Jillian
It felt like a knife in my heart every time I looked at Clay. I never thought he would cheat on me, but Teddy looks just like him. I remember when Connie walked in with him. I had just finished a tour and was scheduling another one when she walked into our office and looked around until she spotted Clay. She walked right up to him and tried to hand the baby to him. Clay just looked stunned. I thought at first, she was looking for one of his cousins or his brother because the kid had Wheeler all over him. The pale green eyes, dirty blonde hair, the curls and the full lower lip. When he recognized the woman and called her by name, I thought I was going to pass out right there. I told him to pack his shit and get out of the house. Connie had gotten a room at Motel six and I knew she really couldn’t afford to keep that up, so I brought them home with me. No kid should be living in a hotel like that. We had three bedrooms so that allowed them to each have their own room for now.
I feel like I have been in a fog since the day she showed up. She seems really nice, and she has been trying to find a job. Theodore is adorable and a good baby. She has been helping around the house and doing some of our billing to earn money. I want to hate her, but she is just so nice. She isn’t trying to make the moves on my husband, she just wants to take care of her son. I can respect that. Clay still swears that he isn’t the father and that he had not seen Connie in over eight years. I wanted to believe him but why would she lie when a simple blood test would tell us that it wasn’t true.
“Jillian, are you listening to me?” Connie said and I realized she had been talking while I was in my head. She looked concerned.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t. What were you saying?” I asked her as I handed a piece of toast to Teddy.
“Clay wants a paternity test. I am more than happy to do that, but I don’t have insurance right now and I am barely covering diapers and formula.” she said frowning at her coffee. I wanted to feel sorry for her but right now I was busy feeling sorry for myself. I wanted that to be our child and I wanted my husband. He was my best friend and I just felt so disconnected from everything right now.
“Clay will pay for all of that. I also think I may have found you a job. They are looking for someone to manage Miss Kitty’s Mercantile. I mentioned that you had some management experience from before and that you were looking. They don’t stay open late, and the pay is good as well as the benefits. I could watch Teddy this afternoon so that you could go talk to Ms. Lowell about the job.” I told her as I started eating my breakfast. I had ordered a double serving of the casserole, knowing it would be enough for the two of us. I split it up and we ate while she gave Teddy a bottle.
“Thank you, I’ll definitely check into that. I also need to find a place of my own when I start working a normal job. We can’t continue to stay with you. You have been too generous as it is.” Connie was holding Teddy’s bottle while he lay in his car seat beside her. She really seemed like a great mom, and she was doing her best. We got a lot of looks because it was a small town, and nothing stayed secret here for long. I was a respected member of the community and people were angry on my behalf. Poor Clay had been getting a lot of crap lately. He really was a great guy and would give you the shirt off of his back. He just didn’t seem to know what to do with this situation. He had made no attempts to get to know Teddy or be around him. It didn’t make sense to me. Clay had always been good with kids; we wanted a couple of our own. I really wanted to believe that Teddy wasn’t his but looking at the resemblance made that very difficult.
“We need to get going I have a lot of paperwork to get through today so that I can do a few tours tomorrow.” I said as I threw some money on the table. We headed toward the office in time to see Clay taking off in one of the carriages for a tour. We had invested in a horse and carriage for some of the tours. People were willing to pay a little extra and loved them. It was also a great way to see everything. We kept the horses at the ranch in the evenings when we didn’t have tours scheduled. It was a good arrangement. I had avoided Hank and the rest of his family since we separated. I knew they were angry with me, but I couldn’t help feeling betrayed. I watched Clay as he drove the carriage off. He was so handsome. God, I missed him in my bed and in my life so much. We went inside and I sat behind the counter to do some work. Connie took Teddy into the office in the back to nap while she worked on payroll for us. She had been a big help, but I didn’t have enough work to keep her on full-time.
The front door swung open, and I saw Hank come in with his cane. He had a scowl on his face when he looked at me.
“Hank, what brings you here this morning?” I asked trying to be pleasant.
“This has gone on long enough. You know good and well that kid isn’t Clay’s, he worships the ground you walk on. He hasn’t so much as looked at another woman since the two of you got together. He told me he is finally scheduling a paternity test. I hope that will be enough for you. He should make you grovel before he takes you back.” Hank grunted.
“That still doesn’t tell me why you are here. Clay is on a tour; he won’t be back for a few hours.” I said calmly as he looked around the room.
“I’m looking for help at the office back at the ranch. We need someone full-time since Mrs. Barnes quit. You said she was good with numbers.” He grunted out. I was stunned, the last thing I expected was for Hank to offer help.
Connie came out of the office and her eyes widened when she saw Hank. He was a good-looking man, even though he was still doing physical therapy and used a cane to help him get around. Hank had lost his wife a few years back and had not been interested in dating. He looked at her with interest and I couldn’t help but grin. This could be a good thing.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt; I heard voices and was seeing if you needed any help.” Connie said as she stared at Hank. He was an imposing figure. Tall, bald with tattoos, dimples with his scruff and built with muscles for days. He had always been a fun-loving flirt when Miranda was alive but when she died, she took a big part of him with her.
“I heard you were looking for permanent work. I may be able to help with that.” He told her as his eyes ate her up. Connie glanced over at me and then back at Hank.
“I may have a job at the Mercantile.” She told him as she glanced back at the office where Teddy napped.
“Does it offer room and board as well as allow you to keep your son with you?” he countered. Her mouth opened and closed as she registered what he had said.
“But, why?” she asked, confused. “I mean I thought you would hate me. He scratched his chin as he looked at me and back at her.
“Look, the kid is obviously a Wheeler. I just know he isn’t Clay’s. I have an idea about that, but I want to wait until the paternity test has been done. Meanwhile, I need a bookkeeper and my daughter Sadie can help watch Teddy. She also needs a woman around the house. If you are interested, have Jillian bring you by and we can discuss this further.”
Hank turned and left. Connie took a deep breath and sat down in the nearest chair.
“Oh wow, that was unexpected.” I said to her, still smiling. She looked at me and bit her lip looking back at the room where her baby slept.
“I don’t think I can turn that down Jillian. If he is offering all of that it would certainly help me get on my feet and save money.” She whispered. “I just don’t understand why he would want me there.”
“I know that Sadie has struggled since her mom passed. She is twelve years old and there are things that a girl needs a mom for that Hank would have a hard time explaining. She is a good kid, and she has been babysitting for the last two years so it would be a really great arrangement.” I told her. We went back to work and the afternoon flew by. I heard the horses walking up the street in front of our door. Looking up I saw Clay staring at me for a minute before he did his spiel and helped the passengers down from the wagon.