Clay
Staying at Hank’s was getting old fast. I loved my brother, but I miss my wife. Jillian and I had a big misunderstanding around two months ago when an old girlfriend showed up in town looking for me. She tried to claim that I was the father of her child. The one she had on her hip at the time. Jillian took one look at Connie with the kid and lost her shit. I tried to tell her that it wasn’t possible. First, I would never cheat on her. Second, I had not seen Connie in over eight years. Jillian and I had been married for the better part of the last seven years. We met at a town hall dance, and I fell head over heels for her. She kicked me out of the house and now I only saw her at work. Thankfully she had not asked for a divorce yet. I was hoping to win her back before that happened.
Jillian and I started Wheeler’s Deadwood Tours, six years ago. We lived in Historic Deadwood, South Dakota and there was so much history and beauty to show off that we decided that giving tours would be a fun way to make a living. We didn’t expect it to take off as fast as it did. We had six employees, four of them gave tours along with us. That way we could provide more tours throughout the week. There were conventions, bike rallies and all manner of things that brought people to our town. Since we both owned the business, we couldn’t avoid each other completely. Jillian had managed to avoid me as much as she could though. I sat up in the bed and swung my legs off the side, running my hands through my hair I went in search of coffee.
“Morning Clay, you plan on trying to talk to Jilly today?” Hank asked as he looked at me over the paper. “Seems you should be able to prove the kid isn’t yours with a paternity test. Although I have to admit, he looks like you.”
I flipped him off and poured myself a cup before heading to the shower. That’s the hell of it. The kid did look like a Wheeler, but I knew for a fact he wasn’t mine because I have not had sex with anyone but Jillian since I laid eyes on her. I kept coming back to the thought that maybe Blake had met up with her. For cousins, we looked like we could be twins. Our hair was a few shades different, and I was about an inch taller, but the similarities were uncanny. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had mixed us up. Blake worked for us for six months almost a year ago. I’d have to give him a call. He was always following the rodeo; he had an accident that left him unable to ride while he recuperated so we gave him a job while he was down on his luck. As soon as he was healed up, he was gone again. The kid was about six months old so the timing would work. I’d have to have him come for a visit.
I got dressed after my shower and decided to go out for breakfast. I wasn’t in the mood for Hank’s ribbing today. I wanted my wife back. She had taken Connie in and was helping her with the kid. I couldn’t believe she thought he was mine. I thought we had more trust than that. It really hurt that she thought so little of my ability to be faithful. I know that when we first started dating, she was very insecure. I had been a bit of a playboy for years but that ended the moment we had our first dance. I started pursuing her with a vengeance and she finally gave in to a date. We were inseparable and when I popped the question she said ‘yes’ and we were married three months later. Jillian wanted kids so badly and we had not been able to conceive yet, so I think it hit her especially hard to think I may have knocked up another woman. I was just going to have to prove it wasn’t me. I wanted them out of our house so I could come back home.
“I’m heading out, see you later.” I said as I put on my hat and left. Hank just grunted at me. I knew he had a lot to do around the ranch, his brother-in-law had hired a foreman now because he had fallen and injured his spine several years ago. He couldn’t get around as well as he used to and needed the help to run the place. It took him several months before he gave in to accepting more help. The ranch belonged to his late wife’s family. Miranda’s twin brothers ran the ranch along with him and they got along really well.
Driving along the main road I pulled into a spot in front of the Main Street Diner. Mrs. Mae was an amazing cook, so I ate here quite a bit. I missed my wife’s cooking, but this was the next best thing. I walked in and sat down at the counter taking my hat off to lay it beside me. Mrs. Mae came out of the kitchen smiling at me.
“Goodness, Mr. Clay are you ever going to make up with Mrs. Jillian?” she asked me as she poured my coffee. “I don’t know why she would think that baby is yours. Even if he looks like a Wheeler, everyone in town knows how sweet you are on her.”
“Apparently everyone but Jilly.” I grumbled to myself as I looked at the chalkboard menu. “I’ll have the breakfast casserole this morning please ma’am.”
“I’ll have it out in a minute.” she said as she frowned at the door and went back into the kitchen. I looked behind me to see Connie come in with little Teddy. She looked startled when she saw me. I was so tired of all this. I wanted my wife back. I got up and walked over to her.
“I don’t know what your game is, but he is not my kid. I haven’t been with anyone but my wife since the day I saw her.” I said to Connie quietly. She paled as she looked from me to Teddy.
“Can we talk about this when I don’t have my son attached to my hip?” she asked as she went to sit in a booth with him. “I know what I remember, and it was you. I wasn’t that drunk.”
“I want a paternity test. You have been avoiding me for weeks. I am not going to lose my wife over something I didn’t do. I’ll admit that he looks like one of us, but he isn’t mine.” I turned and went back to the counter to eat my breakfast, not that I was hungry anymore. A few minutes later Jillian came in. She looked at me with hurt in her eyes and it gutted me, but I was hurt too. I have never been unfaithful to her and the fact that she could believe for a minute that I had been hurt.
I watched her walk past me and slide into the booth with Connie and the boy. She smiled at him, and he seemed to adore her. I was going to set up an appointment for a test this week, and if I had to, I would have a judge order her to bring him. I finished my food, paid my bill and left. I had a tour that started in twenty minutes, and I didn’t want to be late. We had a full schedule this week. I headed over to our office to wait for the group to gather for the tour.