Denim & Diamonds Read Online Free PDF

but--”
    “None taken,” she cut him off as she felt the rush of blood in her cheeks. He was acting like a hostile witness in a trial, and she knew just how to handle that. Take the spotlight away. “That's all for now. My door is always open. Thank you all.”
    Silence hung over the room until Charlotte broke the spell by getting dinner on the table. Pots and pans clanked loudly and chairs scooted across the floor, covering the soft buzz of conversation. She

stood against the wall, feeling conspicuous and overlooked at the same time.
    Charlotte set a big basket of cornbread muffins on the table and said, "Miss Jameson, why don't you take the seat at the foot of the table?"
    Conversation stopped, all eyes turned towards her and she felt her cheeks to brighten.
    Beau, at the head of the table, raised one eyebrow and watched her. With a smile, she declined, "That's quite all right. Isn't that usually where you sit, Charlotte?"
    Charlotte nodded. Beau kicked out the chair to his right with one booted foot and nodded towards it. Beth sat and nodded to the ranch hand already seated next to her, a tanned man with unruly brown hair and bright blue eyes, who introduced himself as Aidan. The housekeeper sat at the foot of the table, and Beth caught a knowing look exchanged between Charlotte and Beau. Their look reminded her of the cliques of middle school, and once again, she felt like the odd one out.
    Food was passed, and talk turned to the events of the day. Words like “bits” and “frogs” swirled around her with little meaning, and she found herself looking forward to returning to the privacy of her bedroom. She clenched her fork in her fist and smiled, determined to make the best of the situation she’d been thrown into.

CHAPTER SIX
     
    B eth snuggled back down into the soothing scent of lavender, then remembered where she was. She slid off the bed, the sheepskin rug warm and comforting under her bare feet.
    She swept the lace drapes to the side and saw the sky beginning to turn shades of pink, purple, and orange. She checked the closet and found a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans she thought would fit. Before long, she would need to go shopping. The clothes she had packed weren’t what she needed out on the ranch and she didn't want to depend on the clothes in the guest room. Who knows how many mistresses had used those same clothes?
    On impulse, Beth pulled her Keds on and headed down the hallway without freshening up. She’d never seen a sunrise in the country before. Come to think of it, she’d never seen a sunrise at all. Not on purpose or for pleasure, anyway. And no one was up, so she could let her hair down and relax. It was so peaceful, and she couldn’t help but feel more positive about this new venture than she had the night before.
    Once on the front porch, she breathed in the fresh, crisp air. She heard a meow and looked down to see a fluffy gray tabby cat sitting at the bottom of the steps staring at her. When she reached the bottom step, she knelt down but the cat hopped away.
    “My goodness, kitty. You’ve only got three legs!” She stepped toward the dark feline, but it dodged her then sat. It watched her with unblinking yellow eyes as she approached again, then stood and stretched before walking away. The two crossed the yard and drive, playing this game of cat and mouse. The creature slipped under the white wooden fence and into the pasture.
    Beth felt a strange attraction to the animal and finally opened the gate, after fiddling with it a moment to figure the latch out. A meow beckoned her forward. Beth glanced around, but she and the cat seemed to be completely alone.

The cat darted through the lush green grass toward a stand of pin oak trees, and she followed. Water flowed and bubbled just ahead. At the edge of the trees, a stream meandered. The peaceful setting looked like something out of a movie. The gray cat perched on a rock at the top of a little waterfall, grooming itself. Beth