Spurs and Heels Read Free

that the items filled only one box. After she’d 18

    finished the clean-out, she’d sat down with a pint of java mocha ice cream and watched Sense and Sensibility , berating the female lead, Marianne, for choosing Willoughby over the faithful and steadfast Colonel. Juliana put on Godzilla instead. A pint of ice cream and two and a half hours later, she was numb and suffering from a sugar crash.
    She didn’t feel any better in the morning and was slightly nauseated from all the ice cream. After a breakfast taco, she felt much better, if still a little depressed. She felt no real loss, even over the fact that the son of a bitch had been cheating on her, merely an ever-growing irritation that she hadn’t figured it out sooner.
    Checking the time, she stood wearily from her desk and picked up the box as Evelyn, her Yoda-like right-hand person, cleared her throat. The elderly sprite stood in the office door, looking over her reading glasses, wearing a Cheshire cat grin. In her wrinkled little hands was a small arrangement of miniature roses and dark green foliage displayed in a floral teacup and saucer.
    “Someone has an admirer,” Evelyn announced in her uncharacteristically gravelly voice.
    Juliana took the flowers from her. “Who are they from?” she asked, smelling the lovely yellow roses.
    “Now how would I know that, missy?” Evelyn asked innocently as Juliana placed the arrangement on her desk.
    Scoffing, Juliana eyed her and said, “Oh, puh-lease , don’t bullshit a bullshitter.”
    “Who is Ash?” Evelyn asked, cutting the crap.
    “Someone I met at Grace’s last night. He had flowers delivered?”
    Interesting. She thought after her rudeness last night, he wouldn’t want to have anything further to do with her.
    “Actually, he delivered them himself. His card says, and I quote,
    ‘Sorry, darling. I was just trying to help last night. Sincerely, Ash.’ He also brought you lunch, and he’s out in the store right now. I told him you had someone in your office, and he didn’t want to interrupt you.”

    19
    With a grin, she added, “I helpfully suggested that maybe you’d want to thank him yourself and that he should hang around a bit.”
    Juliana couldn’t help but smile, looking at the flowers. He’d sort of stuck his foot in his mouth last night, but he’d had good intentions.
    The flowers did brighten her mood. Lifting the box containing Lawrence’s stuff, she stepped out of her office to go look for him while she tried to formulate an apology for her behavior the night before.
    An employee stopped her to ask a question outside the hallway that led to her office. Answering the question, she was distracted by an unusual rhythmic sound and looked up the main aisle that ran the length of the store.
    Walking toward her from the front of the store, looking like sex on a stick, was that tall, hot cowboy. She had to confess that he was a sight for sore eyes, dressed in faded blue jeans, dusty cowboy boots, a red Western shirt, a dark blue barn jacket, and his black felt cowboy hat. She realized from the telltale sound that he’d left his spurs on.
    Tingling heat spread over her cheeks, and she cursed her red hair and fair skin.
    He walked down the aisle to her, a knowing smile in his eyes and on his lips. Her insides quivered, and she felt the heat in her cheeks spread to her clit. Despite her blush, she continued her perusal, her panties dampening slightly at the sight of the telltale bulge at his groin and the sound of his spurs. Why the sound of spurs could get her a little wet, she wasn’t sure. He chuckled as he came to a stop and extricated the box from her hands.
    “Darlin’, you keep looking at me like that and I might start blushing. I don’t think I’d look quite as pretty doing it, though.
    What’s in the box?”
    “It’s Lawrence’s things. I plan to drop them by his house this afternoon. I need to put it in my car.”
    “Want me to put it in the dumpster