it gives me more time to tend to the ranch if I'm not dealing with the house, as well. But there's something you need to know. If you let her, my mother will run over you, especially when I'm not around. You're going to have to stick up for yourself or she'll make your life miserable.”

“Oh, great,” Marilee muttered.

As they stopped for a red light, Justin reached over and squeezed her hand.

“It won't be so bad,” he said softly. “Just remember that I'm on your side. Stand your ground, darlin'. I know you can do it. If it doesn't work out, they'll be the ones leaving, not you, understand?”

I'm on your side.
The words were still ringing in Marilee's ears when Justin accelerated through the intersection. Within a few short minutes, he was turning off the main highway onto a blacktopped, two-lane road.

Marilee tensed. As the miles passed, she began to fidget.

“So...this is the way to the ranch?”

He looked at her and then smiled.

“Darlin', we've been on the ranch ever since we turned off the highway.”

Her eyes widened. She turned around, looking back at where they'd been and then faced the windshield and the land beyond it. It seemed to go on forever without any sign of housing in sight. The longer she sat, the stiffer she got. Justin expected her to be nervous but wasn't prepared for what appeared to be anger.

“What's wrong?” he asked.

Her chin tilted, but she wouldn't look at him.

“You didn't tell me about this.”

He frowned. “About what?”

“All this,” she said, waving her hand toward the land through which they were passing. Then she turned to face him, her eyes blazing with fury. “You're not just well-off, are you, Justin Wheeler? You're stinking rich.”

He wanted to laugh, but knew it would probably get his face slapped. He'd never met a woman who was insulted by his money before.

“Well...sort of,” he said.

She rolled her eyes, her nostrils flaring in anger.

“Oh, perfect! That just takes the cake.”

“I don't get it,” Justin said. “Why does this matter?”

“Your parents. They're going to think I got
pregnant on purpose, you dolt! They're going to think I'm after your money.”

He frowned. She was right. They would think it. The odd thing was it had never occurred to him until she'd said it, and he didn't know why. It should have. He'd had it drummed into his head from the time he'd started to date. He looked at her again. She had withdrawn from him even more and was sitting in silence, staring out the window. Hating that she was even more troubled than before, he reached for her hand.

“Honey?”

“What?” she muttered.

“I never thought it, and that's all that should matter.”

Marilee exhaled on a sigh as she turned to look at Justin. He was big and gorgeous, and right now was wearing an expression that could only be called earnest.

“Really?”

He nodded.

She sat up a little straighter and managed a small smile. “Thank you, Justin. I think that's about the nicest thing you've ever said.”

He grinned. “You're welcome. Now, let's get this over with. What do you say?”

She nodded.

He winked and then hit the accelerator. Minutes
later a large, sprawling ranch house appeared on the horizon. The closer they came, the tighter the knot in Marilee's belly grew. When he pulled into the yard and parked, she felt faint. There were at least a dozen cars parked in front of the house. She looked at Justin.

“I knew you should have called. They have company.”

He wasn't in the mood to admit that Marilee was right. “Probably just one of Mother's groups,” he said. “She's on the board of several charities.”

“How absolutely perfect,” she muttered.

Justin grinned. “Now, darlin', I know you can handle this. Where's that spitfire who nailed my ass to the floor of the Roadrunner?”

She thought about it a minute and then sat up straight.

“I'm right here,” she muttered, and proceeded to get out of the vehicle before Justin could open the door for her. All he could do was follow.

“Leave the bags,” he said. “I'll get them later. I want to get you inside and to our room so you can rest. I'll get the cook to bring you a snack.”

Marilee almost stumbled.
Cook? They have a cook? Lord...please don't let there be a butler,
too. I'm not cut out for this life.

But then Justin slid his arm around her shoulder
to steady her, and gave her a quick, comforting hug. After that, everything settled into place. Whatever was going to happen would just have to happen. She'd married the man and it was too late to turn back.

A few moments later they entered the foyer. Marilee took one look at the wide hallway and the red Spanish tiles on the floor and tried not to roll her eyes in dismay. The hall was bigger than her kitchen back home. Then she sighed. That small frame house in Amarillo was no longer home, nor was it hers. This was going to be home, but it remained to be seen just how sweet it would be.

Up ahead, she could hear a murmur of voices. That must be where the women were gathered in their meeting. She glanced at Justin. He seemed oblivious to the tension she was feeling, but when he saw her looking at him, he gave her a wink and squeezed her hand. A little more of her nervousness faded. He didn't love her, but he was certainly standing by his promises.

“Come on, honey. I'll take you to my—our—bedroom so you can stretch out. We can do the tour of the place later after everyone leaves.”

“Okay, but—”

“Justin?”

They both turned. Marilee took one look at the
cool questioning look on Judith Wheeler's face and braced herself for the worst.

“Darling! I didn't think you were ever coming home,” Judith said, gliding across the floor and then lifting her cheek for her son to kiss. She glanced at Marilee and then looked quickly away as she grasped Justin's arms.

To the observer, it might appear that her actions were a form of an embrace, but to Marilee it looked more like an effort to control.

“Justin, darling, is there something I can help you with?” Judith asked while staring pointedly at Marilee. “Has this woman had car trouble? Is she ill? Have Maria call for a mechanic or a tow truck—whatever is needed. There's no reason for you to bother yourself any further. I'm sure you're exhausted from your trip.”

A muscle jerked along Justin's jaw. His mother's thinly veiled insult about not bothering himself with Marilee had not gone unnoticed.

“No thanks, Mother. Marilee is with me and we don't need any help. As soon as your guests are gone, we'll talk.”

Judith's eyebrows arched and her mouth settled into a moue of disapproval.

“Do you really think that's wise...? I mean...putting a stranger within our private quarters?”

“Mother, let it go for now.” Then he looked at Marilee, silently begging her for patience. “Come on, honey. You're the one who's exhausted. You'll feel better once you've had some rest.”

It was the word
honey
that set Judith off.

“Justin! I want to know who this woman is, and I demand an explanation now!”

Marilee held her breath as Justin turned on his mother, his voice low and angry.

“Fine. Mother, I'd like you to meet my wife, Marilee.” Then he looked at Marilee. “Marilee...my mother, Judith Wheeler.”

Judith's lips went slack as her cheeks turned red. The look she gave Marilee would have finished a lesser woman. But Marilee had lived through much worse things than an angry woman. She smiled and extended her hand.

“Mrs. Wheeler, it's a pleasure to meet you. I can see where Justin gets his looks.”

Torn between vanity and hysterics, Judith was just vain enough to hesitate, giving Justin the opening he'd been waiting for.

“Marilee has had a long, tiring ride. As I'm sure you remember, Mother, at this point in a pregnancy a woman needs plenty of rest.”

The mention of the word
pregnancy
was all the nudge Judith needed. Lowering her voice so that
her guests would not hear her, she pointed at Marilee's stomach as if it were something foul.

“This is disgraceful and you know it. I can't believe you've done this to us! Marrying a—a—nothing like her. My God, Justin Wade! She's a virtual stranger!”

Marilee was tired of being talked about as if she wasn't even there. Her back was starting to ache and her feet were throbbing as she threw back her head and laughed.

Judith froze. Laughter was the last thing she'd expected to hear.

“You think this is funny?” she hissed, glaring at Marilee.

“Well...yes...a little. Especially the part about us being strangers.” She patted her stomach to emphasize her point. “We got to know each other pretty well after being snowed in together last year, and if you think an insult is going to make me turn tail and run, then you better rethink your options.”

Without looking to see if Justin was following, Marilee strode up the hall, hoping she was going the right way. Justin quickly caught up with her, slipping an arm around her shoulder and whispering a quiet “well done,” leaving Judith with no other option except to get back to her guests before they caught on to the unfolding drama. The
news would spread soon enough unless she could think of a way to get rid of this woman.

* * *

Later that evening, Marilee found that meeting Justin's father, Gavin, wasn't nearly as traumatic. By the time they sat down to dinner, he'd obviously been briefed on the situation and was wise enough to hold his tongue. He was congenial, even charming at times, and she was beginning to think this wasn't going to be so bad after all. Just as the meal was coming to an end, Justin got a call. Excusing himself from the table, he left them alone. Judith glared mutely at Marilee and then muttered something about a headache, leaving Marilee alone with her new father-in-law.