Late Last Night (River Bend) Read Free Page A

pleasure she felt in the kids because they weren’t hers and they were stopping her from finding a life… a man… kids of her own.
    She would start to loathe all of them, loathe Melinda’s mother who could have helped but never did, loathe the beloved family ranch for its demands on Rob’s energy and strength, and she would loathe herself most of all, for becoming such an angry martyr, for not getting out while there was still time.
    She loved her brother. She loved his whole family. But something had to change.
     
     

 
     
    Chapter Two
     
     
    Kate bit the bullet and talked to Rob that night, after the meal.
    They had finally served it at eight thirty-five, after the kids’ hunger had been kept at bay earlier by a banana each and a glass of milk. Somehow the kitchen cleanup hadn’t happened before dinner, so it was still a mess in there and would have to be tackled later. But Rob had taken Rose and RJ with him to check on the pregnant cows, and they were starting to know what to look for in the “heavies”—restlessness, discharge, the pregnant cow lifting her tail and kicking at her belly. That was a big plus. They’d be a real help by next year.
    Melinda was getting the children to bed now, and fortunately, since it was almost nine-thirty, they were tired enough that even her vague, chaotic parenting style could manage the task. Kate and Rob could both hear her along the corridor with the triplets. “No, don’t change your pajamas, Jodie. I know you love your princess ones, but— oh, okay, if you really want to. Put those ones in the laundry basket, then—wait, Jamie, you haven’t brushed your teeth. Oh, you have? Really?”
    Rob yawned and blinked, waiting for Kate to begin. She’d said a few minutes ago, “We need to talk,” and they’d come into the living room, where toys were still scattered, along with food crumbs and a plastic cup leaking dregs of juice onto the carpet. Right now, Rob looked tired, apprehensive , and frankly clueless about what was coming, and she knew he would be eager to get to bed. He wasn’t a talkative man, but he was solid as a rock, strong and honorable and decent, and she didn’t want to hurt him, or make him feel bad.
    “Is this about money?” he asked, before she could find a way into the subject.
    “Money? No!”
    “One of the kids, then?”
    “Not that either. Rob, just let me say this, okay?
    But there was no easy way.
    She’d taught him to read when he was six years old and she was nine. He’d struggled with it at school, but she’d sat down patiently with him each evening until something clicked. Her parents had praised her and the glow of pride was something she’d never forgotten.
    Teaching Rob to read was what had led to her teaching career, and she’d always felt protective toward him. It was only when he grew up and grew bigger and stronger than her that he started to protect her in return. It went both ways, now, but the two ways were different. He was concrete and practical in his thinking, a man of action, not empathy or imagination. They cared about each other a lot, but it wasn’t enough.
    She took a breath. “Rob, I think I need to move into my own place.”
    “Your own place?” He looked blank. “You mean, build a second house?”
    On the ranch, of course. Her heart sank. He had no idea. “No, that’s not what I mean. I need to move away. Closer to town and school. I think it’s time. Past time. You and Melinda need to—to find a way to manage without me. I feel like I don’t have a life of my own, and it’s starting to make me angry, and I hate that.”
    “Move away,” he said. He looked shocked, and still blank. “Move away.”
    “Yes.”
    Silence. She wondered what else she could say, but finally he spoke, sounding bewildered and creaky with fatigue.
    “I had no idea you wanted to do that. You love the kids. I thought you were happy here.”
    “I have been…” but not so much lately, although I’ve tried not to let