Country Romance - Carolyne Aarsen Page 0,27

porch.

"We had fun sliding," Maya yelled, jumping on the bench, her cheeks bright pink, her eyes shining.

"I'm right here, honey," he said with a smile at her loud exuberance.

"I know. But I had fun," she repeated, in case he didn't get it the first time.

"That's good. I'll be making that pile bigger tonight," he said, tugging her boots off. "I have to plow out the yard and driveway."

"Yay. I'm happy," Maya said, wiggling with pleasure.

"Will you have to put a blade on the tractor to do that?" Adele asked, her husky voice creating, again, that unwelcome thrill.

"Yes. It's a quick-attach." He rolled his eyes as he pulled off Maya's coat. Why did he think she would be the least bit interested in that bit of information?

"Nice. You don't even have to get out of the tractor," she said, obviously knowing what he was talking about. She hung up Maria's coat and set her snow-encrusted mitts, toque, and scarf aside. Then she helped Dean finish taking his outdoor clothes off. The kids scooted out of the porch, eager to go onto the next thing.

"So, I haven’t asked you yet," Wyatt said as he hung up the girls' snow pants, "but you seem to know your way around equipment and cows. How is that?"

Adele picked up Maria's wet toque and mitts, laying them out on the bench to dry. "I spent a lot of time on a farm."

"So, you grew up on one?"

"Sort of." Adele gave a shrug, then looked at him, her expression unreadable. "My foster parents had a farm. They took care of me when my dad...when my dad couldn't. I helped them out whenever I was there."

She sounded casual, but despite his own weak state, Wyatt sensed a tension as she spoke.

"How big was their place?" he asked, avoiding the topic of why her father couldn't take care of her. Sensing she would prefer to stick to basic facts.

"It wasn't large. About a hundred cow/calf pairs. Earl, my foster father, sometimes kept steers back and grass-fed them."

"Where was this ranch?"

"In Fairview. But up there, it was never called a ranch," she said with a quick smile, hanging her own coat up. "People up there don't stand on ceremony. My foster parents always called it a farm. Plain and simple."

He had to smile at her comment. "Well, my place is a ranch. Always has been a ranch, always will be."

He stood aside to let her precede him into the kitchen. He followed her and grabbed the kettle, filling it with water. "Do you want some coffee? Tea? I was going to make some hot chocolate for the kids."

"I'll have some of the same," she said, hovering in the middle of the kitchen, as if unsure what to do.

"Cocoa is on the shelf above the stove." He plugged the kettle in. He pulled some mugs out of the cupboard and spoons out of the drawer just as Adele handed him the cocoa. "Marshmallows are in the pantry."

Adele shot him a curious look. "You have a pantry? That would have been good to know when I was scrounging through the cupboards looking for something to make last night. Or when I was putting away the groceries just now."

"It's behind me. The door beside the one leading to my office."

"And here I thought I’d be snooping if I opened it." Adele chuckled as she walked over and opened the correct door. Then she sighed. "Well, this isn't exactly Mother Hubbard's cupboard, but it comes close."

"Sorry. Cooking is not my superpower," he said, spooning powder into the mugs he had set out.

"I can see that. The freezer and refrigerator were pretty bare too."

He leaned back against the counter, fighting another wave of weakness. "Were pretty bare?" he repeated, turning it into a question.

"I got groceries when I went to town."

Guilt washed over him. "I'm so sorry. I should pay you back for that."

"Just add it to my paycheck," she said with a grin. "As for the marshmallows, I'm thinking they’ve celebrated a few birthdays already." The bag made a thunk when she dropped it on the counter.

"Oh well, I tried."

She tossed the bag into the garbage can beside the counters. "I'm sure you did more than that," she said, her voice quiet. "It's quite a responsibility to manage a ranch and raise two little girls."

"It's been a challenge, is all I can say."

"I'm sure it has been." She was quiet a moment. He felt her eyes on him and he wondered what she was