sound of her voice. She spun around to face her mother, who was holding an overflowing bag of groceries.
Katherine passed the bag to her daughter and looked at her disapprovingly, clucking her tongue against her cheek as she waited for an answer.
RJ began poking around the sack so she wouldn’t have to meet her mother’s inquiring stare. "Uh … well …"
"Ruth Jean, I don’t like that girl."
RJ eyes darted to helplessly to Pete then back to the forceful older woman. "Mother, you don’t even know her."
"What do I need to know about her other than the fact that she’s alive? I think even you’d have the good sense to know that this is going to keep you apart from her. Assuming you ever get past just wanting to take her to bed."
RJ’s mouth dropped open. "Mother!"
Pete tried to intervene and save his rapidly sinking assistant. "Now, Katie –"
"Don’t you ‘Now Katie’ me, Pete. You more than anyone should know it’s not possible for them to be together and you shouldn’t be encouraging Ruth Jean to go and be with that girl. In the long run it’ll only hurt them both. That is, if they ever get past just wanting to –""
"I know. I know," RJ said quickly. "For the love of Mike, you don’t have to say it again."
Pete sighed heavily. "But they seem to make each other happy."
"All right, so they make each other happy. Eating ten pounds of chocolate in one sitting would make me as happy as a lark. But that doesn’t mean it’s what I should do, now does it?
"Bu–"
"Are you gonna let Ruth Jean out then? Are you gonna let her leave Glory permanently? Are you gonna let them be together should they want that?"
"Be together?" RJ tried to throw her hands in the air, which was a terrible mistake considering she was still holding her mother’s groceries. She fumbled with the bag. "Is it necessary to marry me off just because I took notice of a pretty woman?"
Katherine ignored her daughter’s comment and continued to focus on Pete. "Or are you gonna let them be happy for a short time and then make her come back, so she can be more miserable than before. She –"
"I’m not miserable!"
Pete and Katherine both shot RJ a stern look and barked, "Don’t interrupt."
"Stop!" RJ moved between Pete and Katherine. "Just stop."
The anger and hint of defeat in RJ’s voice made Pete’s chest tighten.
"I won’t be pushed into doing," she glared at Pete, "or not doing," the glare shifted to her mother, "something to please either one of you. It’s my eternity and I’ll spend it the way I see fit!"
RJ was breathing hard and both Pete and Katie could hear the tears in her voice. In all the time Pete had known her, he’d never heard her raise her voice to Katherine. And by the look on the older woman’s face, she realized she’d pushed RJ too far.
RJ cleared her throat and took firm hold over her emotions. "Come now, Mother. I’ll take you home." She strode over to the truck, not bothering to say goodbye to Pete or wait for her mother to join her.
Pete’s voice dropped to whisper. "You should be ashamed, Katie. RJ deserves a chance to be happy just like everyone else here. And she never will be if you keep acting like this."
"If you can figure out a way for her to be happy with this girl, I’ll gladly accept it. Otherwise don’t be filling her head with such foolishness. You know better than anyone that almost nobody leaves Glory." She spoke faster when it appeared that Pete was going to break in. "If you can arrange it for RJ to go be with this girl, I would never stand in her way. I’m not a fool, Peter."
Pete’s shoulders sagged.
"I can see the connection between them, same as you. And despite the teachings of my generation, I’d gladly welcome the trucker –"
"Leigh," he supplied.
Katherine nodded. "Leigh … into my family." She paused and searched Pete’s face, her eyes widening with realization. "Ruth Jean’s already been given permission to go?"
"Almost."
Katherine pursed her lips.
Katherine passed the bag to her daughter and looked at her disapprovingly, clucking her tongue against her cheek as she waited for an answer.
RJ began poking around the sack so she wouldn’t have to meet her mother’s inquiring stare. "Uh … well …"
"Ruth Jean, I don’t like that girl."
RJ eyes darted to helplessly to Pete then back to the forceful older woman. "Mother, you don’t even know her."
"What do I need to know about her other than the fact that she’s alive? I think even you’d have the good sense to know that this is going to keep you apart from her. Assuming you ever get past just wanting to take her to bed."
RJ’s mouth dropped open. "Mother!"
Pete tried to intervene and save his rapidly sinking assistant. "Now, Katie –"
"Don’t you ‘Now Katie’ me, Pete. You more than anyone should know it’s not possible for them to be together and you shouldn’t be encouraging Ruth Jean to go and be with that girl. In the long run it’ll only hurt them both. That is, if they ever get past just wanting to –""
"I know. I know," RJ said quickly. "For the love of Mike, you don’t have to say it again."
Pete sighed heavily. "But they seem to make each other happy."
"All right, so they make each other happy. Eating ten pounds of chocolate in one sitting would make me as happy as a lark. But that doesn’t mean it’s what I should do, now does it?
"Bu–"
"Are you gonna let Ruth Jean out then? Are you gonna let her leave Glory permanently? Are you gonna let them be together should they want that?"
"Be together?" RJ tried to throw her hands in the air, which was a terrible mistake considering she was still holding her mother’s groceries. She fumbled with the bag. "Is it necessary to marry me off just because I took notice of a pretty woman?"
Katherine ignored her daughter’s comment and continued to focus on Pete. "Or are you gonna let them be happy for a short time and then make her come back, so she can be more miserable than before. She –"
"I’m not miserable!"
Pete and Katherine both shot RJ a stern look and barked, "Don’t interrupt."
"Stop!" RJ moved between Pete and Katherine. "Just stop."
The anger and hint of defeat in RJ’s voice made Pete’s chest tighten.
"I won’t be pushed into doing," she glared at Pete, "or not doing," the glare shifted to her mother, "something to please either one of you. It’s my eternity and I’ll spend it the way I see fit!"
RJ was breathing hard and both Pete and Katie could hear the tears in her voice. In all the time Pete had known her, he’d never heard her raise her voice to Katherine. And by the look on the older woman’s face, she realized she’d pushed RJ too far.
RJ cleared her throat and took firm hold over her emotions. "Come now, Mother. I’ll take you home." She strode over to the truck, not bothering to say goodbye to Pete or wait for her mother to join her.
Pete’s voice dropped to whisper. "You should be ashamed, Katie. RJ deserves a chance to be happy just like everyone else here. And she never will be if you keep acting like this."
"If you can figure out a way for her to be happy with this girl, I’ll gladly accept it. Otherwise don’t be filling her head with such foolishness. You know better than anyone that almost nobody leaves Glory." She spoke faster when it appeared that Pete was going to break in. "If you can arrange it for RJ to go be with this girl, I would never stand in her way. I’m not a fool, Peter."
Pete’s shoulders sagged.
"I can see the connection between them, same as you. And despite the teachings of my generation, I’d gladly welcome the trucker –"
"Leigh," he supplied.
Katherine nodded. "Leigh … into my family." She paused and searched Pete’s face, her eyes widening with realization. "Ruth Jean’s already been given permission to go?"
"Almost."
Katherine pursed her lips.
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