Janie had tried to occupy herself to keep from thinking about Alex’s naked butt, but that had backfired. She’d just gotten her things hung up when he’d stepped out of the bathroom back into the closet, not what she’d anticipated, with nothing more than a towel on. Granted, it covered more than the shorts he’d been wearing earlier, but for some reason, she couldn’t keep from thinking about what he had on under that towel.

Nothing.

As soon as he’d gone back in the bathroom she’d closed her suitcase, put it away and gone into the bedroom. She’d tried to read, but her mind wouldn’t let her focus. It kept drifting to what he’d said about waiting until they got to know each other better before taking the next step.

That next step frightened her. Her mother had said it was a wife’s duty, that was all. There were whispers among some of the older girls about how unpleasant and painful that duty was. Since she’d left her family however, she’d heard different things. Romance novels certainly didn’t portray a wife’s duty as unpleasant. They made it seem wonderful. Janie wasn’t sure which to believe. She suspected that neither was completely true. But which was more accurate? Which should she trust?

When Alex had offered his hand, she’d stared at it a moment, unsure what to do. Now, with her hand in his, his strength holding on to her but not hurting, he led her to dinner.

It wasn’t until they stepped off the foot of the stairs and found the long table filled with men that she remembered what he’d said earlier. Dinner with the ranch hands. She lowered her head and snuck glances at them as she and Alex approached, careful not to meet anyone’s gaze. The chatter of them all talking at once seemed to die down as they approached. Another glance told her they were all looking at her. Her face heated.

Alex stopped near the head of the table, released her hand and cleared his throat, the few who hadn’t yet noticed their arrival fell silent and turned their attention to him.

“I have someone I’d like you all to meet,” Alex paused. “This is Janie, my wife.”

Voices rose for several minutes as the men, at least a dozen of them, offered their congratulations and made a few ribald remarks that made her face flame anew.

“All right, all right,” Alex spoke up after a minute. “I just wanted you all to meet her, so you’ll know her when you see her.” He paused just a couple seconds. “I expect you all to show her the respect she deserves. She’s had a big day and I know meeting you all in-mass can be a bit confusing. I’ll let you all introduce yourselves later, on a more one on one basis.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Yes, sir.”

“No doubt.” Voices echoed from around the table making.

Relief washed through her that she wouldn’t be expected to remember everyone’s names after tonight.

“I’ll leave you all to enjoy your dinner. I think I’m going to have a quiet dinner with just my bride.”

A few more off-color remarks were made, Janie did her best to ignore them as Alex seemed to be doing, as he once more took her hand and led her into the kitchen.

“Maggie, will you fix us a couple plates, I think Janie and I are going to eat in the breakfast nook tonight.”

“Not a problem, sir. You go on in, I’ll bring your dinner in shortly,” a tall, slightly round woman with steel gray hair said with a smile.

“Come on.” Alex’s hand was warm in hers as he led her to the smaller eating space, releasing it only when they reached the table and he pulled out a chair for her. “Talk to me, what kind of movies do you like?”

She bit her lip, unsure what to say. “I haven’t seen many, but I liked all I’ve seen.”

His eyes narrowed. “What about TV? What shows do you like?”

“The police shows. I like seeing how they solve crimes and capture the bad guys.”

He smiled, and her stomach did a flip.

“I like those too. What about music?”

She looked down, music had been forbidden. Unless it was specific church hymns that had only been allowed to be sung without instruments. “I’ve never gotten into music much.”

“Oh, that’s a shame. I love something with a good beat to it. Sometimes dancing is a great way to let loose.”

Dancing had been even more taboo than music when she’d been growing up and while she’d tried it a few times as a teen, she’d always been so self-conscious she’d never been able to enjoy it like the other kids seemed to. She didn’t know what to say to his comment, so she’d stayed quiet. Maggie appeared pushing a small cart, she served them each a plate then added water glasses and asked if they’d like anything else to drink, leaving only after they’d both declined.

“Okay, back to movies. What’s the last thing you saw in a theater?”

She looked at him, eyes wide. She’d been in a theater exactly once. On a date. The boy had tried to stick his hand up her shirt, she’d slapped him and left before the movie was even half over. She couldn’t even remember what the movie was.

“Have you ever been to a theater?”

“Once,” she admitted. She didn’t want to tell him the whole story but at the same time, she wasn’t going to lie, instead she just hoped he’d let it drop. “It was a long time ago.”

“What was the last movie you saw?”

Relief washed through her when he didn’t push. “Overboard.” She smiled as she remembered the movie. It had been so outlandish it had made her laugh over and over.

“The new one?”

She shook her head. “The original. I didn’t know until after I’d seen this one that there was a second. Have you seen it?”

“Which one?”

“Either.”

“I saw the original a long time ago, but not recently, I’ve not seen the new one yet. Would you like to see it?”

She thought about it a moment, but hadn’t answered yet when he spoke again.

“We can go in the media room and watch it if you like.”

“Do you have it?”

“I don’t, but I have no doubt I can get it.” He smiled and took a bite.

Janie shook her head and turned her attention to the plate in front of her. She took a bite, barely paying any attention to what she was eating as all her attention was on the man seated next to her. She didn’t know why, but when he was near, he seemed become the center of whatever was going on. Was it because it was his house, his ranch? That he was the boss here? She didn’t know but she was intrigued.

“A movie sounds nice.”

They both fell quiet as they finished eating, but it was a comfortable silence with only the light clinking of flatware on their dishes and the sounds of the men in the next room in the back ground.