Stepmom Interfering with Father/ Grown-Up son relationship?

My husband and his father haven't had the greatest of relationships. His father divorced when my husband was 12, and remarried when he was 14. His stepmother has 3 sons from a previous relationship (all who are around the same age now, and living out of the house). It seems that whenever my husband has called in the past to do something, his stepmother would basically step in, and either say that they have church things to do, or else they already have plans to visit the grandkids on her side, etc. My husband basically took this as a hint, and even though he tried to call again last March (where he had to leave a message that was left unanswered), decided to stop calling him altogether. I've tried to keep the lines of communications open at least through e-mails with the stepmom, and have noticed that the stepmom's reason why we never hear from my husband's father anymore, is because of my husband not contacting him. This even happened on Father's Day, whereas, the stepmother told me that her husband waited all day by the phone to call, and finally gave up and went to bed. (I'm sorry, but am I the only one hearing violins? I think if it bothered him, he could have picked the phone up too and gave his son father's day wishes as well.) I can't help but think that this is kind of the relationship the stepmother wants, and is using her religious goody-two-shoes facade to look guiltless in the matter. It's like she's twisting this and telling his father that my husband is a bad son, and that it's just best to stay away. (And mind you, his dad can take the 40mile drive out here to see his granddaughter just as well as my husband can. But the stepmom is always interfering, so my husband just gave up, saying he hopes his dad will grow some "things" and will realize the witch he married.) I do wish that my husband and his father could have some kind of get together, but this woman will always find a way to step in to ruin it. What's your take?