While she was in the closet, she heard keys rattle in the front door
and masculine voices as the men arrived to start moving the big items.
One of them laughed as they continued their conversation.
Jack’s voice travelled down the hallway to the bedroom.
“Juliana’s car is parked out front, so she must be in here somewhere.”
Poking her head out of the closet, she called, “Hi! I’m in here.”
She was on her hands and knees in the closet when she felt a presence
in the doorway behind her then heard a faint chuckle.
She stilled but didn’t turn back to look at him. “Cowboy?”
Spurs and Heels
25
“Yep. You can call me Ash.” Maybe he was being economical on
words for fear of sticking his foot in his mouth again. “You look
different in jeans.” Or maybe not.
Risking a peek back at him, from underneath a row of blouses, she
caught him devouring her great, big derriere with his eyes. Heat
tingled in her cheeks as she backed out of the closet, to face him head
on. Ash offered his hand, which she reluctantly accepted, and helped
her to rise. Her heart pounded in humiliation. A tiny voice told her to
shut up, but she didn’t listen.
“What were you looking at?” she asked defensively, noting the
big grin on his face, not appreciating him ridiculing her. Red flags
went up in her brain, and she ignored them, too.
Ash shrugged. “I was just admiring the view, pretty lady. You
should wear pants more often, although I like you in skirts, too. But I
don’t care for those long, schoolmarmish skirts you wear to work.
Where do you get those from? Prison-Wardens-R-Us?”
All she could do for a few seconds was sputter. Her mouth opened
and closed several times, and she made noises, but nothing intelligent
came out. Glaring up into his eyes, Juliana felt completely insulted.
First he laughed at her big behind, and then he insulted the way she
dressed. Finally her brain gathered some traction, and her tongue
caught up with it.
“I did it again,” he began as his face fell.
“Yeah, I’ll say. I dress like a professional, for your information.
Let me say, on behalf of any other woman unfortunate enough to pop
up on your radar, we don’t like it when you make fun of how we’re
built. Yes!” she grated, “I have a big ass, I know. Now shut up and leave me alone!”
The rest of the apartment had gone completely silent, except for a
soft whistle and an occasional rustle of foil. Ash’s brows drew
together. “That’s not what I meant at all, lady. I’ll leave you alone.”
He held up his hands as he backed from the closet doorway. The way
he said “lady” made her heart lurch a little. He didn’t say it
26
Heather Rainier
sarcastically. He spoke the word like, despite the ugly tone of her
words and her current demeanor, that’s what he believed she was.
After Ash vacated the room, she threw a silent hissy-fit in
Teresa’s closet, hands balled up into fists, jumping up and down, foot-
stomping mad. It would be completely okay with her if she never had
to turn her back on another living soul as long as she lived. She could
not help the way her derriere was shaped. She took after her
grandmother, who came from a long line of hour-glass shaped
women, and Juliana was ever-aware of the big bazanga-butt she toted
around twenty-four-seven.
Why couldn’t he leave well enough alone? He just had to make
comments like that. And what was with him insulting her work
clothes? I do not look like a prison warden. I dress stylishly, damn it!
Her skirts needed to be long because she sometimes had to climb on
ladders in the stockroom. She couldn’t have her stockroom employees
looking up her skirts at her goodies, now could she? Jeans weren’t
professional, and she could never find slacks that fit her properly
because of her small waist and huge, damned ass! She stomped again
for good measure. Damn it!
For a time, the apartment was filled with the sounds of the men
removing all the stacked boxes from the hallway.
“Hey, Juliana?” Jack said from the doorway a few minutes later as
she lifted the hangers off of the rods. Her breathing had returned to
normal, and she was beginning to feel terrible about biting Ash’s head
off. Why did she keep overreacting?
“Yeah, Jack?” She was unable to even look at him across the
room.
“We brought you some breakfast tacos, if you’re hungry. We’re
hauling the furniture out to the trucks.” He entered the room and
stopped beside the closet door and asked softly, “Are you okay?”
Her cheeks warmed as she looked at him and tried to smile.