Country Romance - Carolyne Aarsen Page 0,35

husband. They're already dealing with a lot of stress."

"Don't worry. It’ll be fine," Adele assured her.

Mrs. Flikkema caught her hand and squeezed it. "Thank you. You are such a good person. I'll see you later."

Adele nodded, then zipped up her coat, looking for the exits.

"We're here," Maya cried out, bursting through the door ahead of her, holding on to what looked like a tree with some ragged paper leaves attached to it. "We can go now."

Dean lagged behind them, looking down at a paper he was holding. Wyatt was right behind them, holding Maria's hand.

"What did Angie Flikkema want?" he asked as they joined her.

"She needs the Airbnb for her daughter."

"That means you'll need another place to stay."

"She called the Inn. There's a room available Dean and I can stay in. We'll have to go pick up our stuff."

Wyatt nodded slowly. "You can't check in until four o’clock, so we'll just get your stuff to the ranch for now. We'll have to make a couple of stops on the way.”

"A couple?" she asked as they walked to the truck, pulling the hood of her coat against the bitter wind.

"I need to check the mail," he said.

The words came out casually but Adele comprehended the import in them. She had gone to town on Friday but hadn't taken the key for the mailbox along, so they hadn't picked up the mail for a few days.

Maybe. Maybe.

They walked to the truck and got in. The girls were chattering about the Sunday school class.

"What did you learn?" Adele asked Dean, who was quiet.

"We talked about family," he mumbled, looking down.

Adele guessed that the theme of the church service was echoed downstairs. A theme that it seemed both she and Dean struggled with.

She left it at that, turning to look through the windshield at the snow now swirling around.

They drove directly to the Airbnb, and while Wyatt waited in the truck with the kids, Adele went inside and made quick work of gathering what few items they had left. It didn't take long, and a few minutes later she was trundling their suitcases down the snow-covered walk.

Wyatt got out of the truck and helped her lift them into the bed of the truck. As he did, their hands brushed each other and once again that unwelcome electricity sprang between them.

Their next stop was the mailbox, and this time Adele stayed behind as Wyatt got out and went to the bank of mailboxes on the side of the road. He fumbled with the key, shrugging up his shoulders against the blowing snow. Adele hoped it wouldn't snow too much. She had to get out tonight, and her car didn't have the clearance that Wyatt's truck did.

He returned with a stack of envelopes and Adele felt a shiver of apprehension as he got into the truck. He lifted the lid of the console between them and dropped them inside. Then he looked over at her and nodded. She guessed that meant the results were back.

She swallowed, pulling in a deep breath. Then, again, she sent up a formless prayer to the God she had been avoiding so long. A God whose hand had brushed her soul this morning, reminding her that at one time they had been close.

Trouble was, she wasn't sure what to pray for.

"I'll bring you back to town later this afternoon so you can get settled in the Inn," he said as he turned the truck around and then drove away, heading away from town.

Though the girls were chattering away, the drive back to the ranch was tense, and Adele guessed Wyatt was dealing with the same stress she was. Probably more. The envelope seemed to radiate an energy.

And the Oscar goes to...

When they got back, the kids tumbled out of the vehicle, Adele and Wyatt trailing behind them.

Once inside, Adele heated up the soup she had made the day before and put out some buns. Again, the bulk of the conversation was taken up by the girls talking about the Sunday school lesson.

"I'm finished," Maria announced, pushing her half-finished bowl of soup away. "Can we watch television?" She angled a sly smile Adele's way.

She was about to say an automatic no when Wyatt got up.

"I'll put on a DVD for you," he said, giving in.

Dean, Maya, and Maria all scrambled off their chairs, hurrying to the family room behind Wyatt.

Adele cradled her coffee, staring at the envelopes stacked on one end of the counter. She knew she should start cleaning up, but