The Taming of the Bachelor

by Jane Porter

  Crawford County Spring Science Fair

  May 15th Open House 5-8 pm

  Exhibit Hall A – Marietta Rodeo & Fair Grounds

  Dillon’s gaze lingered on the postcard, just as it did every time he saw it. He hoped Tyler was doing well with his project. He’d told Tyler when they’d talked last month, that he could email him or text him if he had any problems, but Dillon hadn’t heard from the boy since, which had to be good news. Tyler was obviously feeling good about his project. Maybe Paige had found Tyler someone local who could help him. If that were the case, Dillon was glad.

  Paige needed someone there for her, and the kids.

  They deserved someone who would put them first.

  He took the postcard down, folded it in half, before throwing it away.

  Chapter 14

  Be bold, Paige told herself, standing tall, shoulders thrown back. Be brave.

  “I’m here to see Mr. Sheenan,” Paige said crisply to Tutro’s receptionist, hoping she appeared chic and professional in her fitted dark trousers and tailored blouse.

  She’d worn pearls on the plane but had taken them off in the cab on the way from the airport, thinking they looked too fashioned, and made her look old. She suddenly wished she’d found a great pair of heels to wear, just for confidence, but it was too late for that.

  The receptionist frowned slightly, checking her computer screen before looking back up at Paige. “Did you have an appointment?”

  Paige smiled serenely, and then lied through her teeth. “Four thirty, Friday, May 1st.”

  Of course there was no appointment. This was all a last second whim. She’d never ever done anything like this before. Never anything so risky. She wasn’t just putting herself out there this time. She was walking a plank, begging for rejection.

  On the plane from Bozeman this morning, she’d had endless conversations with herself, justifying her wild impulsiveness for booking a quick two day trip to Austin, hoping that when she arrived in Texas and surprised Dillon, it would be a good surprise, very well aware that it might turn out to be anything but.

  And yet it was a risk she had to take.

  “I don’t see anything,” the receptionist replied apologetically. “Are you sure you have the right day and time?”

  “Absolutely. I flew in for the meeting. From...Missoula.” Paige crossed her fingers, thinking, lies and more lies. “If you could let him know I’m here?”

  “Mr. Sheenan isn’t here.”

  “He’s not in Austin?”

  “Yes, he is, and he was here in the office today, but he’s already left for the weekend. He had something scheduled for five, and he left a bit early. I’m really sorry.”

  Paige’s heart thumped. Had she come all this way for nothing? No. Impossible. If he was in Austin, she’d find him.

  “Would you like me to call Mr. Sheenan for you? See if I can reach him?” the receptionist offered.

  Paige shook her head. “No, but thank you. I have his number. I’ll call him myself.”

  She exited the building lobby and stood on the busy street, thinking of her next move.

  She hadn’t come this far to return without seeing him. She would see him. She’d send him a text, or give him a call—

  “Excuse me, Ms. Joffe.” It was the receptionist, calling to Paige from the door of the Tutro building. “I don’t know if it would be any help, but Mr. Sheenan was heading to Rainey Street. You could try Container Bar, and if not there, maybe Eisenhower?”

  Paige warmly thanked her and hailed a cab and asked to be taken to Container Bar on Rainey Street, all the while wondering what she’d say to Dillon once she found him. Hey, was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d pop by...

  Hmm, no. That wouldn’t work. It was obvious she was making a huge effort to see him. She was literally hunting him down in Austin. Not subtle, not cool. And then the thought struck—what if he was meeting a woman after work?

  What if he had a date scheduled?

  Paige cringed, imagining interrupting him on a date. That would be beyond awful. But she was also here now and she wasn’t leaving until she saw him.

  Dillon was sitting outside the Container Bar swigging beer, laughing, and joking around with friends he’d known since his early twenties and he’d first moved to Austin after graduate school. It felt good to be with old friends, people who liked him for him, and could care less about Tutro.

  It also felt good to unbutton his shirt an extra button and put his feet up on a low table and have a really cold bottle of beer in his hand. He’d been keeping to himself too much lately. He needed to be out with people he liked, and to remember who he was. Tutro might be an important part of his life, but it wasn’t his entire life, and by no means a definition of who he was.

  “So Sheenan, do you miss Montana?” one of his friends asked, signaling to the cocktail waitress that they’d all have another round of beer.

  Dillon shook his head. “No.”

  “So you’re not going back anytime soon?”

  “Definitely not. I’m kind of done with everything there.”

  “And no girl got her hooks into you these past three years?”

  Dillon opened his mouth to make a smartass reply when suddenly he spotted someone that looked a hell of a lot like Paige.

  He sat forward abruptly, feet dropping to the ground, and then rose to see above a crowd that had blocked the blonde from his view.

  “What’s up?” another of his friends asked, getting to his feet. “Is there a fight?”

  All his friends were now on their feet. But Dillon didn’t answer, his gaze combing the street, trying to see where the blonde woman went.

  After a moment he sat back down, took a long drink from his beer, and extended his legs, pretending to be blasé, and yet on the inside, his heart was pounding. Crazy. He could have sworn he saw her, which made no sense. But still, for a split second everything in him lit up, and the intensity of his disappointment made him aware just how much he cared for her.

  Maybe even loved her.

  He wasn’t with a girl or woman. He wasn’t on a date. He was with four guys who looked like Texas guys...

  Paige almost cried with relief, as she ducked into the bar’s bathroom to lean against the wall of the women’s bathroom.

  He wasn’t on a date.

  He was with friends.

  And he looked so ridiculously handsome. As well as a little thin. He’d lost weight since she’d last seen him, and he had circles under his eyes, a testament to the fact that he wasn’t sleeping. He must be working really long hours.

  Her heart squeezed, and she exhaled slowly, trying to get her pulse to slow down, too, because her heart was beating like mad.

  He was here. She’d found him. He was here, and she was here, and what was she going to do now?

  Think, think, think...

  Well, she couldn’t stay in the bathroom all night. In fact, she shouldn’t stay in here too long just in case he left.

  But oh, he’d looked so gorgeous sitting outside with his friends. They were all nice enough looking but he was so big and handsome, his black hair long, a little shaggy, which she found very sexy. His strong jaw was shadowed with a couple days of stubble. It had been eye opening seeing him here in Austin with friends that weren’t from Marietta. He looked different. He looked bigger and tougher....more confident.

  Now she just had to go back out and talk to him. Fingers crossed he wouldn’t be upset that she’d flown to Texas to see him.

  It was Paige.

  This time Dillon didn’t stand until she’d walked all the way through the crowd to join him and his friends. He didn’t stand out of disrespect. He remained seated so he could sit and concentrate on her. His narrowed gaze followed her intently, watching as she walked towards him.

  His girl. Here.

  And then she was finally at his side. “Hello, babe,” he said huskily, rising to give her a hug.

  “Hey, Dillon,” she whispered, her face stil
l pressed to his chest.

  He could feel her tremble against him. She was nervous. So was he. He pulled back to see her face. “What are you doing here?”

  She smiled crookedly. “You’ve been gone a couple months, and I thought maybe I should check on you, make sure things are going all right for you and Tutro.”

  His chest tightened. “When did you fly in?”

  “Today. Just a couple hours ago.”

  “And the kids?”

  “They’re with their grandparents.”

  “When do you go back?”

  “Sunday morning.”

  He took her hand. “Then let’s get out of here.”

  “What about your friends?” she protested.

  “They live here,” he said, nodding to them, gesturing farewell, even as he tugged on her hand. “They’ll be fine. They’ll see me again.”

  Paige did a double take when they reached Dillon’s car. She’d expected his truck, or something similar, but instead he had a vintage sports car, a convertible that sat low, looked racy, and reeked style and money.

  “What kind of car is this?” she asked, as he opened a blue door for her on the passenger side.

  “It’s a 1968 Italia Spyder.”

  “I have no idea what that is.”

  “It was made by Intermeccanica.”

  “You’re speaking Greek now,” she said, flashing a rueful smile as she stepped into the low car.

  He closed the door behind her. “That’s okay. Most people aren’t familiar with the maker. Let’s just say this was my dream car when I was a kid.”

  “Because it was an Italian sports car?”

  “Because there were only 400 of this model made between 1967 and 1973. It’s an Italian made car, but the brainchild of an American chemical engineer, Frank Reisner and his wife, Paula. They coupled Italian design with American power—” he broke off, and shook his head as he walked around to the driver’s side. “Don’t let me start. I won’t ever shut up.”

  She couldn’t take her eyes off his face as he slid into the driver’s seat. She’d forgotten how gorgeous he was. And he might be thinner, but he also looked happier. “And now you own one.”

  “Yes.”

  “And your vintage truck, the one that needs a serious paint job?”

  He started the engine. It had a deep powerful purr. “That’s still in Montana, hidden in the Sheenan barn with the other old trucks and tractors that don’t get driven very often.” Dillon glanced at her purse and then down at the floor by her feet. “Is that all you brought for a weekend? Or do you have luggage stashed somewhere?”

  “I left my overnight bag at the airport hotel I checked into before taking a cab to your office.”

  “Well, let’s get your bag, and then we’ll head to my place. We can grab dinner on the way.”

  She felt a flutter of butterflies. She’d be staying with him tonight. “You’re sure that’s a good idea?”

  He shot her a swift glance. “You’d rather stay at the hotel?”

  “No, I’d rather be with you.”

  His jaw eased. “Good, because I want to be with you, too.”

  It was closing in on seven when they reached Dillon’s house on Sam Houston Circle. Paige wasn’t sure what to expect from the plain, contemporary exterior fronted by oak trees, and was then blown away by what she saw inside.

  The entire back of the house was glass with a sweeping view of Lake Austin and the Texas Hill Country. The house perched on what felt like a private hillside with a completely open floor plan. Everywhere she looked there were outdoor patios and terraces and tree-shaded eating areas.

  “What is that other house?” she asked, pointing to an adjacent property higher up on the hill. “Is that your neighbor?”

  He shook his head as he joined her on the back stone patio, unpacking their dinner boxes onto the glass and iron table that had been custom made for the house by the same architect who designed the place. “That’s the guest suite.”

  Her brows flattened, assessing the two story building. “That’s not a suite. It’s a house.”

  “It is a little house,” he agreed. “It has its own kitchen, laundry, living space, plus two bedrooms and two baths. I guess the previous owner used it as a guest cottage but it could also be a caretaker house, or in-law setup, depending on what one needed.”

  “And this is your place?” She couldn’t understand why he’d need such a huge piece of property with two unique homes built on it.

  “I don’t own it, no. I’m just renting for the year. I’m sure my landlord would love for me to take it off his hands. He bought it from the original owner and was in the middle of a massive remodel when he and his wife divorced. They had to sell the house as part of the divorce and it had been standing empty for six months so a real estate agent I know worked out a deal that got me in here for a year, and then next winter the house goes back on the market and hopefully will sell then.”

  He’d finished laying everything out for dinner and she sat down across from him at the table, wondering if she was overstepping by asking about the rent. “Is it very expensive?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t really worry about it.”

  She bit the inside of her lip, trying to hide her surprise by spreading her napkin on her lap.

  He didn’t worry about it? What exactly did that mean? Dillon had always seemed so frugal in Marietta she’d imagined he found it a struggle making a living off the Sheenan land. But now she was thinking she’d maybe got it wrong.

  She glanced around the yard with the protective cluster of oak trees and the view of the water with more trees and hills beyond. It was a private place, not unlike living on a Montana ranch, but also not that far from his work. “Would you want to buy it?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. Not really thinking that far ahead. I’m good here now. We’ll see how things are in February.”

  “But you plan on staying here, in Austin. You don’t see yourself ever moving back to Marietta?”

  He’d been plating their steaks and baked potatoes and he paused, and looked at her, his expression regretful. “No, babe. I don’t see myself heading back there to live.”

  He was glad they changed the subject, and pleased when the rustic gas patio lights came on right at seven thirty, just as it was beginning to grow dark. It was a nice house. Better than nice. It had great proportions and tons of light and space. But it wasn’t a family house. It was a man’s house. A bachelor’s place. Maybe that’s why it appealed. The minimalist design and open floor plan let him breathe. There was nothing here to confine him or trap him, not the way he’d felt in the one-hundred-year-old log cabin on the Sheenan ranch, with memories of Mom and Dad everywhere. No, in this modern house with the walls of windows he could see the sky from every room, reminding him he was free.

  “So,” he said, leaning back in his chair once they’d finished eating. “How did you manage this...lining up the grandparents, getting a ticket, coming out here...?”

  She swallowed, shrugged. “The same way you came out here. You go online, buy a ticket, head to the airport.”

  He was amused, but also a little bit troubled. “But everything is okay at home? You’re doing well? The kids are well? Diner—”

  “Everything is great,” she said quickly. “Kids are great. Addison has a ballet recital coming up in a couple weeks and Tyler’s been working hard on his science fair project. Diner is operating in the black. Things couldn’t be better.”

  But it wasn’t true, he thought, hearing the edge in her voice. She wasn’t great. She didn’t seem like herself. “You’re upset, though,” he said.

  She sighed, pushing gleaming hair back from her face. “Not upset, no. Not the way you mean.”

  “Then what?”

  “I just....” Her shoulders twisted helplessly. “...missed you.”

  Paige held her breath, trying to read Dillon’s expression in the flickering light of his patio, as she waited for him to reply.


  The sun had gone down an hour ago and the long lavender twilight had faded to night. Distant pinpricks of light shone from the other side of the river, almost like little stars twinkling among the oak trees, but people and society felt very remote right now. It was just them here, and so far it wasn’t going so well.

  “Are you upset that I’m here?” she asked, trying to prod an answer from him since he was slow to reply.

  “No. I’m shocked, but pleasantly so. I had no idea you had so much gumption.”

  Paige rolled his answer around on her tongue, in her head, not sure if those were the words she wanted to hear. “I used to be wild. When I was younger. I was quite adventurous and daring.”

  He gave her a look and she rolled her eyes. “Okay,” she corrected. “Maybe I was never wild, or daring, but I was plucky, and I had this crazy sense of humor. I would do ridiculous things just to make people laugh. Just to make me laugh.” Her expression turned wistful. “I used to love to laugh. And I guess you could say, that’s what brought me here.” She leaned towards him to whisper in a stage voice. “I flew in for a good time.”

  He laughed, just as she’d intended, and it warmed her, releasing some of the tension she’d felt ever since arriving in Austin.

  “You wouldn’t let things get out of control in Marietta,” she added nonchalantly. “Because you said it wouldn’t be right to take advantage of me, or hook up with me and leave me. And so I am here, in your world, and the tables have turned, Dillon. I’ve come to take advantage of you.”

  “Paige.”

  “Don’t say it like that.”

  “Like how?”

  “As if you are one hundred years old, or my high school guidance counselor. Really, Dillon, that’s not encouraging at all. Think of my self-esteem, please.”

  The corners of his mouth twitched. “You’re impossible.”

  “Personally, I think you’re the one that’s difficult. You could make this easier on me. You could have me upstairs in your bed now, instead of making uncomfortable conversation on the patio.”