The Widows of Braxton County Read Online Free
start.” He dropped Kate’s arm and leaned in to give the woman a peck on the cheek.
The woman was definitely not his housekeeper.
“Kate,” he said, placing his arm around her waist, “I’d like you to meet my mother, Trudy Krause.”
Kate’s stomach sank. Oh my God, the woman who had been appraising her so closely was her new mother-in-law.
She plastered a smile on her face and took a step forward, holding out her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
Joe’s mother let her fingers brush Kate’s hand before crossing her arms over her apron. “Welcome.” She turned to Joe. “Come on. Dinner’s not getting any warmer while we stand in here flapping our jaws.” She pivoted on her heel and marched toward the back of the house.
Looking up at her husband, Kate raised her eyebrows in a silent question.
“Sorry,” he whispered, taking her arm and leading her through the dining room. “This wasn’t my idea.”
Kate paused in the doorway to the kitchen. It looked a little more modern than the parlor, but not much. Faded gray linoleum covered the floor. Glass-fronted white cabinets ringed the room over a pitted gray Formica countertop. Only the stove and refrigerator looked new, and Kate couldn’t help noticing that the kitchen lacked both a dishwasher and a microwave.
Mrs. Krause waved a skinny arm toward the table covered with a yellow vinyl tablecloth. Three place settings were laid out. “Sit down and let’s eat.”
The food she referred to had already been placed on the table. A bowl of mashed potatoes, a platter of fried chicken, and a tureen of what looked like congealed gravy. Two flies inched their way across the plastic, headed for the chicken.
Without warning, Trudy grabbed a fly swatter from the edge of the counter and, with one smack, killed both the flies.
Kate cringed as she watched Trudy fling them off the table with a practiced flip of her wrist.
She cleared her throat and smiled at her mother-in-law. “Mrs. Krause, it was so nice of you to fix us lunch.”
“Dinner,” Trudy replied in a clipped voice as she placed the fly swatter on the counter and pulled a chair away from the table. “Only city folks have lunch.”
“Right,” Kate said with a nod and took her place across from Trudy, “dinner, or whatever you want to call it.” She gave a nervous laugh. “It was kind of you to come by and prepare it for us.”
Trudy snorted and flicked her attention toward Joe, who sat at the head of the table. “Come by? Didn’t he tell you? I live here.”
Chapter 3
Summer 2012, the Krause family farm, Braxton County, Iowa
K ate, would you please calm down and let me explain?”
She slammed the dresser drawer in her new bedroom and whirled around to glare at her new husband. “Why didn’t you tell me that your mother would be living with us?” she asked, brushing away the angry tears.
“She’s not,” he replied, shifting his weight on the old double bed.
“Really?” She hugged herself tightly. “That’s not the way it looks right now.”
Joe hopped off the bed and came to her with swift strides. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he tried to pull her toward him, but she refused to budge. “It’s temporary.”
Kate took a step back.
“I know this isn’t what you expected,” he said quickly, “but if you’d let me explain.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m waiting.”
“She wasn’t supposed to be here. She was supposed to give me a chance—” He faltered and ran a hand through his hair. “I really thought the situation would be resolved before the wedding.”
“How?”
“Ma’s name has been on the waiting list at the retirement apartments since the day I decided to ask you to marry me. She was supposed to move last weekend, but there was a problem with the apartment.”
“What kind of a problem?”
“The last tenant destroyed the interior. Now the landlord has to replace all the flooring and repaint the walls.”
“Really?”
“Yes,
The woman was definitely not his housekeeper.
“Kate,” he said, placing his arm around her waist, “I’d like you to meet my mother, Trudy Krause.”
Kate’s stomach sank. Oh my God, the woman who had been appraising her so closely was her new mother-in-law.
She plastered a smile on her face and took a step forward, holding out her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
Joe’s mother let her fingers brush Kate’s hand before crossing her arms over her apron. “Welcome.” She turned to Joe. “Come on. Dinner’s not getting any warmer while we stand in here flapping our jaws.” She pivoted on her heel and marched toward the back of the house.
Looking up at her husband, Kate raised her eyebrows in a silent question.
“Sorry,” he whispered, taking her arm and leading her through the dining room. “This wasn’t my idea.”
Kate paused in the doorway to the kitchen. It looked a little more modern than the parlor, but not much. Faded gray linoleum covered the floor. Glass-fronted white cabinets ringed the room over a pitted gray Formica countertop. Only the stove and refrigerator looked new, and Kate couldn’t help noticing that the kitchen lacked both a dishwasher and a microwave.
Mrs. Krause waved a skinny arm toward the table covered with a yellow vinyl tablecloth. Three place settings were laid out. “Sit down and let’s eat.”
The food she referred to had already been placed on the table. A bowl of mashed potatoes, a platter of fried chicken, and a tureen of what looked like congealed gravy. Two flies inched their way across the plastic, headed for the chicken.
Without warning, Trudy grabbed a fly swatter from the edge of the counter and, with one smack, killed both the flies.
Kate cringed as she watched Trudy fling them off the table with a practiced flip of her wrist.
She cleared her throat and smiled at her mother-in-law. “Mrs. Krause, it was so nice of you to fix us lunch.”
“Dinner,” Trudy replied in a clipped voice as she placed the fly swatter on the counter and pulled a chair away from the table. “Only city folks have lunch.”
“Right,” Kate said with a nod and took her place across from Trudy, “dinner, or whatever you want to call it.” She gave a nervous laugh. “It was kind of you to come by and prepare it for us.”
Trudy snorted and flicked her attention toward Joe, who sat at the head of the table. “Come by? Didn’t he tell you? I live here.”
Chapter 3
Summer 2012, the Krause family farm, Braxton County, Iowa
K ate, would you please calm down and let me explain?”
She slammed the dresser drawer in her new bedroom and whirled around to glare at her new husband. “Why didn’t you tell me that your mother would be living with us?” she asked, brushing away the angry tears.
“She’s not,” he replied, shifting his weight on the old double bed.
“Really?” She hugged herself tightly. “That’s not the way it looks right now.”
Joe hopped off the bed and came to her with swift strides. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he tried to pull her toward him, but she refused to budge. “It’s temporary.”
Kate took a step back.
“I know this isn’t what you expected,” he said quickly, “but if you’d let me explain.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m waiting.”
“She wasn’t supposed to be here. She was supposed to give me a chance—” He faltered and ran a hand through his hair. “I really thought the situation would be resolved before the wedding.”
“How?”
“Ma’s name has been on the waiting list at the retirement apartments since the day I decided to ask you to marry me. She was supposed to move last weekend, but there was a problem with the apartment.”
“What kind of a problem?”
“The last tenant destroyed the interior. Now the landlord has to replace all the flooring and repaint the walls.”
“Really?”
“Yes,
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