Denim & Diamonds (22 page)

The lights flashed and the crowd carried them back to their seats. He started to say something, wanted to say something, but couldn’t decide what. The malodorous man didn’t return for the second act, so Beau leaned away from her, his elbow propped on the armrest and his chin resting in his palm. The lights dimmed and the performance began.

He was angry with himself. Angry with her for being short with him over an accident. But most of all, he was angry she was going to go back to the city, back to her old life.

But something about what that woman said to Beth niggled at him. He couldn't remember what she'd said.

When the performance ended and the actors came out for their bows, Beth touched his arm and pointed towards the side exit. They scooted along in front of the other patrons, who frowned at them, and slipped out the door. Beau turned to Beth to apologize, but just as he began, she dropped to the sidewalk with a little cry of pain and surprise.

“What the--? Are you okay?” he asked, bending down to take her arm. It was then that he saw the problem. One of her high heels was stuck in a grate in the sidewalk, twisting Beth’s ankle at an odd angle. She squinted up at him, her face pinched. He knelt down on the rough concrete and pulled her foot out of the shoe. He smiled when he saw that her toenails were painted the same bright red as her fingernails.

“What the hell are you smiling about?” she demanded.

“Your red toes. Very cute,” Beau answered. She sat back on the concrete. He tugged on her shoe, and pulled it free, but left the shiny black heel itself in the grate.

“Wonderful, just wonderful,” she said. Her voice quavered as she massaged her ankle. “I don’t think this night could get any worse.”

Just then, a flash of lightning lit the sky. They both looked up as a clap of thunder shook the ground. Raindrops began to patter against the concrete around them. Beau looked down at Beth and saw tears glistening in her eyes. He scooped her up in his arms and walked towards the garage. Her eyes widened, and she started to struggle.

“Hold still. You can’t walk on that ankle. Your dress is ruined. Your shoes are ruined. And we’re in the middle of a thunderstorm. Let me do this,” Beau said, his voice tense with frustration. So much for a nice night out. She stopped struggling, and slipped her arm around his neck. After a moment, she leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed.

When they reached the truck, he helped her into the cab then leaned down to feel her ankle. It was already swollen. She sniffled and he looked at her, surprised at her red, puffy eyes. All he wanted to do was help to give her a nice night out, and nothing had gone right.

She whispered, "Thanks. Really."

Beau just nodded. She was earning his respect. In spite of it all, she didn't whine and didn't complain.  

He reached back and pulled a heavy coat from the back seat, then wadded it up to form a makeshift rest for her foot.

He didn’t have the slightest idea where he was or how to get out of that spaghetti bowl of highways and roads, especially all those one-way streets that made up the downtown area. He knew how to get to and from the American Royal, but that was the extent of his knowledge.

They went south for awhile, then Beth said, "Take a left on East 31st. It'll take us straight over to 71."

Finally, they were on the highway headed for the ranch, away from the crowds and traffic of the city. As the city faded from view, Beth leaned into the corner and let her eyes close. They had driven for quite some time with the windshield wipers making a soothing swish-swish sound. The raindrops drummed on the roof of the truck.

Suddenly, the Chevy lurched and something thump-thump-thumped.

Beau gripped the steering wheel as the truck pulled to the left. He slowed and guided the vehicle onto the gravel shoulder. Beth sat up straight, her eyes wide.

“Sounds like we got a flat,” Beau said, his voice as flat as the tire. Tonight simply could not get any worse. He didn’t know what else

could possibly go wrong, and was afraid to consider the possibilities given their run of luck so far. He got out of the truck and, sure enough, the left front tire was completely flat. The reason was clear – a chunk of metal stuck out at a right angle.

Beth opened her door, but he waved her back in, "Stay in the truck! I'm going to change the tire!"

He sighed and went to work, thankful his hat kept the rain from running into his eyes too badly. He banged his knuckles a few times, scuffed his boots up in the gravel and tore his shirt reaching under the truck to get the spare down. He tossed the flat tire in the bed of his truck, and scratched the paint with the metal chunk. He got back in the truck and heaved a sigh.

He looked at Beth in the glow of the dashboard lights and, to his surprise and irritation, she started laughing. He looked at her, frizzy red hair going every which way, the spot on the front of her dress, and her swollen ankle, and he began to laugh, too. He was sure he was quite a sight himself. They laughed, a good, hearty laugh – the kind shared between good friends.

Finally, their laughter died out and they faced each other, both grinning.

“I would say it can’t get any worse, but I’m afraid to,” Beau said.

“Me, too!” Beth agreed. “But, you know, it has been memorable.”

“I have to agree with you there. Don’t think I’ll ever forget my first trip to the opera.”

“I’m sorry it turned out like this." Beth shrugged.

“Quite all right, Boss. But you owe me!” Beau shook his head. They stared at each other, cocooned in the cab of the truck. He opened his mouth, but changed his mind. Instead, he started the truck and headed for home. He turned on the radio, found a soft rock station and the two rode in a companionable silence.

Her hand rested on the seat between them, so he let his hand drop to the seat, too. Their pinkies nearly touched, but not quite. He

hesitated to voice the thoughts on his mind, but just couldn’t go on without knowing the truth.

“Too bad your fiance couldn’t escort you tonight.”

She glanced at him, “He’s not really my fiance. I broke it off.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Guess the time away has been tough, huh?”

“Not really. It was over before I came to the Diamond J. I caught him cheating on me.”

Beau felt like a heel. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have brought it up if I’d known.”

“I know.”

He frowned, “But the dinners in town, the phone calls . . . ?”

She shrugged, “Everyone seemed to know he was my fiance, and it was too embarrassing to explain that our dinners were about business.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No problem." She took a deep breath, "As long as we’re talking, what’s the deal with you and Katie?”

Beau snorted, “She's just a kid. I went out with her a couple of times, but it's nothing serious. She told me the night of the hayride that she won't be back again. She wants the city life, and I want the Diamond J.”

“I know what you mean. About wanting the Diamond J, I mean.”

They grew quiet, each caught up in their own thoughts. There was plenty to think about. The ranch was always in his thoughts, but here lately, Beth had been in his thoughts too. He wanted the ranch, but he didn’t want his dream of owning the Diamond J to come at the expense of her dreams being crushed. Her comment gave him hope. Maybe she would stay if she got her inheritance.

Beau caught Beth staring out the window. "You bored?"

“No, I was looking for constellations. The clouds are clearing and there are stars everywhere. When I was a little girl, my father took me to the planetarium and I thought it was one of the neatest things I’d ever seen. I’ve been fascinated with the stars ever since.” Beth gave a self conscious laugh, “I know this is silly, but it sort of makes me feel like

everything is possible. Like my problems are so little, and there is so much out there . . .”

“I understand. I like to look at the stars, too. Always thought astronauts had the coolest job.”

“Absolutely!” Beth turned slightly in her seat to face Beau, “Would you go if you had the chance?”

“What? To the stars?” he asked, glancing over at her. She was absolutely gorgeous, bathed in the pale light of the dashboard.

“To the moon. To space. Whatever.”

“I’d probably go. Just to get away. Sometimes things get too complicated down here.” He shrugged and shook his head. “It’d be incredible. Like the pictures of the earth taken from the moon. Those are pretty neat.”

The two continued to talk, and Beth pointed out a few constellations in the night sky until they turned into the ranch. In spite of her protests, he insisted on carrying her to the front door of the main house. She promised to go see the doc the next day, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before shutting the door.

It was a perfect ending to a wonderful evening.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

B
eth wiped her mouth with her napkin and looked around the big table at the people she thought of as family. This was the first Thanksgiving she had spent as an orphan and, ironically, the first she'd spent surrounded by so many loved ones. She felt perfectly at home here at the ranch. She sat in the place of honor at the head of the table, and Beau sat at the foot.

To her right sat Joe and Cole, who didn’t have family nearby, and across from the two ranch hands were Charlotte and Katie. Katie’s parents had gone to take care of a sick aunt, and she'd come home from her senior year in college to spend the holiday at the ranch.

Katie scooped a spoonful of potatoes onto her plate. "Where's Aidan?"

Beau took a cornbread muffin and passed the basket to his right. "He went to
St. Louis to spend the weekend with his family."

"Good to hear that,"
Charlotte said. She glanced at Katie, "Anything new in your life since we saw you last?"

A flush spread up Katie's cheeks as she glanced at Beth. "I've been seeing somebody."

Beau focused on cutting his turkey, and Katie kept her eyes cast downward. Beth looked and Charlotte, who shrugged, then said, "Anyone we know?"

The young woman took a deep breath and mumbled, "Um, yeah, but I don't really want to say who just yet."

They all focused on their plates. The only sound was clanking forks and moans of enjoyment, punctuated by compliments to the chef. Everyone’s plates were piled with seconds, yet they barely made a dent in the feast Charlotte prepared. She worked on the meal all week long, and she beamed every time someone asked for a dish to be passed. The huge turkey in the center of the table still had a little meat left on it, but not much. Beth couldn’t recall ever seeing so much food prepared for a single meal in her entire life.

After Beth helped
Charlotte clear the main course, she sat back down at a table laden with pies of every kind imaginable. She was full, but her mouth watered when she saw the apple pies and pumpkin pies. Like the others, she had a difficult time deciding which pie to have. She chose pumpkin, and found it incredible.

Finally, everyone’s plates were clean and they sat back in their chairs, laughing and talking. Beth’s family dinners had been formal affairs, where the conversation was polite and the attire was dressy. She had balked at first, but
Charlotte convinced her sweats were perfectly acceptable – and preferable – at Thanksgiving dinner.

Cole glanced at his watch and announced, "The Dallas game is getting ready to start."

The guys headed for the living room and were soon cheering and booing. Beth stayed in the kitchen with Katie and Charlotte to help clean up. The hired help did that while she was living at home with her mother, but Beth enjoyed it. It was satisfying to clean up after a good meal – and the women laughed and joked and talked.

Katie mentioned her new guy a couple of times, but wouldn't say who he was.

Beth hugged her and said, "Just take it slow. You're young."

Charlotte
nodded her agreement.

Katie said, "Oh, we're not serious. But he's such a gentleman. He's made mistakes and learned from them."

Beth laughed, "Oh, sweetie, we've all made mistakes. Don't hold that against him."

After they finished, they moved into the living room and the boys caught them up on the scores, who was winning and who they wanted to win, and they all cheered and jeered. She had never been a football fan, but the enthusiasm of the others was contagious.

After a while, she noticed that Charlotte and Katie had disappeared. She stood to look for them just as they appeared in the doorway. Katie carried her portable CD player and a large thermos, and Charlotte held a chainsaw. Joe followed Beth’s gaze and let out a whoop.

Cole saw
Charlotte about the same time and let out a holler of his own. Before Beth knew what was happening, they piled on the wagon and Beau drove the tractor, pulling them towards the woods. Katie fired up her boom box and Christmas music filled the air. Everyone sang along.

Beth blushed as she stumbled through the words to the Twelve Days of Christmas.
Charlotte caught her eye and smiled. Cole looked at her and gave her the thumbs up sign.

The weather was perfect for their task. The sky was gray, and looked as though it could snow. The air was brisk and she was glad she had chosen her thick fleece jacket, so she could pull the collar up around her ears and tuck her hands into the deep pockets.
Charlotte had blankets for all of them, too.

When they reached the woods, they started looking for a tree. Katie pointed and yelled, "Over there! It's the perfect shape!"

Charlotte vetoed it. "It is, but I think it's too tall for the living room."

A few minutes later, Cole found a tree. "Look at that one. It's about the right height."

Beau hollered back, "It's awful wide. I think we can find a better one."

Then Beth spotted a tree that was beautiful – it was just like she always imagined. "There! How about that one?" The tree stood by itself, and a ray of sunlight broke through the clouds and shone directly on the full evergreen.

Joe hopped off the wagon. "Hand me the chainsaw, Miss Charlotte."

Beau groaned, "Oh, I don't know if that's a good idea or not."

Cole jumped in and said, "Yeah, don't cut off a leg or nothin', Joe!"

Back at the ranch, Joe and Cole dropped the tree into the stand and adjusted the tree so that it would stand up straight.
Charlotte served as their eyes and directed them left and right, forward and back, until satisfied the tree was as straight as it could be. The gray cat took a