Free Denim & Diamonds by Lori Robinett Page B

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