Spurs and Heels(Divine Creek Ranch 5)
Chapter One
Ash Peterson arched an eyebrow as he stood before Juliana
Meyer. He crossed his thick, strong-looking arms over his broad chest
as he leaned against the Warner’s back-porch railing.
“Let me get this straight, Miss Meyer. You have a boyfriend, and
he’s at his mama’s house in Vermont tonight?”
Juliana had sought a respite from the press of bodies inside the
Divine Creek Ranch house, where Grace Warner’s Christmas party
was in full swing. Once outside, her quiet moment was interrupted by
the big cowboy Grace had introduced her to a few minutes before.
“Yes, that’s right.” It sucked that Lawrence was out of town, but
the way this rugged, handsome cowboy said it, it made her boyfriend
sound like a jerk and a mama’s boy. Years of working Christmas Eve
and the day after Christmas had made her callous toward not taking
time off during the holiday, but it was different when she saw her
circumstances from someone else’s perspective. It sounded as though
Lawrence had deserted her. Technically, he had. He’d scheduled his
vacation around the holiday—without her.
“Does he have a good, long visit with his balls while he’s there?”
Juliana sighed. It didn’t make any difference what this man
thought. He wasn’t the first or the last to criticize Lawrence for
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Heather Rainier
leaving her over the holiday. It wasn’t like she could join him. She’d
spend a large portion of her single day off on a plane.
“Does he at least alternate and spend every other Christmas with
you?”
“His mom says once he’s married and has kids and she retires,
she’ll start coming to Texas for some of the holidays. Until then, she
expects—”
Why in the world am I making excuses?
“Expects? How old is he again?”
“She expects for him to come to her,” she finished, growing more
and more irritated with this know-it-all buttinsky. “He’s forty-four.
Do you have a point?”
He put his tanned hands on his narrow, denim-clad hips and
cocked his head at her. “He isn’t much of a man if he leaves you
alone on Christmas every year.”
Matching his stance, Juliana said, “You don’t know what it’s like
to have a relationship with someone who is in retail management
during the holidays. For me, it’s like there is no holiday. It’s merely
the impetus behind the busiest month of the year, my best opportunity
to keep the store in the black for another year. When he goes, he has
my blessing. I hardly even have time to—” She pressed her lips
together and bit back the rest of her statement.
He cocked his head, his turquoise-blue eyes drilling into hers.
“Have time to what? Miss him?”
Yes, damn it. Guiltily, she realized she’d hardly given Lawrence a
thought tonight before Mr. Peterson had brought him up. However,
she had given thought to how handsome Ash was with his big, thick
biceps, muscular physique, and incredibly sexy muttonchop sideburns
and moustache.
“That’s none of your business.”
“If you were my woman, I’d never leave you alone during
Christmas, even if all you had was one day off. I’d make it count.” He
said the last word with extra emphasis. Juliana felt a warm blush steal
Spurs and Heels
11
over her cheeks and hoped he couldn’t see it in the dim light. He’d
probably think it was because she was attracted to him, which would
only irritate her further.
“Well, I’m not your ‘woman,’” she replied haughtily, even using
air quotes around the word as she emphasized it snidely, “and I
manage fine.”
“What about your family?”
“I see them at other times of the year. They understand that the
holidays aren’t a good time for me to visit.” They were probably all
sitting down to eat right now, three hours away in Tillman.
Truth be told, she had not been home at all this year. There was
never a good time to take off for a few days. The last time she had a
day off was Thanksgiving, and even then she’d worked part of the day
in her office while the store was closed. It was less depressing than
eating the evening meal alone.
Her phone buzzed in her handbag. Checking caller ID, Juliana
said with little sincerity, “Sorry, it’s Lawrence. I need to take this
call.”
“Listen, I’m sorry if I offended you—” Ash started to say, and she
surprised herself by brusquely turning and taking a few steps away
without hearing what else he had to say.
“Hello.” She spoke with false cheer in her voice, thinking her