"And he don't have to do chores in all kinds of weather," she concluded with a shiver.
They darted outside and closed the door before the room lost the little warmth it had gained. The wind yanked Carmen's hair with icy fingers. She pulled her hood up against its furious roar. Ahead of her, Katie stepped off the wooden porch into the ankle high snow and followed the trail Carmen had broken earlier on her trip to light the stove in the dairy. The sun wouldn't be up for another hour, but the block walls of the dairy loomed clearly in the white landscape. The snow crunched under their feet and the icy carried Katie's words back in a cloud of steam.
"I didn't run off just because he wanted me to go to college, you know. I left because he's a smothering mother hen. Always telling me what to do - ordering me around. That may be your idea of an ideal relationship, but I had to get away from him if I was going to have a life of my own."
Carmen took a few extra steps to catch up with Katie's stride. A life of her own? Katie had gone directly from Alex to her Aunt Polly. When her aunt had died, Katie had moved in with Carmen. It was hard to imagine Katie conducting her life without the help of others. No wonder Alex concocted this ridiculous trip to coax Katie back to Houston. He had his work cut out for him, though. Katie might have been brought up by a socialite, but she was all redneck now. There was only one thing Katie treasured more than the farm. Bill Carlson, co-owner of Carl & Son's Feed Store. Fortunately, Bill was equally smitten with Katie. Yeah, sometimes it actually worked out that way.
Carmen eyed Katie coolly and responded in a dry tone.
"Being bossed around isn't my idea of marital bliss. I don't want to be completely dominated. I know it's an archaic idea for a woman to want the man to wear the pants, but I'm entitled to my opinion the same as you and Lori. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be cherished and protected. For the right man, I'm willing to turn over the running of the farm and become his helpmate. After all, it worked for Mom and Dad."
Katie laughed without humor. "Yeah, but your mother and father were from a different generation. Being subservient is taking a backward step for women."
Carmen shook her head. "I have no intention of being subservient - and how is that taking a backward step, anyway? I think it was a backward step when women started stooping to the morals of men."