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“It’s totally up to you. What’s more important?”
He shot a look over to his father. No meltdown. No tears. So far, so good. He pointed forward.
“You want to go one more time?”
Mathew nodded.
She smiled brightly. “Okay. Let’s go one more time.”
He grinned.
“Just so you know, sometimes we won’t get to have that choice. If someone else needs to ride Molasses for whatever reason, then we have to be respectful and let them take him.”
Mathew’s brow creased in the most adorable way. He frowned again, but then he did something she hadn’t expected.
He nodded.
6
Tristan
Something had just happened. Tristan wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew just by the look on Mathew’s face. He wasn’t happy about something. It might have been something Dianna had said, but it was more likely that Mathew’s reaction dealt more with not wanting to be done. According to the time on Tristan’s watch, they were due to return the horse to the barn.
Tristan nearly lurched forward. Mathew could be really difficult when he didn’t want to comply with the rules. He was just about to hop over the barrier that divided him from the two in the arena when Mathew pointed forward, then nodded. The horse started walking once more, and when they came closer, he waited for an explanation.
Dianna smiled at him. “Mathew has requested we take one more turn around the arena before we head back to your cabin. We’ll be done shortly.”
His gaze flicked to his son, finding him beaming. The tightness in Tristan’s chest eased somewhat, confusion replacing the worry. Dianna was still a new person in Mathew’s life. Usually, he needed to transition to a frame of mind where he accepted his new teacher’s authority. This transition typically took a few weeks. Somehow Dianna had skipped this step, and he couldn’t for the life of himself understand why.
What had she said?
He was still dumbfounded as they made their way toward the barn. Mathew wanted to continue riding on the way back, so that left Dianna to guide the horse with the lead rope. He walked beside her, itching to ask her what kind of magical powers she possessed to get Mathew to comply.
The question burned in the back of his throat. If he knew what she’d said, maybe he could use the same strategy with future teachers.
When he’d finally gotten the courage to ask her, praying he didn’t offend her like he had before, they’d arrived at the barn but she’d moved away.
Mathew knew he was being talked about. That happened frequently when they started seeing someone new. But once they got into a routine, it frustrated him when that sort of thing continued. He wouldn’t take kindly to Tristan pulling Dianna aside to speak to her about their sessions when he was present.
Tristan would have to ask her later how she’d managed to avoid a meltdown.
Over the next fifteen minutes, Dianna reviewed with Mathew how to brush the right way so as to not upset the horse. She showed him how to wipe down the saddle and how to remove the bridle. Mathew didn’t speak, but then why would he? The kid was more stubborn than a mule when it came to what he was willing to do for people he didn’t know well—ha, even for people he did know.
Tristan continued watching with rapt attention as Dianna laughed and put Mathew at ease. One thing that stood out was her use of a nickname.
Mathew hated people calling him Matt. He refused to work with people who made that mistake more than once. Tristan had thought it was because he preferred his given name above all else. But when Dianna used the name Matty, it didn’t seem to faze him. Dianna continued surprising him at every turn. He couldn’t tell if it was something special about her, or if Mathew just didn’t mind the nicknames anymore.
Dianna nudged Mathew. “What do you say we head to the cabin and start a nice fire. I think we have time to read for about twenty minutes.” She finally met Tristan’s gaze and something strange occurred. A spark passed between them. At least there was for him.
He’d always heard what it was like when someone died. Their life would pass before their eyes in an instant, highlighting everything they’d accomplished.
Well, this feeling was kind of like that. It was brief, and not really visual. It was more of a sensation—like he knew she would play a bigger part in his life than the average person.
Tristan rolled his shoulders, hoping to shake off the strange impression. He was just impressed with her, that was all. They both wanted the same thing—for Mathew to succeed in life. Together, they might have a shot at helping his son improve to the next stage of his learning.
Dianna and Mathew brushed past him and her hand grazed his. He sucked in sharply, his whole body turning hot and cold all at once. Staring down at his hand, he turned it over to examine it. That was weird. The static electricity of this place was really different than it was back home.
The two were far enough ahead that Tristan had to hustle to catch up. He jogged a few paces then walked, the frigid air burning his throat and his lungs. Puffs of white escaped from between his lips as he kept his focus on his son and the new teacher.
