Denim & Diamonds (21 page)

Several hours later, Beau was in his cramped bathroom. He examined himself in the little mirror over the sink as he used the electric shaver the old man had given him for Christmas last year, then ran his fingers through his thick hair. He wished there'd been time to visit Howie at the barber shop.

Charlotte told him two days ago that he needed a trim, because the hair was starting to poke out over his ears, but he’d been so busy with the mustang and the hayride, he hadn’t gone into town.

Oh, well. That was the advantage of a cowboy hat. He’d leave the hat on until it was time for the opera and then it’d be dark and Beth wouldn’t see what a mess his hair was.

He wore his only suit, a black western style suit that he had worn when a friend got married two summers ago. He hated the tails, but that was what made the stupid thing dressy. He buttoned his white shirt all the way to the top and slipped his only bolo over his head and adjusted it so it was tight, but not choking him. He snatched his black Stetson off the counter and settled it on his head. Beau smiled at his reflection. Pretty classy, even if he did say so himself!

Back in his room, he examined his dress boots. He polished them to a high shine before he dressed. They had a few scuffs on them, but not too bad. He tugged them on, then checked his wallet to make sure he had cash.

Thank goodness Charlotte had thought about money. If she hadn’t had cash to loan him, he would've been up shit creek. He checked his watch. No more stalling. Time to head for the main house and get this show on the road.

The front door opened before he reached the top step. Beth was framed in the doorway, and the sight stopped Beau in mid-stride. Her fiery red curls were tamed in a loose bun, with tendrils curled around her porcelain skin. Her green eyes sparkled as much as the diamond studs in her ears. A single diamond hung from a delicate gold chain around her neck, and it drew Beau’s eye down to the plunging neckline of the black dress that clung to her curves. The dress ended a

few inches above her knees and Beau admired her long, lean legs. The high, black heels were the perfect touch.

“Wow,” Beau said, shaking his head in disbelief. He’d never imagined that the woman he found sexy in jeans and t-shirts or sweats – and who rarely wore makeup – could look even better.

“Thanks." She grinned. “You look pretty darned ‘wow’ yourself.”

“Thanks,” he said as he took a deep breath. He turned slightly and offered his arm. “Shall we?”

Beth stepped forward and tucked her arm in the crook of his. They walked to the truck in silence.

He opened the passenger door for her and helped her in. He smiled when he realized her dress was tight enough she couldn’t hop in like normal. After he got in and they buckled their seatbelts, he adjusted the heat and flipped on the radio.

Once they were on the road, Beth broke the silence by asking Beau about his mustang. “How’re things going with the new stallion?”

“Fury is doing great. He’s got great conformation, and a really deep chest. I think he’ll be good for the herd.” His face lit up when he talked about the horse.
 

"Great."

She'd been furious with him when he got the wild stallion. He glanced at her, "I know you don't like that he's not got papers, but he really is an amazing animal."

She kept her focus forward. “So, you don’t think we’ll dilute the stock with him not being registered?”

“No, I think most cowboys want a horse that performs well, regardless of what a piece of paper says. He’s intelligent and learns quick.” Gentling the horse had been a challenge, but a challenge he enjoyed. His voice warmed when he talked about the mustang. "He's going to take a lot of work, but it'll be worth it."

“He seems to really respond well to you. I’ve watched you work him. Are you going to break him to ride, or do you think he’ll just be for breeding?” She seemed genuinely interested in the progress he was making.

A wide grin spread across Beau’s face, “Oh, I’d like to ride him all right, but I don’t want to rush it.”

“Just be careful,” she warned. "You gave us all a scare that first day."

He glanced over at her and winked, “I promise."

They talked about training and breeding, then grew quiet and listened to the local country music station. After a while, Beau glanced over at Beth, "You can change the channel if you want."

She stretched forward and pushed buttons until the stereo landed on a classic rock station. She glanced at him. "How's that?"

He nodded and smiled, a little surprised at her selection, but was pleased with her choice of music.

After nearly two hours, the skyline of the city appeared on the horizon, and Beth perked up at the sight. As they continued into the city, she pointed out various landmarks and directed Beau on the best way to get to the theater, which was downtown. He cringed when he thought about driving downtown, but Beth was a good navigator. She was confident and her enthusiasm was contagious. She was looking forward to this night out. He had to admit that the lights of the city were beautiful, like the stars on a clear night.

She pointed at a dark hole in a big concrete building. "There! That's our parking garage."

He drove into the darkness, taking it slow. The height guide swung inches above his truck. He frowned. "This makes me nervous."

Beth leaned forward as she looked for an empty space. After passing several that looked too tight for the Chevy, they found a parking place where the Silverado fit with a comfortable margin.

She reached for the door handle, but he touched her leg, his fingers brushing her bare skin for the briefest of moments. “Oh, no, you don’t. Wait right here.”

He jumped out of the truck and jogged around to the passenger side to open her door for her. He took her hand in his as she slid out of the truck. She giggled with excitement and anticipation when she landed, so close to him he could feel her. He again offered his arm,

and she tucked her hand in, giving his arm a little hug as she guided them towards the elevator. Beau glanced to the left of the elevator and saw the entrance to the stairwell.

“What do you say we take the stairs?”

Beth laughed, “Why?”

He blushed and stammered for a moment, then admitted, “Elevators make me nervous.”

Beth gave a nod and said, “Okay, then. Stairs it is. But you’ll have to walk slow. These heels don’t go fast down stairs.”

He was relieved she didn’t make a big deal out of it. He felt bad for her taking the stairs in high heels – they couldn’t be easy to walk in on even ground, much less stairs. But he didn't think he could get in that little metal box held up by a single skinny cable.

Beth glowed by the time they reached the lobby of the theater. She produced their tickets from her beaded black purse clutching in her hand. When she handed the tickets to the usher, Beau noticed her fingernails were bright red. He glanced down at his own nails and groaned inwardly when he saw dirt under them. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and hoped she hadn’t noticed.

They entered the
Kauffman Center and Beau took it all in – the red velvet draped along the walls, the box seats above to his left and right, the punched tin ceiling, the ornate chandelier. They found their seats and settled into the plush red velvet cushions. A white screen hung high above the stage, which reminded Beau of the old screens his teachers used to put up when they showed a film in class.

He pointed to it and asked, "What's that screen for?"

“The supertitles. The performance is in Italian, so they put the English words up on the screen, so it’s easy for everyone to follow.”

“In Italian?” Beau asked more sarcastically than he intended.

Beth frowned as she scanned the audience. “Yes, Italian. And if you’ll forget you don’t want to be here, you might enjoy it.”

She was right, he didn't want to be there. But he didn't want to ruin her night. He leaned towards her and whispered, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. Do you speak Italian?”

“No. I took Spanish in high school and college, but that’s it for my foreign language knowledge."

"So you don't speak Italian?"

"No, but most of the time, I don’t even read the words on the screen, I just watch the performers.”

She flipped through the program, and pointed out performers she recognized from previous performances. Several people acknowledged her as they made their way to their seats.

He glanced at his watch, anxious for the performance to start – so it could get over and they could head back to the ranch. A rather large man scooted down the aisle, taking the seat right next to Beau.

The smell was bad. Beau could hardly stand it. He glanced at the man, who was dressed nicely, but smelled. Beau leaned further towards Beth and held his finger under his nose. Beth giggled and elbowed him.

A couple moved into the seats right in front of Beau and Beth. The woman took the seat in front of Beth. Beau couldn’t believe how big the woman’s hair was. He supposed that was high style, but it made it kind of hard for the person behind the hair to see. Beth shifted in her seat in an attempt to see the stage.

He leaned close and whispered, “I’d offer to trade places, but this guy stinks to high heaven.”

Beth laughed out loud, but chided him, "Don't be rude." She shifted again in her seat and leaned towards him. He felt her arm against his on the armrest, and her hair brushed his shoulder. He turned slightly towards her and breathed in her scent. It was a warm, sweet smell that reminded him of honey. Then the guy next to him flipped open his program, wafting his strong scent in Beau’s direction.

The lights dimmed and the curtains opened. Just as Beth had promised, the English translation made the opera easy to follow – which must have been a rough translation, because the performers sang a lot, but only one sentence appeared on the screen.

Beau recognized some of the words, names in particular. He enjoyed the antics of Leparello, and actually laughed out loud a few

times. Frankly, he enjoyed the performance. Before he knew it, the lights came up and it was intermission.

Beth took Beau's hand in hers and led him to the lobby, where everyone milled around. A table filled with wine glasses sat to the side, so he excused himself and got wine for them. When he returned with the drinks, she was talking with a man in a well-fitted gray pinstriped suit. With her heels on, she looked the man directly in the eye. The two leaned towards each other, gesturing and smiling. Beau was surprised to feel a stab of jealousy as he made his way through the crowd, careful not to spill any of the red wine she'd requested.

“Thank you, Beau!” Beth said as she accepted the glass of wine from him. She touched the other man on the arm. “
Jackson, this is my ranch foreman, Beau Frakes. And Beau, this is Jackson Steele. He is the executive vice president of FirstBanc.”

Beau offered his hand, “Nice to meet you, Mr. Steele.”

“Call me Jackson. Nice to meet you, too. I’d better get back to my seat.” He leaned towards Beth and whispered loudly, “I’m babysitting one of our clients and you know how demanding those old women can be!”

“All too well,
Jackson. Good to see you,” Beth said warmly.

“Don’t be a stranger, Beth,”
Jackson winked at Beth, then directed his attention to Beau, “You take good care of your boss and make sure she comes back to us in one piece.”

The man’s final words echoed in Beau’s head. It occurred to him that Beth might return to the City once she served her one year term at the ranch. And why wouldn’t she? She was a successful, sophisticated lawyer at one of the most prestigious firms in
Kansas City. What was there to keep her at the ranch? What if she finished out the year, and then sold the ranch?

Even though he and Charlotte had been preapproved to buy the ranch if Beth failed at her task, he was growing attached to the lady beside him. It grew more difficult with each passing day to remember that she was his boss, and he was her employee – nothing more.

“I know you don’t want to be here, but you don’t have to be so obvious,” Beth whispered.

Beau sighed, tossed back his glass and swallowed his wine in two gulps. He took her by the elbow with the intention of walking back towards their seats. Instead, he caught her off guard and she bobbled her glass, spilling wine right down her plunging neckline. It was a perfect shot down her cleavage.

She stared at him wide-eyed and her mouth dropped open. He withered under her gaze. He was all too aware of the stares of those around him. Without a word, Beth handed the glass back to him and turned to go to the ladies’ room.

He simply stood there, red-faced, with a smile pasted on his face. A woman in a sleeveless black dress that skimmed her knees smiled at him, then stepped close. “Hello, I’m Anna.”

He started to touch his hat in greeting, then realized he held a glass in each hand. He bobbed his head and said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Beau.”

The woman twisted her strand of white pearls around one finger, drawing his eye towards the deep v-neck of her dress. “I haven’t seen you here before.”

He glanced around for Beth. How long would it take her to sop that spill up? She appeared across the room and drew admiring glances from several men as she wove through the crowd. Her eyebrows lifted when she spotted the woman beside him.

She touched the woman on the arm and said, “Anna Wainwright? My goodness, it’s been ages.”

The woman blinked in recognition, “Beth? I thought you left the City.”

Beth slipped her hand into the crook of Beau’s arm as she sidled up next to him. “I did, but I already had tickets for the opera so Beau offered to bring me.”

Anna looked him up and down, then let the strand of pearls drop to her neck and said, “Well, good to see you again. I'm sorry to hear you left the firm. I've heard there are several others ready to snatch you up if you'll come back to the City.”

Beth nodded, then smiled up at Beau and said, “Shall we?”