chest over and over again. He placed his paws on Ash’s shoulder and
rubbed his face against Ash’s cheek, and Ash detected a faint trace of
Juliana’s perfume.
“Ah-hah. You’ve been making time with my woman, haven’t
you?”
“Meow.” The cat bashed his cheek again. Yes, that was Juliana’s
scent. He noticed a light come on inside her house. Relief raced
through him, chased by trepidation. He knew from checking in with
Teresa that Juliana had not called in and had left her phone turned off,
as she said she would. She had no idea what had transpired in the last
twenty-four hours. When she set eyes on him, she’d probably be
ready to tell him off but good.
From the back of the house, a voice he loved called out, “Ashes!”
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The cat leapt gracefully across him and out of the truck window,
streaking across the lawn around to the back of the house.
“Looks like she’s got you properly trained. Maybe I should take a
few lessons, cat.”
He paused as he reached for the door handle. She called the cat
Ashes?
* * * *
The cat streaked in through the screen door, meowing and fussing
like he hadn’t seen her in a week. He rubbed against her legs and
stretched up to make biscuits against her butt like she’d brought him
supper.
She chuckled. “You big brownnoser, what makes you think I have
food for you?”
“Meeeow!” he yowled as she opened the bag that contained dry
cat food Gladys had given her, to get Bill off of her back. Juliana put
the bowl of food on the floor by the back door, and Ashes ran to it and
got busy. She frowned when the doorbell rang, knowing the
Hawkinses would both come to the back door as was their custom.
She went to the door thinking it must be another neighbor coming by
to check on her.
Turning on more lights as she walked through the house, she was
unprepared to open the door and see Ash Peterson, hat in hand,
standing on the porch. She was speechless. He chewed on his lip,
either searching for the right words to say, or waiting for her to say
something. She wasn’t sure which.
Spurs and Heels
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Chapter Twenty-two
Ash figured it might be best to let her say whatever she needed to
say right from the beginning. Not allowing her to say her piece was
what got him into trouble yesterday, so he would allow her to say or
do whatever she needed.
Juliana looked beautiful, dressed in a white, long-sleeved top that
hugged all her pretty curves just right, revealing a hint of her luscious
cleavage. He couldn’t stop it when his cock tingled. He took a
calming breath because he thought she might not take too kindly to
seeing him with a hard-on when he still had explaining to do.
She opened the screen door and stepped out, allowing it to swing
closed behind her. She crossed her arms, unknowingly pressing her
breasts up, then he noticed the snug, super-faded blue jeans she had
on and her bare feet.
Damn, but she was the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen. His
dick would’ve barked and howled if it had been capable. He was such
a horn-dog for her. She gave him the once-over and glared at him
venomously when she noticed the pronounced bulge at his groin. That
seemed to jump-start her mouth because her lips popped open, and
she sputtered for at least ten seconds before she finally got some
traction.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here, Ash Peterson.
Everything I needed to know I heard and saw yesterday and last night.
You were right. There’s no commitment between us, and maybe I
don’t know you as well as I thought I did. You got over the
disappointment of my news pretty quickly, judging by how fast you
were able to get up to The Dancing Pony last night, to avail yourself
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of no less than four obviously willing women.” She poked him in the
chest with a fingertip.
“I don’t know why you’re here. You said everything you needed
to say when you cut me to the bone yesterday at the ranch.” She
pushed him backward off the porch, and he didn’t offer her any
resistance. He felt like he owed her. She batted against his chest with
her balled-up little fist. If she wanted to get a few licks in, as well, the
good Lord knew he deserved those, too.
He let her pummel him, staying close enough that, if she lost her
balance lashing out, he could catch her. “I can’t imagine what more
you might have to say that would make it worth it to you to make the
long drive out here. You are cruel, unfaithful, irresponsible, pushy,
and just plain mean! What the hell is that smell? And why are you so filthy?”