Spurs and Heels(Divine Creek Ranch 5)(4)

in, clipboard under her arm. Leah had graduated from Baylor

University the month before and returned to Divine with a freshly

inked degree in business management. Juliana was under orders from

Doug Woodworth, the store’s owner and Leah’s father, to allow her to

implement some of the knowledge she’d acquired. Doug wanted to

put some of that book learning he’d spent so much money on to good

use.

Juliana’s stress level increased with every change. Leah had a lot

of ideas. She’d known Leah since she was a little girl and had even

hired her to work at the store while she was a high school student. But

her head was filled with theory, some of which was not proven in a

small town environment.

“Hi, sweetie. What’s up?” Juliana asked as Leah sat down and

smiled at her.



Spurs and Heels

17

“Is Daddy making you crazy?”

Juliana chuckled and nodded. “A little, but he’s always done that.

I agreed to try your ideas, but you have to give me solid proof before I

lay a single soul off. I know you’ve been observing operations. Can I

give you one piece of advice?”

“Sure!” Leah was a good-natured young woman, and Juliana

could not fault her for wanting to put her degree to good use. After

all, the store belonged to her family, and she only wanted the best for

it. Understanding what was best might call for adjusting some of her

ideas.

“Rather than spending time observing the employees, you should

be getting to know them better. Half of them have known you since

you were in diapers, but you’re making all of them nervous with this

watching and taking notes routine,” Juliana said, gesturing to the

clipboard in Leah’s hands.

“I promise I’ll do that, first chance I get. I have a manpower

management newsletter to put together for them, with helpful hints for

making more profitable use of the hours they spend here.”

“Um, okay.” Juliana had a sinking feeling she would come to hate

the words “manpower management.” They discussed the layoffs Leah

proposed, and Juliana had to admit the two employees that Leah

pinpointed had not been pulling their weight, by her own

observations.

All the documentation and paperwork was in place, and Juliana

pinpointed a date in mid-January for the deed to be done. Nobody got

laid off the week after Christmas. Juliana groaned when Leah once

again brought up the sore subject of doing away with commission

sales. Juliana had an excellent staff of well-trained sales people and

knew that would pull the rug out from under them. She put the

decision off until later, and Leah backed off—for now.

Juliana needed to get the box over to Lawrence’s front porch.

She’d gone on a tear through the house the night before, finding all

his things, surprised that the items filled only one box. After she’d



18

Heather Rainier

finished the clean-out, she’d sat down with a pint of java mocha ice

cream and watched Sense and Sensibility, berating the female lead,

Marianne, for choosing Willoughby over the faithful and steadfast

Colonel. Juliana put on Godzilla instead. A pint of ice cream and two

and a half hours later, she was numb and suffering from a sugar crash.

She didn’t feel any better in the morning and was slightly

nauseated from all the ice cream. After a breakfast taco, she felt much

better, if still a little depressed. She felt no real loss, even over the fact

that the son of a bitch had been cheating on her, merely an ever-

growing irritation that she hadn’t figured it out sooner.

Checking the time, she stood wearily from her desk and picked up

the box as Evelyn, her Yoda-like right-hand person, cleared her

throat. The elderly sprite stood in the office door, looking over her

reading glasses, wearing a Cheshire cat grin. In her wrinkled little

hands was a small arrangement of miniature roses and dark green

foliage displayed in a floral teacup and saucer.

“Someone has an admirer,” Evelyn announced in her

uncharacteristically gravelly voice.

Juliana took the flowers from her. “Who are they from?” she

asked, smelling the lovely yellow roses.

“Now how would I know that, missy?” Evelyn asked innocently

as Juliana placed the arrangement on her desk.

Scoffing, Juliana eyed her and said, “Oh, puh-lease, don’t bullshit

a bullshitter.”

“Who is Ash?” Evelyn asked, cutting the crap.

“Someone I met at Grace’s last night. He had flowers delivered?”

Interesting. She thought after her rudeness last night, he wouldn’t

want to have anything further to do with her.

“Actually, he delivered them himself. His card says, and I quote,