Spurs and Heels(Divine Creek Ranch 5)(72)

“I think I have a pretty clear picture of how you feel. I heard about

your news in great detail. I don’t care. It’s obvious you and I don’t

feel the same way about each other. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here

telling me all this. Do what you have to do.”

A sob escaped from Juliana’s throat, and she unconsciously

leaned her forehead against his triceps, which was stretched up so that

his forearms rested on the top rail of the corral. “But I—Ash, you

don’t understand. I love you,” she said in a shaky whisper, her

fingertips brushing against his ribs.

The tension coiled in his muscles, and he stepped away from her,

leaving her to wobble forward as he withdrew from her. She felt a

fault line open in her chest at his hasty withdrawal.

“Then you’re even more confused than I thought, Juliana, if you

can stand there and tell me that,” he spat out in a sarcastic tone. “That

is not something I’ll ever be ready for, and I can’t believe you’d even

think about it. I thought you knew me. I don’t share.”

He was angry because she’d hoped he would want to share a life

with her and their baby. She couldn’t believe her ears. How had she

so stupidly misjudged him?



190

Heather Rainier

The fault line quaked in her chest as she remembered his words

after they’d had unprotected sex. He’d told her he would take

responsibility for his actions. He’d lied. Not that she would’ve

accepted it, but he didn’t even make the offer of paying for an

abortion. As the thought slammed into her, anger came close on its

heels, and a fierce, protective instinct inside of her roared to the

surface.

“I came here to share the news with you. You already seem to

know. So, I guess I’ve done what I came to do. Nice knowing you,

cowboy.” She turned on her heel and walked back to the side door

when realization slammed into her. She faltered a step but kept going,

her head held high.

She didn’t realize how much she’d come to enjoy all his little

endearments. Calling him cowboy reminded her that he usually

responded in kind with city girl or darlin’.

Now she saw how meaningless all of that was to him. It was just

part of his southern charm. He probably called the girl at the

convenience store down the road darlin’. It meant nothing to him, just

like she had meant nothing to him but an easy lay, just like the baby

meant nothing. There were no endearments forthcoming now because

she was an inconvenience.

Juliana nodded to Angel and Joaquin, who both bore surprised and

concerned looks on their faces as they watched her pass. Realizing

she must look like crap, she put her hands to her face and wiped away

the deluge of tears that she had been unaware of until that moment.

What useless things those tears were. They were wasted on him. He

could go fuck himself if he thought she would treat this as casually as

he did.

She buckled her seatbelt and started the Camaro. She drove down

the long drive, remembering a far different reception the last time

she’d driven down this driveway at Teresa’s wedding. By the time she

made it back to town, depression and fatigue had taken hold.



Spurs and Heels

191

Making an impulsive decision, she sat in her car and made three

phone calls, to Doug Woodworth in Morehead, Leah and Evelyn at

the store, and to Allen. She cried her eyes out through the last one,

and Allen wanted to return to Divine and kick Ash’s sorry ass, but she

told him it wasn’t worth it. Then she went inside and began packing

her bags.



192

Heather Rainier





Chapter Nineteen



Ash held on to the pipe fence for dear life as his city girl turned on

her heel and sashayed away from him, for the last time. It was on the

tip of his tongue to stop her and get on his knees and beg her to stay,

to choose him. But she’d made her feelings known, publicly. He

couldn’t stop her if she’d already made a choice, one that

unfortunately didn’t include him. Maybe this was why she’d held off

telling him she loved him so long. She’d had something totally

different in mind.

He heard footsteps approach. Shadows bracketed his as he

continued looking down at the dusty ground, and then he heard

Joaquin’s voice. “You okay, Ash?”

“Yeah, fine, why?” He tried to still the shakiness in his voice.

“Juliana just blew through the barn, looking devastated. She was

crying.”

“Was she?” Was Joaquin exaggerating? The ranch hand who

overheard her and that peace officer from Tillman had assured him

she’d been ecstatic as he handed her an engagement ring. He’d told