by Linda Bridey
“Yes, you. Here.”
He took the gift, which turned out to be a set of leather bound journals. He gave her a questioning glance. “They’re beautiful.”
“Oh, shoot. That’s the wrong one. I mean, it is and it isn’t,” Tessa was slightly flustered and pulled out another one. “This is the real gift.”
The second one revealed an autographed copy of Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. He looked at Tessa sharply. “How? Why?” he stammered.
“I was privileged several years ago to be able to meet him and have him sign this book. I’ve gotten much joy from it and would like to pass it on to you because as another avid reader, I knew that you would draw as much enjoyment from it as I,” Tessa explained. Before Marcus objected, she said, “I shall be extremely offended if you do not accept it.”
Dean was enjoying watching her get the best of his little brother. Usually, it was Marcus getting his own way about something. It was nice to see the tables turned.
Marcus smiled, realizing she’d beaten him. “Very well, milady. As you wish.”
Tessa clapped and then handed Seth a package. Seth frowned a little but took it when she raised her eyebrows at him. He opened it and found a fine dress shirt and silk tie.
She laughed at his confused look. “As I understand it, you are a bit of a scoundrel. No lady will be able to resist you in those. Trust me.”
Seth laughed. “I’m not sure what to think of you.”
“Good. I enjoy keeping people guessing,” Tessa responded. Then she turned to Dean. “And for you.”
Dean looked uncomfortable but took the gift she offered, recognizing that he couldn’t refuse any more than his brothers had been able. He unwrapped a fine pair of work gloves that were soft, yet highly durable. He looked at Tessa in surprise. How had she known he had needed a pair? In fact, all of her gifts were very thoughtful and appropriate to each person.
“Thank you, Tessa,” he said. “These will be useful, that’s for sure.”
“I’m glad.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have anything for you. We weren’t expecting gifts,” Dean said.
Tessa sought to soothe his pride. “Yes, you have. You’ve opened up your home to me and allowed me to meet your family. Not only that, but I want you to teach me some things. So although the presents may not be purchased, think of them as education. Lydia, will you please show me how to make chicken like that and give me some cooking instruction in general?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Marcus, I’d be very grateful if you were to show me how to whittle something?”
“Sure,” he said with a smile.
“Seth, I would enjoy it if you were to tell me what a real cattle drive is like so I can write about it.”
“Ok, but that doesn’t seem like much of a present,” Seth replied.
“To someone like me, it is,” Tessa assured him.
“And, Dean, please show me how to cut a calf from the herd?” Tessa leaned toward him, her eyes pleading with him. “You said that when the men are gone, the women have to carry on, so I see no reason why I shouldn’t be allowed to learn something like that. What if one becomes sick and needs tending? I might need to separate it so it can be treated.” She heard a snicker behind her and frowned at Marcus.
“Sorry, but you’re awful cute when you’re determined,” he said.
Dean tried not to, but he couldn’t prevent the laugh that started in his chest. “Not you, too!” she said in dismay.
“I’m sorry. Marcus is right. You’re very pretty with your eyes all bright and your pink cheeks. Are you sure you really want to learn that? It’s dangerous.”
Tessa crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you implying that I’m a weak woman and can’t handle it?”
Lydia heard the steel under Tessa’s cultured voice and sat back to watch the show.
“Uh, no, not exactly,” Dean said.
“Mr. Samuels, I should like you to explain to me in exact words, then, what your concerns are so that I may put them to rest,” she said.
Dean frowned at her formal tone. “All right. Have you ever ridden a cow horse?”
“No, but I have ridden a lot of horses, including rather difficult ones,” she said.
“Ok. Have you ever been around cattle? I mean, up close?” Dean said.
“Does being able to milk a bad-tempered cow count? Or being unafraid to pet a bull?”
Dean nodded. “I guess so. How fast do you ride?”
Tessa gave a snort. “I think you mean race and jump, sir.”
Marcus and Seth exchanged surprised looks.
“What kind of saddle are we talkin’? Side saddle?”
“Yes, but I also ride astride,” Tessa said. “I know! If you teach this to me, I’ll teach you how to jump side saddle.”
Everyone laughed, even Dean. Marcus had tears in his eyes, he laughed so hard. He couldn’t get the picture of Dean in a dress, riding some pretty mare sidesaddle, out of his head.
When the laughter died, Dean said, “All right. You’re on.”
“Thank you,” Tessa said.
Lydia stood and said, “Well, I’d better get this cleaned up. It’s starting to get late.”
Tessa stood with her. “Please let me help. I’ve never washed dishes and I’d like to learn.”
“No time like the present then,” Lydia agreed.
An hour later, she and Lydia had finished and Lydia set about getting the children ready for bed. Tessa decided to leave her to it, figuring she would be learning that soon enough. She also had to remind herself that although she was eager to learn, she didn’t want to overstep and offend. She went into the parlor and found a lamp and matches. She lit it and sat in the rocking chair. It was very comfortable. Tessa thought about the day and knew that before she went to bed, she would have to write as much down as possible. Her eyes closed as she rocked gently and soon, she drifted off.
Dean found her that way. He and his brothers had gone to the barn to make sure things were secure and feed the stock while Lydia and Tessa had cleaned up the kitchen. The kitchen was empty when he came in. Seth had retired to his bunkhouse and Marcus had headed on home. He saw the light coming from the parlor and went in.
Tessa sat in Sarah’s chair, her head tilted to one side. Her eyes were closed and her chest rose and fell slowly. Dean experienced a hollow feeling in his stomach. She was so different in both appearance and personality, but she was a woman and Lydia was the only woman who had sat in that chair since Sarah had died. It was both unsettling and nice.
Tessa was a fetching woman and the male part of him responded. Any man would be lucky to have her. Dean wondered why a woman of her age wasn’t married, especially one who obviously came from money and had all of the positive attributes Tessa possessed.
Tessa stirred and opened her eyes. Their gazes locked and that unnamed something passed between them. Tessa smiled, her soft lips curving and her eyes shining softly in the lantern light.
“Hello. You caught me nodding off, I’m afraid,” she said.
Dean smiled. “You looked comfortable.”
“Very. This is a wonderful chair,” she said.
“I bought the set of chairs when Sarah was expecting Sadie. I traded a heifer for them. Her feet would swell and her back hurt when she was further along,” he said.
“She was a lucky woman to have such a thoughtful husband and I know you were all lucky to have her,” Tessa said.
Dean nodded. “Isn’t it strange for you to come here with the possibility of marriage and be talking about my late wife?” He sat down in the other chair.
“Did you expect me to be jealous?” Tessa asked.
“Something like that. I reckon that a lot of women wouldn’t want to talk about her, that they wouldn’t want to be compared or something.”
“Yes, I’ve known women like that. They somehow felt as if they were walking in the shadow of the first wife,” Tessa agreed. “I think that’s unreasonable, espec
ially when that family had such a happy life together. Of course they’re not just going to forget all about her and I don’t expect any of you do that with Sarah. Dean, I knew what I was getting into when I answered that advertisement. Do you know why I chose yours?”
Dean laughed. “I have no idea. I’ve wondered about that.”
“Because though it was brief, it was full of heart and honesty. There have been a lot of marriages that have had neither of those. Marriages in my circles have been built for purely business reasons and the need to produce heirs. I didn’t want that kind of life.”
“Is that the way it is with your parents?” he asked.
Tessa’s smile lit up her face. “Oh, no. They are an exception. My father is Irish, hence the O’Connor name. My mother is of English descent. He’s hot-tempered, humorous, and ruthless in business and sometimes in personal relationships. She’s sweeter tempered, but cold as ice when she’s angry. They’re fire and ice and completely in love.”
Dean smiled. “My parents were the opposite. Two peas in a pod. If they ever fought, I never knew it. They had a great marriage.”
“That’s what I’m after. I know this will take time, but I’m confident so far,” Tessa said.
Dean smiled and said, “I’m going to turn in. Do you need anything?”
Tessa rose. “No, thank you. I should do the same. Good night, Dean.”
“’Night, Tessa.”
He watched as she left the room and listened as she walked up the stairs. Dean felt bad that he hadn’t been able return her sentiment, but it was best he was honest. As he went to bed, Dean tried to not think about the fact that a very attractive, available woman, who had come there to possibly marry him, was now sleeping above him. He failed.
Chapter Nine
Dean was in a panic. Things with Tessa were going very well. She was curious about everything and tried to learn and when she failed, she tried again. It was obvious she was never going to be as good of a cook as Lydia, but they wouldn’t starve and she wasn’t going to give up working on it. There were a lot of other things at which she excelled, however.
Dean had been skeptical at first, thinking that it wouldn’t be long before her real colors showed. He didn’t want to admit it, but he had a tiny bit of prejudice when it came to the upper classes and figured that she would grow bored when she saw how hard life was there and end up going home. He was chagrined to find out that wasn’t the case.
The children loved her. She coaxed Jack into doing math by daring him that he couldn’t do it. It seemed that she understood that men were predisposed to not being able to turn down a dare and little boys were no different. Sadie was a willing pupil, however, and had no problem with studying. Tessa wasn’t above playing hide and seek with them or cleaning a stall.
Dean had come running from the barn one day when he heard a woman shrieking in the vicinity of the house. Expecting to see some catastrophe, he couldn’t reconcile what he found at first. Tessa was tied to a tree and Jack was running around it whooping like an Indian. Every time he showed her his tomahawk, Tessa would scream and they would laugh. Dean smiled at their playacting and went back to the barn.
Lydia liked Tessa, too. The two women seemed to enjoy their time together as Lydia taught her about manually running a home and Tessa regaled her with stories of her family and Pittsburgh’s social life. His brothers also seemed to be under Tessa’s spell. Dean liked her and felt that there might be something between them, but he couldn’t truly let himself explore it.
He sat out on the porch swing a little over three weeks after Tessa had arrived, stewing about things. It was just after dusk and the night was muggy. It would most likely storm at some point. Seth appeared out of the dark and sat down beside him.
“What?” Seth said.
Dean looked over at him. “I didn’t say anything.”
“No, but I heard you thinking from over here,” Seth answered. “What’s the problem?”
“What am I going to do about Tessa?” Dean said. “She’s one hell of a woman, but she’s not going to stay here forever and wait for me to make up my mind.”
“You’re right on both counts. Do you like her?” Seth asked.
“Heck yeah. Everyone likes her.”
“Dean, you know what I’m talking about. Do you wanna grab her and kiss her and-“
“Hey! I know what you’re saying. Look at her, who wouldn’t?”
Seth smiled at Dean’s shyness about the physical aspects of a romantic relationship. He’d always been that way. “Exactly, so don’t wait too long. You pining for Sarah could cost you a lot of happiness.” Seth got up and walked off to his bunkhouse then.
Dean thought about Seth’s remarks over the next couple of days and decided his older brother was right. He watched Tessa in a new light and separated his feelings for Sarah from what he felt about Tessa. He found her engaging and desirable. It was time to start courting her.
Tessa was intensely attracted to Dean and was disappointed that he didn’t seem to be more interested in her. She told herself that she was silly to think he would be like the men back home, in that they were rather bold about what they wanted and she didn’t have to guess at what they thought of her. Dean was a different breed and Tessa could tell she was going to have to work harder to figure him out.
That’s why she was surprised one night after dinner when Dean said to the children, “You practice your lessons for a while. I want to show Tessa the horse she’s going to ride tomorrow.”
“Ok, Pa,” Sadie said. She ran to her room for a book and some paper. Jack reluctantly sat at the table with his sister.
Tessa followed Dean out to the barn. She was further surprised when he took her hand and brought it to his mouth. His lips were soft and warm on her skin and her breath quickened at the contact. She looked at him with questions in her eyes. Dean leaned close to her and ran a thumb over her cheek. It was smooth to the touch.
“Tessa, I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed having you here. I never dreamed that when that ad was put in the paper, someone like you would answer it and want to come here,” he said. He was intensely nervous, but forced himself to continue.
She smiled and Dean’s eyes followed the motion of her lips. “I never imagined all of this would come from my answering it, either. It’s been wonderful. You have a beautiful family, Dean. Your children are adorable and Sadie is going to be a beautiful young woman. Jack is all you. And I can’t even begin to really tell you how much I value Lydia’s friendship. And your brothers, too.”
“I’m glad you like it here and all of them. What about me, Tessa? How do you feel about me?” Dean asked. He was anxious about what she might say, but he had to know.
Tessa’s eyes lowered for a moment and then she looked him square in the eye. “I think you are a wonderful man. You run a successful business, even though things have been difficult at times, and your children adore you. My only regret is that you seem to want to keep me at arm’s length. I want to know you better, but you have to let me in. How do you feel about me, Dean?”
Dean looked down into a face that he had grown eager to see every morning and he stroked her silky hair. It was softer than he’d imagined and he wanted to bury his hands in it. Instead of answering her with words, Dean gently pulled her closer and dipped his head so that he could press his lips to hers.
She tasted sweet and Dean wanted more. Male instinct took over and he kissed her harder. He’d been without female contact for so long that he felt like he’d been walking around in the desert for three years and, suddenly, a torrent of desire had started to fall on him, filling up the cracks in his lonely heart. Dean wanted to soak up all he could of her.
Joy surged through Tessa as they kissed and she couldn’t ever remember feeling like this. She’d been kissed before, but not with such hunger. Tessa’s hands encountered Dean’s hard chest as he fully closed the distance between their bodies. His strong hands settled on her lower back and Tessa very much enjoy
ed the way they felt. When the kiss ended, Dean smiled down at her as their breathing came a little rapidly.
“Well, that was nice,” he said.
Tessa cleared her throat. “Yes, it was.”
“Theresa O’Connor, may I court you?” Dean asked. “I know I should have asked before, um, well, that, but I just couldn’t help myself. My apologies.”
“Don’t you dare apologize for doing something I’ve wanted to do for a while now,” Tessa said. “The answer is yes, you may court me.”
Dean grinned down at her and Tessa responded in kind. “We better get looking at that horse or we’re going to be in trouble.”
Tessa laid a hand on Dean’s arm. “Well, then I suppose we should,” she said.
*****
A month went by, during which Dean courted Tessa in earnest. He took her to Wolfe Point for a special night out and on moonlight rides. Tessa made Dean laugh more in that month than he’d laughed in the past three years. She got him to do silly things that he hadn’t done since Sarah and he had been teenagers. She enticed him into chasing her through a field and she didn’t let him forget his promise to teach her how to cut a calf from a herd.
The day they’d chosen to do this, both Marcus and Seth made sure they were present for the lesson. Tessa had worn a pair of jodhpurs and a blouse in lieu of a dress. Dean’s temperature began rising as he covertly watched her shapely body move in the attire. He noticed his brothers doing the same thing and glared at them. Marcus had just smiled while Seth shrugged as if to say, “Who can blame me?”
Dean tried to give Tessa one of the tamer mares they had to ride, but Tessa insisted on riding one of the regular cattle ponies. Reluctantly, Dean put her on Zip, one of their faster geldings.
“Now, you’re used to riding English, right?” Dean asked as he sat beside her on Twister.
Tessa nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, controlling a cattle pony is a lot different than riding English. In Western riding, we do what’s called neck-reining,” Dean said.
“What does that mean?” Tessa asked as her brow puckered.
“It means that instead of separately pulling the reins to make them move a certain direction, you’re gonna lay the reins against the opposite side of the neck of the direction you want the horse to move in,” Dean said. “I’ll show you.”