Denim & Diamonds by Lori Robinett Read Free Book Online Page A

horses ready."
    Beth felt out of place as she watched the cowboy and the young woman work with the big animals. They shared brushes and bantered as they groomed the horses and saddled them up. Would she ever feel that sense of closeness with another human being? Even after

years with Quinn, they hadn't connected like that. She watched Beau's hands, sure and firm.
    “Looks like Katie's got you ready to go,” Beau said, breaking her train of thought. She was thankful that he had been concentrating on the task at hand. Hopefully he hadn’t noticed the flush creeping up her cheeks.  
    Katie elbowed Beau, then nodded to Beth and pointed towards the horse's rear end, "Dingo's a gelding. You know what that means?"
    Beth's eyebrows rose and she shook her head.
    The young woman grinned. "Means his nuggets've been cut off."
    Beau cleared his throat and cut in, "That's not really approp--"
    Katie looked sideways at him and grinned, exposing deep dimples. "Seriously? You're the one who taught me that phrase!"
    Beth hid her own smile. Either Beau didn't want to make a bad impression on her, or he was completely off-balance because the tomboy who used to help him out had grown up while she was off at college. She suspected it was the latter.
    He huffed out a breath, then ran his hand over her mount's shoulder. "See the way his coat is kinda spotted?"
    Beth nodded and Katie provided, "That's called dapple gray."
    While Beau saddled his horse, Beth examined the subject of their discussion. The poor thing appeared to be ancient. He stood with one hip stuck out and a hind leg up and resting. His nose nearly touched the ground, and Beth was pretty sure he had gone to sleep. Beau’s mount, on the other hand, seemed to be wide-awake. His ears swiveled toward the sound of his master’s voice and he looked back at Beau every now and then.
    Digger was nearly black, and had a wide white streak down his face. His powerful hindquarters quivered with excitement, as though he was about to explode, his feet shifting in the dirt. Beau positioned a colorful blanket on the horse, then settled the saddle on its back. Beth almost asked why he slid the saddle back a touch, but didn’t want to sound stupid. She loved the way the muscles in his arms bulged when he

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