Chapter 15
15
TRISTAN
“ D on’t you worry about a thing, Mr. Wood. I’m great with kids.” The young woman in front of Tristan couldn’t be more than sixteen years old. She was the younger sister of someone who worked the drink bar at the country club, and Shane swore she’d be a good fit.
Her sister would be working tonight’s party. With Tristan staying on site, he wasn’t too worried about any emergency occurring. Still, Mathew hadn’t come out of his room yet to meet her, and he wasn’t sure that his son would appreciate a new face.
He cleared his throat and glanced over his shoulder. “Mathew, the sitter is here.”
Mathew appeared in the hallway. He didn’t look upset, but he didn’t seem all that excited either. His eyes landed on Kimberly, then darted to Tristan. “I don’t want a babysitter. I’m not a baby.”
Tristan moved across the room toward his son and knelt down. “We talked about this. If there’s an emergency, I need to know that there is someone who can handle it.”
“I’m old enough to take care of myself,” he muttered.
Tristan bit back a smile. “You’re very smart, kiddo. But there are still a few things you have to learn before you can be in charge of yourself. Miss Dianna will be at the party. What do you say if I bring her here before you go to bed and she can read a book to you?” He hadn’t cleared it with her yet, but based on how often she’d read Mathew stories up until this point, he was sure she’d be up for the task.
Mathew’s demeanor brightened almost immediately and his eyes widened. He lowered his voice into a whisper. “Are you going to marry Miss Dianna?”
Tristan grimaced. He should have known better than to bring up Dianna when he was all dressed up and ready for a night out. Mathew was smart and more than attentive. He could figure out what was going on even if Tristan had done his best to hide it.
Standing, Tristan patted his son’s shoulder. “I don’t know.”
“But you’re going on a date with her.”
“Yes, and sometimes that just means we’re going to be friends.”
“But if you kiss her, then you get to marry her.”
He chuckled. “Just because you kiss someone doesn’t mean you get to marry them. There’s a lot that goes into a decision like that.” Sometimes it was hard to remember that Mathew was only seven years old, especially when he asked questions like that. “Now, you be good for Kimberly and remember to listen to what she says. You don’t have to go to sleep until nine, and I’ll make sure Dianna comes to read to you.”
Mathew offered him a small smile and glanced back at Kimberly, who stayed by the door. “Fine. But I’m not going to talk to her.”
“You’re in charge of your own destiny.”
Mathew rolled his eyes.
Tristan laughed. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk to her. I already told her you may not be up for chatting much and she said she’s perfectly fine with that. I’ll see you in a few hours, bud.” He left the cabin and headed for his car. She’d offered to meet him at the country club, but he’d insisted that he wasn’t going to make her drive, especially since her truck was out of commission and at the shop. She’d offered the rebuttal that her sister was going to come and they could carpool together.
He’d put an end to that real quick when he told Shane he wasn’t to allow his blind date to drive herself to the party. Once Tristan picked up Shane, they could go get their dates and then be ready for when the guests began to arrive.
Shane was already waiting by Tristan’s car when he got to the parking lot. His friend glanced at his watch, then up to Tristan. “You’re late, which means I’m going to be late, and I’m never late.”
“Well, there’s a first time for everything.” Tristan unlocked the car and they both climbed in.
“Okay, now that it’s the night of, are you allowed to tell me which sister Dianna is setting me up with? I’m guessing she’s not going to be one of the youngest sisters. Mr. Callahan would have my hide if I even looked at one of them.” He laughed, but it was strained. “The only one I can think of is Eloise. She’s the next one, right? They were named in alphabetical order so that has to be it.”
Tristan lifted a brow, the corners of his mouth quirking with amusement and climbed into the car. “And if it wasn’t?” The ride to the Callahan’s ranch wasn’t that long. They might even get there before Shane figured it out.
Shane chuckled. “Well, it’s not Brielle. Everyone knows this isn’t her thing.”
“How well do you know Brielle?”
“We’ve talked a few times when she’s come by for one thing or another. Definitely not worth the trouble, if you know what I mean.” Shane settled back in his seat. “The stories that circulate around that woman.” He whistled. “You could fill several books.”
Tristan held back a chuckle, but still, a sound came out that gave him away. Shane stiffened and turned toward him.
“You didn’t.”
“I didn’t do anything.” Tristan feigned mock innocence.
“Please tell me you didn’t let Dianna set me up with that woman.”
Tristan peeked at Shane. “What’s the matter? Are you scared?”
Shane folded his arms like he was a child. “I’m not scared of going on a blind date. Do I want to have to deal with the gossips in town who insist on making something out of nothing? No.”
“Who says it will turn out to be nothing? Maybe the two of you will hit it off and you just didn’t realize how good you could be together.”
Shane let out a snort. “You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew her. You’re still new. And you only have your experience with Dianna to compare things to. Those Callahan sisters all have their quirks, but Brielle is the one that takes the cake.”
Tristan glanced at him once more out of the corner of his eye. “Dianna had mentioned that her father had been pretty strict when she was younger.”
He let out a derisive laugh. “That’s the understatement of the century. At one point I had nearly considered asking Brielle out—before Zeke had changed his rule—and I quickly learned you can’t just go on a date with her and not suffer some kind of consequence. I missed out when her older sister found Sean. Brielle? Nope.”
“I’m sure you’re exaggerating. Maybe you should stop listening to the gossip yourself and try to get to know her one-on-one.”
Shane took in a deep breath and let it out. “You’re lucky we’re friends.”
“I know.”
“And if anything goes wrong with her tonight, I’m blaming you.”
Tristan chuckled. “Everything will go just fine. You’ll see.”
“Not if we don’t get back on time. I need to greet my guests.”
They pulled up in front of the house and Tristan shut off the engine. “Then let’s round up our women and get back.”
Shane gave him a blank look.
“What?” Tristan asked.
“You’re starting to sound like a country boy.”
He pushed open the door and Shane did the same. They stared at one another over the top of the car. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Shane’s face broke into a smile. “You’re sounding more and more like the cowboys out here. You’re not planning on making this move permanent, are you? Because that would be great.”
Tristan’s hand covered his wrist over his watch, and he spun it around absently. “I don’t know.”
“I knew it. You’ve totally grown attached. You like it here.” He paused and peered at Tristan with narrowed eyes. “You’re falling for her.”
Stiffening, Tristan looked toward the house. “There’s a lot about this place that would be good for Mathew. I can see us settling down here. And yes, I’d be lying if I said that Dianna doesn’t play a part.”
“A big part. That’s why you’ve invited her to the party tonight.” He waved his finger at Tristan. “And you were playing it off like it wasn’t a big deal. Come on, man. We’re friends. She’s my employee. You should have told me. I could have given her a little push?—”
Tristan’s head snapped around and he gave Shane an unyielding stare. “Don’t you do a single thing. I don’t want you meddling in this. If it’s meant to be, it will happen.”
Shane seemed to be considering him for a few moments before he nodded. “Fine. But she’s not Erika. She’s not going to just abandon you. Remember that, okay? Don’t let your concerns about that mess up anything that you might find with Dianna.”
“Who said I was worried about Erika?” He scoffed. “Erika has nothing to do with this. She’s been out of our lives for several years.”
His friend shrugged. “Just a hunch, I guess. People in general seem to find any reason to sabotage something when they don’t feel they deserve it.” He walked around the car. “And you deserve to be happy more than anyone I know.”
The front door to the house opened and light spilled out onto the porch. There were two silhouettes standing in the doorway, but only one of them captured Tristan’s attention and made it hard for him to breathe.
Dianna was a vision in a deep crimson dress that came to her mid-calf. The fabric swirled around her knees in the front, then draped lower in the back. She held her coat draped over her arm and her gaze locked onto his. Her hair was swept up into a pile of curls on top of her head and he didn’t dare move in case what he was looking at disappeared.
Shane dug his elbow into Tristan’s side and let out a low chuckle. “I think it’s customary to help the lady with her coat.” He didn’t waste any time. Shane moved forward and hurried up the steps toward his date. Brielle wore a white dress that came to her knees. There were lace embellishments, and it was easy to believe what Shane had said. Tristan could see her attracting trouble wherever she went.
By the time Shane had reached the top of the stairs, Tristan had jolted into action and hurried to meet Dianna before she came to him. “You look…” He shook his head and gestured toward her dress. “You look amazing, Dianna.”
She smiled and moved closer to him. Her fingers adjusted his tie and her lashes fluttered before she lifted her gaze to meet his. “You clean up nicely yourself.” Her hands traced down the breast of his jacket, resting near his lapel.
Chills swept down his spine and up again, but it wasn’t because of the cold weather. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to be out on this date with her after everything he’d been through in his life. In a perfect world, tonight would be the first of many. He could already imagine what life would be like with her by his side.
“Come on, guys. Stop ogling each other and let’s get going. I’m sure Shane has a lot to do.” Brielle looped her hand through Shane’s arm and gave him a flirtatious wink, to which Shane gave Tristan a meaningful look.
Tristan gazed down at Dianna, wishing they didn’t have an audience. He would have liked to pull her close and finally break the tension that had continued to grow over the last several days. He wanted to kiss her, letting his lips rove over the soft curves of her shy smile and show her how he really felt inside. Instead, he reached for her wool coat. “May I?”
She nodded, allowing him to take the coat and hold it up for her. She slipped her arms into the sleeves, and before she turned to face him, he trailed his hands down her arms. When she did face him, her expression was guarded. Had he misread the signs she’d been giving him?
“We should probably get going,” she whispered.
He nodded. “Right.” There was plenty of time for the two of them to have a quiet conversation later. Even as he’d said the word, his feet refused to move.
The car horn honked loud and long, then another short burst. Both Dianna and Tristan jumped and faced the car, finding Brielle leaning forward from the front seat with a wide grin on her face as she honked the horn once more for good measure.
Dianna grimaced. “Sorry.”
Tristan chuckled, shrugging as he laced his fingers within hers. “She’s not my date. Maybe you should be apologizing to your boss.”
She flinched again and laughed. “Maybe you’re right.”