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 turning 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 a little over three weeks since 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?”
“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 court her.
Tessa was intensely attracted to Dean and was disappointed that he didn’t seem to be more interested. 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.”
“Okay, Pa,” Sadie said. She pulled out some paper and a book. 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, that someone like you would answer it and want to come here,” he said.
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.
Joy surged through Tessa as they kissed and she couldn’t ever remember feeling like this. The kiss ended and Dean smiled down at her.
“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 see about this horse,” she said.
A month went by, during which Dean courted Tessa in earnest. He took her to Wolf’s Point for a special night out and 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 like a teenager, chasing her through a field or playing acting.
Dean hadn’t felt this way in so long and he began having hope that he could finally get past his grief and perhaps build a new life with this amazing woman. He didn’t tell Marcus so, but he was grateful to his little brother for going ahead and placing that advertisement. If he hadn’t, Tessa would have never come here and Dean wouldn’t have a second chance at happiness.
One night, Dean paced the floor in his room after they’d gone to bed. He knew it was time for him to make up his mind about Tessa. It seemed that they were compatible on many levels and he could certainly do worse for a wife. It wasn’t fair to her that she was kept in limbo and it wasn’t fair to himself or his children. They were very attached to Tessa now and he didn’t want their feelings hurt if she stayed even longer and then something didn’t work out between her and Dean and she left. He decided that a trip to Wolf’s Point was necessary.
The next day, he made the trek, telling Tessa and the children that he had to go work on the farthest part of their land. He didn’t get back until almost sundown. Tessa had waited supper on him and he walked in to find that she’d made a meatloaf with potatoes and green beans. It was good and he remarked about how her cooking was improving, which delighted her.
One day a short time after this, he rode over to Lydia and Charles’ house. Their kids came out and surrounded him. They loved Dean and were always full of questions for him. This day, they wanted to know where Tessa was. She always played with them.
> He sent them away and headed out to the barn, where he knew he’d find Charlie. Charlie was a big, gruff man with iron gray hair and mustache. He was a few years older than Lydia. He looked up as Dean came in the barn and could tell the younger man was thinking about something.
“What’s on your mind, son?” he asked as he polished a bridle.
Dean sat down next to him and pulled out a ring box from his pants pocket. He opened it and showed Charlie. Charlie whistled.
“Nice ring. It’s unexpected. I didn’t know you felt that way about me,” Charlie said.
Dean laughed. “Shut up, you old fart.”
Charlie chuckled. “So, you’re gonna ask her to marry you. I think it’s a good move. She’s a good woman and it doesn’t hurt that she’s easy on the eyes. The kids like her a lot, too.”
“I know. She’s funny and smart and yeah, beautiful, and I’d be crazy to let her get away, right?” Dean said. “You know, I’m confident about everything else. The ranch, my kids, breaking horses, breeding cattle, growing crops, but when it comes to a new woman in our lives, I get all wishy-washy.”
Charlie laughed. “I’m not surprised. It can be a hard thing. I think your head and heart are in the right place, though.”
“I’m gonna ask her tonight. I can’t put it off any longer or I’ll lose the nerve,” Dean said. “Well, the next time you see me, I hope to be an engaged man.”
Dean and Tessa lay out on a blanket in one of the pastures. Marcus was babysitting to make sure the kids didn’t disturb them. Dean rolled over and looked down at Tessa. The moonlight created a soft glow on her face. He loved the way she smiled at him.
“Tessa, you are a wonderful woman and we are so lucky you’re here. Since you arrived, you’ve made things better for us all, but especially for me. After Sarah died, I never wanted to get involved with another woman. I never wanted to feel that kind of pain again. You’ve changed my mind about that and made me think that I could be happy again. I don’t want to let you slip through my fingers. Theresa Marie O’Connor, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Tessa’s heart filled with joy and tears welled in her eyes. “I’ve never met a man like you, Dean. Someone strong and devoted and honest. It’s wonderful here and I adore your children. I’ve always said that I didn’t want to replace Sarah in their eyes and I still mean it, but it means so much to me that you would trust me with them. I promise to be a good wife and a good mother-figure. I love you and yes, Dean, I’ll marry you.”
Dean took out the ring box and opened it. The moonlight glinted off the small diamond and Tessa’s breath caught in her chest. Dean lifted her left hand and slipped the ring on her third finger. Tessa looked at the ring and thought it beautiful. More than its beauty, what it represented was something that was much more meaningful.
She wasn’t upset that Dean hadn’t told her he loved her. Tessa knew men well enough to know that they sometimes couldn’t say that kind of thing but she hoped that one day, she would hear those words. Right now, she was happy that he’d showed her by asking for her hand and giving her a ring.
Tessa looked up at this handsome man she’d fallen in love with and pulled his head down so she could kiss him. They kissed each other tenderly as the moon shined its approving light on them.
Chapter Nine