Big Girls Don’t Cry (Dundee, Idaho #6)(20)
Author: Brenda Novak

“I would think his having his own account would be atypical of couples from around here,” he said, hoping for more details.

“It probably is. My parents have always shared everything. But like I said, Keith transfers most of the money over to our household account, anyway. We have bills to pay, you know?”

“So you never actually see his paycheck?”

“It’s on automatic deposit. But I know how much he makes.”

“How?”

“He tells me.”

Right. “What about tax returns? Do you file jointly?”

She grimaced. “You want to hear about my tax returns?”

“It’s all part of the various…styles of marriage I’m studying.”

“We file separately.”

Of course they did.

“But only because a tax consultant told Keith we could save a lot of money that way,” she added.

“That isn’t true for most people,” Isaac couldn’t help pointing out.

“It’s because of the types of investments he makes—or something like that,” she said. “I’m not really sure. I don’t like dealing with the IRS. I’m just glad Keith’s willing to handle it.”

“Generous of him,” Isaac murmured.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He was beginning to understand how Keith had managed to keep some of the most obvious signs of his double life from becoming apparent to at least one wife. Reenie had married him before they’d had any money, so she didn’t expect a lot. Keith gave her enough to support the family, and she didn’t ask for more. Simply put, she trusted him. Isaac understood that. Keith came off as a great guy. Elizabeth trusted him, too. Until last week, Isaac had trusted him as well.

Judy returned with Reenie’s soft drink. Reenie leaned back and didn’t speak again until the waitress was gone. “Anything else?” A devilish glint entered her eyes. “You might want to include a chapter on how couples around here do their laundry.”

He laughed and decided to back off anything to do with Keith, at least for the moment. “Isabella brought me a cookie earlier.”

“I know.”

“She mentioned you have a brother who can’t walk.”

Reenie straightened her knife, spoon and fork neatly on her place mat. “That’s true.”

“I’m sorry to hear it.”

“You’ll probably be even sorrier when you find out who he is,” she said.

“Why’s that?”

“Do you like football?”

He slung an arm over the back of the booth. “Let’s see…I already have a couple strikes against me for the finance questions and my scientific background. If I want to walk away with my self-esteem intact, I’m guessing yes is a good answer on this. I like football but—” he glanced over at the cowboy who used to be one of her students and let his smile broaden “—rodeo’s even better.”

“I’d be willing to bet my life savings you’ve never even been to a rodeo,” she said.

“I don’t look western enough?”

She made a point of leaning over the end of the table to peer down at his loafers.

“These are my city clothes,” he said. “I go into a phone booth when I want to become Rodeo Fan.”

She laughed and he immediately realized he liked the sound of it. “Okay,” she said. “Maybe your book won’t be totally dry.”

He tried not to feel gratified by her approval. “So who’s your brother and what’s his connection to football?”

“Gabriel Holbrook. If you’re familiar with the NFL, you’ll know the connection.”

Isaac had been about to take a drink. Now he put his glass down and leaned forward. “Gabe Holbrook, the famous quarterback who was paralyzed in a car accident several years ago?”

“That’s him.”

“Wow.” He moved his water glass in small circles on the table. “That must’ve been very difficult for everyone.”

“It was.”

“How’s he doing?”

“Okay, for the most part. It took some time, but—” she tore the paper off her straw “—he seems to have made the adjustment to his new lifestyle.”

“You said he lives around here?”

She suddenly grew leery. “You’re not going to chase him down, looking for an autograph, are you?”

“No.”

“Okay, then. He has a cabin up in the mountains and a place in town. He coaches football at the high school.”

“I read somewhere that Gabe Holbrook was marrying the woman who crashed into him. That’s not true, is it?”

She took a sip of her drink, then propped her chin on one fist. “Actually, it is. They’re married already. No one thought it’d work out. Even I feared resentment would pop up at one point or another. But the marriage seems solid. They’re truly devoted to each other.”

“Earlier you said your family has seen more public interest than most. Now I know what you were talking about.”

The ice in her glass clinked as she stirred her Coke with her straw. “Actually, that wasn’t what I was talking about.”

“No?”

“No.”

Curiosity prompted Isaac to press her for an explanation, but it really wasn’t any of his business. He sobered as his thoughts returned to Keith and Elizabeth and the reason behind his visit. “According to Judy, you married young.”

She shrugged. “I knew what I wanted.”

“Do you ever regret it? Wish you’d waited? Chosen a different path?”

“Of course not,” she responded. “You’ve seen my kids.”

He wiped the condensation from his water glass. “Judy also said Keith travels a lot. That’s okay with you?”

A hint of dissatisfaction showed in her expression, the same dissatisfaction he’d noted earlier, but she quickly masked it. “The travel’s an issue, but we’re dealing with it. When you love someone as much as I love Keith, you do what you can to accommodate their work schedule.”

If she suspected that her husband was doing anything wrong, anything at all, she didn’t show it.

“Is Keith usually home for the holidays?” Isaac didn’t remember Elizabeth complaining about Keith being gone for Christmas or Thanksgiving. But Isaac had been out of the country for much of the past three years. And his sister wasn’t the type to complain. She felt too grateful for her family.