about her spending so much time at the shelter by herself.”
After a brief pause, Nicki spoke next. “It might work, but she might feel kind of awkward. I mean, the rest of us share the common bond of being married into the family.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Taryn vaguely, and Kane felt her eyes on him again. “I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Now, who’s got some ideas?”
* * *
K ane listened to their progress reports over the next few Sundays. He was already privy to some of it, as Rebecca had confided a few little tidbits the few times they had ‘conveniently’ crossed paths, but his sisters-in-law were usually far more graphic and detailed in their recollections than Rebecca.
Lexi had suggested a spa day, with mixed results. Rebecca had been somewhat surprised by their invitation to join them, but with Aidan’s not-so-subtle nudging she accepted easily enough. It had started off well. At the salon, Rebecca consented to a cut and style, and was quite pleased with the soft, easy layers the stylist had created for her, and even allowed a few shimmering highlights (of which Kane heartily approved). She was not quite as thrilled with an attempted makeover, but she did love the facial. She passed on the body wraps, politely declined the massage below the shoulders, and flatly refused some of the other, more personal services offered. (The last, when relayed expressively by Taryn, and which included a re-enactment of Rebecca suggesting a more appropriate use for the orangewood stick and container of hot wax, had Kane nearly convulsing with suppressed laughter – so much so that he had to fake a coughing fit to cover it up. Given Taryn’s subsequent smirk, she hadn’t been fooled for a moment.)
Nicki’s plan had included lunch and a shopping trip into the city. They spent the day visiting high-end department stores and boutiques. They patted themselves on the back when Rebecca seemed to open up a little and even bought a few items. But on the ride home, when Nicki questioned Rebecca’s lack of bags, Rebecca admitted giving the items to a homeless woman they’d passed on the way back to the parking authority. The remainder of the trip was relatively quiet after that.
Taryn thought that perhaps more drastic measures were called for. The woman had spent the best part of twelve years among nuns, after all. She planned a covert operation to an all-male review at one of the Pocono Resorts. Kane was especially interested in hearing about this one, and he was not disappointed. Apparently, after calmly watching nearly naked men gyrate and dance for several hours, Rebecca turned to them and said, “They’re nice, but honestly, what you’ve got in Pine Ridge is so much better.” Kane grinned at that.
Maggie, bless her soul, was a bit more realistic, suggesting some sort of family get together, but the others thought that idea might actually backfire and make Rebecca feel like even more of an outsider.
Kane pretended to watch the game while listening to some of their ideas for the next venture. After a while, he couldn’t stand it any longer and gave up all pretense of not paying attention. They were so intent on their planning, they didn’t even notice when he leaned against the doorway and watched them in action. Or, more likely, they were ignoring him.
He sighed. Men were so much easier to intimidate.
He shook his head silently each time they spoke. Each idea was crazier than the last. Zumba classes down at BodyWorks. Kayaking. The Cirque du Soleil show in town for the weekend. A road trip over to Birch Falls to check out Tiny’s tattoo shop. Maybe those things would have worked for some people, but Rebecca wasn’t into any of that. Couldn’t they see that?
The final straw came when Taryn suggested a blind date. Lexi’s face lit up as she rattled off the names of a few eligible men at the restaurant. Maggie nodded
After a brief pause, Nicki spoke next. “It might work, but she might feel kind of awkward. I mean, the rest of us share the common bond of being married into the family.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Taryn vaguely, and Kane felt her eyes on him again. “I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Now, who’s got some ideas?”
* * *
K ane listened to their progress reports over the next few Sundays. He was already privy to some of it, as Rebecca had confided a few little tidbits the few times they had ‘conveniently’ crossed paths, but his sisters-in-law were usually far more graphic and detailed in their recollections than Rebecca.
Lexi had suggested a spa day, with mixed results. Rebecca had been somewhat surprised by their invitation to join them, but with Aidan’s not-so-subtle nudging she accepted easily enough. It had started off well. At the salon, Rebecca consented to a cut and style, and was quite pleased with the soft, easy layers the stylist had created for her, and even allowed a few shimmering highlights (of which Kane heartily approved). She was not quite as thrilled with an attempted makeover, but she did love the facial. She passed on the body wraps, politely declined the massage below the shoulders, and flatly refused some of the other, more personal services offered. (The last, when relayed expressively by Taryn, and which included a re-enactment of Rebecca suggesting a more appropriate use for the orangewood stick and container of hot wax, had Kane nearly convulsing with suppressed laughter – so much so that he had to fake a coughing fit to cover it up. Given Taryn’s subsequent smirk, she hadn’t been fooled for a moment.)
Nicki’s plan had included lunch and a shopping trip into the city. They spent the day visiting high-end department stores and boutiques. They patted themselves on the back when Rebecca seemed to open up a little and even bought a few items. But on the ride home, when Nicki questioned Rebecca’s lack of bags, Rebecca admitted giving the items to a homeless woman they’d passed on the way back to the parking authority. The remainder of the trip was relatively quiet after that.
Taryn thought that perhaps more drastic measures were called for. The woman had spent the best part of twelve years among nuns, after all. She planned a covert operation to an all-male review at one of the Pocono Resorts. Kane was especially interested in hearing about this one, and he was not disappointed. Apparently, after calmly watching nearly naked men gyrate and dance for several hours, Rebecca turned to them and said, “They’re nice, but honestly, what you’ve got in Pine Ridge is so much better.” Kane grinned at that.
Maggie, bless her soul, was a bit more realistic, suggesting some sort of family get together, but the others thought that idea might actually backfire and make Rebecca feel like even more of an outsider.
Kane pretended to watch the game while listening to some of their ideas for the next venture. After a while, he couldn’t stand it any longer and gave up all pretense of not paying attention. They were so intent on their planning, they didn’t even notice when he leaned against the doorway and watched them in action. Or, more likely, they were ignoring him.
He sighed. Men were so much easier to intimidate.
He shook his head silently each time they spoke. Each idea was crazier than the last. Zumba classes down at BodyWorks. Kayaking. The Cirque du Soleil show in town for the weekend. A road trip over to Birch Falls to check out Tiny’s tattoo shop. Maybe those things would have worked for some people, but Rebecca wasn’t into any of that. Couldn’t they see that?
The final straw came when Taryn suggested a blind date. Lexi’s face lit up as she rattled off the names of a few eligible men at the restaurant. Maggie nodded
Similar Books
