road. I realized it didn’t take any time off of the drive and cost me the
rest of the night. I’d have been here at five o’clock this morning if I’d
followed Allen’s directions. Nice guy, by the way. Is he the one that
taught you to dance?”
“Yeah. He’s a great guy and very protective.”
“I know that now. Got a lot to thank him for. So, you’re carrying
my baby, huh?” The shaky quality of his voice touched her heart.
“Yes, Ash.”
“You’re going to marry me, right?”
She scoffed and drilled him with her wolf-blue eyes. “Not if that’s
the best you can do for a fricking marriage proposal.”
He lifted her out of his lap and sat her in the chair and knelt right
there on one knee and took her hand.
“Juliana Meyer, would you do me the honor of becoming my
wife? Make me the happiest man in the world and become the mother
of all our babies?”
“Yes, Ash. Now, get up because when you kneel like that, I can
see all your goodies dangling,” she said, then let out an unladylike,
snorting laugh.
“Oh, shit! The ring!” It was in his jeans.
“Is it still in your pocket?”
“Yeah.”
He followed her to the utility room and fished the jeans from the
sudsy water. He checked both front pockets and found the ring.
“Pew! Those clothes may need a few washings.”
“That’s okay. I’ll go around naked for as long as you say to. Here
it is, darlin’. Will you marry me?”
He slipped the diamond engagement ring on her finger, and she
smiled happily then hugged him hard. He lifted her from the floor,
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Heather Rainier
wrapping his arms gratefully around her curvy body and held her to
him.
She sniffled and whispered, “I love you, Ash.”
He felt Ashes the cat bump against his bare ankle and meow. “I
love you, too, darlin’.”
“And yes, I want you to take Ashes home with you, if it’s okay.
He’d make an excellent barn cat.”
“Ashes?”
“Um, yeah.”
“This I gotta hear.”
Spurs and Heels
225
Chapter Twenty-three
No fucking way was he wearing these god-awful things. Ash felt
like he had nylon panties on. “Damn it, Juliana! They feel weird!”
“That’s because you’re used to blue jeans and underwear.”
“To hell with this! I’m wearing underwear with these.”
“No, you’re not. Come on. These are just basic swim trunks.
Haven’t you ever owned a pair of these? It’ll be so much more
comfortable. It will make me happy, too.”
“Shit.”
“What did you do when you went swimming back home? Didn’t
you ever have swimming trunks?”
“No, like any red-blooded American boy, I wore cutoffs, with
underwear!”
“Oh, brother. You’d think I was asking you to wear a man thong
or something!”
“But I can feel a breeze.”
“They’ll dry faster, and you won’t chafe. You can’t wear your
blue jeans to the beach. Here,” Juliana said as she cut the plastic tie-
tag and handed him a pair of rubber flip-flops.
“Oh, no. Crap. I hate stuff between my toes.”
“It’s because you’re used to wearing boots. You look awesome,”
she said, admiration in her voice. “Mmm, look at this tanned chest.”
Ash was only slightly mollified as she sighed happily and ran her
hand over his chest. “And that wonderfully tight ass. Speaking of
asses…”
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Heather Rainier
“Don’t. You’re already torturing me as it is. I don’t think anal sex
is a good idea while you’re pregnant. And why aren’t you in your
swimsuit yet?”
“Because I’m too busy harassing you. You look yummy. I’ll go
change.”
Ash looked at himself in the dresser mirror in resignation. They’d
gone to the Walmart in Rockport and picked up flip-flops and a pair
of swim trunks for him because the weather had warmed up again.
When he’d asked Juliana what she’d like to do today, she’d told him
she wanted to play in the surf and fly a kite on the beach. The water
was too cold, but the sun was out, and they could play on the sand and
in the shallows.
The bathroom door opened, and she came back down the hallway.
He turned to her and smiled as she modeled her suit for him. It was a
pretty, silver one-piece swimsuit. The part he liked best about it was
that the neckline plunged, showing off every single luscious inch of
her silky cleavage. He had a love-hate relationship with the swimsuit,