Country Romance - Carolyne Aarsen Page 0,6

mother of the girls.

But as Adele washed and tried to figure where to put everything away, she sensed the girls’ mother either hadn't been around for a while or was gone.

Sadness gripped her at the thought. Poor motherless girls.

Which made her wonder who Theresa was.

Not your concern and not your worry, she reminded herself, focusing on the job in front of her.

When she restored the kitchen to some semblance of order, she went into the family room, tidying as she went. She brought a stack of kids’ books back to the bookshelves, tidying the ones that were already there. She glanced back at the trio of children parked on the couch, eyes glued to the television.

Adele sat down beside Dean, slipping her arm around him, trying to give him some comfort. She was sure he was as confused as she was but couldn't articulate it.

He leaned into her hug, resting his head against her shoulder, which tore her up inside.

Why, Sally, did you make me swear to do this, she thought, the steady ache in her gut growing. Why did you set Dean up for this potential disappointment?

She looked at the girls, sitting slouched on the couch, staring at the screen, wondering what was going through their tiny heads. They seemed to accept her presence without too much concern. But it must be disconcerting to have a stranger in the house.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" she asked, brushing a gentle kiss over Dean's head.

Her thoughts went to the man in the room adjoining the family room. What would he say when he found out about Dean?

Sally had told Dean before she died that he had a daddy who lived on a ranch and that Adele would take Dean to meet him. At the time, Dean was confused, but the more Sally talked about it, the more excited he got. He didn't realize that meeting his daddy meant losing his mommy. He was too young to put it all together. And all the way here he had seemed excited to see his daddy. That had made her feel better about the job she had taken on.

But now that they were here, could she walk away from him when the time came? Adele brushed that errant thought out of her mind.

You can't take care of him and you know it, she reminded herself.

She keenly felt again her lack of family. Neither her mother nor father had siblings. In fact, the only thing Adele knew about her mother was that she was the daughter of a single mother who had abandoned her. Her father's family lived overseas, and he hadn't been in touch with them since he left.

Nor had he contacted Adele since the last time he dropped her off at the Stefanskis’, the foster family who took her in each time her father decided he couldn't take care of her.

Which all meant Adele had no backup to help her raise a child. Everything she’d learned about how a family functioned came from her foster parents, who were also out of her life.

Besides, she had promised Sally, and Adele prided herself on keeping her promises.

She cuddled Dean more, looking past him to the girls perched on the edge of the couch. Once the show was over, she should give them a bath.

And then what? What will you and Dean do? Stay here?

One thing at a time, she told herself, shaking her head at the strangeness of the situation.

Wyatt blinked, struggling to keep his eyes open. His head still felt tight and ached like he'd been pounded with an anvil. He still felt shaky, not sure if his thoughts were coherent or not.

All night he'd had twisted and troubled dreams of a woman bringing him water and pills. His daughters spinning in circles around him, making him dizzy. Trying to catch them as they ran away from him.

He lay there, testing his thoughts, thankful that the room didn't spin as much as before. Then he looked around, frowning. What was he doing in the spare bedroom?

He sat bolt upright in bed.

Maria, Maya? Where were they? What had happened to them while he was out of it? He pulled the damp sheets away from him, shivering in the sudden chill as he realized he still wore his blue jeans. But no shirt.

He yanked open the door of the room, then leaned against the frame, spots dancing before his eyes as weakness and nausea washed over him again. Taking a breath, he looked around the