Denim & Diamonds Read Online Free PDF Page B

knelt down at the edge of the stream, and began talking softly to the feline. The brook babbled and the rays of the sun shone down through the trees.
    A shout shattered the calm, “Damn it! Hey! I need help NOW!”
    She sprang to her feet at the sound of Beau’s voice. The feline continued to clean its whiskers, oblivious to the yelling. Beth decided the cat would be fine on its own, and hurried back, retracing her steps. Her heart sank when she cleared the trees.
    Beau stood in the driveway, waving his arms at two horses attempting to run down the drive toward the highway. A third horse grazed calmly on the lush green grass in the front yard.
    And the gate she had gone through stood wide open.
    Two men ran from the small cabin, and another hurried from the barn, halters and leads in both hands. Beth squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and cursed herself for being so stupid, then jogged towards the gate, hoping to salvage the situation by helping. Beau spotted her. The anger flashing in his eyes was hard to mistake.
    “You!” he yelled as he waved her away, “Get the hell away from that gate! We’re trying to get them in, not scare them away!”
    “Where do you want me?” she yelled back, fighting to keep her voice from cracking. “What can I do?”
    “Over here!” The skinny guy motioned for Beth to follow her along the fence. He had two halters, one thrown over his shoulder. He tossed the other to Beth, who caught the tangle of leather, not having any idea which side was up. Beth stayed close to the man, who looked like he knew what he was doing even if though he was obviously younger than her. His intense gaze focused on the animals in front of him. He crept sideways, his back to the fence. Beth followed suit. The two horses in the driveway watched Beau, who spoke to them in a low,

soothing voice. His tone was soft, so unlike how he had spoken to her only moments before.
    The skinny ranch hand held the halter loosely in his right hand, with the cotton lead rope thrown over his shoulder. His steps were sure and confident as he approached the smaller of the two escapees. The gray horse saw the human approaching, nodded its head and pawed the ground. A white crescent showed around its eyes, and muscles rippled under its shiny coat. The man talked softly to the horse, and approached the animal with confidence. When he was beside the creature, he pulled the halter over its head. Once caught, the horse stood patiently, waiting to be led.
    The big brown horse watched, his ears pricked forward. He seemed calm enough, so Beth made her move.
    She imitated the ranch hand, and walked toward the animal, talking to him all the while. "Hey, there, boy. You're a pretty boy, aren't you? You just stay right there and help me make this all better. Everybody's watching, so take it easy on me."
    He let her get right up to him, but she hesitated, unsure how to hold the tangle of leather. She glanced at the big gray the skinny guy was holding, and thought she could manage. Straps over the forehead and the nose. It didn’t look that hard. She lifted her hands to put the halter over the horse's head, but he ducked and spun away.
    Beau snatched the halter from her and threw his arm over the horse’s neck in one fluid motion, tugging the halter over the horse’s nose and buckling it in seconds. The cowboy glared at her and blew his breath out in a huff, his jaw muscles working furiously.
    “You don’t ever, ever go through a gate and leave it open,” he growled in a low, dangerous voice, “Do you understand me?”
    “It wasn’t on purpose. I didn’t know.” Tears stung her eyes, and she bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling. Nothing made her angrier than tears, particularly her own.
    “Well, now you know.” Beau tossed over his shoulder as he and the other ranch hand led the horses back to the gate. He stopped and stared at her with narrowed eyes. “Maybe if you’d spent a little time

here when your daddy was alive,