Owned Forever by Willa Edwards Page B

They were more important than any career. “We do just fine on the farm. We can take care of ourselves.”
    At her other side, Gale nodded, a big grin on her face. Gale took such pride in living on what they had. A notion Kate’s mother would never appreciate.
    “I definitely understand why you moved out here.” Her mother rolled her eyes, shifting a few more bites around her plate but not eating one.
    Her sarcasm set Kate’s teeth on edge. “Stop it, Mom,” Kate snapped back.
    “What? I just want to understand. Tell me why you gave up your good job at a great school in the city.”
    “I moved here to be with Daniel—and Grant and Gale. To be with this family that has welcomed me with open arms.”
    “I’m sure they did, after your father’s promotion.”
    Kate sucked in a breath like she’d been punched in the gut. There it was. It all came back to her father’s promotion, her family’s money, their status. That was all her mother ever cared about.
    “Margo.” Her father growled, his tone stern, but her mother was on a roll, and she didn’t appear to be stopping. “Leave it alone.”
    But her mother only leaned back, crossing her arms across her chest.
    “Margo, I can assure you, we’re not interested in your money,” Gale responded, pain tinting her words.
    The look on Gale’s face nearly did Kate in. She hadn’t been anything but wonderful to Kate. She didn’t deserve this accusation.
    “Mom, that’s ridiculous. Not everyone is after money. Some people might actually want me here. They might love me.”
    Daniel opened his mouth to interject, but before he could, her mother fired back. “I’m sure that’s how they make you feel. It’s only a matter of time before they want more from us.”
    “Not everyone cares about money as much as you do, Mom,” Kate screamed, standing up from the table.
    “Maybe they should. If you cared a little bit more about money, you wouldn’t have made the stupid decision to move out here to the country in the first place.”
    Kate pulled back, glaring at her mother. Red filled her vision. Her fingers dug into the tablecloth. Her teeth ground together. How dare she call moving to Colorado a stupid decision? How dare she criticize her for following her heart and finally finding a place where she belonged, instead of spending her whole life waiting for the scraps of affection her mother deigned to send her way?
    “You think my marriage is a stupid decision?”
    “I’m sure your mother didn’t mean that.” Her father immediately interceded, staring at his wife with a hard look.
    But her mother was not deterred. “Don’t speak for me, Robert.” She glared at her husband. “I meant what I said. I think moving out here was a mistake. How could leaving the place where your family is—where your job was—to live in the country with a bunch of horses be a good idea?”
    She turned to Kate, her eyes wide and imploring, though Kate forced herself to appear unaffected. If she knew how her words upset her, her mother would never stop.
    “You gave up your teaching job at a great school to come out here and play farmer’s wife. You gave up your future for some man you’ve only known for a year. How could that not be a stupid decision?” Her mother dropped her fork next to her plate, the clang of the metal against the porcelain ringing through the air.
    “Margo, I don’t think that’s fair,” Daniel interjected, standing up beside her.
    “What do you know?” her mother almost spit at him. “Robert offered you a great job if you came back to Dallas. He was willing to bring you into the business, set you up to make president in the next five years. And you wouldn’t even consider it. And you think you know enough to tell me what’s fair?”
    Kate gasped at the revelation, and both Daniel and her father’s shoulders slumped and the two men studied the floor. It was bad enough they’d offered Daniel a job if he moved them back to Dallas, like some old