Spurs and Heels (12 page)

* * * *

Ash helped Juliana down from the truck at five minutes until ten o’clock. Evelyn gave him what she probably thought was a sneaky thumbs-up as Juliana passed her in the doorway. He obviously had Evelyn wrapped around his finger, judging by the kiss she blew him as he backed the big dually out of the parking space. Juliana was big enough to admit that he could wrap her around whatever body parts
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he wanted to as well. Her sated body hummed in testimony of that fact.

“Well, Juliana, you look like you’re feeling much better than you did last night. It’s amazing how a nice, long, restful night of sleep can restore a person,” Evelyn said as they walked together to the back hallway.

Juliana caught the theatric tone of voice and glanced down at her friend, saw the barely-there hint of a smirk, and gasped. “Evelyn!”

“What? I’m merely commenting on the obvious, healthy glow in your cheeks and the twinkle in your eye. Am I to assume he will be picking you up at two o’clock?”

“
On the dot
, he says. I’m to be ready and waiting to go.”

Evelyn gleefully rubbed her hands together. “Oh, I do like him very much, and he’s punctual, too. I’ll make sure you’re ready.”

Juliana tried to bristle. She really did. She did not like to be ordered around or told what to do. But she was already itching for two o’clock to get there. Ash knew how to push all her buttons, but she was coming to understand that he also knew how to push them in a good way, too.

Three times, the words had been on her lips, but she hadn’t spoken them. She would appear flaky, telling him she loved him after so short a period of time, especially on the heels of her breakup with Lawrence. Ash obviously enjoyed their time together, but he’d given no indicator verbally he felt the same way. He was so easygoing it was hard to gauge how he felt about her, beyond the physical attraction between them. But it took more than great sex to build a strong relationship.

They still had the challenges of her job, and even his, to get past.

Ash had told her earlier that his responsibilities at the ranch would be increasing as he took over the foreman position from Angel. She had her own difficulties at work to be gotten through as she cut her hours and divided the extra workload with Leah.

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Juliana liked the tight ship that she ran, even if it meant she worked some hellacious hours and took on more jobs than she should.

Being a perfectionist did not help her current predicament. It was more of a hindrance.

After making her to-do list for the week, Juliana wrote a list for Leah and Evelyn and placed them in their mailboxes, happy with the stretch out of her comfort zone, delegating tasks to the two capable women.

She sat back down at her desk and contemplated what had happened the previous afternoon. Juliana had not needed to worry about contraception for years after Lawrence had his vasectomy. He’d been certain that he wouldn’t want kids, and his mother didn’t even know she wouldn’t be having any grandchildren from him. She grinned thinking she should call her and let that little tidbit slip, just to get even with both of them.

Having unprotected sex was stupid, but she’d been so caught up in the moment, it hadn’t even occurred to her. It sounded almost as stupid rattling around in her head as it had the day before when she’d apologized to Ash. He hadn’t been upset about it at all and had claimed equal responsibility. She contemplated calling Dr. Guthrie about it.

Juliana was paged to the sales floor, and before she knew it, her busy morning was over, and she was completely immersed in her work. Evelyn kept her on track time-wise, and when two o’clock came near, she had her purse in hand, workweek planned out, and tasks delegated. She smiled when she heard Ash’s deep voice from down the hall, talking with Evelyn.

She poked her head out the door, admiring his denim-clad physique. He was once again in his dusty cowboy boots, barn jacket, Western shirt, and black felt cowboy hat, hands on his hips as he shared a laugh with Evelyn. He was stroking thoughtfully through his light-brown muttonchop sideburns, nodding at something Evelyn said.

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“What are you two conspiring about now?” Juliana asked as she slipped under the arm he lifted to wrap around her shoulder. She loved the way they fit together so nicely. Lawrence and she had been the same height, so a position like that with her snuggled under his arm would not have been comfortable, not that he was the snuggling type regardless of his height issues.

“Miss Evelyn was just telling me about a new restaurant in Morehead. She thought that we might like it.”

“Oh. Well, I’m ready when you are.”

He helped her into his truck, and they stopped for a late lunch at O’Reilley’s. On the way home, they went by the grocery store for steaks, which Ash planned to grill that evening after she’d napped, he informed her.

Acknowledging that she could do with a little nap that afternoon, Juliana slipped out of her work clothing and put on a loose T-shirt and yoga pants then allowed him to tuck her under a blanket on her bed.

“Are you going to join me?” she asked as she looked up at him sleepily from her pillow. She was not normally a napping person and was surprised by how easily her body yielded to lethargy.

“No. I haven’t had the time or space to enjoy cooking in a while, so I’m going to snoop through your cabinets and concoct some surprises for you this evening. You stay in bed and take a nap.”

She gave him a mini-salute then stuck her tongue out at him before giggling when he swooped down to her for a kiss.

“Sleep. Doctor’s orders.”

Juliana hmphed. “Doctor who?”

“Doctor Evelyn. We’d better do as she says.”

“You’re right. Ash, you are such a sweet, thoughtful man.”

Ash stopped in the doorway, the expression in his eyes unreadable in the dimmed room. He leaned lazily against the doorframe, adopting that sexy, loose cowboy stance that made her salivate. Shrugging nonchalantly, he said, “It’s a burden. You’re welcome, darlin’. Rest now.”

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She conked out and didn’t wake up until three hours later.

Evidently, she’d been sleep deprived for a while. A succulent combination of aromas wafted into the room, making her mouth water and her stomach rumble. She smelled smoke from her grill out back, but she also smelled garlic, onions, herbs, and…chocolate.

“If ever I could love, I think it could be with you…” she started to sing to herself, humming the melody to the Keith Urban song as she stretched in bed, careful of the stitches. She hardly felt them when she moved and counted that as a good sign.

Quietly, the door opened, and Ash stuck his head in. “Oh, good, you’re awake. Supper will be ready soon. I hope you’re hungry. I went to the store and got some things. Your refrigerator and cabinets were practically empty.”

“I don’t keep a whole lot in the house. I hope you didn’t go to major expense.”

“You don’t worry about that. It was my idea,” he said as he sat on the side of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Good. I slept hard, and my stitches aren’t bothering me. Is that chocolate that I smell?”

Ash smiled and nodded. “Yes, I made you a surprise for dessert.”

“Ooh. Yummy!” She felt so good she might surprise him and make
him
her dessert.

Juliana was blown away by the fare spread on her kitchen counter.

Ash grilled thick rib eye steaks in a fragrant marinade. There was a vegetable dish which contained the garlic and onions she’d smelled, plus rice, peppers, and a blend of seasonings she could not identify.

There was also a spinach, field greens, and tomato salad with a homemade dressing and grilled homemade bread. She glanced in the kitchen, stoked to see that not only could he cook but he’d also graciously cleaned up after himself.

She peeked under the dish cloth and pinched off a small piece of the grilled bread and moaned. The Keith Urban song began playing in her head again, and she murmured, “You fricking know how to cook,
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big man. That bread is delicious!” Her grandmother would say he was a keeper.

“When I was growing up, we had a housekeeper who helped my mom with running the house and cooking. There were eight of us, and Mom had more than she could keep up with between us kids, my dad, and the ranch hands, so Lydia came to live with us. She was raised on the Yucatan peninsula. She’s who taught me how to cook all these dishes.”

“Did you say there were
eight
children in your family?” Juliana asked incredulously.

“Yep. We’re spread out all over the globe right now, so it’s been a couple of years since we were all together. You mentioned a brother a few days ago,” he began as he filled a plate for her. “Do you have other siblings?”

“Yes, I have two brothers and two sisters. I also have lots of cousins. We all lived close together growing up, but I haven’t seen them in a while.”

“Why not?”

“Well,” she began as she took the seat he offered her at the table.

“Mainly because of work, since
I’m a workaholic
. But there was also a rift in the family a few years ago when my Grandma Lila passed away.”

“What happened?”

“Our families all jointly owned a restaurant in Tillman. We did as the previous generation had done, growing up in the business, learning to cook, wait tables, clean up, and do prep work. I didn’t particularly enjoy restaurant work, but I enjoyed hanging out with my siblings and cousins, even though most of them were older than me. I was pretty close to my Grandma Lila. She passed away suddenly, one afternoon, in her office at the restaurant. She had a massive heart attack at her desk. After she died, my grandpa started—” She paused over the hitch in her throat.

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“Darlin’? If it’s upsetting, you don’t have to talk about it. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It just takes me back, you know? My Grandpa Jasper started going downhill pretty quickly. He lost interest in the restaurant, spending more and more time alone. Within a month of my grandma passing, my grandpa died, too. He was too heart sick without her. You could see it in his eyes.”

Ash knelt down and hugged her where she sat, silently brushing the tears from her eyes with his thumbs. Sometimes words weren’t necessary.

“Someday, that’s the kind of love I want.”

“So what happened with the restaurant?”

“My dad and my uncles and my mom and aunts had always managed well while my grandparents were around because they were the unifying force. After they were gone, they began having disagreements. This was about the time I graduated from high school and went off to college, so I wasn’t involved in any of that.

“Finally, they settled Grandma and Grandpa’s estate, and now my dad and several extended family members operate Lila’s. The rest built and operate another restaurant in town, including my mom and several aunts and uncles. Nobody wanted to see Lila’s fall apart because of disagreements or crippled by financial ruin, so they made sure both restaurants were properly manned with cooks and waitstaff.

Rather than splitting everything equally, Lila’s pays a dividend to the ones who left twice a year based on the profits. Their investment of time and money over the years stays intact that way.

“I moved away after college because I didn’t enjoy the family business enough to invest my life in it. And although I can cook to beat the band, I don’t get any real enjoyment from it.

“Speaking of which, you obviously enjoy cooking. This looks delicious Ash,” she said enthusiastically as he placed a loaded plate in front of her.

“Thanks, darlin’,” he said, joining her at the table.

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“So, that’s probably way more story than you wanted to hear.”

“No, I think it’s high time I heard about your family. Are they all redheaded like you?”

“Oh, no. I’m one of only a few with red hair. Most of them are tall, blond, and thinly built. I take after my Grandma Lila. She had red hair like mine when she was younger and the same blue eyes.

Grandpa always said she reminded him of Rita Hayworth. He used to tease her and give her a wolf whistle and do the old hand motion for a woman with a full, hour-glass figure then duck from whatever she’d throw at him. Usually it was a dish towel or apron, but once she went after him with a small iron skillet.”

Ash choked. “Damn! And you take after her?”

She snickered. “Uh-huh! Couldn’t you tell?”

“So, did she get him with the skillet?”

“Oh, no. My grandpa was too charming for it to come to that. She chased him into the offices and slammed the door behind her. All we heard was the skillet hit the floor. When they came out later, she was smiling and so was he.”

“Hot-blooded, huh?” he said speculatively.

“Uh-huh.”

“She must’ve been something.”

“Yeah, I miss her and Grandpa a lot sometimes. It’s been hard on my parents and my aunts and uncles. The last I heard, they still hadn’t taken care of dividing up their personal possessions. With so many people involved, I think everyone is afraid that if they start down that road, there will be more strife, so they’ve been putting it off.”

She stopped talking to eat and praised him for the perfect steak, loving the rice dish. “You’re an excellent cook, I hope you know that.”

“I enjoy it a lot. Not many opportunities to do more of it. I’ve cooked for the guys before, but they seem to prefer the basics. I’m glad you like what I made you. If you’re a good girl and clean your plate, there is a homemade dessert for later.”