Country Romance - Carolyne Aarsen Page 0,42

she's ready to take on the world."

"She was, and she did. She has an intense sense of injustice. There was a young boy who used to get teased on the school bus. One time a bunch of older boys were throwing stuff at him. I remember her jumping off her seat and confronting those boys—she was maybe half their size. She was only eight. Shamed me and my brothers into joining her even though the boys were in high school. They backed down though they cornered me and Reuben after school and roughed us up. But they didn't bother that boy after that. Carly never backed down from a fight or a cause she saw as unjust. Smart as a whip."

"Is she around yet?"

Wyatt shook his head. "Not anymore. She left after...well, she’s gone for now. I’m hoping she comes back soon. She said she might."

"And you and Reuben?"

"We stuck around." Wyatt was quiet, still studying the pictures.

She looked to the next page, smiling at what she saw.

"I'm guessing that's the whole bunch?" she asked, looking at the large picture that dominated the page.

It was a casual photo. Wyatt and his siblings and, she guessed, his parents. They stood in the middle of a horse pasture, horses gathered around them. The kids were lined up in front of their parents, and Mom and Dad had a hand on each child’s shoulder.

"What a beautiful family," Adele said. "When was that taken?"

Wyatt grew serious, staring at the picture. "About half a year before my mother died."

Adele looked more closely at the family. "You couldn't have been over thirteen, I'm guessing."

"I was twelve, Reuben was eleven."

"So young. What happened?"

Wyatt ran his finger over the picture, tracing his mother's features. "My mom got breast cancer. She died eight months later. She wasn't one to run to the doctor, so by the time they discovered the cancer, it had spread too far for them to do anything."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. That must've been difficult for you and your family."

Wyatt nodded. "Dad was devastated. He and Mom were always so close. They did everything together. Even chores on the ranch. She'd help him needle cows, mother orphaned calves, make hay, and still take care of us four kids. She was one tough woman."

Adele's heart contracted at the love and affection in Wyatt's voice. "She sounds amazing."

"She was. We missed her a lot. We all pitched in to keep things going as much as possible, but it was hard for all of us."

"And your father? When did he die?"

"He passed away after Maya and Maria were born. The doctors said it was an advanced form of pneumonia, but Carly always said that he died of a broken heart. He wasn't even that old."

"And what about Reuben? Does he still live around here?"

"Reuben got married half a year before I did. We ranched together until, well, until his wife died of pneumonia. Complications from a car accident that debilitated her." Wyatt shook his head, releasing a harsh laugh. "So many losses.”

Adele heard the bitterness in his voice and commiserated with him. She knew loss as well, although it wasn't the same kind as Wyatt's. But it was still loss.

"So that's Reuben," she said pointing to the tall skinny kids standing beside Wyatt. "I'm guessing this is Finn?"

"Yeah. He's the least complicated of all of us. He just enjoys traveling and working to pay for the traveling. I keep telling him he's got to settle down someday. He had a serious girlfriend once, but she didn't like his wandering ways and he wasn't ready to commit. He always says when he finds the right person and reason, he will."

"And what about Carly?"

Wyatt shot her a puzzled smile. "You sure seem interested in my family."

Adele shrugged. "I was an only child. Extended families intrigue me.”

"Even in the foster home you were at?"

"Yeah. Bonnie and Earl were an older couple. Never had kids."

"As for my sister, well, Carly’s had her own sorrows. She was engaged to a great guy. We all liked him. But he got caught up in drugs. Got busted and ended up in jail for a few years. Carly was devastated. So were we. She broke up with him. I don't know if she's ever gotten over Derek. That’s why she left. Said she needed a break from Millar’s Crossing and the heaviness here."

"Sounds like your family has had its struggles," she said, feeling a rush of sympathy for him. He sounded sad when he spoke