Country Romance - Carolyne Aarsen Page 0,52

sound like a complete dunce. Just caught me unawares. We can eat right away."

Her scattered tone gave him pause, but he caught himself. Don't overthink this. She was just off in her own world for a while.

"Where are the kids?" he asked.

"Downstairs. Playing pirate."

"I imagine they're going a bit stir crazy."

"Not too bad," she said, pulling plates out of the cupboard. "We've been keeping ourselves occupied, though I sure hope this storm quits soon."

Right. She had to leave on Friday for the auction sale.

"Supper is ready. You can get the kids."

Maya and Maria were chasing Dean around the empty basement, brandishing rolled-up newspapers, yelling like little banshees.

So very ladylike, he thought, chuckling at the sight.

"Hey. Don't be so hard on the poor guy," he said as Maya ran past him.

"He’s the bad pirate," she called out.

Dean was laughing though. Again Wyatt marveled at how good the little boy was with his daughters. How he tolerated them.

And he wondered what they would be like in a few years.

The thought grabbed him, bringing the reality of Dean's presence harder home. The boy would grow up here. Would go to school here.

And how would he explain that to the family?

He hadn't even told his brothers and sister yet.

It was as if, since Adele had come, his world had not only been turned upside down, it had narrowed. Grown small.

Sooner or later he would have to step outside this bubble.

And where would Adele be then?

But even as the questions hovered, he knew her plans were becoming more important to him.

"Time for supper," he told the kids, shutting down his thoughts. Too much thinking these days, he told himself.

The kids didn't protest and followed him upstairs.

Adele had the table set, and the kids all sat down, regaling Wyatt with stories of the books Adele had read, how they had made cookies, and the pirate hats she’d made.

"I hope you saved some paper in case I need to light a fire," Wyatt said, pulling a quiet Adele into the conversation.

She frowned, then bit her lip. "I think I did," she said as she sat down.

"Don't worry," he said. "I was teasing."

She gave an abstracted nod, then held her hand out to Dean and Maria. The signal to say grace.

Wyatt prayed for the food, for people out in the storm, for safety, for the rest of his family. As he finished, he glanced at Dean again and thought of Reuben, Finn, and Carly.

He would have to tell them. Soon.

Tonight, he told himself. Tonight he would let his family know what was happening in his life.

But as he looked over at Adele, who was serving up the kid’s plates, he wanted to hold this time close a bit longer.

Chapter Eleven

"Okay, kids. Time for bed."

"One more story," Dean begged, giving Adele his most winning smile.

Seriously, that boy would be trouble when he grew older.

The thought caught Adele by the heart. She wondered how much she would see of that. Would she come back to visit?

Then her eyes flitted to Wyatt sitting on the other side of the couch, the kids between them.

And her thoughts veered into another direction she had been struggling to deal with.

Could she leave?

She thought of the newspaper clipping in her pocket. Thought of the possibilities it represented.

"Please," Dean begged. "You read seven books last night."

"Seven short books," Adele said, glancing at the clock.

After supper, as they had last night, Wyatt had taken the kids to the family room while Adele cleaned up. They had played a few games and when Adele joined them, the kids had a pile of books stacked on the coffee table.

He looked as if he was about to protest again when, suddenly, they were plunged into darkness.

The girls screamed and Adele reached out to them, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dark. "It's okay," she said. "Don't worry. It's just the power going out. It will come back on soon."

As if mocking her, the wind howled outside, easier to hear now that it wasn't drowned out by the earlier sounds of the refrigerator and the furnace blowing.

"What will we do?" Dean's worried voice came out of the darkness.

"Sit tight. I'll get the flashlights," Wyatt said, patting him on the shoulder.

Adele sat down again, pulling the girls onto the couch beside her. In the half gloom she saw Wyatt making his way to the kitchen. A few moments later he was back with two flashlights, sending twin cones of light onto the floor.

"Okay. We're set here." He handed one to Adele. "If