Country Romance - Carolyne Aarsen Page 0,14

guys know the drill," Adele said, wondering again about the girls’ mother. She guessed she was gone, but how long? Had she died? Had she left?

She doubted she would find out soon.

"I won't touch anything either," Dean assured her.

"Thanks, buddy. Do you mind keeping an eye on the girls for me while I go outside?" She didn't like having them stay in the tractor, but it would be even more dangerous to take them outside with the cows milling around. Best bad choice, she told herself. "Just make sure they stay behind the seat."

Dean nodded, giving her a careful smile.

She held his eyes, feeling a rush of sympathy for the little guy. His whole life had been upended the last couple of weeks, and now he sat in a tractor with two girls he had never met before, who were presumably his sisters. He seemed to take it all in stride, but she guessed there would be a day of reckoning for him.

She tried not to think too far ahead as she got out of the tractor. Tried not to think what might be in store for him.

For now, the cows needed to be fed.

Roll with the flow, roll with the flow.

These words had been her mantra most of her life. Every time her father decided he couldn't stick around anymore, and he dropped her off at the neighbor's place, he would repeat these words to her. She was never sure if they were a warning or a comfort. But either way, they became ingrained in her subconscious.

She climbed up into the feeder and made quick work of cutting the strings, pulling them off, thankful they weren't frozen to the bales. As she did, she remembered the many times that she would tug strings loose on bales when she fed cows with Earl. She would have to yank and pull, taking large hunks of hay along with the strings. She had worked in bare hands in minus twenty-degree weather, the wind howling, being pelted with snow as hungry cows gathered around her.

Helping on her foster parents’ ranch was expected. But she didn’t mind. She loved the work, loved helping Earl with all the chores around the ranch. Loved being outside and working with animals. They had even trained a horse together. When Earl died and her foster mother, Bonnie, had to move, it was another wrenching, horrible twist in her life.

Another loss and another painful reminder of the vulnerability that being connected to people caused.

And the pain that came with each loss.

Adele shunted those thoughts aside, focusing on the job in front of her. She wound the strings around her hand, tied them off, and carried them to the tractor.

While she worked, she kept her eye on the kids. They had taken her warning to heart and stayed where they were, watching her.

She climbed back in the tractor, turning to smile at them. "You guys did real good. Thanks for being such good listeners. We just have to do this a few more times."

She wasn't sure how many bales to feed. She just figured she would put as many bales in the three feeders as they would hold and check them tomorrow.

If she was still here.

An hour later, the cows were all munching on their hay, gathered around the three feeders, and Adele was parking the tractor in the shop.

Maria had pulled her mittens and toque off and Maya had unzipped her coat. She got them all dressed up again and took them one by one out of the tractor.

While she closed the door, the three of them ran toward a pile of snow beside the door of the shop. They were climbing up and sliding down on their butts, laughing and giggling as they tossed loose snow at each other.

"Okay, guys, we should get to the house," Adele called out. She wanted to check on Wyatt and make sure he was still okay.

"We want to play outside," Maria called out. "We're having fun."

"I can see that," Adele said with a chuckle. Maya had piled snow on Maria's head, but they were both laughing. Dean was burying his legs in the loose snow, his cheeks rosy and his eyes bright.

Adele thought of the last three days of driving he’d endured. The poor kid was ready to have some physical activity. And the girls looked like they were having fun.

"Let's first go up to the house. I just want to see how your dad is feeling," she said.

They grumbled but followed