he’d let on.
He smiled at her as their group approached. When she would have
held back to allow him to talk with the rodeo fans, he beckoned her to
his side, the same as Joaquin did with Teresa.
Juliana smiled warmly as Teresa gave Joaquin a kiss, wrapping
her arms around his waist and tucking herself to his side. He
obviously enjoyed her attention, and Juliana was bowled over again,
seeing how much Teresa had changed in the last few months. Her
three year old son Michael whooped and hollered as Joaquin gathered
him up in his other arm, and Michael hugged his neck as Angel joined
them.
She turned to look up into Ash’s twinkling, turquoise eyes and
allowed him to pull her to him for a passionate kiss. Some of the fans
giggled and snickered, and one of them spoke up.
“That your wife, Ash?”
Ash surprised Juliana, looking into her eyes and saying, “If I have
anything to say about it, she will be someday.” Juliana was struck
speechless, a rarity for her, but couldn’t find it in herself to speak up
and put the positively assumptive cowboy in his place. He chuckled
and said, “Naw, Buck, this is my girlfriend, Juliana.”
A blonde-haired buckle bunny murmured critically from the
crowd, “Looks like nothing but a damned city girl to me, dressed like
that. Who’s she trying to impress?”
Ash pierced the blonde with his fierce gaze and replied, “Yeah,
Judith. I’ve got a thing for a city girl who works hard for a living as
opposed to a gal who follows the rodeo circuit like a gypsy.
Especially a city girl as beautiful and sexy as Juliana.” He held her
gently to his side as he said it, and the blonde huffed and stomped
away.
The fans eventually dispersed, and Ash turned to her. “Sorry
about that, darlin’. I couldn’t let that remark go unanswered.”
Spurs and Heels
173
“Which one? The one about me being your wife or the comment
about me being a damned city girl?”
Ash smiled slowly, a sexy gleam in his eyes as he leaned down
and kissed her again. “Both. Sorry about the mouthy blonde. There
are a whole slew of them that view the cowboys as their community
property and don’t like outsiders.”
“That sounds like an understatement, judging by the dirty look she
gave me.”
“Some of them are pretty flagrant. But that was nothing compared
to the hard time she’s given Teresa for being with both Joaquin and
Angel. Teresa seems to be handling it okay, though.”
These women were going after Teresa? Juliana turned to Teresa
and Joaquin to ask but noticed that Michael was still on Joaquin’s
arm, so she didn’t say anything. Teresa shrugged and said, “It’s not
like we’ll have to deal with people like her on a regular basis, so I try
to not worry about it. She was ugly to you because you’re with us.
Weren’t Joaquin and Ash incredible?” Teresa asked, caressing
Joaquin’s chest.
Juliana smiled at her change of subject, and they talked as they
made their way to the large pavilion where the rodeo dance was being
held. Juliana was glad her high heels were comfortable because Ash
kept her on the dance floor most of the evening. She did notice
throughout the night that both Grace and Teresa garnered more than
their fair share of ugly looks from some of the women who showed up
for the dance.
Juliana and Ash sat out the line dances, and she allowed Ash to
pull her into his lap for a kiss and a little cuddle. Ash offered to get
her a beer or soda, but she declined, explaining that her stomach had
been a little queasy but did accept a bottle of water when he offered
her one. Concerned, he helped her resume her perch in his lap.
“You’re not feeling good, darlin’?”
174
Heather Rainier
“It comes and goes. I think it’s just worry about the store and the
stress everyone is under. Honestly, I’m ready for a break from it.” The
discontent and fatigue she felt draped her like a blanket.
“You know, Grace and Teresa have been talking about a new little
boutique somewhere on this side of Morehead. They’ve gotten
friendly with the owners, and I heard Grace mention that they were
open to the possibility for investment or expansion in their business.
You should ask them about it. They sounded excited about the place.”
She honestly couldn’t drum up much enthusiasm for the idea.
“Actually I’m thinking of getting away from traditional retail sales.
The hours and the stress have worn me down.”
“Yeah, but what if you could set your own hours, have a stake in
the store’s success beyond just a paycheck? Plus, I think this store is