Country Romance - Carolyne Aarsen Page 0,53

you don't need any help with the kids, I'm gonna start a fire."

"Probably a good idea.” She had heard him dropping pieces of wood against the house before he came in for supper. Thank goodness he had the foresight to plan for this eventuality. At least the house would be warm.

"We still have to go to bed?" Maria asked.

"It’ll be dark," Maya said, her tone matter of fact now that they had light again.

"It's always dark at night," Dean put in. "Always."

"Tell you what, you can all sleep in the same room and I'll stay with you until you're asleep, okay?" Adele said, sounding upbeat. "It’ll be like a one-bedroom sleepover."

"That sounds cool," Dean said, taking his cue from her.

"Yay. Sleepover," Maya said, now seeing things differently.

Adele had to chuckle at their excitement.

"Here you go, buddy," she said, handing Dean the flashlight. "You lead the way and we'll follow behind you."

Dean took the flashlight and sent the beam around the room. Then he pointed it to the floor. "Just follow me," he said with an authority that made Adele chuckle.

"Make sure you don't use the water," Wyatt said. "We'll get air in the lines."

"Right. I forgot about that." She had experienced a few power outages when she was living with Earl and Bonnie. She remembered how the taps bucked and snapped when the power would come on again.

She made the children brush their teeth without water, used some wipes to clean their hands and faces, and got them settled in bed.

While she was busy with the kids, she could hear Wyatt downstairs. She heard the crackle of wood, which meant the fire was going.

She tucked the kids in, said their bedtime prayers, and sang a song with them. Then, as she promised, she sat on the floor between the beds to wait for them to go to sleep. At first they giggled and laughed, excited. But soon they settled down, and a few minutes later she could hear the girls breathing deeply.

In the half-light from the flashlight she saw Dean still sitting up in bed.

"You're not tired?" she asked.

"Mr. Wyatt read me a book. It was nice."

The way he addressed Wyatt concerned her, but she wasn't sure she could correct him.

At the same time, however, the DNA test had brought the reality of his paternity home. But how he addressed Wyatt, well, that was not hers to deal with.

"He's a good man," she said instead. "And I know he likes you very much."

Dean nodded, tapping his finger on his chin. A chin she realized, that was much like Wyatt's.

"I like him too," he said. Then he lay down, curling on his side, watching her. "And I like you too."

His words created an odd quiver in her chest. She had so much she wanted to say to him but settled for a simple, "I like you too, sweetheart."

He smiled at that, then snuggled into his blankets. "You don't need to stay with me. I'm not scared."

"I know. You're a very brave boy. But I don't mind staying until you fall asleep."

Though part of her wanted to be downstairs with Wyatt, she knew she was safer up here.

Finally, Dean fell asleep, and she kneeled beside him, stroking his cheek. Then she pressed a kiss to his forehead and stood.

She watched him, struggling with her conflicting emotions.

All her life she had kept her heart safe. Even when she lived with her foster parents, she had been careful with her affections. She had been so used to pain and loss that she always felt she had to hold a piece of her self back. A way to protect herself. But it was tiring, and it made for a lonely existence.

This little boy had wormed his way past her defenses. And she had to leave him behind.

She turned away, a fist pressed to her chest, as if to hold her heart in. Then, as she made her way down the stairs, she saw Wyatt, sitting on the couch. The glow of the fire creating interesting shadows over his face. He had a few candles sitting on the end tables, creating a welcome and intimate flickering light.

And the heart she had spent so long trying to protect, jumped in her chest.

Danger, danger.

Yet she allowed herself to move toward him. But this time she sat on the loveseat opposite. To give herself some space.

"Kids all settled in?" he asked, smiling across the small distance between them.

"All fast asleep. I think they'll be okay."

It would be another long