Denim & Diamonds (7 page)

lifted the saddle, and she noticed a tattoo of a five pointed star on his right forearm. It gave a hint of the danger that might lurk under that cool surface.

Beau and Katie unhooked the horses and led them down the aisle, into the bright June sunshine. The girl held the gelding's head and whispered to him while Beau helped Beth.

Getting up into the saddle was less of a chore than Beth thought it would be. Beau took her left hand in his and placed it on the saddle horn. He stood right beside her, his body molding against hers as their hands stretched up. “Hold on to the saddle horn with this hand,” he said, patting her left hand. Then he let go and ran his hand down her body, along her side and down her leg.

She caught her breath, her lips parted in anticipation. He tapped her leg and said, “Lift your left leg up and put it in the stirrup.”

It took her two tries to get her foot in the stirrup, but she managed to do so without ripping her snug jeans. He stepped back a little, only inches behind her. “Now, bounce with your right foot and push with your left while you pull yourself up.”

She bounced, jumped, pushed and pulled, but the feel of his hand cupping her butt made her gasp. He pushed her up, then released as she swung her right leg over the horse.

She looked down and he grinned up at her. “You did it.”

Her heart pounded in her chest, either from the exertion or the proximity of him. Whatever it was, it made her feel as off-balance as he had looked when he saw Katie in the barn. She forced herself to look away from him, settled into the seat and sucked in a deep breath. She wiggled her right foot, but couldn’t seem to get her toes lined up with the stirrup. She tensed as Beau walked around the rear of the horse and grasped her foot to guide it into the stirrup. His touch was so sure and confident. Nothing halfway about him, Beth thought as she watched him mount his own horse in one fluid motion.  

He looked at her and smiled, which was disarming and distracting. She reminded herself that he was an employee – and her competition - not a date.

Katie reached up and patted Beau on the knee, "Y'all have fun."

Beau looked down at her and said, "Why don't you saddle up Raisin and come with us?"

The girl glanced at Beth, then winked at Beau, "You go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later."

She walked back into the barn, ponytail swinging. Beau watched her go, then shook his head and turned to Beth.

“Haven’t ever ridden before, have you?” Beau asked. Before Beth could answer, he continued, “You don’t know what you've been missing.”

He pulled his horse beside hers and gave her a quick lesson in riding, dropping his own reins to do so. Beth held her breath as he leaned next to her, his strong, tanned hands over her pale, trembling ones, as he showed her how to hold the reins. He smiled at her with his lop-sided smile. His leg brushed against hers. They were so close, she felt his muscles tense as he used his legs to control his mount. His shoulder touched hers, and she could feel him, smell him. He sat straight in his saddle, and looked at Beth. Their eyes met and neither spoke, until Beau broke the spell and urged his horse forward.

“Just follow me.” He tossed over his shoulder, “We’ll go slow. And don’t worry about Dingo there. You’ll be fine on him. Just do what I told you.”

A black and white dog appeared from around the corner of the barn and fell into step with the horses. His long, silky fur looked like the dog in the portrait in the living room.

Beth nodded towards the dog, “Is that one of my father’s dogs?”

“Yup. That there’s Shep. He’s a Border Collie, which is a real smart breed anyway, but he’s even smarter than most. Shep didn’t let your daddy get too far out of his sight. He’s sort of taken up with me since the old man died.”

The dog looked up, one ear cocked, at the sound of his name, but never broke stride. He looked more intelligent than the little teacup

dogs that some of her neighbors in the city owned, particularly the ones with little bows in their hair who were carried around in little doggie purses.

They rode past the big house and turned right just past the smaller cabin. Beau kept up a running, if brief, description of the ranch. Beth tried to listen as he told her what was kept in each pasture, but she couldn’t keep her mind off of
him
. He was way too dangerous for her to get involved with. She preferred accountants, lawyers – professionals with a future. This guy was just a cowboy, a ranch hand, with no future.

Unless she failed.

Beth frowned, irritated with herself for even thinking that way. He was her employee. She was the boss. And if she had any intention whatsoever of winning her father’s challenge, she’d better focus on the job at hand and quash the lust.

“What’s wrong?” Beau asked. He turned in the saddle and stared at her, his brow furrowed.

“Nothing.” Beth answered as she glanced down to check her grip on the reins.

“You sure do frown a lot for nothing bein’ wrong,” Beau drawled, slowing his horse to allow Dingo to draw even. Only two or three inches separated her legs from his. A chill ran down her spine.

“You shiverin'? It’s got to be at least 80 degrees out here today.” Beau said, his crystal blue eyes focused on Beth.

“Not cold. Just nervous I guess,” Beth said, as she met his gaze. She held it for a few seconds, then broke it, afraid she might give something away with her eyes.

“You never visited the ranch before. Why not?” Beau asked as the horses continued to walk along at an easy pace.

“My parents separated when I was a kid. He moved down here, and I stayed in the city with Mother. When it was time for visitation, my father came to the city to see me, when he could be bothered to show. Then I got caught up in college and a career,” Beth clamped her mouth closed, surprised that she revealed so much so quickly. She was usually more reserved. She'd never made friends easily. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh.

They continued on in silence. The soothing rhythm of the horse’s walk calmed her nerves, and she closed her eyes for a moment to listen to the sound of their hooves on the dirt path and the creak of the leather. Wispy clouds floated across the brilliant blue sky. The orderliness and cleanliness of the white wooden fencing that crisscrossed the rolling hills appealed to her.

“The old man loved it out here. He was really in his element.” Beau’s voice grew thick, “I miss him.”

Suddenly, Beth’s horse snorted and reared up, throwing her forward. The saddle horn dug deep into her stomach, forcing the air out in a rush. The leather reins burned through her fingers. She grabbed for mane, twisted her fingers into the coarse hair and held on for dear life. Her feet slipped from the stirrups, and Dingo jerked from side to side, whinnying frantically. Beau grabbed the bridle and everything jerked to a stop.

She wasn’t sure who was breathing harder, her or her horse.

“Damned rattlesnake! Scared Dingo.” Beau sounded out of breath, too. “You okay, Boss?”

Beth turned to look at the man who had now saved her twice. His dark eyebrows were bunched into a frown, and his display of concern gave her a little thrill. It had been a long time since she felt like anyone cared about her.

She put her hand to her stomach where the saddle horn had dug into her. It ached like crazy. She felt dizzy and scared, but tried to take even, deep breaths and stay calm. She told herself to keep it together, make a good impression. She opened her mouth to tell him she didn’t feel good, but to her utter horror, her vision narrowed.

CHAPTER NINE

B
eau leapt out of the saddle and caught Beth just as she fell to the side. He stumbled backwards and fell, taking her with him. They landed in a tangle on the trail, their arms and legs entwined. The full length of her body pressed against his. Her emerald eyes fluttered open and she stared at him, her face only inches from his own. He could feel her heart thudding in her chest.

Shep stood just off the path, growling as the hair on his back bristled.

She looked at him for a moment, her green eyes slightly unfocused, then they opened wide, "Oh!"

He grinned, "Hi, there."

She froze as her eyes darted all around. "The snake?"

"It's gone. Shep chased it off." His hands settled on the small of her back.

Her brow furrowed and she pushed herself off of him, "I'm sorry about that."

"Quite all right," he said, as he stood. He extended his hand out to her. "You okay?"

She grasped his hand and let him pull her to her feet. "I'm fine," she muttered.

He dusted himself off and she followed suit, then turned to her horse. Shep stood at attention, keeping the gray horse from running off. Luckily, Dingo had calmed as quickly as he panicked and stood with his nose nearly to the ground. Beau snagged Dingo's reins with one hand and held the stirrup with his other. "Best thing to do when you fall off is get right back on."

She narrowed her eyes and stared at him, then her chest rose and fell as she took several deep breaths. Her eyes flicked from him to the horse. "Maybe you're right."

She hesitated a moment, then swung her leg up and over and settled into the saddle. She let out a shaky breath. Her face was still pale, but the color was beginning to return.

He winked at her, "Of course I'm right. You ready to head back?"

She nodded once. Her cheeks were flushed, either with embarrassment or excitement. Whatever the case, she kept her lips pressed in a tight line as he mounted Digger.

He urged his horse forward and Dingo followed. The older horse plodded along, just as Beau hoped he would. Shep fell in beside them. He sighed and shook his head. Though he had lots of ideas about what his new boss would be like, this was certainly not a scenario he had pictured.

He glanced at Beth. The fall had scared her, that was obvious, but she got back on. When he first saw her, right after the wreck, she seemed like a damsel in distress, but this woman was tougher than she looked. The old man would've been proud of her. Tough and beautiful. A killer combination. Just what he'd always thought he was looking for in a girl. He pulled back a touch on the reins and dropped back until they rode two abreast.

He said, "You're doing great."

She nodded her thanks, but her eyes swept the path in front of them.

But what could he offer a woman like Beth? She was used to life in the city, the finer things in life. He was a cowboy, who barely made it from paycheck to paycheck and who was thankful room and board was part of the deal at the Diamond J. She wore glittering diamonds, he wore faded denim.

They rode in silence, their legs touching occasionally, the two horses only inches apart.

Beau frowned, reminding himself that the biggest problem was that the woman he rescued was his boss, and stood between him and this ranch. This place was home and the thought of someone else

running the place made his heart hurt. He and the old man had been close. The old man had taken him in and treated him like a son –

Beth groaned, pulling Beau back to reality and he drew back on the reins. She groaned again, and pressed a hand to her stomach. “I can't believe I fell off.”

“Yup,” Beau answered with a smile, “You did.”

“The saddle horn caught me in the stomach,” Beth explained, her eyes wide. The freckles on her cheeks stood out on her pale skin. “It really hurts. And it happened so fast. The horse reared up . . . then the horn--”

“Don't worry about it.” Beau broke in. He looked towards the cluster of buildings across the valley, so he wouldn’t have to look at those incredible green eyes. “You feel up to riding the rest of the way?”

“Sure,” she said, gathering the reins in one shaky hand and grasping the saddle horn with the other. Digger snorted and nodded his head. Beth sucked in a deep breath and pulled herself up straight in the saddle, but their legs continued to touch lightly.

After they went a few steps, Beau asked, “You feel OK now?”

She nodded, her pale lips pressed together in a thin line. She caught her lower lip with her teeth. A nervous habit, just like her father.

Ian wore that same expression in one of the photos on the desk in the library. Resolute, determined and flat out stubborn. John Jameson had never really gotten over losing his only son in Afghanistan - but Beau had filled that hole, not taking Ian’s place, but making the loss hurt a little less. The old man had treated him like a partner in running the ranch.

"What?" she asked.

He shrugged, "Nothing."

"What is it?" she pressed.

"You looked like your brother just then." He motioned behind them. "When I asked how you were."

She nodded once. "Did you know him?"

He shook his head, "No. Just seen pictures."

"Too bad he's not here instead of me." She looked at him, "That's what you're thinking, right?"

"No!" The word came out harsher than he intended. "I mean, your daddy obviously wanted to keep the ranch in the family."

"What about you?"

Beau watched a hawk float on a wind current and weighed his words. "Your daddy loved this ranch, but you never showed any interest in it. The Diamond J is more than a piece of ground. It's home."

When John had talked about his daughter, it was as if he didn’t understand her and didn’t particularly want to understand her. He described his daughter as being “driven” and “obstinate”.

"I think I understand what you mean, but all this . . . " she indicated the pastures with a sweep of her arm. "This is my father's life, not mine. He
chose
not to share it with me."

Beau stole a quick glance at her and agreed with John’s assessment. To hear him talk, this wisp of a woman had fought him tooth and nail when he had insisted that she follow in his footsteps and attend his alma mater, the University of Missouri-Columbia. She had wanted to go to a small, private college, but since he was paying for it, he got his way.

Beau smiled at the memory of the night the old man had asked him to the library for a toast with his finest Scotch. The occasion had been Beth making partner in the law firm.

“It’s not funny,” she hissed, pulling her horse away just far enough that their legs no longer touched.

The smile dissolved from his face. “I’m not laughing.”

She nodded once, a quick acknowledgement of his comment, but she kept her eyes straight ahead.

Yes, John had been proud of his daughter. But that didn’t give him the right to leave Diamond J Ranch to her.

Beau caught himself.

Actually, it did. The old man's blood ran in her veins. Beau was a hired hand and friend, he reminded himself. Wealthy people don’t leave piles of money and valuable property to their friends. They keep it in the family.