Denim & Diamonds (9 page)

the café. They made quite the couple – everyone inside was stealing glances at the two lovebirds.

A door opened down the street, music and laughter spilling out onto the sidewalk as two people walked out of the tavern. It was urban cowboy night, and every drunk in town would be riding the mechanical bull. That was always entertaining, better than watching Beth fawn over her city guy. Those two were probably already making plans to spend the money they’d make from selling the ranch.

Beau shook his head, pushed away from the rough brick wall and walked toward the Come On Inn.

CHAPTER TWELVE

I
nside the café, Beth yanked her hand away and hissed at Quinn, “I told you, I cannot forgive you. What you did to me was, well, unforgiveable!"

“Please, Beth, you have to forgive me. I love you so much,” Quinn said, his eyes pleading. "You are my world."

“Even if I could forgive, I could never forget," Beth said, her voice rising.

"But you are such a good lawyer. The firm needs you. Dan Orwell doesn't want to work with anyone but you."

"Don't you get it? You're why I had to leave the firm. Everyone there saw the video of you and your secretary doing it on the conference room table." Her voice cracked and she blinked away the tears before they could spill over.

“So come back and we'll open a new firm, me and you,” Quinn glanced around and smiled at the other patrons. He turned back at her and said, “I want to marry you.”

Beth laughed, but her eyes narrowed and she glared at him. “No, you don’t. You want to marry my father’s money.”

Quinn’s eyes opened wide as he sat back in his chair, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Beth. I've never tried to take advantage of you or your family's money.”

“Maybe not, but you do want my family's connections. You're afraid Dan Orwell will take his business elsewhere if I'm not there.” Beth pushed to her feet, standing up so quickly her chair fell over with a clatter. She tried to pick it up and knocked it over again. She huffed out a breath and said, “It is over between us. Over!”

She spun and fled, her face burning. She kept her eyes straight ahead to avoid the glances of the other patrons in the restaurant. She hoped none of them were employees of the ranch. Behind her, she heard Quinn shout something, but she kept going, jerked the door open and stormed across the street and into the park. By the time she collapsed on a wooden park bench, hot tears streamed down both cheeks.

She let it go, really let it go, for the first time since she found out about Quinn and the secretary. For the past six weeks, she tried so hard to deal with the whole situation methodically and practically, but she hurt. The man she planned to spend her life with, who seemed like perfect husband material, had turned out to be scum. Lousy, good-for-nothing scum. She wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth, as sobs racked her body. After several minutes, the tears stopped flowing. Her breath dissolved into ragged little hiccups, but she felt better.

If she was honest with herself, the marriage wouldn’t have worked out anyway. They never did. Her parents were divorced. Everyone she'd ever knew got divorced. So, in a way, he had done her a favor by giving her a way out.

She sat up straighter on the hard bench, took a deep breath and leaned her head back. The clouds had cleared and the full moon hung just above the tops of the oak trees. Stars dotted the sky, and it reminded Beth of going to the planetarium as a child. She smiled at the memory. She and Ian had held hands when the lights went down. He had squeezed her hand when the “Big Bang” theory was explained – and had nearly broken her eardrum when he screamed at the sudden sound.

Hard to believe that scared little kid had grown up to be an Army Ranger. Ian had been the strong one when he left for
Afghanistan. She had cried for days when they received word that he was gone. That was the last time their parents had been in the same room, over three years ago, at his memorial service. They hadn’t even gotten a body to bury. She hugged herself and looked up, trying to remember as many of the constellations as she could.

Less than a block away, Beau took a seat at the bar in the Come On Inn. He ordered a Busch longneck and watching a young buck celebrate his 21
st
birthday with a ride on the mechanical bull. The head bartender, a giant of a man with a halo of curly black hair and a gold ring through his nose who went by the name Fluffy, started the bull on the easiest setting. Even at that setting, the kid couldn’t stay on more than two seconds.

The kid probably should have ridden the bull before his free shots. Fluffy shook his head, pointed to the kid and jerked his hand, thumb up, to indicate that it was time for the kid to get out of the ring. The next victim climbed onto the bull, and Fluffy’s wide grin indicated this round wouldn’t start on the easiest setting.

“You gonna ride the bull tonight?”

Beau turned to find Katie on the bar stool next to him. His eyes opened wide, then he glanced at Fluffy. "What are you doing here? Fluffy'll toss you out in a New York minute!"

She grinned at him and said, "I'm legal now. Had a birthday in March, remember?"

He shook his head. "No way can you be 21."

She caught the bartender's eye and ordered a Bud Light then swiveled on her bar stool to watch the action on the mechanical bull. "Well, I am."

He took a pull on his beer. "Seems like just yesterday you were practicing driving in the old farm truck out in the pasture."

"Yeah, well, Beau, I grew up while you weren't paying attention."

He turned on his bar stool, and had to admit to himself that the girl really had grown up. How had he missed that? She'd grown curves in all the right places and was no longer an awkward teen. He tore his eyes from her before she could catch him staring. He turned his attention to the drunk kid in line, again determined to get back on the bull.

“He just doesn’t know when to give up, does he?” Katie asked. She motioned to the bartender and held up two fingers. He popped the tops on two beers and sat them in front of her. She slid one in front of Beau. “Kind of like me, huh?”

“What?” Beau asked, tossing back the last of his beer before wrapping his fingers around the fresh bottle.

“Guess I don’t know when to give up either. You know, I've had a crush on you since I was twelve.” Katie leaned towards Beau, giving him a glimpse of cleavage at the v-neck of her t-shirt.

Beau raised his eyebrows, then clanked his bottle against hers in a toast. "Seems like just yesterday you were twelve."

She grinned, her even, white teeth shining in the dimness of the bar. "But I'm not twelve anymore. So, you know, if you ever want to go out sometime . . . "

She let her voice trail off and watched him with wide blue eyes.

He looked at her for a long moment, then shook his head, "You're just a kid."

She shrugged, "Not anymore."

“You're too young for me. There's got to be some guy at college you like, right?"

She snorted. "A bunch of useless frat boys."

He tipped the bottle up and took a long drink, then sat it on the bar with a clank. He couldn't ignore the fact that Katie had turned into a beautiful young woman, but when he looked at her, he still saw the pigtailed girl that used to tag along after him in the barn. "I'm sorry, kid, but I just don't see you that way."

She shrugged again. "I'm not asking you to marry me, you dork. I'm just saying there's nothing wrong with two adults having a drink and enjoying themselves."

She had him there. No reason why he couldn't have a good time. Beth was out with her guy. He could have a little fun, too. He swiveled in his seat so he was facing Katie. "This isn't a date, just two friends having a drink."

She slapped him on the thigh and held up her beer. "To friends."

He raised his beer and tapped it against hers and echoed, "To friends." He motioned to the bartender to set up two more beers.

Beau wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but there were a lot of bottles in front of him and the bull was still getting a workout. He and Katie danced a few times. Well, stood and swayed to the music, he thought with a smile. He felt a little foggy and decided it was time to get some fresh air.

“Be careful, man,” Fluffy said, waving to the two on their way out. Beau nodded and threw his arm over Katie’s shoulder. Her arm was wrapped around his waist. The two burst out the door, singing the latest Eric Church song at the top of their lungs. Just as they finished their song, Beau leaned back against his truck to steady himself. Katie pressed her body against him, and reached up to put her arms around his neck. She pulled his head down and kissed him lightly on the lips.

He reached up with both hands and grabbed hers, pulling them down. He pushed her back gently. "No, this isn't right."

She lowered her chin and looked up at him with puppy dog eyes. "But, Beau--"

"Don't 'but' me, little girl."

Her lower lip stuck out in a pout. "But it's still early. I'm not ready to home yet."

“I don’t think either one of us had better drive just now anyway,” Beau said, slurring his words slightly.

“What ‘cha want to do then?” Katie asked as she ran a hand down his stomach.

When her fingers reached his jeans, he grabbed her by the hand and led her across the street. “Let’s sit. Just. Sit. On the gabezo – I mean, the gazebo.”

From the park bench in the shadow of the big oak tree, Beth watched. She had been lost in memories and thoughts, reflecting on life as a single woman, when she spotted two lovebirds making out in the park. She wasn’t about to move and draw attention to herself, so she sat still.

The man tipped his head back and with a start, she realized it was Beau. As if it wasn’t bad enough to watch a couple make out, it had to be the one man in this God forsaken town she was attracted to. She shook her head and corrected herself.

He was attractive, but that didn’t mean
she
was attracted to him. The situation with Quinn had left a sour taste in her mouth and

she had no intention of getting involved in another relationship for the foreseeable future.

She turned away, not wanting to watch the way Beau touched the blonde. It was bad enough that she could imagine the way he stroked her hair, the way he cradled her in his arms when he kissed her. Her mind filled in the details all too well. Beau seemed like a rough and rowdy cowboy-type. But he was definitely capable of passion like she had never experienced before. Quinn certainly wouldn’t be romantic with her in the moonlight in the park . . . but Beth could well imagine what it would be like to be held in Beau’s arms, to feel his strong hands stroke her hair, to feel his lips take her own, to feel his hard body pressed against hers . . .

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

O
nce Beth was confident the two were so engrossed in each other that they wouldn’t notice her, she slipped behind the park bench, then backed towards the big oak trees that dotted the courthouse square. At first she crept from one tree to another, hugging the dark shadows, but the farther she got from the two lovebirds, the faster she moved. That image of them together was burned into her mind and she couldn’t shake it.

Finally, she made it to the Suburban, opened the door and climbed into the driver’s seat. The overhead light glared like the midday sun in the darkness and she tugged the door closed, but it didn’t latch and the light continued to shine. She felt as though she had a spotlight focused on her, so she opened the door wide and yanked it closed with a thud. She shivered on the cold leather seat, as much from embarrassment as the chill in the air, and froze hoping no one had noticed her skulking around the town square in the dark. She peered out into the darkness. A few cones of white light shone down from street lamps, but the darkness between them left a lot to the imagination. She couldn’t see the gazebo, and no one else was in sight. The sounds from the bar indicated things were still going full tilt there, so she turned the key in the ignition and pointed the Suburban towards the ranch.

The trip back to the Diamond J took her a bit longer than it had to get to town. The thought of deer darting into the road kept her foot lighter on the gas pedal than usual, and she swept her eyes from left to right, watching for telltale reflections from eyes. By the time she spotted the driveway for the Diamond J Ranch, she had stomped on the brakes for three possums, two young raccoons and one waddling skunk.

No deer, though.

Some idiot in a big four wheel drive flew past her on one of the straightaways, quickly followed by another pickup. She was relieved.

The headlights in her rearview mirror had been blinding, so she had slowed to let them pass. The best thing about the drive was that she was on high alert and her brain hadn’t had time to mull over the events of the past couple of days.

She guided the Suburban into Charlotte’s parking spot, slid out of the seat and trudged up the steps. The night sounds were so loud she could hardly hear her footsteps on the wooden planks. She stepped to the edge of the porch, rested her hands on the railing and listened. Crickets chirped and an owl hooted in the distance. It had been so long since she’d heard the sounds of night in the country. Couldn’t remember when, actually, if ever, though she did have a vague memory of it. Perhaps it was a camping trip, or a summer camp. A small laugh escaped at that thought – she couldn’t imagine her mother ever taking her on a camping trip in the outdoors with bugs and creepy crawly things.

“Something funny?”

She jumped and turned towards the sound of the voice. Beau materialized out of the shadows as he rose from one of the white rocking chairs on the porch.

She snapped, “Don’t sneak up on me!”

His white teeth shone softly in the darkness.

He snorted, took off his cowboy hat and settled it on the railing, then said, “I didn’t sneak up on you. Was just waiting to make sure you made it home okay.”

“I made it home just fine, as you can see, so you can go back to whatever you were doing.” She couldn’t stop herself from adding, “What’s the matter? Does your girlfriend have a curfew?”

He scoffed, “I don't have a girlfriend.”

The image of Quinn and the receptionist on the conference room table flashed in her mind. She could feel the blood pulsing through her veins as her blood pressure rose, “Sorry. Does the girl you’re
screwing
have a curfew?”

"It's not like that." In two steps he stood right in front of her, his hat falling forgotten to the plank floor. She looked up into his eyes and swallowed hard, aware of how close he was.