Chapter 13 Dalton
DALTON
Dalton studied himself in the mirror the following evening, and wondered if he passed muster.
After a day of prepping and priming the barn, he’d been a mess until an hour ago. Now, he was showered and wearing the only button-down shirt he owned with a pair of dark jeans, and he’d even managed to get all the paint off his hands.
He didn’t own a jacket or a pair of nice trousers. He only hoped that the nicest restaurant in Trinity Falls didn’t have a dress code, or he’d be thrown out on his ear and his big date would be over before it even began.
It’s a farming town, not Manhattan, he reminded himself. But he would have felt better if he had someone to ask about it.
Suddenly, he remembered the group chat.
Captain Erik Anderson had caught him in town at the farmers market one weekend and taken his number. The captain had started a foundation for returning veterans right here in town, and he wanted Dalton to be part of it.
Dalton hadn’t had the heart to refuse him, even though he knew he wouldn’t be in Trinity Falls for long.
There wasn’t a whole lot of chatter in the group—it was mostly guys who already knew each other finding reasons to get together here and there.
But since most of them were local, surely they would know more about The Village Green.
He pulled his phone from his pocket, opened up the chat, took a deep breath, and then tapped out a message with his thumbs.
anyone know if The Village Green has a dress code?
Instantly, three different icons popped up to show they were typing.
Wolf Cassidy
I’d like to know myself.
Beau Wilson
nope, but don’t go in your farm clothes lol
spiff up a little
Jensen Webb
Someone’s going on a DATE
Dalton smiled before typing again.
we’ll see…
thanks guys
Axel Williams
everyone nailed it, no notes
hey, when are we getting together again?
Dalton slid the phone back in his pocket before he got a list of dates and places.
He knew the Barretts wouldn’t mind him having a boys’ night out. But he preferred to stay in and get a solid night’s sleep.
And to catch Ella when she has a few minutes to chat, a little voice whispered in his mind.
Well, it was true. He did like talking with her. If Dove brought back his sense of humor, Ella brought back his soul. He’d felt more at peace in her presence than he had in a long time—maybe ever.
Still gazing at himself in the mirror, he hoped he had something to offer her as well. They had been talking a lot more these last two days, now that they were working on the barn together.
Yesterday, Ella’s mom had gone to her book club so they had started the job on their own. And then today, she said she had some Christmas shopping to do.
If she made another excuse tomorrow, Dalton would have to wonder if she was pushing the two of them together on purpose.
Why would she do that?
Maybe it was just a general feeling that Ella ought to have friends closer to her own age. She seemed to spend every waking hour with her parents and her daughter.
He thought back to the conversation he’d accidentally overheard this morning after forgetting his gloves and ducking back into the mudroom for them.
Ella had been asking her parents if they would mind putting Dove to bed tonight so that she and Dalton could grab dinner.
Her mother had fallen all over herself to say yes, and to run down all the fun things they could do with Dove while Ella was out.
“Very nice,” Michael had said simply, his deep voice filled with warmth.
Something about the memory made excitement swirl in his chest as he realized that the conversation hadn’t sounded like parents ready to babysit for a daughter who was going to grab dinner with a friend.
It sounded like they knew he had asked her on a date, and they strongly approved.
He still wasn’t sure how he’d gotten up the nerve to ask her to go out with him, and he hoped she didn’t really feel like he’d had her back against the wall.
Though he almost literally had. The hallway was narrow, and she’d been standing so close…
But it did no good to think about that, or about the way her hair smelled. If he wanted the right to think these romantic thoughts, he had to earn it tonight by making sure she had a really nice time.
It was kind of weird to take out a girl who lived in the same house. He headed downstairs to see if she was ready, and wound up hanging out with Dove instead.
“Mama is getting dressed,” Dove said quietly, as if she were confiding a really juicy secret. “She’s going to look pretty.”
“She always looks pretty,” he replied without thinking about it.
Dove giggled.
“What are you laughing about?” he demanded. “Are you telling me your mama isn’t pretty?”
“She is pretty,” Dove laughed helplessly. “She is.”
“That’s more like it,” Dalton said, nodding to himself. “Because I would have a big old argument with anyone who said she wasn’t. I might have to challenge them to a duel.”
That made Dove fling herself onto the loveseat with delight just as her mother came down the stairs.
“What’s going on down here?” Ella’s voice floated down teasingly in front of her.
But all their laughter was forgotten the moment she came into view.
Ella wore her long blonde hair down around her shoulders. A soft sweater the color of fresh cream hugged her curves a bit more than her every day work clothes, and a camel-colored skirt came all the way down to the ankles of a pair of suede boots with a slight heel.
Dalton found himself speechless, and was just thankful his jaw wasn’t hanging on the floor.
“Wow,” Dove squeaked, hopping off the loveseat to attack her mother with a big squeeze.
“What a nice hug,” Ella said, smiling down at her daughter while Dalton’s heart melted into a giant puddle.
What’s the matter with me?
He’d been out with plenty of girls, most of them a lot less modestly dressed than Ella was right now. So why did he feel like a teenager with his heart thundering in his ears and electricity dancing through his veins?
“Are you ready?” Ella asked, glancing up at him for the first time.
When her eyes slid over his shirt and jeans and her cheeks colored slightly, he felt a wild surge of pleasure.
“Yes,” he told her. “I’m ready. Dove, are you sure you’re okay staying with your grandparents?”
“Very okay,” Dove told him. “We’re making cookies, with frosting.”
“Oh wow,” Dalton said. “Well, I wouldn’t want to keep you from that. Let’s walk to the kitchen together.”
Dove giggled and the three of them headed into the kitchen, where Michael was sitting at the table, going over the books while Mary pulled ingredients out of cupboards to set on the table.
“I hope you’re ready to work, young lady,” Mary told Dove with a big smile. “We’re going to make a lot of cookies tonight.”
Dove cheered and Ella went over to give her mom a kiss on the cheek.
“Have a nice time,” Michael said quietly to Dalton. “Get her home in one piece.”
Dalton met the older man’s eyes and was relieved to see humor there.
“Of course,” Dalton assured him. “I’ll bring her back just as I found her. But with a full belly.”
“Very good,” Michael chuckled, offering Dalton his hand.
Dalton shook it and while he was leaned forward, Michael shoved an envelope into his pocket.
“What’s this?” Dalton asked.
“Back pay,” Michael said sternly. “And I don’t want to argue about it. I heard you were taking her to The Village Green. I want you to enjoy yourselves without worrying over the bill.”
Dalton had agreed to winter pay, but Michael had been trying to get him to accept back pay for the harvest for two days now.
And he had him right where he wanted him tonight.
Obviously, Dalton wasn’t going to cause a fuss with all eyes on him.
And when Michael implied that he wanted Dalton to treat his daughter to an amazing evening out, it was all the harder to refuse him.
Besides, it had been worrying Dalton that maybe he had underestimated the prices at the restaurant.
“Thank you, sir,” he said instead of protesting. “I’ll do whatever I can to make sure she has a nice evening.”
“I know you will, son,” Michael said with a warm smile.
“No more hanging around,” Mary scolded them. “These cookies won’t bake themselves.”
“Shall we?” Dalton asked Ella, to the soundtrack of Dove’s giggling.
“We shall,” she said.
He gestured for her to go first down the hallway, and he felt grateful for his manners when he saw how nice she looked from behind, with her golden hair falling down her back.
Once they pulled on their coats, he opened the front door for her.
He was half-hoping to offer her his arm, but she moved quickly down the stairs and he barely made it to the truck in time to open her door for her.
Maybe she’s just nervous, he told himself as he headed over to the driver’s side and got in.
He started the truck and breathed in a lungful of air that seemed colder than the breeze outside.
“It’ll warm up eventually,” he said, turning to Ella.
She smiled tightly, and he suddenly wondered if this was her first date since losing her husband.
How did I not think about that?
“Are you okay doing this?” he asked. “We don’t have to if it makes you uncomfortable. I’m sure they can use a hand with those cookies.”
Her grateful smile was almost like sunshine.
“I’m okay,” she told him. “But thank you. That means a lot.”
He nodded to her, feeling relieved, and pulled down the driveway without bothering to let the truck finish warming up.
“Want to put on the radio?” he offered after a moment.
She leaned forward and tapped the button.
Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” filled the cab of the truck, and when he glanced over, Ella was smiling.
“You like the Christmas station?” she asked him when she caught him looking.
“Of course,” he said. “Doesn’t everyone? I can’t believe you grew up with all this Christmas music playing all the time. Country life is the best.”
“Some people would say it’s too much,” Ella said.