Denim & Diamonds (17 page)

“Don’t be a stranger, Beau. The wife makes a pretty mean meatloaf, you know.” The Sheriff smiled and sat up straight, then poked Beth on the knee, “Make him bring you over sometime, Miss Jameson.”

Beau glanced at Beth, who looked up at him with those intense green eyes of hers, framed with long black lashes. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, and a stray tendril of red curled up to touch her right cheek. She brushed it back and smiled at him. He opened his mouth, but no words came. He'd been thrown off his game. So worried when he stepped through that door, ready to be angry. And now Van wanted him to bring Beth over for dinner, like they were a couple.  

“Is there anything else, Beau?” she asked as she tilted her head a touch to the left.

“No. No, just wanted to let you know that I’ll be leaving with Joe and Cole for the livestock sale in Wilder as soon as they get back. Good to see you again, Van,” Beau said, nodding at the Sheriff.

Just as he reached the door, Beth called out, “You’ve got the list of horses we’re interested in, right?”

He nodded once, quick. Irritation welled up as he turned and left the room. He felt like a kid again, manipulated and kept in the dark. He clenched his fists and set his jaw, determined not to fall into old traps. This was his ranch and he wasn’t about to let a girl bat her eyes and take it from him.

Not even a girl that made him see fireworks when he kissed her.

“You’re frowning, Beau,” Charlotte stood in the doorway to the kitchen, hands perched on her hips, “That’s not good."

"Thinking about the auction. Beth gave me a list of what she wants me to look for. I still think we ought to consider adding some Mustang blood to our lines."

The older woman shrugged. "You may have a point. They're known for endurance and brains."

"Exactly." He huffed out another breath. "That's what I've been trying to tell her, but she's stubborn as all get out. Can't see the possibilities."

"Your job as ranch foreman is to help her see those possibilities." Charlotte glanced over his shoulder. "What’s going on back there?”

He shook his head. “Can’t say that I know, Miss Charlotte.” Without another word, he went out the door and crossed the driveway. He could feel her staring after him.

His heart pounded in time with his stride. He had to clear his head. He couldn’t afford to let anything slip by him. The Sheriff suspected something and would be poking around, but Beau was confident he could deal with that. Beth was a different story though. She took her father’s bequest as a challenge and she wasn’t used to losing. Individually, they were an inconvenience. Together, they were an obstacle.

Beth was all that stood between him and his dream. He needed to remember that and quit thinking with his heart instead of his head.

“What’d you find out, Beau?” Katie leaned against the door jamb of the office. Her arms were crossed and a frown bunched her forehead.

“Nothing to worry about. Did you get Digger cooled down for me?”

“Walked him for a bit, then unsaddled him and put him in his stall with a scoop of grain,” Katie answered with a grin. She was comfortable with the horses, and was one of the very few people that Beau would toss his prized Digger’s reins to.

“Thanks, kiddo.” Beau stalked down the aisle, deep in thought.

"I'm not a kid."

He stopped and turned to see Katie standing in the center of the aisle, feet planted wide with her hands on her hips. "What'd you say?"

She took a step towards him. "I said, I'm not a kid. We've been dancing around it all summer."

She was right. The sun outlined her curves, of which she had plenty in all the right places. "Katie--"

She shook her head. "Don't 'Katie' me. Please."

It was his turn to shake his head. "Not now."

He turned and walked away, and heard her footsteps echo behind him as she walked out of the barn. He was going to have his hands full with her if he didn't put a stop to things soon. He stopped in front of Digger’s stall and leaned against the stall door, his face pressed against the cool metal of the bars. There were too many other things to think about right now.

He couldn't imagine life anywhere but here. He was torn. Before he got to know Beth, he wanted her to fail. He'd already talked to the banker and gotten a go ahead for a loan, thanks to
Charlotte's good credit. She agreed to co-sign, or Clyde Rankin would never have gone for it. That seemed like the perfect scenario. Beth would go back to the city, and life could continue as it had been. But now--

“Hey, hey, Miss Katie! See ya later!” Lana’s high-pitched voice echoed through the barn. Beau jumped and bumped his head on the bars. He turned to face his aunt, who wore a wrinkled broomstick skirt in every shade of the rainbow and a burnt orange peasant blouse.

“We need to talk,” Beau glanced around to make sure they were alone. He didn’t expect Joe and Cole to return from checking the cattle for at least half an hour or so, and he knew Katie could be back at any moment and he did not want Beth and Van to show up and overhear anything.  

“What seems to be the problem, boy?” Lana asked as she looking up at him with round eyes. To some, she looked innocent. To Beau, she looked fake. But then, he knew her better than anyone else.

His feet were braced wide and he crossed his arms. “The problem is you. I want you out of here. Soon.”

“That’s no way to talk to your elder, boy,” Lana said with an edge to her voice. The wide eyed innocence dissolved.

“I’m not a kid anymore, Lana. I know what you are and I don’t want any part of it. The people here are good. I have a good life here. I don’t want anything to screw that up for me.” Beau’s voice was soft, but firm. He pressed his lips into a thin line.

“I won’t screw anything up for you. Don’t be silly. If anyone’s going to screw anything up, it’s you. You just won’t accept what you are.” Lana said, dismissing his concerns with a wave of her age-spotted hand.

“I am not like you!” Beau hissed. He never stood a chance with a woman like Beth, not if she found out the truth about him.

Lana smiled at him, a crazy, wild-looking grin. She nodded. “You are like me. Just like your mama was. You know it and I know it. You just don’t want your fancy schmancy boss lady to know what you really are.” A spot of her bright pink lipstick smudged her front tooth. Beau fought the urge to wipe that wicked smile off her face.

“I am not arguing with you. I want you out. You’ve got until noon tomorrow.” He turned on his heel and walked away.

“Don’t you dare walk away from me,” Lana said in a low voice. Her tone turned ominous, “You don’t want me to tell your pretty boss lady what you really are, do you? Do you think she’d keep a thief around?”

Beau spun around and faced his aunt. He jabbed a finger at her to punctuate his words, “I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. Get out.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

B
eth had enjoyed her visit with Van. He was pleasant, intelligent, and full of information about her father. After he left, she decided to face the paperwork she'd been putting off.

She had been at it for hours in her father’s library, examining the finances for the ranch and her head ached. Numbers swirled. She ran her index finger down the ledger and punched more numbers into the calculator. No matter how she massaged the figures, the ranch was not showing a profit. Between feed and vet bills and farrier bills, she was drowning in a sea of expenses.

Damn it! If she didn't do something to turn things around, she'd lose the ranch. And then what would she do?

She was reading through the advertising bills when she heard a loud crash of metal against metal outside. She jumped up and ran to the window, the chair rolling back into the wall with a solid thunk.

The two-horse slant trailer was still hooked to Beau’s black Silverado. Beau backed the trailer up to the round pen. Cole and Joe directed him as he maneuvered the vehicle. The two jumped back as the trailer rocked on its axles. A loud crash resounded from inside the trailer. The truck ground to a stop and Beau slid out, then ran back to the trailer and jumped up on the running board to see in.

Beth could feel her blood pressure rising. She spun on her heels and bolted for the front door. If he had dared to do what she thought he had done, after she specifically told him not to, oh, he would pay!

A shrill whinny greeted her as she descended the front steps. Beau had returned to the driver’s seat and continued to back the trailer up to the gate. Joe and Cole saw Beth first, and ducked their heads to avoid her angry stare.

Beau maneuvered the trailer like a pro. When it trailer was inches from the gate, he jumped out and started towards the back of the trailer, but the sight of his angry boss stopped him short. She stood

beside the trailer, hands on her hips, her lips pressed in a thin line and her green eyes narrowed to slits.

“What is this? Don’t you dare tell me that you went and got one of those mustangs after I told you not to!” Beth’s voice was high-pitched, but firm. Her heart felt as if it were about to jump out of her chest.

“This stallion was well worth the money. He’ll add stamina and agility to our bloodlines,” he spoke as if he were talking to a child.

“This ranch doesn’t need an unpapered horse. Our horses are as close to pure AQHA as they can get. My father rarely allowed an unregistered horse onto the property. He would roll over in his grave if he knew you were even considering using a wild horse in the breeding program.” Her nostrils flared as she talked. Aidan straddled the fence, frozen at the sudden outburst. Cole and Joe backed up against the fence, trying to sink into the background so they wouldn’t be noticed. It didn’t work.

Beth spun to face them, pointing an accusatory finger in their direction, “And you two know that! How could you let him do this? Why didn’t you call me?”

Beau was the first to respond, “Your father knew good horseflesh when he saw it. He would have seen the potential in this animal. He--”

“Don’t you dare. I am the boss around here, whether you want to accept it or not. That animal will not be a part of Diamond J Ranch.” Her anger threatened to bubble over like a volcano, but she took a deep breath and struggled to keep her voice controlled and measured. How dare he ignore her!

The gray cat appeared from around the corner of the house, hair standing on end, reacting to his mistress’s foul mood.

His anger rose to match hers. “Like it or not, this horse
will
be a part of Diamond J Ranch. You don’t want to pay for him with ranch money, fine! Suit yourself! I’ll pay for him myself.”

“You most certainly will. And whether he is allowed to stay here at Diamond J Ranch is yet to be seen,” she said in an ominous tone.

The cat at her feet hissed. She turned on her heel and marched back to the main house, Tripod right behind her.

The men were silent, and she could feel their eyes on her back. The horse kicked the side of the trailer, indicating his own anger at being in such a confining space.

Once inside, she watched through the blinds as the four men exploded into action. Joe opened the gate. Cole slid the latch open on the trailer and let the door swing open. They stood clear as the fiery red stallion leapt from the trailer, his hooves never touching the ramp. He galloped around the pen, his mane and tail flowing in the wind, his head held high like the king that he was. Powerful muscles rippled under his skin.

Beau grabbed hold of the top rail and pulled himself up. He leaned forward, his muscles taut.

“He’s a fine specimen,” she murmured under her breath.

Charlotte
walked into the kitchen and said, “Who is?”

Heat crept up Beth’s neck and she kept her face averted as she answered, “The stud.”

Charlotte nodded and one corner of her mouth twitched up, but she didn’t say anything. Beth was flustered. Beau had gone against her wishes, which infuriated her. He pushed her buttons, and knew she didn't want that horse. On the other hand, now that she'd seen the animal, she had to admit, he was impressive. Part of her admired Beau for having the guts to follow his heart on this one.

She excused herself and walked down the hall to the library, where she could watch the goings-on in peace.

She watched Beau step off the fence as the horse charged towards him. The three ranch hands leaned against the fence. They nodded to each other, all smiles, as they admired the wild horse as he pranced in front of them. They talked, and she wondered what they were saying.

She could just imagine.

The horse galloped around the perimeter of the pen, then came to a sliding halt in front of the men, throwing up a cloud of dust. He seemed to look right at Beau, his nostrils flaring. He tossed his head

and spun away to race around the pen again. Beau pushed his hat down on his head, then glanced at the house, directly at her. She stepped back and held her breath.

Beau abruptly left the ranch hands and strode into the barn, leaving them to stare after him. Joe shrugged and they turned their attention back to the animal racing around the pen. Beau reappeared moments later, a rope in one hand and a leather halter in the other. His mouth was set in a grim line.

Joe said something, the expression on his face leaving no doubt that he didn’t think it was a good idea, but Beau jumped up on the fence. The stallion watched him warily from the far side of the round pen. He swung one leg over the fence and sat on the top rail for a moment. Before he dropped to the ground, he handed the worn leather halter to Cole.

Cole took the halter and nodded once. He nodded towards the wild horse and said something. Beth held her breath, hoping that Cole could talk some sense into Beau.

Beau’s lips moved as he walked across the pen. He set one booted foot in front of the other. The stallion watched him and tossed his head. His dark red forelock was long and tangled, and hung well below his large brown eyes. Each time Beau got within about ten feet of the horse, the animal reared up, flailed his hooves at the approaching stranger, then dropped to all fours and bolted. Beau continued, patiently, talking to the horse the whole time. Aidan, Joe and Cole watched from outside the fence. They looked at worried as Beth felt.
 

She was entranced by the sight of the cowboy and the stallion. Both were stubborn, yet attractive. Each was beautiful in a wild way. She was still angry that he brought the mustang home from the auction – Lord only knew how much he had paid for the unbroken mustang. She had to admit the horse was a fine specimen, but that didn’t excuse the fact that Beau had gone against her wishes. What on earth would they do with a wild animal on a working ranch?

She was terrified of what could happen – what would happen – when Beau tried to break the horse. This wasn’t like the quarter horses he dealt with normally. This was a wild animal, unused to human