Texas True Read Free Page B

Blanco.”
    Beau had tried to imagine the petite, quicksilver girl he remembered with the hulking Slade, who’d made it to college on a football scholarship, then dropped out after blowing out his knee in the first game. Somehow the picture would never come together.
    â€œDo you think she’s happy?” he asked.
    â€œYou can ask her yourself. That’s her SUV coming up the road.”
    Beau felt the catch in his chest. His feet dropped to the porch, stopping the swing. He was overreacting, he told himself. They weren’t nineteen anymore. And Natalie was a married woman.
    â€œI’d planned on bringing her with me today, but she called at the last minute and said she had a foal to deliver.” Tori rose, stepped into her pumps, and smoothed her hair into place. “Looks like she made it after all. And now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time I was checking on my daughter.”
    As she vanished inside, Beau rose and walked to the porch rail. No doubt Tori had left on purpose. Given the way he’d treated Natalie ten years ago, their meeting was bound to be awkward. He couldn’t blame Tori for not wanting to be a part of it.
    Guests had parked their vehicles along both sides of the road for a good fifty yards. The white Toyota pulled off and parked behind a rusty Ford pickup at the end of the line. Maybe he should go back inside, pretend he hadn’t seen her. But that would be the coward’s way. If the little spitfire still wanted a piece of his hide, he would take his punishment like a man.
    He watched as the driver’s door opened, and a petite figure stepped out. From a distance, at least, the girl who’d been Natalie Russo hadn’t changed much. Doll-sized, with an unruly mane of black curls, she appeared to have come straight from her work. The black blazer she’d tossed on over her jeans and plaid shirt was her only nod to dressing for a funeral. But at least she’d come.
    She must’ve known he’d be here. Had she made the effort because of him—or in spite of him?
    When she froze in her tracks for an instant, Beau sensed that she’d recognized him. His feet propelled him forward, off the porch and down the road in long strides that ate up the distance. They met halfway, facing each other at arm’s length.
    â€œHello, Natalie,” he said.
    Her lips trembled, forming a smile that didn’t quite reach her dark eyes. “There were a lot of people who didn’t think you’d come back for Bull’s funeral. I’m glad you did, though. It’s good to see you.”
    She extended her hand. He took it gently, checking the impulse to imprison it in his big palm. Her fingers were small, her skin cool and lightly callused.
    â€œIt’s been a long time.” Beau cleared the thickness from his voice. “I hear tell you’re Mrs. Haskell now.”
    â€œDoctor Haskell, if you please.” Her smile was almost real this time, deepening a dimple at the corner of her mouth—the dimple he’d once loved to taste. Beau forced that memory aside, knowing it was bound to return when he was alone.
    â€œI stand corrected,” he said. “You’ve done well for yourself. But I knew you would. You were always smart.”
    â€œAnd you always knew the right things to say.” Freeing her hand, she gave him a knowing look. “I came to give my condolences to your family. But before I go inside, there’s a mare I need to check. She’s due to foal in the next few days. Since it’s her first time, I promised Sky I’d look in on her.”
    â€œThanks. Mind if I join you?” Beau asked, aware that this was likely the only time he would get to spend alone with her. At the same time, he knew it was wrong to let this go on.
    She hesitated a split second, then shrugged. “If you want.”
    They cut across the muddy yard to the long barn where the broodmares were kept.