Coming Home (39 page)

“I agree.”

“What about your folks? Think they'll be upset that we eloped?”

“Nope. I think they'll be so glad that I'm not wasting away into a bitter old bachelor that they'll probably fall on your neck with gratitude.” He slanted her a smiling glance. “Think you can handle it.”

“With you at my side,” she said softly, “I can handle anything.”

Jeb reached for her hand lying on the seat beside him and lifting it to his mouth, kissed it. Holding hands, their drive continued.

It was after five o'clock when they finally reached home and they dashed from the truck to the house. Mindful of the six o'clock dinner, they quickly showered and dressed and less than forty-five minutes later they were out the door driving to Jeb's parents' house.

Roxanne and Mingo had been classmates all through school and she'd spent some happy times at the Delaney home either planning rallies or school dances or attending parties, so the long, low log style home was familiar to her. It was an old comfortable house built by Jeb's grandfather; the logs had been felled on Delaney land around the turn of the century. The house had covered porches on three sides and in the spring and summer was covered with wildly blooming wisteria and white roses. Roxanne remembered the sweet scent of the roses that had perfumed the air. If she was familiar with the house, she was also very familiar with the Judge and KC and had always liked them, but as she and Jeb pulled up in front of the rambling ranch house, a knot formed in her belly. It was one thing to enter the house as a classmate of Mingo's and another as the wife of their eldest son.

She bit her lip, looking uneasily at the house, watching the smoke rise from the stone chimney in the middle of the dark shake roof. “Are you sure 'Your parents are going to be happy about this? What if they hate me? I mean they don't know me as an adult.” She swallowed, twisting her gold wedding band around and around her finger. “There's been a lot written about me that wouldn't make me every parents' dream bride for their son.”

Jeb glanced at her, surprised. It never occurred to him that Roxanne might be nervous about meeting his folks as his bride. “Princess, I can't guarantee how they'll react, but I doubt they'll eat you alive. And remember I'm a big boy—I don't need their permission to get married.” He smiled and added slyly, “Surely you're not afraid of them?”

Roxanne's chin lifted, as he'd known it would, and she gave a toss of her head. “Of course not! Let's go and get it over with.”

Smiling to himself, Jeb got out of the truck and walked around to open the door for her. Holding her in his arms he waved his hand in front of her eyes, the fading sunlight glinting on the gold band. “We're married, honey, and nothing is going to change that. Nothing.” Huskily he added, “You only have to remember one thing: I love you.”

“Oh, and I love you, too,” she breathed, stars peeping into her eyes.

KC and the Judge met them at the door. They were a striking couple. The Judge would turn seventy years old in July, but he still stood as tall and ramrod straight as he had in his youth. It was easy for Roxanne to see how Jeb might look in another twenty-five years or so when she looked at his father. The Judge's thick hair was silver and he continued to sport the Clark Gable mustache he had all his adult life even though these days there were more silver hairs in it than black. Jeb had inherited his height, build, and black eyes from his father, but it was obvious that his stubborn jawline and mouth had come from KC.

KC was a tall woman, and approaching sixty-five, her hair was steel gray. She wore it short and straight in a no-nonsense cut with only the hint of wave over her brow. Even in her youth, KC would have been labeled “handsome” rather than pretty; with age those strong features had only grown more handsome. She was outspoken, quite able to put even the Judge in his place when necessary.

There were the usual exchange of greetings and Roxanne was welcomed into the house, receiving a thorough look over and a warm hug from the Judge and a big smile and a kiss on the cheek from KC. As she entered the house and was shown into the spacious living room, she was aware that Jeb's mother was discreetly sizing her up; she could almost feel the curiosity radiating from KC's body. KC hadn't noticed the wedding bands yet, but to Roxanne it felt as if her wedding ring was the size of an elephant, sitting right there on her finger in plain sight for everyone to see.

The first person Roxanne spied as she walked into the living room was Mingo. Wearing blue jeans and a navy-blue patterned western-cut, long-sleeved shirt, he was sprawled on a dark green leather couch, a bottle of beer resting on the low oak coffee table in front of him. Curled up in a chair on the other side of the room, near the stone fireplace, was Cheyenne, Jeb and Mingo's sister—and the only one of the three children who had followed in their father's footsteps. She had graduated from Yale Law School at the top of her class and had almost immediately started working in the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office. Cheyenne had been born late in the lives of the Judge and KC and she had only been about seven years old when Roxanne had left the valley.

Cheyenne was living proof that genetics is a crap-shoot. To her chagrin, coming from a family known for its tallness and striking good looks, she only stood five feet two in her bare feet. Worse, she had a pug nose, a wide mouth, and ginger-colored hair and looked, she claimed, like a marginally intelligent monkey. Cheyenne was too hard on herself. She was very intelligent and if she would never be called a beauty, she had a gamine attractiveness and a smile that lit up the darkest day.

Meeting Roxanne's eyes, Cheyenne flashed that smile and stood up. “I remember you from a kid, but I don't think we've ever officially met. I'm Cheyenne.”

The two women shook hands, both of them liking what they saw.

Cheyenne glanced at Jeb standing right behind Roxanne. The smile became a wicked grin. “Oh, man, are you ever brave to bring a woman home,” she said to her elder brother. “Mom's been all atwitter since you told her.”

“You've got that right,” Mingo chimed in. “You'd have thought the Queen of England was coming for dinner. She's been cleaning and cooking and warning us all to be on our best behavior.” He grinned at Roxanne. “It's been years since Jeb brought a woman home, Mom doesn't want us to frighten you off.”

KC lifted a brow and tried to look haughty. “I don't know how it is that I have such gabby children. I have not been 'atwitter,” she said grandly, her blue eyes dancing. “I've been
thrilled!”
She beamed at Roxanne. “I always thought you were a nice young woman—despite the tabloids—and I'm delighted that Jeb's had the good sense to realize it, too.”

“Now, now,” said the. Judge from across the big room where he stood at a bamboo and brass bar lining up several glasses on the polished top. “Don't scare the poor girl off.” He glanced back at Roxanne. “May I interest you in a drink?” A small smile played at the corner of his mouth, and those shrewd black eyes dropped to Roxanne's hand where it hung at her side. “Perhaps champagne? Because unless I'm mistaken, this is going to turn into a very special event.”

KC, Mingo, and Cheyenne looked puzzled. Roxanne gasped, her eyes widening, and Jeb laughed and shook his head.

“Spotted them right off, did you?” he asked his father, one hand resting comfortingly on Roxanne's shoulder, his gold band obvious against his dark skin.

“Indeed. I was, you may remember, a judge for many years. Had to size up people in an instant. Figure out who was lying and who was telling the truth.” He tapped the corner of his eye. “Nothing escapes these eagle eyes.”

KC was staring transfixed at Jeb's hand lying on Roxanne's shoulder. Her mouth formed a big o. Her gaze dropped to Roxanne's hand, honing in on the gold band. She let out a loud shriek and a smile as big as Texas covered her face. “My prayers have been answered,” she cried. “Oh, yes, I do think that champagne is definitely in order.” She grabbed Roxanne and hugged her tight. “You naughty, naughty children—I may not speak to you for thirty seconds. When?”

“This morning at nine o'clock in Reno,” Jeb said proudly. “You're the first to know.”

It was bedlam for a few minutes, congratulations and questions flying around the room. Once things had settled down, KC said briskly, “Well, I'm not starting out at odds with my new in-laws.” She looked at Roxanne. “Go call your parents and tell them the news and tell them to get over here for dinner. No excuses. We have a wedding to celebrate.”

It was a celebration. Roxanne's parents were as surprised as Jeb's, but they took the news of the sudden wedding in stride. They arrived at the Delaneys' less than twenty minutes later.

In the Delaney living room beaming from ear to ear, Mark swept Roxanne into a bear hug. “That's my girl! I always knew you'd have enough sense to choose a valley man.”

He pumped Jeb's hand up and down enthusiastically. “Welcome to the family, Jeb. I sure hope you're going to be better at controlling her than I ever was.”

“Hey, come on,” Roxanne said. “I wasn't that bad. And besides, I don't need anyone to control me.”

“Absolutely,” KC agreed. “If anything, it'll be Roxy controlling Jeb, not the other way around.”

Helen looked from Roxanne's face to Jeb's. Her eyes were soft, her expression misty and tender. “Oh, I don't know. I think they'll control each other.” She flung her arms around Roxanne's neck. “Oh, sweetie, I'm so happy for you. And pleased.” She glanced at Jeb. “I always had a soft spot for your new husband and I'm delighted to welcome him to our family.” She turned back to Roxanne and kissed her on the cheek. “Be happy. You deserve it.”

The meal that followed was full of excited chatter and laughter and Roxanne decided that if she had planned it, she couldn't have thought of a better way to celebrate her marriage to Jeb. KC and Helen were busy with plans for a reception to be held in two weeks at the community center and while Roxanne thought it unnecessary, she realized that it was important to the two older women. They were in their element and she would have had to have a harder heart than she did to deny them the pleasure they took from all their schemes.

It was late when Jeb and Roxanne finally drove away from his parents' house, but not too late for them to swing by and load up Dawg and Boss. Dawg was ecstatic to see them, jumping up and sharing slobbery kisses with them and Boss even seemed to have missed them, deigning to give both Roxanne and Jeb a damp lick on the cheek before settling down.

In bed that night, Dawg nestled in her habitual spot at Roxanne's back and Boss keeping guard at the foot of the bed, Jeb pulled Roxanne next to him. “Happy?” he asked.

Roxanne smiled dreamily. “More than I ever thought possible.” She turned her head slightly to look at him in the darkness. “You?”

He kissed her. “You bet.” He hesitated. “What sort of a honeymoon do you want?”

“Well, unless you want to travel, I'd just as soon stay home,” Roxanne answered truthfully. “Although I suppose we could go away for a weekend to the Napa Valley or something.”

They looked at each other, grinned and said simultaneously, “Nah.”

“How did I get so lucky?” Jeb asked. “A Reno marriage and no honeymoon—what more could a guy ask for?”

“Don't push your luck,” Roxanne warned with a smile. “I'm sure I'll think of some way to make up for it in the future.”

Roxanne woke up early Sunday morning with the flu. Staggering back to bed after her third trip to the bathroom in minutes, she lay back down and groaned, “Fine way to start out our married life together.”

“Hey, we swore in sickness and in health, remember?”

“Yeah, but I thought the sickness was way in the future, when we were old and gray and doddering around.”

“Want me to fix you some chicken noodle soup or something?”

Roxanne's stomach roiled and as she raced for the bathroom, she cried, “No!”

By afternoon the worst of the virus seemed to have passed and they spent the day, in between the constant jangle of the phone—the news of their marriage had spread fast—just puttering around, making plans, making love, and laughing. Jeb had made arrangements to take the following week off and they were both looking forward to it.

Roxanne still felt kind of punky Monday so they spent another quiet day. The phone had ceased ringing every five minutes and they figured the worst of the storm was over. Jeb even risked a brief trip to town for milk and 7-UP and reported back that he was only mobbed half a dozen times. Smiling as he put away the milk and fixed Roxanne a glass of 7-UP with ice, he said, “I ran the first gauntlet—next time it's your turn.”

“Hopefully by then we'll be old news.” “Hopefully.” Handing her the glass, he said, “By the way, I bumped into Don Bean and after thumpingme on the back with that ham-size fist of his, he mentioned that since we're having a dry spell, he'd like to get started on the well house. I told him I'd discuss it with you and that one of us would get back to him.”

It was decided between them that now was as good a time as any to tear down the old well house and get started on constructing the new one. They also talked about the barn that Don would be building once the rainy season was over.

Sipping her 7-UP Roxanne said, “Why don't you talk to Don about the barn? You'll know more than I will about what we'll need. All I ask is that it not be painted red and that it's not just a big square box. Oh, and that it doesn't block any views.”

“OK.”

Jeb called Don Bean and they made plans for Wednesday.

Don Bean accompanied by Profane Deegan arrived bright and early Wednesday morning. Still not up to par, despite Jeb's objections, Roxanne insisted on dressing and hobbling into the kitchen and fixing coffee for them.

Seated at the kitchen table both men congratulated her on the marriage and several minutes were spent relating how surprised everyone was in the valley about it. Roxanne listened, nodded, and smiled wanly. “Sorry, fellas,” she said after a bit, “but I'm going to have to go back to bed.” She waved a hand in Jeb's direction. “He can supervise.”

Reaching the bedroom, heedless of her clothes, Roxanne crawled back into bed, only to rise five minutes later and race to the bathroom. She was not enjoying the flu at all.