food she'd given him, he had to admit he felt better. He picked up his mug of tea and leaned back, sipping it, grateful again for the silence.
However, he knew it couldn't last. Things were just too strange right now.
"Forgive me, but I can't remember who you said Dean's mother is?"
"Sally. Her name is Sally Henshall.”
Still didn't ring a bell. "She's your friend?"
"Was my friend and roommate," Adele returned, tucking her feet under her as she relaxed in the opposite corner of the couch.
Right. He remembered that Adele had said Sally had died. "Sorry about that."
Adele acknowledged his apology with a tight nod.
Another moment of quiet, then he plowed on. "How long had you known her?"
"I met her when Dean was two. We were both looking for a roommate, so we moved in together." She clutched her mug close, taking another sip of tea.
Wyatt rubbed his forehead again, struggling to think. "And she told you I was the father?"
"Not right away. She said nothing about Dean's father at all. Only that she had gotten pregnant on a trip to Mexico."
Mexico. Wyatt barely remembered that trip as it was. A destination wedding for a friend. He didn't want to go, but his brother Reuben, who was the best man, figured it would do Wyatt good to come along. He and Theresa had just broken up for the third time. So he went. It was a wild week.
He remembered spending a lot of time at one bar. Something he had been doing far too much of at that time, even when he was home in Millar's Crossing. It was the time of his life that he was the most ashamed of. He knew he had been drinking in Mexico. Knew he had gone to a couple of parties. But he couldn't remember the woman whose picture Adele had shown him.
Of course, his brain wasn't firing on all cylinders right now.
With a shrug, he finished the rest of his tea. "I wish I could remember. That would make things easier, but I can't."
Wyatt set his empty mug aside, crossing his arms over his chest, thankful he was feeling more focused. "What's your plan? For being here...for Dean..."
"We’re staying at an Airbnb in Millar's Crossing. I had figured on us staying there overnight and then my bringing Dean to the ranch every day this week."
"So I could get to know him better?"
"That, and something else I think we need to discuss."
"There's more?"
Adele nodded as she ran her finger up and down the handle of her mug. Wyatt recognized the mug as one of a set he and Theresa had received as a wedding present from Reuben and his wife, Denise. The only reason he remembered them was because Theresa had mocked them.
"I guessed you would have your questions about Dean, and that's to be expected," Adele said. "For all you know, I could be anybody with any kid stopping in at your place. You need to know this wasn't my idea. Sally pleaded with me to bring him here. Besides, I had hoped you would remember Sally and being with her..." Her voice trailed off and Wyatt could see a faint flush staining her cheeks, bringing the sprinkling of freckles across her cheeks into relief. She took a breath, tossed back her hair, and looked him directly in the eye. "But just in case that didn't happen, I bought a DNA test kit. To make sure."
She stopped, her flush deepening.
"A DNA test kit," he repeated, pulling in another breath.
"Like I said, I had hoped you would remember for Dean and for Sally's sake, but this would be a backup."
He fought down a surge of frustration at the condemning tone in her voice.
"Well, if Dean was mine, I would have hoped that this Sally person would have had the decency to contact me sooner."
"You're right," she said, holding a hand up as if to pacify him. "Trust me, I've had many conversations with her about telling you. I kept encouraging her to let you know. But she said she’d waited too long. By the time she was ready, she found out you were married, and she didn't want to cause any problems."
"Maybe because Dean isn't mine." But even as he spoke the brave words, he remembered what the little guy looked like. How familiar he seemed.
He shook that off. The power of suggestion, he told himself.
Adele looked down at her mug, quiet for a moment. She licked her lips, keeping her eyes downcast. "I only